***Ahsoka's POV***
Shortly after Draven finished speaking, a red-haired male I had never seen before approached us. Though he looked young, I could tell that he was somewhere in his twenties by how much facial hair he had and the coldness in his eyes. He was carrying a glossy obsidian box. The box itself wasn't large in size and wasn't overly ostentatious. It was exquisite, though, even in its simplicity.
I glared at the object for a moment before glancing up at Draven. I knew my expression did nothing to mask my confusion, as it rarely ever did. Draven chuckled as I fought the urge to reach out and run my hand along the smooth surface.
"Princess Ahsoka, please do the honor..." the priest said, allowing his sentence to trail off. I knew what he meant.
Reluctantly, I took the simple gold band from the ring bearer and reached for Draven's hand. He allowed me to take his hand and slide the gold ring onto his finger, chuckling once more as he felt my own hand shaking slightly.
I felt like I was signing my own death certificate, which given Draven's past, I probably was; and found it hard to bite back the tears that threatened to make themselves known to everyone in the room. No, I couldn't. These were not my people. They would not care. They would mock me. I had to be strong.
He smiled devilishly and held out his free hand for the black box while I still held his left hand in my own. I couldn't ignore the sense of overwhelming dread that had begun growing in the pit of my stomach. So many thoughts raced through my mind as the boy placed the box in Draven's hand.
Is he going to kill me? Will I end up in the ground like his other three wives? Is he going to rape me?!
"Wait!" I called out, stepping back to put some distance between Draven and myself.
The room quickly filled with the sound of gasps and disbelieving murmurs of shock. I wasn't worried about the audience, though. It was Draven's expression that made me regret speaking out, while at the same time validating my fears. His lazy, arrogant I-get-everything-I-want smile had transformed into a venomous sneer.
"Don't do something you'll regret, little bird. The vows have been said. That means you are already *mine*." Draven growled lowly.
Though his voice had been only loud enough for me to hear, he had definitely made his threat very clear. I saw his left hand twitch at his side before he curled it into a tight fist and I took another step back, horrified at the thought of that fist connecting with my body. Would he really hit me?! In front of all these people? No, he wouldn't be so stupid. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't raise a hand to me behind closed doors.
"I... I can't go through with this! You're a murderer!" I cried out, much to the horror of the audience, who collectively gasped and leaned closer, as if anticipating some sort of repercussion.
"Very well. I gave you a chance to avoid this, but it's clear that 'willingly' isn't possible." Draven said, handing the black box back to the boy who'd brought it over.
His smile had returned and a small part of me was sure I had just sealed my fate. He waved a hand and before I had time to react, two calloused hands grabbed my elbows. The hands wrapped easily around my arms and they harshly pulled them behind my back, causing me to cry out in pain.
"L-let go of me!!" I cried out, my voice trembling with the sudden release of every negative emotion that had been building up to this point.
The tears I had been fighting since the beginning of the ceremony had finally won the battle against my willpower and had begun streaming relentlessly down my face. I squirmed and pulled on my arms against the grip of whoever was holding me, momentarily forgetting the near four hundred people watching the prelude to my death.
"Now, little bird, you see what disobedience will earn you."
Why wasn't anyone stopping him?! How could they sit back and watch? Fear plagued my mind for a moment as I contemplated the possibility that his subjects got off on watching their King mistreat his wives. My heart was hammering wildly in my chest as I realized the answer. He was *right*. In the eyes of every person in the room, I *belonged* to Draven. He could do with me as he wished and no one could stop him.
I felt like a heifer sold at market, only to be led to the butcher.
"Kneel." Draven commanded, much to my dismay.
"I... am a princess! I will not kneel before an equal!!"
"That is where you are wrong, little bird. The moment you tried to back out of our marriage and made it so abundantly clear that I will never be good enough for you, you lost your right to the title of 'princess'. You will be nothing more than a stupid animal to me. I tried to be nice, I tried to earn your affections before forcing you into this contract. I *tried* and you threw it in my face with your insubordination and hostility. I am done trying! I will take what I want and you will obey! If you won't have me as your husband, you will have me as your Master. You will be nothing more than a pet. Now, you will kneel willingly or Camden will *make* you kneel and things will get a *lot* harder for you."
