Sold to an Arrangement (Rania Lark x Wander)

She hadn’t even seen it coming. The devastating news came after a Jubilee ball celebrating her father’s years ruling as a just King and her mother being a kind and gentle Queen. She had been the jewel in her Father’s eye; that is, except for her propensity for education. Princess Susanna since she was small had always been fascinated by the world around her, her nose constantly buried in books that explored vast untamed lands outside the castle walls. They were places she would never see due to the protection of her constant guard and ladies in waiting. Her father had reluctantly agreed to allow her a tutor who taught her all about the history of her own land, as well as fantastical tales of adventurers and damsels and wars between regions, and knights! Susanna spent many nights up late with the tutor as he regaled her with tales of dragons, and witches and all sort of mythical creatures!

The stories grew with the Princess as she entered her teenage years. The tales of fantastical beasts turned to romances between knights and ladies! Of happy endings in which true love was found! These were stories that Susanna dreamed of at night; finding her true love and living happily ever after. While she dreamed, her childish looks grew into those of a beautiful young woman. Her soft brunette curls fell from around her ears to move down her back as they were constantly styled in the most beautiful fashion of the day. Her cerulean blue eyes were mesmerizing to all that gazed upon her. Her alabaster skin bore no scars nor imperfection as her ladies in waiting ensured that she was perfect in every way. Her clothes were always made with the finest of fabrics; velvets, furs, linens, anything she could have desired that complemented the beauty she had been born with.

However, unbeknownst to her, her parents had also noticed their daughter’s daydreams. They saw her wishful stares and heard her conversations of love and romance and adventure and it became too much. The King and Queen decided that their daughter was treading into dangerous territory. Her thoughts of adventure could very well end in injury or even death should she decide to act on them.

So this was where that caution had led them. The King negotiated a marriage between Princess Susanna and the Prince of a neighbouring kingdom. It was not only a marriage of convenience as the neighbouring kingdom had a reputation of being very strict with their royal women, it was also one of strategy. The marriage would cleave the two Kingdoms together in an eternal alliance. Each would be behest to defend the other from any raids or attacks which would strengthen both in the end.

The Princess however did not see the King’s explanation to be one of reason and she locked herself in her room for days out of protest, refusing to leave the kingdom. However, her protest did not stop the sun from rising and setting as days passed and the day arrived where she was to be sent to meet her husband for the first time; on their wedding day.

It had taken two guards and her lady-in-waiting to ‘escort’ the Princess to her waiting carriage. She had been dressed in a white dress, trimmed with the fur of the rare white fox. She wore a banded tiara encrusted with diamonds and a large sapphire that complemented her eyes. Around her neck, she wore a necklace of sapphires to match her tiara. Her brown hair had been half pulled up and threaded about the circlet around her head, creating a lovely cascade of loose curls and waves over her shoulders. However, despite all this finery, Susanna fought like a cornered rat, scrambling to get away as the guard’s held fast to her arms. They had to force her into the gilded prison on wheels and locked the door behind her, beckoning the driver to move swiftly as Susanna struggled to escape her impending fate. She didn’t want this! She couldn’t have been meant for this! It was then her gaze darkened as her panicked struggles turned inward, turned to a glowering stare as she contemplated escape. She began to go through every possibility in search of a way to get away from this arrangement, from this unwanted marriage...

What Prince Leopold and the rest of the congregation didn’t know was that Susanna was having the exact same feelings of anger and defiance at the ceremony taking place to end her entire life. Once she had arrived at the castle, she was swiftly carted off to a large dressing room where her clothes were stripped from her and replaced with a wedding dress that was twice as large and ten times more ornately decorated. The bodice was cut straight across the top of her corseted breasts, the straps cutting across the tops of her arms, directly beneath her shoulders. The white satin was beaded over every inch of the bodice with both white and diamond beads that shimmered in the light. The skirt of the dress was layered over and over to expand the circumference out as far as was appropriate for the occasion. Her hair was restyled and piled atop her head in a mash of curls and secured with a tall, diamond encrusted tiara. Behind the tiara, a white veil was attached, the front of it pulled down over her face. Once the bride was prepared, the ladies in waiting along with two guards escorted her from the dressing room and down to the basilica for her impending nuptials.

The ceremony dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. The priest speaking of bringing them together and tangling them into one bond, or something of the sort. Susanna’s face was not as stoic as the Prince’s as his façade cracked only slightly over the course of the sermon. Behind the clouded veil, Susanna’s face was a grimace of disgust and anger. If she could have stomped her feet and walked out she would have; but the armed soldiers at the door would not have let her get very far, let alone the challenges of the cumbersome wedding dress. No, she would have to deal with the ceremony and perhaps weasel her way out of this arrangement later.

Unbeknownst to her, Susanna’s thoughts of the prince mirrored his. She would never touch him intimately, never bear him children and would only remain in the same room if they were being watched. There was no affection from her side either as the priest rattled off the wedding vows starting with the Prince. As he said the two words that would ‘entwine’ them together, the priest then turned to her.

“And do you, Princess Susanna of the Kingdom of Ventraille, take Prince Leopold to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

Susanna gritted her teeth as she let out a sharp exhale of breath as she spoke. “I do.”

Ugh, the words slipped out of her mouth like molasses. Slow and sticky as she sealed her fate to the Prince, forging an alliance between the two kingdoms while tearing apart two families.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

The words were like sour grapes over Susanna’s tongue as she grimaced at the thought of kissing a man she had just met and had never had any semblance of intelligent conversation with. She was a pawn, a piece of property to be bought and sold and this day, she was sold in order to further her own father’s goals! Her hands tightened around the bouquet of small white flowers in her hands as the Prince reached for the veil, lifting it up over her head and back over the tiara to expose her face to her new husband. Susanna met his stone gaze with one of her own, expressing her distaste for the union in her steely blue eyes. But then the Prince took hold of her and before she could protest, pressed his lips hard onto hers. Susanna’s eyes widened in surprise and shock as his hands snaked around her waist to pull her closer to him. Her back arched away from him as a quiet groan of protest vibrated through her throat. But she couldn’t move as he continued his assault over her, holding her firmly in place as his tongue snaked out from his mouth to run over her supple lips before pushing them aside to plunder her mouth.

Then just as sudden as he had grabbed her, his hands released her sending her bending forward slightly as she caught her balance. Wiping her own lips from the sudden onslaught, her eyes firing daggers towards him while her lips remained pursed and silent, fighting the urge to give the Prince a piece of her mind. That would wait until they were safely in private, away from prying eyes and ears that would seek to destroy both of their lives even further.

Right after the ceremony and the ‘happy’ couple made their exit from the Basilica, Princess Susanna was whisked out of the presence of her new husband to prepare her for their consummation. Her previous life was officially over and gone as now she was to serve her new husband in the aspect of bearing him a strong heir as well as a second son to ascend should the first not survive his father. She was to be a brood mare for the throne and her wishes for freedom were lost to her forever. Like a caged bird, her wings were to be clipped and her life would confine her to the castle.

Her ladies-in-waiting shuffled her off to a second dressing chamber, this one much larger as the future queen would wont to have. It was opulent, filled with gowns and jewels fit for one of her new title; but nothing in the room appealed to the Princess. She had no desire for any of the riches, nor the fine fabrics of the clothes if it had meant her freedom would be the payment. But she was not to protest anymore. She was married to the Crown Prince and her title would prevent her from any disobedience, lest she be cast out.

The ladies went to work removing the layers of fabric wrapped and tied about their Princess’ body. The large skirts were removed, the corset, the bodice, and her shoes. Her hair was released from it’s tie of curls as the tiara and veil were untangled from her tresses. She was dressed in the finest linen dressing gown with fur lined slippers placed over her feet. Her hair was left to hang down over her shoulders, framing her beauty with a brunette wave of hair. After a last glance to ensure her beauty was not hidden by any means, the maids escorted her out of the dressing room once again, this time to the marriage chamber.

She was escorted quickly, her steps silent as the maids shuffled silently as well. Once inside the room, they sat her upon the large feather bed with a solid wood canopy in the center of the room. With another flourish and check of their Princess’ beauty and readiness for her first night as a married woman, the maids departed and left Susanna to her fate.

The Princess didn’t have to wait long before the large, heavy door was pushed open and her new husband entered, his expression the same as her own as he stalked across the room, stopping before her seated form before he spoke. His words did not cut her as he seemed to be offering, but echoed her own sentiments of the entire situation. She wanted him no more than he desired her. Both of them were forced into this union without consent nor love and neither seemed to want to please their parents.

But Susanna was not one to speak without thinking and she listened politely to his statements, his lamentations of their relationship, or lack thereof, and what he commanded her to do in order to placate any curiosities of anyone within the kingdom. When he offered his hand, Susanna remained silent for a moment before she spoke, her words calculated and full of an intelligence rarely found from such a high born woman.

“You lament your lack of choice within this marriage yet you fail to realize that you are not the only one within this room,” Susanna replied, standing up from the bed, her linen shift falling around her ankles, “I would implore you to consider the individual’s circumstances standing before you. You claim that you had to endure circumstances no other should have to endure, yet you have no knowledge of the forcible removal and travel here from my own Kingdom at the order of my own father. My travels to a foreign land to marry a stranger who very well could treat me as your Kingdom’s reputation preceded.”

“I did not come here with some romantic story in my mind of a romance for the ages,” Susanna continued, “In fact, I would have much rather married a shepherd working out in an isolated field. At least then there could be love. Though you have repeatedly asserted that you will never love me and that we both must feign our ‘escapades’ in the bedroom, I would implore you to reconsider your assertion of never even getting to know me. I propose a counter offer, Highness. I will do as you request and feign a relationship for any curious eyes but I will do so without payment of riches. What I propose is that you at least attempt a friendship with me. I have no friends and no family within this land and though I will pursue my own interests, being the Princess will restrict any friendships with anyone other than those I will be deceiving.” With her final words, she held out her own hand, fingers held together for him to shake her hand.

Susanna was not willing to deceive everyone around her and wallow in the impending loneliness of not having someone she could be completely open with and it seemed like the one person that could fulfill that role was standing before her, the man to whom she was now married, who, by his own words, wanted nothing to do with her. But she would be unable to confide in anyone else and she was now trapped within this life and he was the only respite from the lies that would slowly surround them.

Susanna watched as the Prince stared at her hand before explaining his aversion to her offer of a friendship. How he had been taken advantage of and how those who did it were leeches, parasites with nothing more than power and wealth in their minds. Both of those were unimportant to Susanna for she had them already.

Then the Prince went on to explain what his definition of friendship was. Susanna remained silent as he recited the promises required to attain what he considered ‘friendship’ with a slight smile on her face. His ‘oath’ sounded very much like the wedding vows she had read in many of her books and heard from her tutors of those who wed for love with a promise to be the rock for the other for the rest of their lives. Despite her amusement at his recitations, Susanna remained silent, deeming it better to keep her opinions to herself concerning the similarities lest the Prince find her words insulting and plunging her into the loneliness she feared.

The Princess remained still as he released her hand before gathering up some comforts for his night on the opulent, plush sofa, explaining his deal to her and if she agreed, she would meet him where he practiced the next morning as the sun crested above the horizon.

“Goodnight, Leopold,” she replied, curtseying slightly as she climbed into the marriage bed, alone. That night she did not sleep as she had already made her decision for the next morning.

Before the sun rose over the hills outside the castle, Susanna sprung from her bed and padded through the corridors back to her dressing room. Inside was one maid and she looked up surprised that the Princess was awake so early the day after her wedding. Susanna did not explain, instead explaining that she wished to go riding that day and would need appropriate clothing. The maid quickly set to work, selecting a white ensemble of tight trousers along with a white bodice with lacing up the front over a linen shirt. All of this would be covered by a long white coat that would drape over the rear of the horse, enabling her to maintain her femininity while riding straddled over the back. Once her hair was pulled up into a loose bun of curls away from her face, Susanna was ready. However, she was not to go alone.

Despite Susanna’s protestations, the maid insisted that she accompany her Mistress on the ride, lest she lose her position and potentially her life should anything happen to the Princess. Susanna was forced to reluctantly agree and the maid was sworn to silence before they even left the dressing room. The maid eagerly agreed, glad that her position was safe.

Susanna chose a snow white mare that seemed to have a gentle spirit, her weapon merely a bow and arrow for defense from afar should they be set upon. The maid stared in shock at the idea of an armed women in Xanaphabia but wisely kept silent about the entire ordeal. She was provided a grey mare, smaller than her Mistress’ and they began their ride into the forest.

Susanna rode silently, all the while thinking of how her and the Prince would be both the relief and reprieve from such an oppressive life. They would both be honest with one another and relieve the stress by speaking openly while in private, venting frustrations and dealing with problems they both would face. He would be the only beacon of hope that would light up the night of her new life of servitude beneath him. That was why she rode to him.

Emerging into the clearing just as an arrow screamed through the air at a target, Susanna and her maid dismounted from their steeds. The maid remained an arm’s length away and silent as a small smile spread across Susanna’s face that he was indeed here and that his words last night were not some sort of test of her new life. She exhaled slowly, her blue eyes sparkling against the blue waters of the falls as the sound of running water filled the clearing.

The movement happened all too fast that Princess Susanna did not have time to react as the two arrows came screaming at her, barely missing her as they embedded themselves into the wooden targets fastened to two trees flanking her where she stood. Her horse whinnied slightly with surprise as Susanna turned to see the sharp tips of the projectiles, embedded deeply in their wooden housings. It was a cruel joke the Prince played on her and Susanna was not one to take such things lying down. Turning back around, her gaze narrowed and her arms moved to fold across her chest.

“Is that any way to treat one who has agreed to such a contract of friendship?” she asked shifting her weight from one foot to another, “I did not agree to such treatment.” Her voice was angry yet soft, as if she wasn’t actually serious about her annoyance at such cruel treatment, as the Prince’s face broke into a joyous grin.

The maid herself actually let out a quiet yelp of surprise and worry that her Mistress was going to be hurt or killed by such foolery. However, she immediately realized her misstep and covered her mouth just as the Prince took notice of her upon her own mare. The maid turned to Susanna as if she was waiting for the Princess to allow her to stay to ensure that nothing awful befell the two despite the Prince’s order to leave them. Susanna waved her hand indicating that she was indeed safe with her new husband and the maid obeyed the orders, turning her horse to walk a few meters back along the trail; still well within ear shot of the two should anything arise.

“A what?” Susanna exclaimed as Leopold pulled two swords from the pack on the ground, handing one of the blades to her. Susanna had never fought with any type of weapon in her life. She only took the bow and arrows to appear feircesome while not knowing how to wield the weapon. A sword she knew even less about. Taking the sword cautiously, Susanna held it in her hand as the Prince explained about how he wanted to know if she was as beautiful fighting as she was in appearance.

“Your Highness,” Susanna explained, “I have never used such a weapon in my life. My expertise lies in scholarly studies, not swordplay. I have never even held a blade.” It was true as even her stance was one of confusion and of a severe lack of knowledge within the art of battle. Her weapons were her books, not blades.

“However,” Susanna quickly regained her footing within the challenge and the conversation, “I am open to learn if I had such a teacher who would be willing to instruct?” The Princess pressed the tip of the sword into the ground as she playfully looked around her before returning her gaze back to Leopold.

“Do you know of any instructors who possess such a knowledge?”