The sound of moaning echoed throughout the halls of the Jakoban estate, it went on for hours on end and the guards tried their best to ignore it as they went about their various duties until it inevitably drew to a close. Silence reigned for a time before the barely clothed maid was shoved out of Elias's room, given a pouch of silver and told to return to her duties.

In the room itself Elias sat with his head against the backboard of his bed trying his best to hold back tears. 'It's not the same without him here by my side, they don't love me like he did. They don't look at me with the same love.'

Tears came unbidden once more as he thought of Vahid and the way they had once held one another. 'Why Vahid? What did I do to cause you to abandon me?! To look at me with such overwhelming contempt that you would rather leave my presence completely than admit what we shared?'

No longer was he in his bed, instead he was pacing back and forth across his room with his head in his hands. He couldn't process all that had happened, even days later and many illicit affairs later nothing made sense any more. How could it when the love of his life had left him in such a way? 'Did I do something wrong? Did I come on too strong in a moment of weakness? What did I do, Vahid?!'

No matter how much he agonized over it he couldn't find any reasonable explanation for the change in his friend and lover's change of heart. Except… he could. Had this all not began after he had awoken from his fever after falling unconscious in the drill yard? 'Is it possible that the Vahid that fell that day is not the Vahid that woke up in my estate?'

'Not only was he acting strangely the entire time, but he was somehow wounded by a common thief, a man he should have been able to dispatch with ease. He also didn't recognize half the things I had spoken of in our few conversations, almost as if he had no memory of the events and topics in question.' Yes, Elias was starting to figure it out.

Vahid hadn't left him because he had done him some wrong but because it wasn't really Vahid anymore! He must have suffered some form of partial amnesia wiping away the memories they had shared together! 'Yes, yes that's got to be it, I refuse to believe Vahid would simply give up on everything we had together so suddenly and without warning. It just doesn't make any sense!'

With a smile on his face Elias called in one of the passing guards on duty. "Yaekirk, get me some paper and ink, I have a letter to write."

"Yes my lord, I will return soon."

With his supplies sure to be on the way soon enough Elias prepared himself for what was to come, surely Vahid would return to the Gallick estate for the moment and that would give him time to convince Lord Gallick to allow him to visit his son. If he played things right he should be able to win Vahids heart once more, he had already done it before, and he could do it again.

'Please Vahid wait for me.'

POV Change

The halls of the Imperial palace were cavernous in their vastness, they seemed to stretch forever in all directions as the banners of the Erstien dynasty flew with their golden brilliance, lighting up the halls with magic and life. For Veressa Von Erstien, Princess of the Estinite Empire it was a cage in all but name, a gilded cage in which she was forced into her role as a bargaining chip for her father to use however and whenever he wished.

Oh sure she enjoyed all the privileges of being a member of the Imperial family, such as an impeccable education in all matters physical, spiritual, and magical, access to unlimited funds, and the fealty of the entire Empire. She would give it all up for the chance to live a life away from the whims and wants of her father and family.

"Your Highness the Emperor is requesting your presence in the throne room, it seems he has something of importance to tell you about."

"Thank you Ilene I will attend to my father soon." The low bow of the servant was the only reply she needed as Veressa began to prepare to see her father. It was a well worn routine, one she had hammered into her from childhood. Makeup was applied, she put on her best dress and with her maids at her side she began the long walk from her room to the Imperial throne room.

Along the way she passed various nobles engaged in their schemes and intrigues as they tried their best to stay out of her way, none interfered with one of the Imperial family while they were walking, especially if they were anything less than a provincial lord.

Nobles alone did not wander the halls of the palace, alongside them were hundreds of servants and soldiers at work to ensure the palace stayed clean and well protected both. Some of them she could recognize as old hands who had spent their entire lives working in the palace, some of them had even helped raise her in a way.

She would never forget the way she had run to Lykerian for protection from her brothers, nor the way he had scolded the princes for daring to harm her. It was a miracle the man had ever reached the rank of captain after that stunt, but her influence wasn't nonexistent in the court and it was a simple enough thing to get him the position.

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Thoughts of time past would have to wait until later however as soon enough they stood before the great doors that led to the throne room itself. It was a matter of a single nod from her before the Imperial guard standing sentinel at the doors sides pushed them open and allowed her entrance to the inner chamber.

There upon his throne of purest Void stone, created by Alarik Von Erstien himself as a symbol of his power sat her father. Athlarik Von Erstien the second of his name, Emperor of the Estinite Empire and the source of all her problems.

"My daughter I didn't expect you to heed my summons so easily, usually I have to send the guard to acquire you." She tried her best to keep the polite smile upon her face at her fathers words.

"Usually you summon me when I'm busy, your Grand Majesty, you know I would never refuse a summons otherwise." She could see the smile on his face become ever slightly more forced, like father, like daughter it seems.

"While I'm sure that's the case, your inability to swiftly respond to my summons isn't why I've called you here today. If you weren't aware there has been growing reports of raids along our eastern border by the Jorloen nomads and with the Soldati as spread thin as they are I am in no position to deal with them."

"And what does this have to do with me father? I have no personal soldiers of my own to deal with the problem, and despite my wishes I am not the mage that Alarik or Acarion were."

"Why it's quite simple my dear, you will seduce Lord Jakoban, and convince him to give you control of his forces to crush the barbarian threat. Of course you'll have to marry him afterwards, but I'll ensure he is given a rank to suit you and more than enough wealth to accommodate you."

The silence in the hall was overpowering, with the only people in the hall being her father, her, and the Imperial guard her lack of a response left nothing to fill the gap her father had left behind with his proclamation.

"I refuse."

"You refuse?"

"Yes."

The look her father gave her was one completely devoid of the put on care and attention that he had on his face just moments before. "I have allowed you to remain unmarried for far longer than the rest of your siblings, already your brothers have produced children of our bloodline while you sit unmarried and ignorant of your duties to our house. And even after I have shown you such grace you refuse to follow my commands? Your Emperor's commands?"

Her rage overtook her in that moment, she may have been a woman, but the blood of Erstien ran true in her, and her namesake was said to have been no less willful. "I will not act as your prostitute or your broodmare to sire the next generation! I refuse! Especially with a man of the rank of Van at that!"

"You are my daughter and you will do as I command! If that command be that you seduce some lower lord to ensure the stability of MY Empire then you will do it without complaint!"

"You must think me some half wit trouncy of a woman if you believe for even one second I will do as you command-?!?" Suddenly she felt it, the coiling tendrils of magic suffocating her soul and will as her father let his power be known. She felt her knees fall out from under her and her very mind go blank as he suppressed every ounce of will and free thought she had.

"Silence girl." Suddenly she felt her will and mind return to her, and her breath with it.

"If you will not do this of your own will I am more than willing to place a geas upon you and make you do it. Now you can either do as I command and receive my blessing, or you can do it and receive nothing. Am I clear?"

"Yes my Emperor."

"Good, now leave my sight, your mother will be here soon and I plan to see to it you have another sibling soon. Hopefully they will be less of a disappointment than you."

Even as tears ran down her eyes she bowed and left the throne room, it was not the worst experience she had ever gone through with her father, but this time was different. She knew it well enough from the expression on his face and the way his will had smothered her own. Her time as an even remotely free woman was coming to an end.

'I will die before I let that Jakoban fool lay a finger on me, I care not for any vows we make or the best laid plans of my father. I'll just have to convince the fool to follow me without ever touching him… this may be harder than I thought.'

She knew she would have to at least try to fulfill her fathers wishes lest he really did place a geas upon her, but even the thought of some man she didn't know touching her was enough to send chills throughout her body, she didn't even know what the man looked like for Alarik's sake! 'Hopefully he's smart enough to just let me take over long enough to finish my business and leave without the need for a wedding. Surely I can convince him of the need to serve the wider Empire?'

Who was she kidding what man had ever thought with anything besides his cock? She swore she would see her father pay for putting her through this humiliation, even if it was the last thing she did.