Disclaimer: Don't own the rights to the book but sure wish I did.
To Make Me Happy
Ch.5: Aftershock
Miranda paid no attention as her new husband led her from the throne room to the room they were in now. The last thing she remembered was the look in Catspaw's eyes. A look of despair. Like he regretted his decision.
'No.' she thought bitterly. 'He choose that elf girl. He doesn't regret his decision. She's probably prettier anyways.' She let her thoughts consume her until she felt a light hand on her shoulder. She looked up into the concerned eyes of her husband. "Are you alright?" he asked gently.
She gave him a rather blank look. "I'm sorry." He said. "That's a rather stupid question. Of course your not. I'm horrible at this."
Suddenly, Miranda saw her young husband in a whole new light. He had been forced into this marriage just as much as he had. But he was at least being graceful about it. "No," She said in a quite voice."Your trying. That counts for something."
He gave her a small smile and she attempted to return it, but failed miserably. He gave her shoulder an awkward pat.
"It will be okay. I promise to take care of you." He knelt down beside her and took her small hand into his. "I promise. We may not love each other, and this marriage might have been forced upon both of us, but I hope that we can at least build a relationship off of respect for one another."
Miranda nodded her head, unable to speak. "Th-thank you." A lone tear trickled down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. Dentwood stood and surveyed his young wife.
She was beautiful. At least he wasn't forced into some horrendous looking ogre or something. Of course he was used to all the strange looking goblins running around, but he had never truly wished to marry one.
He left her side and went to get settled in to their new rooms. There was a spacious bedroom with a small bathroom and sitting room attached. It was nice.
Better than the guard's quarters he was used to. Of course, since this marriage was arranged by the king and his father, he and his new wife were given better that average rooms. He had left Miranda in the sitting room to gather her bearings. She would join him in due time.
He kicked of his shoes and put them away in the large wardrobe. He decided on a bath next, hoping by the time he was done, Miranda would be feeling a little better. He took a long, hot bath and relaxed in the spacious tub.
After awhile, he got out and dried off, hoping she would be calm. He dressed in his long nightshirt, newly provided be the king himself, and stepped into the bedroom.
But she wasn't in the room. He sighed and stepped back into the sitting room where he had last left her. She was still sitting in the same chair, staring out the same dark window, with the same pained expression on her face.
He stepped up behind her. "Miranda?" she jumped and spun around in her chair. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to frighten you. I just wanted to know if you were ready to come to bed yet."
At this, her face visibly paled. Even in the dim light he could see it. Then it dawned on him.
"No! I didn't mean-Miranda," once again, he knelt down in front of her. "I would never ask you to do that. Not if you're not ready. Now we are married, and it will be expected by the authorities sometime, but I would never force you. I promise."
She sighed in relief and even managed a faint smile. "Thank you." He smiled back and patted the hand that rested on her knee. "Now come along. It's time you get ready for bed."
Miranda allowed him to take her hand and lead her into the bedroom. She soundlessly walked over to the large wardrobe and pulled out a pair of nightclothes without looking to see what she had grabbed.
She walked to the bathroom and ran a hot bath. She just wanted to wash away all the worries. So she slipped in the steaming bath.
Before long, exhaustion took over. Her head lulled back against the large marble tub and she fell into a deep sleep.
She was awoken with a start when there was a knock on the door. "Miranda! Miranda, are you alright?" He sounded concerned.
She sat up. "Yes…I-I just fell asleep. I'll be out in a second." "Alright." He called. She stood from the tub on shaky legs and reached for a towel. She dried off and slipped into her nightclothes, then stepped into the bedroom.
Dentwood was waiting patiently beside the bed. "Which side of the bed do you usually sleep on?" he asked. Miranda's eyes traveled to the large king sized four poster bed. The headboard was tall and covered in beautiful carvings.
There were mounds of pillows, all in a burgundy colored pillow case. The bedspread was the same rich burgundy color. Her eyes must have lingered for a moment to long, because all of the sudden, Dentwood's soft voice filled the air.
"Miranda, I promise you I will not touch you if you wish. This bed is big enough that we can each go to opposite sides and not be touching."
Her cheeks turned a bright crimson red. "Th-thank you. It doesn't matter which side." Without another word, she walked around to the left side of the bed and pulled back the covers.
She slipped in and turned on her side so she was facing the wall. She heard a noise and felt the bed slightly dip in beside her. "Goodnight Miranda."
She felt a tear trickle down her cheek as she whispered "Goodnight."
Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
The dream was a peculiar one. She was in her old house, but she was in that cellar again. She could hear her mother's cruel voice.
"Are you scared Miranda? Well get used to it, because this is the life you face. This is your fate. Is this what you want? An ugly goblin for a husband, in their dark, cold world. This is what you face. But no one wants you anyways."
She could hear a cold, heartless chuckle. "He's being forced to marry you. He doesn't want you."
Miranda started to scream. She pounded her fists on the door and kicked with all her might. "Let me out! Let me out! Please!" The cruel, heartless laughter continued and Miranda's screams and pounding continued.
Suddenly, she felt warm arms circle around her waist. She was jolted back into an awakened state. She couldn't remember where she was. She only remembered that she had a nightmare and the tears streaming down her face were real, and not conjured up in her dream.
She couldn't tell whose arms were around her either. She struggled for a moment. Then, it slowly started to sink in.
She was in a bed with her new husband, Dentwood. They had just been forced into marriage after she was rejected by Catspaw and had spent ten days locked in a tiny, dirty cell.
As the aftershock of it all set in, it was like a dam had broken within her. All the tears and grief she had been holding in spilled over. She had been numb and mindless almost the entire day. And now, now it all came back to haunt her double fold
Her mother was right, she wasn't wanted. She had been cast aside and been forced into an unwanted marriage.
As soon as she realized who it was holding her, she cried even harder. It was Dentwood, and by now she was crying so hard that she couldn't even try to fight him off if she had wanted to.
She was flipped onto her side and felt her face pressed into a warm comforting chest. "It's all right Miranda. It's alright." He soothed in her ear. He stroked her hair gently and continued murmuring soothing words in her ear.
Despite the fact that she hardly knew the man and she had been forced into a marriage with him. Miranda found herself snuggling as close as possible.
She cried into his warm chest late into the night. Finally, exhausted, she fell asleep, still wrapped in his embrace.
END CHAPTER
So sorry for the super long wait. I just needed some inspiration for this chapter. I thought it would be nice for Miranda and Dentwood to have at least a little snuggly moment. So thank you to my reviewers and I hope you like this chapter as well!