Part Seventeen

Sonia sat on the high legged bed, swinging her feet back and forth idly. She didn't feel inclined to leave the rooms again after what she had seen in the great hall. A knock on the front room door startled her. Without asking for permission, into the room strode Ivan.
"Sonia," Sonia looked at him expectantly, trying to suppress the urge to either scream and run or punch his nose again. Where was Etina?
"What do you want?" She inquired.
"I want you to marry me." He smiled condescendingly down at her. Sonia wasn't sure how to react. She was angry that Ivan thought she would accept, she was afraid he would force her, she was shocked he would go this far. It had never occurred to her that Ivan would ever consider this as a possibility.
"Why would I want to marry YOU?" Sonia snapped as she stood up from the bed
Ivan looked blank. He very obviously hadn't expected this. "Because I'm going to be leader after Chrystal." It was almost funny how badly prepared he was.
"Why do you think I would want to marry you? I hate you and nothing can make me stop hating you. Now, kindly get out of my rooms." She smiled coldly at him and turned back to her seat on the bed. Where on earth was Etina? But Ivan seized her left arm and dragged her toward him. "I'll make you marry me." He hissed, squeezing her arm. She tried to hit his face with her free hand but he caught it and held it. She stomped hard on his toes. Despite having no shoes on, Sonia had very hard feet and Ivan had on light, custom made boots for inside use only. He didn't express any pain, but his hold on her arm and wrist tightened. With her left hand she punched the arm holding it and kicked Ivan in the leg. Now he let go and she hit his nose. Ivan knew better than to stay after that. Outside he encountered Shine, who had taken to wandering around following him. He ignored her. "Lord Ivan." She curtsied. "What's wrong? You don't look happy." She was so annoying. Ivan continued to ignore her.
"If you don't want to tell me, that's alright. I don't mind." Ivan was too self absorbed at that moment to notice, or care, that Shine was trembling like a cornered animal. "If you do tell me what's wrong, I promise I will keep your secret."
"GO AWAY!" Ivan roared. Shine flattened against the wall and watched in terror as Ivan raged away down the stairs.Within the week it was announced that Ivan was engaged to Lana Kier. He did this to spite Sonia, to make her regret her decision and she couldn't change her mind now, that it was easy enough to get someone else. Ivan had chosen Lana purely for her looks, since she was pretty and blonde, a rare occurrence in that part of the world. (Many children were born blonde, but their hair usually darkened before they were nine). Lana had accepted him to escape prison life, and because she could see herself happily married to this man, at least, after she could get over what happened to Jermaine. When Shine heard the news, she disappeared. When the signal from her security bracelet was followed, all that was found was the bracelet and what was assumed to be Shine's hand.