Demitytes Bride

Threll

People. Too many people.. gossiping, mocking, craning to look at her. There was too much noise. Kashara closed her eyes and breathed. She was at the sending off ceremony for the Demitytan people.

Yet why was she standing here, on the podium, being exhibited like an animal in a showcase? Because His Royal Pain in the Ass had practically manhandled her here.

So now she stood here with a unyielding hand on the small of her back. Kashara tried to ignore the small flutterings it caused her heart when Fallon moved his hand or leaned in closer.

She could not be attracted to Fallon.
That was just horrible. She already had Mariset helping her escape after this Ceremony. The Atil spaceship was neutralised against her magic and escape, but now that she was out, there was nothing stopping her.

'I cannot become delusional! Just because he is handsome and charismatic does not mean he is a good person or someone suitable for me! Besides, I don't want to marry him..or leave Erth and my brother' Kashara reasoned, fully aware that she sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

The Lord Protector was currently making some inane comment about how she and Fallon were made for each other. Kashara scoffed mentally and tried to inch away from the hand burning a brand into her back. Fallon suddenly dipped his hand lower, lower until it rested on the curve of her bottom.

She gulped and shifted uneasily. Fallon stepped closer and gave her an warning look. Apparently she was expected to play along with his little game. Resigned Kashara, smiled at the crowd and even managed an awkward wave. However his hand stayed there. She tried awkwardly clearing her throat but only got an smirk in response. Thoroughly irritated, Kashara tried to ignore the hand and went through her plan to escape, in her head.

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The stupid ceremony ended with a token giving ceremony where the Protector presented an model of Erth to Fallon. Fallon recieved it with ill disguised amusement that did not seem innocent or safe for anyone. Kashara waited. It was soon.

She gave an nod to Mariset who stood in the crowd. Soon Mariset began moving towards the Podium. Kashara and Fallon had  begun to climb down and now stood on the street.

Mariset steadily approached Fallon through the crowd clamouring to reach the couple of the hour. She ducked under the sweeping arm of a bodyguard and gave a very dramatic gasp, pretending to trip on flat ground. "Oops!! Woaah!! Sorry!!"

Mariset promptly crashed into Fallon and began to shamelessly grope him. She ran her hands over his tight biceps before dramatically flopping and hanging onto his broad shoulders. Fallon being smooth and inhuman as always caught her as she fell onto the ground. He tried to lift her up but Mariset resisted his efforts and pretended to trip even more and held onto his midriff tightly.

"Oh dear! What shall I do? My legs seem to have failed me! My life is ruined! Who ever will marry such an incapable girl now!"  She wailed dramatically right in Fallon's ear earning a wince from Fallon. She threw Kashara a wink and mouthed 'sinful abs!' before inclining her head as if telling her to go.

Kashara rolled her eyes at Mariset's dramatics and incorrigibility and ducked, whispering a notice-me-not charm that diverted attention away on her and began sprinting towards Daravez. She had to make her escape when Fallon was distracted.

She had to get a few belongings and probably camp in the Threll woods in the outer parts of the kingdom. They were a cluster of dense woods filled with wondrous, dangerous creatures and powerful ancient magic. Doame, the most feared creature was rumoured to be an huge skeletal bloodhound the size of an elephant. Many who claimed to have seen it said it was eerily thin and its eyes glowed an furious red.

Most Erthlings were terrified of Threll as it was rumoured that once you stepped in, your bones would forever lie in Threll. There was even a folk rhyme for Threll in Daravez.

             

             Midnight gleam,

             Perpetual Dark

             The trees of Threll

             grow thick, Stranger Hark!

             Stray not beyond

             the dead-man's mark.

             Monsters roam,

             bloodthirst Doame

             Stranger beware

             Do not dare,

             Step beyond the Dell

             Lest your bones

             rest forever in Threll.

            

As fearsome as it sounded, Kashara had a sneaking suspicion that this was another one of the Lord Protector's schemes to hide something. Regardless, she wasn't weak as the Daravez non-mage. She was a mage and she could handle an stupid forest filled with old wives' tales. She planned to hide there till Fallon departed or chose another bride.

'I know its not exactly brilliant...the mages back at the Institution could easily scry for my whereabouts. My only option is to keep moving and hope a few concealment charms can ward off detection. There is no way I'm going to Demitytes and marrying Fallon!...Leave Erth? Brother..Mariset and the people in Daravez? Impossible! '

Kashara shook her head in disbelief. She was not doing it. Demitytans were Erth's mortal enemies. How could she marry and live with someone she had despised since childhood?

Kashara soon reached Daravez, which was eerily deserted. Everyone had gone for the farewell. The usual noises that the raucous taverns and shady clubs generated were absent. Slightly uncomfortable and spooked, Kashara hurried to get her items and a ration of food.

She dropped her notice-me -not charm and began concentrating on dyiporting to Threll. She had not been able to dytiport from the ceremony itself because dyiporting-transporting required huge concentration and she could not maintain both spells at once.

She could not risk dropping the notice-me-not charm in the crowd where even a child could recognise her.

She began to feel the fizz of dyiportation, like well cultured mead fizzing out of the flask, she knew she was going to travel soon.

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"HI GUYS". p.s that is totally not me, just my overly enthusiatic friend. do pardon her :) hahahaha!!

anyway, this chapter has been a draft for a long time. I wanted to finish the threll section where she experiences the horror of threll and....well no spoilers! but I realised I was really blocked...so I decided to post this first.  Sorrry I took so long. I know you are possibly upset but pleaase pleaase click on the star (vote) and comment on what you think!! I really want to know what my readers think:)