Chapter 1

Aesria

Aesria exhaled a breath of air toward the curtain of lace shrouded atop her head. As the lace settled, she peeked through the tiny holes and noted the vastness of her surrounding space. Flickering candles cast ominous shadows to dance across the room, but colours of walnut brown embalmed her in warmth. It reminded her a little of home. Only, this was supposedly home now. Aesria gripped the thick, red sheets beneath her – something to hold onto, to stop her fingers from wearing down her dress. The warm, inviting red of the bed sheets spanned forever, causing Aesria to realise just how little she was, perched on the edge like a bird in a vast meadow. The entire chamber was a vast meadow, making her unable to sit still, the constant fear of what she couldn't see festering in her subconscious. Or was her hindered vision taking advantage of her imagination, morphing her fear into a wild beast?

Before the bed or her fear of the unknown could swallow her, Aesria stood, padded across the smooth grain of the timber floor as quietly as she could. Luckily, her footsteps were cushioned by the fluff of the rug beneath her feet. Aesria stopped beside the double doors. Her gaze paused on the beautifully arched golden handles and the etchings on the door. She listened. Tried to hear more than the erratic pounds of her heartbeats despite her fear of moving, breathing. Her fear of making a sound. Nothing. Several moments passed. Aesria finally moved. Lifted to her full height and pulled the veil off her head. Her gaze took her scene in greedy gulps – the beautiful wooden carvings that were the stools and the centerpiece round table, the dressing table across the bed with a vase of red flowers. It was as if someone had taken her into a completely foreign world, one that had her reeling, unable to quite believe she was starting a new life. The realisation sent an exhilarating thrill up her spine and she stepped into the middle, turning to get a full view of the room.

Click. Aesria stopped. Her heart froze. Eyes whirled to the double doors. And sure enough, the golden door handle she'd been admiring moved. The doors opened. Darkness towered from the doorway. He was tall, or perhaps it was the thick locks of his hair that added extra height. Whatever it was, he nearly touched the top of the door frame. Every fibre in her being urged her to run. It was a feeling she was all too familiar with. But for some reason, something kept her rooted in place. She could only stare, take in the shadows haunting his body. When he stepped into the room, the dim light from the candles gave her the first glimpse of his face. Her heart pounded. Stomach dropped. Everything about his face was a straight, harsh angle. And even in the warmth of the candles' glow, there was an impenetrable coldness, unable to melt. Perhaps it was his deep set eyes – set so deeply that shadows filled their crevices and made the colour of his irises unintelligible. Aesria could only read the menace radiating from them. It was such a cold and harsh emotion coming from someone she'd only seen face to face for the second time, that she flinched. Caught herself and swallowed.

"L – l – lord H-Hartridge," she stammered.

No response. A few moments passed. Aesria feared nothing would be left of her if the man continued to stare, his dark gaze feeding from her soul. The man took another step forward, bringing himself further into the light. Aesria swallowed at the enormity of his size. Not only was he tall, his shoulders were broad, like they could carry the weight of several rocks. Without realising, her body began to shrivel into itself. How ironic she'd thought this room so big before and now, she could barely breathe with his oppressive presence filling the space.

Another step - Aesria became prey being hunted by the predator.

Lord Hartridge paused. His brow furrowed and Aesria wondered what he was thinking. Was he angry? Aesria was an expert on reading the signs of anger – could sense it in the blink of an eye, but she'd never met this man, unless one considered their earlier exchange of vows with her face covered, a meeting. She couldn't think what she might have done to upset him, even if murder radiated from his entire being…

Oh! Her veil. Aesria's heart dropped at the realisation. She swallowed the lodge in her throat. Should she have waited for him to take it off? She didn't know the typical customs, for no one had told her. Or was it the sight of her bare face that he despised?

"Don't wait for me."

The deep rumble of his voice shuddered through her body. Aesria swallowed, unable to decipher the meaning of his words. Before she could come to a conclusion, he'd turned and the doors slammed shut with a loud bang!

For a few seconds after, Aesria didn't move, too shocked by the encounter. Then out of nowhere, her legs wobbled, giving out beneath her. Aesria hadn't known what she'd been expecting on her wedding night but had been told it was part of the marriage initiation and would take place after the ceremony. To make a baby, Fedelia had said with a sort of pitiful smirk. She would have known, Fedelia'd been married to Aesria's brother for nearly three years. Aesria was twenty-one, but she didn't have the first clue how a baby was made. Only that babies somehow appeared in their mother's body, growing bigger by the day. The birth and delivery of her niece was testament to that. Aesria didn't know how all women didn't die giving birth. Her own mother had died giving birth to her.

Aesria had tried to find out more about what child-making entailed, only Fedelia and her had never been close. It was particularly vital for her to know, given her father'd tasked her with giving birth to three of Lord Hartridge's heirs. The announcement of her marriage to The Lord had come only days after she'd cut her own birthday cake - not that her father knew about the cake.

Aesria had never imagined getting married, let alone what marriage life would entail. Only when Fedeliah'd married her brother had Aesria witnessed a couple's interactions for the first time. She wasn't particularly opposed to marriage, nor did she have any fondness toward the concept. However, defying Father was not a choice and her marriage to The Lord had already been decided. Aesria didn't know how her father'd come to such an agreement with the man, let alone how he knew the man in the first place for their cottage was so far from any other inhabitants that she didn't think they interacted with anyone else. In all honesty, she hadn't known her father's intentions for her, but she hadn't expected to be married off as soon as she was of marriageable age. Regardless, defying her father was not a choice.

Aesria sat back on the bed, then decided it was far too big and luxurious for her. There was no way she could go from sleeping on a mattress on cold stone to a large four-poster eight times the size she was used to. If the bed didn't swallow her first, the room soon would. Eventually she tugged a layer of woolen throw off the bed and settled herself in the only place of comfort - the cupboard of her dresser. How ironic that she was in such a large, open space – a freedom she always wanted, yet it took being in this small, cramped space for her to feel safe. She could look out into the open space from here and not have her back to anyone or anything. Not be caught off guard.

This place was home now, but Aesria could hardly imagine the day she could see herself sleeping comfortably in that bed, at least, not without all her senses alert, waiting. Ready to jump at a moment's notice. It was too early to tell if Aesria had finally escaped those days, but she hardly dared hope. Perhaps that man who was now her husband would be the beginning of another prison guard. Only time would tell.