Page 68 of A Brat's Tale
He shakes his head. “Corrik wouldn’t want that. It’s dangerous and we could lose others. We’ve already given him longer than we would any other Elf in a similar situation. Mother and Father have decided it’s time to accept his fate.”
I know it’s not Alrik’s fault, but he gets my anger. “What? That’s crazy. Get me a horse. I will go look for him if no one else will.”
“Don’t be stupid. You’re not going off to go missing too.”
I detect the note of regret in his voice—he’d like to go too, but he won’t disobey Mummy and Daddy. Believe me, I get it, but some things are worth facing their disappointment over. “Leave me to mourn my husband in peace,” I say. I’m not ready to give up on Corrik, but I would like him to go.
“Very well.” He moves to leave.
But then I have a thought. A selfish one. “Wait. What will happen with me?” No more Corrik does not mean the end of the treaty. Markaytia has paid its price, which is me; however, without Corrik, there isn’t much reason for me to be here. I could be sent home.
He takes a breath and if I didn’t know better, I’d say he looked nervous. Alrik is a rock; I’m pretty sure rocks don’t get nervous. “Mortouge has promised to look after you and so we shall. Especially after losing you to Aldrien, Mother and Father were quick to a solution on what would be done with you to show Markaytia are honorable people. Therefore, it’s been decided,wewill marry.”
My blood goes cold. At least I can tell he doesn’t want it either. “To appease a sense of honor? I’ll speak to my parents and my uncle personally. Your honor will not be tarnished.”
“It’s not just that. Mother and Father are stricken with grief over Corrik’s loss. He loved you so, he had visions of you becoming an Elf and bringing great things to our people. They think it’s only right you stay in his honor and fulfill your destiny.”
Technically, I belong to Mortouge now, and they can do that, I just hoped they wouldn’t. “But why you? Aren’t there several thousand other Cyredanthems to marry?”
“Believe me, I’m just as excited to marry you as you are me. Not tomention it’s a foolish choice. My marriage should be used to secure another alliance, which is part of the reason we’ve been waiting so long. In any case, you’re supposed to stay in King’s Keep, and I am the only Cyredanthem available who can offer you proper status and protection. In other words, I’m the only one who’s at the equivalent of Corrik. In terms of status, I’m several realms up from Corrik and more than enough to satisfy the treaty. When we marry, you will not simply be Prince Kathir, you will be Crown Prince Consort Kathir, and should I become king, you would be King Consort. You’re receiving the great honor; I’m merely fulfilling a duty.”
At least we both understand this is just duty. “Fine,” I say. I want to burst into tears, but I won’t let him see me cry. “When do I become Elf?”
“After the wedding, which will happen in Winter.”
“That’s another four months away. Do I have to stay up here? Couldn’t I be allowed into the palace?”
His brows press together. “Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t leave here, not with everything going on. My duty is to keep you safe. Securing you up here was one of Corrik’s better ideas, though I will be making some changes for extra security. You will also need to learn proper Master-slave etiquette before I’m willing to be seen in public with you.”
“Slave?” Slave is another kind of designation, like being submissive or brat. On the brat-submissive spectrum, it’s brat, some versions of brat in between, submissive, some versions of submissive in between, and then slave, one of the deepest forms of submission. Slave designation is much different from the kind of slave I was when I was in Aldrien. That was enslavement, this is another context in terms of your internal wiring.
I’m not surprised. Alrik is dominant to thenth degree, of course, he’d need someone with a deep level of submissive energy. “I’m not slave, Alrik. I’m brat.”
“I don’t care, Tristan,” he says using my Markaytian name. “You will be what I tell you to be. You will learn to behave yourself as I say you must, or I will beat it into you. Do you understand?”
My lip wobbles, but I will not show any weakness. “Yes, Your Highness.”
He grunts again. “At least you are male. I could not fathom trying to fuck ahumanwoman.”
Oh right, he’s going to want sex at some point. I will too for that matter. At least he’s not hard to look at, but it’s not what I want to think about right now. “I would like to be left alone, now. Please.”
He slams his fist on the table. “You do not dismiss me, I dismiss you.”
When I was a warrior, I feared nothing, perhaps foolishly, because at least I could fight to the death. That bit of power gave me the control I needed, even if there was no guarantee I’d win any said battle. But this defenselessness, being at the mercy of someone who has no mercy and bound by my dutiful morals, I’m consumed by anxiety. I shake. “I’m sorry, Highness.” I keep my eyes bowed, showing submission.
“Better.” At least he used words. “Your schedule will be strict. I won’t have you embarrass me when I take you before the Lady of the Lake. And there will be no more visitors. Corrik was foolish to allow that. It’s too much traffic coming and going from this wing. We already have all your instructors and the servants to keep tabs on. That will also be reduced. I’ll have your meals delivered once per day. Magic can be used to keep the food.”
He continues to list new protocols, but I don’t hear him; I’ve already gone numb. Corrik’s gone, hope is gone, everything is gone. “Did they ever find the children?” I ask when he stops talking, needing to focus on something else.
He shakes his head. “No. They too have been pronounced dead. We assume that they went where we lost Corrik. If Corrik couldn’t make it out, they would not have made it out either.”
It gets harder to hold back and my heart breaks; a few silent tears bleed down my cheeks.Where we lost Corrik.I wish he would go. I have nothing more to say.
“I will allow you to stay here until after the wedding. Everything isalready set up in this wing and I have no use for you in my chambers until you are Elf.”
Fine with me.“Of course, Your Highness.”
Finally, he slides out from his place at the table. “I will return tomorrow, but don’t expect me every day. I have better things to do.”
