I stood in front of the heavy oak doors of the castle, nervously brushing
nonexistent specks off of my white dress. In a moment they would open,
revealing a large crowd of people standing in their pews, all turned toward
me. At the very end of the church, my future husband, Prince Charmont of
Kyrria, would be standing there, waiting for me.
"All ready?" Areida whispered from behind me. She held up the train of my wedding dress. I turned and smiled at her. She raised her dark eyebrows and winked at me, then leaned over to speak to Timothy, a handsome groomsman that stood beside her. The two of them had gotten quite close since they were first introduced nearly three weeks ago, and there was no doubt in my mind that wedding bells would soon ring again in this old castle, this time for Areida and Timothy.
I turned to face the heavy oak doors once again, pleased at the swishing noise my silk dress made on the marble floor. I had the dress designed by an old woman that lived in Frell, whom Mandy swore was half-fairy. It certainly looked like the dress was made magically; it was as white as newly fallen snow and seemed to glow with heavenly radiance. It certainly put the white lilies that adorned my hair to shame.
Suddenly, the doors swung open. My bridesmaids with their escorts moved ahead smoothly and I tried to swallow a lump of fear that had formed in my throat. I had never been a particularly graceful girl; quite the contrary, sometimes I felt I had huge bricks instead of feet. Fortunately, I was wearing my special glass slippers, the ones that I had discovered so long ago with Char.
My courtship with Char had been a fairytale one. I had first met him at my mother's funeral; while that is hardly romantic, he swears that when he saw me, crying in the shade of a weeping willow, he feel in love with me. We became friends since then, but for a year he traveled to the Ayorthaian court while I was under the tyranny of my stepmother, a dreadful woman whom my father married for her money. Normally I would have run away from this horrible household, or would have ignored my stepmother's requests. Unfortunately, when I was born, I was put under a terrible curse of obedience. I was to obey any order given to me, so for one year I remained a slave of my stepmother, Dame Olga, and her terrible daughters, Hattie and Olive.
When Char first proclaimed his love to me, I was forced to break his heart, fearful that I could be used as a weapon against him because of my curse. When he returned to Kyrria, three balls were held to find a suitable wife for him. I attended all three, and at the third I was unmasked and Char saw who I really was. That night I broke the curse by refusing to marry Char because I had made a huge sacrifice in order to save him. After that, he had whisked me away to his castle to marry.
Quite a fairytale ending, no?
Suddenly it was mine turn to walk down the aisle. Areida whispered words of encouragement behind me as I strode up the red carpet. I scanned the crowd as I walked, spotting my faithful cook Mandy. As I neared the first pew, I looked to where Father's place was supposed to be. Sitting in his spot was Dame Olga and on either side of her were Hattie and Olive. They waved merrily at me. My huge smile quickly vanished and was replaced with a look of utter disgust.
Of course Father hadn't bothered to attend the wedding. He was probably off traveling and cheating people out of their money. He had sent his beloved Dame Olga to take his place, though he knew I loathed her.
I resolutely turned toward the front of the church, determined that the terrible threesome would not spoil my special day. I was immediately comforted by the wide grin on Char's face. I caught his eye and he blushed a deep red and stared at the ground.
High Chancellor Thomas cleared his throat and the cheerful titters in the crowd died down. I sighed. He would probably make some long boring speech about the wonderfulness of the royal family, and would only get to the wedding bit at the very end.
"What a blessed day this is," he began. Everyone in the pews slumped visibly in his or her seat. I could even see the King giving a large sigh before looking back up at us. I rolled my eyes at the Chancellor and the King winked at me, making a motion as if he were about to fall asleep.
"The wedding of two future rulers of Kyrria." the Chancellor went on, before plunging headlong into his speech. As he expounded on the virtues of His Majesty, the Most Royal King Jerrold, and his Most Excellent Queen, Queen Daria, I began to count various things in the room, such as how many girls there were, and how many boys, and how many people were wearing blue, and so on. Just as a I had determined there were 230 people wearing silk, as opposed to the 113 that wore velvet, the Chancellor said, "And now we begin the wedding ceremony."
Char and I went through the usual motions of a wedding; the exchange of vows and rings.
"And now," said High Chancellor Thomas, "I proclaim you husband and wife, Prince and Princess of Kyrria, future Queen and King of our beloved land." The entire church broke into applause. The Chancellor nodded to us and then strode away. Char wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed me passionately.
"I've been wanting to do that all day," he said breathlessly.
Afterwards, a huge line of people formed around the church. Mandy was at the very front, tears in her eyes.
"Oh, love," she said, hugging me. "That was one of the most beautiful wedding ceremonies I've ever seen." She glanced furtively around her and then whispered, "Though I didn't care much for that man's speech. He bores me nearly to death."
"Me too," Char confided. "I won't keep you, dear," she said, hugging Char. "You have plenty of other guests to greet. I'll see you at the reception." She bustled off.
Next were my least favorite people at the wedding: Dame Olga, Hattie, and Olive.
"Ella, dearest!" they cried, rushing toward me.
"It was sooooo beautiful," Hattie cooed. "Sister dear, I want my wedding to be just like yours. It was sooooo grand."
"How much did the whole thing cost?" asked Olive loudly.
"Oh, when I saw you first come down the aisle in that gorgeous dress, your old mum here was so proud!" cried Dame Olga.
"Well, we'll see you at the reception!" Dame Olga and Hattie said in unison. They swept off. Olive stared blankly at Char and me a little while longer then shuffled after her sister and mother.
I reeled at the greeting I had gotten from them. I didn't have long to ponder it, however, because soon another uninvited guest came up to us.
"Ella, Char, darlings," sang a melodic voice. It was Lucinda, the foolish fairy who had put the obedience curse on me when I was born. She was as beautiful as ever, with her huge eyes and high cheekbones. Surrounding her was some sort of mystical light and the scent of lavender. I suddenly became very afraid. Lucinda was known for her foolish "gifts," spells she put on humans that she believed helped them, though in reality they were very harmful. I recalled a wedding I had attended a few years before, and she had used magic to bond the bride and groom together forever, so they could never leave each other's side. I wondered what horror she had in store for us.
"Lucinda," I said, trying to smile. She embraced us both.
Char had a hard look on his face. He had never forgiven Lucinda for the curse she put on me, but I touched his arm in warning. An outburst could result in his being turned into a squirrel. Lucinda was clearly a mad fairy, and everyone knew it.
"Such a beautiful wedding!" said Lucinda, tears of job streaming down her face. "Such beautiful young people. When I arrived, I thought to myself, what possible could I have to offer to such a lucky and privileged couple?"
I widened my eyes in fear. Was she going to give us one of her infamous gifts?
"We don't need anything, really," started Char, staring to look panicked.
But Lucinda shook her head. "There is only one thing guaranteed in life, and that is death, for mortals anyway. As I looked at you two gorgeous young people, I felt so incredibly sad that you should one day grow old and die. So I decided upon a gift."
"No, Lucinda, your presence is enough!" Char said angrily, but she merely raised her voice about his shouts.
"And so my gift is this: Ella and Char shall have eternal youth and beauty." There was a silence in the church. Char turned red. I gazed at Lucinda, amazed. Truthfully, it didn't sound like such a bad gift. But then again, Lucinda's gifts always had ways of going awry.
"We said no gifts. Take it back!" roared Char. Lucinda shook her head sadly.
"Few people appreciate my gifts," she said.
"I wonder why," said Char sarcastically. "Why do you condemn us to an everlasting life? We shall have to watch all people we know grow old and die while we continue on! It is a natural process of life to die!"
"Young Charmont, you need a lesson in temperance," said Lucinda gravely.
"He needs none! It is just that you have angered him so-" I started.
"As do you, Ella. Your tongue has usually moved faster than your mind. No, you have inspired me for a new gift: The both of you are to receive the gift of silence, except when alone together. Perhaps then you will learn to listen to other people more closely."
I was about to open my mouth, to protest that a monarch needed a voice to rule, but I found I could not speak.
"Goodbye, my darlings," she said, and disappeared.
"All ready?" Areida whispered from behind me. She held up the train of my wedding dress. I turned and smiled at her. She raised her dark eyebrows and winked at me, then leaned over to speak to Timothy, a handsome groomsman that stood beside her. The two of them had gotten quite close since they were first introduced nearly three weeks ago, and there was no doubt in my mind that wedding bells would soon ring again in this old castle, this time for Areida and Timothy.
I turned to face the heavy oak doors once again, pleased at the swishing noise my silk dress made on the marble floor. I had the dress designed by an old woman that lived in Frell, whom Mandy swore was half-fairy. It certainly looked like the dress was made magically; it was as white as newly fallen snow and seemed to glow with heavenly radiance. It certainly put the white lilies that adorned my hair to shame.
Suddenly, the doors swung open. My bridesmaids with their escorts moved ahead smoothly and I tried to swallow a lump of fear that had formed in my throat. I had never been a particularly graceful girl; quite the contrary, sometimes I felt I had huge bricks instead of feet. Fortunately, I was wearing my special glass slippers, the ones that I had discovered so long ago with Char.
My courtship with Char had been a fairytale one. I had first met him at my mother's funeral; while that is hardly romantic, he swears that when he saw me, crying in the shade of a weeping willow, he feel in love with me. We became friends since then, but for a year he traveled to the Ayorthaian court while I was under the tyranny of my stepmother, a dreadful woman whom my father married for her money. Normally I would have run away from this horrible household, or would have ignored my stepmother's requests. Unfortunately, when I was born, I was put under a terrible curse of obedience. I was to obey any order given to me, so for one year I remained a slave of my stepmother, Dame Olga, and her terrible daughters, Hattie and Olive.
When Char first proclaimed his love to me, I was forced to break his heart, fearful that I could be used as a weapon against him because of my curse. When he returned to Kyrria, three balls were held to find a suitable wife for him. I attended all three, and at the third I was unmasked and Char saw who I really was. That night I broke the curse by refusing to marry Char because I had made a huge sacrifice in order to save him. After that, he had whisked me away to his castle to marry.
Quite a fairytale ending, no?
Suddenly it was mine turn to walk down the aisle. Areida whispered words of encouragement behind me as I strode up the red carpet. I scanned the crowd as I walked, spotting my faithful cook Mandy. As I neared the first pew, I looked to where Father's place was supposed to be. Sitting in his spot was Dame Olga and on either side of her were Hattie and Olive. They waved merrily at me. My huge smile quickly vanished and was replaced with a look of utter disgust.
Of course Father hadn't bothered to attend the wedding. He was probably off traveling and cheating people out of their money. He had sent his beloved Dame Olga to take his place, though he knew I loathed her.
I resolutely turned toward the front of the church, determined that the terrible threesome would not spoil my special day. I was immediately comforted by the wide grin on Char's face. I caught his eye and he blushed a deep red and stared at the ground.
High Chancellor Thomas cleared his throat and the cheerful titters in the crowd died down. I sighed. He would probably make some long boring speech about the wonderfulness of the royal family, and would only get to the wedding bit at the very end.
"What a blessed day this is," he began. Everyone in the pews slumped visibly in his or her seat. I could even see the King giving a large sigh before looking back up at us. I rolled my eyes at the Chancellor and the King winked at me, making a motion as if he were about to fall asleep.
"The wedding of two future rulers of Kyrria." the Chancellor went on, before plunging headlong into his speech. As he expounded on the virtues of His Majesty, the Most Royal King Jerrold, and his Most Excellent Queen, Queen Daria, I began to count various things in the room, such as how many girls there were, and how many boys, and how many people were wearing blue, and so on. Just as a I had determined there were 230 people wearing silk, as opposed to the 113 that wore velvet, the Chancellor said, "And now we begin the wedding ceremony."
Char and I went through the usual motions of a wedding; the exchange of vows and rings.
"And now," said High Chancellor Thomas, "I proclaim you husband and wife, Prince and Princess of Kyrria, future Queen and King of our beloved land." The entire church broke into applause. The Chancellor nodded to us and then strode away. Char wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed me passionately.
"I've been wanting to do that all day," he said breathlessly.
Afterwards, a huge line of people formed around the church. Mandy was at the very front, tears in her eyes.
"Oh, love," she said, hugging me. "That was one of the most beautiful wedding ceremonies I've ever seen." She glanced furtively around her and then whispered, "Though I didn't care much for that man's speech. He bores me nearly to death."
"Me too," Char confided. "I won't keep you, dear," she said, hugging Char. "You have plenty of other guests to greet. I'll see you at the reception." She bustled off.
Next were my least favorite people at the wedding: Dame Olga, Hattie, and Olive.
"Ella, dearest!" they cried, rushing toward me.
"It was sooooo beautiful," Hattie cooed. "Sister dear, I want my wedding to be just like yours. It was sooooo grand."
"How much did the whole thing cost?" asked Olive loudly.
"Oh, when I saw you first come down the aisle in that gorgeous dress, your old mum here was so proud!" cried Dame Olga.
"Well, we'll see you at the reception!" Dame Olga and Hattie said in unison. They swept off. Olive stared blankly at Char and me a little while longer then shuffled after her sister and mother.
I reeled at the greeting I had gotten from them. I didn't have long to ponder it, however, because soon another uninvited guest came up to us.
"Ella, Char, darlings," sang a melodic voice. It was Lucinda, the foolish fairy who had put the obedience curse on me when I was born. She was as beautiful as ever, with her huge eyes and high cheekbones. Surrounding her was some sort of mystical light and the scent of lavender. I suddenly became very afraid. Lucinda was known for her foolish "gifts," spells she put on humans that she believed helped them, though in reality they were very harmful. I recalled a wedding I had attended a few years before, and she had used magic to bond the bride and groom together forever, so they could never leave each other's side. I wondered what horror she had in store for us.
"Lucinda," I said, trying to smile. She embraced us both.
Char had a hard look on his face. He had never forgiven Lucinda for the curse she put on me, but I touched his arm in warning. An outburst could result in his being turned into a squirrel. Lucinda was clearly a mad fairy, and everyone knew it.
"Such a beautiful wedding!" said Lucinda, tears of job streaming down her face. "Such beautiful young people. When I arrived, I thought to myself, what possible could I have to offer to such a lucky and privileged couple?"
I widened my eyes in fear. Was she going to give us one of her infamous gifts?
"We don't need anything, really," started Char, staring to look panicked.
But Lucinda shook her head. "There is only one thing guaranteed in life, and that is death, for mortals anyway. As I looked at you two gorgeous young people, I felt so incredibly sad that you should one day grow old and die. So I decided upon a gift."
"No, Lucinda, your presence is enough!" Char said angrily, but she merely raised her voice about his shouts.
"And so my gift is this: Ella and Char shall have eternal youth and beauty." There was a silence in the church. Char turned red. I gazed at Lucinda, amazed. Truthfully, it didn't sound like such a bad gift. But then again, Lucinda's gifts always had ways of going awry.
"We said no gifts. Take it back!" roared Char. Lucinda shook her head sadly.
"Few people appreciate my gifts," she said.
"I wonder why," said Char sarcastically. "Why do you condemn us to an everlasting life? We shall have to watch all people we know grow old and die while we continue on! It is a natural process of life to die!"
"Young Charmont, you need a lesson in temperance," said Lucinda gravely.
"He needs none! It is just that you have angered him so-" I started.
"As do you, Ella. Your tongue has usually moved faster than your mind. No, you have inspired me for a new gift: The both of you are to receive the gift of silence, except when alone together. Perhaps then you will learn to listen to other people more closely."
I was about to open my mouth, to protest that a monarch needed a voice to rule, but I found I could not speak.
"Goodbye, my darlings," she said, and disappeared.