I take a deep breath and step back from the curtain. My mind is racing with a thousand thoughts, each one more desperate than the last. I have to get out of here before the wedding tomorrow.
But where would I go? I have no allies in this kingdom, no friends I can trust. My own family sent me here as a peace offering – they would never take me back if I fled.
The moonlight streams through the tall windows as I make my way down the corridor, my silk slippers barely making a sound on the marble floor. Every shadow seems to watch me, every suit of armor a potential guard waiting to sound the alarm.
I reach the library – the one place in this castle where I've found solace these past weeks. The books don't judge, don't scheme, don't see me as merely a vessel for producing heirs.
As I push open the heavy oak door, I freeze. Someone is already inside. A figure stands by the window, bathed in moonlight, and when they turn to face me, I see eyes that burn like amber in the darkness.
"Running away, little princess?" The voice is deep, rich, and carries an accent I can't quite place. "I wouldn't recommend the east gate. They doubled the guards there at sunset."
"You'll just have to get Ariel pregnant immediately. That way she'll be chained to you forever." my fiancé's father's voice is cold, calculating.
"She knows her place." my fiancé replies. "She'll fall in line and become a proper wife in short time."