Yavanna had had fun sorting through the millions of gifts. So far her favourite was the rare silver cat she'd received. He meowed very loudly, almost as though he was speaking with her.
Her next favourite was all of the books, she couldn't believe how many books had been gifted to her, considering they were meant for Mirella.
Her next favourite was the dresses and jewelry. Many of them were in Nothad fashion and she simply fell in love.
In Viland the fashion was a dress with many skirts overtop of it with an elaborate corset strung over that.
In Nothad, the style was much more elegant. A simple shift was worn with a plain corset overtop of it, then a single heavy dress was placed over that. The sleeves were long and draped handsomely to nearly the floor. The neckline was tastefully low, usually with embroidery detailing it.
She paused when she came to a box that was actually labelled:
To His Majesty Amory Querencia and Her Highness Mirella Vandeleur.
From the Outborn Pack.
Conflicting feelings arose in her. None of the others had been labelled or addressed. Maybe she should call for him, the Outborn Pack may be friends of his.
"Jessica, could you send someone to ask if the king can come meet me?"
Jessica's eyes widened, "Y-yes, your highness." She left through the doors and Yavanna looked back at the wrapped box on her lap.
"He is terrifying." She looked to where her two personal maids were standing. They both looked at their toes immediately.
"What did you say?" She asked curiously.
She saw them meet the other's eyes, Lorraine licked her lips, "His majesty. Doesn't he… frighten you?"
Yavanna tilted her head, he did, yes. He was much larger than her and had forced his strength upon her, but she wasn't as terrified as the maids appeared to be.
"Yes, and it always gets colder when he's nearby." Christa, her other lady in waiting whispered.
Yavanna's brow creased. She'd never experienced that.
"He once got so angry at a maid I saw glasses break without him touching it." Lorraine whispered.
"And a row of torches once blew out simply because he walked by them." Vivian said.
All of their eyes were wide with terror. Yavanna looked at the rug on the floor. Why hasn't she felt so afraid of him? He was frightening, she admitted. But he wasn't a demon of sorts. He was just a man.
A knock on the door alerted all of them to quiet themselves and Jessica walked in, "Your highness. His majesty says that he is too busy."
"Those are his words?" Yavanna asked, surprised at the bluntness.
Jessica nodded, "Yes, your highness."
Yavanna blinked and set the gift aside and continued to sort through the others. By the time she felt it was time to sleep she had only sorted through one third.
Her personal maids changed her into a nightgown paired with the thick fur-lined robe and bid her goodnight.
She stood in the vast, silent room and breathed out a quiet breath. It appeared as though his majesty wasn't going to consummate the marriage tonight.
Which was good, that meant she had time to read about it tomorrow. Her knowledge on what was to occur was very vague.
Her mother and aunts had simply told her; it will hurt, just be quiet and listen to him, it will be over fast, make him happy.
She knew nudity, or something near nudity was involved. The idea of the pain always made her nervous. How was one supposed to prepare for it? And she had no idea how to make him happy, he seemed impossible to please.
But she did want her veil gone. It was becoming a hindrance.
She sighed and looked about the room once more.
She couldn't believe she was here. She felt the urge to laugh and cry at the absurdity. She had so swiftly taken Mirella's place and was now married and soon to be made queen.
She walked to the window and parted the heavy curtains open to see a magnificent view. Her eyes lit up from behind the veil at the sight of buildings lit by torches sprawling up a cliffside. She squinted her eyes to try and make out the details. She wished to see it in the daytime but she hadn't even thought of it before now.
Looking down she saw more dim lights spreading out from the trees. That was when she noticed that the hills surrounding the city were covered with forests. Beyond the lights looked to be a lake.
She stared at Harkburg for a few minutes longer before she decided she couldn't ignore the heaviness of her lids.
She crawled beneath the layers of fur and extravagant quilts and closed her eyes.
Only moments after dozing off she felt a sting on her neck. She attempted to move her hand to touch it when she found she couldn't move. Her body refused to respond to her commands; her eyes would not open and her back remained rigid in its stance.
"So this is my brother's precious Mirella." A quiet, chilling voice said from in front of her. She couldn't open her eyes and could only listen. "I don't see anything remarkable. You must truly be the one."
Cold swept over her body but she couldn't shiver.
"I wonder how he would feel if I just had a little taste…"
Fear sparked in her mind and she wanted desperately to scream for help. She could feel the unknown person descending closer to her. Tears sprang into her eyes but her mouth would not open.
The presence suddenly left and the control of her body slowly returned. She sat up straight and breathed heavily for a few moments. Was it a dream? No. No, it hadn't been a dream. It couldn't have been.
Who could she tell? She wasn't close enough to her maids or her ladies in waiting. And telling the king… didn't seem possible. The voice had said he was the king's brother though. She looked around and her panic and fright slowly disbanded.
Her sleep had been very much disturbed as of late. First was the nightmare in the carriage, then the second night she'd been so afraid of falling asleep for fear of another. And then she'd had an even worse nightmare of the king biting off men's heads.
She squirmed and moved to the centre of the bed. It was most likely just a dream.
She curled herself up and pulled the blankets up to her nose. Half-hoping they could protect her from the dark dreams.