Lyn woke up very slowly and with a splitting headache. The after effects of the medicine always left him on a estate akin to a bad hangover. The bitting cold helped to make him more lucid faster.
He had been on farewell visit to his only friend on this godforsaken country, Prince Ken. And both had slipped up because the trap had been set from deep within his friend´s ranks. It was clear the security in his mansion had been breached since who knew when because that old bitch had managed to sneak the blasted poison on their drinks and tried to get rid of both of them on a brilliant if very cruel way.
Only the fact that he had been previously poisoned before with that same foul poison and that he had been afflicted for years with its bothersome after effects had given him the needed warning and time to both secure his friend and escape from the trap himself. His own ghost guards had been left behind in the dust as he rushed to escape as far away and remotely as he could, anything to foul that old hag´s curse. He had only gotten up to the Coesen estate woods when the poison´s effect finally could not be fought anymore and he had almost collapsed in the wild.
He tried to call for his guards, to at least let them know he was fine. He had lost control of his own magick well before he collapsed so they could easily assume he was dead and make serious mistakes. With just this call, they should be able to find him, wherever this was.
-I´m sorry-said a woman´s voice that sounded anything but not sorry- Please know that I just tried to keep you alive, Prince Hekili-now that was a lot more honest.
Lyn knew he had collapsed on a woman´s company and that she had tried to keep him hidden and warm to survive the night. He had also, very rudely, told her that she was not to touch him but she had obviously not done so as he was alive and well. His first move was to check his own body, only to find himself fully clothed, well tucked into a flimsy blanket. The air around both was even clean, as she had poked a hole big enough to let some of the crisp morning breeze in. He could feel only the scent of a winter morning and that of hers. That was his first warning that something was different with this particular woman.
The reason Lyn was taken as such a joke in both his own country and this one, was his legendary disgust with all the things related to women. Very few people knew why, only that he detested to be near, much less touched by ladies of all ages and appearances. It was a clear disadvantage for a man expected to one day become the leading figure of his own Imperial family, a Crown Prince needed to have at least 4 consorts, several concubines and plenty of children to further the lineage. Of course, his own sexuality had been questioned because of it so many times that only exile, requested by his own mother had taken him out of the spotlight. In reality, he just disliked fake women, specially those that always tried to look cute, vulnerable and pitiful just so they could get away with whatever monstruosity their scheeming minds were calculating.
The first clear image he got from his saviour was that of the profile of a woman with flaming red hair cascading around her, dressed in gray rags that did not cover her enough from the cold sitting over a cover of straw and keeping her distance from him. Her face was serene, with a set of golden eyes that were very rare by themselves and rosy lips, her facial features were delicate but looked mature and serious which he rather liked.
-Who are you?-he asked, just to try her honesty because he already knew this should be Lady Rin Coesen. He had never really seen her before, as she was even more of a recluse than he was.
-I am Rin-she said and stopped her peeking outside to look directly into his eyes-I need to go out and take care of... well you understand-she then went outside before he could stop her, not that he would because she surely had been taking care of him the whole night and needed privacy to take care of her own morning ablutions.
Lyn now knew what was different. Everyone in the country and even out of it knew that Lady Rin Coesen did not have a soul gem in her forehead and her existence was considered a shameful thing, horrible enough to be hoisted at him as his fiancee. The woman he had just seen had a beautiful golden one in her brow, the same shade of her amazing eyes and denoted a tremendous power for magick but knowing how noble families dealt with things, her inmense power had been hidden for good reasons. She was clearly not trained even in the most basic magick since she could not even light a cristal by herself.
Her red hair was not too rare in the Meric Empire but was not a favored shade, in this backward little country, it was even considered an ugly thing because people preferred black hair like his or darker shades at least while her golden eyes just added to the rarity. He allowed for some minutes and then, taking the blanket with him, went out to look for her because it was clear they needed to talk. The events from the day before left both in a dangerous position and she had saved his life so he felt that he owed her some sort of reparation.
-What happened to you, Lady Rin?-he asked and got closer to give her the blanket, she was clearly cold- What are you doing here without servants or anyone from your family?-
Rin was still patting her clothes and after taking the blanket and covering herself some more she took account of his health and saw he seemed well enough, if a little pale. As they both were out of the shelter, she began to walk towards the place where the hut had been. She had already taken the meager belongings left behind by her mother and brother.
-My father has been assasinated-she said without much emotion-My clan took the chance to erase us up too. I survived, my mother and brother did not-
He knew about the assasination, but since he was leaving this country in the next few days, he did not concern himself with anymore mess here, specially not those related to the Coesen family. He had plenty of troubles to deal with anyway. Still, this was a different situation and he would be a complete ingrate if he left her right now in the wild, alone and defenseless. He prized himself on his objectivity and knew that she could not be blamed for touching him the night before, it was his problem, not hers.
Rin observed him carefully. He was slightly taller than she was, the top of her head reached to his chin. His white clothes while simple, were luxurious and extremely comfortable. His long black hair was tied and his face features were clean and manly, just simply not considered handsome in this world that valued delicate and cute looks. He kept his hands on his wide sleeves, away from the cold and his whole bearing screamed class and money, so not like her stance that was her own, open and relaxed. She stuck by her vow to the late Rin Coesen, she would live her own life, not hers and that meant she would behave according to her own customs, not those that had been taught to Lady Rin.
-What are you planning to do? You know you should not go back to your clan, they will just finish the job Lady Rin-
-Please just call me Rin-she said affably and simply-
-Maybe, I can help-he blurted- I owe it to you-
His mind was toying with something his mother had suggested in her last letter. He needed to return and get married as soon as possible to at least quench the rumors for a time but she understood more than anyone why he had a extreme dislike of women so she said that as long as he could stand beside someone who was at least passable, she would support his choice. On his part, he could not stand the idea of marrying one of the ladies from the powerful families that would surely be waiting to hound him on his return. He needed a woman to shield those other aspirants and that would feel indebted to him, so much so that he would be able to control and keep at a safe distance. It could not be one of those very talented court ladies that adored to stand out nor could she have a powerful family whose own agenda would get in the way of his. Lyn watched how she stared straight into his eyes. She was also weighing her options as well and since she had nothing to lose, she decided to hear what he was thinking.
-I still have a copy of our engagement papers here- he ventured. as she did not fall into histerics over it, he kept on this path he had started- I want to negotiate a deal with you that could help both of us.
Rin kept looking at him and assented after a while.
-Marry me, in name only-he said- I will protect and provide you with everything you need to live a confortable life far away from here on the Meric empire-Rin looked at him with a slightly surprised face- We would not have to be intimate, it would be a marriage just for image sake-
-What are your conditions?-she went straight for the main question.
-Be loyal to me. Never betray me for other people just like you did yesterday-he said- I think you might have heard the rumors, I do not like to be in contact with people-
-I have conditions too-she started-
She might be considered a spinster, but it seemed she still thought of herself enough to try to exact conditions out of their deal. Still, he respected her for it. Even when she had nothing left, she refused to jump at the first opportunity and carefully considered the options.
-You will not keep me locked away-she said. With what he knew of her life, it was understandable she requested that- I want to have the freedom to seek financial independence.
He lifted a dark eyebrow at that.
-I will behave accordingly and will never look or do anything that puts you or you family name in danger or ridicule- she added to the deal- Also, the day that you decide or can marry someone else, we will part ways with no violence involved.
-You would divorce me, for that?-well she really had herself on a pedestal and he was starting to think this useless pride only reflected how ignorant she was. All the easier to control her...
-Yes-she said without any hesitation- I do not share and I do not like unnecesary drama nor jelausy. If you marry someone else, I would give you my blessings and go away-
Lyn smiled. What would she think if she knew she was the first woman that he could stand to be this close to? He knew they had been much closer during the night. The intimacy and care in her actions could be mistaken for shamelessness or even infatuation on her part but whatever the case and until proven otherwise, he would not pay kindness with harm. He got the parchment from his pouch and showed it to her.
-I do agree with your conditions-he clarified-This was previously signed by Lord Coesen and the Emperor here so we just need to sign it and make it final-
Signatures for marriage contracts like this were only valid if done with a blood pact. They would need to prick their fingers and mix their blood before smearing the combined drops in the space meant for the couple. Usually, this was done with great fanfarre and festivities in a great show for nobles and commoners to see, not in the middle of nowhere and with no witnesses or family around
Rin pricked her finger first and when Lyn did it too, she looked at him straight in the eye. He was standing as far as possible from her, with the parchment in his hand. She thought in that instant that maybe this was for the best, a man that wanted nothing to do with women and would stay away from murderous fan girls. Above all, she believed that with her new and old powers, she could be able to just fly away if things did not work out between them.
He pressed his index finger to hers and their blood mixed. It felt weird to keep so much distance when they had been so intimate just hours before but she guessed this was already a lot for him. After just 2 seconds, they pressed both fingers to the parchment and the ink in it glowed silver.
-It is done-he said-the records have been updated and our marriage has been registered.
Then something unexpected happened because the gem in his forehead flashed black and he grabed his head in pain and swayed as if about to pass out. Rin just felt as if an electric current had gone through her but nothing more, so she tried to grab his arm in case he fell down, only to be pushed by him and be stared down by a handsome man with murderous eyes. His face had changed and his nondescript features from before were gone, replaced with elegant and refined manliness. The gem in his forehead that looked deep blue before had changed to a deep black.
-Who the hell are you and what did you do to me?-he asked with an icy furious voice-Lady Rin Coesen is dead so dont even bother to try to deceive me.
Out of nowhere, a dagger made of lightning was in his hand and pressed to her neck.