The sun was setting, and Adelaide could hear the cry of seagulls above the ship. 
It was nearing the island; sailing steadily closer and closer to her doom.
Her only hope the slim, slim possibility that Iolas had somehow made his way back to Aelford, but she knew chances of that were low. If  such a thing we're to happen, if by some good graces he did manage to gather the armies, storm the island and defeat these invaders; by the time he arrived here... she would have already been ruined.
 Married, forced upon, and more then likely carrying the seed of a disgusting barbarian. More war prize than ruler.
Adelaide forced herself to stop thinking between only those two plausible scenarios, and instead she found herself wishing for the best.
Maybe he would make it to her in time.  
Maybe their combined armies could defy all odds and defeat an enemy they were so clearly outnumbered by. Maybe they could go home safely. 
Then her mind wandered even further, to a more personal, but further treacherous place.
Maybe Iolas wouldn't have to return to his kingdom right away.
She allowed herself to fantasize.
Maybe he could stay for a little while, or longer than a little while. Maybe he and I could get...
She was violently snapped out of her maybes by a bundle of cloth being thrown at her 

"Put it on." Snarled the one called Groaa. She looked up to find that the Captain was once again back in the brig. He, along with several of his goons had gathered around her cell. 
The queen had been in such a haze that she hadn't even noticed their entry.
A basin, brush and washcloth had been passed through the bars and now laid out at her feet. She grabbed the bundle and unsteadily rose to her feet. 
It was a crimson garment, and what looked like a rather delicate red dress, but the type of gaudy, lady of the night red that clashed so horribly with her hair.

 "What is this for?" 
She asked through narrowed eyes.
"Its wedding attire for the blushing bride." 
Groaa mocked her before his superior sent him a look that clearly stated to shut up.
"Clean yourself up and dress properly to meet your betrothed."
Said the Captain.

The queen looked down at her nightdress. The once pristine white fabric was now caked in mud and dirt from the floor. She didn't at all look like a regal royal.
"I will do no such thing!" She spat. 
"That dress looked like something a cheap harlot would wear! I will not make myself up for a husband I do not wish to marry. He will not marry a delicate flower, regal queen, decorated in perfume and jewels. I will not be displayed like a diamond in a glass case. No, let this monster marry the girl of whose country he destroyed. I'd rather be the war prize in the disheveled nightdress, a physical representation of what has been done to my beloved kingdom!"

He didn't argue, he didn't even answer. Instead he just nodded to his guards.
On cue her cell was unlocked and two of them stepped inside. Her heart pounded in her chest as the sense of fear quickly spread. Two of the men grabbed her arms and lifted the woman as easily as one might lift a quill to paper. Adelaide struggled but it was useless. They held her firmly as a third man appeared with a washcloth in hand. This one began violently scrubbing her face and neck with the coarse rag. She uttered not a word, but never ceased trying to break free. 
He then inhumanly yanked at her hair before running a whale bone brush so hard through her hair she thought her scalp would bleed. Next the captain stepped inside and picked the dress up that she had tossed to the floor.
"Now you can either dress yourself, or my men will do it for you!"
The Captain sneered.

Adeleide relented, and they turned so she could change, but did not leave the cell. After she had forced her body into that red, very revealing disaster, they clamped her wrists in irons and paraded her off the ship, preening like peacocks at the great war prize they had obtained.  The last remaining monarch of Aelford. Adelaide wanted to keep her head high, like a queen should always do, but her gaze trailed the ship's hull in sadness.
Xander would've kept his head up.
Her brother had always been so good at maintaining his composure, no matter the circumstance.
 But he's gone and I'm not him.
 
The raft was lowered into the water. She finally lifted her head to take the surroundings, realizing that this was the first time she'd ever been anywhere other than Aelford.  
The rays of the setting sun gave the water a heavenly glow, and she could see the Gilah Island ahead. As a child she'd often heard of its great beauty, and the tales were no lie, it was just too bad that the monarch was in no mood to appreciate it.

The entire enemy fleet was harboring in and around the island coves.
As she could see, it looked nearly 8 ships strong. Her heart sunk. These were well, quite nasty looking ships. 
Her few remaining officers had once talked about these; they were vessels of war, were over a 100 ft long and held a crew of 80-100 men apiece.
 Even if my armies and The Isles combined did come after me, we'd be outnumbered nearly 2 to 1.
The waves lapped calmly against the side of the boat, quite oppositely to how her heart was lapping inside her chest.
 It was almost ironic how serene and peaceful everything was.           
She closed my eyes, enjoying the sun for a short second.
Natural warmth was something she hadn't felt in over two months, and it was actually almost hot. No wonder Iolas had been so miserable about the if this is what his island winters were like.

"Ready to meet Prince Charming?"
The Captain asked.
 "Been there, done that."
She found herself answering with a dry irony.
 "Its not all it's written up to be."
They neared the Dragonship. The head vessel. This monster vessel was a terrifying sight. It's black hull and blood red sails seemed so out of place in the serene paradise setting of the beautiful island. Whoops and cheers erupted from its deck when their rowboat came into its line of sight. Catcalls and wolf whistles followed as she was undignifiably hoisted onto the warlords ship. 
The Captain jerked roughly at her wrist bindings, pulling her towards the stairs that lead to her betrotheds quarters.
It seems I have a habit of getting engaged to monsters. 
She found herself humoring internally.
He opened the door and shoves the queen inside, closing the door behind him.

 A high backed chair stood on the other side of the room, and the only light in the chamber is emanating from the fireplace directly in front of it.
"Great One..."
He calls out the the figure in the chair. "We found her."
Adelaide held her breath as the chair creaks slightly and a barbarian rises from it. She watched him stand up and it was like he wouldn't stop growing taller. Her eyes grew wide, she didn't know human beings could become so large. He turned to face them and she can't help but gasp. 
Like most other of the Scourge, he was ungodly muscular.
Clad in leather, before her stood a man in his late 40s, A ghastly scar running down the side of his face, missing his eye by a mere centimeter.
"This is Queen Adelaide, last ruler of Aelford."
Announced the Captain, pushing her slightly more foward.
"And to you young queen, may I present our ruler, Dregg, Lord of the Scourge."

"It is about time."
Lord Dregg's voice sounded like the growl of a bear.
"Fetch the officiator, we shall have the ceremony right away.  I shall waste no more time."
With a bow of respect the Captain exited the cabin and shevwas left alone with him. He walked closer, eying her like the hungry bear he was.
He looked his soon to be bride up and down, walking around her.
He grabbed a lock of her beautiful red hair and brought it to his nose. She tried not to flinch.
Lord Dregg encircled back to her front. Grabbing her chin and turning her face left and right, examining the girl before him like one might examine a prime cut of beef at the butchershop.
"What a lot of trouble for such a little thing." He speaks and she nearly choked to death on his foul breath.
"Sure you are pretty enough, you will warm my bed well, but after all the trouble you have caused me, I expected you to be… taller." 
"Sorry to disappoint." She snapped, surprised at the lack of fear in her own tone, but this only causes him to grin. "Ahh, so the little Queen does has a bit of fire. You will be fun to break."
He chuckles menacingly
She flinches again.
"If I marry you, you will stop slaughtering my people?" She asked. 
This just makes him laugh again. "Adelaide wasn't it?"
He asks, and she nods.
"Well Adelaide, it's quaint how you think you have a choice in this."
His voice is cruel and stern.  
"Just to be clear,  you do not. You will marry me, you will become one of my wives, and I shall inherit the rights to your kingdom."
Wives?  She nearly gagged.
Undoubtedly these poor souls were other war prizes.
"But to answer your question... Yes I shall cease the killing." She sighed slightly in relief, but even that silver lining is soon crushed.
"You can't sell dead slaves."
Her rage fades to sadness and a silent tear for her country falls down her pale cheek.
 "Your eminence..."
The Captain knocks on the door.
"The Sage is here."

Still bound, Adelaide was led back up onto the deck for the ceremony.  At the bow of the ship stood an ancient man with a snow white beard, dressed in blue robes and carrying a twisted staff.
The horde parted to let their leader pass through with his new bride to be.
Adelaide saw that an alter of sorts had been set up. Candles lit.
Why is there a goat?
She wondered.
The Lord Dregg gripped her tightly by his side as the little man in blue recited an incantation in a language she cannot understand. Adelside tried to struggle but could feel another barbarian pressing the point of crude sword between her shoulder blades.
Her eyes widen when the frail old man unsheathes a small engraved dagger. 
In one swift, practiced motion, he slits the throat of the small white creature who was tied to the alter, obviously a sacrifice to some pagan goddess.
He caught the blood in a small stone bowl and began mixing herbs into it. 
The scent of the goat's blood hit her nostrils and she nearly threw up. Her gagging causes all the men behind her to start laughing. The dead animal is cleared away and taken down to the ship's galley to be cooked. At some point in this ceremony her "fiancé" slips a gold band rather roughly onto her finger, and just when the Queen thought it couldn't, the ceremony got worse. The sage pours the blood into a satchel and begins swinging it at them. Spraying the pair with a strong mist of still warm goat's blood while chanting.
The man closes his leather parchment and leaves.

That was it?
She thought.
The weight of it hit her harder than she had imagined, and she was now married to this thing. 
Tears stream unguarded down her face, as there is nothing more she can do.
All is lost.

A cannon fires in the distance.
A bell begins to toll and she heard a frenzied cry from the ship closest to them.
"We are under attack!"

_____________________

A/N: The only good thing about this lockdown is how much writing I am getting done guys. I mean, at this rate this book will be finished by the end of the month. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and thank you all so much for all the comments I got on the last one, that really made me feel a lot better.
I love you all so much<3
-QueenOfGeeks