"Let's do her hair in curls!"
"In braids!"
"The pink ribbons or white?"
"White! It's her wedding day!"
"Can you tie this tighter? She needs a perfect figure for today!"
"Oh, look how pretty she is!"
"An angel!"
"Beautiful!"
Lilyann just stood there as a whirlwind of people pricked, tugged, and did whatever they pleased to her in preparing her for the wedding ceremony. She barely registered any of the faces, instead she was withdrawn into her own mind trying to figure out if there was something she could have done. If there was a way to get out of this. If there was a way to have prevented it in the first place.
A seamstress with fiery red hair stopped before her. Lilyann barely recognized her as the girl everyone seemed to be talking about lately. Hannah. Her designs were the height of fashion and her shop was right there in Bran's kingdom. Lilyann knew she should be thrilled to not only meet her but to be wearing a gown sewn by Hannah herself and not one of her other seamstresses. But she could only muster a smile at the girl as she praised Lilyann's appearance and showered her with well wishes. She murmured her thanks before the girl disappeared to see to the rest of the wedding party.
Lily felt like a shell. Physically she was in the room, but mentally she was anywhere else. Not even the chance of meeting her favorite seamstress could pull her out of the immense defeat she felt.
Suddenly Marcus' face was before her with a broad sneer. "You should be my wife today." He may have said more but she didn't listen. Instead she just stood there. Staring. Waiting for it to end and begin.
Bran adjusted the crown on his head in the mirror before turning towards Duncan. Everyone else had been dismissed. "She's different than I thought she'd be."
Dun raised his eyebrows. "More like a peacock then a chicken?"
Bran ignored the quip. "She's smart and I don't think she's crazy. She just seems..." He shrugged helplessly as he couldn't find the word he wanted.
His friend picked at something under his nails. "Like she escaped from the asylum?"
"I just said she doesn't seem all that mad."
"I heard you, but she won't leave the castle...how normal can she be?"
Bran shook his head. "You don't understand. It's not that she's mad, it's more like she's...trapped. You should have heard her...seen her when we were talking about it."
"Did you know a Mockingbird can sing like a Wren?"
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying a Mockingbird can sing like a Wren, but when you look at it, it is still a Mockingbird. Bran...her mind is unstable. Don't get hurt trusting her..."
Looking away Bran turned towards the window and watched a pair of robins settle into a patch of daisies. "Leave me, Duncan. I need a moment of peace before the madness begins."
Duncan came up beside his friend and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I don't want to see your heartbroken again like it was after Clara. Perhaps our frog princess will turn out to be a butterfly, but be careful, my friend." Bran offered him a smile of thanks before the man disappeared out the door.
Releasing a breath as soon as the door closed, he relaxed against the wall near the window, still watching the birds peck for seeds. He didn't know what he was doing. Perhaps this was a mistake. Maybe the princess was mad. Maybe the kingdom would be better off without her, her land, and her money. Rubbing a hand over his face, Bran could feel a headache coming on.
"Tired, my prince?"
Bran's head jerked up to see a familiar woman with braided black hair and unpleasantly memorable simple patched peasant skirts standing near the door. She appeared only a little older than himself, but he had a suspicion even that was just a trick. He hadn't even heard the door open, but then she wouldn't have needed to open the door anyway.
His heart sank as he looked at her. Of all the days for her to come for him, this would, of course, be the day she picked. "More than you can probably imagine."
"Oh, I doubt that." She smiled not unkindly and began to lap the room. She ran her fingers over the fine wooden dresser and stared around at the expensive trinkets he had, inspecting his life. "Is this where my money went?"
Bran was stone still as he watched her walk. "No. I've told you-" Bran probably should have felt angry or scared, but all he could feel was a twinge of relief. At least for a little while he would be free of his responsibilities. A moment later with that thought came a crushing feeling of guilt.
"Oh, that's right, the ships. Of course. How noble of you." She looked innocent enough, but Bran knew better than to trust her. "That was some trick you played with Clara..."
Stiffening he watched her take a turn about the room trying to feign indifference. "I'm not sure I under-"
"Yes you do!" Her eyes flew to them, momentarily filling with rage before she just as suddenly relaxed. "Just as she was falling in love with Ian, you drag her here. You propose to her. You almost killed Ian."
That surprised him and he raised his eyebrows. What did she care what happened to Ian. It was only her coins that she cared about.
"You almost ruined everything. I had to go to the in-between and bargain with Death over what you did." Her voice was calm and even as she spoke as if she was bored with him. As if she really wasn't upset by all the trouble he had caused her. It was making him feel somewhat off balance.
"You bargained with Death?" Somehow he couldn't picture her being so kind.
"Of course. You know as well as I, Ian did not deserve that curse. And I made a promise he would return to his former self when she admitted her love. A promise I almost failed to keep, thanks to you. Had Clara arrived any later Ian would have died." Running her fingers along his bedspread she paused and looked up at him. "How does it feel knowing you almost killed your friend?" She hesitated her almost black eyes piercing into his, but hardly gave him long enough to respond before she waved a hand. "But no matter, it is time you paid for your crime."
"It's my wedding day."
A smile slowly worked it's way over her lips. "Yes. And you love her about as much as she loves you."
Straightening Bran watched as she walked slowly over to him as if to taunt him. "What are you going to do to me?"
Laughing almost manically she shrugged. "Oh. I don't know...I quite like the nickname your friend gave you...Frog Prince."
"How do you know about that?"
She didn't say a word, simply smiled in a knowing way as she stopped before him.
"Same terms as Ian? Love will break the spell or the coins?"
"No. You have to bring my coins back."
"But they could be anywhere! I could spend my entire life searching and never find them!"
"Hm." She raised her chin as she studied him. Her breathing all but stopping as she stood stone still, simply staring into him. Those almost black eyes staring straight into his as if she could read his soul. And maybe she really could.
As the silence stretched on Bran noticed for the first time despite how much he hated her, she was quite beautiful. In a dark, enigmatic way. Finally she drew in a soft breath. "Shall we test your honor again then? True love's kiss will break your spell or my coins. But I warn you. If you find a girl to truly love you and not my coins I will come back and make your children pay. Someone will pay for your crime until they are returned to me. No matter how long it takes." Stopping for a moment, she considered him. "I'd like to see the young woman who will kiss a frog anyway."
Any relief he might have felt earlier was gone now as the reality of what was about to happen to him, settled down on him like a heavy cloak. "Let me apologize to my bride. Call off the wedding-"
"No. I will turn you now. You've had long enough to tell everyone and you chose not to let it be known what a coward you are." She raised her arms as Bran held up his hands.
He had no idea where to start looking for the coins. In the past months he dedicated all his time to finding a wife, certain that would keep him from paying for what he had stolen. But now he saw what a fool he was. She would never have let him get away and if he wasn't such a coward he would have done the right thing years ago. "Wait! Please! Give me a clue where to find them! I know you know where they are! Please! I want to make things right!" The desperation on his face and voice must have found some string of humanity in her because she hesitated.
"Where the dead are alive you will find the coins." And that was the last thing Bran heard. Her face was the last thing he saw before the darkness took over.
((Well that was a long stretch of no new chapters, wasn't it? I'm sorry. Life happened, muse disappeared, and the plot of this just wasn't sorted out properly and working, but all of those things are back on track and I've been working my best to stay ahead of the story again. So fingers crossed I can once again do a chapter every few days or so. Like I said, fingers crossed. :) THANK YOU for reading and maybe commenting? Haha. :) And thank you to those who have hopefully stuck around and for new readers! I appreciate you all. :) ))