Chapter Five: Unfair Decision

"You are joking!" I spat at Rhuesia, though despite my tone, she simply gazed at me with eyebrow raised.

"I am as serious as the grave Corisande. It will be a glorious union." She stated, as though this was a fact rather than an opinion.

"You do not know that." I hissed back. "And why was I not consulted about my own marriage? Surely that is something the bride of all people needs to be aware of!" I flashed my fangs as the anger poured over me like water. Who in Nicneven's name did Rhuesia think she was? I ignored the little rational voice in my head that pointed out the Clan Leader and Elder Vampiress.

"You were away. A decision needed to be made and negotiations were swift." She said again in the tone of voice I hated. Again as if it was fact. A sealed bargain that no one could dispute. The one she used when her word was law.

"There was no contact about this before I left." I pointed out. "Meaning the message came in and was subsequently decided without my presence. You see nothing wrong with this?”

"No. Your presence hardly mattered. It would have been agreed either way.”

"I would not have agreed." The snarl left my lips.

"The decision was not yours to make." Rhuesia said firmly." It was that of the Clan.”

"I am a part of the Clan, or did you conveniently forget that part?" The furious underlying grumble still accompanied my words.

"No. I did not. But as a Clan member, I'm sure you would have agreed at the benefits and elevation of position this provides us. Your marriage will secure better prospects for us all.”

"So the fact I will be wed to a vampire, who by your own admission, is known to be brutal and cruel in his dealings, is fine as long as the Clan gets a bit of coin?" The incredulity in my voice must have echoed all across the Lipchen woods.

"There are other benefits than coin," Rhueisa attempted to reassure me, though my fingers twitched with the urge to strange her. "And you are not helpless nor are you weak. It seems the Emperor and Empress seek an equal match for the Prince. Someone who will now cower and simper beneath his feet. A Vampiress still proficient in magic and with an equally formidable bodyguard, is bound to put Prince Theron in his place, perhaps even garner his respect.”

    Nicneven forbid I garner anything like affection or even love from the man I've suddenly been betrothed to. Some of the fundamental stepping stones of a husband and wife partnership. "Is respect really the best I can hope for from someone who will be my husband for all eternity?" I crossed my arms over my chest, maintaining my glare.

"Only time would be able to tell you that." Rhuesia appeared solemn, as though just realising the weight of the decision she'd made about someone's life other than her own.

My responding silence spoke as loudly as a wolf's midnight howl.

"There is one matter that needs to be attended to. The Royal Clan provided a Betrothal Contract. It has already been signed by the Prince. It requires your signature and then you are to take it with you to the Palace.”

"You mean to say the Prince has already agreed to this lunacy?”

"I expect he has been raised with the knowledge he will wed for advantage. The signing of the contract was simply a formality for him.”

   Well, wasn't that reassuring. A vampire who cares so little about his bride, he simply signed whatever paper was put in front of him. "What if I burned the contract? A bit of arcane fire and the agreement disappears in smoke.”

"It was anticipated. The paper has been warded against such magical and physical attacks." There were times I respected Rhuesia's ability to foresee every outcome and possibility. This was not one of those times.

"I do not have a choice, do I?" The forlorn murmur left me as the true impact of everything hit me like a berserking gremlin. It seemed the decision about my future was already made, done and dusted. All they needed from me was a scribble to make it official. A scribble they'd gone to great lengths to ensure was obtained.

"No. it will be easier if you just sign. Take your rage and anger out at the Palace or your groom if you must, but the Royal Clan will not forfeit you. Not now they are so close to obtaining you.” Rhuesia said, with daresay, something akin to sympathy flickering behind those hard eyes before it was extinguished, as if someone had just doused the flame of a candle. 

    Heaviness settled in my heart. Either the Clan would force me to sign if I still refused (no doubt Yira would take great pleasure in forcing me to etch my name on the paper) or I could flee, condemning myself to an eternity on the run, potentially being found by the Royal Clan and dragged to the Palace, probably being thrown in the dungeons until the wedding to ensure I didn't escape again. A deep sign dragged through my fangs. Neither option sounded very appealing and what of Lixiss? She was a loyal friend; I couldn't also condemn her to a life on the run as well. Defeated, I gritted out "Very well. I'll sign the contract.”

Rhueisa nodded. "I thought so. I took the liberty of bringing it with me, in anticipation of this meeting." She reached a delicate hand inside of her robe, producing a scroll of parchment. It was glaringly ornate for such a mundane item, wrapped around a golden baton with a wax sealant waiting to be melted the moment the ink from my signature dried. Rhuesia unfurled it, the bold black letters glaringly majestically from the paper. "Well look at that, unfortunately I don't have a pen. Shame." I shrugged. Now all I needed was for Rhuesia to leave and maybe I could still get out of this by throwing the damned contract off the observatory balcony. "Here." Rhuesia pinned me with a level stare, holding out a quill already dripping with fresh ink for me to take. My fingers snatched it from her grasp.

   I scanned the document over. It stated the usual things, this was an agreement made between the two parties, they were to wed and provide a beneficial union to both Clans', etcetera, etcetera. The quill hovered over the space where my name had been printed, my hand poised to sign my life away. My eyes darted over to the bottom left of the page out of curiosity, the Prince's signature already perfectly in place. My blood ran cold at the sight and the quill slipped from my grasp, falling gently onto the paper. I had seen that signature before, centuries ago.

   It was the one I had seen in the fire. The vision that had foretold my murder.