As they walked down the long hallway, the chatters and murmurs grew louder and louder. Sage could feel her heart pounding harder and harder as they approached the room where the wedding was taking place.
The hallway felt endless, and her hands began to shake the closer they got to the door. The illumination emanating from the chamber at the end of the corridor was so intense that it nearly blinded her, and she could sense the warmth of the assembled gaze.
She was doing everything she could to maintain her calm.
Katherine held Sage's hand while Lia seemed like she was recovering from a shock.
"Did you meet him?" Sage asked, sensing Lia's unease.
Lia breathed. "Outside, fire breathing dragons landed... atop one of the dragons I happened to see..."
Julius burst into the room, followed by a couple of guards. "Sage, my daughter." Tears filled his eyes.
Sage was his only child and he found her to be very reminiscent of his late wife Tamara.
"He is here, let's move on." He sniffed and grinned at her as she stared at him with a hugging expression.
Sage gave a nod. "All right, father."
They all entered the room, which was large and well-furnished.
With most of them being mages and the majority of those who had seen the ice dragon having fled, Sage was not surprised that there were not many people there. Since her aunt had mentioned fire-breathing dragons, she wondered if the ice dragon they were fleeing from was actually the one....
"You have time to change your mind, Sage." She heard Katherine whisper to her.
Sage turned to look at her friend, who looked very nervous. She shook her head with a faint smile on her face.
Her only knowledge of the being she was getting married to was that he was a malevolent force that she needed to vanquish. She was clueless about his identity and appearance.
"I have to do this." Groveling against the side of her dress, she muttered, "Have faith in me."
Releasing her hand, Katherine nodded. "I believe in you."
"Where has Darren gone?" Sage questioned, raising a small brow.
"I am sure he is here, probably in the crowd." Katherine smiled slightly in response.
Sage pivoted to survey the elaborate altar. She rubbed the side of her dress tenderly, clearly very nervous.
"It is time, come on." Holding her hand, Julius told her.
As they approached the altar, Sage inhaled deeply. With every step she took, the murmurs and conversations grew louder and her heartbeat quickened.
At the altar, the man who would accompany her and the ice dragon stood, looking as though he was recovering from shock. Clearly, he had seen the ice dragon.
"Father!" When Sage felt her father release her hand, she gasped in terror. She pleaded, "Please do not leave me."
Julius heaved a breath. "I won't," he uttered, his eyes not quite smiling.
Sage watched her father leave into the throng, standing beside Katherine and her aunt Lia, who still looked shocked.
She stood on the altar, trembling uncontrollably, and turned to face the man who would soon join her and the ice dragon. She wanted to ask him about the appearance of the ice dragon. Was the ice dragon truly present in Credia?
"I.." Muffled gasps cut her off, drawing her attention to him.
As he stepped into the room, the people in the room seemed to fade away.
He was dressed in an exquisite white suit, a heavy black cloak hanging on his broad shoulders exuding an air of royal majesty, with his hair pulled back into pristine braids. His eyes were the color of the clearest ice blue crystals, and his face was like a sculpted work of art.
He was breathtaking... bewitching... She could barely tear her eyes away from him... she did not want to.
She was getting married to the man she had seen in the garden the night before and the man she had seen in the frozen lake. She could not believe it! He was the Ice Dragon!
Sage felt so stupid, wondering why she could not solve the puzzles. She was forced to acknowledge his beauty and even considered the possibility that he was a mirage when he appeared before her on the altar.
The guards behind him moved aside, preventing the audience from approaching him.
Sage dipped her head to sidestep his cold blue eyes. "You..."
"Me?" His deep voice was a low, lingering whisper devoid of emotion.
Sage gave him a look. She could see him clearly now; he was perfectly built. His well-defined jawline, his delicate bright pink lips, his icy blue eyes, and his beautifully sculpted face. Not bulky, but muscular, he was taller than her. Sage was so small in his shadow.
Though there was no emotion on his face, his beauty made her bite her lower lip.
"Hm." His eyes blazed with sliver.
She sputtered, looking away.
And before she even realized it, she was married.
She was met with a glare from the ice dragon. "It is time to leave your house."
Sage stroked the side of her dress, flashed a bright smile, and stepped in towards him.
With a fierce whisper, "You will have to go first," she withdrew a dagger from the side of her dress.
He dodged her blow the instant she struck, yanking the dagger from her as he stood by her side to keep it out of sight.
Sage frowned at him, clearly intimidated by him. "How did you..."
He snorted, cutting her off. "You lack intelligence." He said in a low voice, a faint smile spreading across his lips.
Sage turned away from him, and bolted towards her father, aunt Lia, and Katherine from the altar. When she gave her father a strong hug, Julius lost control and started crying, leaving Lia to just look at them.
"Be safe, my daughter." Julius said, severing the hug.
Sage nodded and smiled at Aunt Lia, who hugged her unexpectedly. "Some creatures are not who they seem to be. Everyone has a history. I do not want you to rush things." whispering to her, Lia released the hug.
Sage nodded. "I won't."
Lia smiled. "I..." Just as Lia was about to ask a question, the ice dragon stood beside Sage, causing her to gasp and cover her mouth with her hand in humiliation.
"It is time to leave." He turned to face Sage, who took Katherine's hand in hers.
"She is accompanying me." Sage informed him in a firm voice.
"It does not bother me," he stated firmly before turning to face his guards. "It bothers me to waste time." With that, he began to move off.
Releasing Katherine's hand, Sage followed him out of the castle and came upon four enormous dragons.
"Fire breathing dragons?" She was taken aback.
"Not the ones you have dealt with, Milady," A guard said to her, his attractive features revealing behind a bright smile.
Sage frowned, brightening the guard's smile.
He had shiny black hair that was slightly disheveled and seemed to be a lively kind. The second guard looked serious and menacing, as if he could kill without hesitation. He had a dark complexion and was ravishingly beautiful.
The ice dragon pivoted to face her. "You are not wearing a coat." His tone was so monotone that she shrugged.
"I am sorry, I should have gotten one for you!" Katherine apologized to Sage in a distressed manner.
The temperature dropped below normal. Sage wondered if that had anything to do with the ice dragon. She even wished he would extend his large, fluffy, white coat to her, but he turned and headed in the direction of the dragons instead.
Sage grimaced as they all followed quickly behind him.
"You are flying with me." He informed her.
"What?!" She gasped and embraced Katherine's arm.
"Definitely not!" She gave him a nasty look.
He spun to face her, his expression dull. "I will murder her."
Slowly with a deep frown, Sage let go of Katherine and moved to stand beside the ice dragon.
The bright smile guard led Katherine to one of the dragons.
"Are you willing to fly alone?" Quite courteously, he asked.
Katherine did not respond.
"Fly with her, Arthur." The ice dragon told him, and he bowed.
Arthur held Katherine's waist tightly.
"What are you...?!" She gasped in surprise.
They leapt onto the dragon before she could complete her words.
Sage rubbed her hands together, feeling more and more cold. Fire sparks flew from her hands as she rubbed them together, moaning at the lack of warmth she was experiencing.
"Hop on." The ice dragon suddenly mumbled and clambered up onto one of the other dragons.
Sage exhaled deeply, and then climbed up onto the dragon's back, a being she hated with all her heart.
Without even looking at him, she immediately sat down beside the ice dragon and remained there until she felt a weighty object fall onto her shoulders.
"Huh...?" She looked up at him, but he was not giving her a sidelong glance. He gave her his coat...? That was unexpected.
"You must not fall off." He spoke up out of nowhere.
"What?" Sage questioned, perplexed.
Instantaneously, the dragon they were sitting on spread his wings and rose into the sky.
Katherine's scream erupted.
And with a sigh, Sage closed her eyes and buried herself beneath the large, warm coat.