"Do you believe he has a hold on me?"
"Once he appears, he already has a hold."
His gaze became fixed on her necklace before he looked up at her face.
When he spoke this time, his voice sounded a little cheerful.
"But he no longer appears to you in your dreams. You are save, with me."
But she wasn't save!
Her heart pounded in her chest, the thundering filling her ears.
"Have you been able to save any of brides before?"
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, patting her hand that was in his. "No."
"Oh."
His hand went around her, pulling her towards him in a hug while she rested her face against his chest, listening to the beating of his heart and the vibration of his voice.
"Please, worry not. You are different. You, my Donna, will be my last bride."
Different.
She really wanted to believe that but she knew she wasn't.
She wasn't different.
She really wanted to tell him that, but then again, she couldn't.
What if the Bride Thief getting to them had something to do with the King? She noticed that anytime she stayed with him, the Bride Thief was hardly able to get into her dreams. Like all the times she had stayed in his room and had not dreamt of him.
Why did they never disappear until the King puts them in the special room and create a distance between him and the brides?
Was it all just a big coincidence?
She couldn't really tell but whatever it was, she knew that if she told him now, then in no time, she too would be locked in that special room, distanced from him, and before she was able to find out what exactly was going on, she would disappear without a trace.
Her hand went around him as she rested heavily against him for comfort, his smooth robe grazing her cheek, one thought on her mind.
Gone, she would be.
Just like the other brides.
Her hands tightened around him, allowing his warmth to engulf her, while she relish in the feeling of safety he gave.
Suddenly the carriage came to an halt.
"We are here, Donna."
Here? Where?
She moved away from the King, the voices of cheering crowded seeping into her ears.
"Last time, you were not able to meet the people, so I wanted this time to be different."
Belladonna let out a shaky breath.
She hadn't expected that.
She had been able to meet some people last time, with the game, it had been fun, until her dress got ripped, and her scars were out in the open.
She still remembered the look of pity in their eyes.
Then how she had washed away her sorrows at the pud and gotten drunk.
Not until now had she had to think of what she must have done on that day.
What if she had done something embarrassing and some of the people who had seen her had spread the news.
"They will love you." He whispered next to her, snapping her gently out of her thoughts. "If you are not comfortable, we can come back another day. I just thought you would love this. Since you will be their Queen, I thought you would love to start meeting the people as soon as possible."
She frowned. "I never said I wanted to be Queen."
His hand playing with the curls of her hair stilled in fright.
"W-what? I thought-- but---"
She chuckled, taking off his cloak and folding it to leave it behind in the carraige.
His expression must have been priceless, too bad the mask was in the way.
"I was just joking."
He sighed audibly in relief.
"That scared me." He let out a shaky chuckle. "Really scary."
A gentle tap on the door by the King, and it swung open slowly.
The cheers heightened with that, the golden lights from the village high lanterns, filtered into the carriage.
The King was the first to step out, and he held his hand out for her as the people greeted him with respect.
She took it, coming out of the carriage after him.
She thought the cheers was loud before, now it was louder.
"There is the Bride!"
"Look!"
"The Bride!"
"She's beautiful!"
"Milady!"
The crowd was so much, guards had to be on both sides to stop them from falling over to them.
It was struggle to get close enough to push their gifts into her hands.
They lifted their hand in the air, filled with different wrapped gifts, smiles on their faces as they chanted.
"Blessings upon the Majesty!"
"Blessings upon the Bride!"
Over and over again.
The King cradled her hand in his.
"They love you." He whispered discreetly to her and she stood still for a moment.
Love?
Was that it?
She searched their faces for the pity they held on that day but she found none.
A smile broke across her lips at that.
They loved her!
For being who she was.
His Majesty's Bride.
The King started taking steps closer, taking the path that had already been made for them, as the crowd kept cheering from the left and right.
"Did they love the other brides too?" She asked, staying a little on her toes and leaning towards his ear, for him to hear her.
He leaned downwards instead, enough for her to comfortably stay on her feet once again. She fought a smile as she repeated her question.
"Many of them were not so lucky." He turned to her, the golden light reflection from the market lanterns flickering on his mask. "You have it all, my love and theirs. You are fit to be Queen. My Queen."
She gulped, feeling her surroundings dissolve into nothing around them, as her gaze locked with his bewitching one.
His Queen.
There was a way he said it, that made her feel like everything was right with the world.
Before she could respond to that, hands thrusted towards her open hand, bumping it roughy with a packaged gift.
"Dresses, my Lady." A voice yelled. "The finest fabrics with wonderful embroideries."
"Shoes," another yelled.
"Sweet fragrance!"
"Herbs!"
Belladonna reached out to collect as many as she could, although there were guards collecting the gifts before it got too much and putting them into the carriage behind them.
"You are a natural," the King said to her, as she continued to receive her gifts and thank the people. "Perfect."
"Your Majesty."
"It is Eli, wherever we are. To you, it will always be Eli."
She turned back to say something, but he had already turned to the left, collecting her gifts on her behalf,. The people willingly giving it to him, smiled on their faces that held no tension in any way.
This was man was certainly not as they had rumoured him to be. He loved his people, they seem to love him and were not afraid of him.
Why then had they spread those terrible rumours about him.
He didn't deserve all that.
Eli was just an absolute sweetheart with a crown.