The castle hall was packed with people who had come to join in the event happening, of course, it was strictly only by invitation, but then mother must have invited a ton of people and it seemed that not only the people of Dragonsbane were invited to this event, she could see her Aunt Jenny and her husband and son, cooped up in a section of the hall reserved only for the royal family and by the look on Revvyn’s face, she could tell that he too did not want to be there with his mother and father in their royal restrictions. She giggled when he looked at her with pleading puppy eyes and she signaled for him to come to her.

Revvyn was much like her, his mother, Duchess Jenny Wixx Dumieres, always loved to impose her own things on him but Lyra still considered him lucky because they did not live in the castle, his father was Eris Dumieres, Duke of Deltora, Dragonsbane, and for the fact that he was not stuck living his life within the castle walls was one thing she envied about him and she would do anything to leave the castle, she even, on more than one occasion, tried to convince mother to allow her to live a while with the Dumieres, even though Lyra was sure that her Aunt Jenny, would be even more strict about her than her mother was, still she would accept that if it meant that she would be allowed out of the castle, but mother would hear none of that.

She was not to leave the castle and if there was a function happening in the castle, she was not to leave mother’s sight. She smiled and sighed, thinking of all the parchment she had hidden away in her dresser up in her room, containing detailed mappings of the castle, including the underground tunnels and the secret passageways and the numerous escape plans she had in her head and wishing that she had a glass of wine in her hands right now but mother would kill her if she was seen drinking that stuff. There were just too many things she was not allowed to do and sometimes it frustrated her but she chose to be patient. She would be eighteen and she would be married soon - that was her only source of console now. She would be married soon.

Her gaze moved from Revvyn who was now making his way towards her to her mother the queen, Gwyn Wixx Cragore, and she almost immediately looked away, she chose not to focus on her piercing gaze disapproving of her interacting with the other guests but rather wanted to enjoy her evening instead, this was the one time in months she had been allowed into an event in the castle and she would not be spending it restricted to one section of the hall as a royal in their high and mighty esteem. Revvyn got to her at the same time that the announcement began. The bride was stepping into the hall.

The music slowed, the lights in the hall dimmed and everyone’s attention was on the bride. Lyra gasped and so did a few other guests; Soria was an epitome of beauty, the peach dress she had chosen was just her fit, she wore her hair down and only a single headpiece, her smile was the only makeup she needed. Lyra’s heart swirled and she could have sworn that Zaden’s did too because he exhaled loudly and he could not keep himself from grinning and… was that a tear in the corner of his eyes?

“Beautiful,” Revvyn whispered into her ears and she nodded in approval.

“Truly beautiful.” She sighed and then turned to him with a narrowed gaze. “Speaking of beauty, when are you getting married, Rev?”

“Ohh no, not you too.” He groaned and rolled his eyes, causing Lyra to laugh.

“What? You are a twenty-two-year-old man, and you have not found your supposed soul mate yet?”

“Mother breathes down my neck at every given chance she gets, she collects every invitation and forces me to attend them. Every single one of them.”

“Maybe your soul mate is not in Dragonsbane.” She shrugged her shoulders and Revvyn looked at her like she had just spoken in some foreign language. She smiled and pinched his chin. “Just think about it.”

He seemed to ponder on that for a while and then shrugged his shoulders too. “I am a man, I could get married at whatever age, just look at my father, he did not get married that early, his soul mate…” He said, emphasizing on ‘soulmate’ and shaking his head. “…did not grow up fast.”

Lyra almost roared with laughter but held herself, the hall was mostly quiet now and the only people talking were the priest, Soria, and Zaden when they needed to.

“So maybe…” He continued. “…my soulmate has not turned eighteen yet.”

“Well, I would be eighteen tomorrow…”

“So you’re my soulmate then?”

“What? No! Shut up.” She cautioned him, both of them grinning. “Anyway, I would be eighteen tomorrow and then I would get to meet with my soulmate, he is going to be a warrior…”

“You know you cannot decide that.” He interrupted her. “Whomever you connect with is your soulmate, be it a warrior or a prince or just a guard.”

She narrowed her eyes at him and frowned. “You mock me.”

“Whaaaatttt….. me? Nooooo…..” He dragged the words, looking away from her but the grin on his face told the truth that he was mocking her. Lyra smiled and with all her might, stomped on his foot.

Revvyn yowled in pain and everyone turned to him, including Lyra who had scooted a little away from him and now looked at him like she did not know why he would suddenly be loud. Revvyn folded his lips, scrunched his face and brought his face down.

“Yes son?” The priest asked him and he looked up to the man, a confused look on his face. “Do you have a reason why these two should not be together?”

Revvyn chuckled nervously and shook his head. “I love you, Soria.”

She laughed and so did Zaden, then the crowd joined in too and soon everyone’s attention went back to the couple. Revvyn shot Lyra a death stare, he could still feel the pain in his foot and he could only imagine the look on his mother’s face right now, he was surely not going to hear the end of this. Lyra smiled and wiggled her eyebrows at him which caused him to scoff and smile and shake his head at her childishness before he hopped away to take care of his aching toe.

The ceremony was quick, much quicker than she thought it would be and she wondered if it was already midnight, her twenty-year-old sister was almost married, tomorrow she would be eighteen and soon it would be her getting married, the thought of it excited her, causing chills to run down her spine and she giggled, wanting to just jump up and down with joy. She saw Revvyn making his way back to her and she grinned at him, wanting to twirl in her happiness until she noticed what he had in his hand. He came closer and tapped her shoulder like she was not already aware of his presence, then passed a goblet to her.

“I cannot take wine Rev, I’m not allowed to.”

“Ohh, this isn’t wine. Aunt said to give this to you.”

“Aunt? Like my mother?”

He nodded and shifted his body away slightly so that she was in the line of sight of the queen and he pointed to where her mother sat. Lyra looked in the direction which he pointed in and she saw her mother smile and nod her head for her to drink it. Lyra’s eyebrow rose up in question as she eyed the vessel in his hand and the dark purple-looking liquid within it, wondering what it could be. Surely she knew it was not poison, it could not be but she could not help being cautious, she took the goblet from Revvyn nonetheless and brought it to her lips just as Soria and Zaden were announced as husband and wife.

“Congratulations!” A voice boomed from the far end of the hall just as the doors were thrown wide open and a group of savage-looking soldiers casually walked in, some grinning maliciously while some had on a straight face. The unexpected intrusion shook Lyra and caused her to drop the goblet after having only drunk a mouth full of the liquid. She turned in the direction of the other guests to see who had been so loud and arrogant to interrupt just as they shuffled to the side, clearing a wide path for him.

The man made his way from the back of the hall to the middle, not for once paying attention to the guests but looking straight at the new couple to the royals who were now on their feet. He didn’t smile when he walked up to them.

“No need to be frightened, I have only come for my bride.”