Chapter Text
Laws were not always in the favor of women, in fact for much of history women were treated as cattle and property meant only as a commodity to be traded or sold. They were to live up to the expectations of their husband’s stations in life and please them however they saw fit. Their desires or opinions were rarely taken into consideration.
In the kingdom under the reigning King Peter Hale there was such a law that gave him special privileges to the virgin brides on the eve of their weddings. He alone was the man allowed to touch her first, no matter whatever their willingness may be.
He was a man with a reputation known far and wide as some kind of monster, a beast that slaughtered would be opponents without flinching. He was always cloaked in shadow or darkness when he addressed his constituents, so rumors of his appearance being hideous ran rampant. Rumors of a body covered in battle scars made him a legend among would be warriors but made young girls shake with fear when the flag was hoisted above the castle to signal his return.
He never seemed to have enough and no woman had ever even come close to being a consort let alone his queen. Why should he choose one women when all the young women of his kingdom were at his disposal?
When he returned from his latest campaign the stories spread like wildfire about how bloody it had been but that not a single one of the King’s men had died thanks to the fierce determination and skill of the King. These stories also spurred on whispers of another kind, because pattern always repeated itself with their mighty King. When the battle was as fierce as was reported, the king would be fierce in his own castle, turning off the warrior part of his mind seemed harder when the battle was tougher.
The women who left the king after such a campaign seemed a little more vacant than other times, but there was never a clear answer why. They looked as pristine as they had before meeting the king, he never appeared to harm any of them physically. There were nothing but rumors as to what the king was like with these women because none of them could really share details - due to the consistency of their blurred memories, the question was always raised: Were they sworn to secrecy by threat of something terrifying? Or, did they really not have memories to share?
This was troubling enough, but things outside the castle were not going as planned. Normally on such long crusades, there would be at least a dozen young brides whose weddings were put on hold for his return. This time, unfortunately, there was only one bride-to-be.
The fact that her father had taken so long to arrange a match had narrowed down the offers considerably. While being nineteen was hardly an old maid, most men of the land wanted to have younger brides to mold to their preferences. There had been an offer from a man the same age as her father that would have been highly respected in many people’s eyes, but the idea of being intimate with a man who had a daughter her age made her stomach turn.
So her father, Captain John Stilinski, arranged marriage to a boy her age that was recently orphaned. He was left with a great deal of money that would see the young daughter lived a far more comfortable life than she might with someone else. It was well known that the death of his parents had made Lord Jackson Whitmore nearly impossible to handle, his moods swinging wildly and often aggressively towards those who challenged him.
Her father’s hope was that his daughter could soften the young lord’s heart and in this way save her from having to marry someone much older than she was. It was his hope that in time they would have a connection they could build from.
For a long time, his daughter was able to ignore the entire situation because the campaign seemed as if it would never end. She prayed that it would never end so she couldn’t marry Lord Jackson and she could just keep helping take care of her father and the other officers in his unit that had become surrogate uncles to her.
The day the flag was hoisted over the castle was the first time she had cried since her mother had passed. She didn’t cry because she was afraid of meeting the king (of course she was), or because she was worried their brief union would hurt ( of course she was), instead she cried realizing she was no longer even able to pretend to be free. She was a bride-to-be. In a week she would become Lady Stiles Whitmore and that was enough to make her ill but it was knowing she would never get to make another decision of her own volition that had her dropping to her knees and sobbing in the town square.
Of course everyone assumed her tears over the eve of her wedding when the King would send for her and she would have to face the beast’s debauched desires. She was far less terrified of one night with the king than she was of facing every night following with her soon to be husband. He had already made several improper comments about how she was made to please him and she was to do it without question.
The wedding gifts from friend’s of her father and Lord Whittmore started coming to her father’s home the next day and they were not a surprise, a normal tradition the week of the wedding in their kingdom. The back and forth emotions from her father as he watched the tea sets and the candelabras pile up, ranged from guilt to concern for her well-being. There were also several very uncomfortable aborted conversations about what she should expect on her wedding eve that was also not that surprising. Terrible but not surprising.
What was surprising was that five days before the eve of her wedding she received the summons from the King. A summons that wasn’t supposed to come until the early morning before her wedding day.
“There must be some kind of a mistake.” She couldn’t breathe, her chest felt tight and her vision swam as she read the perfectly penned note signed from Your King, Peter Hale.
Her dad had nearly left for the day when the sound of an approaching carriage had him stepping out onto the walkway and assuming his respectful pose as the King’s flag neared their home. The king wasn’t inside but the carriage had been sent on official business to collect her. There was nothing for her father to do but to hug his only child close and try to hide his own tears for days cut short.
He kissed her forehead and told her to be strong, like her mother, before he looked her in the eyes.
“My sweet Stiles, you do not need to be afraid. You’ve faced loss just like our King has, no matter how our stations differ and how our trials may differ, we are all just people trying to bond with someone. Find that something you both can relate to and it will be alright.”
“Are you trying to encourage me about surviving the king or my impending nuptials with Lord Whitmore?”
Her father huffed a laugh and shrugged as he hugged her once more. “Which ever answer brings you more comfort, that was my intention.”
She made an unladylike snort in his shoulder before giving a heavy sigh. She didn’t want to let him go but she had heard the king was not a patient man and she didn’t want to anger him when she didn’t even know why he was summoning her so early.
“Be sure to eat well, not just tavern food. Please. I’ll worry if you don’t promise me.” She was walking away from her father towards the carriage and lifted her day dress so she wouldn’t trip climbing into the coach.
When she sat down her father was right at the window and gave her a knowing smile. “I promise, don’t worry about me anymore.”
“That’s impossible. I love you dad.”
“This isn’t a death sentence, child of mine. I will see you in five days for the wedding. And you will still live close so we can still keep an eye on each other."
That made her smile and relax just a little, she may now be nineteen but she would always worry about her father the same as she had when her mother passed at age six. It was just the two of them now and she vowed to make sure he lived a long life, she planned on keeping that vow even after this dreadful marriage.
-*-
The kingdom was lush with beauty and life but Stiles couldn’t even bring herself to enjoy it as she tried not to panic over why the King wanted her so early. She couldn’t recall a time where this had happened before, so naturally it would happen to her.
There were already a number of maids waiting outside of the castle entrance when her carriage pulled to a stop. A beautiful girl with the cheeriest disposition approached her first and gave a small curtsy out of respect given to the women who would be honored in this way by their king.
“Lady Stilinski, the King sends his greetings and has tasked us with preparing you to meet him. I am Miss Allison and I’ll be helping you from now until you meet with his majesty.” She turned and opened her hand wide to the other maids that are waiting at a respectful distance.
“This is Miss Kathrine and Miss Erica.”
They were all beautiful in their own right and she wondered if they were to be married someday or if they would stay in the castle and work for the king their whole lives.
“We have much to accomplish before the evening comes, so please come with us.” Miss Kathrine’s beauty was tarnished slightly by the sour disposition that started to show almost immediately.
The women walked quickly through castle hallways that were sparsely decorated but the items that were there were clearly of the highest quality. Everything was trimmed in gold and gleamed in the sunlight coming through the windows. She couldn’t imagine the effort that the maids and other servants had to keep everything looking so beautiful.
When they arrived to a set of double doors that were so tall she was convinced they were nearly the height of her home. As Allison and Erica each pulled a door open, the strong perfume of lilacs filled her lungs and it suddenly hit her that all of this was real. She had been worrying more about the lack of freedom that she was about to experience, but it was in this room that she suddenly realized in a few short hours she would no longer be a virgin. She was pretty sure she would always associate this moment with lilacs.
“Come in Lady Stilinski, there is much to do.” Allison gave her a reassuring smile and waved her inside before the other girls closed the doors being them.
“Stiles.”
Allison frowned at her. “Do forgive me, what is a ‘Stiles’?”
Stiles pointed at herself, this was a conversation she’d had many time in her life. “Me. I’m a Stiles. That is my first name. Well, as a child I couldn’t pronounce my own name, so I started calling myself Stiles. And it remains with me today.”
The young girl still looked a little confused but smiled politely and nodded none the less.
“Wonderful. Come this way and let’s get you undressed, we have drawn you a hot bath.”
Stiles frowned and looked down at her day dress, then touched her hair unconsciously. “I am not dirty, I can assure you.”
Allison blushed a little and it was a lovely shade of pink. “I would never imply otherwise. But our king has special … requests of his guests. He likes to be sure all of the travels have been cleansed off of your skin. He is very sensitive to smells you see.”
Stiles had never heard anyone mention a flaw in the king before so she made the assumption it must be personal preference over anything else. She felt a little uncomfortable getting completely undressed in front of these total strangers but they were clearly unphased by the situation. They moved around the room like practiced dancers as they prepared oils and laid out clothing.
Erica helped Stiles step into the deep bath and she couldn’t help the audible sigh when she was completely submersed from her shoulders down. She couldn’t even remember the last time she bathed in water that wasn’t just lukewarm at best. She felt her whole body go lax even as Erica instructed her to leave a gap between the wall of the tub and Stiles’ body so she could wash her nearly waist length hair with a floral soap and oil.
It was nice having someone else wash her hair and it ended up not feeling as uncomfortable as she thought when Erica handed Stiles a sponge covered with a similar smelling soap to the one used in her hair only to turn and allow Kathrine to take her position and start washing Stiles’ back.
“You don’t have to do that, washing my hair was an effort on its own.” Stiles lifted one arm out of the water and squeezed the soap over the length to watch the bubbles fall back into the water.
“It is clear I do need to help you, we have limited time and much to do and yet you’re playing with bubbles like a toddler.” There was a beat of silence as Kathrine rubbed the sponge across the back of Stiles’ shoulders. “My lady.”
“I apologize, I tend to be distracted easily.” The only reply was the sound of sloshing water and the other girls moving around the room. She tried to wash quickly and while the task helped her nerves, it wouldn’t keep her focused for very long. “What does the king look like?”
Kathrine stopped her aggressive scrubbing for a moment. “No one in this room can answer that question. We have never even been in the same room as the king.”
Stiles got the distinct impression that Miss Kathrine was a little bitter about that and while that bloomed a different line of questions, she had more important things to learn. “How can you be maids to the women who see the king and he not show himself to you?”
“It isn’t necessary for maids to see the king. We complete our tasks before he arrives.” Erica came closer with a steaming pot in her hands and poured fresh hot water into the tub. “ The king keeps strict rules about how his servants conduct themselves. He only keeps men near him or his male guests and only allows women to care for his female guests. We do not even eat with the male servants.”
That was interesting, she wondered if he kept all parts of his life separated from each other or if it was just his staff.
“Well, surely you speak with the women after they leave the king. What have they to say about him?” Stiles looked up at Erica who’s pause was only momentary but still noticed.
“The women never speak of their time with the king, surely it is his desire to have it remain private.” Erica spoke kindly but firmly about the subject, walking away immediately.
-*-
The day continued in a way that felt like it would never end and was moving too quickly. Her mind was a pendulum of curiosity and fear. She asked many questions, most were answered with silence or a vague response that didn’t make anything clearer. The maids were probably sick of her, but nerves made her continue to ask questions. By the time the sun started to set, she was convinced that their patience (mostly on Katherine’s part) had come to an end and they just wanted to make her suffer.
“You cannot be serious, this is not a gown. This can hardly be called a slip of fabric. I can see through it.” Stiles held up the cream colored night gown that had been handed to her as she looked at the now gossamer blurred women before her.
“Lady Stilinski, this is the customary gown. You must put it on so we can take you to his majesty’s room. You must be settled before sunset, it is his command.”
Stiles huffed in frustration but dropped the robe she had been wearing so she could put the gown on. She wasn’t to wear anything underneath and it made her feel more than a little exposed. She wanted to suggest that she might as well go naked wearing this, but she was also afraid they would take her up on the suggestion and march her down the corridor in nothing at all.
They did allow her to put the robe back on until they reached the king’s chambers, once inside she realized that a flimsy piece of fabric would be the least of her concerns.
“What are those for?” Stiles stared between Allison and Erica who had taken opposite positions next to a very large bed with a silk canopy over top.
The two girls were smoothing long strips of fabric that appeared to be attached to the bed and left open towards the center. Allison also picked up a wider piece of fabric and held it in her hands as she approached Stiles with a gentle smile.
“This is for your safety, Stiles. Most women are too afraid to look at his majesty so we cover their eyes. It is safer to tie you to the bed to keep you from trying to run from the king in fear.”
Katherine had been standing behind Stiles this whole time but it still made her jump when the older maid leaned over her shoulder and spoke in her ear. “Bad things can happen if you turn your back on the king.”
“Please, I have a terrible fear of small spaces. If you cover my eyes with that, I will surely have an attack. Please, I promise I will not run.” Stiles clasped her hands in front of her chest and shared beseeching looks with each of the maids.
“We can forego the eye covering if it is that distressing for you, but for your safety we must insist you lie on the bed. We must do this, it’s tradition.” Allison dropped her hand that had the blindfold in it and gave her a sympathetic look, but still directed her towards the bed with the other hand.
Stiles felt like she was marching to her death in some way. She tried to control her breathing as she pulled up the fabric of the gown so she could climb onto the bed and position herself on her back in the center of the bed. Allison and Erica were both gentle as they each took a wrist and pulled her arms wide and slightly over her head before securing the fabric around them.
“Please, I will not run.” Stiles shook her head back and forth as she looked at Erica. “I will stay here.”
Erica sighed and sat on the bed next to Stiles, her hand resting on Stiles’ forearm as she stared down at the young bride to be. “Stiles, please, be still and be quiet. Do not irritate him. The more submissive you are, the easier this will be. It will all be over quicker than you know.”
In a matter of moments she was alone in this great room and she couldn’t even begin to be curious about it. Her vision swam as she tugged on the bindings over her wrist and she realized she was truly stuck here. She hadn’t noticed that while Erica and Allison were putting her in position, Katherine had lit more candles than she had ever seen before. The room had a beautiful glow that she wished she could appreciate.
With her tear filled eyes, the flames looked like fireflies and while she wished that comforted her, it just made her wish she was at home in her own bed. But that would never happen again. Last night had been her last night in her own home and she hadn’t even realized it.
After this she would go home with her new husband and nothing would ever be the same again.