"then i am cursed to wait two more days to touch you as i touched you just now when any maid or hand will take a touch with no word of god or marriage. you are too difficult woman." saying no more he took his leave, if she was not going to give him a kiss then he would take if from someone else

The hours of the day sped by faster than he knew it could. The castle was thriving with activity, every member of the help preparing for the wedding, though only one was allowed into his chambers as he dressed for the ceremony, and that person was his own maid. Many had offered their aid, and brought things for he to wear though all were turned down. They had everything they needed to turn him into the lady he was to play. Though the most beautiful piece was the dress. The dark tone of the plum matched his favorite evening dress, and was successful in making his skin glow just as lovely as in the gardens at night. His wig was curled and primped and tied with a bow of the loveliest shade of blue he’d seen, and his shoes were a color to match. The only jewelry that laid against his skin was a necklace from his mother, freely given. The stones sparkled softly in their own way, though the surface of the each of them was smooth as any river stone he’d found, and color was paler as well. He was only allowed a brief moment to look in the mirror, marveling in the amazing transformation from himself to a woman even his sister could hope to achieve in a period of a few days. The only difference he could think of was the lack of both true breasts and the thing all men sought for. Nervously shifting in his seat, he lifted a pale hand to touch his face, not entirely sure it was as true as it seems, but his hand was pushed away as he was pulled from his seat. He had to get to the church

he could not help but stare she was beautiful. the ache from last night and the desire to touch were back two-fold and he wished the day would go quickly so he could enjoy his lovely bride. as she came to stand to his side he dared offer her a small smile though as soon as she saw it he turned his eyes back forward and let it drop, that he would show eagerness was dishonorable and so he kept it to himself though as each reached their places and the monk began the long and dreary speech leading up to the exchange he found his eyes wandering once more towards the soft graceful neck and smooth jaw that was both firm and delicate at once

The ceremony proved just as long as one would have expected, though under the eyes and speculation of everyone seated in the church made it seem so much longer. Though his eyes had noticed the brief but ever present smile that graced the prince’s lips as he stepped to join him by the altar, he couldn’t bring himself to return it. Surely this should have been a rather important day of his life, after all one only gets married once- even if for the simple task of bringing his parent's land peace. Still, the entirety of his and his parent’s life rested on his back to make this marriage work. Allowing the prince to take his hand and slip the heavy iron band to his fourth finger, he brought himself to return the favor before the monk declared the two of them as married. Lowering his gaze to look at the hand that held his own his lips worked their way into a bloodless line before he schooled it into something more appropriate. Now came the hard part

the brief touch he was allowed when the monk drew their hands together to touch rings was nearly unbearable and the meal after would be, he was certain, cruel and lasting. he knew he could no run off this time, not when such an important contract rode on him alone and silently he bore the long and tedious eating though there was consolation that his bride remained within eyeing distance even with two more people at the table moving her down in rank

He’d tried his best to draw out the length of the feast, talking with those he knew to keep himself occupied. Even so both the bachelors and the prince seemed all too eager to proceed to the next step, wanting both what was due to them and the faithfulness that was offered to the man who managed to snag her garter. As they took their last step down the hall towards the prince’s chambers, he was swiftly swung into the arms of the prince, and that was what truly made him nervous. Never had he been so close in relations with a man, and he still did not want to get any closer. Still, he said nothing to any of them and allowed for himself to be carried across the room towards the bed

they followed like starving dogs down the halls to his quarters and it both pleased and angered him that all thoughts were on the prize in his arms. when he made it to his room he found the door open and the bedding changed white to receive his virgin. coming over he dumped her onto it before dipping to one knee to find the garter underneath. it took several moments to find it and several more to try and pull it from the ribbon holding it together and in the end he simply broke it off and hastily slid it down one slender leg before standing and pitching it out of the door. the men followed and moving behind them he made sure every last one was away before locking the door and turning back to his bride

The hands roamed far too much for him when the garter was being worked off, and half of him wished to slap the prince silly. However, he kept his calm as he laid stiff against the bed as the prince lured the rest of the men out of the room, leaving only the two of them in the large room. With hungry eyes gazing at him, he could feel his heart beginning to beat loudly, and nervous sweat begin to form on his normally dry brow. Tensely swallowing, he pushed himself from the bed to a sitting position where he stared back at the prince with as neutral a look as he could muster

he saw the look and it nearly halted him but as his eyes traveled back to their favorite spot he lost his sympathy. "you are my wife, i demand gratis to consummate this marriage." saying no more he started back over

He knew he could not persuade the man to give up when he wanted and was privy to, and so he kept his mouth silent was well. Feeling the prince climb on the bed and then begin to hover over him, he felt so tight and stuffy he was sure the prince would be able to tell, though the reaction he may receive for it was unannounced to him. The lips came to press against his neck first as a hand could be felt grazing along his knee and calve, and he couldn't say he particularly enjoyed it. Slowly sliding away from the prince in a poor attempt to get away, he sent a pleading look in hopes it would keep the prince at bay for at least another day

she moved as if to give him more room and obligingly he took it but the body under hims was as cold and unyielding as in the library and it ruined some of the pleasure in touching her. "you are my wife now, you have no god to hide behind and no reason to continue denying me. this will go easier if you do not resist me"

He averted his gaze off to the side, trying to cook up a valid response to the unwavering spirit of his husband. However, as the hand continued to slid further up his thigh he knew he couldn't go through with it. Lifting a hand to rest on the prince's shoulder, he pushed him away. "Is there no way to postpone this for a different evening?" He questioned with the same pleading look on his face, "I truly don't believe I am ready for this."

he growled at the push but stilled his hand. "listen to me wife, you get no say in the matter, you are mine and belong to me. i demand gratis and god demands consummation, without this our parents' contract is void and there will be no peace for your heathen peasants. we will kill them all to keep the pass and you and yours will be slain"

His lips opened to speak, though the words were nothing but truth despite how cruel the sounded. Staring hard at the man for a long moment he found nothing he could say that may have persuaded the prince in ceasing. Swallowing nervously as his lips became pursed once again, and casting his look to the side he was left waiting for the prince to make his decision and find the secret he'd only managed to keep so long

she looked sickly pale and though it only aided in her beauty it revolted him to see the look on her face and to know that he was the cause of it. letting go entirely he pulled from the bed and turning away began to strip. when he was down to his shirts he climbed over the woman and fell to the far side of the bed. "you have until tomorrow night to become 'ready' heathen wife"

Much to his luck the next day was not nearly as busy at the first, but the looks he got from many left him feeling insecure and he made sure to stick close to his parents. They seemed so ecstatic about it all, after all their pact with the prince's parents had been consummated, or so they had every right to believe. They did not inquire about the previous evening, and he hadn't the guts to tell them what ended up happening. Playing the part of the equally happy as he was with them, he was left frowning. He was ot looking forward to that evening

it was worse waiting the second time and he found himself hiding away in the garden. when the sun turned golden and he was nearly ready to go in a familiar body passed through the flowers and into his sights. he frowned. "my heathen wife, what brings you to the garden? one last time among your peers before you are demoted to the orchard?"

He paused in the row between the hydrangeas and peonies as the lewd comment reached his ears, and he couldn't say he was particularly pleased. His attention turned itself to the shadows where his husband had taken perch. "You make it seem as though I will be cast to the side as soon as this evening is over, but I assure you I will stay as fresh in your mind as these flowers will remain ever the course of the season." Reaching out to pluck one of the delicate white blossoms from the strong stem that held it he carefully plucked away the petals, allowing for them to be carried alongside the wind. "Only those who are old and have lost their touch are sent to the orchards. I'd expect you to be there already given your...sexual tendencies." Tearing the last petal free he sent it off with a blow of breath before the center of it was sent to the ground. Dusting the pollen free of his flowers he started back down the row as if nothing had happened

her words were clever and vile and had the spark in them he did not realize was missing these last three days and standing he followed her. "believe me wife you know nothing"

He allowed for his shoulders to roll themselves into a shrug at the words, finding nothing to argue. Still, a hand raised itself from his side to graze across the smooth surface of the flower's petals as he walked past. "Maybe I do not, but I have caught glimpses of you talking to maids and poor innocent girls working around the castle and I must say I have a good feeling about my assumptions."

closing in on her he grabbed her waist and kissed the bare neck from the side. "you speak heresy against the church's teaching and the crown, it is a crime to have relations with unmarried women even for the prince." kissing again he let her go and left the garden

Their small squabble reminded him of their first encounter in the garden, though the prince's words could not help but feel softer this time. He was left unsure if that was due to the fact the man figured he would be getting what he wanted for the last several days, or if he was actually beginning to soften. Shaking his head to dismiss the thoughts from his mind he decided that it was neither, and was simply a decoy into making him feel more open and relaxed about their evening ahead. Hiking up his skirt he made his way inside to sulk the rest of the time before their eve

he was pleased when she showed up though the stiff and sullen mood was no different than the night before and already he found his patience with her growing thin. "you look as if you have eaten something sour, wife."

He became mindful at the prince's comment, and allowing for his hand to ghost across lips to find them puckered in no way she he realize what the man was commenting about. Raising his eyes to look at the man he offered a roll of his shoulders as he remained close to the door. "It may have been the lemon served with tonight's fish, but no one can truly be sure," he joked with a lack of smile

bitterly he laughed at the humorless joke. "i was right to think of you as a flower, you are a cruel queen of nights, you will only bloom once and i wasted it playing like a fool in the gardens. any touches i give now brings no smile, you only ever seem to wilt at affection"

“It takes a skilled have to cultivate the soil to allow a delicate flower to grow.” Gesturing as though to hold a blossom in his hand she phantomed crushing it between soft fingers. “If you know what you must do to keep a blossom healthy and thriving,” He reached out to the side and pretended to pluck another flower from a bush, “Then it will grow beneath your care and you can bask in its beauty.”

his face remained the same. "you forget, i am a prince not a peasant, my forte is horses not horticulture. i only enjoy the blooms i am not apt at growing anything"

"Then think of this situation with your creatures," He suggested as he dropped the invisible flowers from his hand. "As if breaking in a wild horse you have to go slow at first, get it to understand you and trust you." Taking a step forward he offered a shrug and a gesture of his hand. "Only when the beast is used to you and is willing to eat from your hand and allow for you to slip a bridle over them can you ride the horse without getting thrown off. You have to be gentle."

this time his face turned up into a sneer. "that is not so, you can also break a horse if you want faster results. to be sure the latter choice suits me fine"

The words hadn't got him the answer he desired, and instead he was left sporting a look of disdain. "A broken horse looses its spirit and has no emotion left. A beast without emotion is a husk you run into the ground before getting one of the same, it is not the same by comparison, nor is it as proper for either master or creature."

"you sound as if you know about horses though i assure you that is not always so, some of our finer horses are broken in this way and they are no less spirited than the ones raised by hand." standing he came up to where she stood by the door. "though i doubt you care either way for horses. you are stalling as if you could distract me until morning and escape once more. that you find me so revolting does you no credit in my eyes wife"

He fought back the urge to back away from the prince as he strode forward, knowing it would only add to his account of disrespect and probably spur the prince to try harder in his attempts. Instead, he let his gaze follow the face as it drew close until he was glancing up at the other. "I do care for horses, actually. However, I am afraid it is not your place to judge what I think about you and to make assumptions like that..."

he felt a spike of anger and lifting his arm backhanded the insolent woman. "and you forget you are my property and that i own you! that you have been given such liberties already is it now shows a bad decision on my part."

He had only to assume the prince would get angry at his remark, after all it was not his place as a woman to say so. As the hand struck his cheek he was left feeling the burn of the hand on his cheek while he was left being unable to do nothing. He failed to raise his gaze from the floor and instead offered the prince no words for his rage

she all but shook in anger though he heard no more words and his own offense fell to the familiar pang of desire for this fiery nix. "and yet you are beautiful even when you want nothing more than to run away." pressing close he kissed her

The lips pressed and teased against the hollow of his neck and it made him shudder. His jaw was still clenched tight for fear that allowing for it to fall loose he'd say something that would land him something much worse than a slap. Still, the tenseness he had entered the room with was replaced with chills and goosebumps at the sensation if the prince's lips brushing against his clavicle

she did not melt for him but some of the frigidity left her and small shivers could be felt under his lips and hands as he continued to kiss and touch. when he made it to the small swell of her breasts however he was halted by a cool hand and looking up he found fear where before there was only anger. pulling away he straightened "will you cry when i deflower you? no, do not answer, you will i am sure. go to your own bed tonight wife. i am weary of you"

He’d managed to snag himself another day of freedom for only the price of an aching cheek, though even he knew his time was running out quicker than he’d hoped. His mind was filled with a couple ideas that he could only hoped could work, but if they didn’t he was sure to either be struck again or the prince’s anger would be worse than it had already been. Still, the boy was still intent on taking the chance. Taking a moment to search through his wardrobe to find the drabbest and darkest gown he could find he decided he'd try to keep the prince from him

even he could not avoid hearing the rumors. two days and still there was no wedding-blood on the sheets. the whispered words ranged from his dalliances with the servants leaving him unable to questioning the bride's purity on their wedding night. he found it all disgusting and more than once thought of having several of them whipped for their insolence, his musings however were interrupted when he saw his wife. she looked pale and strange in the soft gray dress, like a turtledove among gilded pheasants. he felt the urge to touch her

These stares were different than the ones' he'd gathered before. they were not looking at the faux beauty that graced his skin, but rather they looked in shock and awe at the ugly dress. He knew it was ugly and he was sure everyone else could as well, but seeing the Prince's gaze the boy was able to see that though it was disappointing in comparison to his other dresses, it was still enough to snag his attention. Sighing deeply to himself he scurried off to the church to escape the looks and glances that penetrated his bubble of confidence