A/N: Ok so I'm terrible -hides face in shame- I should be working on finishing "Into your keeping" but my muses have other plans in mind. This idea came to me out of nowhere one day so hopefully writing this will allow inspiration for the other story to flow freely again. Love you all, enjoy and please read & review!
An ivory comb slid through honey blonde hair methodically and cerulean blue eyes lowered to the lace overlay of the vanity table. The brightness of the sun that flooded the room belied the melancholy that weighed on beautiful girl's heart who could not keep the unhappiness from her face. A small, bitter sigh escaped her lips and she rubbed the tiredness from her eyes as she tried to calm her quivering nerves.
"Miss Relena, it would do you well to attempt to look happy," her handmaiden Dorothy quipped. "Mr. Peacecraft would be displeased with your gloomy countenance."
Stiffening her spine, Relena clenched her teeth. "Were it you in my position I presume even you would have a 'gloomy countenance'."
Dorothy's combing became slightly rougher. "Sacrifices are made everyday, Miss Relena, surely you know as a citizen of the Sanq Kingdom it is time for you to do your part."
Jerking her head away, Relena placed a hand on her scalp and stood up. Dorothy was never so catty, slightly rough around the edges but never so abrupt. They had been lady and handmaiden since birth and were closer than blood sisters and Relena could only surmise that Dorothy was upset that she was losing her best friend and therefore was only lashing out the only way she knew how. A pang of misery struck Relena and her eyes became glassy as she sniffed, struggling to hold back a sob. Dorothy gripped the comb tightly and refused to meet Relena's teary gaze.
"All…all will be well," her flaxen haired best friend managed to say. Relena watched as Dorothy, with trembling fingers, tidied up the vanity top and carefully put away the combs and hair pins she had used to style Relena's hair. They'd both been dreading this day for months, hoping constantly that Relena would not be the one picked in the draw, that somehow she would escape selection. And that they wouldn't be separated and they would continue on with their lives as it always had been before any of the trouble started. The Sanq Kingdom had been relatively peaceful fortifying themselves as a pacifist nation and enjoyed many years of prosperity up until two years ago.
The land was rich and known for plentiful crops and cattle until their production suffered by the ravenous wolves that plagued farm stables, pens and coops. This had occurred in neighboring regions years before and misfortune had eluded the Sanq for a while until the wolves descended into the Northern territories and found plentiful sources of food at the expense of the townspeople's' livelihood. The story that traveled with the terror was that these were the minions of a mythic beast with the body of massive wolf on hind legs but eyes of a human. It lived in a castle atop of the highest point of the land towards the west. From those that lived to carry the story the castle was covered in black vines, with gargoyle sculptures and broken stained windows. It was a miserable establishment some said and while it seemed that such a place houses no life, they often heard the fierce howl of the infamous beast.
Some dismissed the stories as mere folklore but the sounds were nowhere those of average wolves. It was a sound laden with anguish and deep despair that penetrated even the thickest of forests. If that weren't proof enough, villages sacrificed their most prized maiden to appease the beast for it to call off his wolves. However the most that would occur is the town and farmland would be struck with a fierce famine, the pack of flesh-eaters would merely move onward to the next village and the girl would be rejected and sent home. The experience, although, would ruin her and she would run mad and be forced to be placed in an asylum. This was the fate of each maiden that was sent back.
The elders of the villages believed if there was a girl that pleased the beast, the attacks would cease and famine would not occur. And so there Relena found herself to be the Sanq Kingdom's sacrificial lamb.
A knock sounded on the door then. Both she and Dorothy looked at each other and briefly Relena felt if she asked her friend to help her flee, she'd do it without question. The thought comforted her but did little to ease her trembling hands. She refrained from asking because if it were not her, another innocent girl would perish.
"Miss Relena?" she heard her caretaker Pagan call tentatively from behind the door. She stilled and clutched the back of her vanity settee.
"Yes?" Relena called out hoarsely.
"The carriage, Miss Relena…it awaits you out front." She and Dorothy heard the bitterness in his voice. He too dreaded her leaving and feared for her safety.
"Thank you Pagan," Relena said softly. "I'll be just a moment." She started for the door, only to be held back by Dorothy's grasp on her arm.
"You don't have to go," she begged, her cornflower blue eyes were hard as she struggled to restrain her tears. Relena shook her head gently and put her hands over Dorothy's.
"You take care of yourself," she whispered. "Having grown up with you has toughened me up considerably. You needn't worry, I'll manage somehow. Please tell my brother and Lu that I love them when they return."
"Miss Rele-."
"What was it you used to tell me? Buck up Relly, you're softer than a lamb's ass," she continued lightly, her smile not reaching her tearful eyes. Dorothy couldn't speak, she had no words. Her best friend's life was being tossed away so carelessly. The helplessness she felt then was overwhelming as she watched Relena leave the room, her shoulders hung low.