Obsidian Monarchy

Adrian Hunt

Once again Seraphina woke in her bed, this time however she was accompanied by a heavy metal cuff that was enchanted by magic. There was not a slot for a key, so she would be unable to pick the lock. Her heritage of being a half elf allowed her to sense the magic around them, however due to Madam Hunt’s controlling nature, she was never allowed to learn how to utilize it.

Now would have been a good time to know how to break a spell. However due to her unfortunate current situation, she wouldn’t be able to learn how to break this spell. Seraphina sat up, grateful that they had only chained her left hand rather than both. That relief that she was only slightly incapacitated was quickly overshadowed by a deep frustration at her situation. Being at the whim of a narcissist and being told her will did not matter truly stung.

She had said what she wanted to say to the Madam, it was now time to leave. Luckily, she would not need their help to get the resurrection ceremonies done, because when Jordan had left the manor, she had the fore thought to take the books with her.

After years of suffering under the Madam, her mentor and friend came to the realization that the Monarch could never fully do their job if they were under the power of the Madam. They needed to be allowed to use their own strength in the right moments. That abandonment unfortunately caused Madam to become worse with her rule.

A shift in the air drew her attention, on the opposite side of the room near her wardrobe a man shifted. After tentatively reaching out in her mind, she recognized the pressure of Adrian. Seraphina took her hand off her cuff and waited for him to reveal himself. After years of living under the Madam, Seraphina understood that one should never willingly give their information away. It was better to stay silent until the perfect moment arrived.

Out of the darkness, a voice rang. “I don’t enjoy locking my future wife to her bed the night before our wedding. However, I see that it is necessary.” A day had passed since her conversation with Madam Hunt, she could not tell how late in the night it was now. Adrian Hunt being here told her that more time had passed than she had hoped for.

When Seraphina didn’t respond, he walked forward. He wore a button up shirt and slacks, the shirt was a dark great with a deeper toned tie loosely around his throat. In the darkness she could not see his eyes but knew that they were the tone of amber, a shade brighter than his copper toned hair. He looked nothing like his mother, and could only guess that he looked more like his father. The Master Hunt left the village decades ago without telling a soul.

“Would it be so bad to marry me Phin.”

Choosing to break her silence, she quietly spoke. “Not everything is about you Adrian. If you listened to what my concerns were we might be in a different position now.”

She sighed, knowing where this conversation was going. Many years ago, she wouldn’t have fought marrying this man, even after she was bound to him against her wishes. He wasn’t evil, but everything involved power.

“The village comes first; you have a moral obligation to protect the people.” He watched her, reciting conversations they had dozens of times. However, there was a lack of ring behind his words. “You can raise the world and sleep in my warm bed at night.”

His nonchalant attitude and flirtatious demeanor caused her irritation to crack. She smiled slightly while rolling her eyes. This was the man that wants to rule the world. “Maybe I want another man’s warm bed?” She teased him by looking him up and down.

Adrian had a lean but strong frame; it was clear that he spent long hours practicing his drills because of the way his shirt hugged his body. He was never cruel to her; however, it was clear that he would not be present in their marriage. He was sent on many expeditions across the planets they had access to, always looking for more power on behalf of his mother. That would leave her alone under the thumb of that woman.

“What man has drawn your disinterested attention?”

He sat down on the bed next to her, moving the light sheets away from his side and off her thighs. He reached forward and touched the cuff on her left wrist, a small surge of power brightened it. He was checking to confirm that she had not tampered with it. Unlike Seraphina, most people in the village that could use magic could not sense it, Adrian was not an exception to that.

“The baker boy.”

He scoffed, his amber eyes sparkling with humor now. “The one with the hunch back or the lazy eyed one?”

She looked up in pretend thought then answered. “Why not both, it gets boring locked up here all the time. I have to find some way to pass the time.”

He smiled slightly again; however, he lost the humor in his eyes. “We could rule the world, why do you fight that?” He had genuine curiosity in his eyes, he traced his finger across her arm now. The skin-to-skin contact caused their binding to glow on both of their arms. It was a light blue twist of vines that swirled and danced as a band across her forearm. It was placed there when she was sixteen. That was when Madam Hunt decided that Seraphina would marry her son, it was a binding of life contract. The memory of being held down screaming while they performed the ceremony brought back that helpless feeling.

When they touched it came to life, though the dancing didn’t cause pain now. Life contracts were only made when a proposal of marriage is made between two people with great potential of power. They were forever connected, able to find each other even when galaxies away. Many people that were bound eventually began invading the other’s dream space, able to communicated even when unconscious.

The only way to leave a Life Contract was to die, and even then, it wasn’t always a solution.

“Your mother would rule the world, like she has for the last few centuries.” Seraphina corrected him cautiously. He had never struck her, and always used soft tones, however he was just as restrictive as his mother. He was firmly under Madam Hunt’s thumb.

“Do you truly believe that your mother will let the woman she has held captive for a decade take her throne?”

He wasn’t able to answer her question with anything except a frustrated look.

Seraphina pushed herself and her arm out of his reach, turning her head away. She was far enough away that her wrist was being tugged by the gantlet that was attached to her headboard of her bed. It was a gray wood harvested from the fae forest. Stronger than any other wood they had access to, a simple curved design.

The moment of simple banter was gone, on to much more serious topics. Seriousness was something that Adrian avoided quite successfully.