Chapter 4 : Unhappily So

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Zofia's head was heavy after the meet. She wanted to lay down and just gather her thoughts. Everything was happening so soon, and she felt utterly lost. Her life was not meant to head into the direction it was currently headed in, she was sure of it. She shifted uncomfortably as the room cleared out and she was left alone with Draegon staring down at her. He moved over and offered his hand to her. She hesitated. He had never done this before. She had resigned herself to getting used to being grabbed, manhandled, pinned in place. She took it slowly and carefully. Zofia stared up into his eyes and made sure that he was wanting her hand before she delicately slipped it into his. He pulled her up to her feet without warning. Zofia gasped, sure that the pain would soon follow. He simply stood with her hand trapped in his. He was being careful with her for a change. 

"You look nice." He said stiffly. She bowed in thanks. "I assume you do not mind that I put you in your bed last night." Draegon told her. She hadn't known. She hadn't realized. Her face turned red, out of anger and embarrassment. How could he do that? There were women in the castle who could easily have done the job.  

"Thank you." She said reluctantly. He was staring down at her like she was going to be stolen from him. Zofia did not understand it at all. He reached around her head and tangled his fingers into her hair. She pushed against him as he pulled her closer. She stood with her temple pressed to his jaw. She had put her hands on his chest, still pushing against him. He was inhaling her scent again, deeply so. 

"I bathed." She told him, needing him to know that before he accused her of smelling again. He nodded at her.

"I can still smell you." He told her. Zofia looked at him with an alarmed expression. What on earth did he smell, from her? She wanted to push against him. Panic rushed into her chest, but she suppressed it by convincing herself that she had in fact washed everywhere. 

"I don't know what you smell." She tried innocently, giving him a frown. 

"Hmm." He hummed thoughtfully, as if he was glad for the opportunity to tell her exactly what he was inhaling off her skin. "Your purity." He said, as if that was it. Zofia reddened. He could smell that she was a virgin? How dare he smell her virtue? "That, and vanilla, maybe a hint of mint?" He questioned her. She nodded, unsure of what else to do.

"Now that it's been settled." She said, pushing against him. He didn't let her move. She tried again, giving him a hard look. He was clearly not done. Zofia swallowed, wondering what he might do. There were many things running through her mind, like him possibly raping her. It was not as if he cared much for her, after all. How could she even chalk that up to 'possibly.' He clearly only wanted her to bring forth an heir.

"Berries... honey... purity..." he softened a little. Zofia didn't know what to do. She relaxed a little more as well and stared at his chest instead of at his unreadable face. 

"You, your highness, smell like oak and... ash." She told him, as if they were playing a game where they told one another what they smelled like. She had no idea what virginity smelled like, though she was sure with the rumors of him sneaking women into the castle, he didn't have that smell that she had.

"Ash." He mimicked flatly. He drew his lips into a tight line as he let her go. "Ash." He repeated to himself softly before he turned and started off. Zofia's mouth opened, trying to interject, to stop him, but she couldn't form the words needed. Why would she want to stop him anyway? He was an asshole, a brute. 

"Ash!" Zofia complained to herself, aloud. She was all alone and felt like a tantrum would go unnoticed. "Yes, ash! Ask me what I mean, or if I like it before you get all... angry." she kicked at the doorstop. A guard looked at her, as if he was disapproving of her behavior. The guard put his hand on the doorknob just as Zofia was about to do it herself. She groaned in frustration, remembering that she wasn't even allowed to open a door now, as if that would lower her slave-born status even more. Regardless of how she became the queen, she was still born in a little shack that she called home.

"Thank you." She thanked the guard with a thick accent of sarcasm. Zofia stepped outside and the door closed behind her. She took a few steps and noticed that the clanking of armor was following closely behind her. She paused and it stopped. She turned to look over her shoulder, as if wanting to catch the guard in the act. She scoffed her black slipper on the cobblestone and huffed angrily. She had a damn security detail on her now? Being royalty seemed to suck so hard to her. She kept walking, the armor still clanking after her.

"I don't need you to follow me, stay here." She insisted, waving her hand behind her. The guard said nothing and kept walking, speeding up when Zofia did. She was traveling at a brisk walking pace by the time she reached the end of the estate, escaping through the gates that another guard held open for her and her tail.

"Is it true?" Nik asked in a hurry as he caught Zofia right outside the gates of the grey castle. She gasped at his suddenness, stepping back as the guard separated them, prying his hand off her arm. Zofia looked at him, her eyes casting to the ground. He only needed to see the guard to realize that it was in fact true.

"What did you hear?" She asked him, frowning up at him. His beautiful eyes were storms. She had to step around the guard, but the idiot separated them again. Nik's eyes conveyed something she had never seen in them before. It confused her and she wished she could just read his mind right then.

Nik shuffled and fiddled with his fingers before he shook his head. "Every noble in the city got an invitation, Zofia. Are you actually doing it?" He asked, frowning at Zofia. His lips tightened in anger. It wasn't the first time she had seen that look today. She hated it. She felt alone and helpless. 

"Doing what? I can't answer you if you don't tell me what you think I'm doing." Zofia shot back at him. She was so annoyed that the guard was on her heels, that she was marrying a cold hearted and cruel man that would likely never keep her bed warm, or her heart for that matter. She sounded annoyed, more than she intended to.

"Marrying him, Zofia." Nik snapped back. Zofia bit her lip and looked down at the tips of her slippers as they peeked out from under her dress. She straightened her back, deciding that she needed to act a little more royal than underclass.

"You think I blindly agreed to this, whatever this is? He's the king, Nik. I do not have a say." She answered, hoping he understood. Her voice had taken on a softer tone. He nodded solemnly. He stood there for a second, his foot scuffing over the cobblestone. He gave a sigh and offered her his arm instead of moping any longer. His eyes went to the guard, then back to Zofia. It was an open challenge. Zofia wove her arm through his, without hesitation, and let him lead the way.

"I suppose he chose you." Nik started after a few silent minutes. They were passing the burnt trees. It only dawned on Zofia then that Nik used to be scared to death of the castle. It occurred to her that he had crossed the burnt border just for her. 

"Probably just to breed with." Zofia responded. "I don't know about this. It makes me feel uneasy. He didn't even give me an explanation as to why he chose me, he just grabbed me and... bought me from my father. It feels perverse, and he keeps sniffing me." Zofia paused, then turned her head to look at the guard. She eyed him before she looked ahead of her again. She frowned, wondering if every word would be relayed to the king. She decided that no man can remember a conversation verbatim. 

"Then don't do it?" Nik asked, stopping. He took both of Zofia's hands and looked into her eyes to try and change her mind. "Don't marry him if it doesn't sit right with you." Zofia nervously glanced at the guard, then back at Nik. 

"I'm nineteen in a few days, Nik. Who else will take a mishap like me in? This is much better than I could have asked for and no one else was planning on taking my hand." She sighed, trying to not upset herself over it. Nik opened his mouth to say something, but the guard interjected, shuffling closer nervously, his armor rubbing against itself. Zofia sniffled. 

"Your highness, it's getting late." he warned her. Nik pulled her into a hug without warning, holding her there for a moment. Zofia wiggled, and the guard grew uneasy. 

"Run away with me?" Nik whispered to her ear. "Think about it." Zofia almost thought that she had imagined it. He let go of her and shot her a wink paired with a solemn smile before he turned and ran off. Zofia stood there with her mouth hanging open. She must have imagined it. Nik, of all people, asking her to run away with him. He was noble, about to be a doctor. He wouldn't give it all up, she was convinced of it. 


Zofia neared the door of the study, which was closed. It was the first time she had seen it closed. It was odd - even if it was only her second day there. Her guard let her wander the castle alone, since there was apparently no real danger within the walls. She put her hand to the door of the study. She was about to push it open when she heard a laugh. Laughs were not common in the castle either. 

Something seemed amiss. 

Zofia slowly pushed the door open and looked in.  Draegon was in his chair, and perched on his desk was Livina with her painfully beautiful eyes. Zofia pushed the door open some more, boldly standing in the doorway. Livina moved as if she had been caught, quickly dropping her grin into an uncontrollable smile. She shuffled over to where Zofia stood in the doorway and broke out into a smile again. Her hips swayed with confidence, and her eyes held a fire that made Zofia blink. 

"Your Highness, we were just talking about you." She said, those blue eyes mocking her. "Shall I prepare your bed for you?" Livina asked next. Zofia gave her a curt nod before she pushed past her and closed her out of the study. She wanted to have a word with the man who was apparently seeing the handmaiden behind her back. Draegon gave her a serious stare as she marched over to his desk.

"You are having me followed?" She asked him, demanding an answer as she put her hands on her sides.

"I'm having you guarded." He corrected.

"What for?" She asked quickly.

"You are going to be the queen, Zofia. I cannot have you killed before you even turn nineteen." He said as if it was obvious. She had not thought of it in that light. The queen was a target to anyone who hated the king. Radicals, opposition, anyone. She felt small and like there was a target on her back suddenly. He had used the word 'killed.' It frightened her more than anything. "Speaking of, I do not want you seeing that noble boy - Niklaus - anymore." He added, as if he had been waiting for his opportunity. Zofia stared at him, dumbfounded. How could he ban her from seeing her friend when he was openly fraternizing in the castle, with her handmaiden? She clenched her jaw and frowned at him.

"I do not understand." Zofia answered, shaking her head. Draegon put his quill down and sighed softly.

"I'm sure you will. He's not the only person you can confide in. You can talk to me if you feel that this is making you uneasy, or if you believe I am being too... perverse." He raised his brows. Zofia knotted her hands together. The guard had told him what she had said. She suddenly felt like the guilty one. How could she talk to him if he would already know everything by sending his spies after her?

What's more, he looked so apathetic about it, as if her problems actually bored him. How could she actually speak to him though? He seemed an emotionless rock. All in all, there was nothing she could do other than to agree. 

Zofia nodded. He had her. He would be her husband and she needed to at least attempt to be understanding and possibly soft towards this hard man. "Alright." She agreed. "I will stay inside the castle, as long as you stay out of the help's skirts." She raised her brow at him in return. It had occurred to her that she would rather have someone else be bedded by him, as long as it got her off the hook, but he would be her husband. Regardless of his status, she wouldn't survive such embarrassment. She could imagine it already, how people will talk of the king who got his servants knocked up and his poor queen who took her life to break free. Zofia knew it was a drastic thought, to fantasize about taking her own life. Actually, she thought it was a rational decision. Especially if circumstance was too much. Regardless of her status, if she suffered and had no other way out, she would make her own way out.

Draegon rose from his chair. "How dare you talk to me like that?"He boomed. Zofia flinched. It sounded like a bomb that had gone off. Her ears rang as heat started to prickle at her flesh. She squeezed her eyes shut just as Draegon balled his fists. She turned and ran for the door. She didn't bother to close the door behind her. Her only priority was to get away from him. The room crashed, books clearly flying off shelves. Zofia veered into her bedroom and shut her door. She dove in under the covers and stayed hidden till morning came.  

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