May he burn

   I never cease to be amazed by the Duke's manor. We visited once before, years ago, but I was pretty sure that I was more in awe now than when I was thirteen. Our house was big, but to say that their house was just "big" was an understatement. The ceilings were too high to touch even with a ladder. The ceilings showed the wooden beams supporting the roof, but this was done on purpose in an architectural way that showed the Duke's artistic taste. Their white marble floors were so clean, they showed my reflection. The decorations on the wall were unique, least to say.

   The Duke is known to study different forms of dark arts from around the world. He doesn't particularly participate in the arts himself, but he does like to document them. When he was younger, he took note of different forms of sorcery and voodoo. The walls were proof of his journeys. There were scriptures framed on the walls with languages I didn't understand and paintings of beings I've never seen before. Lined along the wall were short pillars with abnormal objects encased in glass set upon them. 

   I walked slowly to study each object. I passed by a piece of cloth wrapped in yarn with what looked like it had dried blood on it. Next I passed a small broken glass doll with a matching wooden one beside it. Afterwards, I passed several glass encasings that had strange books in them. I gasped when the next glass encasing came into view. It was bigger than the other ones because of the large artifact inside of it. It looked like a rams skull, but instead of the normal yellowy-white color a skull would be expected to be, it was a deep blood red. There was a bright red ruby ingrained into the middle of the forehead. The skull was so smooth I was sure it was carved out of marble. I had the urge to trace over the horns with my fingers. I cocked my head to the side in wonder. Something about it…enticed me. 

   I flinched when I heard someone speak behind me. "Ah, yes. The ram's skull. A wonderful thing, is it not?" 

   I was sure my heart stopped once I realized who the voice belonged to. I turned and saw Ethan standing behind me. He gave me a soft smile and came closer to the glass encasing. I stammered, trying to find a response,"Um yes. It's beautiful." I let out a breathless giggle that probably sounded extremely unattractive. 

   "Well, I'm sure Father will tell you about it, but I could give you a little history lesson. This terrifying thing is from his journey to the Vetiti lands." I felt his warmth as he came closer behind me. 

   "The…Vetiti lands?" I had read about the Vetiti lands a while ago. I guess Ethan took me inquiring about his father's journeys as me not knowing about what the Vetiti lands were, so he went on explaining the history of why the Vetiti lands are so famous now. 

   "About three hundred years ago, we almost lost one of Great Kings when he was just a prince. He had a best friend when he was younger. This friend wasn't much of a good one so he betrayed the young prince. He tried to kill our beloved king. It was all over some silly misunderstanding. You see, when the crowned prince of Khanaria is of age, anyone in the royal family can challenge the crown. It's the law. The prince's friend had claimed he was technically of kin to the royal family and wanted to take the crown for himself. It's terrible how people change when power is presented to them. I couldn't imagine my best friend betraying me." He shook his head once in disappointment. I laughed in my head. Imagine your whole family hating you for your whole life. 

   I knew the story already, but I pretended not to so that he would tell me more. This was a trick Mother had taught us.  "Feed his pride. Make him feel stronger, smarter, more superior. Then he'll be yours." That's what my mother always taught my sisters and I. This was the most Ethan has ever spoken to me, so I wasn't going to stop him now.

   "His friend, now his foe in this point of the story, had rallied an army." He shrugged, "Convinced a bunch of dunces that he was the rightful heir to the throne. After a long and hard battle, the young, rightful, prince defeated the traitor and banished him to the Vetiti lands. The Vetiti land is a land that is not considered to be part of Khanaria anymore. Its soils are infertile and the skies are always gray." His brown eyes met mine and his hair fell forward, brushing his brow. "People that go in, they seem not to come out. Father says it smells of death and it took him weeks to be able to remove the stench from his nose."

   We stood, staring into each other's eyes for a while. I almost forgot why we were standing here talking. I stammered, trying to bring the focus back on the ram's skull, "So! Did he find this on his journey there?" I got closer to the glass to have a better look at the artifact. 

   Ethan gave me the gift of his smile before responding, "I'm sure my father will tell you more about that, but we should get to the dining hall. I'm sure everyone is already set at the table." He held his arm out for me to hold. My heart started racing as I hesitantly wrapped my hands around his bicep. I purposefully slowed my steps so that it would take longer for us to reach the dining hall. I wanted to enjoy the feeling of having him this close.

   He stopped right before we reached the entrance and spoke while still looking forward, "I want to apologize. Forgive me, Lady Louisiette, for any hesitancy I've had towards speaking to you. Especially lately." He looked conflicted as he turned his head towards me just a bit, as though he wanted to look at me, but he instead kept his eyes on the ground before continuing, "You have to understand that I was taken aback by the news, but I shouldn't take it out on you. You didn't have much of a choice, but you have to understand my disfavor towards this situation." I blinked a couple of times, confused.

  "Anyhow, we might as well start getting along. You're a part of the family now I guess." He forced a tight lipped smile as we rounded the corner and walked into the dining room. I felt a familiar ache in my chest when he said this. Was this confirmation that I'd be married to him? Did this mean that he wasn't happy about the union? Was it not his choice? Questions swam through my mind like hundreds of koi fish in a pond way too small for them.

   "How did you manage to be late when we all came in at the same time?" Lindsey scowled at me as she took her seat at the long dining table.

  "You can't tell me you didn't enjoy your few minutes of heaven without her?" Lana giggled as she stated out loud her distaste for my company. She leaned in and fake whispered to Lydia, "She'll be out of our hair soon enough." Lindsey smirked while Lana laughed out loud, but Lydia looked at me with that same pitying look that she did while we were in the carriage. She didn't laugh nor did she encourage the teasing.

   "Now, now, girls. Remember your table manners." Mother said which quickly shut them up.

   Ethan bowed slightly and released my grip from his arm, "My apologies. I talked Lady Louisiette's ear off for a few minutes. I taught her about the Vetiti Lands and the Great old king." He smiled as his eyes landed on Lindsey. She seems to bring that smile out of him too much for my liking. 

   "Did someone say the Vetiti lands?" A deep voice thundered through the room and I looked for the source. A heavy set man walked into the room after us. Each step looked like he was dragging his feet to take another. He held his hands under his belly that spilled over his trousers and big gold rings shimmered on his fingers. His smile was almost bare, spare a few rotten teeth and gold replacements that filled his mouth. I tried not to make a face as I smelled something sour as he walked by. With his wife by his side and two other sons trailing behind him, I could tell that this man was the Duke. It wasn't hard to tell even if it had been years since I last saw him. The only thing that changed was that he had somehow gained more weight than he already had

   He sat at the head of the table with a grunt and his wife sat in the seat to the right of him. His two sons, Alex and Xander, took their seats and Ethan signaled for me to sit beside Lana while he took his seat beside his brothers. As if on cue, maids came pouring into the room with platters in their hands. The first course was just an appetizer that I've never tried before. I tried to keep myself from gagging once the duke said that it was a soup made of leeches and jellyfish. It was custom in the Oameni, land of the Oameni Pești. The fish people. 

   I didn't know why the Duke tried to make show of his riches by feeding us leeches and jellyfish, but no one else seemed too bothered by it. If Mother didn't ingrain table manners into our heads, I was sure Lana would've been drinking straight from the bowl. I played with the soup while the Duke started his story about traveling to the Vetiti lands. After a few fake sips, I decided to actually try the soup and realized that it mostly tasted like watered down garlic and something a little fishy. 

   As the Duke started talking about the not interesting parts of the story, I let my thoughts wonder. Confusion filled me when I thought about the things my mother and Ethan said. What were they going on about? I pushed the thoughts out of my head with the comforting thought that I'd soon find out, and instead tried to focus on more exciting thoughts. Thoughts like who I was going to marry. 

   There were two choices in this room for my future husband. (Of course that's if there aren't other suitors in wait). Though I'd prefer Ethan, his younger brother Alex was also an option. Alex was just my age, but I've never been interested in him. He was abnormally thin and lanky, and the way he liked to torture small animals when we were younger made me shudder just thinking about it. He paid a lot more attention to me than Ethan, but it felt like he didn't see me as a person. For some reason his gaze always made me feel like one of those small animals he'd put through hours of agony. I made it a goal to always avoid being alone in a room with him. His gaze met mine and he smirked. Oh no. I immediately looked away and my eyes found the duchess. Her lips were sealed tight and I was sure she was looking down the whole time during dinner. Her eyes didn't look up once. Not at the guests and not at her husband. I also noticed that the maids came and replaced her plates with the next course even though she didn't touch any of them once. She was beautiful for her age. I could tell she was just about in her forties and there were barely any wrinkles around her eyes, but there were a few above her brow. She must've had a stressful life. 

   We were two courses in when the Duke finally got to the part of the story that explained where he got the ram's skull. I started to tune in because I was genuinely interested in the mysterious object. 

   "I had traveled across the land of Khanaria because rumors had spread of strange sightings near the land of Vetiti. I had to see it myself. That's when I had discovered that the traitor that was banished there had a son!" He seemed satisfied once he earned a gasp from his audience. I caught myself almost leaning my elbows on the table in interest, but quickly fixed my posture. 

   "Yes! A son! His son had been planning revenge for his traitor father and started messing around with the dark arts. He was bringing back what should've been left behind." He made large gestures while he told the story.

   "What do you mean he brought things back?" Lana questioned the Duke which earned a disapproving stare from mother. I would've been striked right then and there for interrupting someone as important as the Duke, but of course Lana got away with just a glare.

   He leaned in and squinted. "He brought the dead back to life, child. Extremely dark sorcery. Yes, very dark indeed." Some spit flew on the table as he talked and I grimaced. 

   "Woah." Lana said in awe. I looked over at Alex and it seemed as though he was pleased with the thought of necromancy. Ew. 

   "Yes, woah indeed. But needn't worry. I slayed the traitor's son. I broke through his guards of dead men and drew my sword, HA!" He stood unexpectedly and pointed his imaginary sword at an imaginary enemy across the table, "He didn't stand a chance. I ended his life with one swoop of my sword." He traced his thumb across his throat for added dramatics before continuing, " He wore the ram's skull as some type of crown. After I killed the sad excuse for a man, I took the skull along with me on my journeys in hope that someone could explain to me what exactly it was. The material is something I've never seen before."

   He sat back down as the next course was presented to us. It was some type of meat, barely cooked may I add, stuffed with a creamy vegetable sauce. I'll pass. "One village way down south threw a fit. Told me to take the skull and get as far away from them as possible. They said it belonged to an ancient demon and would bring great misfortune. Another group of people from across the sea said that I should respect the ram's skull. That it belonged to a God. They said that I should respect the skull and it shall respect me in return." He shrugged. 

   The story of the ram's skull was a great one. It made me even more interested in its history. How could two groups of people have completely different views on it? It was simply amazing. Even though I enjoyed the story, and enjoyed the food less, I was still confused on why we were here. Did we come here to eat uncooked food and tell stories? It was like the Duke read my mind when he started to speak,

   "But I know we aren't gathered here today to tell old tales." His gaze settled on me and he smiled, "We gathered here today with news for both of our families-"

   "Excuse me. I'm feeling a bit unwell. I'll retire for the night." The duchess quickly dabbed the corner of her mouth with a napkin even though she didn't eat anything and spared me a glance before leaving the room.

   The Duke cleared his throat and continued, "Well, Lady Gloria, I'm sure you'll like to announce the news." He lifted his glass of whiskey and tilted it towards my Mother before taking a big gulp. 

   "Oh this is gonna be good." Lana giggled and slid down in her seat.

   Mother sat up straighter and looked around at everyone before speaking, "We gathered here tonight because we have news. Our families will be joined together at last at the Duke's request and at our great pleasure." I felt my heart slamming against my rib cage as she continued. "Today we'll be happily joining my beautiful daughter with the Duke's son, Xander." She picked up her glass and raised it in the air.

   Oh my Goddess. Did she say what I thought she said? I'm going to be marrying Xander!? I looked over at Xander. I couldn't help but feel a mix of joy and pain. Yes, I'll be sad that I didn't end up with Ethan, but this is the Xander! He was a few years older than me and definitely a lot more mature. He was taller and broader than Ethan and let's not forget the next possible Duke! He's the best marriage I could possibly have ever dreamed of! Even though I personally didn't have feelings for Xander, it didn't mean that I couldn't recognize the sheer honor of being offered such a position.

   "Mother I-" I started happily, but Mother cut me off, "Not now, Louisiette. Don't interrupt your sister's toast." I thought my soul left my body. What did she mean by my sister? I looked at Lydia who was staring straight at me with the same pitying stare that she had been giving me the whole night.

   "My perfect daughter, Lydia, will bring great honor upon our family by marrying Xander!" She smiled and lifted her glass of wine higher into the air.

   What the hell was going on? "Mother, please, what's going on-" I looked back and forth between Lydia and Xander. 

   "Please, Louisiette." She spoke through her teeth, obviously losing her patience with me. I crumbled into myself, anxious and worried about what was going on. If tonight's marriage toast wasn't for me, then what has everyone been talking about?

   "Oh, Mother, please do announce Louisiette's new position!" Lana excitedly whispered across the table to Mother.

   "That's not a topic for right now, honey. Congratulate your sister!" I saw her knuckles turn white from gripping the wine glass.

   Lydia stood abruptly, almost knocking her chair over. "She sold you off to the Duke to be his….companion." Tears slid down her face as she yelled the news. 

  "Lydia!" Mother screeched and finally the glass broke in her hand. Xander quickly grabbed a napkin and held it to her palm before blood started leaking on the table cloth. 

   "What is there to hide, Mother!? We all know it and we all know how sick you are for it! Wait till Louis hears of this!" Lydia sobbed angrily at our Mother, who flinched at the sound of her son's name. 

   "Louis isn't here." Mother hissed. 

   "You know he won't have this. What do you think he'll do once he finds out you sold his favorite sister as a whore."

   The sound of my brother's name flew right over my head. Usually I'd be excited at the mention of the only family member who's ever cared about me. Goddess, I wished he were here to save me from this. He would tell mother off in ways I've never been brave enough to do, but he's gone now and there's no telling where he was. 

   I felt lightheaded. Suddenly all of my senses were overwhelmed. The smell of the uncooked meat on my plate, the candles lighting the chandelier above, the sound of mother yelling. What was Lydia talking about? "W-what? What do you mean by companion." I shook my head and the tears started flowing down my face.

  Lana grinned and leaned closer to me, "His whore."

   Lindsey smiled while she sipped her wine. "His voluptuary." she shrugged.

   "His…mistress." Lydia added quietly and looked away as more tears poured down her cheeks. 

   My mouth sat agape for a few moments and I stuttered before I could actually get my words out, "Mistress? Mother, I'm your daughter! Do you have no shame!? Do I not deserve the same honor and respect as your other daughters!? Is a mistress all I'm worth to you!?" I let my feelings pour out. I didn't care if it earned me fifty strikes with the beating stick, I needed answers. Mother didn't answer my questions. She looked everywhere but in my eyes.

   The Duke sighed and stood, "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to check on my wife. She seemed to be a bit unwell. My sons will be excusing themselves too." He waddled his way out of the room and out of our family fuse with his sons trailing after him. Xander stayed behind to help Mother with her hand, but Lindsey got up and followed the Duke.

  "Way to go. You always find some way to mess things up." Lindsey said to me quickly before leaving after Ethan.

   "Look! Now you've embarrassed me in front of the Duke! You'd be lucky if he even wants you now. I ought to give you fifty lashes across your face!" Mother looked as though she was going to jump over the table and rang my neck. Xander applying pressure to her wound was probably the only thing holding her back.

   Xander furrowed his thick eyebrows in confusion, "Lady Gloria. Please excuse me if this comes off as rude, but did you not tell her?" Mother turned up her nose and shook her head. Lana's giggles turned into maniacal laughter.

   Now the world was really spinning. I felt vomit come up my throat as I struggled to stand. My legs shook to the point where I didn't think I was going to be able to support myself, "Excuse me." I nodded my head curtly and ran out of the dining room before anyone could object. Mothers screams echoed the further I ran down the halls. I didn't know the Duke's manor, but the hallways seemed to go on forever. I found myself in a dimly lit foyer that seemed more unwalked than the others. I slowed my steps, but my breathing quickened. I could barely see because of the tears. Sobs escaped my lips and soon it felt impossible to take another step. I collapsed on a door and slid down to the floor. Everything was blurry and it felt like a snake was coiling inside of my chest.

  I sat there and cried until the sobs started to all come together like a sick melancholy symphony. I heard someone call my name and I put my hand over my mouth. They were looking for me. I grabbed the handle of the wooden door and swung it open. I dashed inside and quickly closed the door behind me. When I turned around I saw that I was in a wine cellar. I sat down on one of the barrels and buried my face into my hands.

   "Why! Goddess please tell me why!" I tried to keep myself from talking too loud. I didn't want to be found. Not yet. I couldn't face my family just yet. Not after Mother did this to me. How could I ever live and see her face again knowing that she sold me off to be a mistress!? Did I not deserve a man to myself? Did I not deserve a better title? Did I not deserve dignity and respect? How could she think so lowly of me? My own mother, for goddess sake! 

   I bawled my dress into my fists and stomped my foot, "I hate her!" I yelled before I could catch myself. Just after the words escaped my lips, the wooden door swung open and I gasped, putting my hand over my mouth. Confusion and fear filled me when I saw the Duchess staring back at me.

   "H-how did you find me?" I shook my head and started sobbing again, "Please don't take me back! I can't go back. I don't want your husband. And I don't want to live in the same house as those…those heartless monsters! I can't live with them!" 

   She marched up to me and shoved a satchel into my arms before grabbing my face and looking me in my eyes. "Hush child or you'll get us both caught!" She stepped back once I started to calm down and when I did so, she didn't give me a chance to ask questions, "There's no way either of us are going to get out of this. No amount of begging your parents will ever change their decision. My husband offered them more money than any normal noble would offer for you."

   "Why me? Please tell me, why me?" I begged her.

   I could see the absolute disgust on her face. She exhaled deeply before she answered me, "He saw you once before. Years back when you had first visited the manor. He said you were so lively and so….young." She didn't want to continue and it didn't take much for me to catch on. 

   I had to stop myself from screaming at the top of my lungs, given our situation, "I was thirteen! What could he possibly have seen that was attractive to him out of a literal thirteen year old!?" 

   She bent down to my level, "everything his forty year old wife didn't have."

  I bared my teeth as I spoke, "He's a sick bastard."

   She smiled in return, "And may he rot in hell."

   We both nodded in agreement and she grabbed two wine glasses from a cabinet and filled them up. She handed me one and then sat down on a barrel across from me. She crossed her legs and smoothed out her black dress. "Look, child, we don't have much time to chat it up and bond over our disgust for my husband. You must leave. Tonight."

   My eyes grew wide, "Leave? Leave and go where!? I have no money, no horse, nowhere to go. Where am I to go?"

   She signaled at the satchel she had put in my arms, "There's a little bit of food in there and enough money to get you wherever you need to go. You have to leave. My husband has been waiting for the day that you'd come of age. He said so many horrific things. Things like how he hoped that you wouldn't grow breasts or get scars on your body before then."

   "What are you trying to say?" I questioned her and a moment of silence followed.

   The Duchess reached over to fill her glass again, then nodded towards mine when she saw I hadn't drank any, "You're going to need that." I put the glass to my lips and savored the bitter flavor as it washed down the saltiness from my crying. She sighed and I could see why she had the stress wrinkles now. "What I'm saying is he's not going to give you up without a fight. And who's going to win that battle? A girl whose family doesn't even want her, or the Duke of Khanaria?" She raised an eyebrow. I knew the answer to that one without her telling me. 

   My hands shook and I poured the rest of the dark red liquid down my throat before I spilled it from my anxious shaking. She was right. There was nothing I could do and it wasn't like Mother would ever fight to save me from the Duke. She's the one that sold me to him in the first place. I was sure that she'd send me right into his arms if I came back home.

   "Okay. I'll do it." I nodded but didn't even believe the words myself. "But where do I go?" I looked into her eyes hopefully. I had to trust the Duchess. She was the only way for me to get out of the situation. 

   The Duchess quickly gave me directions to a village where I won't be caught. She said that since I don't have my family's recognizable hair that I should be able to get rides from coaches without anyone noticing who I am.

   We both jumped at the sound of the Duke's voice from down the hall. "Tarra! Tarra, I hope you didn't find yourself in the cellar again." He chuckled. I cringed at the sound of his voice.

   I grabbed her hand in fear and she placed her other hand on top of mine in an attempt to comfort me. She winked, "I come down here a lot." She stood and looked me in the eyes one more time, "Remember. You must leave now. Do not wait or you'll miss your opportunity." 

   When the Duchess left I wanted to lay down on the dirty floor and cry more, but I didn't have time for that. I was pumped up on adrenaline and I had to use that to make sure I got out of here without thinking twice about it. I put on the maids cloak and paced around the wine cellar. There was a small window in the back. The Duchess said that I should be able to stand on a barrel and leave through there. Their stables were not too far from where I was and I prayed that my self-taught horse riding lessons would come in handy. 

   "But what about Louis?" I thought about my brother and how he would miss me. He wouldn't even know I was gone until he came home. I wrung my braid in frustration. No! I can't worry about Louis right now. He would understand. He ran away from home too. He had to understand. 

   I kept pacing back and forth in the wine cellular. Every time I'd gain confidence I'd stalk right up to the window, but I'd lose it and walk back. I did this three times before I froze in my footstep. I sniffed the air. Was that….smoke?