Alrighty then, here's another chapter of this story from the oven, hope you guys like this! things already get crazy in this chapter, so hang onto something and enjoy the ride!

warning: violence, forced marriage, blood!

Chapter 2: repayments

19 years later….

Alana was sitting along her favorite spot on the creek, watching the animals go by, including the occasional deer that would wander around the woods eating grass. "I feel so at peace here, it's beautiful." She mused looking at the little field of flowers. "Alana, where are you, dearest?" her father called out. "I'm here, father!" she said getting up to walk towards her father. He got to her, looking worried. "Oh, there you are, it's time to meet your latest batch of suitors, darling." he sighed knowing that he didn't want to put her through marrying her off to someone. She didn't complain, but there were some suitors she just didn't like very much. "Yes, father." She sighed, she was of marrying age and the most beautiful woman in the land, attracting dukes, princes, even the occasional kings, but some were plain, some were brash and arrogant, but she politely declined them without any conflicts ensuing from her rejection. She went with Bernard back to their posh and huge home, waiting for when the suitors would come to their home and profess why they would marry her, which was the one part Alana didn't always like out of most parts of proposals. She sat on the sofa with her father, awaiting the suitors to come by, growing tenser with the suspense of who would come for her hand in marriage. One suitor was tall, had red hair and his face had some freckles on there, he wore royal clothing, wondering if he were to be a duke or a count. As he kept talking to them, Bernard knew right away that he wasn't good enough for Alana, so he politely declined the proposal for her, saving her breath temporarily. Another suitor came in, a prince from a different land, the problem being that he would be quick to anger, which wouldn't sit well with neither Bernard nor Alana. As soon as the last suitor left, she went to her room to read a book, bored from the day's activities. "These suitors were too violent or dull for me, how I long for something more than this, tomorrow's another day, I guess…." She mused to herself turning a page of her book. Little did she know, someone else was watching her, or has been watching her for nineteen years, waiting for the day he would take what would be his.


Thomas watched the mirror, relieved that Alana had rejected the latest batch of suitors, yet he was furious that her father would dare try to marry her off to a stranger, but he was watching her, he watched her grow from that little baby girl, to the beautiful, innocent and grown woman she became, he wouldn't wait any longer for the day he would take her and make her his wife and Queen, to inflict the worst possible suffering on her father for taking what was his. "I'm watching you, Bernard, if you think I don't know about your crime, you are sadly mistaken, my pitiful, pitiful subject…..sad that your wife died after giving birth to Alana, but you will know how it feels to have something of yours taken from you, you will indeed." Thomas said with a smirk waving the scene away while getting up to practice his magic, sharpening his skills on certain arts of magic before paying them both a visit. But as he was doing that, there was a knock on the door, causing anger to boil in his veins. "You may enter." He said angrily. It opened to find one of his servants in the castle, more than likely needing to know what needed to be done. "S-Sir, is there anything that needs to be done?" he asked nervously. "Yes, have someone make any catalogues to make sure that everything is as it should be in my treasure room, make sure nothing is missing or moved, and also have the horses ready within the time I should be ready and be quick about it!" he ordered with detached authority. Today was the day that he would claim the greatest treasure to ever grace the earth: a beautiful woman who would be his Queen and love him, whatever it took. "You will be mine and mine alone, Alana, whether you want that or not." He said with purpose. He had his robes on, going towards his carriage to go to the manor where Alana was, bound and determined to have her as his own.


Alana and her father had their nightly meal together, relaxing from another afternoon of choosing suitors, but she felt like somehow she would find the one she wanted to marry soon, but she didn't know when, she sometimes asked about her mother, learning that she was one of the sweetest and kindest women he ever had for a wife and after she had been born, she died and since then, Bernard had never married again, focusing on raising Alana while his riches were slowly building up, but left out the part about how he had gotten the riches, not wanting to burden her with further words that would surely bore her to death. As they were finished, he heard the sounds of horses and men, and realized to his horror that it was King Thomas, he wondered what he wanted with him, but not without getting Alana to hide somewhere. "Alana, listen to me, you need to leave this place, run as fast as you possibly can and don't look back." He said with his hands on her shoulders. "Father, what's going on?" she asked worriedly. He hung his head before beginning. "How I had gotten the riches was that I had stolen a chest full of treasure from the king of this land, I didn't want to, but I needed to give you a better life than that of someone poor, dearest daughter, please forgive me." He said before going to his knees, crying against her skirts. "Father…..you stole one of King Thomas' chests!?" she asked astonished and horrified by her father's deed. "Go Alana! Leave this cursed land and never come back, I'm so sorry my precious daughter!" he shouted just as they were going towards the door. Alana was out of her home and towards the woods when she was hearing shouting ring out through the place. "Where is your daughter, thief!?" one man demanded. "I won't tell you where she is, your majesty! I won't let my daughter suffer under your control!" her father roared while she stopped at where the woods was starting and the last thing she had seen was something splattering on the window, causing Alana to start retching some, but she needed to keep going if she wanted to avoid her father's murderer at all costs. She got further and further until she momentarily stopped to gather herself together. "Oh father, I know you were trying to give me a better life, but why steal from the King himself?" she asked in sadness. "I don't know, but what he did killed him." The familiar voice said coldly. She jumped at the voice, which to her horror belonged to the King himself, he was handsome, but his expression and demeanor would make any man quake with terror. "Please, let me go! I'll pay you the gold we have, just let me go!" she pleaded. He shook his head, extending a hand to her. "Come with me, my bride and you don't have to suffer the consequences." He said with determination. She stood her ground firmly. He rolled his eyes, knowing he would have to use force against her. She suddenly felt a pull towards him, and she unwillingly went towards him, taking his hand before he caught it like a trap, pulling her towards his chest. "I didn't want to do that to you Alana, but you gave me no other choice, be my wife and maybe I won't kill you like I did with your father." He growled squeezing her to him. She felt hot tears roll down her cheeks at his threat against her if she didn't marry him, she debated between refusing him and having herself killed, and living, only to suffer for the rest of her life at the hands of an abusive husband and king. Before she could tell him anything, he pulled her with him, trying to pry herself away from him, only to be forcibly yanked to him should she dig in her heels. He got to the horses, where he put her in front of him as both of them were on one horse. She tried to look back at her home, which was set ablaze by the torches his men were carrying, hearing the screams of those who were inside the house. 'No…..my home…..my father…..all gone…..' she thought to herself with tears rolling out of her eyes. She felt his hand wrap around her, pulling her towards his chest in a possessive manner. "Think not of all this any longer, the sooner we can be married, the better," Thomas said holding her tight to him. "Alert the minister ahead, I don't want a delay of my wedding!" he ordered to another guard who rushed towards the end of the road, leaving the others behind.

She was squirming in his arms, but was held back by his magic, which kept her bound to him throughout the horse ride, she thought about her life, the times she spent with her father, running around her home, the fields, sitting by the creek, watching the animals go by, she was angry that she didn't pick a suitor, if only she picked just one, she wouldn't be in the mess she was in at the moment, being held captive by a dreaded Sorcerer King of her land who wanted her as his wife and Queen, if only her father had not taken desperate measures to ensure her future, she wouldn't be in this mess. She felt tears cascading down her face, mourning her father, her home, her friends, but as she was doing that, a hand wiped away her tears. "Dry your tears wife, you need not to think on the past, if your father had not stolen what was mine, I wouldn't have noticed or taken you." He said with a cold stiffness to him. "Maybe…." She said resignedly, which surprised him greatly, but he shook off those thoughts as he focused on his journey towards the church, where they would be married. She ended up sleeping throughout the journey until he nudged her awake, and she looked at what looked like a church, complete with a bell, she was terrified of the idea of being married to him, but he wasn't having it whatsoever as he grasped her hand and pulled her along, not wanting her to get away. Someone please get me out of this situation, please! She pleaded as the church doors opened to reveal a minister with two guards beside him. As soon as they got to the altar, he let go of her enough to have her stand beside him. "Y-Your majesty, I understand that you want this woman as your wife, but—" the minister was cut off by a sword held to his throat by a guard. "Marry us, now." Thomas ordered with unrelenting force. He opened the book and started the ceremony, with Alana nearly having a stroke from the terror she was experiencing all around her. "Do you take this woman to be your wife, love her, comfort her, keep and honor her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep only unto her 'til death do you part?" he asked looking at Thomas. "I do." He vowed. "Do you take this man to be your husband, love him, comfort him, keep and honor him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep only unto him 'til death do you part?" he asked looking at Alana. She looked around the room before feeling him grip her hand tighter impatiently. "I-I do." She said with her voice partially broken up. "Then by the powers vested in me in the sight of god, I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss your bride." The minister concluded, closing the book. King Thomas turned her around so she was facing him, with terrifying blue eyes, and she had to kiss him. He had her hands on both sides of her face before pressing his lips against hers, kissing her chastely before pulling away. She felt like her world fell apart around her, she was married to a ruthless and cold-hearted King, her father was killed over a nineteen year old crime, what did she do to deserve it? Probably rejecting suitors hands would be one of the things, but what did she do to deserve what was happening with her?


She rode with him again on his horse, towards wherever it was he was taking her, all while he held her tight to him, the journey went on from there until they reached the gates, signaling them to open the doors. They opened slowly, but they went inside, with Thomas carrying her in his arms, not wanting her to get away from him, after crossing a few halls and corridors, he reached the chamber doors, from which it was opened with his magic, showing a huge bedroom, a vanity, a massive bed, roaring fireplace, a doorway to a washroom, a balcony and a few chests. He set her on the bed, but not without sliding a ring on her finger, a definite sign she was now married to him. "This will be your chambers, Alana, if you need anything, ask the servants." He said before walking out of the room, more than likely going into his own chambers. She was lying there for a moment before burying her face into a pillow, crying her eyes out about what had happened to her thus far: she found out about her father's crime, he was murdered by 'her husband', she was forced to marry him or she would be killed, she wished to go back in time and undo her father's crime, it would have cost her the luxurious life, but it would have had her father safe and sound from any sort of harm. Sobs were racking in her body, shoulders shaking, knees up to her chest, and her tears probably staining her pillow, but she paid no attention to it. What she didn't know was that Thomas had been watching her from a mirror. "She should be grateful that I didn't force myself on her, the woman! I know I will need to woo her, I did marry her after all, but I won't let her escape!" he remarked angrily before sleeping in his bed. He wondered how to proceed tomorrow, but right now he would relish in joy that he claimed Alana as his wife, knowing that she would willingly come to him, he waited, with zealous breath for that day to occur.


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