Silver Moonlight

Mercy looked out the window of her tower watching as sunlight gently revealed her home. The melancholy she felt was strong. This had been her home for 18 years and today it would be the last. The family castle had been decorated last evening, all preparations for her glorious wedding completed. Somehow planning a wedding to a man she’d never met had been more exciting than participating. She pushed away from the window and glared at the silver dress hung beside her bed. Weddings for the humans were always such a happy occasion, but Weres married for power and money. The notion of love was not unknown and manny marriages created a love match,later, after time and adjustment. Would hers be the same? Would her husband be attractive? The oldest son of the McMennis family took over after his father passed in battle. Would he hold a grudge? Her own father had been the victor in that battle. The fact that the marriage contract was negotiated and accepted was the only comfort her family could offer. She wasn’t even sure of his name, it was probably on the contract, but as he sent a representative it’s not even his signature gracing the parchment. Mercy quickly dressed in her training uniform the soft material clinging to her muscular body. She brushed her hair quickly braiding the brown and silver strands quickly . As much as she loved her waist length hair it often got in the way of her training. She quickly rolled it into a bun on the top of her head and rushed to the training yard. She was the only female were who trained amongst the men. Females were stronger than the humans they protected but still fragile compared to males. The gift she scoffed if you called it that she received at birth as the strength of a warrior. Her father had fought it, encouraging more appropriate tasks. Sewing had been a disaster, she didn’t have the patience to sit and stitch elaborate patterns as her mother had done. She had learned to run a castle as that would be her responsibility in marriage, but hobby wise she was the best archer of her people and the fastest in hand to hand combat due to her size. Though, she had never been in a real fight. She greeted Tal with a smile his uniform of the family colors to display his rank. The silver and purple clashing against his olive skin, he was her fathers first. The man she would have married if the McMennis hadn’t offered the treaty. She had spent her childhood dreaming of the warrior who would impress her father enough to take the spot, and her hand. Tan had been trained by the previous first Sean, to take his place when he grew to old to fight. She had been impressed he had matched her in marks and they had become friends, never daring to cross the line into more until the contract was drawn. Now it never would be, she found herself disappointed, but Tal seemed to be fine with the new arrangement. He seemed to have found solace in the arms of a human from the village. These matches, not unheard of, would not be acknowledged unless a pup was produced. For a human this was the only way to be elevated from common to noble. Returning Tals smile Mercy jumped over the fence gracefully landing on her feat before rolling to the side avoiding his attack. She dodged his blows efficiently and with little effort before he seemed to rise to the occasion grasping her arm and spinning her into his grasp. “Are you even supposed to be here today little one? Shouldn’t you be preparing for your groom?” He chuckled. With her temper raised she hooked her foot behind his knee breaking his hold, “I have time for both, plus sitting up in my room awaiting his arrival seems,” she paused, “pathetic. Like a pup waiting for it’s father to return,”. Tal did not like to be distracted from his goal, chuckled, “if you say so little one,” they circled each other and the fight began anew Tal pulling no punches, “your new home may not be as safe as we hope, you may have to protect yourself”. She was panting now, “isn’t that the point of my training?”. Just as she was going to finish the fight calls in the distance distracted her allowing Tal to pin her. Her future husband had arrived, and here she was covered in dust and sweat sparing with her fathers first. She quickly got to her feet Tal nodding “take the servants stairs and hurry,” she nodded giving him one last look before dashing up the stairs to her room. Once safely out of sight she walked more slowly, knowing the women of the castle, her mother and aunt would be waiting. She pushed into her room sighing at the tempers being shown. Her mother scoffed, “this is how you choose to prepare for your wedding? You’re filthy and smell of another male.” Her aunts gentle voice rang out, “you do not want your groom to think you have been compromised,” she reaches for Mercy. Obediently allowing her Aunt Tara to remove the braided bun, she met her mothers eyes. “I have no idea what to expect of my new husband, and he has no notion of who I am, do you think he would be disappointed in who I truly am?” Mercy’s mother Killeen had never been good at hiding her emotions and the flicker of fear shown in her eyes was enough to worry Mercy, “he is not getting a conventional wife, and that maybe an issue for him, but you know how to appear to be so. Your outward appearance does not scream warrior, and as long as you can convince him you are meek and accepting your marriage maybe one of joy.” Mercy sighed and that was it, as long as she played the part and never showed who and what she was she could convince her husband he had made a good choice in bride. How long would that last?