The Duke is just in the other room. Thandi can hear the men conversing just on the other side of the door. Her heart is pounding. Just on the other side of this door is… the next chapter of her life. It will likely be one she will want to forget but… that can be done. She can forget. But she can’t be isolated for a decade. One was enough for a lifetime. She takes a shuddering breath and suddenly the doors open.
The king’s voice announces, “Our gift, a beauty from another realm. The Lady Thandi Kahsu!”
Thandi steps into the room and makes her way to the king, her eyes landing on the one unfamiliar face. His eyes slide from the King to her, that manic smile on his face turning into something downright horrifying. She sees his eyes widen, his brows furrow, that smile still spread but growing tight at the sight of her. He stiffens, glancing at the audience all around them as he speaks to the King.
“A lady-in-waiting? Surely you are joking, your Grace. How does her value come close to what I’ve gifted your kingdom with?” He gestures to the enormous trees that touch the very ceiling of the enormous Court. A servant approaches with a velvet pillow, kneeling before the Duke and holding a gold pen for him to take.
“Of course, I wouldn’t insult you so. I’ve solved the problem of your legacy, Duke Roseview. I’m offering you a wife.” The King opens his arms, looking about to the audience again. Nobility that claps and cheers. Thandi stands across from the Duke, seeing him at last up close.
The first thing she notices is that he’s not wearing a charmingly embroidered shirt under the rolled-up sleeves of his dark coat. No, the red embroidery runs through his very skin in neat, orderly rows and patterns, roses thoughtfully stitched onto the back of his hands. The hands that pluck up the pen for the marriage contract. It… maybe it’s… some sort of… custom? In East Istres? Though it isn’t one she’s read about.
From there, though, it’s hard to notice anything else about him. Dark hair… dark eyes… sharp and long features like some sort of vampire. Maybe there was some credence to the fangs. She bows her head, keeping quiet. That is a custom that she knows. Silence is the best way to be when you have no power.
“She is more than just beauty, you know. She also has a head for magic. With your proficiency, perhaps she could prove to be a companion in some regards.”
“Certainly, your Grace,” the Duke growls out. “How so very thoughtful.”
“Wonderful! And so, with the highest power bestowed to any in all of Istres, I am proud to present to you Lady Thandi Kahsu. Do the terms of your marriage contract satisfy?”
The Duke skims the single sheet of paper, straightening as he does. He adds an addition, one that frightens her. It’s to be expected from a man so reviled.
I, Charles Vanderbee, swear to provide for my now and future wife, Thandi Kahsu -come- Thandi Vanderbee.
I, Thandi Kahsu, swear to provide for my now and future husband, Charles Vanderbee (and will allow him to do with me as he pleases, regardless of health or happiness).
He signs the bottom and holds the pen out to her, the glare that he gives her icy. She could practically feel his disgust with her through the pen as her fingers tug it from his. The King nods his approval as he reads the change aloud to the Court. There are gasps and murmurings that sweep all around her, rising whispers of shock and fear.
Thandi stares down at the contract and leans down to sign it, heart pounding and a chill running through her. This is… a nightmare. She didn’t want to marry… well. She didn’t imagine she’d ever get married but she thought in the back part of her mind that maybe if it were to happen that… it would be… for love.
Childish. Foolish. Naive.
When she finishes signing, she sets the pen on the pillow. The king grins down at them both from the dais. “And now, your vows. Lady Vanderbee, yours.”
Thandi straightens and her eyes slide to her… almost husband? New husband? Is there still time to consider this null?! The man stares down at her, and the silence grows loud. She wasn’t given anything to say. She’s left hanging, with nothing on her side prepared. No one told her there would be vows. There’s a growl coming from the Duke. “Repeat after me,” he says at last. “‘You will be the only one I have eyes for.’” She’s got to. Go along with it.
She gulps, eyes unwavering as she stares at him. It’s true, at least. She’s never had eyes for anyone before. Never noticed or cared… just… existed in proximity to people. So… “You will be the only one I have eyes for.” She looks down at his hands. Shouldn’t… Shouldn’t they be holding hands? Or is that… just Manadesan?
“‘My beloved spouse…’” He snaps at her to look back up to him, dark eyes burning into hers. It’s as if she could feel the weight of expectation from not just him, but everyone. Every court noble, every servant, every guard, even the tiny dogs sitting in plush laps that have the good fortune to at least be loved by their masters.
She steels herself as best she can as she stares back into those dark pools. She notices then that there are tiny flecks of gold in them, hints into his boundless greed. “My beloved spouse,” she mimics as she takes in more of his features. Furrowed brows, neatly shaped yet naturally so, high cheekbones that would look more at home on an elf than a man, and red lips that remind her of those novels that romanticize vampires… that nearly fetishize their bloodlust. She gulps, waiting for him.
“‘I vow to give my heart to only you…’” Definitely a hollow promise. While she admires him, he regards her like a piece of filth. An annoyance. Lower than dirt. As he speaks, maybe she does catch a hint of fang in his mouth. Even the small kindness of guiding her through the vows is more in self-interest than anything else. His wife is embarrassing him during a ceremony in front of nearly every noble in East Istres, even some from West Istres!!
“I vow to give my heart to only you.” In some small part of her heart, she wanted to say something like that to someone someday. Even after all the damage of her youth… adolescence… life. She had a small hope that maybe she’d find one person… that would give their whole being to her… so she could give all of herself to them. It’s making her throat tight as tears threaten to come to her eyes. Don’t cry here. Don’t cry here.
“‘…to give every bit of my being to you…‘” It’s as if the vow is mocking her thoughts. Making her ape the words from the mouth of a man who could only scorn her. He holds his head higher, narrowing his eyes as she swallows and readies to repeat after him again.
“To give…” She hesitates, eyes dropping for a moment. Every bit. Every… bit. Nothing will belong to her. She will come out of this marriage… broken. The king’s taunts from earlier in the day only remind her of what’s to come. She’ll have to prepare. She’ll have to be ready! Ready to—! “To give every bit of my being to you.”
“‘…to be yours til the day I die.’” She can see his jaw tightening as he nearly bites off the end of the vow, impatient with her. There’s an energy in him not unlike that of a coiled snake. Ready to strike her at any moment.
She blinks. Til the day he dies. But she will live past him. She will live past all of them. When they’re gone, her journey will only be beginning. In a millennium from now, when she’s looking back at her adventures, this will only be a footnote. A blink of an eye. So she will bear with it. She will endure. She will overcome. She breathes deep and says steadily, “To be yours til the day I die.”
The King claps his hands together. “By the power vested in me as the King of all of Istres, I now pronounce you, married. You may kiss your spouse.”
Thandi’s heart sinks at the words and all the courage she’d had a moment ago vanishes. She’s never kissed anyone in her life! How is she supposed to—
The Duke steps round the servant between them, much to the apparent astonishment of the crowd. He reaches out and grabs her roughly by the back of the head, tugging for her to look up at him. His other hand rises to keep her firmly in place as he kisses her.
And then he devours her.
The way he’s kissing her, forceful, angry, goading her into opening her mouth so he might even use his tongue…! And it goes on! For so long!
She’s going to remember this moment like a stain on her life. Being forced to kiss a man who—
Aah!! The hand on her cheek has moved to grab her waist and yank her flush with him! Her senses are being overwhelmed by the scent of peppermint, the feeling of his body, the sound not just of the crowd’s disgust and scandalized shouts but of their lips smacking! And when she tries to pull away she realizes she can’t. Her body is frozen in his grasp.
“Duke Roseview! I take it you are perfectly charmed—”
She can see out of the corner of her eye, the hand that was in her hair pulls away to hold up a single finger. He’s telling the King to wait. The gravest insult. The King’s face goes redder as gasps and silence falls again. The Duke peels away from her, eyes wide as he grins at the King. “I do perfectly adore your gift, and I know you would enjoy seeing quite how much I adore it. I will be making good use of it soon enough.” He turns to look at her again, eyes raking over her in a disgustingly lecherous way and then he licks her cheek, dragging his tongue up from her jaw to her temple. “It’ll be my pleasure. It was my mistake in not seeing her value.”
The King is practically shaking with rage at this, and yet the Duke smiles as if they were discussing the weather.
“The Treaty, your Grace. I know you have much to ponder, but I would very much like to leave and return to my home and give you the space you so deserve.”
Another servant rushes in with another pillow. The Duke narrows his eyes as he spies something he doesn’t approve of.
Again.
“Three signature lines, your Grace?”
“But of course. You and the freshly minted Lady Vanderbee stand as one, do you not? Her decisions weigh just as heavily as your own, now. We in Istres afford our women quite a few privileges, the signing of official documents being one. Or have you forgotten the latest treatise?”
“The Green Coast prefers our women in their proper place. No matter. I relish this opportunity. Thank you, your Grace.”
A different pen is brandished as the King whips his signature across the bottom in blood red ink, smiling as much as the Duke. He takes the pen next, and she could see that the ink is not ink. The pen has a tiny needle in it. They’re signing this in blood. The Duke’s spatters across the bottom of the document, nearly obscuring where her signature needs to be placed. He holds the pen out to her without even looking, and at last she is free to move her body.
She gasps and breathes deeply before taking up the pen and… she stares at the needle, fear creeping in. She doesn’t like this. It’s one thing if it’s for magic. It’s another… when ink would suffice. It’s just as binding in a world like theirs. The only power it has is… theatrics. She bites her lip and closes her eyes as she digs the needle into her finger. It makes her wince and bite harder on her lip but she manages it. She signs with her blood and quickly pulls the pen from her skin, bringing her thumb up and covering it with her other hand, massaging it where she bleeds.
The Duke reaches out to yank the bleeding hand into his, squeezing painfully tight. He tugs her hand up and to his mouth, bringing her thumb into his mouth. His tongue swirls around the pad of her finger before he sucks. It’s hot and wet and disgusting. Paired with the heated look he gives her, like he’s liable to bend her over in front of everyone and take her regardless of anyone’s wishes to the contrary… this is horrific. And the Court disapproves.
He pops off her thumb loudly, a satisfied sigh dripping from his lips. He smiles, teeth showing, and he does have fangs! They’re on display for everyone to see! He kisses her knuckles and looks to the King.
“Thank you, your Grace. By this time next year, there will be a young heir here to learn how truly kind our King is.” His hand slips behind her and he forces her to bow with him. “I am truly honored.”
“As am I. Go in good graces, Vanderbees.”
“As you wish.” And she’s yanked out the great double doors to her new life.
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