Uonata and her ladies sat giggling by the pond in the garden. Each one of her maidens had so many questions. Uonata’s head spun from all of their inquiries. A smile turned her bashful cheeks upward as she spoke.
“I hope that I may take all of you with me. Life in an unknown land without the comfort of friends would be tragic.”
“Oh milady, I pray that we will join in on this journey with you,” spoke one woman.
“I wonder what the men are like in Vermillion city? I wonder if they are kinder than those here in Morgeideign?”
Uonata folded her hands atop her lap, giving their words deep thought. She wondered if their hopes and dreams would come true, for both her sake and theirs. The young princess waved her vision over the garden, hoping to see her future husband. Evening drew near, and with it she prayed that his presence would join her. The conversation with her company continued until her brother interrupted them.
“Uonata! You are coming with me right now. I do not wish to hear any of your bickering either.”
Raxsies pulled the princess away from her ladies, dragging her across the lawn. His long strides despite his height made it difficult for her to keep up. She tripped over the blades of grass as his fist grew tighter around her forearm. Her maidens knew better than to follow them. This was common when the prince lost his temper. The young women preferred their mistress’s disappointment rather than the wrath of her brother.
Raxsies pulled his sister into a nearby storage room. He slammed the door behind them, sealing their presence inside with a lock. His hand took hold of her throat and his force slammed her against the stone wall. The man’s eyes were wild with fury, the strength in his grip siphoning the air from her lungs. A searing heat grew at the crown of her head while a burning stampeded through her chest. She tried to swallow but choked on her own saliva. Only then did he let her go.
“Did you think I was a fool? Did you somehow concoct in that naïve little head of yours that I wouldn’t find out about your whorish behavior?”
“What are you talking about, brother? I do not understand what you are accusing me of. Why have you again embarrassed me in front of my friends? You swore you would never do that again.”
“Did you think I would not find out about your little meeting with the foreign prince? As for your embarrassment, you bring it on yourself. You have no right to be meeting in secret with a man you have yet to marry. You intend to bring shame and dishonor to our family’s name.”
Uonata rubbed her throat and cut her eyes. For the first time in years, she felt anger towards the man. A ragged breath past her lips as she folded her hands in front of herself. Attempting to curb his rage, she bowed her head and took a few steps away from him.
“You seem jealous. The thoughts running through your mind are not true. I did not ask his company to do unsavory things, I only intended to question him about what my life will be like in Vermillion city. How is it fair to me, that you pull me away from my conversation yet, you can flirt with foreign whores right under my nose and I can say nothing? As for dishonor, I would never dream of such a thing. It was you who dragged me into a life of sin and shame. One I willingly allowed to be created. Maybe this marriage is for the best. Through my sacrifice, I will redeem us both in the eyes of the gods.”
Raxsies paced before her, his hand fisted, his brow furrowed and sweaty. He stopped in the room's corner, staring blankly into its edges. His rage overflowed and found itself implanted in the stone wall. He growled and Uonata trembled. She had never seen him so infuriated; he had gotten mad before a level of the emotion she was used to, but this was different. This time she feared him.
“You favor him don’t you? You actually want to marry this man, which is why you stand trembling before me. All was well as long as I knew you were against this union, but you aren’t. You would see me so easily replaced by a savage, a man who does not know you or the land you come from. A beast whose ancestors once stood at our gates threatening war. This is who you would now love, this is who you would have to help you forget me and the relationship we share.”
“No brother, I will always love you. What else would you have me do? Live miserably, live in fear of being beheaded in a foreign land when they find out who I truly love? I only seek to the trick the man, make him believe that I am more than willing to be his queen. Perhaps if I please him enough, he will allow you to join us in Vermillion city. That way you would never have to leave my side. While I was thinking of such things, you were probably getting your cock wet by your favorite little slave. I saw the way you looked at her and witnessed the lust in your eyes. Were you thinking of me then? Did you think of us or our future together?”
The prince grabbed both her arms softly and pulled her into his chest. “I am a man we have certain urges that women may not. She was beautiful and exotic, but not you. She was nothing more than a warm wet rutting post.”
“So it’s true you slept with her? You get angry with me for doing my duty to this family while you can rut with any you see fit? How dare you? You break my heart and expect me to defend our union when you don’t care about it. I will marry the prince and I will do so to honor and protect our family and our memory.”
Uonata turned to unlock the door but before she could slip away her brother wrapped around her from behind. “This fire that burns within you, from what depths of Drathell have you summoned it? Or has a ribbon of attention from another man planted the seeds of discontent between us? You’re mad, you do not love him nor will you ever because you belong to me. You will belong to me until the end of time, until I say you no longer do. That day will never come.”
“I never thought the day would come where I feared you. I will take my chances in Vermillion city under the protection of a man I am not related to. When we started all this, you promised that you would never make me feel like our father has. Yet here you stand, a replica of the man. Return to the warmth of your slave's thighs while I tend my broken heart.”
The princess snatched away from her brother and ran away as quickly as she could. Her eyes were red and swollen, the tears draining from them bitter and burning. He called after her, but she lifted the hymns of her skirt and blocked out his words. She ran as fast as her feet would carry, doing her best to ignore him. The castle was in sight she would be safe there at least for a while.
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