Glade 19, 110 AoS
It has been weeks now that she was living in Axel's mansion in Alfsos. If one could even call it that.
Mannon pulled the blanket tighter over her shoulders. Though Frost was slowly relinquishing its hold on the land, the drought in this place was still horrid.
He promised her luxury, a bed worthy a queen in softness and size. Instead, she was in one of the better rooms where the windows were at least still properly attached. But better not speak of the bed.
Before her, on the table with one leg shorter, laid papers. Some of which she despised seeing by now although they were necessary and a step closer to his promise. But there was one sheet that drew her attention again and again. She dreaded to tell him about it.
Her lover was colder towards her these days, more callous and careless. He’d brush her off more often unless she was bringing news about the partnership contract and even then it better be good news.
True marriage is troublesome, he told her, going back on his word. Let’s start with the partnership. We can always do true marriage later. And she believed him.
She brought the knees up to her chest and wrapped them under the blanket as well. How was she going to tell him?
But she didn’t need to ponder on that much longer. Without a knock, without announcement, the door to her room opened. Mannon jumped a little in her seat, still not used to the fact that no one in the house seemed to understand or follow the concept of knocking. Except perhaps, for the skeleton crew of servants that for some reason unbeknownst to her were still around.
“I heard you received a letter,” Axel announced, not bothering with a greeting, a kiss on the forehead like he used to, not even a smile. He seemed to have lost a lot of traits that mannon fell for. But it was likely the stress he was under that caused him to behave the way he did. Running a household like this would that.
“Chidie told you?” Mannon asked. Chidie was the manservant who hung around Axel the most. She didn’t like him and Chidie made it clear that he didn’t like her either.
“Yes. So?” Axel answered with a great degree of nonchalance. He closed the distance between them and stopped behind her. He now had an unrestricted view of the papers on the table, including the letter from her family.
He didn’t ask for permission when he picked it up. Mannon opened her mouth, but no words came. He didn’t need to ask for permission, right? No lies, they said to each other. So she sealed her lips and instead, she slipped off the chair. The cold ground made itself known even through the socks on her feet. But she took it as a distraction on her route to the window.
“What?!” His voice erupted behind her and Mannon drew her head between her shoulders. “What do they mean they refuse and you are to return immediately or you’ll be disinherited?!”
She looked back at him. His face was pulled in a horrible mask of anger, making the scar on his face look even more jagged than it was.
“Mannon!” He shouted her name. “Explain this to me!”
She gripped the blanket tighter in her fingers. She wished he didn’t shout at her so often these days. It would help her feel less like a failure on all fronts.
“I’m sure they just say this as a threat. They don’t really mean it,” Mannon offered. But she wasn’t so sure herself. The letter was signed by her mother after all and her word was final. But would she really make her own daughter kinless?
“Don’t they? They have consistently refused our demands---”
“Offers.”
“---and now they say they’ll make you worthless,” Axel said.
The pang of pain his words caused showed on her face. He might have as well slapped her.
“What are you going to do about this?” The man then demanded, tossing the letter back at the table.
“What do you mean?” Mannon asked, looking from the table to Axel.
“What do I mean?!” Axel’s voice jumped a notch and he took a few steps towards Mannon. She pulled the blanket tighter around her, feeling the fabric stretch across her back. “You run away from your family, ruin our plans for our happy forever after and now you can’t even convince your family to sign a bloody partnership contract!”
“They don’t agree with the terms!” Mannon raised her voice as well. In truth, her family did not agree with the whole arrangement, full stop.
“That’s your problem to solve! You were meant to convince them. Sell them on this! And you’re failing!” Axel closed the distance some more. His face was gaining a deeper shade of red.
“There isn’t more I can do!” Mannon pleaded back. Her hands poked out through the blanket and she rushed to Axel as though to stop an avalanche from crushing her. “Please! You’ve got to believe me. There isn't any more...I...we can still be happy. We can still have the life---”
He grabbed her thin wrists and jerked her hands from his body. The fire in his eyes was scorching. It no longer made her tremble with excitement. Her back rounded and she looked away. The blanket pooled at her ankles.
He didn’t say a word. His breath was coming in heavy gusts. His grip was pressing against the bones of her wrists and she tried to hold back the peep of discomfort that was creeping up her throat.
Eventually, his hold released and he stormed out, just in time not to see a few tears escape her eyes.
Mannon pulled the blanket tighter over her shoulders. Though Frost was slowly relinquishing its hold on the land, the drought in this place was still horrid.
He promised her luxury, a bed worthy a queen in softness and size. Instead, she was in one of the better rooms where the windows were at least still properly attached. But better not speak of the bed.
Before her, on the table with one leg shorter, laid papers. Some of which she despised seeing by now although they were necessary and a step closer to his promise. But there was one sheet that drew her attention again and again. She dreaded to tell him about it.
Her lover was colder towards her these days, more callous and careless. He’d brush her off more often unless she was bringing news about the partnership contract and even then it better be good news.
True marriage is troublesome, he told her, going back on his word. Let’s start with the partnership. We can always do true marriage later. And she believed him.
She brought the knees up to her chest and wrapped them under the blanket as well. How was she going to tell him?
But she didn’t need to ponder on that much longer. Without a knock, without announcement, the door to her room opened. Mannon jumped a little in her seat, still not used to the fact that no one in the house seemed to understand or follow the concept of knocking. Except perhaps, for the skeleton crew of servants that for some reason unbeknownst to her were still around.
“I heard you received a letter,” Axel announced, not bothering with a greeting, a kiss on the forehead like he used to, not even a smile. He seemed to have lost a lot of traits that mannon fell for. But it was likely the stress he was under that caused him to behave the way he did. Running a household like this would that.
“Chidie told you?” Mannon asked. Chidie was the manservant who hung around Axel the most. She didn’t like him and Chidie made it clear that he didn’t like her either.
“Yes. So?” Axel answered with a great degree of nonchalance. He closed the distance between them and stopped behind her. He now had an unrestricted view of the papers on the table, including the letter from her family.
He didn’t ask for permission when he picked it up. Mannon opened her mouth, but no words came. He didn’t need to ask for permission, right? No lies, they said to each other. So she sealed her lips and instead, she slipped off the chair. The cold ground made itself known even through the socks on her feet. But she took it as a distraction on her route to the window.
“What?!” His voice erupted behind her and Mannon drew her head between her shoulders. “What do they mean they refuse and you are to return immediately or you’ll be disinherited?!”
She looked back at him. His face was pulled in a horrible mask of anger, making the scar on his face look even more jagged than it was.
“Mannon!” He shouted her name. “Explain this to me!”
She gripped the blanket tighter in her fingers. She wished he didn’t shout at her so often these days. It would help her feel less like a failure on all fronts.
“I’m sure they just say this as a threat. They don’t really mean it,” Mannon offered. But she wasn’t so sure herself. The letter was signed by her mother after all and her word was final. But would she really make her own daughter kinless?
“Don’t they? They have consistently refused our demands---”
“Offers.”
“---and now they say they’ll make you worthless,” Axel said.
The pang of pain his words caused showed on her face. He might have as well slapped her.
“What are you going to do about this?” The man then demanded, tossing the letter back at the table.
“What do you mean?” Mannon asked, looking from the table to Axel.
“What do I mean?!” Axel’s voice jumped a notch and he took a few steps towards Mannon. She pulled the blanket tighter around her, feeling the fabric stretch across her back. “You run away from your family, ruin our plans for our happy forever after and now you can’t even convince your family to sign a bloody partnership contract!”
“They don’t agree with the terms!” Mannon raised her voice as well. In truth, her family did not agree with the whole arrangement, full stop.
“That’s your problem to solve! You were meant to convince them. Sell them on this! And you’re failing!” Axel closed the distance some more. His face was gaining a deeper shade of red.
“There isn’t more I can do!” Mannon pleaded back. Her hands poked out through the blanket and she rushed to Axel as though to stop an avalanche from crushing her. “Please! You’ve got to believe me. There isn't any more...I...we can still be happy. We can still have the life---”
He grabbed her thin wrists and jerked her hands from his body. The fire in his eyes was scorching. It no longer made her tremble with excitement. Her back rounded and she looked away. The blanket pooled at her ankles.
He didn’t say a word. His breath was coming in heavy gusts. His grip was pressing against the bones of her wrists and she tried to hold back the peep of discomfort that was creeping up her throat.
Eventually, his hold released and he stormed out, just in time not to see a few tears escape her eyes.
