Miles was a warrior inside and out. The next day, color returned to his pale, ashy cheeks, as he sat alert up in bed. He looked almost as good as new. Bass on the other hand looked tired, like there were a million thoughts scrambling through his mind as he entered Miles' chambers.
Of course Miles didn't miss the look, "what's with you? You look like you're the one who got knocked off your horse by some pompous asshole king, not me."
"Nothing," he briskly dismissed the inquiry, "just didn't get a whole lot of sleep is all."
And that was the truth. He was up all night, dreams plagued with the idea of Charlie marrying his son, though those were the terms he agreed upon in the first place. He didn't know her then, and he was having a hard time following the plan.
He noticed that since Charlie's arrival, his son was a lot happier, following her around like a lost, little lamb, always mindful of her presence and her absence.
Charlie on the other hand was not always cheerful. Some days she looked as though she liked Connor, and other days her mind was elsewhere. Mostly on those days her mind drifted towards another Monroe.
Speaking of the little minx, Charlie burst through the doors, eager to check on her father. A smile graced her face upon seeing him sitting up, alive and well.
Her eyes glanced over to Bass' out of the corner of her eye, turning her head more fully towards him when she took in his appearance.
"Is everything alright, you look a bit sickly?"
He shook his head as Miles gave him an 'I told you so' look, "no everything is perfectly alright Charlotte. I just didn't sleep well," he tried to mumble the last part, but her precise hearing picked up on it.
Her mind went immediately to Duncan, thinking he meant the reason he didn't sleep was because he was doing other things. But when his head subtly shook, answering her silent question, her heart almost leapt out of her chest in relief. Although she had no reason to neither be jealous nor feel relief.
"Maybe you should lie down for a bit, you know, before the festivities this evening," she kindly offered as Miles snorted.
"Yes please go lie down, the last thing we need tonight is a cranky Bass, the last time we had one of those a whole village got destroyed," there was a teasing tone underlying his words, but Bass said nothing.
He knew Miles was just taunting him about his lack of sleep correlating with his anger issues, but those words struck a chord. He was not that same man anymore, but a rest couldn't hurt.
"I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea. Just had to check on sleeping beauty first to make sure the gathering was still to go on accordingly," he threw a pointed look in Miles' direction.
To which he waved his hand theatrically, "I told you I would be as good as new, and here I am, better than ever. The show will go on as they say."
Bass tersely nodded, slightly dipping his head in recognition to Charlie as he passed by her, exiting the room. She didn't miss the subtle way his hand grazed hers, electrifying her whole body from just one small, simple touch.
Once he was gone, she directed her full attention back on Miles, grasping his large, calloused hand in her small, delicate one.
"How are you really feeling?"
"Like I got thrown from a horse and received a giant splinter in my side," he quipped, but then smiled, "seriously kid, I'm alright."
"And, you're positively sure you're up for this tonight," she further inquired, hoping her disinterested tone didn't shine through.
Obviously it did because Miles sighed heavily, "listen, I understand you're worried about making the announcement official, but it won't change anything. You were always promised to Connor from the minute you arrived here."
She nodded, trying to muster up a smile, but she didn't believe any of the words he was saying. He made it sound as though it wouldn't change anything, but it would change everything. Now everyone would know. It would be official. It would feel real. And for some reason, Charlie just wasn't ready for it to be real.
Feeling her discomfort, he squeezed her hand, "hey," his soft voice brought her back to the present, "you know I will always be around and if ever you want to spend time at home, I'm sure Bass wouldn't stop you from visiting, even when you're married. I think he's taken a liking to you since you've been here, and he's happy to have you as his daughter-in-law."
A pang jabbed at Charlie's heart hearing those words aloud. It wasn't something a person should feel distressed about, but thinking of Bass as her father-in-law made Charlie's stomach churn.
Removing her hand from her father's, she plastered on a fake smile, standing up from her spot on the bed, "I suppose I should retire to my chambers to get ready if I'm going to look presentable enough to marry a prince and someday future king."
Miles chuckled as she turned on her heels, willing the tears to remain at bay until she was safely in her room, alone. She scurried quickly across the hallway, down the staircase, and through the entrance to her room. Finally inside, she collapsed on the bed, tears slowly streaming down her face.
She knew it would be moments before Nora, or one of the many other servants entered to aid her, she had to gain control of her emotions. Wiping roughly at her eyes, she inhaled a deep, calming breath when she heard a gentle rap upon the door.
"Enter," she called, not bothering to ask who was there.
Rachel tentatively stalked in, shutting the door behind her, "what's the matter?"
Charlie looked at her reflection in the mirror, trying to find visible signs of her anguish as her mother smiled sadly.
"I didn't need to look at you in order to know something was wrong Charlie, I gave birth to you, I'm your mother," she emphasized the word, connecting with Charlie's eyes in the mirror.
Shaking her head lightly, she turned around, "it's—"
"Don't say it's nothing," she interjected, "I get enough of that from your father, I don't need it from you too. Besides, you've never had a problem speaking your mind before. Why is this time any different?"
"Because this is something that can't be changed," solemnly, she let her head fall towards the ground in embarrassment.
"Are you having second thoughts about wedding Connor because of Bass?"
Charlie's eyes immediately widened, snapping up to meet her mother's. It was a silent confirmation, one that didn't require Charlie to verbally answer, it was written upon her face.
Rachel sighed, "Charlie I understand your fascination with Bass, really I do. He's," she struggled for the words, "quite charming, but he's also very dangerous. No matter how he's changed, there will always be that part of him there, lurking behind the shadows. Miles has chosen to forgive him, as well as Nora, and I harbor no ill feelings towards him. That doesn't mean I haven't forgotten all the terrible things I've seen him do and say," she involuntarily shuddered.
"Yeah well, no one will tell me a damn thing," she countered, not bothering to apologize for her foul language, which her mother constantly scolded her for.
Instead of reprimanding her, Rachel patted the space beside her on the bed as Charlie hesitantly sat down.
"I'll tell you the little bit that I do know because you're right, you should know the truth."
Rachel didn't really care if she knew what happened or not, she was just hoping if she told Charlie the ugly truth about Bass, she would forget all about him and see him as the monster he really is.
"Bass had been spiraling and spiraling for months, plummeting into a dark hole, and Miles was too caught up to see. He only saw Bass as the little boy he grew up with, side by side. He let his opinions jade him, clouding his judgement. He turned a blind eye to the innocent people Bass was murdering for speaking out against his tyranny. He used failure to pay taxes, among other things, as a reason to burn villages to the ground. He wanted to instill order in the people, but all he accomplished was instilling fear. He drug Miles down a dark road that's taken him years to turn around because he was so lost by Bass' bad direction."
Charlie couldn't believe what she was hearing. Burning villages to the ground, massacring innocent people all in the name of order and control.
It was bad enough when Nora dropped that bomb on her about being held prisoner by him. Charlie couldn't believe what she was hearing, but the bad thing was, she could. He was willing to chop off a little boy's hand for supposed stealing not long after she arrived at Malgrave. How many others did he deprive of their rights and freedom before she got there? She couldn't think about that without her stomach churning even more, stomach rumbling.
It was obvious by the green coloring, and the disgusted look on her face, Rachel had succeeded in her intentions. But the last thing she wanted was to ever hurt Charlie, she just knew best. She was her mother, and Bass wasn't the person she thought he was. He was not even the same person Miles made him out to be, but that was a different story.
Rachel couldn't stop Miles from forgiving Bass and putting everything in the past, but she could damn well stop Charlie from following him blindly down the rabbit hole.
"I'm so sorry honey," she laid a comforting hand upon Charlie's knee as she sat there mutely. It felt foreign, heavy, out of place.
"I didn't want for things to turn out this way. I didn't want to be the one to tell you, but I couldn't let you get hurt in the process. The only reason I allowed the match between you and Connor was because Miles promised he was nothing like Bass. Otherwise I would've put my foot down."
She sought out Charlie's eyes, lowering her voice, "he isn't a good man Charlie, no matter how many good deeds you've seen him do. He will never be fully good again, he's broken."
Standing up quickly, she ignored her mother's pained expression, "if that's all you may leave."
Turning her back on her mother, she called out to her once again, "please send Nora and my two other ladies so that I may dress accordingly for tonight."
Hearing the door close, Charlie refused to let her emotions get the best of her. It wasn't the news that was shocking; it was the fact that she had been so stupid. How could she have not already detected that? She needed her unobservant, selfish mother to point out how careless and foolish she had been. She felt like a child in that moment, blind and ignorant.
She was never more thankful than when Nora entered the room, smile stretching across her face, as well as the two other ladies behind her.
She thought of nothing else her mother mentioned as Nora chattered about the people who would be amongst them tonight. Usually, she wasn't one to speak out against royalty, but with Charlie, she knew she was safe to express her feelings.
She told her all about how snobby and conceited most of the people were, and some particular odd quirks they had. Like Edward Thomas who had a nasty habit of leering a little too long in the direction of spoken for women, and how if Marcus Drighton asked her to dance, say no immediately. He was a terrible dancer, and his hands always wandered too far south in Nora's opinion.
One of her ladies, Magdalene, filled the tub with hot water, insisting Charlie must bathe now before it turned lukewarm. Sighing, she turned her attention away from Nora to follow her into where the bathtub sat, directly in the middle of the room.
Undressing, Charlie tossed her clothes to the side as Maggie picked them up, delicately folding and placing them in the corner of the room onto a chair.
She allowed Magdalene to scrub at the dirt and filth, caked on her arms until her skin was almost rubbed raw. She did feel like a new person when she emerged from the water.
Toweling her body off as best as she could, Magdalene squeezed out the water latching itself on to her long hair, careful not to twist too strictly.
With her body depleted of all the remaining drops of water, and her hair almost fully dry, Maggie took over, assisting her into her gown for the evening.
It was actually very stunning, even Charlie had to admit, and she was not a particular fan of dresses.
It was a deep, violet color, gold accents covering the entirety of the dress, swirling festively around the shorter sleeves and bodice. The gold composing the accents was the same color used in the belt, fastening snugly at her waist. It wasn't unusually puffy around the bottom, meaning it wasn't chosen by her mother. Instead, it was very slender and lightweight, dropping down to brush the ground just barely when she slipped into her shoes.
"Wow," she heard a low wolf whistle coming from the doorway. Turning her head, she caught her father's gleaming gaze, "you look beautiful sweetheart."
His sentiment made her tear up a little bit, "thank you daddy."
"It goes particularly well with the color of your bandages," she teasing tossed in his direction as he just rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, keep it up and I'll have someone else escort you tonight," he firmly crossed his arms over his chest, daring her.
At that declaration, her face lit up as she all but threw herself into his arms. She was glad it was going to be him instead of Connor; she just wasn't ready to be given away yet.
"Alright well, chop chop," he clapped his fingers as Nora rolled her eyes, not paying him any attention. Maggie however felt a bit of pressure to finish fixing Charlie's hair, winding small, purple flowers in random places all throughout her braid.
When she was done, Charlie got once last glimpse of herself in the mirror, breath catching in her throat. She actually felt beautiful for once.
Linking her arm with her father's, she allowed him to lead her down the hall, Nora's presence always behind her as they advanced closer to the Great Hall.
Her dress lightly touched the ground as they descended down the staircase, all eyes turning upon seeing her. Her eyes darted around to see what they were looking at when her Miles softly chuckled, leaning down to whisper, "they're looking at you kid."
A crimson colored blush rose across her cheeks but quickly vanished as her foot made contact with cold, hard ground.
People parted like the red sea for them to walk through, offering kind, warm smiles, bowing lowly as they passed.
An announcer bellowed their names as the doors to the Great Hall swung openly slowly to reveal them to everyone gathered.
Connor smiled, taking in the sight of Charlie. He could never get over how striking she was.
Bass on the other hand was a different story. His eyes sparkled as he drunk in the sight of her, from the very crown of her head, to her tippy toes. As his gaze ghosted over her body, she could feel every fiber of her body igniting, until his eyes finally settled on hers. Then she felt her body spontaneously combusting.
Everyone else faded away, it was only those two. Luckily no one else seemed to notice as he cleared his throat.
The long table usually in the middle of the Great Hall was removed to make room to dance. The unused fireplace, usually collecting dust, sprung to life, a fire crackling inside. The orange and yellow flames danced higher and higher, in sync with the rhythm of the music flowing through the room.
Everyone was in good spirits, flitting about the room, mingling, making conversations, pretending they weren't all vapid and selfish, only seeking out gossip from one another.
Nevertheless, it made Charlie smile to see how much fun everyone was having.
"It's customary," she almost jumped out of her skin when she heard his voice beside her, "for the future daughter-in-law to dance with the King."
Not turning her head, she announced, "I'm never heard of such a rule."
Her brisk, cold voice surprised him. It was such a change from her attitude earlier, "fine maybe it's not a rule per say, but I am the king so I can make it one."
"Yes," she dryly commented, "you're very good at making people do things they don't want to do."
His eyes grew distant, "I am. I'm even better when I'm with your father."
At that comment he finally got a reaction from her as her mouth went slack. However, he didn't allow her a retort, taking her hand in his, whisking her out onto the dance floor, body colliding into his.
On instinct her body hummed in appreciation, adrenaline coursing through her veins upon being this close to his warm, firm body. She moved back slightly from his embrace.
Bass was having none of that, arm snaking around her, hand splaying across her lower back, pushing her body further into his so that there was no gap or space between them.
She allowed him to glide them around the room, her vision blurring as she chose to focus her eyes on his constant face instead. There was no denying her physical attraction to him, but her mother's words haunted her mind every time she let her guard down. She pictured this man, setting fires to homes, slaughtering people with the same hands holding her right now.
When the images began to be too much for her, she all but tore herself from his embrace, subtly so no one else but him would notice.
Bowing slightly, she faked a smile, turning her back on him. She had to get some air, fast. She tugged at her dress, feeling as though the oxygen was being sucked from her lungs.
Pushing past the doors of the Great Hall, she slipped passed the guards without them noticing, too heavily intoxicated to be of any real use tonight.
"What the hell was that," his booming voice followed her outside on the balcony where she was leaning against the stone railing. It was so loud inside, no one could hear him practically yelling.
Instantly her body snapped up, "I just needed some air, I was tired of dancing."
The pathetic excuse got caught on the end of her tongue.
"You're lying, again. You're acting cold and distant, in fact," his eyes widened in realization, "you're acting like your mother."
He spat the insult at her, coming to stand at her side, commanding presence looming over her.
"I am not my mother," she snarled.
A humorless chuckle escaped his lips, "you could've fooled me Charlotte, you're acting just like her. Same facial expressions and all. So out with it, what did the bitch do?"
"Don't call my mother a bitch. You don't get to pass judgement about people, not after all you've done," she pointed an accusatory finger at him.
His eyebrow rose high on his face, "so we're back to this? Yes I'm a horrific monster," his lip curled as he stepped closer to her body, and upon instinct, she took two giant steps back. It was no use; he followed her, his legs striding confidently towards her until her back pressed against the stone column.
"I've done terrible things I can't take back, but I'm not the same man anymore—"
"But aren't you? You were willing to chop a boy's hand—"
"Because he was stealing," he stressed, noticing it didn't change Charlie's expression or mind.
"There's always a reason to be made, a validation. I mean, all in the name of order and control right?"
Throwing her hands up dramatically, he must've thought she was going to start swinging again because his hands went around her wrists, pining her arms to the wall.
Using his body weight to anchor himself against her thrashing body, he leaned his lips down to her ear, smiling when he felt her body tremble.
"That's not the real problem though is it Charlotte? The real problem is that, even though I'm this horrendous, god-awful monster, you can't seem to stop wanting me."
He placed a soft kiss behind her ear.
"You can't seem to stop picturing yourself beneath me as I work you over in pleasure again, and again, and again."
She shoved, ignoring the feel of him hardening against her lower stomach, "you disgust me. I'm getting married to your son, this party tonight is for my engagement to your son."
Saying the words 'your son' over and over again had no impact on him because he knew she didn't mean it. Her words had no weight behind them.
Instead he continued on, releasing one wrist, using his free hand to stroke her thigh, disappearing beneath her dress.
"You're upset because you want me as I am, even knowing all the horrible shit I've done. The destruction I've caused," his tongue traced the shell of her ear.
"You're mad because you shouldn't want me—"
"I don't want you," she gritted her teeth so tight she was sure they were going to explode when his fingers grazed the fabric of her undergarments. It took every bit of willpower she had not to thrust up into his touch, but she would not give him that satisfaction.
She wasn't but so strong, she found that out when his fingers shoved her garments aside, slipping one finger into her hot, young, dripping wet sex.
Biting down hard on her lip, she tasted copper flowing into her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut tightly.
"Because as much as you don't want to admit it, it makes you wet to think about me like that. Rough…brutal…savage," with every word he stroked her, long and deep, watching the way her lips parted, breath coming out in a needy pant.
Dragging his nose along her neck, he bent his head down to suck lightly on her exposed collarbone, paying special attention to the base of her neck.
"You can say you're marrying my son all you want Charlotte," the other hand securing her wrist slid down to her hip, clutching on tight as he inserted another finger into her tight pussy.
She couldn't stop the moans from flowing when he added a third finger, stretching her further than she had ever explored, even in her own masturbation.
He crooked his fingers, reaching deep within her, hitting that sweet g-spot with every caress, "but we both know he'll never be able to satisfy you the way you want."
Bucking up into his hands, he bit down on her neck, lavishing the wound with kisses, "the way you need."
Taking it a step further, he brought his mouth to her parted lips, plunging his tongue inside her mouth, as she hesitantly darted hers out to meet his.
Sucking her bottom lip into his mouth, he pulled it between his teeth, gently tugging at it. All the while he continued his onslaught, her dress bunching up at his wrist.
Her leg lifted a little bit, coming to wrap around his calf without her control, giving him better access.
Moving his mouth, he trailed open mouth kisses down her neck, stopping just above the curve of her breasts, "the way I can."
With those final words, he swiftly removed one finger, using his other two to continue his ministrations, while his thumb pressed roughly against her tingling bundle of nerves until she exploded into a million pieces.
Smothering her cries with his mouth, he let her finish fucking his hand, riding out her last wave before he removed his fingers from her soaking heat.
Charlie's legs almost gave out as she stumbled back, using the wall to brace herself.
"Next time you want to tell me how much of a cruel, worthless monster I am, make sure the person you're really mad at, isn't yourself."
Once he was gone, she pulled he dress down, straightening herself and regaining her composure. Putting a hand on her forehead, she went back to her spot on the balcony, glancing out at the vast, open, empty space before her.
What the hell had she just done?
She had no idea, but whatever it was, she was 100% sure she wanted to do it again.