Julia found herself in an enormous library; disorientated and confused. The circular room was split over two floors and panelled in a light walnut which made the whole room bright. A fire was burning in the white marble fireplace. A girl in a magnificent pink empire waist Regency dress sat on the huge red leather sofa in the middle of the room. The second Julia's eyes landed on the girl she knew exactly what was happening. It was 1805, and she was in the Víðarr's winter castle.
"No not again," Julia whimpered.
Every night for the past two weeks she'd been having the same loop of dreams. She had no control in them, merely along for the ride, forced to relive someone else's actions. Once she was in the dream, she knew exactly what was going on, who everyone was and the date. But as soon as she woke up, the dream which was so vivid and lifelike would dissipate like the morning mist.
Before Julia had any more time to adjust to what was happening to her, she was yanked toward the girl. It felt as if someone had attached a giant hook to her stomach and she was being reeled in like a fat tuna toward the girl.
"No, please no," she screamed.
Julia hated this dream. She tried with all her might to fight the pull willing another dream to come instead but it was futile. The harder she fought it the harder she was yanked to the girl. A mixture of horror and repulsion sunk its claws into her making her retch. Julia started melting into the girl. A screaming sob tore through her she was sure she would lose herself mind, body, and soul. Julia bite into her free hand in a last-ditch attempt to wake herself up. Instead of pain she felt a mind numbing calm fill her and her body went limp as she became one with the girl.
Beatrix sat on the plush couch with an open book; warmed by the fire that was happily crackling away in the fireplace. She stifled a giggle peeking over the top of her book trying and failing not to pay attention to Damien; who was crawling around the floor making her laugh with his antics.
"Cut it out, can you not see I'm reading," Beatrix said with mock seriousness.
Damien popped up behind the back of the couch and plucked the book out of her hands. "The Fall of the Seelie King," he read out the title with a sour expression on his face. "Beatrix Freyja Víðarr, why in the names of the gods are you reading a book about the light faerie King?"
She clasped her hands together and sighed wistfully. "It's so romantic what King Oberon did."
"Are you inebriated? Throwing away the crown and plunging the Seelie and Unseelie courts into chaos is not romantic it's reprehensible."
Beatrix scowled at Damien. "He gave all of it up for love, Damien. Have you no heart? Oberon fell madly in love with a dark faerie. Their love forbidden, and he chose love over everything else." She sighed. "I wish I can have a love like that."
Damien scoffed as he stood up. "You know that drivel is just a legend. It took place millennia ago, and no one knows what happened. Besides you have left out most of the legend."
"You are such a spoilsport," she said with a pout.
He waved the book at her. "You and your foolish romance books. Does your mother know you are reading this rubbish?"
"It is not rubbish. Besides, she gave me the book. Mother said sometimes love conquers all if it is strong enough and she hoped I would find a love as powerful as the one in this book."
Damien arched an eyebrow at her. "I find it hard to believe the Lady Regent would encourage you to read light faerie novels. Tell me, does this book go into detail regarding how Oberon was banished from Arcadia and how Queen Mab killed his beloved as punishment?"
"What do you care, you think it is rubbish? Just give it back." Beatrix jumped off the sofa and tried to grab the book.
Damien held the book higher out of her reach. "I cannot fathom why we are the ones labelled as dark fae when the light fae are a hundred times more ruthless than us. I would not be surprised if the Mad Queen killed her brother Oberon and fabricated the whole legend about him giving the crown up. So she could rule over both the Seelie and Unseelie courts."
She jumped higher grabbing at the book. "Gods you are cynical."
He caught her around the waist giving her a playful smile. "No, I am just a realist. Not all of us can have our heads in the clouds."
She giggled wrapping her arms around his neck. "I happen to like it up in the clouds."
A servant cleared his throat, and Damien released her. They both turned and looked at him and Damien tucked the book into his waistcoat pocket.
The servant gave them a disapproving look and then said in a very formal tone. "Princess, Prince," he took with a deep bow. "Princess, your father and grandfather require you in the Grand Hall."
Beatrix looked at Damien and he said, "Oh gods, what have you done now."
She scowled at him elbowing him in the side. It was true that she was always getting into trouble, but she didn't like him jumping straight to that conclusion.
They walked into the Grand Hall trying to muffle their giggling and hide their game of poking and jabbing one another. The ornate room had been decorated in gold, dark cream and red and was a vast open space where all the balls were held. Beatrix and Damien walked up to the group ̶ her grandfather: Ragnar, father: Bjorn, mother: Selene and uncles: Thorsen and Ásgeirr; Augustus Griffemort: the clan leader of the Griffemort, and Anaïs Griffemort: Augustus's wife and Valac Griffemort: an enigmatic member of the clan ̶ at the far end of the hall.
When Beatrix and Damien joined the group, her grandfather embraced her and said, "Beatrix, Damien, please join us. Today is an exceedingly joyous occasion. For it has been decided that our two clans will be joined together by marriage."
Beatrix smiled at her grandfather. "That is great news, grandfather. Who will the happy couple be?"
"Why, you and Alexander." Her grandfather gestured to the young man who was scowling at her from the corner of the Great Hall. Prince Alexander was wrapped in a cloud of pure abhorrence that told everyone to back off.
She took one look at him and frowned, wanting to scream not him, anyone but that immature brat. But she knew full well, that would disgrace her clan's honour. Instead, she glowered back at him before turning around and putting on her and forcing herself to appear happy.
"When will the wedding be?" she asked choking the words out.
Her uncle Thorsen stepped forward and took her hand; she had to fight the urge to yank it back. "There is no rush. Everyone here has agreed that you two should have the time to get to know one another properly before you wed."
Beatrix managed a paper thin smile at him as she took her hand out of his. Then she looked at Damien with pleading eyes that said save me.
Damien cleared his throat. "Regent Víðarr, with all of this excitement the time has slipped away. If Beatrix does not make haste, she will be late for Florentine class and you know how Master Irongrave gets when he is kept waiting."
Ragnar waved his arm dismissively and said, "Yes, yes," He looked at the others. "Master Irongrave only gets more cantankerous with age."
The others laughed, because all of them had been taught by Master Irongrave when they were younger.
As Beatrix and Damien were leaving, her mother called out, "Make sure you have the servants prepare you in time for the ball tonight. And Beatrix, please do not be late, you are the guest of honour."
When they got back to her room, she let out a scream, and started tearing her room to pieces. Damien leant against the door silently watching. When she finished venting, she threw herself in him arms looking up into his sad eyes.
"Damien, please we have to do something. You know what they call him, I cannot marry that animal," her voice trembled, heavy with desperation.
He held her tightly and wiped away a stray tear from her eyes. "They call him the Blood Stained Prince. And you are right you should not be forced to marry that beast. I do not think he even has a heart, let alone a conscience with the amount of humans he has slaughtered. Yet what can we do, everything has been decided?"
Beatrix was desperate; she decided to cross the line that she had not been willing to cross before. Standing up on her tiptoes she kissed him. It was not the usual light kiss, shared between friends, which they had exchanged in the past. This kiss was much more, she put all her feelings into it her hurt, rage, anger, love and also passion. She had always been attracted to Damien, but they had been friends since birth and neither of them tried to take things further.
Damien immediately responded to her kisses and drew her closer deepening it. She knew he loved her and would do anything for her, and now she had to use that love. She broke away and looked into his eyes. "We have to leave, run away tonight. We could get married and our families could not separate us."
He looked shocked at her suggestion. "Beatrix, if we run away and get married all three of the royal clans will come after us. They will hunt us down and depending on how disgraced the Griffemort feel they could demand our lives. You know if they did that our lives would be forfeit, our status as royals would not save us."
She knew he was right; it had happened before in the upper clans but never in the royal clans. The Griffemort would defiantly demand their lives to set a firm example to everyone else not to step out of line. Duty always came first no matter what.
Beatrix did not care. Her life might as well have been forfeit if they forced her to marry Alexander Griffemort. He was a callous brute and who knew what he would do to her. "Please, Damien, I love you. Save me, if you do not I'm as good as dead." She ran over to her closet grabbed a huge carpetbag and started to throw her dresses into it.
Damien walked over to her and took her hands stopping her from packing anything else into her bag. "Stop this Beatrix! I will not run away in the night with you like a pair of criminals." Her legs gave out when he said this; she sunk to the ground sobbing.
He sat down next to her pulling her into his lap. "Do not despair," he said brushing away her tears with his thumb. "I will talk to my father and grandfather. I will get them on our side and then they can convince your father. You know that your father and my father are best friends and he likes the Mietitores more than the Griffemorts.
"We both know this is your grandfather's doing. As clan leader your father has the right to overturn this decision. It will take time; however, I promise you we can do this the right way. Besides as long as Alexander keeps massacring humans he will only taint the Griffemort name and it will give us more leverage."
Beatrix stopped crying and relaxed into him. "Okay, we will do it your way, Damien."
Julia felt the dream releasing its hold. Her body started to separate from the girl and the scenes of what had passed dissolved into the ether.
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Hummm I wonder what's going on with Julia
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