The Aftermath

"My Lady, are you ready?" Diva shrank back from the voice of her handmaid, instincts on high alert even though there was no danger. It was an automatic response, she always cringed when addressed by all but her mate. Sarai sighed and tried again. "My Lady, it's time to be wed to your protector. Would you like help with your dress?" The girl giggled and stood up from the floor.

"I… I'm sorry, Sarai. I'm still not used to-"

"It's alright, dear Lady. You suffered horrors for over two decades of your life. It's only natural that you would need to adjust to your new life. We here on Nylexia know how to treat a Khaleesi! Come, Princess. The wedding is in two hours. Time enough to bathe, eat, and dress. Crown Prince Tyr insists that you eat today. Something about 'needing your strength for tonight'?" The servant giggled even as Daivya blushed almost red. Sarai used to consider herself timid, but since she'd been assigned to the Princess last month, she'd learned just how timid a woman could be. Little Diva slept on the floor of the guest room suite where she lived, afraid to mess up her luxurious accommodations. She only ate when ordered by the Nylexon royal family, and she trembled at all times as if expecting her awful mother to burst into her room any moment to issue cruel orders and crueler punishments.

King Jonathan had demoted his queen to the lowest of servants. Now she performed all the basest of tasks that she used to reserve for her daughter. The only one lower than the woman was her spoiled daughter. Camille was not adjusting to servant life well according to the rumors. After both women had been stripped naked in front of the entire court and severely beaten for lying to the king, he had chastity belts fashioned for each of them that only he had the keys to, and had taken them personally to the quartermaster and commanded that once their wounds were treated, they always be given the lowest, most disgusting and humiliating tasks to perform in his home. Lillian adjusted to this by assuming an air of quiet dignity as she scrubbed the walls of the castle she once ran. Her once immaculately coiffed hair was just barely cleaned regularly. Her immaculate clothes were replaced by the patched and old ones provided by the castle. Her hands had multiple cuts from the hard labor she did, the skin cracked and forming calluses from the hard labor she performed daily. Camille, however, simply fell apart after the shattering of her identity. Several suicide attempts later, she'd been locked in the asylum where she could no longer hurt herself. The former queen visited her on the rare days off she had, combing her dirty, tangled hair comfortingly and attempting to bring her back to the harsh circumstances of their shared life.

The king never visited the selfish girl.

None of that mattered now though. The king wasn't even on his home planet at the moment. Like the rest of the who's who of the universe, he was on Nylexia, preparing for his true daughter's wedding. He spent his time attempting to get to know his child, frustrated that she cringed from him as much as she always had. There had to be a way to regain those years he'd lost to his wife's selfishness! If only he'd deigned to intervene all those years ago when he first noticed his fake daughter's cruelty to her servant. If only he'd seen through his wife's ruse all those years ago. The father contemplated this as he prepared to walk her down the aisle on her big day.

"Little one?" Victoria entered Daivya's guest suite to help the terrified child prepare for her wedding. After the revelation that she was both Princess and Khaleesi, it was unanimously decided that she would remain on Nylexia to avoid all contact with her former mistresses. That left her in the care of the rulers of Nylexia. The queen of Nylexia seemed to have taken to her role as mother-in-law with gusto, showering the timid woman with love, affection, and attention. She didn't seem to be discouraged when she cringed away from her, only doubling her efforts to make the Khaleesi welcome. Barbarossa likewise showered the twenty-one-year-old with love and attention, relying on her insights to run his kingdom and manage his nobility. The number of assassination attempts and coups had decreased dramatically in the last few weeks.

"Oh Sweetie, you look lovely! And we haven't even finished dressing you up for the occasion yet! Here, let me help you." Victoria gently helped the frightened woman dress for the ceremony, she and Sarai joked with the girl about her berserker fiance.

"Today's the day you finally make my son yours." This seemed to cheer the girl and her glow increased tenfold. She couldn't believe it, she was finally going to marry Tyr! She still hummed at the thought of being his wife. His kisses were so… She couldn't even describe them. And they'd only shared kisses so far. What would it be like to have him claim her as a man? As enraptured as she always was when he suckled her tongue, she knew that her fiance was constantly holding back. What would it be like to have him uninhibited? Tracing her skin, kissing and touching her everywhere… Her glow was almost blinding.

"Oh my! What are you thinking about now, little one?" Diva only smiled at the ladies, heading to the presentation hall where her wedding was to take place. It was so strange not to have layers of illusions on her. But no one saw them here anyway. Touching her hair that was done up in an intricate updo that she wasn't entirely certain that she could undo, Diva sighed happily. This was it; there was a new moon tonight and she would run under it in total darkness, her husband hunting her before claiming her with only the stars as witness. It was the tradition of the royals of this planet. She couldn't wait to become a part of the tradition.

"There's my little girl," Jonathan said, beaming at his happy child.

"Good afternoon, your-"

"'Daddy'. What will it take for you to call me 'Daddy'?" Her light dimmed a little and he sighed. "Sweetheart, I am excited to be a part of your life. I'm overjoyed to be your father. I used to imagine what it would be like to have a daughter like you sometimes." He chuckled at her shocked look. "What? I loved Camille dearly, but she could be a bit much at times. You are such an accommodating little thing… I wish I'd known earlier that you were mine."

"But… what if I'd turned into a spoiled, selfish-"

"You wouldn't have, my darling. You don't have the personality for that. Camille would have made an interesting handmaiden for you; I believe. She may have learned something. As it is, all that education was wasted on her," he finished darkly. Lightening his mood for the sake of his daughter, the man smiled happily. "Shall I escort you to your man, Sweetheart?" As expected, her countenance brightened immediately at the mention of her love. The doors to the main hall opened as if on queue and everyone in the massive chamber stood up to see the glowing bride. For a moment her fear overwhelmed her and her glow dimmed almost out. But then she felt the love and goodwill in the room and she brightened back to her original shine. People kept trying to catch her eye as she traveled to the front of the room where the king of Nylexia and his son waited for her. Diva focused on the extravagant decorations in the chamber. Flowers adorned the room. They adorned every wall and the pews of the chamber. There were even strings of flowers hanging from the ceiling. The room was teeming with life and her power made it even more so.

Then she caught sight of her Prince and everything in her just… relaxed. Tyr Anasazi looked delighted at her appearance and as perfectly poised as the first time she'd laid eyes on him. Was it only six months ago that she'd met this man that had changed her life so dramatically? She hadn't seen him in the past week as was the tradition among the Nylexons, but everything about him was projecting love and acceptance to her. The girl all but floated over to her fiance, sighing dreamily when he touched her hand. Once the father gave the bride away, Barbarossa began the ceremony, combining the traditional Zarkonen and Nylexon ceremonies. Diva and Tyr smiled at each other, eagerly awaiting the chance to say 'I do'.

The End


And there you have it! Thanks for reading. I'm always eager to hear critiques on my work. Please review ^_^