Work Text:
Vera loved Sebastian. Of course she wanted to marry him. It was perfect. What better way to restore her family’s lost glory than by marrying a Prince of Starkhaven? More than that, he was everything she could have dreamed of, handsome and honourable. So why did she feel so cold? She wasn’t unhappy. There was nothing about this marriage she had any reason to dread. His vow of chastity wasn’t ideal, but she could work with it. So, really, she had no reason to hesitate. Still, her heart rebelled against her mind. When she tried to think of her future, to remind herself what she was looking forward to, her mind kept turning instead to the thought of Isabela. Isabela who she couldn’t stand. Isabela, whose bare legs and strong arms came into her mind’s eye at every opportunity. She made preparations for her wedding, and yet all she could think of was Isabela. Her voice, her eyes, her laugh. Arguments, of which they’d had many, replayed in her mind. It didn’t make any sense. She felt like she’d been bewitched, like some force had compelled her in order to ruin her marriage. But she wouldn’t let her marriage be ruined. It didn’t matter if she kept thinking of Isabela. She wanted this. She was sure she did. She was in love with Sebastian. She had to be.