The Youngest Stone Mountain

" Mademoiselle Andretti I must speak with you." A voice called after a polite knock. Andretti sighed and stowed her book safely under her mattress. If her governess saw it she would certainly get it confiscated. A report on the Immortals war was surely not proper reading material for a lady. Certainly not a conservative lady.

"Yes Madame Dalia?'' She said as she opened the door. The old woman stood outside, dressed in an immaculately clean dress of the finest gray silk.

"May I come in?" She asked politely, Andretti nodded and stepped aside.

"Andretti," The woman said delicately. Andretti sighed; no one was ever blunt in this household. "I'm afraid I have bad news for you. Gravely bad news. I can't put this softer, I'm sorry. Your brother Joren died during his ordeal." Andretti nodded, this was no surprise to her.

"Thank you Madame, I need some time. If you would excuse me?" She asked politely, signaling a dismissal. The governess nodded sadly and left. Andretti rolled her eyes and retrieved her book.

Joren's death was of no consequence to her. He was cold, hollow, uncaring, shallow, and in league with Tortalls enemies, it wasn't a wonder the chamber had killed him off. Sighing she pulled a dirty gray dress out of a niche in her wardrobe smiling at it she changed into it and climbed out of her second story room by way of a convenient trellis. Her father was having 'business' partners over and she didn't want to be there. 

++:++

A year passed and the visits of the 'business' partners visits became more frequent and February she was asked to attend. Actually servants attacked her with a frilly blue dress saying she was going. She didn't want to go be put on display in front of those savages.

The dress she was thrown into was tight, low-cut, and dangerously translucent, if she stood in front of a window-she shuddered at the thought. Her hair was twisted up tightly at the top of her head and her lips and cheeks were painted a vibrant red. She was unceremoniously pushed and shoved to her fathers meeting rooms. The servants opened the door a crack and announced her. She was pushed into the room and she came to a stop directly in the shadowed door way.

"Andretti, darling," her father said, voice sticky sweet. "Come stand by me, in front of the window." He said and she stiffened, she knew she should have expected that. She moved to stand next to him and would have sat down except her father's next words chilled her to her very bones. "I know our alliance has been stretched as of late, and with good reason. So I thought as a peace offering I offer my daughter, as a blood tie. You need not marry her, she is but a symbol of my good will." He said, eye's locked with his visitor, who shrugged.

"If you would turn please Mademoiselle." He said making a turning motion with his hand. Se walked stiffly around the room. She refused to be this mans whore! She wouldn't, she couldn't she was of noble blood. The man pulled her down onto her lap and slowly petted her stomach; she thought she would be sick.

"I would accept this wonderful creature, except for the fact that Keladry of Mindelan, whom you assured us would be dead, is as we speak traveling into Scanra and killing the war lord and his pet mage. So you see, I have to kill you, as you know my name and place of residence." He said drawing his dagger. "My men have already killed your wife and brother, and since your daughter has been shamelessly displayed by you I my keep her around for a while, for the purposes you intended." He said dumping Andretti onto the floor and plunging his sword into her father's stomach. She winced as the man kneeled down next to her father and said in a distinctly evil voice. "It seems milord, that Stone Mountain has a new lord." As her father sputtered and died she backed up against the wall. His blood flowing over the white wood floors. "As for you my dear. Lets keep those promises your father made me." He said as he pulled of his jacket and shirt. Andretti's eyes scrambled for some escape route. He approached, dark, dangerous, evil.

As he approached and removed her clothing she let the tears leak out of her eyes.

She was waiting, waiting for his breathing to slow, waiting for the chance to grab the sword he had so carelessly left in her fathers still bleeding body. She had been covered in a thin coat of her father's blood; her aggressor didn't seem to have any qualms about it. His breath was even but she forced herself to wait until the moon shown through the window. It shocked her that it was dark out; it had been midafternoon when he had started...

She watched as the moon edged into the window. It slowly ebbed into the frame. Waiting for all of it to bathe her abused body in pure moonlight. There it was, the full moon. Her wounded body jumped at the sight. Grabbing the heavy broadsword she pulled it out of her fathers blue corpse. Soon this man would be blue also. Blade held high she swung it down ward, with cutting accuracy it sliced into his chest. Blood seeped out and his eyes flew open. He sputtered as she gave him a hard look before leaving.

She remembered something an old teacher had quoted. Not everything in life is pretty.