Yavanna's heart pounded nervously as the king pulled her down the familiar hallways of her home. A crease formed in her brows when she realized he wasn't walking towards the chambers. Where was he going?
She gasped when she saw he meant to leave.
"S-sir? Um, y-your majesty. I haven't said goodbye." She said, trying to free her hand from his strong grip.
He stopped in his steps and looked down at her with a cold gaze. She shrank.
"You can send them a letter."
Her jaw fell open, "But, they're my family a-and my friends. I can't just leave."
"You can and you will." He snapped and she jolted.
She parted her lips to speak but her shame for speaking against the king, and her husband made her remain silent.
He led her out the side gates and through the eerily quiet plaza. She looked around and shivered from the cold. Autumn was approaching and the sun's warmth was deserting her.
"Get. In."
She blinked and looked away from the statue of her great grandfather and to her husband. His blue eyes stared at her harshly and she nervously climbed into the carriage. She was grateful for her veil; it kept her raging emotions hidden. She was skilled at hiding them, but today she'd lost her strength to be able to maintain a mask. And there had been one too many surprises.
He climbed into the large carriage after her, it shook from his weight, and sat across from her.
She swallowed and looked out the window as soon as the wheels began to turn. The stone walls of her home quickly passed away and she watched her countryside's rolling hills pass by. The full moon lit them splendidly and she could see the fields of wheat ready for harvest.
A loud thumping alerted her to the man across from her. He planted his boots firmly on the cushion directly next to her. She gaped at him through her veil.
'Well that certainly wasn't very kingly.' She wished she had the guts to say it, but she knew better than to anger her new husband.
"When will the coronation be?"
His eyes snapped up to meet hers through the veil. It made her protection seemingly disappear and she felt as though he could see straight through her.
"A week after our arrival. Preparations have been underway for years."
She nodded. They probably had wine, sparkling and red, aged to perfection. Along with rare delicacies. And flowers being grown just for it. A dressy that had been worn through centuries of queens. Her skin chilled at the remembrance of her new role.
"And how long till we arrive in Nothad?"
"Three days." He huffed grumpily and closed his eyes.
She stuck out her chin and looked to the scenery outside.
Her thoughts returned to her new role. If she was to be queen of Nothad she would need to learn everything about it; its customs, its people, its fashion, its enemies and allies. She breathed out a breath at all the studying she'd have to do.
Mirella had been studying all of this for ages. Yavanna nearly smacked herself in the forehead upon remembering she'd have to learn a new language. Noth was said to be simple. Every time she heard it, it sounded harsh.
She focused once more on the countryside and began to list all she knew of Nothad.
Their people lived extraordinarily long lives. They were not known to be violent, but they were known to be strange. She wrinkled her nose when she recalled a folktale told to her by her nursemaid. One of the ancient kings of Nothad had allegedly enjoyed drinking blood. He would kidnap his enemies and have their blood served to him at a banquet. Her nursemaid had relayed the gory details of him having sharp teeth that he'd use to tear into flesh and eyes the same colour as the blood he drank.
She grimaced and squirmed in her seat. Luckily it was just a folktale. A gruesome one, but false.
She returned to listing off all that she knew of Nothad and soon found her lids drooping.
She awoke in her dreams to see a man with red eyes and sharp teeth. She gasped and ran from him, her dress too large and heavy and her shoes much too fragile.
She tripped and landed on her face. She turned around and came face-to-face with the red eyed man. She screamed and struggled beneath the weight as he tore into her neck and drank her blood.
"Wake up, dammit!"
She gasped and her eyelids fluttered open to see the king across from her, his eyes rolling.
"I bet you woke the whole countryside."
Her cheeks flushed red and she looked down at her hands in her lap. They were still shaking from the dream. Her eyes darted out either window and she reached to close the curtains.
She'd always felt safer in the dark.
Her entire family had called her mad and said that she practically welcomed the evil spirits. But she'd never met any, and she'd always found comfort from being blind to things around her.
"What was that for?" The king snapped.
She pursed her lips nervously at his eyes still glinting in the dark. She opened her mouth to reply, when she realized that the truth would only make her sound insane. She licked her lips, "I can't sleep with curtains open."
She winced a bit at her explanation but he said nothing and her eyelids closed. But no sleep came.
Her thoughts continued to loop through everything that was so suddenly thrust upon her shoulders. Her hand flew to her mouth when she remembered the wifely duty she'd forgotten.
She'd have to bear him heirs. She glanced at where he was sleeping and shifted in her seat. He hadn't made any indications that they'd consummate their marriage as of yet. He was likely waiting for them to arrive in Nothad. She shivered at the cold feeling that settled over her.
She was safe, for now.