Fantasy RP ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴇғᴛ sɪᴅᴇ ᴏғ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴡʜᴇʀᴇ | ғʀᴏsʜɪ & sᴏʟ

[Solaris-]

Andromeda & Soleth
For @Froshimaru​

 

[Solaris-]

Andromeda dreaded coming home. Their parents had become overbearing as of late with pushing suitors onto them- wanting them to marry. They'd made a deal when they'd first started university that after their studies were over, they would return home and settle down finally, but now that Romy had gotten a taste of what it meant to be a celebrated and published academic in their field, they longed for freedom that they knew would not be graced to them. Their parents didn't make fair deals, and they knew that all too well ever since she too had been granted the von Stratton family curse. Romy had come home a few days ago, graduated with honors from a university many men saved their entire lives to get into. There were no more excuses that she could pull out of her to get her parents to back away from what they wanted of her- an heir that followed orders.

Now, of all times, she was wishing they'd not spared her like they had many of the other children that'd gone missing in their region.

Her parents sat in their drawing room having come to visit the boarding school her brothers ran in tandem. Nathaniel and Silas were celebrated in their own right, but they were already married to human wives of their own volition, and thus Romy knew they could not pawn this marriage off onto one of them. She sat in front of the vanity mirror in the small room that she called home, looking at the reflection that stared back. Eyes a deep brown from hunger that constantly gnawed away at her, never sated. Andromeda wanted to be different than her parents; didn't want to feed indiscriminately on unwitting locals who never seemed to bat an eye to the many people who went missing in their area. But she knew deep down that she couldn't hold out forever. Even the illusion of magic that she used to turn her eyes blue- their normal shade- was waning the longer she waited to take her first blood. With shaking hands, Romy reached towards the bottle of tablets- blood and iron supplements that she'd made from the blood of the animals that were slaughtered from the meals prepared at the boarding school- and placed two into her mouth. Body shuddering hard at their taste. Vile and coppery like old coins left in the bottom of someone's bag. It had to be enough for now.

Blonde strands were tied back into a loose braid that hung over the woman's shoulder and she smoothed down a wrinkle there against her pressed dressed shirt that hung just a little loosely over her bound chest. Andromeda gathered what little courage she had and left her room to head towards the drawing room where her parents awaited her.

Her parents were stoic like statues unmoving in the drawing room. To others, it might have been uncanny how beautiful they were, and how they never seemed to age a day over forty. How their eyes seemed to luminesce even in the dimmest of lights. Andromeda looked nothing like her parents- which should have been expected seeing as they appeared to be humans and she was a moon elf. But even still, Romy knew that her eyes also looked that way. Eerie and beautiful in equal measure.

"Lord and Lady von Stratton," The soft tenor of Andromeda's practiced male voice came out. The empty room they sat gave her voice a slight echo. "It's wonderful to see you both." They offered a bow of respect towards their parents.

"Andromeda, please, greet us as your parents. You are a von Stratton, after all." Her father waved away her formalities so easily. His voice dripping with charm and influence, and she felt it tug at her now like an invisible string even though he'd not demanded anything from her.

"I apologize. I've not seen you both in so long." And even though they'd raised her from adolescence, it still felt strange to regard them as her parents when they were mostly absent from her life until they wanted something. Most of her life Nate or Silas had been there to help her out through all of the growing pains. "I hope you're well. I heard you wanted to see me."

"Yes, have a seat." The seat opposite them was offered and Andromeda did as they were told without a second thought. The influence brought a cold tingle of dread through the entire length of their spine, and they wondered if this is what normal people felt like when they were exposed to their parents. Their heart beat loudly in their chest and they knew what was to come.

With tired, blue, ocean colored eyes, Romy looked up from her seat. "Is this about our deal?" The blonde asked- unsure as to where she'd gotten this sudden backbone when speaking with the monsters she called parents. "I thought I would be good to honor it when I came home." A lie. Romy would never be ready. "But I've learned so much, seen so many things. I'm published in scientific journals. I'm not ready to be tied to someone else yet. You promised me that if I became your heir, you wouldn't sell me off like meat like... like a woman." Her words were dripping with disdain. As a woman, she had nothing to offer the world but her body. As a man, she could offer the world her mind and her skills. "And yet, all you've done is try to bargain me off to every noble person you can think of. What happens if they find out I'm not a man? What happens when they know we can't have children naturally?"

Romy could see the growing impatience behind both of her parents' eyes as she spoke. But she wasn't done. "I am not some prize token to be thrown about. I have so much more to offer the world than being a trophy sat upon a shelf for someone to stare at and be idle! I will not sit and suffer in silence being married to some foolhardy noble who thinks they can say pretty words and win me over!" No, she craved conversation. Real and true companionship and not something vapid and draining. Be it man or woman, she truly didn't care, but she wasn't a prize dog or some bitch in heat they needed to pawn off quickly.

"Shut up, Andromeda." The words fell harshly against her- slapping her in the face like a brick. It nearly winded her to be subject to this and she winced- immediately falling silent though she certainly had more to say than this. Her pale face was flush with guilt with speaking out of turn- knowing full well that talking back got her nowhere quickly. "I have raised you, given you a home, fed you, and put you through the most prestigious classes only for you to throw it back in my face. We have given you nothing but the best, and you still cannot heed our simple request. My useless sons may be able to tolerate this level of disrespect, but I will not do so anymore. You've begged us not to use our influence on you on this matter, but I no longer have a choice in this matter. You WILL marry Lord Soleth. We've promised his family an audience this week. We made a deal that you would return home from your studies, and then you would do as you were told, and so you shall. You will no longer be a spoiled, petulant child, Andromeda. Go pack your things. We are leaving tomorrow."

Her chest constricted tightly. It hurt so much to fight it. Their hands were balled into tight knuckle fists against their slacks and tears pricked at their eyes- falling silently down her cheeks. Lord? Andromeda's parents expected them to marry a man when they dressed as a man? Just what sick game were they playing at? "May I be excused?" The tenor had fallen from their voice to reveal a softer alto underneath. They were waved away and Romy all but ran from the room- nearly knocking over one of the maids in their rush to flee.

--

Andromeda didn't sleep. Not a single wink between when they'd been dismissed and now being in the carriage on their way to another kingdom where they were to marry the prince there. They felt like crying but no tears would come, and they didn't dare try to cry in the presence of their parents who sat opposite them on the carriage seats. The carriage jostled and bumped Romy's head hard against the window. She rubbed at it with a gloved hand and opted to just sit straight rather than lean against the window now. She'd learned from her parents that he was a sun elf and that in and of itself brought up new feelings of distrust within her. It wasn't like they were enemies of moon elves like herself, but their hedonistic nature to enjoy everything they possibly could and give in to pleasures of the flesh, and their lack of dress made the more reserved elf woman a little hesitant. Romy had been raised by humans for the most part, and their prudish natures had rubbed off on her as much as she'd hate to admit it. Of course, her parents being humans before they were vampire nobles didn't understand her disdain for the sun elf culture, and she wasn't about to test her luck further.

It was a very long, very silent trip with no one uttering a word amongst themselves. Andromeda watched out the window as the greenery of Euna faded into something foreign.
"Remember your manners. In the public eye, you are one of our sons, and you need to behave as such." This was one of the first words that their mother had spoken to them this whole trip, and they carried a lot of weight on Romy's shoulders despite not being very harsh.

"I know, Mother. I'll behave myself." They swallowed the thick bile that creeped up their throat and looked out the window as the carriage came to a jostling stop.

There was entourage there to greet them. Servants in scant dress as they were not shy of their bodies. Looking at them made Romy flush a dark shade of red before they reminded themselves to look away. To them, her own manner of dress might've seemed odd even though the suit she wore was fashionable for men in Euna. Tailored slacks held up by suspenders over a white button down tucked into the snatched waist of those slacks. Over the top of it was a dark blue cloak that was trimmed neatly with furs near the shoulders and the von Stratton family crest carved into each of the golden buttons of her cloak. A very expensive piece that had been a gift from her parents a few years back.

No doubt these servants had heard the rumors of the von Stratton's cursed bloodline as there was poorly veiled fear that shown clearly on their faces, but Andromeda paid it no mind. They were shuffled along by the servants to the western wing of the palace, and Romy took a moment to look over her appearance in the mirror there. By all accounts, she looked to be the perfect son.

"Young Master," There was a voice on the other side of the door and Andromeda opened it to find a young sun elf on the other side. She seemed adolescent, but it was hard to tell with an immortal race of people as they were. "The Prince and his family are requesting your presence." Offering her an apologetic smile, Romy stepped from her room.

"Please, lead the way."

The two of them came outside a rather impressively carved door which the smaller of the women had trouble opening. "My Lord and Lady and Most Esteemed guests. I've gathered the Young Master to join you all."

Romy bowed deeply in respect. "Revered Hosts, Honorary Margrave Andromeda von Stratton. Charmed to make your acquaintance." Their voice carried a steady, soft tenor even though underneath it all, they were fucking terrified.​