Arranged Marriage (Othyrworld and Lore Weaver)

othyrworld

Abyssus Abyssum Invocat
@Lore Weaver

Elowan was in a pretty shitty mood. Her parents had invited her absolute least favorite noble over to Elowan's birthday gala and had been hinting to her that she should try to strike up a conversation for at least 30 minutes. It was stupid and a terrible idea and at this point she just kind of wanted to punch a wall (or her parents) because she wasn't going to talk to anyone, least of all Josalyn.

"Darling?" Elowan scowled at the sound of her mother's voice. She could practically feel the pout forming on the woman's face as Elowan refused to answer. It was petty, but Elowan couldn't rebel in many other ways. She was stuck in this castle at this disgusting gala in a truly heinous dress. "Darling." Her mother's voice took a more serious tone so Elowan finally faced her, an angry scowl on her face.

"What is it, mother?" She sighed, pulling on her skirt in irritation. She hated this dress. It was itchy and restricting and she felt like she couldn't even breath. She wanted to rip off her stupid corset and run outside into the yard.

"Your father is bringing Josalyn over for some polite conversation and you will be kind," Her mother slapped Elowan's hands off her skirt and brushed a strand of hair off her shoulder. Elowan groaned, stopping abruptly when her mother gave her a sharp pinch to the arm. She rubbed her stinging skin and stood, steeling herself for the conversation.
 
Jpsalyn stood the courtyard of the palace his expression detached and his eyes on the pair of crows, mocking him form the ledge of a window. To his left, Elowan's father droned on and on about the parties he had attended in the past month, dropping the name of every significant member of the nobility he had dined with as subtly as a canon issued a salute. At least the doddering fool made no mention of his spoiled, feckless and stubborn whelp of a daughter.

Of course his own parents had been relentless, and hardly stingy in their gushing over her character for moths now. They had ratcheted up their embellishments of her "qualities" since the invitation to this torment has arrived two weeks ago. To hear them tel it, she was an intelligent, gracious, beautiful angel that had somehow
descended to the lowly mortal coil and graced them all with her presence. When, after this latest round of effusive fawning, Josalyn had pointed out neither his mother or father had spent more than five minutes with the brat, they had dismissed his objection with waves of their hand and hemmed in as they walked him to the coach, an innocent man escorted to his own execution in what may as well have been a luxurious coffin on wheels. Now, though his parents stood a few yards away, they shot him glances, their head bowed towards each other.

A few other couples mingled as well,none of them younger than fifty, chatted away in a knot of smug arrogance together. Two of the women glanced at him, shielding their mouths with their hands while their shoulders shook with obvious mirth. Joslayn straightened the jacket that draped over his doublet and tunic, bristling that everyone knew of the impending torture that awaited him behind the doors of the palace.

One half-hour would feel like a lifetime, but the wait was an even worse torture. Finally, the doors swung ope and a servant informed them the guest of honor was ready to receive them. Josalyn tried to hang back, entertaining a desperate hope of escape but his parents and Elowan's father whisked him inside to face the gallows.
 
When Elowan saw Josalyn being swept in by her father she almost screamed. She had to talk to this smug asshole, had to play nice with him, for a whole conversation. She'd rather face a firing squad. The nobles organized themselves into a row, rushing forward with strange smirks on their faces. Elowan hated the court, their serpent tongues and constantly shifting alliances. They were all spineless weaklings, not a brave muscle in their body. She could destroy each and every one of them in a straight fight. Of course, she'd never been able to fight them, too trapped in layers of useless diplomacy and expectations of what a woman should be.

Countess Giovanna stepped forward, bowing low and murmuring "Happy birthday, Princess. I wish you many happy years." Elowan nodded her head in thanks and gestured for Giovanna to step aside. Marchioness Isabella and Marquess Antonio were next, followed by Duke Valentine, Baron Joseph and Baroness Maria, and then Lady Fernanda. Lady Fernanda was the only person Elowan held in any kind of regard. She had won herself and her husband knighthood in a joust disguised as a man. It had caused controversy in the royal circles, but Elowan had taken her in as a friend and equal, silencing all gossip.

"My Princess," Fernanda started, bowing with a serious look in her eyes. Elowan felt her plastered on smile slip a bit. It was unusual for Fernanda to meet her gaze with anything but joking words and camaraderie. When Fernanda gave her the typical well wishes, she brushed it off as a bad night for her friend, but it didn't help her tuck her anger away, especially when Prince Josalyn was the next in line. She nearly cried when Fernanda walked away.
 
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All that passed through Josalyn's mind as he waited were all the ways he could have spent the time more enjoyably. Such as having his toenails ripped off with pair of rusty tweezers. He had hoped that his place at he end of the line would delay the ordeal that loomed in front of him, but the parade of inanity waltzed on at a pace that dizzied him. Soon only Lady Fenanda stood between him and the nightmare in the extravagant gown and tiara. Rumors had whispered of the friendship between the the princess and the noblewoman who had challenge d the conventions of society.. She would certainly make for more enthralling company than Elowan, a low bar to pass t be certain, even with the inconvenience of her husband. He was hoping the the two would stall his torture with an extended conversation bu the exchanged ended with abruptness that shocked him.

And then it was the two of them, facing each other, his dismay and repugnance reflected in the contortion of her face. Only the expectant, persistent stare s of his parents and the harsh way her father cleared his throat propelled him forward. With a bow of practiced elegance, he took her hand by the tips of the fingers and brshed his lips close enough to her knuckles to deceive the keenest of onlookers that his ;had touched her skin.

'The sooner we get this over with," he murmured so only she could hear, "the sooner we can both set about purging the memory from our memories."
 
Elowan sneered, glad Josalyn was the last person in line so no one else could see her face. "You do know it is my birthday right? Most people try to show a modicum of decency when addressing someone, especially during the parties they're throwing." She pushed herself back into the chair, pulling as far from him as humanly possible. Her mother gave her a hard look, pushing an overly excited smile onto her face as if to show Elowan what to do. She mouthed 'be polite' and turned back to Elowan's father. Soon her parents were whisking their way towards her and Josalyn.

"Hello, Josalyn, Birthday Girl," Elowan's father said, nodding to each of them with an obnoxious smile on his face. "It's good to see you talking to one another, especially because your mother and I have a special surprise for you!" He spoke mostly to Elowan, but turned to give Josalyn an overblown wink as if they were in on the same joke. Elowan smiled shakily. Hopefully, her dad was getting her a new set of practice armor and wasn't about to force her to exist anywhere in the same vicinity as Josalyn. Hopefully, this surprise wouldn't involve Josalyn in any way shape or form.

"Delightful, father. I'm sure I'd enjoy whatever you give me," Elowan said demurely. Her father had been gearing up to allow her to practice with the knights of the castle. It was a great opportunity, one she just couldn't afford to lose. If that meant playing nice for a few days, she could do that.
 
He did not bother taking a seat in any of the gilded furnishings but instead leaned his shoulder against a corner of the room. Her diatribe prompted a roll of his eyes and but her father's intrusion muted his retort. That wink curdled his stomach to the point he searched the room in the hopes of finding a bucket to deposit his dinner into. When the princess was done wheedling for a new set of armor, he cleared hos throat.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, I've fulfilled my part of the bargain by agreeing to at least attempt to hold a conversation with her. Her rejection of even that olive branch shows the best present you can give her right now would be to allow me to leave her presence."
 
"Now that doesn't sound like my Elowan," He said, a warning coloring his tone when he said Elowan's name. It was pretty clear that talks would be had when this whole dumb party was over. Not the worst way she'd ever ended a night. "But I'm afraid you'll have to stick around. Can't let the main part of the surprise wander off now, can we?" His tone was jovial. So jovial and sweet it was practically stifling. Elowan gagged internally, at both her father and the fact that she couldn't ditch Josalyn.

"And what would that surprise be, Father? I thought I had received all my presents at the beginning of the gala." Her father laughed, pointing towards the center of the dance floor where her mother and Josalyn's parents were standing. Elowan felt a pit grow in the middle of her stomach. Her mother announced that Josalyn's parents were going to announce something and only her father's heavy stare kept her pinned in her seat. Something horrendous was about to happen. She could feel it.
 
Dread crept over him at the sight of his parents standing with Elowan's mother, the sort of dread that infused every pore of one's body an twists d into knots. The way his mother avoided his gaze intensified his suspicions. For moths his parents had badgered hm about one issue with a relentlessness worthy of the winter storms that buried their kingdom for several months a year. His answer had been to delay, deflect and dismiss. Now he wish he had given their suggestions more consideration.At the time, He had though he had defused their plans for at least a few months. long enough to execute hos plans of escape/

It seemed he had underestimated them. and their their determination. By the looks of it, they had come up with something worse, far worse. He might have to attempt his escape during the freeze of winter.
 
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Elowa clenched every muscle in her body as Josalyn's parents stepped forward. His mother opened her mouth and gathered the attention of the crowd with a gentle clearing of her throat. Once she was sure she was the center of attention, she clutched her husbands hand, a radiant smile on her face. "It gives me great pleasure to announce," she began, pausing for dramatic effect. Elowan could feel her stomach tightening in a way that was almost painful. She had heard whispers around the palace. Rumors of an arranged marriage. She had dismissed them as just that, rumors. It was clear she had made a grave mistake. "The marriage between my son, Josalyn, and Princess Elowan."

Josalyn's mother kept talking, but all Elowan could hear was the ringing in her ears. She stood up from her seat, intent on tearing this ludicrous proposition into pieces the only way she knew how only to be silenced by an unmistakable look from her father. It was the 'I am not afraid to call in the guards to restrain you so sit the hell down' look. So she sat her ass down and just let the disaster of that one disgusting moment rush over her. She felt like she was drowning. Drowning in complex alliances she could not understand and a life stuck beside a man she could never love.
 
Even though he could see it coming as clear as day, the announcement from his mother's lips struck him with the force of lightning. A lifetime of not just being married but being married to her. It was awaking nightmare that left him shaking and a sheen of cold sweat on his forehead. Still, he knew better than to outright protest or show any sort of outrage. For the moment, it was time to play the game, and he knew the next move. So even before his mother finished warbling on about his doom, he wandered over to where Elowan sat, and extendd his hand while stretching his mouth into a smile that pained him more than just physically.

"Tome to act the part of the happy couple, in spire of our mutual misery, Your Highness."
 
Elowan grabbed his hand, a cruel look that seemed more like the savage grin of a wild animal about to attack than the grin of a happy bride stretched painfully across her face. She squeezed his hand tight enough to cause pain. There were so many things on her mind, but she immediately said the most important, the matter of heirs. She was no virgin, something her parents would probably torment her for if they knew, but the thought of Josalyn laying hands on her made her want to break someone in half. "If you ever so much as touch me when we are together I will throw you across the room."

A few seconds later she released his hand, hiding it in her lap. Josalyns mother announced the date of the wedding, and Elowan was shocked when she processed it. They were to be married tomorrow. She had one last night of freedom and then she would be forever trapped in hell. She wondered if she'd even get to pick her wedding dress, immediately realizing that she most certainly wouldn't. Her parents would give her no resources that could help her in any way. A shiver worked its way down her spine when she realized that she would probably be locked in the top of the east tower. It was a small room, windowless and cold, with a heavy iron door. She hated it there. Felt like she couldn't breathe.
 
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When she squeezed his hand, the pain forced him to bite his tongue to keep from shattering the chandelier with his cries. He had known she was strong, but it took all of his will to keep from dropping to one knee to ease some of the pressure of her grip.. The release of his hand staggered him back a couple of steps and as he shook out the afflicted appendage, he snarled at her.

"I wouldn't touch you if you were the last woman on earth and I was wearing two full suits of armor, you swamp hag. Trust me, I will be everything in my power to find a way out of this death sentence. I will.."

Hos mother's announcement of the date cut him off and spiraled his thoughts towards despair and outrage. Turning around, he swung his fist at the wall, the crack of knuckles against stone drawing all eyes to him. Rubbing his throbbing knuckles, he smiled weakly at the shocled faces.

"I am just so happy, I couldn't contain myself."

With that, he shoved his hand into a bowl of ice and chilled fruit.
"Carry on."
 
Elowan snickered quietly, stopping when her mother's poisonous gaze landed on her. It served him right for insulting her. Although she was incredibly glad he wouldn't be making any moves on her, she still didn't enjoy being looked down on. Unfortunately, her mother seemed unperturbed by the whole affair, casually adding. "As Elowan and Jocelyn will be serving the fruition of their honeymoon in a manor between their two countries, the marriage will be consummated tonight."

That cut off Elowan's good mood. She could only imagine one thing worse than the east tower room and it was being trapped with Josalyn all night. Especially when all the maids would be listening so they could scurry back to her mother and report the deed done and the servants would be checking the sheets for blood.
 
Still grimacing, and shaking out his hand, Josalym staggered against the wall as though the wodrs had struck him, which in a way they had. The horror had escalated to dizzying heights, a whirlwind of frightening images spinning him dizzy, It was more than just the prospect o marriage and intimacy with a woman that he despised, it was the complete obliteration of even the smallest shreds of his personal freedom and any say in his future.

As a royal, he had always known his parents would determine his marital destiny. He had no delusions of marrying for love, or any other personal motive. He had, however, expected some say in the matter. All of this had transpired without a moment of consultation with him. That very fact set his blood boiling and the simmering cleared his mind. A plan sprang to life, one by which he could delay if not avoid the inevitable.

All he needed was Elpwan's cooperation. He froze an expression of somber acceptance on his features and turned to ward his betrothed.

"We may as well get this over with, Your Highness."
 
Elowan took a deep breath. She hated this. She hated this. She was supposed to be strong. And she was strong, just not strong enough to fight her mother. Not this way. She stood stiffly, leading Josalyn to her room. She supposed that was where they were meant to- her mind skipped over the word, unable to even conceive any intimacy between Josalyn and herself. She bit back the swell of bile that rose in her throat. She could fake this. Moan like she was getting pounded and but her thighs to bleed all over the sheets.

She collapsed onto her bed once she had the door securely locked. No need for her mother to spy through a crack in the door. Her room was immaculate, floor completely clean of discarded training gear and blood red sheets stretched tight across her plush four-poster bed. "So you're not going to touch me," She began, looking around for anything that could be used to ct her. Her nails would do in a pinch, but she really didn't want to clean flesh out of them minute later. "We're going to fake this."
 
He had taken a lean by the door, and was barely listening to her He was more concerned on how he would occupy himself during this imprisonment. There was no billiards table, a dart board or even a liquor cabinet. He would have even deigned to thumb through a book if there had been any sort of library.

"I'm not going to touch you, I have no desire to touch you, I don't care what my parents or your parents want. If there is some man out there that you actually want to bed with that would be willing to bed you, I will gladly sneak out of here and let you have your fun."

Reaching beneath his jacket he pulled out two pairs of dice.
"
"In the meantime, we could throw bones until you run out of things to lose to me."
 
"No. I'm going to bloody up these sheets and you're going to help me. These windows are barred, by the way, so good luck escaping through them." She remembered that she'd left scissors in her bathroom and nearly squealed with joy when she found the maids hadn't put them away. She opened the blade and tested it against her thumb, watching greedily as a fat bead of blood dripped down her finger. They would work perfectly.

After she licked the blood off her thumb, she walked back into the bedroom, tossing the blade at Josalyn's feet and rolling up her sleeve. "Cut my upper arm."
 
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