"Thus lullaby, my youth, mine eyes,
My will, my ware, and all that was.
I can no mo delays devise,
But welcome pain, let pleasure pass;
With lullaby now take your leave,
With lullaby your dreams deceive;
And when you rise with waking eye,
Remember then this lullaby." - The Lullaby of a Lover, by George Gascoigne
Lilith had been bathed and dressed in sleep attire, her tense muscles massaged by the servants, but she could not rid herself of the headache that fiercely gripped her temples. She did not enjoy such social gatherings, especially when her uncle and aunt were in attendance, who mostly looked to parade her around like a product to be bought. She supposed she was, after all, what else is a young lady in this world?
That night, she did not get any rest and gazed outside her window at the full moon, contemplating what the next step for her was; she could not run away, not when the Valdis estate is in almost a perpetual state of winter, summer being the only time the snow melts somewhat and as it was only spring, she wouldn't make it safely down the mountain the Valdis estate sat upon.
It was less of an estate and more so a fortress, as it had loomed above all else in the mountains of the north. Its pointed tops looked as if they could pierce the sky. A marvel to behold, there were recounts in the family history of wyverns having once perched on those very tops, but the time of creatures passed before the great Titans did. Lilith surmised they had been hunted to extinction or hid away at what people say is the Edge of the World.
Taking a deep breath, Lilith rubbed her aching temples. There was much to think about, and her thoughts kept straying away from her future and towards the past; stories of the Golden Ages would flood her mind for reasons unbeknownst to her, perhaps to find a way to preserve her sanity.
All Lilith could do now was pray, but to whom? She didn't know; the gods of old were dead, and the supposed god Mehir was not hers to worship. The temple had long rejected her family, cursed their origins, and aided the emperor in driving her ancestors further north.
Despite the fervent wishes she made throughout the night, the sun rose, and her dreaded day had come.
Francis and two other maids entered the room, assisting in her dressing. They had chosen a dress with an empire line that was the same shade of white as the clouds and lightly touched the tips of her toes, almost ticklish, the material light silk, the inside lined in velvet. "It is cold in the estate today, My Lady," one of the maids quietly remarked as they pulled out a luxurious white floor-length fur coat. "Here, this shall do." Lilith shrugged it on as the maids lifted it to her shoulders.
Lilith stared at her reflection in the large ornate mirror she stood in front of as her maids bustled around the room. Her eyes were as dark as ever, akin to the black pearls only found at the bottom of Lake Amos. Strangely, this lake stayed unfrozen all year round and was in the valley of the mountains, as the Valdis family had built the sprawling fortress to surround it atop the treacherous mountains that encircled the lake.
"Is my future husband here?" She asked, hearing the hustle and bustle of servants in the hallway. As quiet as they tried to be, she couldn't mistake the rapid footsteps that flew past her door for anything else. It was apparent in the solemn attitudes of Francis and the two maids as well that the day they all dreaded had indeed come.
"Yes, My Lady." Francis confirmed, her voice quiet as she pulled out earrings with a string of Lake Amos pearls. These earrings were only available to wear for those with the treasure of Valdis. Lilith knew Francis' intention in choosing those earrings was to show that she would always be the true Duchess of the North, regardless of whether she was to be sold in marriage.
It was a quiet rebellion against her uncle. A small smile graced Lilith's lips, which always looked as if she bit into dark fruit, something her maids refused to colour over with lipstick time and time again.
There was a knock at the door which Francis went to answer as the two other maids busied themselves with preparing Lilith. The headmaid exchanged quick words with whoever was on the other side before closing it again and turning her attention back to Lilith.
"My Lady, the duke has requested your presence in his office," Francis said in a quiet and solemn voice. "We cannot wait any longer."
The time has come—the first meeting with her prospective husband. Dread and despair pooled in Lilith's stomach as the two maids stepped back from brushing her hair, leaving it to cascade down in waves along her back. She knew this was coming and had prepared her heart, but it did not make it any less unpleasant. Reality was always so cruel.
A tool. That's all she always was.
"Yes, I shall visit His Grace then." Lilith stiffly spoke as she stilled her trembling self as best she could, and Francis exuded a deep sorrow as her eyes trembled just as much as her young lady's frail body did. Francis had always thought of Lilith as her own after her husband and her child passed away just before arriving at the estate—she was already a childless widow at the age of thirty.
Francis can still remember Theresa Valdis' words when she was still heavily pregnant with Lilith.
"If something were to happen to Victor and I, promise me you will love and cherish my child as if they were your own." Theresa rubbed her large stomach; her soft brown eyes were filled with warmth and love for her unborn child. "A Valdis does not have a guaranteed good life, not with the Regan family in power."
"I promise, Your Grace."
Gulping down the tears she felt, Francis led the petrified young woman she had watched grow up towards her doom. She felt as if she was the executioner herself.
Lilith Valdis was extremely isolated in the estate, with no close allies other than Francis and the long-gone butler, who had disappeared without a trace.
Any allies Lilith Valdis could have are gone; all that remained was a powerless child, and in the eyes of the world— that child was a sacrifice to its greed.
It was a typical fate for the many young women of Skyvale. Francis was in no position to help; a powerless servant could not simply reject the duke's order without consequence and Regef Valdis was not a gracious man.
Taking a deep breath, the just as terrified headmaid knocked on the solid wood door, alerting Regef inside the office to their presence; she spoke what may as well have been Lilith's death sentence.
"Your Grace, Lady Lilith has arrived."
Opening the doors, Lilith froze, her back as straight as a wooden board; she could barely restrain a gasp, and her breath hitched in her throat.
There sat not only the stranger from the ball, the man she had disrespected only to find out he was the young emperor of an enemy nation that same night— but her prospective husband?
It's impossible. Did her uncle make a deal with the Regan family? Lilith felt ill at the possibility. A fool can tell Arthur Regan framed her father, Victor Valdis, because he decided to re-enter politics, and Arthur has always considered Victor to be someone to compete with.
It was evident as a clear day that Regef felt the same inferiority as the emperor did when it came to her father as he kept her under his thumb with veiled threats to hurt those precious to her, a loathing in his eyes every time he saw her, it was like she was nothing but a reminder of the man he lived in the shadow of his entire life, and if it weren't due to her use as a tool to him, he probably would've had her killed long ago. Lilith looked too much like her father— eyes unwavering and unsettling.
Regef was always a friend to the emperor. Despite his hatred for Lilith's father and for her, he always maintained decorum even when her father was alive.
After her parents' subsequent deaths, nobody could stop him from monopolizing her vulnerable position and taking over as head of the family. He quickly shed the façade of kindness and instead showed a cold disregard for Lilith, propping her up to be his dear fragile niece in front of others but a thorn in his side behind closed doors.
Lilith wasn't sure if he had always been waiting for that moment; had he always eagerly wished for his brother's demise? And if so, when did it all begin? Did it also extend to her mother, and did her mother truly commit suicide? She didn't know. Lilith had poured over all the possibilities in her mind, wracking her brain for the moment it went all so wrong. Would she have seen Regef for what he was if she was more vigilant?
He certainly played the part well—an uncle who cared for his niece, a brother in mourning, and a gentleman—but his smile had razors in it.
"Etiquette is the utmost important subject for a lady to know—it is consideration, respect and honesty, My Lady." Francis' words came to her mind from the days of her schooling, as Francis herself was from an aristocratic family. She had been assigned to Lilith when the Valdis heiress was still in the womb. "You are the last descendant of the honourable Black Pearl; you must always maintain these principles."
Lilith corrected her shocked self and greeted Ezekiel accordingly as if this was their first meeting, but she could not still her trembling fingers as her mind raced with images of that night at the ball when she first saw him.
Ezekiel always knew what kind of man Regef Valdis was, one of a tremendous inferiority complex; the young Zhurian Emperor could damn near smell it off of him, every pore oozed nothing but greed, and it made Ezekiel want to sever his neck.
"Your Majesty, it is such an honour to meet you." Regef had spoken first; Ezekiel had ignored him blatantly, walking past as Regef bowed and sat on the sofa.
"Right, get on with it." Ezekiel roughly gestured to the seat across from him, and he could see Regef freeze with anger at Ezekiel's callus attitude for a moment before returning to the forced pleasantries from before.
"Yes, Your Majesty." With the amount of loathing Regef secretly held, he might as well have spat in Ezekiel's face; it was obvious.
"As negotiated, you've agreed to cease all hostilities in exchange for a bride, Your Majesty, and all we need is for you to sign upon this agreement." Regef cleared his throat, placing a document in front of Ezekiel. His blood-pooled eyes briefly scanned the paper before flicking to the duke's face, which swallowed.
Ezekiel did not like Arthur Regan in the slightest, and upon meeting Lilith's uncle, he's not sure who he dislikes more. Before anyone could discuss anything further, a knock sounded, and it was news of Valdis' treasure—the last of the black pearl lineage and the woman Ezekiel deeply desired.
To him, he didn't quite know what it meant to be a Titan's descendant; people spoke of them as akin to greedy creatures with no minds and driven by reckless desire.
For his father, who chased relentlessly, Ezekiel wasn't any different.
Lilith Valdis was clearly shocked to see him, and it was obvious now that she was never told who her husband even was. Ezekiel had never felt so much anger at once, but he held back. Would it do any good to scare her any further? He didn't want to and restrained himself.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." The trembling girl was quick to correct herself before an emperor, and Ezekiel watched as her shaking hands reached down and, with gentle fingertips, lifted the tips of her dress as if she always had to practise this before— it made Ezekiel wonder if she always was so used to being afraid.
Lilith's eyes called to him, and what was it they called a human's eyes? Windows to the soul, something that is supposed to reflect their innermost desires. What surprised Ezekiel the most about Lilith was her burning rage in those eyes, framed by thick dark eyelashes that gave her gaze a striking feature—a beauty they said only a hidden treasure could have.
It made sense to Ezekiel why she was isolated in the north. She was rumoured to look like something ethereal, like one of those beautiful deities humans spoke of throughout the ages, Ezekiel was surprised that
"There is no need for decorum, Lady Lilith," Ezekiel said after examining her face and briefly examining the contract again. "As it seems, I am to be your husband."
He stood up, dropping the marriage contract back onto the table. Ezekiel swiftly got Lilith to right herself, causing her pale face to tinge light red all the way to her ears, her arms were covered by her coat but he could feel the delicate wrists hidden underneath as he carefully steadied her, Ezekiel could hear her breath hitch in her throat as her gaze focused on him, she had to strain her neck to even look him in the eye and noticing this, he bent over ever so slightly but in doing so, drew closer to her.
"I-I apologise, Your Majesty," Lilith spoke, averting her eyes; it was possible she felt overwhelmed by his sudden closeness, his simple presence had that effect on people, let alone being so close to him.
"My name. I'd rather my wife address me by name." He felt irked by the formal title she called him and didn't know why. Did he just want only her to call him by name? Ezekiel felt confused by his sudden emotions. He usually didn't care for whatever people called him—which generally ranged from formalities to curses, depending on who you asked. When it came to Skyvale and the Arthurian people, it tended to be the latter.
Lilith was very shocked to see Ezekiel in her uncle's office, let alone his sudden closeness as he insisted on calling him by name, she felt dizziness when he bent down closer to her, it wasn't meant to intimidate her, she gaged by the look in his eyes, and rather then seeing hostility in them, it was more akin to concern.
"I cannot, Your Majesty," Lilith said despite her reddened face. Her resistance to dropping decorum and etiquette caused him to frown. "It would be impolite of me to call an emperor so casually, as we are not yet married."
Ezekiel disliked this situation; he didn't like how she tried to set a boundary out of reflex, or was it fear?— he surmised that both possibilities were terrible but if it was reflex, it'd be a little less terrible than fear as that would be easier to work with. The battle-hardened man wasn't used to such conditions of the heart; he had only known what war had taught him, and the occasionally lewd topics and jokes his soldiers made when they thought he couldn't hear, it wasn't something that necessarily had emotion to it. Hence, he was unsure how to restrain these emotions.
Regef observed their exchange, "He is to be your husband, you must listen to his requests."
Lilith flinched, and Ezekiel glared at Regef, who just paled in response to the sudden hostility emanating from the young emperor, but he didn't say anything and instead turned back to Lilith.
An embarrassing small squeak left her when he turned his attention back to her. Ezekiel's scent was intoxicating to her. He smelt fresh, like ocean air, with a light tinge of metal and leather, perhaps due to his work with numerous weapons. She had heard stories of his feats on the battlefield, and she wasn't surprised he smelled like ocean air, as Zhuria was in a very warm climate with the palace being near the coast.
"Doesn't matter, I suppose," Ezekiel spoke, his tone light and casual. "Go with what makes you comfortable for now." He didn't want to impose on her a rigid decorum but neither did he want her to feel forced to address him more casually, so he left it up to her, his eyes focused on her face.
Lilith didn't know how to feel about the sudden revelation of who her husband-to-be was, but she certainly wasn't expecting a young emperor, a ruler of an enemy nation, at that.
"Right," Regef cleared his throat, "Now that the two of you have met, it is time we discuss the details of the marriage contract." He gestured to the sofa in front of him, Ezekiel sat and leaned back, nearly taking up the entire thing, his arm rested on the back and Lilith froze for a moment as she realized she would be incredibly close to Ezekiel but with a glare from her uncle, she pushed back her confusing thoughts and sat down next to Ezekiel.
Lilith took a moment to examine the contract on the table before them. It listed conditions associated with the marriage, almost making her eyes pop out of her skull as she read that if she were to die, the peace treaty would become invalid, giving reason for the Arthurian army to invade. Cold sweat perspired on her back, her eyes flickered up to her uncle's, and her muscles seized up.
She could see in Regef's eyes that she was not mistaking what that condition meant. This must've been the deal he had made with Arthur. The only losing side would be Lilith. In this case, Arthur would be rid of the Black Pearl that haunted him and have a reason to invade an enemy nation, and her uncle would become Duke of Valdis in return without question. The temple would fully reign supreme in their religion as they rid the world of the last remnants of the old gods, no doubt to utilize her death as a testament to Mehir being the one true god of Skyvale in order to settle any dissent amongst the public.
Lilith Valdis, through her own marriage, would play the role of a martyr.
It was laughable— how pathetic it was for her fate to be decided just like that. Lilith trembled, and she couldn't tell if it was from terror or anguish, all the words she wanted to say turned to ash in her mouth, her mind dizzy with a barrage of thoughts that she didn't know how to react, what to say or do with so many conflicting emotions running through her.
Ezekiel realized Lilith's inner conflict. He could see sweat along her hairline despite the Valdis estate being so cold, and her shaking hands curled into fists in a futile attempt to keep them still. He came to the same conclusion she no doubt did upon reading the contract but Ezekiel had no intention of letting her die so pitifully.
Settled with the resolve to immediately assign security to his future wife once he stepped out, he signed the contract.
"Lilith?" Regef spoke her name, his eyes angry and impatient. "You must sign now."
With trepidation, Lilith signed her name.