That was why she wasn’t dead.
The applause was thunderous, and the musicians began playing celebratory music. Aurelia felt as if she was going to faint. Her head was spinning and all she could focus on were the words, over, and over, and over again.
The engagement of Aurelia and Dorian.
He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to his body, smiling proudly at the guests below them. She could kill Ambrose for not telling her, but judging by the stricken look on his face in the crowd below, he had no idea either. As she thought about it, though, it made sense – what other way to truly take over Calathis than marrying their heir? She felt like clawing herself out of her skin at the gentle touch of his arm around her waist.
He reached into his pocket to reveal a small square box to the excited squeals of the onlookers. To her shock and embarrassment, he knelt down on one knee, opening the velvet box to reveal an extravagant ring. The band was gold, and there were two stones – moonstone, an iridescent opal stone, and sunstone, a shimmering rose gold – that sat upon it. “I figured we would truly make it official, my love,” Dorian said, his eyes boring into her. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even think, as without hesitation he leaned over to slide the ring upon her finger to the cheers of the Damaris royalty below.
This couldn’t possibly be what the prophecy had foreseen.
Aurelia felt as if she were watching herself from above, her head drowning out the loud sound of people around her, her eyes barely focusing on Dorian, who had now stood to smile upon his subjects.
She would be married to the devil.
“Shall we dance, darling?” He said sweetly into her ear as he smiled at the crowd beneath him. Aurelia had a strong feeling that she had no choice in the matter and before she could respond, he whisked her down the stairs, bringing them to the center of the ballroom, the crowd making way for the stars of the show.
He took his time making his way through the crowd, pausing to extend her arm for all to admire the magnificent ring he had created to signify the end of the Continent as they knew it. They passed Ambrose, and his face remained impassive even when her eyes were pleading with him for help. She once more was reminded who he worked for – the man that was now forcing her into marriage.
Dorian gently placed his hand on her waist and her hand in his palm, and they began the waltz she had been dancing before with Ambrose, this time much more forced, Aurelia trying desperately to distract herself. His dark gaze lingered on a few individuals, and Aurelia felt like they were playing some sort of game that she had not yet learned the rules of. His grip tightened on her as they continued dancing, his violet eyes vibrant amongst the soft evening light.
It felt like they continued dancing for hours, Dorian’s tight grip on her, before he finally stopped, escorting her to Ambrose as if she were a child that could never be left alone.
“I’ve got to start strategizing with the lords,” He said to Ambrose as he pushed Aurelia towards him.
She shuddered. Strategizing – for taking over the Continent. Now, there was nothing in the way, not with her publicly promised to him. “I trust you’ll make sure she gets back to where she needs to go?”
Ambrose gave a short nod, and Dorian’s dark smile returned. “I’ll see you later, my love,” He said with a smirk before moving to the table that sat a large group of men.
Aurelia turned to Ambrose, her eyes wide, desperate, but he shook his head quickly, grabbing ahold of her arm and pulling her out of the ballroom.
“Not here.” He said out of the corner of his mouth, and she followed him as they walked rapidly through the castle, not stopping for a moment until they arrived at her bedroom. He followed her inside, and she watched as the same purple light she had observed before appeared once more, again enveloping the room.
“What are you doing?” Aurelia whispered, her body now shaking violently as her mind began to process the events from tonight. She couldn’t look down at her hands without the ring on her hand making her gag.
Ambrose turned to her, taking a seat next to her on the bed. “I made us invisible in here.”
On a regular evening, she would have pestered him with questions about how his magic allowed him to do such a thing, but it felt as if someone was slowly sitting on her chest and suffocating her and she could hardly contain the emotion she had been shoving down all evening.
“I can’t breathe,” She gasped, clawing desperately at her chest as if there was something there. Ambrose wrapped his arms tightly around her, the human contact a desperate attempt to calm her down. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” he whispered, rubbing her back soothingly. “I promise.”
“No,” Aurelia said as tears began to fall. “It’s not alright.” She pulled away, grasping at the ring on her finger desperately, but it wouldn’t budge. “It won’t come off,” She gasped. “It won’t come off, it won’t come off...”
“Aurelia,” Ambrose said, bracing both of his hands on her shoulders. “Look at me.” He forced her chin up. “Look at me.” She whimpered, tears falling rapidly down her cheeks. “Breathe.” Together, they took a long deep breath, exhaling slowly. Ambrose watched her carefully as they continued breathing, her chest beginning to slow down from its panicked state.
“He probably enchanted it to stay,” He said gently, moving to calmly rub her back once more. “There’s nothing you can do right now. It’s going to be okay.”
Aurelia turned to meet his gaze, her face tear-stricken. “How can you say that to me? I’m stuck here, alone, and I will be forced to marry him. You know I will. Don’t bother lying. It doesn’t make me feel better. Can you honestly tell me that I’ll get out of this? That he would let me leave him?”
Ambrose grimaced. “Marriage is a binding of souls. It mates you for life.” He told her softly, holding her hand in his own rugged palms. “It’s a binding for eternity.”
Aurelia closed her eyes, her fate sinking deep into her mind, her limbs heavy from fear.
Ambrose watched her for a moment before leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers. “You're not alone, Aurelia.” He whispered. “I won’t let him marry you. Trust me.”
Aurelia made a small noise at the back of her throat and another rush of tears fell down her face. She turned to rest her head on Ambrose’s shoulder as the tears cascaded down her cheeks and the pair fell into blissful silence.
Strangely enough, at that moment, despite all that had happened that night, it was the first time Aurelia truly didn’t feel alone in a long, long time.
Aurelia awoke the next morning tucked into bed, the last thing she could remember resting on Ambrose’s shoulder as he stroked her back.
The rest of the night’s events – including how they got there in the first place – flooded her mind after a moment, her face draining of color as she considered other consequences of the spontaneous engagement Dorian had sprung on her.
What would her grandmother do?
She could only imagine what Calandra and Brina would think and she couldn’t help but wonder if she would ever see them again.
Hopping out of bed, she did the only thing that came to mind in such a situation: got dressed to go to the training corridors and let off some steam, pulling her auburn hair back in a loose braid.
When the servants came with her breakfast tray, she convinced them to bring her to Lorcan, citing urgent business. As she was now Dorian’s betrothed, to her surprise, they listened and somehow pulled her through the barrier of Ambrose’s doing.
Aurelia followed the two servants as they marched her down to the training corridors, the hallways much busier than the day before. They looked nervously at each other before knocking on the door on the far end.
“What do you want?” Lorcan growled as he opened the door, towering over the two of them, and both of the servants flinched back.
Aurelia cleared her throat and stepped forward. “I think you mean to ask me that question,” She said pointedly, and he stepped back from the servants and they scurried away.
“Ah. Aurelia,” Lorcan said, a smile appearing on his face as if he hadn’t been about to strangle the servants a moment earlier. “What can I do for you? Congratulations on the news, by the way. You have the world at your feet now,” He teased.
Aurelia didn’t find it funny in the least. “Don’t even start,” She responded coldly. “I’m here to train.”
Lorcan raised his eyebrows. “The men are indoors, today—“
“Lorcan,” Aurelia interrupted. “I don’t care. Send me in there with them, send me in a tiny broomcloset with a dummy, I don’t care, but gods, please, I need to do something.”
Lorcan studied her for a moment before he nodded. “Very well.”
Aurelia followed him into the large room they had been in the day before, but this time it was filled with men and the violent sounds of metal clashing against each other. As they strolled into the room together, the men stopped, gaping at Aurelia as she picked a sword off of the wall with Lorcan.
“My darling,” A voice said behind her, and she jumped, for she didn’t need to turn around to know who was behind her.
She turned to face Dorian, a tentative smile forming on her face to avoid whatever interaction this could lead to. He was dressed much more casually than she had seen him before, in a loose shirt that dipped to reveal his defined chest. A dark curl rested on his forehead and his tan skin beaded with sweat, clearly down here to train with the others. His hand played loosely with his sword as he took in the woman before him. “What are you doing down here?”
Aurelia looked at him innocently, holding her own sword tight to her body. “Oh, you don’t mind, do you?” She said sweetly. “I figured now as we’re engaged, I could roam the castle freely. Seeing as it’ll be mine one day and all.”
She heard Lorcan behind her choke down a laugh.
Dorian raised his eyebrows, but instead of the suspicion she had been expecting, a look of pleasure crossed over his face. “Generally a woman would ask permission first,” He said softly, giving her a smoldering look.
Aurelia swallowed her distaste and matched his gaze, her chin held high. “Then, darling, may I have free reign of the castle?” She slowly licked her lips, watching as his gaze traveled downward. “There’s just so much...planning to do. And shopping, of course.”
If she was able to be free to wander the castle, there might be the tiniest hope of getting out of here before she was bound to the man before her. It was the only chance she had left.
Dorian smirked and stood silent for a moment, and Aurelia could have cut the tension in the room with a knife as everyone around them awaited his response.
“A fair point,” He answered after a moment. “But I’m afraid as an enemy of the kingdom, you must be accompanied at all times.” He smirked. “Of course, I don’t see how that would be a problem if you joined me in the royal chambers.”
Aurelia did everything in her power to keep her composure. “I shall consider your proposition.” She turned away, but paused, speaking to him over her shoulder. “Generally, a lady doesn’t do something so distasteful before marriage.”
Dorian chuckled. “No, but it’s not any ordinary marriage, now is it?” He stepped forward, only millimeters from her, his breath breathing down her neck as he leaned forward to murmur in her ear. “It’s taking over the world.”
Aurelia shivered despite herself and stepped away, towards Lorcan, and slowly the men surrounding them began sparring once more. She could feel Dorian’s eyes on her back as she walked away, and she did everything in her power to not turn around. They moved to an empty spot along the far end of the wall and Aurelia rose her sword, ready to stop thinking for a long, long time.
“Come on,” She said coolly. “Give me your best.”
Lorcan didn’t hesitate.
Aurelia only called quits when she could hardly raise her sword hours later. Lorcan had done exactly what she had needed – pushed her hard so that she didn’t have a moment to dwell on anything else in her mind. It had been blissful – to not be herself, to not be anyone.
She trudged through the castle alone for the first time since she had arrived. Strangely enough, she was able to find her way, but a thought struck her mind and she turned around to flag down the first servant she ran into to bring her somewhere else, a place she hadn’t yet explored.
They led her to a different part of the castle, to what she could only presume was the royal chambers, for it was by far the most elegant section of the castle, the castle stone polished and decorated in extravagance. Everything was in classic Damaris style, but grander. Taking a deep breath, she knocked.
“Come in,” A voice said, and she burst into the room, quickly shutting the door behind her.
Sitting at a desk was Ambrose, his long hair in a similar bun to the evening before. There was a gigantic canopy in the center, a gold and black bedspread, and a desk sitting up against the window that gave a peek into the snowy outdoors. He turned to face Aurelia and his eyes widened in shock.
“How did you—“
“It doesn’t matter,” Aurelia said shortly, moving towards him, unsmiling. “I have a proposition.”
Ambrose hesitantly set his quill down and turned to face her, his eyebrows raised.
Aurelia took another step forward. “You’re going to teach me everything. Lunar magic, the academy, the history...everything. I will help you save your people.” She took a deep breath. “And in return, you are going to get me out of here. Before my marriage to Dorian.” She gave him a cold, indifferent look. Standing before her was her only chance of freedom – of saving herself, her grandmother, her kingdom. Her only choice was to trust the man before her, no matter who he served.
“Do we have a deal?”
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