Dropping down to the floor, her mind went blank. Staring at the piles of books and strange artefacts trying to make sense of what was in front of her. Tea sets from a forgotten kingdom and books in languages she couldn't read. Except for a few, as one of the books had been a dictionary, it was a language she didn't know how to speak. None of that mattered now, none of these relics did. She was to be engaged to the Duke of the North, a literal demon.
She was going to be dead within the next few months, there was no way that monster would let her live. It was either that or she would end her life herself, anything better than being at the mercy of a monster.
The North of all places, was said to be the complete opposite of the Empire. Bare lands, houses made of wood, unlike the capital where they were made out of brick. And maybe the worst part of all was the cold. It was said that they had a snowy winter that lasted all year.
Lysandra had never even seen snow. She had only heard of it from stories. Was there really some cold powdery substance that could make someone shiver for days?
Would it even be worth the trouble and costs for having new dresses made? Sure her father had the money to do so but why bother when Lysandra was being sent off to her demise. Hot streaked tears had been rolling down her cheeks for several minutes now. Her nose got stuffy, seeing her own reflection in one of the old dusty mirrors letting out a sobbing laugh.
"Charming", she was an absolute mess.
Blanche and her spawns would have a field day when the news would reach them of her being engaged to the literal demon of the North. Heck, even children feared him because of cautionary tales people would tell.
After the war with the Khursh, where they tried to take over imperial lands, the demon himself had slaughtered so many that the Imperial army had told stories of his bloodshed far and wide. Stories that were fuel to an already raging fire. And thus parents would use the tales to scare their children. If they did not behave, the Duke of the North would come and gather them to join his forces in the North. There he would force them to train relentlessly, only for them to die out on the battlefield.
Reaching out to the back of her head, she pulled out the pin that kept her hair up as it draped down over her chest. Looking at the butterfly shaped hair clip with a slim smile on her face. It was a present her grandfather had given her. He had said that it held great value.
What value? She wasn't too sure about it. The hair clip was dark blue made out of stone, yet it felt light and in the right light it had this shimmer on it she hadn't seen anywhere else. With time it had become her favourite hair accessory.
Looking over at the pile of books, she leaned over towards the box next to it. That box wasn't there before. Then again she hadn't been up here in months. She hadn't dared to after Ambra had left, it felt lonely going up here without her. Still the box standing there piqued her curiosity. Had Ambra been up alone before she had left?
Strange—
Opening the box, her eyes widened. Laid before here were her grandfather's diaries sitting neatly within the box. A sense of nostalgia washed over her. She could feel herself mellow out as fond memories resurfaced. Lysandra hadn't seen these diaries in years. Grandfather's stories always made her want to see the world just as he had done.
After grandfather's passing, the attic had been locked up and deemed forbidden by her father. Back then it didn't make sense as to why but over the years she started to understand. Anything containing unregulated information regarding anything outside of the Empire was forbidden. There was barely any information in the public libraries about other kingdoms. Only about how they were threats and they would try to take lands away from the Empire and that their people were savages, yet grandfather's stories had always illustrated the opposite.
Lysandra had become an avid reader with the years, it was why she had started to question her teachers' beliefs at the young age of fourteen. None of what her books and teachers told her lined up with the stories grandfather had told her. After having confided in Ambra, the two of them had gone to the public libraries together in search of information, but to no avail.
It wasn't until five years later when she herself was nineteen that Ambra had sneaked into their father's office and had stolen the key to the attic. After unlocking the door they spent hours upon hours going through the strange relics that were left behind. Later on, Ambra had returned the key but they had kept the door unlocked. The attic wasn't supervised since it had been deemed forbidden. Nobody had entered it in years, it had faded from memory.
Taking out one of the random diaries, she opened it before scanning through them aimlessly until it hit her: Grandfather had been to the North. He had mentioned having a friend there, eying down at the box once more.
The North, she could read up on it! Anything that could be used as ammo about how barbaric they were. Just to stop the emperor from sending her.
She started skimming through her grandfather's diaries trying to find the pages where he wrote about the North. Having gone through two whole diaries before she had finally come across the right one that contained information about the North as she started to read.
"I have finally made it to the North.
Dare I say that travelling here is not for those with the weakest stomach, I have been told not to talk about the journey as the forest that surrounds these lands bear an ancient secret. I didn't want to question Duke Sepreth as to what this ancient secret might be but the people here are unlike anything I have come across before. It's as if all nations have come together and live in one place of civilised harmony.
The soldiers that had come to retrieve me from the inn at the beginning of the forest, some of them looked like they were from Coraregno. Whilst the captain in charge told me about how he was from Khursh as he himself had had enough of the hot weather. Against the white snow that covered the lands of the North the captain's tanned skin only stood out more.
Then again I have been to Khursh many times before and even if I may not be aligned with all of their beliefs. They are kind people and the people of Sornox are no different.
Duke Sepreth and I had dinner in town as everyone was preparing for the big celebration that was to come. All the houses and streets were being decorated with ornamental black and blue flowers to symbolise the North's coming over a future Dutchess.
A Duchess, can you imagine it… the Empire wouldn't dare to let a woman be in charge.
His one and only daughter is set to marry a young man, a lord from the East. I mean, Khursh. It's been so long since I have been able to refer to the East as Khrush. The Emperor would lose his mind knowing that here they refer to the Eastern kingdom by its given name. Once the Duke's daughter would be married, she would be officially in line to take over the estate.
Duke Sepreth couldn't shut up about how excited he was. He is nothing like the man I met many months ago back in the West. But I am glad I did after all. If I had not saved him from that scam those bastards tried to pull on him I might have never seen the North with my own eyes. His grace has been more than grateful for saving him from a dire mistake that could have cost his life, so he invited me to come to his daughter's wedding.
Even with the Empire growing, the North has always been excluded because it is surrounded by the high mountains and the dreaded forest that none dare to enter without guidance."
"Coraregno, never heard of it. But- Duke Sepreth? " Lysandra muttered to herself in shock. She put down the dairy on her lap as she looked around the attic.
Grandfather had been friends with none other than Duke Sepreth!