Will figured out the wedding part of his plan quicker than I thought. We were just going to waltz into the church and request to get married on the spot. Will called it "elopement."
"When we get to the church, we'll ask the priest to marry us immediately. Just follow my lead, alright? He'll agree."
I nodded, swallowing nervously. "B-but what about my eyes?"
"Don't worry, I got that figured out, too." He rummaged in his coat pocket and withdrew a long piece of cloth. "You're going to pretend you're blind."
"Is that a good idea? What if we get found out?" I asked apprehensively.
He gestured for me to turn around. I did so and closed my eyes. I felt the cool fabric of the cloth go over my eyes and Will tied it to the back of my head. He slid his fingers down my arm to my hand. I grasped his.
"We won't get found out; he isn't going to take the bloody cloth off your eyes once we say you're blind." He said irately. "Come on."
When I sensed us drawing nearer to the church, I tugged on Will's sleeve and paused. He sounded puzzled as he asked, "What's the matter?"
I pointed in the general direction of the church. "Can I even enter it? What if I burn or something?"
I could almost hear him roll his eyes at my fearful tone. "Hurry up, we don't have all day!"
He then proceeded to drag me closer to the church as I dug my bare heels helplessly into the dirt.
"W-wait, Will!" I squeezed my eyes tighter as I felt warm earth turn to cool stone beneath my feet. I felt nothing: no pain, no Angels coming to reap me. I could sense Will was not amused.
"You done with your dramatics?" He asked rhetorically before continuing to walk. I stuck my tongue out at him.
He walked confidently down the aisle, his hand never leaving mine. I could hear pages turn ahead of us and smelled ancient parchment and cotton. I assumed the priest was standing in front of us, reading the bible.
"Father, my fiancée and I would like to get married, quietly, today. As soon as possible." Will said in a quiet tone. I ducked my head.
"May I ask the reason, my boy?" He asked, his voice kind.
I had never encountered a priest before, but I had heard rumors they could tell a demon apart from a human just by looking at them. I refrained from lifting my head. The last thing I needed was him attempt to exorcise me. Which wouldn't work; they only worked against Human-Turned-Demons. They just sort of angered born demons.
"Our families do not approve of our love, but we can't bear the idea of marrying someone else." I had to admit, Will was quite the actor. He had just the right amount of desperation in his voice.
The priest sighed, "Though I do not approve of elopement, it is not my place to interfere with the works of the Lord, especially matters of the heart. Very well. I will marry you two right away."
I could hear the grin in Will's voice. "Thank you so much, Father!"
Taking a calming breath, I heightened my sight so I could see decently enough through the cloth at the expense of my sense of smell.
The priest was seated at a small desk with a document in front of him and a quill in his withered hand. Will maneuvered my body so I was standing beside him instead of behind him. I noticed an elderly woman standing beside the priest, her little head shaking slightly from her old age.
"Now, marriage is a religious and a legal contract. The two of you must sign this license. One of my nuns will be the witness and has already signed the paper. My girl," He said, looking at me, "you will sign with your maiden name."
I bit my lip and squeezed Will's hand. The priest looked up at Will. "Is something the matter?"
"Y-yes, you see, I do not have a maiden name. I come from a poor family and we no longer possess a surname. And I do not know how to write." I lied.
The priest didn't seem surprised by this information and nodded. My clothes gave no indication of my class as I was dressed in a gray frock made of a rough fabric and he could see my shoeless feet. "Very well, then sign with the name you will take when the ceremony is complete. Perhaps your fiancé will help you sign."
He handed the quill to Will, who signed with a quick, messy flourish. Will handed the quill to me and lightly grasped my hand. I dipped the quill in the inkwell and he helped me sign my name. The priest gently plucked the quill out of my hand. He set aside the document and stood.
"Now we may begin the ceremony. Do you wish to recite the traditional vows, or do you have your own?" He asked.
"The traditional. I have a friend who is a priest, so I know the vows by heart." Will answered.
The priest nodded his head for Will to continue. Will turned to me and smiled gently at me. He took my free hand in his other hand. "I, William Taylor, in the presence of these witnesses, do take you, Melanie, to be my lawful wedded wife and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."
He looked so earnest saying the words, my mouth went dry. For a moment, I nearly called off the whole thing, uncertain if I would be able to live up to such expectations. I had to remind myself to think of it as a contract.
I licked my parched lips and recited, "I-I, Melanie, in the presence of these witnesses, do take you, William, to be my lawful wedded husband and to hold, from this d-day forward, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to l-love and to cherish, till death do us p-part."
My heart was throwing itself at my rib cage as though it wanted to escape. I could feel my palms grow sweaty.
"You may exchange rings now." The priest said.
Will reached into his pocket, holding both our rings. With a sheepish smile, he dropped his in my hand and grabbed my right hand, sliding my ring onto my finger. I did the same for him, my hands shaking as he guided me.
"Please join hands." We obeyed and the priest asked, "Do you want to marry each other?"
I took a deep breath and spoke in unison with Will, "Yes, we want to marry each other."
The priest nodded and said, "By joining hands, you are consenting to be bound together as husband and wife. You are promising to honor, love and support each other for the rest of your lives. By the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
Will gently gripped my chin and bent down, capturing my lips with his. My eyes fluttered as he withdrew, his hand leaving my chin to grab my hand again. The priest made the sign of the cross in front of both of us (Rayi pretended she was melting) and went back around the desk. He wished us luck and the silent nun kissed both of us on our cheeks, giving us her blessing.
"I will now introduce you to the world. You are now joined to each other by love and respect, two qualities you must always remember, even when times are difficult. I wish you the best of luck in your marriage, and it is my honor to introduce Mr. and Mrs. William Taylor."
We thanked him numerous times as we left the church, hands clasped tightly together.
We returned to Will's (our) home where I removed the cloth covering my eyes. I stared up at Will as he pecked me on the lips and murmured, "Things will work out. For now, I have to send you back."
I murmured back, "I don't want to go back."
"I know, but you must go back. I will get you when I have a chance. Rayi, I summon thee back to the depths of Hell."
I was back in my room, Will's scent still around me. I pulled his ring off my finger and placed it around my neck, hiding it beneath my dress. I reluctantly pulled Lin's ring out and put it on my finger once more. I went through my wardrobe, finding my favorite clothes and yanking them out of the closet. I grabbed a couple pairs of shoes and stuffed them into the trunk with the clothes.
I sat on the bed, clutching the trunk in my hands tightly until the tendons stuck out against my skin. I wondered if Joel knew of my marriage to one of his Angels and if so, how he was reacting. Was he upset? What if Will was discovered and was being punished at that very moment?
My heart grew heavy with disquiet as I thought of all the worse-case scenarios. I felt Rayi stir and she grumbled, You should have thought of that before you eloped. Who knows, maybe he's having a second thoughts and won't call for you.
'Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm already troubled as it is without your input.' I growled back.
She wisely kept her mouth shut after I snapped at her. Amnon was not in my room but I was so giddy I barely noticed or cared that he was gone. I kept going over the fact that I was married to someone of my own choice. That I had defied my father, my king, and Lucifer. Giddiness was replaced with terror at that thought.
"I'm doomed if I'm found out." I whimpered to myself, hugging my trunk tighter to my chest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I fell asleep with my head resting on the trunk. When I came to, the trunk slid from my grip and landed on the ground. I looked around and saw I was still in my room in the palace.
Will had not summoned me.
Told you he wouldn't. Rayi said snidely. I didn't grace her with a response.
Kicking the trunk under my bed, I waited for my servants to come and bathe me. A few moments later, there was a polite knock on my door before three servant girls entered.
"Good morning, My Lady." They chirped as they curtsied to me.
I nodded curtly at them and followed them into the bathroom. They stripped me and filled the porcelain tub with warm water filled with scented oils. I climbed into the tub, yesterday's grime—and Will's scent—sliding off me. I was scrubbed from head to toe until my skin was pink. As they worked, the demonesses chatted amongst each other. They mostly spoke of Lucifer's presence this evening.
My day was spent sulking because Will had yet to summon me. I had been hoping he would do it right away and I would never have to look back at Hell. I still hadn't been able to find Amnon, either, which was strange since he took being my "shadow" to heart.
When it was time for dinner, my nerves were all but frayed. I didn't want to go to dinner but knew my presence was required. Something felt off to me, though I didn't know what. Lin came to my room to escort me to dinner. It would just be me, him, and Lucifer.
"Melanie, you look beautiful." He complimented, pressing his lips against mine in greeting.
My servants had dressed me in a black gown with a white lace bodice. I had forgone shoes again, relieved Lin seemed fine with my eccentricity. He was dressed in a golden robe with black trousers. The trousers were tucked into his favorite brown, leather boots. His rings were in place, including the engagement ring.
"Thank you, My King, you look very handsome." I replied, genuinely meaning it.
"Shall we head to the Dining Hall? Lucifer said He has decided to give us His wedding gift early." He held his arm out to me.
I hooked my arm in his and allowed him to take me out of my room. "How kind of Him."
"Yes, I got a peek at it and I think it will certainly be just as surprising for you as it was for me." He said blithely.
With each passing step, my feet felt heavier until I was almost being dragged to the Dining Hall. Lin glanced down at me, probably counting how fast my heart was beating or how many breaths I was taking.
"Are you alright, my dear? You seem on edge." He remarked, topaz colored eyes sweeping over my face.
"Just nervous," I admitted, "I always am when in the presence of Lucifer."
"Ah," Lin chuckled, "yes, He has that effect on people. The only one who doesn't seem perturbed by it is Tavor. Even I am uncomfortable in Our Lord's company."
His words somewhat soothed me and the heaviness of my feet lightened. We arrived in the Dining Hall where Lucifer stood waiting. He was dressed in a blood red tunic and gray trousers. The Bones of Michael rested against His throat proudly, where they have remained for more than a hundred thousand years. He had His hair tied back and His beard had been recently trimmed.
When He saw us He rushed over and took my hand in His, placing a kiss on my knuckles.
"As always it is good to see you, Duchess. Are you excited for your wedding next week?" He asked, eyes bright.
"Yes, My Lord, and it is always a privilege to bask in Your presence." I simpered, curtsying.
"And Lin, you look well." Lucifer patted Lin's bicep before withdrawing. "Let's eat, shall we?"
I took my seat beside Lin while Lucifer sat across from us. He zealously dug into the souls presented to Him and I followed suit. We all ate quietly, occasionally speaking to one another. For a moment I thought I caught of whiff of Will's scent but wrote it off as my imagination.
Once dinner was over, Lucifer rubbed his hands together, smiling cheerfully. "Now then, shall I bring in your present?"
Discontent made my stomach twist itself into a knot. I smiled tensely while Lin verbally gave his answer. Lucifer snapped his fingers and I heard chains rattle.
Turning around in my seat, I watched with wide eyes as several Royal Guards dragged a struggling Angel into the Hall. He was bare chested wearing only beige trousers that hung low on narrow hips. Tattoos of dragons and flames decorated wiry arms and torso. Red hair once to his shoulders was cut to his cheeks. His face was dirty and he had cuts and bruises scattered over his skin. His ankles and wrists were shackled, and a power neutralizer collar was around his neck. The collar was attached to a chain one of the guards held.
I covered my hand with my mouth as I recognized Will.
ns 15.158.61.51da2
