The Noble Sellsword (Under Rewrite)

III - Lady Lysandra

Lysandra

"Lady Lysandra, Lord Mortis asked for you," a guard said through her door. Her handmaiden paused brushing Lysa's hair.

She sighed deeply before answering. "I will be out in a moment."

Lysa stood up and looked in the mirror. She was wearing a long golden dress with red roses embroidered at the hem, its vines crawled up to its bodice. The red rose was the King's sigil, and she hated it.

She set her back straight and held her chin up. Despite her mood, she was still a lady, and a lady should always be presentable to any noble lord. One of her handmaidens opened the door and she walked out of her room. A guard followed them as they set a pace towards the lord's room

Lord Mortis's court, as it was called, was larger than the whole marketplace. The walk from her room to his was tiring, especially with the amount of fabric that she was wearing.

It didn't feel that way before. Before, she was always excited to see the man who had taken her in when she was just a child.

She found the lord standing on the balcony of his room, looking over the city he ruled since... that fateful day.

"My lord, you summoned me," she announced as she entered. The man turned and smiled at her. The smile she used to love until she found out that he had made arrangements for her to marry the Prince. She still curtsied and bowed her head as a sign of respect to the man who raised her.

"Ah, my dear Lysandra! There you are!" He then waved his hand, dismissing her handmaidens and guards as he sat down behind his desk. "Please, my dear, sit down."

"You surely have grown into a fine you lady since the Siege of Creage. Your father would be really proud of you, may his soul rest." He whispered the last part as if he was almost ashamed it came out of his mouth. Lysa looked down at her clasped hands, biting the inside of her cheeks as she tried to stop herself from crying.

She took a deep breath before looking up and smiled at him.

"Your smile is such a sight to see, my dear. It was like your mother's," he commented. The memory of her parents was like a faded dream, but she kept them close to her heart.

"That is too kind of you, my lord," she answered, and despite the pain she was feeling, her tone was rather upbeat.

He stood up and looked at the city again, his hands together at his back. A city rewarded to him by the Prince. "I have treated you like you were my own. My own flesh and blood, and I hope you know I love you like you're my real daughter."

"I know, my lord."

But you love power more than anything else.

"Your betrothal to Prince Pelindros will bring great honor to the family." He turned and looked at her with a smile on his face and Lysa had to stop herself from recoiling. It used to be a sweet smile, but now it looked like a poisoned pie that she ate and ate until the day it killed her.

"Yes, my lord, it is such a great honor," she said.

Such a great honor to be married to a prince twice my own age.

"You will leave as soon as preparations are finished. I would have you escorted to the Court, but not by Estrolis guards, but by a paid blade. I actually had a person in mind, but Cee refused.

Cee? Why does it sound familiar?

"Her friend Draco accepted though, and he was the second best to her."

"Her?" She creased her brows "Cee is a lady?"

Lord Mortis gave a hearty laugh. "Oh, never call her a lady, Lysa, she wouldn't like it."