Sunlight faded from the room as a solitary person knelt on the marble floor crying, tears mixed with blood splashed the once great Duke Gareth's muddy brown hair streaked with grey, shards of light filtered through curtains hitting a sobbing woman with light brown hair and pale brown eyes no older than twenty, it was her duty, her job to serve the man she loved and in return she got nothing but a harsh retribution that hurt her more than anything. The Duke's eyes stared blankly at her asking her the question that she already wished she didn't know the answer to: why?
"Because I love him." She whispered, wishing more than anything that she didn't, she loved the one man in the world that would force her to do such things: Ozorne.
Still sobbing she pulled herself to her feet and walked out the door, the early morning light blinded her momentarily and she saw a messenger holding out a sealed envelope in front of her. Tears dripped on to it as the man walked away uncaring of the torment that drove her to kill people she didn't even know.
Opening it she saw the words that filled her with heartache and longing return home it read. Wiping the tears away forcefully she began the journey that would lead her home.
Ozorne welcomed her back with a gala, filled with Tortallan representatives that didn't have a clue what had happened to their Duke, yet.
"Lovely to see you again my dear." Ozorne's voice attacked her like poison barbs through her heart as he delivered a swift kiss on the cheek. Celia curtseyed slightly and watched the Emperor of Carthak walk away, why does he hurt me so? She wondered, feeling the barbs disappear.
One of the Tortallan delegates a girl named Daine was talking to Ozorne about his birds, Celia felt brief jealousy rise up and disappear as she remembered who she was looking at. Feeling shameful Celia walked out on to the terraces and let the wind wash over her, married to the man of her dreams she thought life would be bliss but instead she was forced to kill and manipulate people who trusted her judgement.
Celia only knew that love wasn't all it was suppose to be and she knew Ozorne loved her. Didn't he?