Chapter 11 - Confrontations
He didn't come to their bedroom that night, and he didn't come the next ones either. It had been a week since their wedding and for a week, when she woke up, she wasn't sleeping comfortably in her husband's arms, she wasn't feeling warm without his skin next to hers, and she surely didn't feel joyful, despite having just gotten the good news of Mrs. Potter's pregnancy as well as the opportunity that Mr. Snape was giving her.
Ginevra usually remained awake all night, waiting for her husband. They needed to talk and set things between them to rights, but he never came and the fear and pain were consuming her body and soul.
The same thoughts kept haunting her: was he sleeping with a bedmaid? Had he betrayed his promise to be only hers? Was she the one who pushed him away, into the arms of other women?
Although she tried to calm down, the guilt tore at her heart and the tears fell down her cheeks. The first rays of sunshine began to show on the horizon, a few rosy clouds here and there. Knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep, Ginevra left the bed, put on her robe and slippers and walked down the Palace's first floor's hallways.
Everything was quiet, as it was too early for the maids to be working, or the Palace's inhabitants to start their day. For the last week she had been entering all the bedrooms of the first floor, searching for signs of her husband.
In one of those mornings, as she visited yet a few more bedrooms, the swishing of long skirts drew her attention to the grand staircase that led to the ground floor, just as Parvati appeared on the landing, holding a few towels in her arms. As soon as she saw Ginevra standing in the middle of the hallway with puffy red eyes, she ran to the Princess with a worried face.
"Milady, are you feeling well? Is something wrong?" Parvati asked in one breath, dropping the towels she was carrying on a side table.
"I'm alright, Parvati, don't worry, but I need your help… Can you tell me where is Prince Draco's old bedroom?" she asked with a sad face that immediately broke her maid's heart.
"Of course, Milady."
Quickly, Parvati walked down the corridor and indicated a set of double doors. Stepping aside, she allowed Ginevra to push open the doors, enter and then close it once again, leaving the maid in the corridor.
The bedroom was still immersed in the dark, making it hard for her to see where she was going, but Ginevra made it to the windows, opening the curtains and allowing the weak rays of sunshine to bring some life to the room.
The room was similar to their new one, except the colours in this room were more masculine and the bed wasn't so elaborate. There were a few shelves with her husband's school books, as well as a few others he must have found too interesting to go to the palace's library. The bed was empty, when she had hoped to find him sleeping in it, and there was no evidence of him having been there lately.
She truly had hoped to find him in his old bedroom, alone, but now that she knew he wasn't, the despair began to tear her heart once again. Leaving the bedroom, she found Parvati on the same spot, waiting for her. The maid said nothing, just helped Ginevra go back to her bedroom and helped her prepare for the day. She would be having her first Potions Class with Mr. Snape.
It had been very exciting to work with the older man. He showed great knowledge and a passion for the subject and he managed to infect Ginevra with some excitement, after all those days worrying about Prince Draco. Mr. Snape had given her a class about several potion's ingredients, and at the end of the class, he took the chance to enquire after her husband.
"I don't know where he is… I haven't seen him since the day after our wedding." Ginevra replied sadly, as she tidied the desk where she had been working, in her husband's adolescence study room.
Mr. Snape stared at her with a scowl on his face, and remained silent, studying her carefully.
"Draco can behave like a child on the most inopportune times… He likes to challenge other people, make them feel guilty over his mistakes. A treat I believe he learned from his father, as Narcissa is not like that at all." The dark man explained, shrinking his books with a wave of his wand, and placing them inside of his black robes. "I believe he hasn't gone far, Ginevra… I believe you should search for him better and give him a piece of your mind. If it's a challenge he wants, who better than you to give it to him?"
Ginevra just stared at Mr. Snape with a surprised yet thoughtful gaze. He knew her husband better than she did, so, perhaps he was correct in his train of thought. She would search Prince Draco and make him see his mistakes.
She had felt lonely during that week. Mrs. Potter was excited with the news of her pregnancy and was spending as much time with her husband as possible; Lady Sarah had returned to the Palace after a long absence and spent her days keeping company to the Queen. Ginevra felt left out, as it was obvious both women knew each other very well, and talked about things that were not of her interest at all. The King only showed up at meal times, and had never asked about his son. She had thought about asking the King where her husband was, but seeing his malevolent face, whenever he looked at her, she gave up on the idea and spent as much time as possible reading, in the library.
Today, she had gotten up early again, and wearing only her thin white nightgown, Ginevra walked down the stairs, searching for a maid. The best place to search was the kitchen, and that's where she went. Thankfully, the cooker wasn't there, yet, only a maid preparing her own breakfast.
"Good morning."
The woman shrieked with surprise and turned around to face the intruder, immediately blushing, feeling embarrassed to be in the presence of the new Princess.
"Can I help you, Milady?" she asked, carefully making a curtsey.
"Yes, you can… I want you to take me to … the bedmaid's bedrooms. Make no questions or comments; just lead me there, please." She requested with a shivering voice. The maid obeyed, quickly leading her Princess down a corridor Ginevra had never seen before.
"The next bedroom is where the bedmaids sleep, and this one is where … the Prince takes the one he has chosen." The maid explained, pointing at two opposite doors in the corridor. "You won't go in there, will you, Milady?"
"Yes, I'll go in there, and you needn't worry, I won't tell anyone you brought me here. Go to the kitchen and pretend you know nothing about my little adventure…" Ginevra ordered with a gentle smile, and remained silent, watching the maid go down the hallway as quickly as her steps could take her. Then, taking a deep breath, Ginevra faced the closed doors that led to the bedroom where the Prince could enjoy other women's company.
Jealousy, anger, hate, sadness, passion… all these feelings filled her heart, giving her the strength and courage to push the door open and step inside.
Just like in the Prince's old bedroom, there was no light allowing her to see her surroundings, except for the outlines of the windows, where the sunlight peeked through the thick curtains.
Being careful to make little noise, Ginevra walked to the windows and opened just a little of the curtain. Just enough to see through the darkness and then, she wished she hadn't done that. There, on the huge bed was the outline of two bodies under the bed sheets.
Tears already in her eyes, her hands shaking nervously and anger searing through her blood, Ginevra approached the bed and slowly lowered the sheets, just enough to see the bed occupants.
Her husband was sleeping on his stomach, arms under his head and obviously sleeping soundly. By his side was one of the bedmaids. She had red-ish brown hair, a small pale face with rosy lips and no freckles blemishing her beautiful features. The young woman was sleeping on her side, facing the Prince, and she was obviously naked under the sheets, as it was possible to see the outlines of her lean body.
Ginevra dried her eyes, took a deep breath and approached the bed, and trying to keep calm, as the bedmaid had no fault over the Prince's behaviour, she gently shook the young girl awake.
Almost immediately, two large blue eyes stared at Ginevra in shock and embarrassment. Before the girl started talking and woke up the Prince, Ginevra placed a hand over the girl's mouth.
"Shh… Don't say anything, understand?" Ginevra whispered gently and the girl nodded, sitting against the bed's headboard, the white sheet covering her naked body. "Are you well? Did he hurt you?"
"No, Milady, he…" the girl whispered back, shyly.
"Shh… I'm sorry for my husband's actions. You don't deserve to be treated like this. Go to your bedroom and have some rest." Ginevra ordered gently, turning around to give the girl enough privacy to put on her black lace night shirt.
After the girl left, Ginevra took a deep breath, searching for the fiery temper she was known for. So many times had she yelled and screamed at disgusting men who tried to touch her; so many times had she fought with her brothers over foolish things… but now… she just couldn't gather enough energy to yell at her husband, the man she was growing attached to.
He was beautiful, his mouth was talented, as well as his hands; he seemed to be very intelligent, but he could be so cruel, when he felt threatened.
`Does he feel threatened by me?' she asked herself, carefully seating on the bed, next to him, studying his features, his soft hair, his gorgeous body. `Julie, my dear sister-in-law, you were completely correct when you said that marrying beautiful men was a bloody pain in the ass…'
Patiently, Ginevra waited for her husband to wake up, and when he finally began to stir, she placed a blank mask over her face.
Prince Draco moaned softly and released his arms from the weight of his head and then stretched them out to his sides, searching for his lover's warmth. When he felt her legs, instead of her waist, his eyes snapped open and Prince Draco came face to face with his wife.
For a few moments they just stared at each other, studying the other's reaction, but said nothing.
"What are you doing here?" he growled, sitting up against the headboard, not bothering to cover his naked torso. He was such a beautiful sight, but Ginevra put those thoughts away and just stared at him, right in the eyes.
"I just came searching for my husband, what else?" she replied calmly, trying to keep the anger at bay.
"Well, you've found him. Leave…" he commanded, stepping out of bed, gloriously naked and walked to the window, pushing the curtains aside, to allow the sunlight to fill the bedroom.
"Why are you acting like a prat? Do you feel menaced by me? By our marriage? Am I scary?" she asked angrily. "Or can't you just spend the rest of your life sleeping with the same woman? Do you need variety in your bed?"
Prince Draco turned around to look at her, his eyes burning with anger and his face distorted in a scowl.
"Leave, now!" he commanded again, fiercer this time.
"No, I won't leave and you will listen to me!" she snapped back at him, stretching over the bed to grab his wand from the bedside table. She was now armed and he would have to listen to her. "On our wedding you promised faithfulness, you promised to protect me; and what have you done that same night? You fulfilled your obligations by taking my virginity away. I gave myself to my husband, that night, hoping that he would realise that he didn't need any other women but me, that we could learn to enjoy each other…"
Prince Draco just stared at his wife from the window, his arms crossed over his chest and his arousal quite evident. But, why was he so aroused? She was yelling at him, with his wand in her hands, ready to hex him if needed…
"What happened that morning was a foolish fight, I apologised for my words and still, you couldn't accept my apologies. Why? Are you that implacable?" she carried on, trying to ignore his lower body parts. "You took my innocence, but you did it because I gave myself to you, freely, because you are my husband. I can't forgive you for taking away these girls' innocence, against their will. I can't forgive you for belittling these girls' wills, just because you want to get laid. You have a wife for that!"
"Jealous, are you?" he sneered, completely destroying her whole speech.
Her husband didn't want to hear reason, he just wanted to make fun of her, make her feel guilty and confused. He was so deceiving…
Ginevra didn't answer; she simply threw his wand on the bedcover and got up on her feet, brushing a few strands of her red hair away from her now pale face, keeping her eyes glued on the rumpled bed sheets.
"Mrs. Potter is pregnant and Mr. Snape offered me his services as a Potions' Teacher. I had my first class with him just yesterday… Your mother has been asking for you, she missed your presence, despite Lady Sarah's return. That's all you've been missing…" she said in a whisper, turned around and walked to the door, to go back to her bedroom… their bedroom.
Just as Ginevra reached the door, she heard his voice whispering a spell and the door became locked. Turning around, she saw her husband sitting on the bed, wand in hand and a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Not so fast, dearest wife… You've said what's on your mind, but I didn't get my chance." He said in a seductive voice that made her knees tremble and her heart beat race. "First of all, I hold no interest in Potter's life; I can only say I hope I won't have to endure their brat's presence…"
"Typical male… They say they hate kids, but as soon as they see one, they behave like fools and want one of their own." Ginevra chuckled, leaning against the door with a smile on her lips.
"I don't think that's the case… Secondly, women can't have access to magic, so you'll stop those classes right away." He finished smugly, completely sure that she would be begging at his feet for his authorization. He was wrong…
"Potions don't require magic, Draco." She grinned, daring him to find another justification.
"You are not allowed, that's final… Thirdly, I will see my mother when the time comes, until then, she'll have to wait." He replied, walking slowly towards his wife, rolling his wand in his hands.
"Are you scared, husband? Are you afraid of what your mother will say about your escape?" Ginevra teased, as he came to stand right in front of her, looking right in her eyes.
"And last, but not least, you needn't feel jealous…" he ignored his wife and kept baiting her, wanting to face her temper. When she was furious he knew how to handle her, he knew how to silence her, but when she behaved this way, challengingly, sure of herself, teasingly, he seemed to loose his power over her, he seemed to be the prey instead of the hunter. It aroused him to no end.
After remaining calm all this time, Ginevra finally felt herself grow nervous, shy and sad. He had touched the weakest link of her heart… Jealousy of him with other women, the women she had unwillingly chosen for him.
"You've said what's on your mind… May I leave now?" she asked politely, trying to keep her jaw from trembling too much. It wouldn't be good to show him her weakness and have him exploit it, for his benefit.
Prince Draco chanted a simple `Finite Encantatem' and released the spell on the door, but just as his wife prepared to exit, he trapped her between his body and the door, their upper bodies in full contact, their breathing slightly rapid.
"Don't ever enter this room again, no matter for how long I've been gone and no matter whom I've been with… This is a place where I can meet my bedmaids, not my wife. If I wanted to have you, I would have been in my bedroom, all along." He whispered against her lips, their eyes still locked, and then he kissed her forcefully in a kiss that spoke of frustration, despair, hunger and passion.
Ginevra had wanted this sign of affection all week long, and like a drowned woman, she allowed herself to breath in the passionate kiss, enjoying as much as she could the taste of his lips, the feel of his skin against hers, the scent that was so his, so unique. Moments later he broke the kiss, his forehead resting against hers, their mouths brushing against each other as they breathed in a fast intimate rhythm.
"Now, will you obey and leave, once and for all?" he asked, stepping away from her to return to the bed, leaving her leaning weakly against the door, her knees too wobbly to move.
Not knowing what else to say and feeling, once again, too confused with her husband, Ginevra left the bedroom and slowly went back to their bedroom, thinking about his words.
`If I wanted to have you, I would have been in my bedroom, all along…'
So, was that the reason why he preferred the bedmaids? His wife wasn't good enough for him? Ginevra wasn't what he wanted in a woman? Well, those were thoughts she hadn't considered, and they hurt her deeply, but she would pay them no mind… for now. At least, she had found her husband, had seen he was in good health, had spoken her mind and now, it was all up to him, what came next in their marriage.
The feeling of experiencing something beautiful, when you're alone, can make you feel powerful, fulfilled that you've done something on your own, but that feeling can be so much stronger, so much bigger when you share that special thing with someone that you care about…
At the moment, walking all alone on the Palace's gardens, Ginevra wished she had someone there, by her side, to share the beautifulness of it all. Unfortunately, Queen Narcissa had left the Palace in Lady Sarah's company, the King… well, she didn't care much about him, truth be said, Parvati had chores to do, Mrs. Potter wasn't coming to the Palace anytime soon and her husband was probably in the bedmaids' room, doing Merlin knows what and with whom.
Slowly, she passed yet another bed of flowers, enjoying the mixture of aromas and colours, the damp grass under her naked feet and the shy sun warming her cheeks. The autumn was beginning, and she loved the smell of the cold wind, bringing the different scents scattered around the garden, the leaves starting loose their green and the strong smell of wet hearth remembering her why she loved this season.
Far away she could hear the sound of horses running and she allowed her thoughts go back to the night when she had helped her husband and Luar to give birth to a small colt. How was the little horse? Had Prince Draco named him, already? What had he named it? She could only promise herself to one of those days go to visit Luar and her baby, and try to find out his name.
Taking a deep breath to make her sadness go away, Ginevra promised herself to spend these lonely times, and there would probably be many in the future, on her fight to make women have the right to use magic and have a magical education. Her first goal to achieve would be a visit to Headmaster Dumbledore at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She had always wanted to visit her brothers' school, so full of wonderful mysteries and funny stories, and the place where she would likely find the support she needed.
Feeling slightly better, now that she had a strategy outlined, Ginevra spent the day reading a few books in the Sitting Room and it was late when she went to her bedroom, where Parvati waited for her, to help her out of her dress.
"Do you want me to comb your hair for you, Milady?" the young maid asked gently, as she slid the white nightgown down Ginevra's body.
"No, thank you, Parvati, I'll do it myself… Tomorrow morning, when you wake me up, bring me an owl, if you please. I need to send a letter." Ginevra ordered, removing the pins that held her hair up and sat at her vanity table. As she started combing her long hair with smooth strokes of the comb, she turned around to face her maid with a mischievous look on her face. "Parvati, is it true that I can leave the castle to visit the kingdom?"
"Yes, Milady, you can… What are you thinking?" Parvati smiled as well, wanting to see her Princess smiling once again, after a whole week filled with sadness.
"I want a carriage prepared, before lunch time… I'll go visit my parents tomorrow, you'll come with me, of course, and we'll have lunch there. I must warn my mother, so, please, bring two owls instead of one." Ginevra said excitedly, her eyes shining with happiness and her skin glowing healthily under the candles' light.
"Of course, Milady…" Parvati replied, just as the bedroom door was violently opened and thrust against the wall. In came a very angry Prince Draco, his white shirt opened up, showing his pale muscular chest, his hair dishevelled and a huge scowl on his face.
"OUT!" he yelled at Parvati, whom immediately ran away from the room, closing the door behind her.
"You didn't have to be so brute with her, she's here to help, you know?" Ginevra complained, still brushing her hair as if she didn't care if he were there or not, although she was extremely happy he had decided to come back to their bedroom… to their bed.
Prince Draco didn't reply, preferring to rip the shirt away from his body, as if it was scorching his skin and did the same with his boots. Only in his trousers he came to the vanity table and furiously taking the comb from his wife's hands, he threw it against the windows of the balcony doors, causing a rain of glass to fall on the wooden floor of the bedroom.
Ginevra stared at him in shock as he grabbed her arm angrily and made her stand up to face him, eye in the eye.
"Draco?"
"SHUT UP!" he yelled, silencing her immediately, but keeping his hands holding her arms in a bruising way. "What have you done to me? Have you been practising magic, behind everyone's backs?"
"What are you talking about?" she whispered softly, afraid of his next violent reaction. She had no idea of what he was talking about, but it scared her to no end to see her husband acting in such an uncontrolled way.
Angry at her response, angry to see her so scared, angry at himself for scaring her this way, Draco pushed her away, as if the touch of her skin could burn him. The push almost ended up positioning her on top of the shattered glass, but Ginevra stepped aside to avoid them and then looked at her furious husband once again.
"For the first time EVER, I left a gorgeous girl unattended…" he growled, taking a step towards her, which made her take a step back, away from him, but he kept on coming closer and she kept on walking away until she was, once again, trapped between her husband and the wall. "Thinking that, perhaps, I was too tired, I came back home, I chose a bedmaid, but the same thing happened… no reaction. Me, Draco Malfoy, Prince of Birmingham's Kingdom, well known women lover, couldn't get aroused!"
As he said this, in obvious anger and self-loathing, Prince Draco began to rub his quite obvious arousal against her hips. There seemed to be no problem with his ability to get aroused.
"Night after night, I've tried to pleasure myself in the arms of other women, and night after night, I've failed to do so… And then, you show up in that bloody bedroom, wearing this same hideous white nightgown, with your fiery red hair hanging down your back, looking like the picture of innocence, and my body reacts this way!" he yelled at her, making her close her eyes with the power of his anger, but she remained silent, waiting for his next move. "What love spell have you placed on me? I want it removed…"
Ginevra's eyes opened wide in shock, after hearing all his confessions. He was furious, because she aroused him, and no other woman could do so, anymore… Calmly, and a bit apprehensively, she raised her right hand to caress his face, soothing his angry features back to normalcy.
"There is no spell involved, other than the power of your own mind over your bodily reactions, and I'm glad you've finally grown a conscience. You may feel awful for loosing your honourable title of Casanova, but I'm happy to have a faithful husband…" she smiled gently, caressing his lips with her fingertips, his eyes devouring her face, wanting more of her smile.
"Only you could find a positive aspect in all of this." He growled before he took her mouth with his in a passionate, strong kiss. He kissed her with all the sexual frustration he had felt over the week, with all the passion he had for his wife, with all the power of the arousal he felt in her presence. He may not understand why he was ruined to other women, but at least, he had a beautiful woman as his wife, that aroused him and pleasured him…
The kiss remained violent, bruising, passionate and hungry as Prince Draco raised Ginevra's long nightgown over her hips and tore away her knickers, making her shriek against his lips in surprise. While she caressed his chest with her gentle, yet hungry hands, Prince Draco unbuckled his belt and opened his trousers, wrapped his wife's legs around his waist and entered her wet core without any preparation, making her yell in pain and a few tears to fall down her cheeks. Knowing he had hurt her, Prince Draco stilled his movements and kissed her teary eyes… She had only had sex once, it was obvious she would still be sensitive to such an act, and here he was, thrusting into her as if she were a common whore.
"I'm sorry, Ginevra…" he whispered against her eyes, his voice showing how honest he was with his feelings and making her feel slightly better.
"It's alright. I understand you're frustrated and slightly angry, but, can we save the wall for a future time? Right now I don't think I can handle anything other than a soft mattress…" she mumbled against the hollow of his neck, kissing the juncture of his neck with his jaw, making Prince Draco tremble like a leaf in the wind.
Gently, he walked then both to the bed, without leaving her warm centre and making her sigh with the pleasure of feeling his weight on top of her. With a fluid movement, Ginevra removed her nightgown, throwing it on the floor, beside the bed, and allowed herself to make love to her husband, enjoying each of his touches. Each of his moans making her feel pleasure all over her body and a small, now familiar, pressure gathering on her belly, making her shiver with his thrusts and move her body to meet his movements.
Eyes locked, silver on gold, legs tangled, tanned with pale, chest to chest, feminine to masculine, mouth to mouth, arms embracing each other's body, they achieved the maximum pleasure one after the other, allowing the overwhelming sensation to fill their beings for the few seconds it lasted and then, a feeling of calm and fulfilment overcame their bodies and mind.
"What is this power you hold over me?" Prince Draco whispered against his wife's mouth, as he kissed her gently, but still passionately, their bodies still joined at their centres.
"I don't know, but I'm glad it's working…" Ginevra replied with a big smile, rubbing her nose against his and kissing him again.
The next morning, she wouldn't be waking up alone… She would have a pair of strong arms holding her close, a familiar body keeping her warm and a feeling of fulfilment all over her.
For the first time that week, Ginevra went to sleep, in her husband's arms, feeling the happiest woman in the world.
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Hello my dearest readers, like I've promised, it's the 5th of February and I'm updating.
I will delete the previous chapter (with my Author's Note) when I finish this story, because if I replace it with a new chapter, you won't be getting my Update Notification, alright?
Well, after my breakdown, I felt a whole lot better, specially after receiving all of your reviews, wishing me to feel better and supporting me. Thank you all for your preoccupation, it meant the world to me to feel cared for, on that moment.
Today I had my third exam, only two more to go, and I'm exhausted,
My first exam went great, last Saturday I got a very nasty FLU and spent the worst 4 days of my life trying to study and trying to breathe at the same time, until I had to stay in bed with a fever. Still I went to school on Tuesday to make my exam, but it went awful. Who can study feeling sick? I can't! My exam today went well, and I'll have to start studying for my next one.
Here is the newest chapter of Conquering a Prince's Heart, and I think Ginevra is doing a good work, so far. He finally gained a conscious, uh?
I'm sending this chappie to my BETA, VioletJersey, today and when it's revised, I'll post it on top of this one, alright?
By the way, thank you VioletJersey for the idea for this chapter. You are a great thinker and I think it worked.
Love, to all of you, both for reading my story and for caring about me.
Carina
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