forum Arranged and Illegitimate // Fantasy OxO // Closed

Started February 15, 2020 by @ElderGod-Icefire

tune

(so uh. This doesn't have the best organization, but bear with me)
(Also loosely inspired by "Serpent and Dove", by Shelby Mahurin)

Blurb: A girl is forced into an arranged marriage with the bastard prince.

Explanation: Your character, the girl, gets into big trouble somehow (she does something illegal, is a Witch (which is illegal), etc) and the only way to save her life is to agree to marry the king's middle son, a bastard, and also one of the greatest warriors in the kingdom. She expects him to be callous and stupid and perhaps a little cruel, but instead…instead she meets a man that is, well…if not kind, then at least courteous. Distant, too, but he promises that he will never harm her, and indeed, will keep her safe if necessary.

And yeah, she…begins to fall for him, too.

But the prince is hiding secrets from her. The prince is distant for a reason. His hair keeps one of his eyes covered at all times, and he never goes without a long sleeved shirt. No one knows why. But the truth? He is cursed, and it shows on his body. He is dying, and he knows it.

I am the prince. You'll be the girl. This is a fantasy romance with a lot of angst and romance and tension.

Rules:

• andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer)'s rules apply
• Steamy scenes will be taken to PMs
• Descriptive, three sentences minimum
• I reserve the right to say no

Template will be posted when someone joins

Sure!

“God, that’s… amazing.” Dare couldn’t stop staring at the tool in her hand. Did it really work? She had to check. “Um, sword!” The rod morphed like mercury into an elegant shortsword with filigree gracing the pommel. “So cool!” she squealed, unable to hold back her excitement. Dare quickly cleared her throat and gave the weapon a few practice swishes. The thin weapon whistled through the cold, bitter air, and she gasped in astonishment at the fluidity of the silver blade. She had never felt so powerful, so present and capable within the workings of the grand universe.

Name:
Nicknames:
Titles:
Gender:
Age (between 20 and 24):
Looks:
Magic?:
Other:

Name: Callan Oliver Ashwill
Nicknames: Cal
Titles: Prince
Gender: Male
Age: 24
Looks: https://ibb.co/b6xyJ1v . Light brown hair with blonde highlights. His left eye is a deep emerald green color, and his right eye has turned to stone (his curse, will explain later). His arms have veins of stone running through them, and his back does as well. He is otherwise white, with a good, golden-y tan. He has a few scars scattered around his body from fighting. He is tall, with broad shoulders. He's pretty muscular.
Magic?: None
Other: his curse is slowly turning him into stone

Name: Finley Flickle
Nicknames: Finn, but only welcome from those she is close too
Titles: Witch, from her accusers
Gender: Female
Age (between 20 and 24): 21
Looks: Dark brown hair in a braid that reaches the small of her back, bright hazel eyes. Warm brown skin with freckles, and she’s rather short and curvy.
Magic?: Hyperkinesis, the control of the flow of energy around her body. She uses it to give herself heightened strength and
heightened senses, and when she uses it, the part of her body where the energy is concentrated glows.
Other: She used her abilities to save a child from getting crushed by a cart, which outed her as a witch

(alright cool!)

King Cotran Ashwill looked carefully at the Witch before him. She was chained to keep her from using her magic, and flanked by guards. Witches were rare, but their magic could be devastating, which was why one of his ancestors had declared the practice of Witches and magic illegal. He wasn't going to undo that, but he wasn't about to just pass up the chance to keep someone so powerful close to the throne. Of course, there was no way he would marry her to Albion, the crown prince. Nor would he wed her to Ezra, the youngest. Callan, however, would be perfect. The bastard, wedded to the witch. So he said as much. That she had a choice: death, or marriage to his middle son. Callan, the bastard warrior prince.

Callan himself wasn't even in the throne room. Instead, he was out on the sparring grounds, facing off against one of the guards in a spar. He wore a tight, long sleeved black shirt, and pants as well. He was throwing punches and blocking them, sweat slicking his forehead and neck and making the shirt stick even tighter to his body.

Finley strained against the hold of the chains and the guards, but it was mainly to show that the fight hadn’t drained out of her yet. She was exhausted from the events of the last day, and her efforts were virtually useless. Gods above, why had she stopped to save that kid? Someone else could have done it, but no, Finley had to be the hero. Of course, being revealed as a Witch was what she got for trying to help.

She heard the king’s ultimatum- death or marriage to his bastard. She pretended that it was a difficult choice, but really, she had made up her mind the moment she has spoken. As much as Finley didn’t want to admit it, she was a coward, and would do basically anything to stay alive.

“I’ll do it,” she said, breathless from her struggle. “I’ll wed your bastard son.”

The king dipped his head in a nod. He snapped his fingers, gesturing for one of the servants to go and fetch Callan. He looked at Finley. "Good. Sadly, we haven't time for a full ceremony that his rank would normally demand, but…" he shrugged. "I'm sure we can find you a nice dress." he looked at his queen expectantly. She dipped her head in a nod, and exited the throne room in a rustle of skirts. King Cotran looked at Finley. "Of course, it is a little bit strange, to marry a Witch to a royal, but. It is already happening." He was insinuating, of course, of the fact that Witches were rumored to be "daughters of the Devil", and the Royals "God ordained".

Callan looked up as a servant called his name, holding up a hand to pause the match. He jogged to the servant. "What news?" he asked. The servant explained what had just transpired, and Callan's easy smile slowly vanished. He was to be married? To a Witch?

Finley visibly flinched at the king’s insult, but figured it was best not to anger him any further, so she dropped her searing gaze to the floor. She was surprised at how fast all of this was progressing, as barely a minute ago she was being prepped for her own execution. Now, she was being prepped for a wedding to a prince, albeit a bastard one. Briefly, she let her mind wander to what her future husband was doing right now. If the stories she has heard were right, he was off seducing some servant girl or executing traitors to the kingdom. Finley swallowed nervously. What if the marriage was no better than death? She barely had time to wonder before she was dragged off to a small powder room to be prepared for her wedding.

(Thinking the gown looks like this, but with longer sleeves and a slightly higher neckline: Gown)

A servant girl brought a gown for Finley to wear for the wedding. It was a wedding dress. While it was not specifically designed for Finley herself, it would fit her. It was white, and lovely, but rather simple. There was an attached cloak, and the bodice was beautifully decorated with lines of silver and pearls beaded in. They helped to dress her, working quickly and quietly.

Callan hurried to his rooms, and bathed, washing away the stink of sweat and grime and fighting. He combed his brown hair, and put on a suit. The jacket was white, with golden embroidery on the edges. He strapped his sword to his waist, in a decorated sheath. It was only a makeshift outfit; he had never expected to be married. Not now, certainly, and not to anyone. Certainly not to a witch, but he had no choice in the matter.

Finley squirmed a bit in the beautiful dress, feeling completely out of place. Used to rough trousers and tunics, the soft material felt like water rippling over her skin, the silver edging and pearls shimmering in the light. Even though the dress was functionally a prisoner’s uniform, she couldn’t help but admire it. Admittedly, it was quite strange having others help dress her, but that part was over rather quickly, thank the gods.

The servants replaited her hair and brushed some sweet-smelling powders on her face before deeming her ready, pushing her out to meet the was she was going to marry.

(While she’s married to Callan, how are they going to stop her from using her powers, or are they just going to let her do as she wants now that she is their tool?)

Callan had been taken to wait outside her door. He had his hands tucked behind his back, and his brown hair was neatly combed. He looked rather dashing, dressed like that. He smiled tightly at Finley, holding out his arm to her. "Hello." he greeted in a soft tone, trying not to frighten her or anything of the sort. He knew his reputation. He knew that she might already be scared of him, and he didn't want that. Though he worried now that the sword might have the opposite effect. He wasn't planning on murdering her at his own wedding, of course not. Of course not.

Finley almost did a double take as she laid eyes on the prince waiting outside of the chambers. He was tall and broad, and could most likely snap her like a twig, but the look on his face was not that of a vicious womanizer and murderer. The prince looked almost as stressed as she was, but that didn’t mean Finley felt comfortable around this man. “Your highness,” she said coldly, the effect ruined by her atrocious curtesy.

Callan almost laughed at her curtsey, but controlled himself. His face merely twitched with hidden laughter for a moment. He offered her his arm. "Well." He said. "I certainly wasn't expecting to be married today, but then again, I doubt you were either." He waited for her to be ready to start walking.

Finley stiffened a bit as she saw the prince laugh at her, and she took his arm carefully, touching him as little as possible. If she activated her abilities, she could probably make it down the hallway without anyone catching her, she thought wryly. She bet that there were dozens of anti-magic protections in place that wouldn’t let her take more than a few steps. “When your choices are death or marriage, you tend to be more favorable towards the latter,” she replied.

Callan nodded a little bit. "True. Although as my…wife… no one will dare to harm you. Bastard or not, they know better than to disrespect my wife." He replied, leading her down the hallway. He kept his stride shorter than usual so that she wouldn't have to struggle to keep up. He let out a slow, careful breath. "And I will not harm you either, of that I can also promise you. I may not want this marriage, but I wouldn't take that frustration out on you, Witch or no."

Finley stopped in her tracks in surprise, Callan’s grip dragging her a few steps further. This guy—prince—was almost absurdly nice, given her situation. She was a Witch, a demonic creature with ungodly abilities, yet he was treating her like a real person. “I’m sorry to mess up your plans to remain alone,” she said unsurely. “I know you don’t want this, but thanks for accepting it anyway.”