They take away her dark clothes and give her white silk and white veils and white lace as finely spun as a widow's web. They braid pearls in her hair; slip ivory onto her wrists and a band of silver onto her finger. The only colour she has left is in her eyes. Green. Verdant. The colour of life (jealousy). There are roses on the floor, roses everywhere but they are white white white and she is like a blinded thing.
She asks for him at first. Quiet but insistent, I will not do this if you don't show me he is safe. They laugh and shake their heads and say she will do it regardless because he is still alive, will stay alive as long as she complies. She folds her hands on her lap and does not ask again.
She is a prize. A treasure. A trophy of the highest value. She is the Hope. She is the Mother. Eve in all her glory, draped in white and lies.
Eve is just a girl.
They lead her down the aisle to a Lord she does not know. Her husband, her Adam; father of a new generation. It will be glorious, whispers the man leading her onward, tugging at her stiff white arm. He is a powerful witch, Eve. He is not afraid of the humans. You will be a fearsome match - soon you will see.
But Robin Sena is only fifteen and she doesn't want to be a bride or a mother, or anything at all. She wants Amon back. She wants to run away. She wants to burn them all to death and rid herself of these witches who see her as another route to freedom and to power. She is so tired of being used.
She thinks: I won't save you. I can't. You've already lost your hearts and you're going to take mine and I'm scared, so scared. Don't do this to me.
But she says: "I do."