#Nefarians Wives AU

[facelessxchurch]

RE: Young thing falls in love with Nefarian Serpine Playlist

Ever since the lanky boy he once was grew up to be a tall, handsome man, Nefarian had been using his good looks and charm to get what he wants and, occasionally, what Mevolent wants. A smile and a wink spelt out a promise he didn't intend to keep, but -dear gods- did it make it easier to fool people. And a few broken hearts along the way only helped to fuel his ego.

That was until Mevolent rose enough in power that not only he was an eligible bachelor for a social climber, but so was his right-hand man. It's all fun and games until the daughter of an Old Blood family whose support Mevolent needs falls for Nefarian and he is forced by his master and lover to marry this stranger.

It did not end well.

His first wife had fallen for his looks. Plenty of men in positions of power were old or ugly or both, so Nefarian was quite the catch in her eyes. Certainly, it would make the duty of producing an heir for her family less of a chore. He wasn't loyal to her, but frankly neither was she. His lack of interest in her and her jealousy turned the marriage spiteful and toxic. And once Mevolent no longer needed her family she had a quite unfortunate accident during a carriage ride to her parents. Nefarian was in a different country handling diplomatic affairs for Mevolent, so it could not be pinned on him.

His second wife was a social climber and too ambitious for her own good. She was loyal to him, ignored his affairs, and pretended to share his interests. She was like a shadow to him in an attempt to use him to gain Mevolent's favour. Finally, after pulling Nef into the bedroom any chance she got, she became pregnant. She fully intended to use the child to secure her position as his wife and to force him to behave more in a way she deemed suitable for a husband. Unfortunately, she and the child died during the birth. Mevolent was furious since he'd rather liked this one and he beat the living hell out of Nef despite him swearing up and down he had nothing to do with it. Mev already hadn't believed in his innocence when the first wife had met her demise, he believed him even less now since Nef had been present when she died. Nef insisted that of course he was present for the birth of his first child but Mev was having non of it. He warned him that if his next wife were to die too all Hell would break loose.

His third wife actually did love him. She had been a sweet, innocent thing that had fallen for his devilish charms. This was the only one Nef had bothered to warn that he'd be her ruin, that she should run as long as she still could considering divorces weren't allowed in the Faceless Church. She did not heed his warning and instead mistook it as a sign that he fancied her too. This time Nefarian actually tried to make it work, half bc she good and sweet and he could tell she actually did adore him, half bc he was afraid of what Mevolent would do if this marriage was to fail too. But that was exactly her folly, she was too sweet. Her parents had sheltered her too much and failed to prepare her for the cruelty of the church and its followers. Tho he supposed he couldn't expect better considering that while her family was wealthy and influential, and owned land in a few key positions Mevolent wanted to station soldiers, they were new converts to the church. Nef had been kind to her, at least he tried to be. The devil in him was easier to hide when he had to be among people for only a few hours, but since they were living together he kept letting things slip. The glee in his smile when he talked about torture and death, the glimmer in his eyes when he was covered in blood, the disdain in his voice when he spoke about fellow nobles, the hatred in his heart when things didn't go his way. Kindness is not stupidity and she came to understand that the man she loved was a monster. But he ensured her he would let no harm befall her, including from himself. She came to understand the other higher-ups were just as bad and would sell them both out if it meant gaining Mevolent's favour. But he ensured her he would not let it come to that for he was twice as clever as them. She came to understand that Mevolent was the worst of them when she tended her husband's wounds from prior 'punishments'. He insisted that he deserved this and not to worry, he would not fail their master again, but she knew that he loved him, it wasn't hard to tell by the excuses he kept making for him. She came to understand that the Sanctuaries were just as bad when her parents died during an attack on the family castle that Mevolent had been using as an outpost. He tried to comfort her as best he could, but he lacked the humanity to do so in any meaningful way. She came to understand that she didn't want to live in a world filled with monsters. And he wasn't there to stop her, he was in Mevolent's castle worshipping his master in the bedroom. Nefarian found her hanging from the ceiling of their shared bedroom when he returned home one day with a suicide note on the nightstand that spoke of the cruelties of the world.

After that Mevolent gave up trying to wed Nefarian. For even when he's trying, he can't keep his wives alive. Either he despises them because they are as wicked as he is, or they are too sweet and he'll ruin them by being himself.

[facelessxchurch]

But mevolent never saw the third wife as a threat? seeing that Nef was fond of her

Nope, Mev saw her never as a threat at all. Nef was fond of her, yes, but he never loved her. Nef wasn't kind to her bc of her innocence, he doesn't care about that, he killed plenty of innocent people before. The thing with her was that her love for him was sincere and she was treating him well, spoiling him even with her affection. It's not the arrangement he wanted, but it's an arrangement he could live with comfortably.

But it's plain to see that those two don't work out. She is too soft and he is too cruel. Like I've said in a prior post, talking about the war, more specifically, all the awful things he's doing were upsetting to her. In fact, most things Nef likes were upsetting for her. So he is uncharacteristically quiet around her. He has to hold back SO much for her. Even so, he still let's the one or other nasty comment slip at times or snickers when something awful happens to someone.

Meanwhile, Nef and Mev are the same brand of nasty, sadistic and cruel, and have the same twisted sense of humour. They maim, torture and kill together. They revel in slaughter on the battlefield. They laugh and joke around each other. Nef is one of the few people that actually gets Mev's deadpan brand of humour.

No, the girl really is no threat to him.

Baron on the other hand... They are opposites in a way where they complete each other and mellow out each other's worst traits. Baron is more relaxed and jokes more with Nef around and Nef is dialling the nasty back a little. But they are the same where it matters. Both are fully devoted to the cause, both can be cruel, are coldly efficient and both have that bloodlust in them even if Baron isn't quite as honest about it as Nef is. And most importantly, Baron is strong and empathic enough that he can handle Nef without ending up dead himself. But unlike Mev, his methods don't involve gaslighting and beating the living hell out of Nef even tho it happens occasionally that their fights get physical (they have no-magic rule in fights that Nef only violated once).

Yeah, Baron is definitely a threat. Nef's relationship with him is as close as Nef can get to a healthy relationship tbh.

[facelessxchurch]

When wife 1 grabs for the next partner in the dance she suddenly finds herself swirling across the dance floor with Mevolent. She is thrilled until she sees his expression and realizes she is in trouble. Yet he simply reminds her of who she married and that most people Nef ever looked at that way are dead by now. This is not a threat, it's a warning. He doesn't care what issues those who are having but they better make it work. They will spend the next night separately and in the morning they better be looking like a smiling happy couple. For her sake more than his bc if it comes down to it, Nefarian is quite good at surviving everyone else.

Shame he isn't married to Sera yet bc otherwise she would be dancing with Nef now and calming him down. At least Nefarian gets to spend the night with Mev, venting his frustrations to him, before Mev distracts him from his worries.

That's so sweet <3

Mev has set up a nice little scene for them in the winter garden. A bottle of Nefarian's favourite wine, enchanted violins that play in the background and floating candles set the mood. Mev knows how much Nefarian loves their private little dances since they can't dance in public during any of the official events, unfortunately. And so the two of them drink, laugh and dance the night away. Frankly, Nefarian has never been more in love with Mev.

For Christmas, send me Mevpine Christmas prompts/scenarios plz :3c