I do not own the WWE or any of the characters associated with it. I only own Rose and her family.
Chapter 1
He stared at the starving idiots in front of him. They were dressed in rags and proclaiming they could not pay their taxes. The two of them, the man and his wife, begging for mercy, he knew what he would do to them. He would throw them in the dungeon. This was his world and he owned it. His brother, Duke Kane stood beside the throne with a threatening look on his face.
"What should we do with them, brother?" Kane asked.
"What we always do with tax evaders…throw them in the dungeon." He replied.
Then a vision walked in. She had beautiful red tresses and was dressed in rags from head to toe. She looked as if she hadn't eaten in days. Skinny as a rail, she got down on her knees and he couldn't help but imagining her pleasuring him like that.
She spoke quietly, demurely. "I'm sorry, my lord. My parents cannot pay their taxes. They are too high for us and we have been trying to get money to pay them as soon as we could."
"Well, my dear. It seems you are very behind on your taxes. You have two options: You can rot in the dungeons with your parents." He sneered. "Or you can be mine to do with what I please."
"How long would I be yours?" She asked.
"Rose! You cannot be serious!" Her mother yelled.
"Do not yell in my presence." He ordered.
"I asked a question, my lord. May I have an answer?" She said.
"As long as it will take to pay off your taxes: six years of servitude." He replied, looking at the parchment in front of him. "Do we have a deal?"
"Rose, don't do it. He's the devil!" Her father wanted nothing to do with this man.
"I will do it, but after the six years, you give me up." Rose demanded quietly.
"Of course, my lady." He smirked and clapped his hands. A servant came in with flush cheeks. "Mary, good. See that this lady is properly scrubbed down, her clothes burned and new clothes procured for her. My colors, if you don't mind." She led Rose off, rather quickly.
"As for you two, my brother has authorized your torture in the dungeons." Kane escorted them out of the room, leaving the Lord alone with his thoughts.
Across the castle, Rose found her new surroundings unimaginable. She would be living here? In the very room that her lord slept? What was to be expected of her? A companion? A wife? She shuddered at the thought of bedding a man so terrifying as the cold water washed over her. Mary helped her with her hair and she dried herself rather quickly. Dressing in a black cote, then a purple gown, she surveyed herself in the mirror and breathed deeply. She was rather beautiful. Mary arranged her hair and put the pin bearing the symbol of the Lord on it. The skull shined wonderfully against her hair and when she left, there was a guard at the door.
"I would like to go see the man who put me here." Rose asked quietly. The guard nodded slightly, and then took her arm. She wasn't used to this at all. When she arrived back in the throne room, the Lord was staring out his window. He whirled around to see his vision of beauty come towards him timidly.
"My lord, thank you for all of this. But I thought I would be serving you?" Rose asked, curtsying as deeply as she could.
"You are going to serve me, Rose." He chuckled darkly. "You are going to be my wife."
"No! I will not!" She screamed in horror.
"You will. You promised yourself to servitude my dear. You are mine to do with as I please." He gripped her arm and pulled her towards him. "You are only terrified of me because of my name."
"I do not…no…" Rose looked away from him.
"You want me…I can feel it."
"No, I don't want anyone. I just want to go home." Rose said tiredly.
"You are home now, my dear. Say my name."
"Lord Marcus, the Reaper, the Undertaker of England." She said defeated.
"You belong to me, Rose. Don't make me bind you to me. I do that with most of my servants. I don't want to have to with you." He caressed her hair.
"What are my duties as your wife, my lord?" She sighed, straightening. If this was her curse, she would do it with dignity.
"You are to obey me in all things. You will sleep with me each night and we will wed this afternoon. You will give me children and above all, you will give me what I need, when I need it. You will have servants to help you sort all these things out." He explained. "Now, go back to our room and get the white gown, your purity makes you more desirable."
She left, wondering what she would do as a prisoner. She would have no freedom like this. Mary was in her room and getting out the white gowns.
"Here we are, my lady." She said, fearfully.
"What's wrong?"
"He watches all the binded ones, my lady. I cannot speak my mind or I'll be beaten." Mary helped her out of the gown she was in as she contemplated what was going on.
"You are forced to hide your true personality?" She asked.
"My lady, you must not concern yourself with these things. The master has control over all the binded ones." Mary helped her with the gowns, then brought her back to the throne room were Lord Kane was standing next to her new master.
The minister waited as she walked down the aisle and she noticed she was crying. She didn't know why, but if she knew that Lord Kane had binded her parents to Lord Undertaker, she would be crying harder and louder. She got to them and Lord Marcus grabbed her hand.
The minister cleared his throat. "Do you, Lord Marcus take this woman, Lady Rose, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day 'til death do you part?"
"I do." He looked at her, daring her to say no.
"Do you, Lady Rose take this man, Lord Marcus, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love, honor, and obey, from this day 'til death do you part?"
"I do." She answered quietly.
"By the power vested in me, by you, my lord, you are now man and wife. You may kiss your bride."
He kissed her, but it was passionate and loving which puzzled her. What sort of man was she dealing with? She would have to wait and see. She didn't mind the pampering, but she was terrified of her new husband. He ended the kiss and saw she was in a daze.
"My lady, I will bring you to our chambers." He picked her up and carried her down the aisle, throughout the halls to their rooms. "Mary, you may go." He said when he set Rose down.
"Yes, my lord." She said, departing without a sound.
"Do you like your new home, Rose?" He asked, taking her aback.
"It's lovely." She said, terrified of what would happen.
"Something is troubling you." He said, coming across the room to her. "I want you to be comfortable here. You are my wife and I will learn to love you."
She sighed in relief. "Yes, my lord. Of course. I just…I miss my friends."
"You will have new friends at court when you are presented as my wife the Lady Rose tomorrow. My brother is arranging the festivities. There will be a joust, a feast, and some torturing of English traitors. I am proud of this and I want to share my victory with you." He said, hugging her close.
"I would love to."
"Now, let's get some sleep. We have a rather busy day tomorrow." He tucked her into the bed after she removed the wedding gowns and kissed her head. "I must do more work in my chambers, but I will be in shortly."
She fell asleep peacefully unaware of the plot to win her heart.
"She is beautiful, my lord. You found the perfect woman." Lord Kane stood next to his brother watching her sleep.
"Tomorrow, under the disguises, we will torture all the prisoners, then set a fire in the dungeons and claim an accident. No one will be the wiser and all the people who evade their taxes will be punished with death. The King will no doubt reward me for such a feat."
"Indeed, Brother. And she suspects nothing?"
"Not in the least." He chuckled darkly, throwing off his clothes and getting into bed with his bride.