It was late at night, and Raven was staring outside her window at the night sky and the beautiful stars. Since she pretty much locked herself in her room, all she had to do to keep herself occupied was read the books inside the room and write in her journal.
It was almost time for the day she dreaded. Where she would have to marry a man she wants nothing to do with. Where her life would be sold away as if she were nothing more than a tool.
However, despite how bad her situation was, she wasn't negative about it. She had faith that she would be saved. She had faith that the person she truly loved would rescue her from this situation.
She stood up from the desk she was sitting at and walked around the room. However, her eyes went in one direction. In her closet, there was a beautifully tailored wedding dress hanging up. The Tarren family had put the dress in there before Raven arrived at the house, and despite the maids of the house pleading from outside the door for her to put it on to make sure it fit right, she refused. She had no plans on wearing that dress for the Tarren family. However, even she would admit that it was a beautiful white dress. One fit for a noble wife. If only it wasn't Oliver Tarren she was marrying.
Oliver had tried to get Raven to open the door, however, with no success. Raven would be damned if anyone from the Tarren household stepped foot in her room. The maids even pleaded just to get her to eat, but she refused and rationed the food she brought with her. It wasn't much, but it was enough to survive.
All she wanted to do was go back to her family, go back to the maids, go back to her mother, and especially go back to Alex.
She had never spent so long away from him, and it really upset her. She could barely go a day without constantly thinking about her family. She was even tempted to try and fight her way out, but a cooler head prevailed, and she talked herself out of that plan with a calmer thought process.
She dreaded having to wake up tomorrow. She knew she couldn't lock herself in her room like she had been doing since she arrived. If she tried to skip the wedding, there was a chance they would blow up her door with magic to get in. She was actually surprised they hadn't tried that already, but it seems they let her be.
"If only Alex was here." She thought to herself.
She missed him. Alex would always make her days better, even when she was having a bad day. He could make her happy, and she missed that feeling.
She continued to write in her journal, expressing her true feelings. The journal has become her best friend over the past few days; she wrote everything in it just to vent her emotions.
"Please, just save me from this nightmare, Alex."
*Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Tarren Mansion*
"What happened! The Blackwood Mansion caught fire?!"
Inside the dining room of the mansion, Duncan Tarren, the patriarch of the Tarren house, was reacting to the news the butler had just received.
Apparently, the Blackwood family mansion had caught fire during a lightning storm, causing the deaths of many of the servants and the heir to the Blackwood Territory, Edmund Blackwood.
"This changes everything." Duncan said while in deep thought.
"Dad, are you calling off the marriage?"
Oliver Tarren, along with his brother Randall and his mother Ellen, were also at the table eating dinner. They were eating steaks made by their personal chef.
"No, son, this makes the marriage more profitable than it was originally. Now Raven is the heir of the Blackwood household, so when you two get married tomorrow, we will also have a hold on their territory. This is an amazing opportunity!" Duncan said to his son.
Oliver had been pushing for this marriage for years, and especially after seeing how much more beautiful she had gotten since they last met, he would do anything to keep this marriage on track.
"Oh, Jared, has she tried on the dress yet?" Duncan asked the butler.
"No, sir, she has still locked herself in her room." The butler responded.
"Hm, if she tries to hide in there tomorrow, send the guards to break down that door; the door is fixable after all; we need her present at the wedding at any cost; and tell the maids to force her into that dress if they have to; I spent a lot of money on it; the least she could do is wear the damn thing." Duncan said.
"Honey, she's going through a lot right now; her life just flipped on itself. Go easy on her." Ellen said.
"Bah! Like that's important; she will have a lifetime to get over it; we need her tomorrow. Especially now with Edward Blackwood going missing, it's the perfect chance to increase our control. I will not pass this opportunity up." Duncan said, and then he looked at his son Oliver.
"You will bed her and produce an heir within your first year of marriage, understood?"
"Yes, father, believe me, that's a high priority." Oliver responded and continued to think to himself, "After all, who could pass up on that body. Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough!"
*Meanwhile at a small inn located in Lapis City*
"Tomorrow's the big day." Alex said, then he turned around and saw the girls all sitting down and looking at him.
"Is everything ready?" he asked.
The first to speak up was Kaede "Yes, I've gotten the layout of the cathedral memorized; I promise I will succeed in my part."
"Good, how about you two?" Alex asked Anna and Eve.
"We're ready for the big escape; everything is taken care of." Anna said.
"Perfect, we have one shot at this; we can't afford to mess up, for Raven's sake." Alex said to the girls.
Soon afterwards, Kaede and Eve left the room, leaving Alex and Anna alone.
"Do you agree with my plan?" Alex asked.
"Most of it, but not all of it; I know you have to save Raven by any means; I agree with that. But doing what you're planning...it's just that I hope this doesn't change who you are." Anna said.
Alex turned around, looked at his mother, and smiled, which calmed her nerves a bit.
"I know you're worried, but mom. You, Raven, Kaede, and Eve are all I have. I would do anything to keep you safe. I may do things that may be considered cruel or monstrous, but I believe that all of you can keep me from completely turning into a monster. I don't want you to agree with every cruel decision I make. I believe you girls will keep me from crossing a line I could never take back; however, I will always do anything I have to. I have to keep you safe, no matter the cost."
Anna stood up and hugged Alex, embracing him tightly.
"I will always be here for you; if you need the voice to keep you from crossing that line, I will always be it; if you need anything, I'll do everything in my power to help you. I'm your mother after all."
Alex smiled and hugged his mother back, enjoying the warmth she exuded and the genuine love between the two.
A feeling Alex never wanted to forget and could not live without.
‐----------------------------------
Patreon:
https://patreon.com/Alex_Blackwood628
Discord:
https://discord.gg/97ejzvAGKb