Of Fate and Choice

As the cart rumbled to a stop, Daphne felt that the hardest part of her decision was just about to begin. The barrier was lowered and the wooden steps fell out as they were instructed to disembark. She followed quietly after the other veiled ladies and kept her head bent as they assembled in a line. Only one stood apart from the line and it was one who was dressed similarly to her in the plain robes and veil.

"Prince Luca," she called, raising her veil and making Daphne bow her head more. "Need we keep these veils on? As comfortable as they are, I'm afraid that I prefer to have my sight clear."

The Were prince approached them with a smile. "My apologises, princess," he said. "Though your arrival is expected, perhaps it might be best to retain them while you are directed to your chamber? I would wager that your safety will increase once you have been presented to my father as his wrath is one that most would prefer not to rile."

"Understandable," she said. "Had my brother's bride been a Were, I'm sure just as much caution would have been taken. Indeed, we might have taken more. Nevertheless, are you to be my escort to my chamber?"

"Unfortunately I am not," replied the Were. "I am required elsewhere but I shall accompany you inside and then depart in a different direction."

There was a moment of discussion between the Were and the servants that had came to retrieve the belongings the princess had brought with her before Leora instructed the rest of the veiled ladies to follow after her. Daphne remained at the end of the formation as they climbed the steps to the private entrance of the castle, keen to remain as far from the princess as she could. It hadn't been easy to enter into her procession, but with all of the ladies being veiled in an attempt to conceal her identity lest there were any who sought to prevent the union, it had been easier than she could have hoped. Despite being from Acarelia, she was very aware of the ever simmering tensions between Thaelyhn and Wiralia.

They travelled down a long corridor before heading through an archway that opened into a cloister walkway. They reached the end of it and turned to follow the conjoining walkway while the Were prince broke off and stepped under the archway that led back inside. Daphne took a steady breath, glanced around briefly before breaking away from the procession and quickly following after him. Ailera might have taught her to be serene and calm, but her nerves increased as she drew nearer to him, and before she could retreat, she called out: "Prince Luca!"

He stopped and turned, his eyebrows creasing when he noticed her. "Is there something that the princess requires?" he asked.

"I must confide a grave deception," she admitted, in a way thankful for the veil that still concealed her. "I have nowhere else to turn but it cannot be concealed for much longer."

"I don't believe I can help you," replied the Were.

"Please, you must. I cannot tell you out in the open as I fear what repercussions might occur if what I am to tell you becomes widely known."

For a moment the Were looked as if he was about to send her away, clearly bewildered at her words, but the desperate tone of her voice seemed to have swayed him as he gave her a curt nod before leading her to the nearest door and opening it to reveal a small room that was filled with covered furniture and barely lit. She watched as he closed the door and gave a silent prayer of gratitude to Ailera.

"Do you know something from Thaelyhn?" he asked, remaining close to the door.

"I know little, but it is my identity that I have deceived many of," she said as she reached up and lifted her veil, sliding it off her head.

Shock adorned his face and the Were raised a hand to his forehead. "Oh have mercy," he exclaimed. "You cannot be who I think you are."

"But I am. I wed Thaelyhn's prince and now I implore Wiralia to provide me with sanctuary."

He paced the small room, his expression changing from outrage to shock every other second. "How you managed to remain undetected this entire journey is beyond me. Had you been discovered, you have been returned to Thaelyhn hastily."

"That is why I waited until now to reveal myself," she said softly.

Just as he looked to speak, he shook his head and ran a hand over his face. "I am not dealing with this," he finally said. "I must speak with my father. Will you remain in this room?"

"Of course."

He gave her one more look before he left the dim room. Relief flooded her and she pressed a hand to her stomach as she rested against the wall. The entire journey had been tense with the constant fear of discovery, and now she felt more at ease. Prince Luca might not have taken the news well, nor will his father, she presumed, but she hoped that there would be some understanding beneath the outrage. Did they think that this decision had been made lightly? It had taken all her belief in Ailera to give her the strength to disguise herself as one of Leora's travelling companions.

Daphne straightened up and moved over to the window, seeing that it looked out onto the courtyard and the other wings of the castle. Her previous assumption that each kingdom's royal family would reside in almost identical residents had been quashed once she had arrived in Thaelyhn. Whereas Acarelia had a large palace that was entirely sheltered, Thaelyhn had an ominous castle that had turrets and high towers and sections of it that had no roofing. Her own union had been in one of the sections that was exposed and the gown she had been required to wear had done little to shield her skin from the cold air.

Wiralia appeared to be a mixture of the two, where there were cloisters that led between separate sections of the castle, and beyond the section that faced the window were high towers that peaked above it. She was unsure whether there would be sections that had no roofing but she hoped that there wouldn't be. Though she hadn't seen much of the castle, the extravagant décor that filled the corridor and even the storage room that she was in appeared very similar to Thaelyhn's décor, almost as if they were attempting to compete with one another.

She had been gazing out into the courtyard for a long while before the door opened once more and she turned to see the Were return. "Put the veil back on," he said.

He ushered her out once she had complied and guided her down the long corridor, reaching what she presumed to be the audience chamber where Leora would be officially received. The doors were opened and her breath caught as she was led before the Were King. He took two steps towards her and gave her a quick inspection before looking towards Luca. "This is one of the Princess Leora's travelling companions," he stated.

Realising that her identity had not been revealed, she acknowledged that it would be best to leave her lips and so removed the veil once more. "I am not a travelling companion, Your Majesty," she said.

"Then a messenger?"

"I seek your protection and sanctuary."

The Were King raised his eyebrow. "I still do not know who you are."

"My name is Daphne. I wed Alaric, Thaelyhn's prince."

The reaction was instantaneous. His eyes widened and he took a step backwards, his expression twisting between disbelief and shock before he turned towards his son. "What have you done, Luca?" he exclaimed, pointing towards her. "Do you have any idea what this means?"

Before the Were prince could reply, Daphne spoke up once more. "He knew nothing of me," she said, making the king look back at her. "I concealed my identity from all, including my own ladies whom I left behind. I believe that had I stayed much longer, my safety could not be promised."

"With all due respect, princess, if you believed that your safety was in jeopardy, you should have sought help from their king."

"So you will not help me?" she asked.

The Were King gave her a levelled look and she was keenly aware of the queen who had been staring at her since she had entered the room. "I never said that," he replied briskly. "Nor have I said I would. You have been very foolish and committed a potentially dangerous action. Your wed their prince and the union was forged, yet your action might possible render it void."

"That is not true," she said, a frown on her lips. "I did not return to Acarelia."

"There is more to the union than you know."

Her irritation grew at his words. "The union can become void in two ways: if one party lies with another, or if the foreign party returns to their home kingdom. I have done neither."

"How do you know this?"

"Before I was forced to depart for my union, I requested to read the Union Agreement in its entirety. There are nine hundred and twenty seven pages that detail the union, each race and the history, and I managed to read two hundred and seventy nine pages. I came across only two ways that void a union and read that the only requirement of the two bound is that it is consummated on the same night. I fulfilled that requirement."

There was surprise on his face as he turned away from her and approached the queen. "What are your thoughts?" he asked her.

The queen kept her eyes on her for an extra moment before she looked at the king. "We should have Gerrant read through all nine hundred and twenty seven pages," she said, "before anything is decided. Once it has been read and we are able to distinguish whether or not it is within her right to leave her union kingdom without returning to her native one, we should thoroughly think and discuss what she has asked."

"I agree," he said. The king turned back and approached Luca. "Fetch Gerrant. We need him now and with little attention as possible."

"But, Father--"

"Now, Luca."

Daphne watched as he clenched his jaw before exiting the room, leaving her to face the king alone. Instead of facing him, the queen moved from where she had been stood and approached her. "Regardless of what the papers say, you have been very brave, Daphne," she said, reaching out to hold her chin between two fingers and move her head from one side to another. "Not that I condone what you have done, as these unions have provided us with the longest peace these lands have ever seen, but I can see in your eyes that this is what you truly believe was your only choice."

"Vanora," warned the Were King.

Daphne watched as the queen looked back at him. "I am sympathising with the girl, Alrik," she replied. "You forget that I was once in her position."

"Not quite the same position, my dear."

The queen looked back at her. "You must forgive my husband. He was never forced from his home in favour of the union so he does not understand what it is like."

"I am certain you will tell me, yet again. If I recall correctly, it is your favourite tale to lecture me on."

"And yet it appears that you still have not fully understood it."

It was then that the doors opened once more and Luca returned with a Were Daphne had met before. His eyes swept over her before he looked towards his king and bowed his head. "Your Majesty," he said.

"Be truthful now - have you ever read the entire of the Union Agreement?" asked the king.

"Only some, and mostly pertaining to our race, Majesty."

"Just as I thought. How long would it take you to read it?"

The Were's eyes went wide. "It's a very long document. I am unsure the length of the Agreement--"

"Nine hundred and twenty seven pages," interrupted the queen.

"It would depend on how much time I have to dedicate to this task."

"True," the king agreed. "As it is a matter of high importance, I release you from any and all other duties that you have. Your sole dedication will be to reading that document and I would like an update every two days on what you have discovered. As I'm sure you realise, we have an unexpected visitor so it is vital that you do this as soon as possible."

"Of course, Majesty. I will attempt to have read it all within a fortnight."

"Sooner would be more desirable, Gerrant. And speak of your task, and our guest, to no one."

The Were looked at her once more before leaving. She could remember his stare during her union, although she hadn't been able to distinguish whether it had been one of pity or disgust. She'd never been too sure what Wiralia's opinion of them was. Her father had never spoke of any kingdom in high spirits, always opting to speak ill of any species other than their own. He'd been angered when she'd been chosen to be the one to leave, especially as he had hoped that his brother's daughter would have been chosen. She would have preferred that, too.

"What are we doing, Father?" Luca asked.

"We're providing the Princess Daphne with sanctuary up until Gerrant has completed his task. Only then will we discuss it further," said the Were King. "For now, your brother is not to know of her presence. His main concern is becoming familiar with the Princess Leora prior to their union and it would be best if the two princesses do not meet."

"Are we not going to enquire as to why she presumes her safety is so compromised that she had to flee?"

"Luca," the queen said, approaching her son. "You speak as one who has bore no consequence of these unions. You are naive and blissfully ignorant about what it is like to leave your home in favour for a land that is full of a foreign species. Yes, your brother is to wed the Princess Leora, and so you know his doubts and hesitations of this union, but what of hers? She is to never see her father, her mother, any of her brothers, and she is not permitted to ever return to the land she calls her home lest she wishes to void her union and cause a slight between them and us. In her company are a few of her own kind but other than that, she is constantly surrounded by a foreign species. Her sacrifices outweigh your brother's, and the Princess Daphne's sacrifices outweigh any her husband may have made. So, while we await Gerrant, we will accommodate her and ensure that her safety is ensured here."

Daphne could see the expression on the prince's face, one that she had seen many a time. It spoke of the insignificance of her sex, and how her word was falling short without the backing of a male voice. Regardless of the troubles between Wiralia and Thaelyhn, she was certain he would have accepted Alaric's word over her own.

Her desire to silence that look outweighed her need for privacy. "He wanted to take my humanity," she said, resting her gaze on Luca. "He asked and I refuted, as is my right, but he would not accept my answer. So, Prince Luca, I apologise if the forceful removal of my humanity doesn't constitute as a sufficient cause for concern about my safety in your eyes; but I am thankful that my plea for sanctuary does not rest with you."

"That is a grave accusation," the Were King said, concern etched in his features. "I do not need Gerrant to know that the Agreement forbids the forceful conversion of any kind should the intended refuse. But we shall discuss this at length once he has read the entire document. For now, Vanora, my dear, I entrust you to find our guest suitable accommodation that ensures her safety and keeps her concealed. I must also ask that you wear the veil as you leave, princess."

The queen approached Daphne as she placed the veil back over her face, and gently led her from the chamber. As they turned down the corridor to the right, the queen leant in close and spoke softly: "You may just be a blessing in disguise."