morally dubious princesses who become queens
WIP. To prove I'm being productive. TVD AU. Elena is a queen, Stefan is her consort. In this bit, Elena finds out Stefan has been helping Damon hide in the palace. Stefan/Elena of course.
There was a knock on the door.
"Why do you look so surprised?" Elena said, studying Stefan's face when he opened the door to reveal her, "I told you that I would be coming."
"I didn't expect you to knock," Stefan said and took a few steps back so that Elena could come into the room.
"It's your room," she told him.
Like the last eighteen times she'd told him that, he had no reply to give her. Whatever Elena had said over the past week since he'd arrived at her palace, Stefan knew that she didn't actually want to know that he'd never owned anything. That his brother and father walked into the room he was assigned to sleep in at any time they wanted, that knocking would never occur to them. That this fact didn't bother him.
She was too attached to the idea that Stefan was just as much a person as she was.
As she closed the door behind her and walked over to the bed, Stefan noticed that she wasn't carrying anything to beat him with. That could mean she didn't have use for implements, that she would have someone else beat him, or that she wasn't planning on using pain to punish him. The last option worried Stefan the most. His father had been the opinion that pain was the best teacher so Stefan was well learned in how to handle it. Other forms of discipline were largely unknown to him.
When she was seated, Stefan knelt down on the floor next to her legs and bowed his head. "I apologize for deceiving you about my brother. I will gladly accept any - "
"Stop," she said and grabbed his face with both of her hands. She tilted his head up. "I don't want these formalities with you."
Stefan's body tensed and he felt sick. "You can't mean that with something like this."
"I do."
"I lied to you," Stefan said. He felt an urge to pull away from her. "I kept the fact that my brother was in your palace from you. On top of the major breach of security - "
"That's the only thing you did wrong," Elena said. She pulled away from him. Stefan closed his eyes, briefly, as he felt her fingers brush across his skin. "No one from your life before me is ever allowed to see you. The standard penalty if they ignore that is - "
"Death," Stefan said, the word falling from his lips at their own violation.
"You just wanted to protect your brother. I get that. And, normally, that would be it. But we're at war and we can't afford intruders."
Stefan nodded and bowed his head once more. "Are you going to kill him?"
"No," Elena said and Stefan's head shot up. "Your brother was able to hide from us for as long as he did because of his ability to compel people to obey him. When he wakes up," Damon's body, bloody and bruised, and croaking 'brother' at Stefan before losing consciousness would be an image Stefan was sure that would never leave him. "We'll offer him a deal. He can join our army, under Bonnie's command."
"Or?"
"He'll have to leave."
Stefan's head fell down on her knee. He reached up and clenched at the cloth of her dress as hard as he could. He'd never get to see Damon again, but he was alive and would remain so. Stefan couldn't imagine wanting anything else. "Thank you."
Elena set a hand on the back of his head. He fingers tightened in his hair as she said, "Caroline reminded me that a standard punishment for endangering the palace would either be a hundred lashes over five days if not death."
The muscles in Stefan's back tensed and he swallowed. His father rarely used a whip and he'd never gotten more than five lashes in one sitting. He closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath. He would handle it. It was nothing less than what he deserved.
"But that's not going to happen."
Eyes opening, Stefan lifted his head and stared at her. "What are you going to do?"
"I told Caroline I'd handle it my own way," Elena said. Elena's palm slid down his head and rested on the back of his neck. "But the truth is, I have no idea what to do. Even though your brother meant no harm, helping someone not authorized to in the castle stay hidden is a serious crime and it would send a bad message if I pardon you completely."
"A hundred lashes is fair," Stefan said.
"No, Stefan," Elena said, nearly choking on the words as her eyes growing wide, "it's not."
"You don't have to consider it punishment," Stefan said, "it could just be a political task to carry out."
"I'm not going to use you to prove that I'll be tough on crime," Elena snapped.
"As queen, you're going to have to make moves like this," Stefan said. He reached up to cover her hand on his neck with his. "It won't be so bad. I'll only be getting twenty at a time."
She looked at him directly in the eyes. Stefan looked back. Then she clenched her jaw. "I'm not even going to consider it. That's not who I'm going to be. And that's not something I'd ever do to you."
"You have the right and obligation to use me as you will," Stefan said.
"No," she said as she leaned over so that their faces were almost touching, "I have the right and obligation to protect you."
There was a knock on the door.
"Why do you look so surprised?" Elena said, studying Stefan's face when he opened the door to reveal her, "I told you that I would be coming."
"I didn't expect you to knock," Stefan said and took a few steps back so that Elena could come into the room.
"It's your room," she told him.
Like the last eighteen times she'd told him that, he had no reply to give her. Whatever Elena had said over the past week since he'd arrived at her palace, Stefan knew that she didn't actually want to know that he'd never owned anything. That his brother and father walked into the room he was assigned to sleep in at any time they wanted, that knocking would never occur to them. That this fact didn't bother him.
She was too attached to the idea that Stefan was just as much a person as she was.
As she closed the door behind her and walked over to the bed, Stefan noticed that she wasn't carrying anything to beat him with. That could mean she didn't have use for implements, that she would have someone else beat him, or that she wasn't planning on using pain to punish him. The last option worried Stefan the most. His father had been the opinion that pain was the best teacher so Stefan was well learned in how to handle it. Other forms of discipline were largely unknown to him.
When she was seated, Stefan knelt down on the floor next to her legs and bowed his head. "I apologize for deceiving you about my brother. I will gladly accept any - "
"Stop," she said and grabbed his face with both of her hands. She tilted his head up. "I don't want these formalities with you."
Stefan's body tensed and he felt sick. "You can't mean that with something like this."
"I do."
"I lied to you," Stefan said. He felt an urge to pull away from her. "I kept the fact that my brother was in your palace from you. On top of the major breach of security - "
"That's the only thing you did wrong," Elena said. She pulled away from him. Stefan closed his eyes, briefly, as he felt her fingers brush across his skin. "No one from your life before me is ever allowed to see you. The standard penalty if they ignore that is - "
"Death," Stefan said, the word falling from his lips at their own violation.
"You just wanted to protect your brother. I get that. And, normally, that would be it. But we're at war and we can't afford intruders."
Stefan nodded and bowed his head once more. "Are you going to kill him?"
"No," Elena said and Stefan's head shot up. "Your brother was able to hide from us for as long as he did because of his ability to compel people to obey him. When he wakes up," Damon's body, bloody and bruised, and croaking 'brother' at Stefan before losing consciousness would be an image Stefan was sure that would never leave him. "We'll offer him a deal. He can join our army, under Bonnie's command."
"Or?"
"He'll have to leave."
Stefan's head fell down on her knee. He reached up and clenched at the cloth of her dress as hard as he could. He'd never get to see Damon again, but he was alive and would remain so. Stefan couldn't imagine wanting anything else. "Thank you."
Elena set a hand on the back of his head. He fingers tightened in his hair as she said, "Caroline reminded me that a standard punishment for endangering the palace would either be a hundred lashes over five days if not death."
The muscles in Stefan's back tensed and he swallowed. His father rarely used a whip and he'd never gotten more than five lashes in one sitting. He closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath. He would handle it. It was nothing less than what he deserved.
"But that's not going to happen."
Eyes opening, Stefan lifted his head and stared at her. "What are you going to do?"
"I told Caroline I'd handle it my own way," Elena said. Elena's palm slid down his head and rested on the back of his neck. "But the truth is, I have no idea what to do. Even though your brother meant no harm, helping someone not authorized to in the castle stay hidden is a serious crime and it would send a bad message if I pardon you completely."
"A hundred lashes is fair," Stefan said.
"No, Stefan," Elena said, nearly choking on the words as her eyes growing wide, "it's not."
"You don't have to consider it punishment," Stefan said, "it could just be a political task to carry out."
"I'm not going to use you to prove that I'll be tough on crime," Elena snapped.
"As queen, you're going to have to make moves like this," Stefan said. He reached up to cover her hand on his neck with his. "It won't be so bad. I'll only be getting twenty at a time."
She looked at him directly in the eyes. Stefan looked back. Then she clenched her jaw. "I'm not even going to consider it. That's not who I'm going to be. And that's not something I'd ever do to you."
"You have the right and obligation to use me as you will," Stefan said.
"No," she said as she leaned over so that their faces were almost touching, "I have the right and obligation to protect you."