I totally swear Sebastian is going to show up soon around chapter 15 if not by then guaranteed by chapter 16. I also swear the answers to all your questions will be answered... somewhere between here and the end of the fic. So anywho on with the fic! Much love for you all. Keva

Oh and one more thing. Le Gasp! (You'll know what I'm talking about by the time you get to the end.)

TW for nocon! Just a friendly warning here.

xx

I stood in front of the mirror in the wedding dress for my final fitting and frowned like I did at every fitting.

Nelly sighed deeply. "If you go out there making that face on your wedding day everyone will throw rotten tomatoes at you."

I looked over at her. "Then I'll frown as hard as possible." I nodded. "The bigger disaster this wedding the better."

She shook her head and sighed again. "Look this is your chance out of this castle and your only real one to escape." She moved to stand in front of me and placed her hands on my shoulders. "No one can find Sebastian, none of us can figure a way out for you, and this is going to happen no matter what we say or do. So I say just go with it and when that air head of a Lord isn't looking run like Beelzebub is right on your heels."

"But I'll still be married to him." I nodded. "Though I'm still unclear as to how legal all of this is."

"Completely." Elise answered as she entered the room with my veil.

"How do you know that?" I questioned as I eyed her suspiciously.

She shrugged as she moved to stand in front of me to fit the veil. "If there's one thing I know about your aunt and father it's that they make sure everything is covered. Every single loophole is looked at and made sure it can't be used as an out for anyone or anything."

I huffed at that as she began pinning the veil to my head. "I just don't get what my aunt has to do with any of this." I crossed my arms over my chest indignantly.

"Ever since she arrived here no one has been able to figure out her purpose." Nelly nodded from behind me staring at me in the mirror.

"Well when did she arrive?" I wondered as I stared back at her.

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Actually now that I think about it I don't ever remember her actually arriving here."

I pushed the veil back off my face and turned to face her. "What do you mean?" I questioned with brows drawn deeply.

"She was just here." She nodded. "All of a sudden there she was; just… here." She waved her arms about her.

"I always thought she came in the middle of the night." Elise shrugged. "Especially since no one really seems to remember her arriving."

The more I heard about my aunt the more confused I was getting. "When did she supposedly arrive?"

Elise drew her brows deeply. "Well now that I think about it it's been since your mother left." She nodded. "I mean it's hard to remember especially since you're what fifteen sixteen summers now and I was only six or so at the time you were born."

"Same here." Nelly added from behind me as she adjusted the length of the veil.

"Something about her is off and by damn I'm going to figure out just what that thing is." I nodded determinedly.

"Well you don't have a lot of time to do it." Nelly put the veil back down over my face. "You're getting married the day after tomorrow and probably heading to your new home two days after that if not sooner."

I sighed deeply. "You two are coming with me; aren't you?"

"I am." Elise nodded seriously at me. "I hate to say it darling but you getting married is the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Same here." Nelly agreed from behind me.

"At least something good will come out of this nonsense." I huffed.

"You don't know that it'll be that bad being married to Aleister." Elise pointed out. "He is a nice guy you have to admit that at least."

"And besides," Nelly draped her arm across my shoulders and stared at me. "I know for a fact him being a man isn't the problem." She leaned down close to my ear. "This has everything to do with that tall, dark eyed, sexy hunk of man Sebastian."

I blushed from within my veil.

"Nelly!" Elsie gasped completely scandalized by her language. "Don't be so vulgar!"

Nelly just giggled and let go of me.

"Yes, well," I tried to compose myself. "it's true that Sebastian is who I really want and it does compound the issue of this marriage." I nodded. "However that aside the main point is I'm being forced to marry a man I don't know and don't want to marry."

"That's just the way life is." Elise sighed. "Everyday someone somewhere is being forced to do something they don't want to do for someone else's benefit."

"Well that's just not fair." I growled being a victim of being forced to do something I didn't want to do.

"No it's not." Elise agreed. "But that's just life in the times we live."

She stepped away from me so I could see myself in the mirror fully and her words hit hard in that moment. Here I was a boy, dressed as a girl in a big white flowing wedding dress, due to be married to another man in two days. If there was a way for me to change the way in which people lived in this time I would. I would never want for this to be anyone's fate ever.

xx

I sat under the tree, my burly guard watching me, me watching Aleister, and Aleister showing off his sword wielding skills. As he slashed at his imaginary opponent I heard my guard grunt and couldn't help but look up at him with brows arched highly.

"He leaves himself open on his left side." He nodded. "A quick slash and he'd be dead or wounded severely."

"So why don't you show him the error of his ways?" I suggested hopefully.

"You won't get so lucky with me girl." He snorted.

I nearly rolled my eyes at that. "And where would I go anyway?" I questioned. "We're in the middle of nowhere and it's not like I'd get very far in this nonsense." I waved my hand at myself.

"True," he agreed. "and it is most certainly is not nonsense. You are quite fetching and were you not a boy and I married I'd consider snatching off with you myself."

"You're no help at all." I scowled.

"I'm not meant to be." He shrugged. "My only purpose is to make sure you wed young Lord Aleister there," he nodded over at the male in question. "and once the deed is done I will return to my proper post."

"Deed is right." I mumbled to myself. "Let me ask you," I chanced a glance at Aleister only to find him still enthralled with trying to show off for me. "do you agree with what my father is doing to me?"

"Not that my opinion matters but no." He shook his head. "I think all men and women should be in control of their own fate and should never be forced to fulfill someone else's wants."

I drew my brows deeply at that. "But isn't that exactly what you are doing by keeping me from running away?"

He sighed deeply as he nodded at me. "It is and it isn't by choice." He frowned. "I'm here to pay a debt I owe to your father much like everyone else who is employed to his household. If I don't pay it back he'll put my family in the streets and me in the ground."

My father much like my aunt made absolutely no sense to me at all. To hear the servants tell it they were both monsters but to me; well my father anyway he was a stand up guy. "The contradictions within my father's life seem to be many and growing more by the day." I bit out.

"Well people are different when it comes to kin versus strangers." He pointed out. "I'm sure your father loves you and were he capable of doing something to stop this he would."

"So you don't think he wants this for me either." I said as I acknowledged Aleister's bow towards me after his sword wielding performance.

"I can't say for certain but I would imagine he wouldn't." He answered with a shrug then gave Aleister a small bow when he came to stand before us. "Well done Lord Aleister." He praised.

"Thank you." He bowed graciously back causing the guard to move back several paces to give us some privacy. He then sat down next to me and took my hand into his and placed a kiss to the back. "You see my love I am more than capable of protecting your honor should the need arise."

I just nodded and smiled at him knowing full well he was expecting me to swoon over what a strong and powerful man he was. "Aleister really you don't need to prove anything to me." I nodded at him again and tried to gently remove my hand from his grip. "I'm sure you're a great swordsman and can do well to protect anyone's honor that needed protecting."

"Why thank you my dear." He squeezed my hand gently letting me know he wasn't about to let go. "However your honor is my first priority after all and you need to know that I will do all I can to protect it and you." He smiled warmly at me.

I sighed deeply finding very hard to hate this man. He was too sweet and had this charming quality about him that was hard to ignore. Part of me thought that if circumstances were different I probably wouldn't mind being married to him. Yet the circumstances were what they were and being married to him was the one thing in life I did not want along with the being dressed up and made to act as a girl.

"Thank you." I nodded not really sure how to respond to that.

"I know this is hard for you," he grabbed me by the chin with his free hand and forced me to lock stares with him. "but please just give this a chance. I will do my very best to be a loving caring husband for you and I would hope that you would do the same as my wife."

I stared into his vivid blues and gave a small curt nod not wanting to cause any issues between us. He was my only chance to at least escape my father's control even if I did end up married to him and I was going to take it. It was clear that there was going to be no way out for me until after the wedding. So I might as well just let it happen then make my escape at my first available chance which with any luck would be the day we departed my father's.

"I'll try." I promised as I crossed my fingers within the ruffles of my skirt.

"That's all I ask my darling." He beamed then gave me a chaste kiss on the lips.

xx

I hid behind the tapestry trying my hardest to be invisible but in the large flowing white wedding dress that was next to impossible. I don't know what I was thinking and certainly didn't know how I was going to get away but the first chance I had I ran.

I knew it was only a matter of time before I got caught seeing as how today was a wedding day and the only person in a wedding dress was me. It wasn't like I was going to go unnoticed especially when everyone was looking for a missing bride.

My decision to run was a rather stupid and I could only blame it on a sudden panic that welled up inside me. I knew this day was coming and no matter how hard I tried to stop it or avoid it it was made clear it was going to happen no matter what. Even if I did decide just the day before to let it happen and escape afterwards. So here it was the day of my wedding and I was trapped with no way out hiding behind the giant tapestry hanging on the wall.

I startled and stared wide eyed at my father when he jerked the fabric back and glared at me.

"This is unacceptable behavior." He growled as he grabbed me by the arm.

"It was a panic." I argued. "You would do the same were you in my position.

"Irregardless." He jerked me over to the sofa, sat down, and pulled me down over his knees. "You have embarrassed me in front of our guests." He jerked my dress up.

"Don't!" I struggled when he pulled my knickers down.

He placed his other hand to the base of my neck and pushed me back down. "I told you what would happen if you acted out again or embarrassed me." He growled then brought his hand down sharply across my bared backside.

"That's so easy for you to say!" I yelled with a squeal as he slapped me again. "What would you do were you me?"

"It doesn't matter what I would do." He hissed and slapped me again. "I'm not you and I would never allow myself to be put into such a position."

"You hypocritical bastard!" I hissed as he continued to spank me. "You put me in this position!"

He slapped me harder for that. "Not by choice." He growled. "I have done everything in my power to save you and this is the thanks I get? You embarrassed me in front of everyone shaming me, you, your future in-laws, and Aleister."

"You've done nothing!" I ground my teeth together sharply to fight off the stinging burning pain. "All I've heard from you was to just let it happen and work it out afterwards." I slumped across his lap in defeat. "Just admit it you don't care about me. You never have."

At that he stopped spanking me and moved his hand from my neck to my back. "That's not true." He sighed and pulled my knickers up then stood me up before him. "You're my son and I love you."

"Then why?" I questioned as I stared at him eyes hard and cold. "Why are you letting his happen to me?"

"I told you why." He nodded seriously at me. "The debt your mother created is one I cannot pay back. What would you have me do; spend the rest of my life in the streets as a beggar?"

"No." I scowled. "But that can't be the only end for you."

"Oh; and what other outcome could there be?" He arched a dark brow highly at me. "There isn't one and the only options are that or you wed their son. Tell me son which of the two is the worst and what do you think would happen to you were we to back out of this?"

"I…" I started then trailed off not really sure what would happen to either of us were we not to go through with this.

"You see we have no options left." He nodded as he stood up. "You either wed Aleister or we live in the streets as poor beggars. The choice is yours."

I stared up at him for a long silent moment before my shoulders slumped in defeat. I had no real choice here. Even though he wasn't a part of my life growing up he was still my father and the only family I had left when it came down to it. "Alright." I sighed deeply. "For our sake I'll do this but you have to help me get out of It once it's done."

"I swear I will." He nodded at me as he placed his hand on my shoulder. "Let's go get this over with so we can begin working on getting you out of it." He nodded.

I nodded back and let him lead me back to the grand hall to solemnly begin my walk to becoming the wife of young Lord Aleister.