They turned to see Lorcan standing in the doorway, his arms crossed against his chest.
“The king requests your presence,” He said pointedly, not trying to hide the disgust that clouded his features.
Ambrose nodded and stood up quickly, not bothering to offer a hand to Aurelia. He abandoned his crystals in the room and she reluctantly stood and followed suit as they began following Lorcan a few paces behind him. She attempted to catch Ambrose’s gaze, to no avail, and her stomach tightened in anxiety.
“Any idea what this is about?” Aurelia asked Lorcan, trying to keep a light tone in her voice as if he had not walked in on the king’s betrothed kissing his brother.
Lorcan looked back, raising his eyebrows. “You would know better than I, wouldn’t you?”
Aurelia flinched and remained silent for the rest of the walk, his bitter words a stark contrast to his kindness from the past few days.
Aurelia tried once more to catch Ambrose’s gaze, but he ignored her, staring straight ahead, his jaw clenched. She turned to face forward, setting her shoulders as Lorcan nodded at the two guards to open the doors to the throne room.
“Princess Aurelia of Calathis and Prince Ambrose of Damaris,” They announced and Lorcan marched Aurelia and Ambrose in, the king already resting impatiently in the throne in front of them.
“Ah, there you are,” Dorian called as Lorcan made his way up the steps to murmur something in his ear. His smile didn’t waiver, but Aurelia could’ve sworn something flickered in his eyes at whatever Lorcan had whispered.
“Figures you two would be together,” Dorian said as he turned to focus on his brother. “Ambrose, I called you down here because you are needed on urgent business. Elsewhere.” He paused, gesturing to Lorcan. “Lorcan will give you further instruction and will send you on your way. He’s got your bags packed, your horse ready.” He nodded to Lorcan, and Lorcan moved back down the throne steps, escorting Ambrose out of the throne room.
Ambrose didn’t flinch at the cold words, just nodded at his brother and turned to walk with Lorcan. Not even a last look towards Aurelia, as if she were the last thing to think of in the moment.
Did he realize he was about to leave her alone with the devil himself?
She quickly swallowed the hurt that surfaced, but the look on Dorian’s face told her he had already seen what she had been hiding.
“Aurelia, darling,” He said mischievously, standing from the throne. “Oh, what fun we will have together with my horrid brother out of the picture. Isn’t he just boring? Food, this…supplies, that…”
Aurelia forced herself to give him a small smile, which was all she could muster as she thought of what mission Ambrose was being sent on – and whether it was to harm Calathis.
“I’ve decided it’s time for you to move into the royal chambers.” He said suddenly, his eyes narrowing as he stepped down the dais. “It doesn’t sit right with me that you’re roaming the castle with so few...eyes.” He raised his eyebrows. “Who knows what could happen to you without proper supervision? I’ve heard terrible stories of Damaris soldiers when encountering unmarried women.” His gaze bore into her, as if he knew all of her secrets and was waiting for her to confess.
“That brings me to my other point, of course. I’m not sure what we’re waiting for with this wedding celebration,” He said easily, tilting his head. “There’s no point in waiting, after all. Make the arrangements you prefer, and we will have everything organized shortly.” He arrived in front of her and picked up her left hand, laying a gentle kiss that sent a shiver down her spine.
“There’s no need to wait. A perfect wedding for a perfect future. Decorate however you wish. Spare no expense.” He added as he straightened, staring down upon the ring that adorned her hand.
“Very well,” She said stiffly. If he were under the guise that she would spend all day, every day planning a wedding she had no inclination to attend, then so be it. The only thing that mattered was saving Calathis from the destruction she was sure he would unleash. If being agreeable meant securing the little freedom she needed to gain the knowledge, she would do it, though it made her sick to treat him with the respect he hardly deserved.
“Wonderful,” Dorian said with a grin. “Then let me escort you to your new rooms.” He held out his arm for her and she begrudgingly grabbed hold of him. He was strangely solid – and warm. Aurelia he had expected him to be so cold and lifeless, in the same way he treated his people. He was too heartless to be so, well…human.
He escorted her through the castle, going once more to where she had found Ambrose’s rooms, but instead continued through a few corridors to by far the most elegant section of the castle she had seen besides the ballroom. Black and gold marble staircases and pillars lined the long hallway as they strode upwards, passing paintings of past royalty, until they eventually stopped at a large, gold door.
He knocked twice. “Cressida, is it ready?”
“Yes,” She called from inside the room, and grinning at Aurelia, he opened the door to her new – temporary, she reminded herself – home.
It was truly built for a queen – its towering dark ceilings bordered with gold, an enormous chandelier hanging from the center. Where everything in her previous Damaris bedroom was made of deep mahogany wood, the bedroom in front of her was instead made of gold. The bed, which was in the center of the room, was an enormous canopy bed, the sheets white, gold, and black. Two paintings on either side framed the bed and a roaring fireplace rested on the wall on the opposite side of it. Black marble speckled with gold made up the walls and the gold sparkled in the light of the fire. Large, draping curtains covered the tall windows, black embroidered with gold. Two doors on the far end were shut, but were tall and gold, like the door they had just walked through.
“I’m sure you will find this quite satisfactory,” Dorian said as he assessed the look on her face. “The door on the far end leads into my own bathing and sleeping chambers, and through there, you will find a reading room, a private study, and even a dining room if you choose to eat there. I know the soldiers and academy men in the dining hall are a bit...obnoxious.” He chuckled as if she had chosen to come stay here willingly, and he was giving her the grand tour of his magnificent castle. His ease made nausea roil in her stomach, and she had to turn away to calm the wave of her emotions, of her anger.
“The other door will lead you to your own bathing chambers of course. You’ll have your own large, stone bath, and closet. I’ll make sure Cressida fills it with the latest fashions.” He glanced at Aurelia’s current outfit of choice – the Calathis clothing she had been wearing for training. “And we’ll make sure to get you clothing fit for a queen.”
Aurelia stiffened, giving him a short nod before turning away, exhaling sharply.
He nodded to Cressida and turned to leave. “Oh, and Aurelia?” He added, turning back right as he was out the door. “I’ll expect you for dinner in our dining room shortly. Cressida will get you bathed and dressed.”
With that, he shut her bedroom door behind her and Aurelia turned, wide eyed, to Cressida, once more taking in the room around her as if she were in a dream. Not only had she been moved to the lair of the man who wanted her grandmother dead, but the only man who could save her – namely, Ambrose – was gone with no idea when he would return.
“Training, again?” Cressida asked distastefully as she led Aurelia into her adjacent bathing room, the tub three sizes of the one they had been using.
“Yes,” Aurelia said hotly, watching as she began to fill the tub with steaming water. “What on earth am I supposed to wear to this dinner?” Dread washed over her mind as she considered the implications of having dinner - alone - with Dorian.
Cressida gave her a disdainful glance. “The fanciest item in the closet would be safest.”
Aurelia cringed and quickly undressed, sliding underneath the hot water as Cressida gave her a variety of soaps and then went into the entire second room that was now her closet.
She quickly washed the dirt and dust out of her hair, scrubbing her body as if it would get rid of the overwhelming anxiousness of what was so important that Ambrose had to be sent to deal with it.
It had to have been a Council meeting to officially declare war.
The thought kept repeating over and over in her head. He was the ambassador of Damaris for relationships with other kingdoms. What else would he have been called away for?
Yet…Her grandmother had no idea what she was getting into with these people. Aurelia had told Brina, urged her to give her more time, but what were the chances she would escape, after all? To risk everything on waiting for Aurelia to return would be to gamble all that Calathis stood for.
Aurelia stepped out of the tub shivering, hastily grabbing a towel to dry off as she peeked around the corner to see what dress Cressida chose. She had decided on a twilight purple floor-length gown, a simple, sleek choice, and Aurelia made no comment as Cressida helped her get into the dress and zipped up the back.
Before Aurelia knew it, Cressida had finished her hair, leaving it in long, loose waves, and led her through the private hallways to what Dorian had called their dining room. She reminded herself over and over of her plans of escape to ease the panic that rose in her throat every time the words repeated in her mind.
Cressida stopped in front of a pair of double doors, motioning for Aurelia to step forward. “I’ll prepare your room for sleep,” She said, bowing forward before turning back the way they had come.
How does one even do such a thing? Aurelia thought, but she didn’t have another moment to dwell on the thought because the doors then opened revealing a long, wooden table with Dorian sitting on one end, a place mat for her on the other. It was similar to the other rooms – sophisticated and decorous, clearly made for royalty, not one luxury spared.
Dorian looked up as she entered, a lowly grin upon his face. “There you are. I thought for a moment you were going to stand me up.”
Aurelia smirked as she took a seat on the far end of the table, the candles between them lit for what she supposed was for romantic lighting. “Why would I do such a thing?” She said innocently, placing her hands in her lap.
Dorian gave her a knowing look before making a quick motion with his fingers and servants burst through the doors carrying what must have been at least ten trays of heaping, freshly cooked food.
Aurelia’s eyes widened and she turned to Dorian. “This...is way too much,” She said as the servants placed a bunch of them around her.
Dorian shrugged. “Who knows what horrid things my brother has been feeding you?” He pursed his lips. “Eat as much or as little as you’d like. The best foods and meals of Damaris – all for you to try.”
Aurelia grabbed at the wine to the right of her and took a large gulp as the servants began piling a variety of foods on her plate. She had to admit, it looked quite a bit more appetizing than what she had been eating as of late. “Very well,” She said, the array of noodles, meats, and cheeses quickly filling the plate in front of her.
Though she was expecting the meal to drag on, the food in front of her was divine and she found herself finishing the entire plate – and even the one they filled after that. Only when her stomach was grumbling in protest did she stop, cradling her wine in her hand as she leaned back in the dining chair.
“Good?” Dorian asked, a small smile upon his face.
Aurelia nodded, taking another large sip of her wine. “Absolutely delicious,” She said honestly. “Will the leftovers be sent to those that are going hungry in the village?”
Dorian raised his eyebrows, pausing, his own goblet halfway to his lips. “Oh?”
“Where else is the leftover food going to go?” She asked innocently, relentless in her attempt at using this one small opportunity to prove herself more than he thought of her. If she were to be quite honest, the wine that she had been drinking throughout dinner had gone to her head just enough to make her bold.
“Very well,” Dorian answered, nodding to the servants as they took the leftover food away. He turned back to Aurelia. “It pleases me to see you take such interest in Damaris and your future people. It pleases me very much.” He stood, striding over to where she sat and holding out his arm. She could’ve almost gagged at his words and what they insinuated. She’d rather die than be stuck here as a toy of a wicked king.
She grudgingly set her goblet down and stood, taking his arm as he began walking through the empty halls, slowing his pace to a leisurely stroll. It helped her to not think of anything as she walked with the man whose dream was her grandmother’s demise. It helped her to think of nothing at all.
It felt like ages before they arrived at the doors of her room, and Dorian paused to open the door for her. “Have I told you that you truly look marvelous this evening?” He said, his violet eyes boring into her own, his kind tone of words a stark contrast to his usual tone of unhidden rage.
“No,” She forced herself to say. “Thank you.”
Dorian nodded and followed her into the bedroom, Cressida stoking the fire idily. “Thank you, Cressida,” He said dismissively and before Aurelia could say anything, she left the room, the door snapping shut behind her.
Aurelia turned towards him, crossing her arms and blocking him from walking any further into her room. “I think it’s fine if we say good night here, don’t you?” She said icily, her body rigid.
Dorian shrugged. “Very well, Aurelia,” He said huskily, turning and opening the door. Yet, he paused, turning back to her, his violet eyes piercing into her soul once more.
“You may think many things of me, Aurelia of Calathis,” He began. “But I take many men unwillingly on the battlefield. I do not enjoy doing the same in my bed.” He gave her a smoldering look as he stepped back. “When I bed a woman, it is much more enjoyable to make her scream in pleasure, not pain. You’d do good to remember that.”
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