De Haguns Family/Orpheu/The Loveless Bride, The Runaway Bride and the Bride and The Bride That Never Was
THE LOVELESS BRIDE
Location: Haguns estate, between Pelasgia and Aurocastrum in the Perdan Mines Timeframe: As Orpheu arrives from the mission escorting Alyssa to Alexandria, and before departing to Perdan
“Thea, aren’t you glad we are home? Remind me to never complain of the Perdan Mines again, it is a paradise compared to those awful lands in Alexandria”, quipped Orpheu, as they approached the Haguns villa.
“You needn’t tell me. I certainly understand why her majesty would wish to return Lundel, the land seemed worthless. Do you think it would have been different, had the land been rich?”, inquired the squire, curious about her master’s opinion. “What did you think about the queen? You didn’t tell me ever since we joined her escort and I’m curious.”
“It is not my position to judge her”, started Orpheu. But he knew he could trust Thea. “She is honorable, proud… politically adept, should I say? She and Lady Everlight certainly are very experienced in rulership and state diplomacy. And they even saved me from an embarrassment when the Silver Guard… mocked me, as you remember”, he pointed out. “She behaves properly and seems to inspire her men. But you can only know so much about a person. And I certainly still do not know her very well, but I fear she feels the weight of the crown. She seemed tense and hard to relax, at times.”, he went on. “In truth, I believe two souls inhabit the same body. There is the queen, regal as ever, sovereign and conscious of her role, and Alyssa, the woman who lives behind this outward mask that is a crown of gold.”
“Tense? Hard to relax? Seems like someone I know, doesn’t it?”, laughed Theodora as Orpheu sniggered at her. “It’s as your father always say, ‘you cannot really know someone until you have eaten pounds of salt together’, isn’t it? Well, we’re both young, there’s a long path ahead of us, Orpheu. You take your duties too seriously, you know that? Maybe you should travel to the other regions of the realm and meet other nobles? You could always learn a thing or two, maybe have some fun once in a while”, suggested Thea. She would love to leave the Mines and travel the countryside, especially as spring was almost upon them. “I’ve heard Bescanon is especially beautiful during this time of the year.”
“I wish, Thea, I wish. And when we do, I’ll take you with me. But war is upon us, and we must prepare ourselves. And besides, tomorrow de depart for Perdan. I have never been to the capital before.” Orpheu’s face turned serious, as he entered his villa through an iron and wooden gate flanked by two large stone columns engraved with the Haguns argent dragon.
More a luxurious residence than a fortress, the Haguns residence was built in white stone that had darkened due to exposure to the weather. It had an austere front that dissimulated its elaborate interior, which had been ordered by Orpheu’s ancestors to impress any lord of the realm. The halls and quarters were ornamented in ornamented vaultings of marble that resembled honeycombs, all under the aesthetic influence of foreign houses. During Opheu’s childhood, those vaults were all painted in gold and yellow, but now the color had faded away. Coins were spread thin, but hopefully he would be able to one day renovate the Haguns manor.
Orpheu had sent a message in advance to alert his brother that he was coming from Alexandria, and to make sure accommodations and entertainment were arranged for his soldiers, as they would march at dawn to the City of Lions. New boots and a good polishing on their armors was also required, as the volcanic weather in the Nightmare Plains had worn them out.
As expected, everything seemed to be in order as he entered into the manor’s main courtyard. Stableboys were ready to take his stallion and Thea’s for grooming, and a footman awaited his young master’s arrival. Both Orpheu and his squire dismounted from their mounts, and followed the footman towards the mansion’s main entrance. Thea glanced at the knight, whose face had changed so fast in a couple of minutes. It was as if Orpheu changed into another person whenever they were near other people, seeming colder and indifferent, almost detached from the world. His face seemed to be made of stone, his eyes unblinking. It was an unspoken agreement they had, something neither acknowledge, but knew all too well – in public, Orpheu would be sir Orpheu, the Knight of the Perdan Mines, but alone, he was her… friend.
Orpheu strode forward, his long legs making it hard for Thea to keep pace with him. They walked through a large corridor littered in candles of all sizes, some perfuming the air with a sweet smell of roses. That was unusual feminine touch, noticed Orpheu. Suddenly, the young knight stopped right as he was about to enter into the main patio of his villa. It was certainly breathtaking: the stone atrium was flanked by canals whose water flowed directly from a large marble fountain guarded by four dragons and four lions, a motif to represent the Haguns’s allegiance to Perdan. The low gallery was supported by marble columns engraved with the coat of arms of his House, as well as their motto “Through Iron and Fire!”, which were distributed in symmetry towards the courtyard. At the center, surrounding the fountain, a large pleasure garden where fragrant flowers of all colours and shapes lived in perfect harmony with fruit trees during most of the year, and were now on the cusp of blossoming for spring.
It was not, however, the atrium that caused Orpheu to stop.
Standing very straight in front of the fountain, just opposite the main corridor, her hands together in an almost divine demeanor, there was a lady dressed in a light red silk gown, appropriate for the milder weather. She seemed almost like an idol in her position, waiting for worshippers to beg for blessings. Golden hair cascaded from her head, where a golden circlet rested. Her icy blue eyes squinched when they saw Orpheu was followed by Thea.
“Cerise”, acknowledged Orpheu, as he bowed respectfully, but made no other movement to approach her. Thea stared the other girl down. “I was not expecting seeing you here.”
“Orpheu, my love. I see you are still accompanied by your… squire”, said the Aumerle girl, as her cold eyes were fixed on Theodora. “Leave us, girl.”
Thea responded with a brief curtsy, daring not to look at Cerise’s eyes and without waiting for her knight to speak, went back through the corridor to the courtyard where they had arrived.
Cerise smiled lightly at Orpheu and walked towards him slowly, as a lynx would stalk its prey. Her eyes did not lose sight of him for a second.
“For your sake, and not to shame you, I let her go. But you should do well to remember, my lady, that she is my squire”, pointed out Orpheu dryly. “Now, I am surprised to see you here. What happened? Why aren’t you with your family?”
Cerise stopped by his side and slowly eyed him from head to toe. “I am with my family, Orpheu. After all, are we not to marry within a few months? Oh, did you forget about our engagement? Or did someone make you forget about it, my love?” The Aumerle girl eyed him intently, as she went on, “My father thought it appropriate to send me to live in your estate before the ceremony, and your family agreed. It will be good for us to know each other better, and above all, to preserve your reputation, especially after what happened within your family. But I must say the idea was all mine, sir. I thought that my constant presence at your estate might remind you of your duty.”
“My lady, what is the meaning of this? What happened within my family, you say? Pray, tell at once and stop the charade. I am tired after days travelling in distant lands”. Orpheu looked at her quizzically. If there was something he hated was to have no leverage in front of an adversary, and being made a fool of. “And I am well aware of my duties, both due to my knighthood and to our betrothal. Also, you may find yourself alone for the foreseeable future, as I ride to the City of Lions in the morning. You might reconsider and return to your estate.”
Cerise placed her pale and delicate hand on his face, her cold eyes betraying the gentle smile that formed in her lips. “Oh, my sweet, sweet lord. It please me to hear that you remember of your duty to me. Concerning this other… more delicate matter of your family, it is not for me to say. Talk to your brother, he is better suited to tell you, since he knows all the details. He left Pelasgia and is here already”, she went on. “I know only the gossip that has made its way throughout all the Mines. But if you want the advice of your most devoted bride, you may find your… imprudent relationship with that common girl to be most ruinous for your reputation in the future. And I warn you that I will use everything at my disposal not to be subject to derision.”
“Mind the way you speak to me, my lady, and do not presume of matters you understand nothing”, fumed Orpheu. “This common girl you speak of is my squire, and her name is Theodora Oakshield, chosen by me for no other reason than merit and valor, as she has served me loyally from my childhood. And be assured I have never exposed you to ridicule, nor broken my vow to you, and yet you accuse my honor!” Orpheu’s fists balled in anger. Tired as he was from the long journey, now there was this unwanted Aumerle girl to mock and disturb him!
The loveless bride just stood on the tip of her toes to kiss her groom’s cheek and without a second glance left through the left corridor towards her new quarters at the Haguns villa.
THE RUNAWAY BRIDE
Location: Haguns estate, between Pelasgia and Aurocastrum in the Perdan Mines Timeframe: As Orpheu arrives from the mission escorting Alyssa to Alexandria, and before departing to Perdan
The man walked through the ornamented honeycomb corridors of his mansion with such speed that he was on the verge of running, but a modicum of decorum kept him from losing his nerves. That Aumerle brat really knew how to drive him up the wall! It seemed like a sport to make him mad!
Hadn’t he done everything he was supposed to? Despite his feelings for Thea, he did not betray the vow of his betrothal, neither made unwanted advances that would wanton reproach. Orpheu had acted as befit his noble station, even when there were no eyes lurking. And for what, to be chastised and offended as if he was a common philanderer?
His pale face was reddening the more he thought about the whole affair. The disrespect, the gall of Cerise! And poor Thea, who could be the victim of that golden viper! What had once been disinterest and indifference towards his bride now was starting to turn into anger and hate. He passed through two of lady Aumerle’s newly arrived ladies-in-waiting and as they curtsied respectfully, just roared. “Get out of my way!”
As he reached the main hall chamber’s great oaken doors, he violently threw them open, entering like a hurricane into the room.
Opposite him, the eldest Haguns, Marcellus. He was seated in a chair, his broken legs resting atop cushions, with candles beside him. The dancing flames enlightened the dark chambers and cast a shadow over him. Scrolls abounded by the floor and the nearby furniture in a disorganized order, if such an oxymoron was even possible. A yellowish parchment on his hand revealed that he had been reading before the loud interruption. He was attended by a steward, a much older man dressed in a greyish cloak and with a white and well-kept beard.
“Brother, I am happy to see you are still strong, yet concerned by your lack of manners”, said Marcellus, his face frowning. “What is the cause of your anger? You are not your usual self.”
“Servant, leave at once!”, said Orpheu, pointing at the steward that was attending his brother. Seeing the young master’s anger, he complied immediately, not before bowing lightly. Once the older man had left the room, the Haguns knight snapped his fingers lightly, revealing his anxiety. “My anger is well justified, brother! I arrive at my home after a long and tiresome journey only to find myself being mocked and subject to ridicule by that Aumerle girl!”
“That Aumerle girl which is your bride, lest you forget”, sighed Marcellus. “You are one lucky fool, you know that? Cerise is one of the most beautiful women in the Mines, and from a good family. Intelligent, capable and virtuous. Yet, you are not satisfied. I wish I could understand you, Orpheu, I truly wish. And if I could rise from this goddamn chair, I would try to knock some sense into that thick head of yours…”
“This must stop. If you have any love for me, my brother, you will help me end this betrothal. I love her not”, said Orpheu, almost pleading. His duty bound him to the engagement and upon his honor he could not break it without his family’s support.
“For what reason, my brother? Whom you would marry? Not Theodora, I suppose”, asked Marcellus, sternly. “Not a commoner, I suppose? Whom you took for a squire despite my warnings, despite our father’s warnings? No, don’t make that face. I have seen how you look at her, how she looks at you.”
“I just rewarded her for her loyalty and friendship, nothing more…”, tried Orpheu.
Suddenly, Marcellus slapped the arm rest in the wooden chair. “Loyalty, friendship? Don’t try and hide behind these vain words and do not presume that I believe in your chivalric tales! Don’t make me laugh, you only took her for a squire because these feeble feelings you take for love are clouding your judgement! Fate robbed me of my knighthood”, he said, pointing to his legs. “And I will never allow you to dishonor our family name, because now everything rests on your shoulders, unfortunately.”
“You know nothing, Marcellus, and you speak out of jealousy. You know that in your condition you will never have a woman…”, taunted Orpheu, his anger rising.
"And I have made my peace with this, brother! Yes, I am jealous of your fortunes, but our House comes above all other matters and my personal opinion! Our honor, our reputation! Yes, yes, under different circumstances we could have arranged to break your betrothal to Cerise, that would be possible! Dishonorable and unwise, downright stupid, but possible! We could even find a noble wife that was better suited to you and who would maybe turn a blind eye to your squire, if that made you happier, little brother!”
“Under different circumstances? What do you mean by that? The Aumerle girl said that something had happened…”
“Orpheu, will you stop calling her that? Understand this once and for all, you will marry Cerise, there is no alternative! Not ever since our damned cousin Furiae ran away a week before her marriage! She stole our uncle’s sword, the bridal price that had been advanced and went straight to Pelasgia, your estate! Now all the Mines think you had something to do with this!”, cried Marcellus. The last weeks had been stressful for him, dealing alone with the backlash that Furiae’s willfulness had caused. Without funds to reimburse the stolen groom, the cadet branch had resorted to ask for the main branch for help.
“I was not aware of this…”. Orpheu’s anger started to subside. He felt hopeless and trapped. That damned Furiae had trapped him within Cerise’s grasp by her actions, it seemed.
The brothers talked for hours and until late evening about the events that had transpired while the Knight of the Perdan Mines was away in Alexandria.
“Furiae, Furie… I would never expect her to do something like this… born and raised a Haguns, but behaving like…”, said Orpheu.
“Like you? See, now, my brother, why you must marry Cerise? Imagine the backlash that would happen to our House if we had a runaway bride and a runaway groom. I will not ask you to part ways with your squire, but you must let go of any thoughts… that may endanger your engagement.”
Orpheu sat in another chair opposite his brother, his chin cupped in his hand as he thought a way out of this situation. There seemed to be none. He sighed, defeated. “Very well, brother.”
They said their goodbyes and Orpheu left the main chambers of his manor. An inner turmoil started to wreck him from the inside as the sadness he felt suddenly started to turn into anger, then hate. He hated Furiae for what she had done. He hated her for running away from a marriage she did not wish, while he was now more than ever bound to marry Cerise and not the woman he loved. He hated his cousin for having the courage to follow her own heart, while he did not. He hated her for being free, while he was trapped.
Orpheu rested his head and both hands against one of the many columns that supported the inner courtyard of his mansion. He needed to rest. But first, he wanted to see Thea.
THE BRIDE THAT NEVER WAS
Location: Haguns estate, between Pelasgia and Aurocastrum in the Perdan Mines Timeframe: As Orpheu arrives from the mission escorting Alyssa to Alexandria, and before departing to Perdan
It was the hour of the wolf and Thea sat upon a large rock not far from the Haguns manor. Cerise’s presence had distressed her, especially her cold piercing gaze and she had left Orpheu’s estate for the solitude of the perdanese badlands.
Still dressed in leather jacket and trousers from the journey, she braced her legs and looked vaguely and unseeingly towards the horizon, rocking herself lightly. Ever since her childhood, whenever she was distressed by anything or anyone, she would come to this place to be alone and think. And her friend would always come to her…
Soon the sun would dawn. Soon they would leave and the Knight of the Perdan Mines would transform himself back into her Orpheu, once they were far away from the harsh judgement of all.
Why had fate caused them to be so close, yet so distant? It was an impossible romance, after all. She envied Cerise for what she had and would have, unattainable to her. Still, she could not bring herself to deny him, a small sparkle of hope still burning in her heart. What if…? What if they gave up on everything and went far away? They could go live in one of those famous republics across the continents, where maybe her lowborn status would not matter as much?
No, she knew better, she knew Orpheu. Duty foremost, honor above all. She could not ask him that.
Footsteps approached lightly. Thea knew who it was, but turned nonetheless so she could try and see his face. Only a silhouette. Words were not shared as the knight approached her and placed a fur cloak on her back.
“I thought I would find you here, and that you would be cold.”
“Just a bit, winter is almost ending.”
The silence fell between them, the great divide that tears lovers apart. The girl moved a bit and Orpheu sat at her side. He wanted to say something, but words could not come out. Taking his glove off, Orpheu touched her hand and held it strong, feeling its warmth.
“Orpheu…”, she started.
“I am to marry the Lady Aumerle, but I love her not.”
“I know.”
The knight left her side and kneeled before her, still holding her hand. She lowered her head. It was not shame, but sadness. “No matter what happens, I will always be with you, Thea.”, he squeezed her hand gently.
They were face to face, and she touched his face. Under the darkness, they could barely see each other, but their eyes revealed an emotional upheaval that was nevertheless tangible. Thea’s mouth was half open and trembling lightly in anticipation, and the nobleman felt an impulse to approach her, becoming prey to what’s most natural as his willpower disappeared into lustful desire.
Their lips touched lightly, and for just those moments lost in time Orpheu revealed his true nature to Theodora.
As they broke away from each other’s embrace, both realized that what had happened would never fade from their memories, and they would hold this moment very dear to their hearts.
