Disclaimer: Yeah Yeah Yeah. Let's get on to what you guys really want.

Chapter Twenty Four: Pretending

It was hard for Vivian to leave Ville alone, strapped to the floor, but she must play along with the pretense. When her father and her where outside the throne room, she asked what was to become of Ville.

"What do you want me to do with him, he is your husband." He said, fingering the ring on her left hand. His words might have said 'I don't care, whatever you want' but his tone told otherwise.

"Can he sit in the dungeons for a time before you kill him?" She said, hoping that there actually was a dungeon somewhere in this castle.

The look in his eyes made her think that he had seen right through her, but he smiled. "If that's what you want."

"It is."

"Then it's settled. While you dress for dinner, I shall see to it."

"But Father… I have nothing else to wear."

"Nonsense," he said as he guided her up a set of stairs and down a hall. He stopped in front of a large oak door; it was decorated with carved roses. "Linde will wait out here to show you to the dining area where I shall await for you."

Vivian nodded and pushed through the door without a word. She was struck at the sight; her feet refused to move from the door. A large, round four poster stood dead ahead ups a small flight of stairs. On her left were a vanity (with no mirror, imagine that?) and a few bottles that she could only assume to be perfume. On her right was a door that looked to be a bathroom. A little to the left of that door was a… closet?

She walked over and peered inside… "oh." She gasped. It was full of fancy dresses, elegant nightdresses, and about a hundred pairs of shoes sat at the end of the closet. Vivian walked through; hand stretched out, fingers grazing against the different types of fabrics. All consisted of silk and satin, most included corsets. Her dream wardrobe if it ever were to be.

She reached into the red and black mass and pulled out a silky dress which swayed at she held it up to herself. It was tight fitting and sat snug on her hips to show off her curves. A slit opened in the front just a little above her knees and but it opened longer toward the back so it was dragging when she walked. Red high heels were the shoes of chose, even if it meant blisters later.

Clacking over to the vanity, she browsed through the half dozen or so bottles or different smells. A few were different types of vanilla, a bottle of sensual amber, and a few fruity flowery smells. A few splashes of vanilla on each of her wrists and one on her chest. Vivian ran a brush through her raven locks just to make sure that they were smooth, and then snuck up the stairs to take a quick peek at the bed.

The circular mattress was covered with black silk sheets and a fluffy black comforter. Crushed velvet curtains were pulled off to the side but awaited to be pulled shut against the harsh sun that might come through the heavy curtained windows.

She climbed onto the center and lay on her side, feeling the soft fabric rub against her cheek. Vivian closed her eyes and imagined Ville lying beside her. Telling her what a pain in the neck she was; or how beautiful she looked in her dress; or how he really needed to teach her to fly.

Vivian curled her knees up into her chest and bit her lip, urging herself not to cry. Too late. The wet streaks dipped down her face.

Her vision became blurred, but clear in almost an instant even through the tears. She last remembered being on her bed, but now she was standing at her door. She pulled it open, Linde waited outside like a guard dog.

"Now now my dear. Would you want your father to see you crying like this?" His voice sounded far away and it echoed slightly. He reached out his hand and wiped away the bloody steaks off Vivian's cheeks. He looked at his finger for a few seconds, but brushed them on his pant leg instead. He held out his arm, which Vivian accepted and escorted her down to dinner.

All she could see were blurs again and then it cleared to her back on her bed. Weird. She climbed off and descended the stairs and over to her door. She heaved it open to see Linde standing outside it, stiff and patient.

"Now now my dear. Would you want your father to see you crying like this?" Whoa. De JA Vous. Vivian watched as Linde reached out his hand and grazed her cheek, wiping away the blood. He looked at it awhile, almost hungrily before resorting to brushing it on his pant leg. He held out his arm to her, she cautiously excepted it. What the hell is going on!! I just saw all this. Did I just travel through time or something?

"You look lovely." Linde complimented.

"Thank you." She was distracted and didn't even notice that Linde had stuck a red flower behind her ear.

Once they'd reached a giant set of oak doors, Linde stopped. "This is far as I go, My Lady."

Vivian nodded and pushed through the doors, almost to be attacked by her father. He grabbed her by the arms and shook her slightly.

"You saw it, didn't you?"

"Saw what?"

"You saw into your own future, didn't you?"

How did he know?

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R & R. I'll get the next one out as soon as I can. I didn't expect it to take this long to get out. My computer has been out a couple days.