Beauty's Beast

**Author's Note::: This chapter contains no sex, but does provide quite a few important details that will be needed to accurately follow along with future chapters.**

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**Ahsoka's POV**

I knew everyone in the room was looking at me. As a princess, future Queen of my kingdom, being watched had become a normal thing for me. Even when I tried my best to avoid it.

In that moment, though, all I felt was an arrogant sense of pride. I knew I looked amazing. More so than usual.

I was dressed in a lace and satin ball gown the color of the sky just after sunset; a deep navy blue. The top of the dress was made like a corset, though it laced up on either side, rather than in the back.

The dress was strapless and decorated with flawless crystals. My copper-colored hair hung freely in half-ringlets down my back, occasionally falling over my shoulders. My face was left mostly bare, with the exception of eyeliner and mascara to accentuate my emerald green eyes and thick eyelashes.

My bare shoulders, neck, and top of my chest had been lightly dusted with a pearl pink shimmer powder. On my feet, I wore a pair of navy blue high heels.

I kept my eyes straight ahead, trained on the man I was expected to devote the rest of my life to. It was a struggle to keep my expression calm, instead of giving Draven the disgusted sneer I felt he deserved.

Oh, how I loathed Draven! He was arrogant and had previously been married three times. His past wives had all mysteriously died around a year after marrying him. I feared I would have the same fate and that very fear fueled my hatred for Draven.

Despite how much I loathed Draven, I had to admit that he was gorgeous. Just looking at him made the butterflies in my stomach go into a frenzy.

Draven had long black hair that he kept tied at the nape of his neck, chocolate brown eyes, and pale skin. He was young, only a couple of years older than myself, and had an athletic form.

He stood at the front of the room, watching me with a hungry expression, much like a lion might watch a gazelle that dared to venture too close to his den. He kept his arms behind his back, perfectly displaying his navy blue suit, matched perfectly to my dress.

As I drew closer, a lazy smile spread across his lips, revealing two rows of perfect white teeth. He reached toward me once I was within arm's reach and, very reluctantly, I took his hand and moved to stand next to him. Hand in hand, we turned to face the man who was about to seal my fate to the most feared man on this continent.

"Your life is about to change drastically, little bird." Draven whispered in my ear as the priest began the ceremony.

I cringed at the nickname. I had known Draven all my life. The nickname was given to me by him when I was six years old and had tried to rescue a baby bluebird. Draven was so amused and had stated then that I was much like a little bird in the sense that I was too naive for my own good and would end up getting hurt if I wasn't careful.

Growing up, our parents had been very close and I had known, from the time I was fifteen, that I was to be married to him. That was four years ago, before he married his first wife.

The news of the death of his first wife came as a shock to both of our kingdoms as well as the deceased Queens' home land. At first, we believed it was just a freak accident that killed Queen Maria. But Draven took a new wife, Queen Eliza, within two months. Once again, his new wife had died in little over a year after their marriage. People fought to believe the best in Draven, trying to convince themselves that it was just b some stroke of misfortune that both Queens had passed within a year of sealing their union with the man in front of me. That was, until his last wife, Queen Lilly, met the same fate. That seemed to wake everyone up from their delusional misconceptions about Draven being nothing but an unlucky, albeit innocent, victim. Everyone but my parents, that is.

Three months after Lilly's burial, I was told by my father that I would wed Draven. I put up a hell of a fight. Even tried running away, though I was eventually caught by the captain of my father's personal guard. Finally, I was given no other option but to agree, begrudgingly.

I glanced up at Draven, still fighting the scowl that was trying very hard to slip onto my face.

"I highly doubt that. This is strictly business. You are not my husband in the true sense of the word. I will not take you as a lover. I will not confide in you as a wife would to her husband. And I will never -and I mean NEVER- love you." I hissed in response.

Draven chuckled, his warm breath washing over the side of my face.

"We shall see, little bird. Soon, you will beg me to take you as a husband takes his wife... Because, after all, you *will* be my wife. And as your husband, I have every right to take what is mine."

His words remained soft but there was no mistaking the emphasis he'd put into that last statement. A shiver ran down my spine and I heard Draven chuckle once more.

The rest of the ceremony passed without much more conversation between Draven and myself.

The room fell silent as the time came for us to exchange rings. The ring bearer walked over and I glanced down at the red velvet pillow resting on his hands. Strange. There was only one ring on the soft surface of the pillow; the ring I was to give Draven.

"I hope you don't mind, little bird. I made other arrangements." Draven said as he watched me closely, almost as if to gauge my reaction.