The next morning, I was awake before my sisters. By the time Amaya and Oceana awoke, my hair was brushed out, the remaining kohl had been scrubbed off my face, and my wedding dress laid in a heap while a new gown hung softly over my shoulders. I only felt a little bad for mistreating such an expensive garment. 

"That was the most incredible night," Oceana said through a yawn. "But I never want to leave this bed. My feet ache." To be fair, she didn't look like she wanted to leave my bed either.

Amaya groaned, massaging her back. "At least Willow let you sit down for a few minutes. She kept me dancing all night. I have no idea how Archer keeps up with her."

"And you?" my mother piped up. She snuck into my room so silently, that I had barely noticed her presence. But while we were all glowing with remains of the party, she seemed heavier than she had when she arrived. "How was your wedding night?"

"It was wonderful," I sighed dreamily. It certainly wasn't a story fit for a fairytale- a makeup streaked maiden and a drunk prince- but the way he looked at me in the moonlight, how he held me, it was all so amazing. Just thinking about it now made my cheeks heat with blush and my toes curl.

"So you have completed your marital duties then?"

I stared at my mother through the mirror, blinking unknowingly. What duties? surely drinking wine was not a duty, but a privilege.  

"You completed your marriage?" she pressed at my silence. 

"Oh!" I spun around on the little chair, grinning. "No. We spent the majority of the night talking actually. Leo did bring it up, but he told me that he would wait."

I expected my mother to nod her head, maybe to smile. In my mind, she should have been contented. With all of the evil and frightening men she had witnessed, she could return home knowing that I would be respected, if nothing else. But she almost appeared angry.

"So your marriage is not complete?" she asked.

"Well, no, not technically."

Her thumb and her forefinger pinched the bridge of her nose and she let out a low breath. "Ember, it is your job to forge this alliance. If your marriage is not complete, the prince could use that against you. And what's worse is that he was obviously testing you, to see if you could actually be a dutiful wife. Not even a day in and you have already failed massively."

"But, Leo-"

"You don't know humans, these are the games they play."

I wanted to argue with her, tell her that Leo wasn't like that. But he was. The entire journey to Willow and Archer's kingdom had been a test. Asking me to participate in something I wasn't prepared for. And because of it, I had been dumped in icy water, woken with a sore body, and embarrassed myself time and time again. I could only clamp my mouth shut and pray that I had time to fix it. Maybe I was a fool and this needed to be corrected immediately.

The bitter taste remained in my mouth as I wished my sisters a safe journey home. It seemed a little comical that my sisters and mother would be traveling on a boat when they could get home in less time if they only swam. But it was all about keeping up appearances, keeping the humans ignorant. So I hugged them all and wished them well. And while I wished that one of them would tell me that everything would be okay, they only asked for more gifts.

But, my mother was the only person that I knew who had any experience with my next task. When she left, the only other option I could think of was the queen, so I requested an audience with her.

"Ah, Princess Ember," she greeted when I curtseyed in her drawing room. though she was a dainty woman, I briefly had a flash of a fat pig in my mind, seeing her splayed out like that, drowning in clothing, eating foods that others could not afford. "What can I do for you?"

"I need advice," I admitted. "I have been made aware that I did not preform as a good wife should."

The queen, curled up in front of a small fire with sewing in her hand, immediately paled. "Pardon? Have you been unfaithful already?"

"No, not," I denied, but I could have been lying. I had no idea what being unfaithful meant. "I need to know what is required to complete a marriage," I elaborated. 

Her sewing was gently set down on her lap. Her thin lips were pressed into an even thinner line. "Nothing is required. You simply do as he pleases. All you must do is remain still, follow orders, and bear it."

"Bear it?"

"Yes, even if it is painful, even if you don't want to. That is your duty as a wife." Her gaze returned to her sewing and she delicately picked it up, as if she had forgotten it was there. "Now, I know that you did not have the same upbringing as human girls, but you must know that it is inappropriate to talk about such matters. Especially events like your monthly blood. Men don't want to hear it."

"But it's painful and it affects all women!" I protested.

Her cold eyes sliced towards me. "I am sure that you can take it in silence like the rest  of us. Now go, I wanted a peaceful afternoon after the wedding and you have disrupted me enough."

I scampered out of there, my face hot with embarrassment, but my mind was confused. Why would they not talk about things like a monthly bleed? It could affect my sisters and myself in the most immense ways. We had cravings, our emotions were heightened, we were in pain and sometimes unable to sleep because of it. Surely, we should at least be able to talk about our suffering. Were men so fragile that they couldn't even stand to listen to it?

I pushed the thought out of my mind. The sun was setting and I still hadn't seen Leo. Had my mother been right? Was the wedding yesterday all for nothing? Was he working on finding himself a better wife already? He wouldn't do that to me, would he?

"Maisy, can you please have someone summon Prince Leo for me?" I asked, my voice coming out cold and brittle. She bowed out immediately. When she returned I was glued to the same spot, knowing what I had to do but somehow feeling rotten about it. 

"Thank you, I don't think I will require your assistance to night. Have a night at home or spend some time with Jacob." I asked. Then, I began doubting myself. Would a couple hours be enough time? Would this last multiple days? When would he decide that he had had enough? Would I be in tears by then, biting my lip raw just to get through it?

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I knew the queen said I would simply have to bear it, that nothing was required of me, but would he want my hair up or down? Should it be styled? What about my dress? Was it too plain or did it only need to be removed quickly?

It was only when there was a knock on the door that I realized my hands were trembling.

"You called for me?" Leo said, striding into the room with all the confidence in the world.

And I found myself flinching away from the man that I had danced the night away with. But I needed to do this. I needed to be his wife completely. If the queen could get through it, if my mother could get through it, so could I.

"I want to complete our marriage," I blurted, before I could convince myself otherwise.

To Leo's credit, he didn't turn to me like a savage wolf, tongue out, eyes wide. He blinked once, then twice, and carefully rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, making it look like some cross over between the pirates he claimed to have fought and the prince he was. "That was a quick change of heart."

Shouldn't he have been pleased? Shouldn't he have been excited? Maybe he already had a new woman in line, or maybe he was trying to weasel his way out of this marriage.

"Please," I whispered, desperation so clear in my voice.

Leo came to me then. Green eyes flashed over my face and I tried to hold his gaze for as long as I could, but dropped my eyes to my hands in a matter of seconds. Had we been outside, in the rain alone, I would have sighed when his mouth brushed against the side of my neck. I could almost picture the way I would have gripped him to me then. But now I stood with my hands clenched at my sides, only sucking in a shaky breath as he tugged at the ribbon lacing the back of my dress together.

The gown fell off me without a single protest. And I stood there, wishing for the comfort of fabric on my skin like never before. Leo didn't notice. His greedy gaze swept down my body, studying the swell of my breasts, the flair of my hips, the length of my legs.

"Oh Em," he groaned. 

I was pushed back onto my bed and my mouth opened to let out a whimper, but I quickly clamped it shut. I was to obey. I was to bear it. 

Suddenly, I couldn't stand to look at the man I married. I didn't see those soft blond curls or a mouth that laughed with me late at night. I could only see excited fingers tugging at his buckle, the belt coming undone. I jammed my eyes shut. I could do this. I could become his wife completely. I had to.

Fingers brushed my bare thighs. I jerked away immediately, the caught myself. I could not resist. I had to be good and obedient. I gripped the sheets underneath my body instead.

"Em," Leo whispered.

I said nothing, just remained frozen. 

"Ember, look at me."

I did as commanded, my vision bleary with tears. I hadn't wanted to cry. I had wanted to be everything Leo needed me to be. But laying here like this, knowing that something awful was coming, I couldn't deny the fear that was coursing through me. And the utter helplessness.

Horror was plain on Leo's face, making me jam my eyes shut once more. My show of emotion must have been repulsive to him. I heard movement, but forced myself to remain still. Weight settled on the bed, causing it to dip down. I sucked in a breath and squeezed the fabric in my hands as hard as I could.

An arm slid underneath my shoulders and I was heaved up into a sitting position. I wanted to remain perfectly composed, but my eyes burst open and I let out a squeak. Before I could even comprehend what was happening, a thin sheet was pulled over my shoulders and steady fingers grabbed my chin, steering my head towards Leo who was kneeling on my bed beside me.

"Are you ill?" he asked.

"I-I Of course not."

"Are you sure? You went so rigid beneath me. I almost thought you were a corpse. If you aren't feeling well we can stop."

"I'm fine."

"You're a terrible liar."

"Please don't stop," I whispered, horrified. How had I let this go so wrong?

Leo let out a snort of laughter. "Do you know how badly I have wanted to hear you say that? I've imagined it a hundred times. But having you say when you clearly don't want me is nowhere near as desirable. Now tell me what's going on."

"Nothing, I'm just trying to complete my martial duties," I reasoned. I should have shrugged off the sheet he had pulled around me, but I only clung to it tighter at the thought.

Leo sighed. "Ember, we talked about this. If I wasn't worried about it last night, I'm not worried about it now."

"But...but our marriage is incomplete, you could leave me," I protested.

Long fingers brushed my hair away from my eyes, gently tucking it behind my ear. "I wouldn't have married you to run away. I am not going anywhere. And in no world would I want a wife who freezes up when I try to touch her just for the sake of trying to please me. You know that I love you for your fire."

I shivered at his gentle touches. "But I was told that I should be still and quiet, that I should let you do whatever you want and simply take it."

Now Leo laughed out loud, his head tipping back ever so slightly. "Oh Ember, if you aren't gripping my hair and moaning in my ear then I'm not doing my part. But we can learn about all of that another day, can't we? We have the rest of our lives to explore the world and each other."

~~~Distraction Section~~~

Hope you are all well! Sorry for the neglect. It has been a wild week with another one of my books being published. Queen of the Beasts is now officially published! So excited to have a third book out there.

Question of the Day: Apple or Android?