Cold fear gripped Lily’s insides. Anna was right. This could work. But it would also mean that she really could take her sister’s place. She clenched her teeth to keep back her sudden urge to vomit.
She had already said it.I would take your place if I could!Her own words taunted her now, taunted her fear and disgust. Had they been just an empty promise? Was she too afraid to make good on her word?
She closed her eyes and reached inside herself for courage. For a torturously long moment, which in reality lasted only seconds, she battled with herself, two possible paths flashing in her mind’s eye.
She could refuse Anna. She could be safe and sound from the king’s Harvest, normal and pristine until she married. She could let Anna go and be taken by the king, and she could forever lose her sister’s trust.
Or she could put on the veil and go.
There was nothing more important than family. Lily opened her eyes and nodded her assent. She would go. At dawn, she would set out to become the king’s new bride.
Chapter II
In the gray, pre-dawn light, Anna helped her prepare. Lily put on her sister’s best clothes—a mauve, long dress, which fell gracefully down her body, sliding against her curves like rain. Anna braided Lily’s long, light auburn hair and then carefully arranged the veil so it covered Lily’s entire head. She stared at her for a long while, telling Lily to turn this way and that. Finally, she was satisfied.
“No one will know it’s not me,” she said. Then, she frowned, worry adding years to her young face. “Are you sure you want to do that, Lils? You don’t have to, you know. I wouldn’t hold it against you if you changed your mind.”
Lily shook her head and tried to smile over teeth clenched hard to prevent herself from crying.
“No, I said I would go and I’m going. As I’ve said: I like good food and I’m curious. I want to see the castle and… him.”
She clenched her teeth harder, making her jaw throb with pain. No one in the village had ever seen their monster king. No one apart from his previous virgin brides. And they saw him only as he came to plunder them and fill them with his monster seed.
Even though they told stories of great pleasure and lascivious desires, Lily suspected they were only pretending. No woman could enjoy having her first intimate encounter with a monster. Most likely, those girls spent their nights crying and nursing wounds, and put up brave fronts during the day to keep people from pitying them. That’s what Lily would have done in their place. That’s what she would do.
She waved her hand in the air as if trying to chase away her thoughts. It would be fine. In three days, she would be back. And Anna would be safe, at least until the next Harvest.
Suddenly, Lily’s heart pounded with terror. What if her sacrifice was for nothing? What if Lily would get picked at the next Harvest? They wouldn’t be able to use the same trick again… that is, if anyone found out they switched places. She turned urgently to Anna.
“Listen! You must hide until I’m back. No one can know what we did. Do you understand?”
“I didn’t think this far,” Anna said sheepishly. “I keep expecting you to withdraw. It’s mad, what I’m asking you to do.”
“You must hide,” repeated Lily. “If anyone finds out, you may be chosen the next year and I wouldn’t be able to take your place again. Promise me that you won’t let anyone know. It must be our secret, at least until your twentieth birthday. Then, we’ll tell everyone so that you can find a good husband.”
Anna’s eyes grew big with fear as she listened to Lily.
“You’re right. I didn’t think about it, I just assumed… But you’re right. I’ll hide, I promise.”
“And if anyone thinks it strange that I disappeared, I’ll just tell them I’d gone to visit Aunt Ruth. After I return, that is,” Lily said.
Aunt Ruth lived in a neighboring village and Lily had gone to her a few times, once without having informed anyone. She had made her family worried. Hopefully, this time they would remember her last escapade and not think much about it.
Feeling reassured, Lily sighed with relief and turned to their small mirror to take one last look at her face. She could see just fine through the thin fabric, but she wouldn’t be seen. The veil covered everything.
She could vaguely distinguish the red of her lips and the terrified flush in her cheeks. Even up close, she wouldn’t be able to tell who was hiding beneath the veil. Anna had been right. They could get away with this, and no one would know, ever. Her stomach clenched, but she forced herself to breathe deeply.
A loud knock on their bedroom door told Lily it was time.
“Get in the bed and cover your head with a pillow,” she whispered to Anna, who stood frozen with fear.
Somehow, Anna’s panic helped Lily feel calmer. She would see this through.
She slipped out of their bedroom to find her mother, her face lined with worry, at the door. They hugged without words and Lily almost ran down the steps to get out of the house. The sooner she left the village, the better chance she had of hiding her identity.
A luxurious, black and purple four-in-hand was waiting on the dirt road outside their cottage. It shone in the first rays of the rising sun, a glorious sight. It made Lily’s heart flutter with terror and awe. The carriage spoke of elegance and wealth, giving no hint of the monstrous nature of its owner and master.
Other people from their village had gathered at this early time to watch the bride’s departure. Lily had never gone to see anew bride off, and most women didn’t, either. The small group of morbid witnesses was mostly men and two old women, who leered at her.
