Ceremony in Merthras (Shadow)

Merthras, a dimension covered in Ice. The buildings and settlements made of the same cold substance that caked the floors, but the temperatures in Merthras never rise above a certain point, so the houses are safe. But even so, they are reinforced with metal to keep them standing in the summer. The castle was the most grand of the buildings, the craftsmenship, simply amazing. Detail put into every orifice to make the Castle truly look astounding. This was where the prince resided, and where the wedding ceremony was to take place.
A bright flash resonated in the courtyard of the castle, refracting light off of all the buildings and decorations, creating a rainbow effect around the flash. As the light dimmed, it was plain that there were two figures standing there. One visibly taller then the other. The taller figure, a male, wearing a black, tailed jacket, and a work short under neath it, with slacks that split at the bottom, orange on the tips, turned to the other, a female.
"We are here Shadow." The figure spoke in a soothing, reassuring voice. The man was approximately 7 feet tall, but even at that he towered over Shadow. "Are you ready?" he spoke again, his voice had a very slight hint of worry in it, but not enough for detection. The mans hair was long, and it came down to about his neck, it was a jet black colour and it was blowing in the ever cold wind. He had a cloak his hand, which he passed to the girl, it was lined with some sort of insulating material. "This'll keep you warm, put it on." He spoke, looking around. Several guards were walking towards the pair, a smile tinged the mans face, as he spoke in a sarcastic voice.
"Looks like the welcoming commitee is here for us."

Shadow cast a worried smile at the Daemon Prince. Her mask had been replaced by a fancier one. The one eyehole had been accentuated by silver paint, and delicate swirls extended from those lines. A heavy hooded cloak weighed down her shoulders, her dress specially sewn with thicker material than normal and she had had armour plating stitched into the bodice. She pulled her cloak further around her shoulders.
"I'll never be ready," She muttered. She glanced up at Be'lakor, a quizzical look crossing her face. She opened her mouth to say something, but thought against it as the guards walked up to her. She bowed, saying something in their language, to which the guards replied.

Be'lakor nodded in acknowledgement of Shadows answer. Be'lakor stood next to the princess as the guards surrounded them. Shadow spoke to the guards, and they replied, but Be'lakor did not understand anything that was said. He just stood near Shadow protectively. A strap went across his torso, holding a crossbow that was slung on his back, and he had a scabbard containing a sword attatched to his waist.

The guards led Shadow and Be'lakor to the audience room where they had previously fought. Shadow twitched the fingers on her broken arm. The bandage had been wrapped in black cloth so that it wouldn't stand out. The prince was sitting on his throne, reading a thick book. He looked up at Shadow, a slight smile appearing on his face, but it soon disappeared as he noticed Be'lakor.
"Princess Shadow, welcome," He said, ignoring the Daemon Prince.

Be'lakor couldn't help but smile at the prince's dismay. Be'lakor just stood next to the princess, Shadow, and didn't speak. He didn't want to cause trouble that wasn't needed, at least, until the ceremony started. But he needed to be there, in the ceremony.

The prince gestured to the smaller throne next to his, and Shadow warily took a seat.
"The ceremony is in three hours, I hope you will be ready," He said. Shadow nodded warily. He glanced at Be'lakor. "Will he be your guard during the ceremony?"
"Yes, he will," Shadow managed to say in a determined voice.

Be'lakor nodded at Shadows answer, standing next to her with his arms crossed. The look on his face was serious, and determined at the same time. He was going to speak, but decided against it. The prince was already terrified of him, and hated him. He didn't want to leave any reason for him to not be present.

Shadow and the prince conversed in what seemed to be polite tones, but Shadow's were slightly clipped and she said the minimum possible. Shadow took a deep breath as the prince gestured towards her broken arm. The princess snapped a reply.

- I can't think of anything else... -

Be'lakor just watched the conversation, looking at the prince. Be'lakor lowered himself slightly, and whispered to the princess. "What are you talking about?" Be'lakor stayed crouched at the princess' height, not looking at the prince.

Shadow glanced round at Be'lakor.
"He's telling me how much he looks forwards to ruling with me at his side." She said with a slightly disgusted look. She bit her lip.
"I don't think I want to do this..."

"Don't worry, i'm here. You won't have to go through much." Be'lakor whispered to her, standing back up to his full height. He looked at the prince, before looking back down to Shadow. "You have to get ready, Prince. We will leave you until the ceremony." Be'lakor spoke, as if it was Shadows will, as he nudged her towards the door.

Shadow nodded once, standing up and graciously bowing before leaving. Once she had left the sight of any guards, she leant against a wall, sliding down it, putting her head in her hand. She pulled off her mask, taking a deep breath to calm herself down.

Be'lakor looked around, making sure there was no one in eyesight or hearing range. "You'll be fine, Shadow. Don't worry." Be'lakor sat down next to her, his crossbow in his hands. "I am armed to the teeth, daggers in my shoes, knives hidden in my sleeves. This Crossbow, my Daemon Blade. And if all else fails, i have more tricks up my sleeve. All you have to do is pretend to be happy." Be'lakor smiled reassuringly at Shadow, pulling back a bolt in his Crossbow.

Shadow looked at Be'lakor with a look of gratefulness.
"Is it just me, or have you suddenly become shorter?" She asked, looking slightly confused. She sighed, leaning her head against the icy wall.

"I think it makes me look less intimidating. I am 3 feet shorter." Be'lakor answered Shadow, a smile on his face. "It also makes it easier for me to fight when i don't have people bruising my shins..." He chuckled to himself, as he cocked back the Crossbow. "Been a while since i used one of these." He stated, studying the weapon.

Shadow nodded.
"All I'll be able to carry at the ceremony is a knife and a short sword if I'm lucky." She warned the Daemon Prince. "Most likely I'll need you if it comes to a battle, which is most likely." She took a deep breath. "I haven't been scared for years, but now I am..."

"Don't be. Do you want some real havoc to take place? If so i won't be in the room, but you can expect the ceremony to go out in a bang." Be'lakor asked the princess. He had slung the crossbow back on his back, and was sat there sharpening one of his knives with a wetstone.

Shadow snorted quietly in laughter.
"I don't know what I want to take place, I don't know when I want the deaths to occur, I don't know anything about this ceremony!" She said, running a hand through her black hair. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I'd better go and get ready..."

Be'lakor smiled. "The prince will probably feel safer if i am not present. Would you prefer i be in the room?" Be'lakor asked, standing up, and lowering his hand to help Shadow up from the cold floor. Be'lakor looked around, the corridor remained empty.

Shadow accepted the hand, pulling herself up and tying her mask back on.
"I would prefer it if you were with me, yes," She replied to Be'lakor's question, adjusting her cloak. She paused a moment to compose herself before continuing to walk along the corridor.

Be'lakor nodded, as he looked at the princess. "Are you ready? The ceremony will begin soon." Be'lakor started to walk down the corridor. His eye's were glowing blue with truesight as he searched for any signs of life. None. "Everybodies at the ceremony, nobody is here." Be'lakor stated, turning to look at the Princess.

Shadow smoothed out a couple of creases in the skirt of her dress. She touched the hilt of the short blade on her hip. Her heavy cloak seemed heavier than normal, but she collected herself and nodded.
"I'll never be fully ready, but lets get this over with."

Be'lakor nodded as the two walked down the corridor. They entered the throne room which seemed to have been transformed into a chapel in the 3 hours. The ceremony was about to begin.

Shadow took a deep breath again, trying to steady her nerves. Her ruler side was telling her to do her duty to her dimension, whereas her other side was yelling at her to turn and flee. She strode down the line left by both the few Aspherin demons and by the winges people of Merthras. Arcen was waiting at the end, looking towards her with a smirk on his face.

Be'lakor glided into the room, standing at the back subtely. He had managed to get in without being noticed or attracting any attention. He held his crossbow with both his hands, a bolt already loaded into it. He stood, watching the prince.