“Goodbye.” The only word her mother had been able to choke out. Aery pressed her face into her hands for a moment, icy blue eyes full of tears as her thin mouth trembled. The look on her sisters’ faces when she’d tried to flee, that brief moment when she had allowed herself to hope, their sorrow and resignation. But then the guard had put a knife to Silenia’s throat, and her fragile resolve had crumpled, and she’d gone out of there without a fight. But not before…

Aery clapped her hands over her ears like she could shut out her sisters’ terrified screams that were pressed into her memory. That was what she got for resisting. Her family either grievously injured or dead. Perhaps it was better not to know.
A muffled sob escaped her lips before she could lock them. The carriage stopped; Aery quickly dried her face, looking out the small, barred window absently. Then she gasped and craned her neck for a better view. The enormous castle, dark stone and menacing. She bit her lip lest she cry again. [color=7bcdc8][i]Be a diplomat like you were trained, gods save you! What would your father think if he saw you in this state?! Be strong for your nation, Aerienna.[/i][/color] She forced her face to relax, a bland smile on her lips.

The guards laughed from somewhere outside, a key rattling in the door. They unlocked it and beckoned her out with a laugh, one taking a hold of her arm most intimately. She tried to yank out of the guard’s grip and got laughed at as the other put an arm around her waist. [color=00a99d]”Let go of me, please.”[/color] She said softly. The guards just held all the tighter, and she bit her lip hard rather than cry like she was fixing to.
They led her into a chamber, watching her like hawks. [color=00a99d]”Please leave me alone.”[/color] She whispered. [color=00a99d] “I have to bathe.”[/color]
“You can bathe while we’re watching.” Said one.

Aery sighed, but stripped and climbed into the shallow bathtub, yelping at the cold water and blushing at the indignity of being looked at by those… men. She quickly scrubbed herself clean, wrapping herself in a towel as soon as she got out, lest she reveal anything. The men indicated a dress hanging on a mannequin. Aery looked at it, her eyebrows raising slightly. The gown was slender and ice blue, with thin straps and short flutter sleeves and silver embroideries. Nothing that her mother would have EVER allowed her to wear. But… She pulled the dress on, ignoring the men snickering behind her as they got a glimpse of her bare skin. She was mortified but she figured that she needed to get dressed quickly. Adjusting the fabric she looked in the mirror, wincing at how much skin it exposed. She didn’t really have all that many curves, still being little girl-ishly built even having just turned eighteen. But those curves she had were very much emphasized.

She turned to the guards, flushing at their catcalls. They beckoned her out the door, down several hallways, and into a ballroom, where the sheer number of men there made her want to turn and run. If only she could. She was bustled into line along with some other girls. Absolutely terrified, she gently nudged one of them, a girl whose wrists were… shackled? Gods, she must be dangerous. [color=00a99d]”Hello…”[/color] she whispered. [color=00a99d]”My name is Aerienna, most call me Aery. What’s yours?”[/color] It couldn’t hurt to have a friend here, could it?