by Elissa Daye
Aiden watched the progress from afar, noting the wary respect that lit the eyes of his people as she sat next to them performing the same tasks. Aiden knew if he had chosen someone like Anna she would have sat back and been content watching others slave away before her. With Lysandra it was almost as if she were driven to make the lives of his people easier as they acquiesced to his commands. He found it very insightful. After a while he went to perform other duties, leaving her to her own devices. He was sure that his people would not dare commit any sort of retribution toward her.
It was not until the last of the details had been planned for the next day that Lysandra finally sat down to rest. She felt it was her duty to put as much effort into these plans as any person in this keep. Was she excited to be married? Maybe. Maybe not. It surely was not the exciting day that she had dreamed about her entire life, but she was older now and dreams were like dandelions scattered into the wind, no longer pretty flowers, but weeds that served very little purpose. She embraced the change as it at least made her feel as if her presence here was permanent, that she was to be viewed as more than some slave he had brought home from Ghelli House.
The night passed uneventfully and she was not surprised that he had not joined her. She assumed that he was giving her the space she needed to adjust to getting married the next day. When the first light reached through the cracks in the shutters she was already awake with a stomach wrapped up in nerves as she anxiously anticipated the day. The ladies had told her that her dress would be ready in time, but she was unsure as to how they could possibly put together a bridal gown so quickly.
When the women entered the room their spirits were high. They coaxed her out of bed and led her into the other room for her morning bath. They used a jasmine bath oil to wash her, and its scent helped relax her as it reminded her of the gardens of Elkliss. Millie was there with the others, chatting away as they prepared her for her nuptials. Lysandra almost felt like she was one of the girls, but there would always be something that kept her apart from them. She only hoped they would accept that she was not a threat to their way of life. She remembered Layla’s warning about the full moon, but she was still unsure as to what that had to do with Aiden or his people. When the next full moon accelerated into the night sky Lysandra vowed that she would keep an eye out.
They helped her out of the water, dried her off gently, and started to brush out the long curls that had tangled in the water. Lysandra winced when a comb yanked too hard here or there, but thankfully the tangles were short-lived and, after her hair was sparkling, Millie shooed the others away. She started making little braids in her hair with flowers and ribbon woven delicately through them. She waited there before her, wrapped up in a warm sheet, until her dress was ready to be put on.
When one of the other ladies brought the garment forward she gasped in surprise. A silver satin dress was laid before her with lace and beadwork that would have taken a lifetime to create. It reminded her of the North Star that twinkled high in the night’s sky. It was a fairytale dress, one she would have dreamed of wearing. “How did you do this in one night?”
No one attempted to meet her eyes at first, but Millie clucked her tongue. “She’ll find out soon enough. You know Anna will be the first to say something and we don’t want Lady Lysandra to be party to her venom, today of all days.”
Lysandra looked at the ladies apprehensively. “It was someone else’s?”
Millie nodded at her. “Lady Selia’s. She was supposed to marry Lord Aiden many years ago.”
Since Selia was not here, Lysandra could only assume the worst. “What happened to Lady Selia?”
“Terryn Tibalus happened. I was not here within the keep when this happened, but I am sure any of the ladies can confirm what I tell you now. Lord Aiden was deeply in love with Lady Selia and they were planning a grand day for their nuptials.”
“Right you be, Millie,” one of the ladies cut her off. “That evil Terryn Tibalus took advantage of Lady Selia’s good nature. She should have seen the evil within his heart the day he snatched her from the forest.”
“What was Lady Selia doing in the forest?” Lysandra looked over at Millie with great concern in her eyes.
“‘Twas a full moon, my lady. The people of Blackwolf always head to the forest.” The same young lady interrupted Millie before she could respond.
“Forgive me, my lady. There are some things we should not speak of. Lord Aiden should be the one to tell you about the rituals and ways of his people.” Millie elbowed the other lady gently.
Lysandra could tell there was more going on here that these women could not tell her. Only time could change that. The one thing that concerned her more than anything was the fact that she was to wear the dress of his beloved Selia. She still did not know what had happened to her. “And what, pray tell, happened to Lady Selia that day?”
“Kidnapped she was. That evil Terryn Tibalus stole her out from under Aiden. Then he wedded and bedded her that very day. When she found herself carrying his child, she could never return, the poor dear.”
“Where is Lady Selia now?”
“Dead.” One word and the air suddenly chilled. Aiden had walked into their conversation and his one word echoed dangerously around the room.
“Aiden.” Lysandra’s voice came in a broken whisper. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
He had come to check on her, to make sure the ladies were treating her appropriately. He had not expected them to warm up enough to her to begin telling her the secrets of Blackwolf. He glared angrily at them before Lysandra interrupted him.
“Please, Aiden. They are trying to help me get ready. Leave them be. If you want to punish someone then make it me. I was the curious one. You’re scaring the poor things.” Her smile was pure light that reflected all the way up to her eyes.
Aiden grimaced inwardly and felt himself relax under her stare. He let out a long breath of air, then nodded in her direction. “You have an hour.”
When Aiden left, the ladies started to speak in hushed tones so quietly that she could not hear what was being said. Lysandra cleared her throat. “I do believe if I’m to wear this beautiful dress that I’ll need some help into it.”
There was a flurry of movement as each girl hopped over to give her a hand. Lysandra giggled at them, then stepped into the gown. She knew the romantic part of her longed for this fairytale dress to have been hers alone, but the practicality of the situation required that she wear Lady Selia’s dress. When they had laced up the back Lysandra twirled around for them. “What do you think?”
“A true angel, you are!” Millie clasped her hand to her mouth.
“You’re too kind. I may have passed for an angel a long time ago. I’ve long since lost my wings.” Lysandra looked down and tried not to let her saddest thoughts rule her heart. She looked in the mirror before her. A miracle had been performed in just a few hours. It was hard to imagine that this dress had been made for anyone but Lysandra. She no longer looked like the mistress that occupied her master’s bed. She looked peaceful, angelic, and reborn from the flames that had cast her asunder. Today was a new beginning. Whatever the future carved out for her, she would follow it with her head held high.
Her thoughts turned to Aiden and she wondered what his expectations were for her now, but they dissolved from her, for she would not spend her life worrying about her place in Blackwolf Keep. She would refuse to be anything less than his equal. She felt the pulse of her Adrianic magic race through her, for while on the outside she looked calm, placid, and resolved, there would always be the woman inside that danced to the drums of destiny, who craved the adventure that life would bring her. She had been dormant the past few months while she molded her desires to the will of others, but that life would soon be over and the challenge of the future lay right in front of her. She had only to reach out for it.
Her thoughts turned to her parents, to their hopes and desires for Lysandra’s future. What would they think about the road laid o
ut before her? Would they expect her to leap blindly into the abyss and forge a new road out of the darkness?
“They’re proud of the woman you’ve become,” offered one of the ladies knowingly.
“Excuse me?”
“Your parents. I mean, you have to know they’re proud of you.”
Lysandra looked at her with a panic-stricken expression and her breath caught in her throat. “How do you know that?”
“Because they told me so, silly.”
Lysandra looked at the redhead before her and suddenly felt faint. How could her parents have told her anything? They were dead. She had seen them murdered with her own eyes. There was no way that they could have survived that.
When Millie saw the distress that her friend had caused she clucked her tongue at her. “Brenda, you know better than to spout your beliefs at people. You have to forgive Brenda. This girl here thinks she can talk to dead people.”
“But I can.”
“If that is true, Brenda, surely they have told you something to identify them.” It was not at all odd to Lysandra to hear that Brenda might have the ability to speak to the spirits of her parents. Many people of Elkliss actually possessed this skill.
“They told me to tell you that the sparrow flies even when her heart is laid deep.”
Lysandra surprised the girl with a bear hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. “You’re a lovely woman, Brenda. I hope others appreciate the gift you give.”
The girl blushed before her and her bright blue eyes looked down to the floor amidst the curious glances of the girls around them. Another lady spoke up to say that she was skilled in the art of healing. Millie looked quietly at Lysandra and came clean too. “I have visions. Sometimes they come true.”
“Is everyone talented as such at Blackwolf?”
“Only the outsiders, my lady. None of us are Blackwolf born. We’ve been brought here by a fate much like your own.”
“That’s amazing.” It was nice to know there were others like her here.
“We don’t advertise these things, my lady. The people of Blackwolf are a strange lot. Magic is not looked highly upon. You’ll not tell, will you?”
Lysandra smiled kindly at them all. “What kind of mistress would I be if I created a hostile place for you to live? Your secrets will always be safe with me.” She almost added that she had a few of her own, but she was not quite ready to share that part of herself.
When they left the room and walked slowly down the staircase, Anna was waiting below. She sneered at her with a look so fueled with hatred that a lesser woman would have ducked. “You may have won for now, but it is not over.”
Lysandra smiled politely back at her. “Oh, but I do believe it is. Carry on, Lady Anna.” She dismissed her with a nod befitting a queen and smiled softly as a hiss of venom rang through the air behind her. There was simply nothing Anna could do whether she liked it or not, and Lysandra thought it was time that Anna learned her place. Perhaps it was time for Anna to find a different mate. Soon she would pursue the topic with Aiden.
Lysandra followed the women outside the keep and walked slowly through the bailey to where Aiden was standing with the rest of his people. He wore a fine white tunic with long sleeves, light brown leather breeches, and dark brown boots. Lysandra was not surprised to see that Anna was nowhere to be found. She somehow found the courage to look up to Aiden’s face, for she was afraid that her dress would bring sadness to his eyes. His face was guarded to her as he stood there almost stoically among his people. Her step almost faltered, but she continued to hold her head high. She would not go into this joining with anyone seeing the insecurities she felt inside. If Aiden wanted this to appear as a somber occasion, she would follow his lead.
She looked straight ahead at the priest performing the rite of passage and tuned out the world around her. When it was her turn to speak, she spoke. When it was over, she accepted his kiss, but she felt a piece of ice cross her heart. This was definitely not the fairytale wedding that she had dreamed of once upon a moon. She was wearing a dead woman’s dress, marrying a man who neither consulted her nor treated her as if she had a choice, yet here she stood more convinced than ever that the path before her was still infinitely better than any she could have had.
The people cheered around her, but she did not feel the joy they celebrated. She followed Aiden as directed, and answered when spoken to, but the fact of the matter was she felt so much more like a possession than she had before, a pretty pony to parade in front of others with her role just as vague as it always had been.
She ate very little at dinner. She did not look forward to the night ahead. Part of her wished he would just leave her to deal with the misery she seemed to be drowning in. When Aiden’s people cheered the time of their departure she rose gracefully at his side and walked slowly next to him as they made their way back to the keep. Her heartbeat echoed with every step she took and her emotions were almost getting the best of her before they made it to the door.
Lightning flashed across the sky and thunder boomed loudly around them. Aiden looked curiously to the skies surrounding them. He had never seen a storm unleashed from nowhere before. “We’d better get you inside before the water breaks through the clouds.”
“What clouds?” Lysandra challenged him. She knew where the storm came from, and she could guarantee no clouds would be found.
“Curious. Very curious.” Aiden continued to usher her inside the door as he looked up to the clear skies once more.
When they made it to the door of his chambers Lysandra put a hand on his shoulder. For better or worse, he was her husband now. No matter what had happened before, the vows she had spoken were just that, promises uttered to the universe. There was no turning back now, even if she could. Thunder crashed loudly outside once more.
Aiden turned to her and looked at her curiously. “Yes, Lysandra?”
“Are you sure about this?”
Aiden exhaled loudly. “Fine. We’ll have this out, Lysandra, but please go inside first.”
She walked into the room and turned to face him. “What shall we have out?”
“You have questions.”
“Questions? You announce to your people that we are getting married without consulting me and think that I just have questions?” Lysandra sniffed loudly.
Aiden was at a loss. He thought marrying her would be the best course of action. It would certainly give her a better chance with his people. Someday they may stop seeing her as an outsider and would make her feel safer within Blackwolf Keep’s walls. “What do you want me to say, Lysandra?”
She was taken aback. Another boom sounded outside the walls of the room. What was it that she expected him to say? Was there anything he could say that would appease her? Did she want him to profess his undying love to her? Just because she may have some raw, undeveloped feelings for this man did not mean he shared them. She asked the first thing that came to her mind. “Do you miss her?”
Miss her? Miss who? Aiden blinked at her in confusion. “What are you going on about?”
“Selia, Aiden. I believe this was intended to be her wedding gown. Do you miss her?” Many more questions lay beneath the surface. Did she ever stand a chance of measuring up to his precious Selia? Were they the love match the others thought them to be?
“Do not mention her name to me again.” A quick flash of anger fell over his face before he managed to reel in his emotions.
Lysandra backed away from him. The lightning flashed so bright outside it illuminated the cracks in the shutters. One last burst of thunder shouted across the sky before Lysandra looked back up to his face. The anger in his eyes showed he had a deadly side to him and there was a small part of her that cowered away from it, but she did her best not to let that show on the surface. While she had been angry with his lack of emotions during the day she had not intended to upset him. “I’m sorry.”
Aiden sighed loudly and ran a hand through his dark hair. There was much he could tell
her, but he would not let any fancy notions of love take over him again. His people did not know the truth behind what had happened to Lady Selia. She had been kidnapped by Terryn, but she had stayed with him willingly, a fact that Terryn was happy to throw in his face. Terryn had never loved her, not like Aiden had, but she could not see that for she had fallen deeply in love with Terryn. Aiden’s heart had suffered an attack of the worst kind, unrequited love. He had fooled himself into thinking Selia had loved him. It was true that Selia had died, but not directly at Terryn’s hand, even though he had been involved. She’d died in childbirth along with Terryn’s son. Terryn seemed more upset with the death of his child than Lady Selia’s passing. Aiden had promised himself that he would never suffer this plague of the heart ever again.
“This story is not as intriguing as you may think, Lysandra. The way I felt about Selia was driven by childish fancy. That is all you really need to know about it. She is nothing between us, not even a ghost.”
Lysandra looked up at Aiden in confusion. “But…”
“No buts. I do not believe in fanciful notions of love anymore. What we have is real and practical. You need a protector. I need a mate. What else is there?”
What else is there? Unfortunately, Lysandra knew there was so much more to be desired in a union. She wondered if his parents had loved each other half as deeply as her parents had. It did not scare her that he lacked a true knowledge of love, for she had very little experience with it outside of her parents. Her lips pursed together and her eyebrows furrowed in deep thought before she decided that he was right. They fit well together, but while he was content with just that, she was filled with hope that even this relationship could change with time.
Chapter 22
The next few weeks passed rapidly for Lysandra. She spent her days learning everything she could about what was required each day to make Blackwolf Keep run successfully. She worked side by side with the servants, learning every aspect of their daily routines. She brought water to the men when they practiced their swordplay in the garrison and complimented the work they put into protecting Blackwolf Keep. She continued her quest to earn the respect of Aiden’s people, but there was still a wall built between them.