The world was knocked from under Sephora's feet. The guards still holding her, grunted in protest at the sudden weight in their arms, as they tried to hold her upright. That familiar wave of numbness washed over Sephora, as she replayed the Lord's words in her head.
Mate. As in soulmate? She panicked. But I can't be his mate, that would mean we're equal, that would mean living with him and being with him and getting to know him. I can't do that, I can't do it.
Sephora didn't realise she had been shaking her head, until the Lord spoke again;
"Denying it, doesn't change a thing. You are my mate, accept it and move on."
Sephora's head snapped up to the Lord, and glared at him.
He had a point, but he didn't realise how big of a deal this was. How could the Lord be her mate? And what would he do with her, would he force her to bear children, would she have to serve him. She didn't know the first thing about life as a Nuanam, and now he expected her to be his mate. This was too much to ask.
Glancing to the General for help, she saw that he was just as shocked as she was.
He didn't even bother looking at her, but just stared in disbelief at his Lord beside him. Even the General knew how much of a big deal it was. Sephora looked pleadingly into the Lord's eyes, but he seemed unfazed, if anything a bit impatient.
"I can't be your mate." Sephora blurted. The Lord looked at her as if she didn't hear what he'd just told her. She rolled her eyes, forgetting that the Lord could kill her if he wanted for the lack of respect. "I can't be expected to be your mate, to behave like your mate."
"And you won't." His voice rumbled. Sephora blinked in surprise, and the Lord's face was mildly bored.
"You will be a member of my court, with the privileges of being a member of my court. You are my mate and will be treated with the respect and rank of my mate. You won't be expected to do anything, but live your life as you please. Whilst you will contribute to the livelihood and well-being of my people by working with me in my Court" He said, fixing his gaze on her.
Sephora's knees threatened to buckle again, this time with relief and gratitude. She was surprised that this Lord had such respect and honour for his people.
She realised that serving in his court was the least Sephora could do. She would be able to better the lives of her people, she would make sure that the laughter she heard in the streets wouldn't turn into screams of fear. She could get to know the Lord and learn how to influence him , maybe she could get him to change the Treaty for the Mortal lands. she could stop the sacrifices from happening anymore, she could save her family. Excitement bloomed in Sephora's heart and she gave the Lord another curtsy with a broad smile.
"Thank you, my Lord." Sephora let her excitement shine through her eyes, as she gazed up at the Lord; still completely amazed at his perfection. And she could have sworn she saw a glimmer of pleasant surprise flash across his face, before that solid mask snapped back into place.
"It is decided, then." The Lord rose from his throne in one graceful movement, his presence engulfed the room. The General and his guards stood to attention, even Sephora straightened slightly, as the Lord addressed them one final time.
"I will see the pair of you later, at the Samhain feast." He said, meaning Sephora and the General.
Everyone in the room bowed as the Lord exited the throne room. Sephora felt like the space was suddenly lacking something, like the whole room was now too large and rather empty.
The General dismissed his guards and they obeyed, silently marching out of the room. He then turned to Sephora with a subtle grin that made her dread what his next words would be.
"Well, Miss Beltane, let's take you to your new chambers." He extended an arm, pointing to a door on the far left.
Sephora relaxed in relief and smiled, offering him a quiet thank you. He seemed surprised at her gratitude.
"No need to thank me, I'm just doing my job. And there's no need to call me General either, only my guards call me that."
"What do I call you, then?" Sephora had no idea what manners, or ranks were enforced here at the court.
"You're allowed to call me Joe - seeing as you're the Lord's mate." He added. Sephora glared at him, and he smirked. Rolling her eyes, she walked toward the door Joe had indicated, and he smoothly followed.
"General Joe Hunter." Sephora mused with a grin. Then turned to him again.
"What will you call me?" He gave her curious glance, "What do you want me to call you?"
"Sephora." She replied firmly. Grateful that he'd been kind enough to ask.
Joe nodded in acknowledgment, and
pushed the side door open, to reveal a
spiral staircase. After letting her go first,
Sephora made her way up the steps, and
Joe followed right behind.
"Well, Sephora." He said behind her, as they neared the top. "I'm sure you'll enjoy your new life here.'
She would not enjoy her life here. Sephora decided, as she tirelessly paced around in her new room. Which was absolutely gorgeous, not that she cared.
The walls were a light blue that almost matched the sky, and despite the fact Sephora was having a nervous break-down, she was sure the room would have made her feel very peaceful and tranquil. But not at the moment. A cool breeze floated into the room every so often, from an open pair of double doors; that lead onto a large balcony, overlooking the most beautiful gardens she'd ever seen, with the trees almost reaching up to the balcony itself.
Her room was large and airy, and she'd even been given a bookcase filled with books, but she didn't feel like reading and she was sure she wouldn't like books written by Ardanams anyway. So she'd left them.
Her bed, at least, was an improvement. It was a large king-sized bed, with a firm mattress and a light cream duvet, specifically for the hot weather. There were the correct amount of pillows to be comfortable and not drown when you tried to sleep. And the four-posters had thick heavy cream curtains that would easily block out the sun in the morning.
But nevertheless, despite all of that - Sephora knew she could never be happy here.
She knew no one, she was a complete stranger, she had no idea how the courts work, and she never mind how to work in one.
She was the mate of a powerful Lord, which meant she either had to force herself to love him, or accept the fact that she would never be allowed to find love. Because she certainly wouldn't be allowed to fall in love with anyone else, the Lord wouldn't tolerate the insult. Not only that, Sephora was a Nuanam. So she would be looked down upon, regardless who her mate was, if anything she would only make the Lord look weak. There was simply nothing for her here.
Sephora sighed and gazed out the window, staring out at the grass and the flowers and hedges, in deep thought. When she had a reckless idea.
What was stopping her from going back? She'd made it through the veil once, she knew what to expect and the pain she would feel, she knew how to fight and overcome it. She could do it again. The treaty may have said that no Ardanam could pass through the veil, but had any of them actually tried, does the same rule apply to the Nuanam? Sephora smiled, she was going to try. And if she died, so be it. she was supposed to be dead anyway.
She walked to the balcony and stopped, realising she was still in her evening gown from the ceremony. Going to the wardrobe, she was pleased to see someone had already provided her with new clothes. One of them noticed her legs. They were smooth and pale like the rest of her, but they were longer, leaner than before. She preferred them instantly, but couldn't deny that her fingers shook a little, as she buttoned up her shorts. It seemed the shift had also given her a new body.
Unsurprising, considering how it destroyed her human form during those excruciating moments when she'd thought she was going to die.
Sephora strode onto the balcony, the brown suede ankle-boots she'd grabbed making her life easy as she clambered over the side of the railing. She looked below her and saw a thick branch stretching out from one of the garden trees was beneath her. Too far away for her to reach or step onto, but she could drop and catch herself.
This was one of those moments when you realised that the one skill you possessed, that you never thought you'd ever need in your life, suddenly becomes the most important skill you ever had.
Sephora had been climbing trees since she was 7 years old, and had continued to climb till the day she'd turned 19. It was a way to have fun, a distraction whenever Sephora got stressed, not only that but it strengthened her arms and her core, in ways that dancing never could.
Sephora dropped from the balcony and grabbed onto the branch, hissing as she absorbed the impact of the drop, and the full weight of her body beneath her. Taking a breath she hoisted herself onto the branch, her arms shaking in the effort, and proceeded to smoothly and effortlessly make her way down the tree, ignoring the gentle scratches and scrapes she earned from the rough bark. Once her feet hit the ground, she steered herself in the direction of the front gates of the palace, and took off into a sprint.
Oh, she loved this new body. Her strides were longer, faster. She didn't even feel the least bit out of breath, even after sprinting the 800 metres distance to the main gate. It was true what they said about the Ardanam speed and endurance, then. Sephora smiled, as the silver and gold gates breezed open for her. She was, after all, a member of the court, why wouldn't they open for her. She was the Lord's mate.
As soon as the gates had opened enough for her little form to go through, she bolted through the gates and made her way into the city streets. She knew the way back to the veil, she'd paid particular attention to the roads and streets as they had escorted her through earlier. Making mental notes of what to look out for. She sprinted past the market stands she'd noticed on her first visit here, running on with a gleeful smile - she was on the right track.
She was beginning to think that this was all too easy, when that's when she felt it - a low rumbling and tremor from beneath the earth, shook the buildings and sent the city crying out in panic. It shook the ground so much, it caused Sephora to stumble suddenly along the gravel path as she was running.
Something deep inside her, knew where the source of that rumbling came from, and her soul sang in delight at its magnitude and mighty power. She silenced her soul, not trusting it, as it would only side with getting through the veil. She huffed a breathless laugh, he'd have to catch her first.
[Ambrose]
The Lord was restless, while he sat in a meeting among his council. He was finding it hard to concentrate, which was unlike him. Even Joe had been giving him concerned glances throughout the meeting, no doubt imagining the stress and countless thoughts that were running through Ambrose's mind. His General wasn't wrong.
Ambrose had just discovered his mate. How could he possibly try to concentrate on his city's Samhain celebrations, when he knew his mate was somewhere in his palace. no doubt trying to get a grip on what on earth was going on.
Ambrose silently scolded himself. He should have more discipline and self-control than this. It wasn't as though she was the first Nuanam to be brought before him from the Mortal lands. He'd accepted countless Nuanams over the centuries, since becoming Lord, and they all looked the same. All confused of what was happening, they had all been terrified at the sight of him on his throne, they had all been awkward and completely at odds with their new bodies.
The latter was rather amusing to watch at times, when Ambrose had been really bored. The new born Nuanams found it difficult to walk and looked like wooden puppets on a string, it was a good thing they had the guards holding them up, or they would have collapsed in a heap on the floor.
But the moment Sephora Beltane was escorted into the throne room, Ambrose could see she was different. Even at a distance, he could see she was beautiful. although, it wasn't as if there hadn't been other beautiful Nuanam brought to him before.
But her hair was a stunning rich shade of auburn, and her thick wavy locks of hair, almost glowed red under the sunlight streaming in through the ceiling windows. It looked a bit messy and like she'd been struggling, but that was completely normal under the circumstances. As she got closer, he could finally take in her face. And it made him freeze in his seat.
He didn't even register the sweat that trickled along her forehead, as he gazed at her. Her face was pale in complexion, and he only knew that it wasn't in fear, because he'd followed her roaming eyes that were shining full of wonder and awe. It lit up her entire face, she was absolutely stunning. Her lips were parted in amazement as she took in the great ceiling, and part of him glowed with pride that she found his handiwork so enthralling.
Her neck was long, and he could tell she was a dancer with the way she held herself, her posture was immaculate, with her shoulders back and her feet didn't make a sound as she neared his throne. He was completely captivated at how easily she moved across the room, entirely at ease with her new body; he'd never seen a Nuanam adjust so quickly.
The sound of that name, and he just knew, that he'd been waiting all these centuries to hear that name. Some dark part of him had growled in approval when she'd curtsied, without even being asked to. And he couldn't help but say her name on his tongue, his instincts telling him that she was made for him, he was made for her. And when she'd looked at him at the sound of her name, and those breath-taking hazel eyes met his, completely unafraid.
The bond between them snapped into place, like lightning through his heart, and for a moment all he could do was stare in a daze. The amount of emotions that raged through him, all at once was too much, too soon - that the only thing he could do was snap on his favourite mask. His bitter, unfeeling, uncaring mask. She was, after all, a complete stranger and had previously been a human.
she could hate him for all he knew. No, he had plenty of time to get to know her, to work out how to love her, how to protect her. But for now, his people came first.
Ambrose jolted in his seat, snapping himself out of his thoughts, just as he felt something through his bond. Pain, confusion, unhappiness, anger. So many negative emotions rushed down the bond, that he couldn't keep up with them. But it didn't matter, the fact was, his mate was panicking and she was up all alone in her room. No one was there to reassure her, to explain things, to calm her down.
Ambrose stood from his chair, halting one of his ministers in mid-sentence, and they all rose with him - concern and confusion plastered on their faces. Ambrose pushed his guilt aside, glancing at his old friend. Joe gave a silent nod, he understood.
"My apologies, gentlemen, but I must take my leave. My General, will approve any plans from this point on." Ambrose bowed his head in farewell, and strode from the room, hastily making his way to his mate's bedroom.
He felt nervous, he didn't want to intrude on her, or make her feel uncomfortable. He tried to think of ways to make her feel at ease, to find a way to explain things to her. Maybe he'd ask her to take a walk with him in the gardens, to have a talk. Yes, that seemed civilized enough for a young lady.
Ambrose soon found himself outside his mate's door, silently cursing himself for being so nervous. He couldn't hear anything inside, so he assumed she'd be on the balcony. He knocked on the door. Once. Twice. Nothing. The third time, he knocked on the door, he called her name,
"Sephora?"
His anxiety increased when he heard no reply. His servants had told him that she hadn't left her room. She had to be in her room. Cursing himself again, he slowly opened the door and peered inside. Well, the balcony doors were open, but... He strode to the balcony and looked over the railing. She was gone. She was gone, where was she? He scanned the gardens, looking for a sign of her auburn head, but there was nothing. His heart was hammering in his chest.
Ambrose had no idea where she would have gone. Where had she gone, why didn't she tell anyone where she was going? He closed his eyes and felt for the bond, trying to feel for his mate, to work out where she was. He gave a jolt, when he felt her. She was running, she felt free, defiant, homesick.
Ambrose had a sickening feeling that he knew where she was going, if she felt homesick... No. His anger erupted, as well as his soul, and thanks to the presence of his mate, his power had reached its maximum. The earth shook and the walls of the palace vibrated under his rage.
He panicked, trying to get a hold of his emotions.
He had to release some power, otherwise he'd lose control completely. He gave a dark smile, as an idea formed in his head. He knew what to do. He closed his eyes, sending his consciousness to the veil.
Ambrose's power hit the ground, and out of it arose a wall of thick adamant stone, shielding the veil. Ambrose opened his eyes and walked out of Sephora's bedroom, making his way to the front gates. There was no way she'd ever touch that veil….
