Post by Tierney Harper on Oct 18, 2010 19:45:58 GMT -5
"Lucian..."
"You wanted to talk, Tierney? Well, I'm back. Let's talk."
Tierney furrowed her brow and looked the demon up and down, taking in his demeanor. He seemed to be calm, but Tierney couldn't hold off a feeling of dread that crawled up her spine and washed over her slowly. Nerves, it was just nerves she told herself. That thought didn't help any.
She stepped back and swung the door open wider, inviting the demon in - her fiance. He strode in casually, his long strides taking him to the center of her room quickly. She closed the door and then moved toward him and past him. Tierney motioned to the settee, "Please, have a seat." She perched herself on one end of the sofa while Lucian positioned himself on the other end, slightly turned toward her so they could see each other.
"What did you want to talk about? I hear you've been quite the nuisance trying to get a moment to see me. It must be important."
The dark haired girl took a long, steady breath and closed her eyes briefly. She wasn't going to beat around the bush. It was a difficult discussion, but she wouldn't drag it out or try to mask the situation. She knew what she wanted - she wanted to be single and make her own choices about her life both romantically and otherwise. Her eyes flicked open again and she turned to face Lucian better. "It's very important. I... wanted to tell you that I'm calling off our engagement."
Lucian was silent a moment, taking her expression in, her body language. She was serious and she was firm. She had spirit to announce so strongly and firmly that she was ending her engagement to a demon prince. The male smiled... no, it was more of a smirk, "Tell me whatever you like, but it's not possible."
"It is," Tierney protested, confusion overcoming her resolve. "I will not marry you. I will tell my parents and if you will not tell your I'll tell them myself! Neither of us will be happy with this arrangement and I believe there are better ways to stop this war than a miserable, unwanted marriage."
"It's not unwanted. I want it very much."
"Not because you love me."
"No, definitely not because of that. Still, the marriage will take place. I'm sorry if I mislead you into thinking you had a choice, Tierney. You don't. You will marry me and that is that." Lucian stood, as if to end the conversation.
Tierney stood too and as he turned she grasped his arm and yanked him back around, "I said I will not and I most certainly have a choice! It's my life, it's my right!"
A heavy hand connected with Tierney's cheek and sent her stumbling back. "You have no rights, princess, and once we are married your life will belong to me. Whatever happened to your blind desire to save your people? Are human hearts so finicky? So selfish? Ah... no. I know what happened. A certain little boy fed you his charming little lies and stole your heart away."
"No one has stolen my heart. I still want to save my people, but I'd rather do it without contracting myself to a life of misery and loneliness. Don't pretend you would be a caring husband, Lucian. Clearly," she gestured to her cheek, "we both know otherwise."
"If you had simply complied and married me without fuss I could have been a very caring husband or at least pretended to be. No, you had to go and fight me on this. Landon's flitting attention gave you too much spirit. Do you really think he loves you?"
"No. I know he doesn't."
"Then why try so hard to return to him single?"
"I'm not trying to do that." Tierney blushed and cleared her throat. "This and that are two completely separate things. Besides, he's still with Victoria and he'll stay with her. Even if he doesn't he has no intentions of being with me."
"Not seriously at least. If anything he intends to use you for... entertainment until something better comes along, much like he did when you had your little fling with him behind my back." Lucian's smirk grew colder as he spoke and he stepped closer to Tierney who did her best not to shy away. "You clearly understand your place with him, but I know how much you care about him. Your letters you exchange, the way you look at him so... softly. So endearingly. Such a pity that you love him and he doesn't feel the same."
Tierney's jaw tightened and her lips pursed as she fought to spat obscenities at Lucian. What he was saying might be true, but he didn't need to rub it in or act so condescending. "Regardless of anything with Landon, how I feel for him or don't - I will not marry you."
"Let me put it this way, Miss Harper... either you marry me or your friend Landon... well, let's just say he may not live to see graduation, shall we?"
"You wouldn't dare hurt him!" Panic seized Tierney's chest. She scanned Lucian's face for some sign of a bluff, but he just gave her that lazy, frigid smirk. "You wouldn't..."
"I'm a demon, Tierney. I would dare to do whatever I felt like. Besides, I've done worse. Killing one man is nothing. I've killed many before to get what I want. If you don't marry me Landon will be the first to die, but be assured other will follow. Your people, your family. Just save us both a lot of trouble and marry me."
"I won't!"
Lucian's smirk faded to be replaced with a look of exasperation. He reached out and grabbed Tierney by the hair. "Look, you really don't get it. I phrase things as requests, but they're not. You will marry or I will kill your precise Landon and everyone dear to you. You will stop fussing about it or I will make sure to make your life miserable once we're married. You do know once that happens I'll essentially own your soul and be able to do with what I please right? Our marriage could be a short fifty, sixty years... or you could piss me off and I could just keep bringing you back, extending your life, and torturing you for... or, let's just say - eternity?"
Tierney struggled against Lucian's hold, even as he threatened her with everlasting torment and the death of everyone she loved. Regardless of her fear of those situations, she'd be damned if she let him degrade her by treating her as he was. "I'm not an animal, let me go!"
Lucian chuckled darkly, "First, let me bring you somewhere." With that he proceeded to drag her out of her room. She fought and cried out, but no help came and she couldn't break free. Before she knew it she was out of her family's home and being tugged by her hair toward the demon territory. Lucian took her to his home, to his dungeons. She could have guessed! "Ah, here we are."
"Let go of me! Lucian! Ah-oof!" She fell onto the cold stone and looked up at the sneering demon before her. It took her a moment to realize the door was closing. She scrambled to grab it and pulled, fighting to keep it open, but the demon's strength far outdid her own and it slammed shut, the lock clicking in place. "What are you doing?"
"What does it look it? I'm making sure you don't run off and don't do anything stupid until we get married. Which, by the way, I'll petition to push that date up. How does three days sound? Good? Great. I'll see you again soon, fiancee. Do try to relax. Oh, and if you're wondering? Magic proof."
"Lucian! Enough, let me out!" Tierney was truly in a state now. Her heart was beating frantically. He wouldn't really keep her locked down here for three days or more, would he? Surly her parents would notice her absence?
Lucian reached through the bars and stroked Tierney's cheek. While it was meant to look gentle, there was something wholly cruel and abusive about it. "I didn't want to have to do this Tierney, but really... you give me no choice. You fuss too much! Just agree to marry me. If you do I'll let you out and Landon will be allowed to live as long as his pathetic human life lets him."
"Would you really kill him?" Tierney felt her anxiety grow. Lucian wasn't bluffing. Something in the way he cupped her chin, some glint in his eye... he looked like a completely different man. He looked the part of a killer more so than he ever had.
"You love him. He means... everything to you. I can see it and more so... I can feel it when you're with him. Deny it all you want, but you know as well as I do what he means to you. Knowing that... yes, I would kill him to rid myself of... competition shall we say? He is what stands between me and what I want. He stole your attention and your heart and that has caused me unnecessary grief. Honestly, I can't promise I won't kill him anyway, just for being a nuisance, but I can promise you if you don't agree to marry me I will most definitely kill him and better yet, I'll make you watch."
"You are a sadistic bastard."
"Yeah, but I'm happy." Lucian squeezed Tierney's jaw just enough to cause her to hiss in pain, then released his hold on her face. "So what will it be, dear?"
Tierney bit the inside of her lip and held Lucian's cruel gaze. The dread she felt earlier was back and making her stomach churn violently. He would kill Landon? She wanted to doubt it, but... she knew. She knew he would. How did she get herself into this mess? This should have gone smoothly! She swallowed a growing lump in her throat, "I... will marry you. Just... please don't hurt Landon and please don't keep me here."
Lucian smiled, but it was bitter and empty. "There's a good girl. You sweet Landon is safe for now. I will come to collect you in the morning, but I think a night in the dungeons will do you some good. It will let you know I'm not playing. I mean it when I say I will make your life hell if you fight me again." With that he walked away. Tierney called after him, protesting violently against staying in the drafty dungeons, but he ignored her and slammed the heavy door shut that separated his castle from the cells.
She moved from the door and slumped against the wall to the floor, curling up in a ball and crying. She didn't care if it was weak or pathetic. She was crying. She lost her freedom, she wasn't going back to Landon single, he probably wouldn't care anyway... Nothing was turning out how she wanted it to. Her life was a mess and she felt she'd be better off dead at this rate. So yeah. She was crying. She cried right through the night and until the break of day. No sleep, no pauses. Just when she found she couldn't cry any more, the dungeon door reopened and she was dragged from the cell and brought to freshen up.
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"Oh, Tierney... you look lovely!" Tierney's mother smiled and brushed a strand of loose hair behind her daughter's ear. "You make the most beautiful bride, dear."
"Thank you, mother." Tierney managed a weak, strained smile in return, but it was shallow. It didn't reach anywhere but her lips. Some might even argue if it reached them. Some might consider her 'smile' a grimace more than anything.
She was bound up in her ruffled shift of a wedding dress, her hair half up, half down. Her makeup was caked on too thick and her shoes were a size too small. The women complained her feet were too big and if she wore smaller shoes her feet would shrink. Honestly? What idiot believed that? A bouquet was handed to her, filled with white roses. She hated roses.
"Mother, could I have a moment alone? I'd just like a chance to clear my head. It's hard to do with all these people buzzing about." She motioned to the women gossiping and fussing around her. Her mother nodded and stood, shooing everyone out and leaving herself. Once the room was empty Tierney sat at her vanity, staring into the mirror at the stranger before her.
She hardly recognized herself, but it was fitting wasn't it? If she didn't look like herself she could simply pretend it was someone else marrying Lucian and not her. If only... She opened a draw on the side of her vanity and pulled out a stack of letters, flipping through them and scanning the well worn pages. While Landon's letters had once depressed her, she found they comforted her greatly now. Knowing she couldn't have Landon regardless of whether he broke up with Victoria or not... somehow it made the fact he'd most likely still be with her a lot more bearable.
Her fingertip traced over the fluid line of his sentiment, "Love Landon." If only that mattered one bit. She knew she should want to cry, but the tears never came. She was numb now. Resigned. Tierney tucked the letters back in their drawer and stood, taking up her bouquet and heading for the door. Outside she could hear chatter in the hall. Bracing herself, she opened the door and slipped outside. A woman whisked her away almost immediately and shoved her out onto a black carpet as music began to play. She gracefully made her way down the aisle and took her place beside her future husband.
The rest of the ceremony was a bit of a blur. Vows were exchanged - hers fed to her telepathically by one of Lucian's servants. Their hands were fastened with black rope. A ring was placed on her finger - one bigger and more ostentatious than the engagement ring which she hadn't thought possible. Finally, Lucian's lips pressed against hers in a firm, unpleasant kiss that left her feeling the need to vomit.
A reception followed which she was forced to endure. When it came to an end she realized she'd never felt so grateful in her life. She retired with Lucian to his rooms in his family's castle where she'd now live when she wasn't in school. Lucian thankfully didn't stay. He swept into the room to retrieve something and then promptly left again, but not before handing her a note. He didn't even say goodbye, not that Tierney had any mind to care.
She merely scanned the note - a list of her duties and things she was and was not allowed to do. Top of the list? She was not allowed to write Landon and when she returned she told she had control over his happiness and health. The way she acted toward him would determine the actions Lucian took against him if any. She crumpled the paper up and threw it in the fire with an anguished huff before curling up on the sofa and drifting into a nightmare-ridden sleep.
Her life... was over.
{So... that was not NEARLY as good as I was hoping for, but I REALLY wanted to get it out and I had time and all. I'm sick, so I should have waited, that was a lot of the issue, but... but... arg! I just couldn't! So anyway. Yeah. -nods-}
