Heiress of the Sea

Chapter 1

I fidgeted relentlessly in the layers-upon-layers of white tulle and chiffon entrapping my body. The tight corset of the dress pressed into my ribcage and I sighed, letting myself go limp; defeated.

I really didn't want to get married.

I could hear people shuffling around through the doors separating me from the grand palace throne room, where everyone in the kingdom expected me to walk down the aisle to my imminent doom after being forced into this engagement in the first place.

I allowed a servant to finish pinning up my long locks of dark hair before the doors burst open, and I spun around.

Goridian sent me a chilling grin, his eyes trailing over me from the tip of my head to the bottom of my gargantuan, death-trap wedding dress.

"My bride," he growled, walking his enormous frame toward me. Goridian was unusually tall and muscular, veins protruding from his obnoxiously-sized biceps; poking through the fabric of his black-and-blue suit.

His dark eyes continued tracing over me. He reached forward and took one of my hands. I gulped down a shudder.

"After today, all will be well in the Kingdom," he drawled. "I'll have Triton's territory, and his little plaything. You know, I see how he whispers things into your ears. He knows you're smart...and I know it too." His voice was sickening, like the purring of a catfish. I shivered.

"Not only are you smart," he continued, walking around me in circles. "But you're alarmingly beautiful. How couldn't I marry you?"

I didn't speak, for if I did, I knew all the built up rage I had for this man would accidentally boil over, and I couldn't let that happen. I wanted to rip Goridian's face off, and unfortunately, one does not simply rip someone's face off without drawing attention to one's self. So I bit down on the tip of my tongue and avoided eye contact.

"I'll see you at the end of the aisle," he said, before turing and walking out the door.

I felt nerves crawling around in my stomach.

The doors to the throne room swung open moments later, and my sisters, one by one, each dressed in blue kelp dresses, flounced through the entrance, slowly stepping their way down the aisle...my bridesmaids.

I took the biggest breath I could, fighting the constraint of the dress, and stood at the double-doors, my insides churning.

It was time.

A grin of delight was trying not to poke its way upon my face as one solitary, comforting thought rolled around in my head like a marble:

I wasn't really getting married that day.

People stood and a communal gasp of awe escaped their lips as I sauntered forward, into the throne room. As I took the first few sluggish steps toward the dreaded altar, I couldn't help but notice that the throne room was lavishly adorned in huge blue conch shells and shimmery seaweed for the occasion; the tall glass ceiling decorated with painted metallic barnacles and iridescent fish scales.

A choir chanted, accompanied by ceremonial drums, as I took one dainty feminine step after the other.

My five sisters stood in a line in front of me, each with hands held behind their backs. I anxiously studied the clasped hands of my eldest sister, awaiting the moment she would signal and our plan would begin.

Sweat trickled down my temple as the drums' rhythm pulsed through the entire throne room. I could feel Goridian's gaze burning a hole through me as my knees grew a bit wobbly. We were getting close enough to the altar.