Hi everyone! Just to let you know, the next few chapters are
going to come very slowly, because I have exams coming up, and
I'm going to be studying as much as possible. Thank you for
your understanding!
Ash
Switched at Birth - Chapter 8
The week went by agonizingly slowly. I had to endure countless
fittings with Mlle Meiou, who, thankfully, welcomed any
suggestions I had for my new wardrobe. The exciting thing was,
she was making a wide assortment of formal wear for me. There
were dozens of evening gowns, wraps, stoles, gloves and jackets.
Mlle Aino informed me that Darien and I would be attending many
formal events together, now that our wedding date was finalized.
Wedding date. I could hardly believe it. I was getting married as
soon as I turned eighteen. I was marrying a prince. I made a
mental note to make sure that my American family and friends
would be invited to my wedding.
Every day, Lita would deliver a stack of magazines and newspapers
to my room, from all over the world. Each one would contain at
least one article about me, Darien, or the two of us. There was
even a twenty-page spread about me inside In Style magazine,
labeling me as the best dressed woman in the world. I read each
article to practice my foreign languages. My parents would
probably disapprove if they knew that this was how I was studying.
Finally, my birthday arrived. I woke up at around seven in the
morning, unable to sleep. I was too excited. I was going to see
Darien! I got out of bed to take a shower and wash my hair. When
I came out of my bathroom half an hour later, there was a large
crystal vase sitting on my desk, filled with dozens of roses in
pastel colors. There were pink, peach, white, yellow and lavender
roses, and they all smelled heavenly. Resting against the vase
was a card. I opened the card and read it.
My dearest Serena,
Happy 16th birthday. I hope that this will be a memorable day for
you.
All my love,
Darien
I held the card to my heart and sighed happily. A knock at the
door brought me back into reality. "Enter," I called out.
Lita opened the door and came in. Three other servants followed
behind her, carrying beautifully wrapped boxes. "Where should we
put these, Your Majesty?" she asked after curtseying. The three
young women curtseyed too.
After acknowledging them with a nod, I pointed to the floor by
the bed. "That will be fine, I think," I replied.
They placed the boxes where I requested them. They curtseyed and
went to leave.
"Wait," I called out.
"Yes, Your Majesty?" Lita asked. The other three servants had
frightened expressions on their faces.
"I just wanted to say thank you," I replied. I addressed the other
three women. "I'm afraid I do not remember your names."
"It's all right, Your Majesty, if you do not remember," one of them
replied timidly. The other two nodded in agreement.
"Still, I would like to know," I insisted. Boy, that was the wrong
thing to say. They looked as if I had just sentenced them to death.
"This is Jacqueline, Chantal, and Dominique, Your Majesty," Lita
informed me.
"Thank you, Lita," I replied. I turned to the other women. "Thank
you for bringing these boxes to me, Jacqueline, Chantal and
Dominique."
They curtseyed and beat a hasty retreat for the door.
"Lita, please remain here," I told her.
"Of course, Your Majesty," Lita replied with a curtsey. She went to
close the door and then turned to face me. "How can I assist you?"
"Why are the servants so terrified of me?" I asked curiously. "Have
I done something terrible?"
"No, Your Majesty," Lita hastened to assure me. "Please believe me
when I say that it is not your fault."
"Then whose fault is it?" I asked.
"Please do not concern yourself with it," Lita told me.
"Lita, if it affects the way the servants behave around me, then it
does concern me," I replied. "I have never commanded you to do
anything, but if you will not tell me voluntarily, then I will."
Lita looked extremely uncomfortable. I was almost tempted to drop
the subject. Almost.
"It was Beryl, Your Majesty," Lita whispered. "She terrorized the
palace staff."
"Wonderful," I sighed sarcastically. "The stigma of the former
princess rears its ugly head again."
"Please do not take it personally," Lita begged. "It is only a
matter if time until everyone realizes what a wonderful person you
are."
I smiled. "Thank you, Lita. You may go now."
Lita curtseyed and left my chamber.
When she shut the door, I went to the boxes to open them. Each one
was decorated with beautiful pastel paper that you see on TV all
the time, but you can never find in real life. And the boxes were
wrapped so that I only had to lift the lid to open it, rather than
rip the lovely paper.
The first box was large and cube-shaped. Inside, resting on a nest
of tissue paper, was a rose crystal sculpture of a ballerina. She
was balanced on one toe in an elegant arabesque. I could feel my
eyes tear up as I admired the beautiful gift.
The second box was large and flat. There was a card attached. It
read, 'For your special day', in Darien's flowing scrawl. I opened
the box and found a beautiful outfit inside. There was an
ankle-length white dress with spaghetti straps and a slit up the
side to above the knee. There was a lightweight silk jacket to
wear over the jacket that also went to my ankles in a beautiful
pastel shade of coral pink. There was also a wide-brimmed white
hat that had a coral pink ribbon wrapped around it, and white
sandals. I wondered how Darien knew all of my sizes, but then
realized that it was a simple thing for him to simply ask Mlle
Meiou. I quickly shed my robe and put the new outfit on, except
for the hat. I then put on some light make-up.
The next box was small and rectangular. Inside were several blue
velvet boxes. My eyes widened slightly as I realized what each
box had inside. The first one had a gold necklace encrusted with
pink diamonds, and matching earrings. The next box had the
matching bracelet. The last box was a ring box, but it was empty,
except for a folded piece of paper. Puzzled, I took it out of
the box and unfolded it. 'Open your door', it read.
Still confused, I opened my chamber door and gasped in delight.
Darien was standing there, holding a bouquet of champagne roses
in one hand and a diamond ring in the other. He looked very
handsome in a black suit, a blue shirt, and a deep blue tie.
"Happy birthday," he told me, smiling. He held the roses out to me,
which I gladly accepted.
"Thank you," I replied, inhaling the wonderful fragrance. I gestured
towards the boxes by my bed. "You didn't have to do all of this."
"I wanted to," Darien responded. He plucked the bouquet out of my
hands and set them on my desk.
"I should put them in water," I protested weakly.
"Later," Darien said. He picked up the necklace and led me to my
full-length mirror. "Lift up your hair," he instructed me.
I did as he asked and he fastened the necklace around my throat. Our
eyes met in the mirror. "Thank you," I whispered.
"You're welcome," Darien replied softly. He leaned down to trail
gentle kisses along the back of my neck and shoulder.
I closed my eyes so that I could savor the emotions that Darien was
eliciting from me. "Darien," I sighed happily.
"I love how you say my name," Darien told me huskily.
A knock at my door interrupted us before things got really
interesting. I turned and saw Lita standing there. She looked like
she wanted to crawl into a hole for disturbing us.
"Yes Lita?" I asked pleasantly.
"Your Majesties," Lita said nervously. "King Terrence and Queen Serenity
would like to know if you will be joining them for breakfast."
I nodded. "Please inform them that we will be there shortly."
Lita curtseyed and practically ran out of the room.
I giggled. "We have to get some privacy." I took my hairbrush and began
running it through my hair.
"I agree." Darien took my brush from me and continued the task. He also
handed me my new earrings to put on.
"When did you become so adept at hair grooming?" I asked, smiling.
"Since the first time I ran my fingers through your hair," Darien replied.
"It feels like silk."
I blushed. "Thank you." When he put the brush down, I gathered my hair up
and twisted it up into a simple updo and anchored it in place with a few
hairpins. I went to retrieve my hat and put on the bracelet and I was ready
to greet my parents.
"Before you go," Darien said. He took my left hand and slipped the ring on.
"To make things official," he explained.
I smiled up at him. "It's beautiful," I told him. It was an oval white
diamond that had smaller triangular-shaped pink diamonds flanking it.
"It's beauty pales next to you," Darien replied. He leaned down to kiss me
lightly. He took my hand and we walked to the West Wing, where my parents
normally ate breakfast.
"Serena!" Mother greeted me happily. "You look wonderful today."
I curtseyed to her and Father. "Thank you, Mother," I said.
"What do you have planned today with our daughter, Darien?" Father asked.
"I was going to help her celebrate her birthday, Your Majesty," Darien
replied.
Mother nodded approvingly. "Be sure that you are back before eight tonight,"
she reminded us. "Your birthday dinner will be waiting."
I nodded. "Yes Mother."
After Darien and I had eaten breakfast, he led me to a limousine that was
waiting at the main gate of the palace. There was a crowd waiting outside
for us, all wishing me a happy birthday. There were several guards collecting
cards, flowers and other small gifts from the people. I smiled and waved to
them before getting into the limo.
"Where are we going?" I asked Darien once the limo was in motion.
"It is a surprise," Darien replied mysteriously.
I smiled and decided to play along. We pulled into the airport and I followed
Darien onto the Outopian royal jet. Darien and I took our seats and the plane
lifted off. Once the jet leveled off, I unbuckled my seatbelt to get a better
look at the scenery below.
"Are you enjoying the view?" Darien asked me.
I nodded. "It's very beautiful," I replied as the plane flew across the
country. I leaned back in my seat and looked at Darien. "What do you do?"
I asked.
"I beg your pardon?"
"What do you do as Prince of Outopia?" I clarified. "Your parents seem quite
capable of taking care of things for a long time. What do you do?"
"I go to university," Darien replied. "I assist my parents in negotiations with
other countries. I sit in on meetings with the advisory council. Although I am
not ruler yet, I am quite active in the politics of my country."
I nodded, understanding. "I see."
"What do you do?" Darien countered with a smile.
"I make public appearances where I dedicate new buildings or meet the citizens
of my country. I'm being trained to act like Princess Serenity instead of
Serena Tsukino," I replied. "I have to constantly watch myself to make sure
that I don't commit a mammoth breach of etiquette and possibly start a war."
Darien laughed, and my heart was warmed by the sound. I looked out the window
as we flew over a mountain range. "Is that the Alps?" I asked.
Darien looked out his window and nodded. "Yes," he replied. "We're almost
there."
"Will you tell me where we are going?" I pleaded.
Darien shook his head and smiled slyly. "I will give you one hint, though.
You know how to speak the language," he replied.
I burst into laughter. "That doesn't help me at all!" I exclaimed.
Darien chuckled. "Yes, I know," he responded.
I shook my head, frustrated. "Darien?"
"Yes?"
"Where will we live when we are married?" I asked.
Darien regarded me closely. "Where would you like to live?"
"You mean it doesn't matter where we live?" I asked.
"I didn't say that," Darien replied with a half-smile. "I wanted to know
where you would like to live."
I shrugged in a very un-princess-like manner. "I've never been to Outopia,
so I can not make an unbiased decision."
"I do not think that it will matter much where we live when we are married,
because Paradeisos and Outopia are right beside each other," Darien
replied. "If it becomes necessary, we can have a castle built right on the
border of our two countries."
I smiled. "That would be interesting. I'm sure the travel bureau and the
cartographers of the world would like that."
Darien threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Yes, I'm sure they
would," he agreed.
Our conversation was cut short by the pilot's announcement that we would
start our descent soon. Fifteen minutes later, we had touched down at an
airport.
"Now will you tell me where we are?" I pleaded.
"Look outside," Darien instructed with a smile.
I looked out the window and gasped. The Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe
were in plain sight. "Oh my," I managed to say.
Darien took my hand and kissed it. "That was the reaction that I had hoped
for," he said. "Let's go, the limousine is waiting for us."
I stood up from my seat and followed Darien off the plane. We descended down
a portable flight of stairs and got into the waiting limousine.
As soon as Darien and I were settled in, the limousine was in motion.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"The Paris Opera Ballet," Darien replied. "There is a matinee performance
of 'La Sylphide' today."
I just knew that I was grinning like an idiot, and I didn't care.
Apparently, neither did Darien. With the privacy partition up in the
limo, he leaned over to kiss me breathless.
"What was that for?" I asked, after I had caught my breath. "Not that
I'm complaining."
Darien kissed me lightly. "You looked adorable after I told you where
we were going."
"Will you kiss me whenever I have that look?" I asked teasingly.
Darien nodded. "Yes, but I don't think I'll ever need a reason to want to
kiss you," he replied.
"That's good to hear," I said.
Darien smiled charmingly. "I want to kiss you again now," he told me.
"Is now a good time?"
I nodded, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him closer. "Now
works for me," I whispered before our lips met.
going to come very slowly, because I have exams coming up, and
I'm going to be studying as much as possible. Thank you for
your understanding!
Ash
Switched at Birth - Chapter 8
The week went by agonizingly slowly. I had to endure countless
fittings with Mlle Meiou, who, thankfully, welcomed any
suggestions I had for my new wardrobe. The exciting thing was,
she was making a wide assortment of formal wear for me. There
were dozens of evening gowns, wraps, stoles, gloves and jackets.
Mlle Aino informed me that Darien and I would be attending many
formal events together, now that our wedding date was finalized.
Wedding date. I could hardly believe it. I was getting married as
soon as I turned eighteen. I was marrying a prince. I made a
mental note to make sure that my American family and friends
would be invited to my wedding.
Every day, Lita would deliver a stack of magazines and newspapers
to my room, from all over the world. Each one would contain at
least one article about me, Darien, or the two of us. There was
even a twenty-page spread about me inside In Style magazine,
labeling me as the best dressed woman in the world. I read each
article to practice my foreign languages. My parents would
probably disapprove if they knew that this was how I was studying.
Finally, my birthday arrived. I woke up at around seven in the
morning, unable to sleep. I was too excited. I was going to see
Darien! I got out of bed to take a shower and wash my hair. When
I came out of my bathroom half an hour later, there was a large
crystal vase sitting on my desk, filled with dozens of roses in
pastel colors. There were pink, peach, white, yellow and lavender
roses, and they all smelled heavenly. Resting against the vase
was a card. I opened the card and read it.
My dearest Serena,
Happy 16th birthday. I hope that this will be a memorable day for
you.
All my love,
Darien
I held the card to my heart and sighed happily. A knock at the
door brought me back into reality. "Enter," I called out.
Lita opened the door and came in. Three other servants followed
behind her, carrying beautifully wrapped boxes. "Where should we
put these, Your Majesty?" she asked after curtseying. The three
young women curtseyed too.
After acknowledging them with a nod, I pointed to the floor by
the bed. "That will be fine, I think," I replied.
They placed the boxes where I requested them. They curtseyed and
went to leave.
"Wait," I called out.
"Yes, Your Majesty?" Lita asked. The other three servants had
frightened expressions on their faces.
"I just wanted to say thank you," I replied. I addressed the other
three women. "I'm afraid I do not remember your names."
"It's all right, Your Majesty, if you do not remember," one of them
replied timidly. The other two nodded in agreement.
"Still, I would like to know," I insisted. Boy, that was the wrong
thing to say. They looked as if I had just sentenced them to death.
"This is Jacqueline, Chantal, and Dominique, Your Majesty," Lita
informed me.
"Thank you, Lita," I replied. I turned to the other women. "Thank
you for bringing these boxes to me, Jacqueline, Chantal and
Dominique."
They curtseyed and beat a hasty retreat for the door.
"Lita, please remain here," I told her.
"Of course, Your Majesty," Lita replied with a curtsey. She went to
close the door and then turned to face me. "How can I assist you?"
"Why are the servants so terrified of me?" I asked curiously. "Have
I done something terrible?"
"No, Your Majesty," Lita hastened to assure me. "Please believe me
when I say that it is not your fault."
"Then whose fault is it?" I asked.
"Please do not concern yourself with it," Lita told me.
"Lita, if it affects the way the servants behave around me, then it
does concern me," I replied. "I have never commanded you to do
anything, but if you will not tell me voluntarily, then I will."
Lita looked extremely uncomfortable. I was almost tempted to drop
the subject. Almost.
"It was Beryl, Your Majesty," Lita whispered. "She terrorized the
palace staff."
"Wonderful," I sighed sarcastically. "The stigma of the former
princess rears its ugly head again."
"Please do not take it personally," Lita begged. "It is only a
matter if time until everyone realizes what a wonderful person you
are."
I smiled. "Thank you, Lita. You may go now."
Lita curtseyed and left my chamber.
When she shut the door, I went to the boxes to open them. Each one
was decorated with beautiful pastel paper that you see on TV all
the time, but you can never find in real life. And the boxes were
wrapped so that I only had to lift the lid to open it, rather than
rip the lovely paper.
The first box was large and cube-shaped. Inside, resting on a nest
of tissue paper, was a rose crystal sculpture of a ballerina. She
was balanced on one toe in an elegant arabesque. I could feel my
eyes tear up as I admired the beautiful gift.
The second box was large and flat. There was a card attached. It
read, 'For your special day', in Darien's flowing scrawl. I opened
the box and found a beautiful outfit inside. There was an
ankle-length white dress with spaghetti straps and a slit up the
side to above the knee. There was a lightweight silk jacket to
wear over the jacket that also went to my ankles in a beautiful
pastel shade of coral pink. There was also a wide-brimmed white
hat that had a coral pink ribbon wrapped around it, and white
sandals. I wondered how Darien knew all of my sizes, but then
realized that it was a simple thing for him to simply ask Mlle
Meiou. I quickly shed my robe and put the new outfit on, except
for the hat. I then put on some light make-up.
The next box was small and rectangular. Inside were several blue
velvet boxes. My eyes widened slightly as I realized what each
box had inside. The first one had a gold necklace encrusted with
pink diamonds, and matching earrings. The next box had the
matching bracelet. The last box was a ring box, but it was empty,
except for a folded piece of paper. Puzzled, I took it out of
the box and unfolded it. 'Open your door', it read.
Still confused, I opened my chamber door and gasped in delight.
Darien was standing there, holding a bouquet of champagne roses
in one hand and a diamond ring in the other. He looked very
handsome in a black suit, a blue shirt, and a deep blue tie.
"Happy birthday," he told me, smiling. He held the roses out to me,
which I gladly accepted.
"Thank you," I replied, inhaling the wonderful fragrance. I gestured
towards the boxes by my bed. "You didn't have to do all of this."
"I wanted to," Darien responded. He plucked the bouquet out of my
hands and set them on my desk.
"I should put them in water," I protested weakly.
"Later," Darien said. He picked up the necklace and led me to my
full-length mirror. "Lift up your hair," he instructed me.
I did as he asked and he fastened the necklace around my throat. Our
eyes met in the mirror. "Thank you," I whispered.
"You're welcome," Darien replied softly. He leaned down to trail
gentle kisses along the back of my neck and shoulder.
I closed my eyes so that I could savor the emotions that Darien was
eliciting from me. "Darien," I sighed happily.
"I love how you say my name," Darien told me huskily.
A knock at my door interrupted us before things got really
interesting. I turned and saw Lita standing there. She looked like
she wanted to crawl into a hole for disturbing us.
"Yes Lita?" I asked pleasantly.
"Your Majesties," Lita said nervously. "King Terrence and Queen Serenity
would like to know if you will be joining them for breakfast."
I nodded. "Please inform them that we will be there shortly."
Lita curtseyed and practically ran out of the room.
I giggled. "We have to get some privacy." I took my hairbrush and began
running it through my hair.
"I agree." Darien took my brush from me and continued the task. He also
handed me my new earrings to put on.
"When did you become so adept at hair grooming?" I asked, smiling.
"Since the first time I ran my fingers through your hair," Darien replied.
"It feels like silk."
I blushed. "Thank you." When he put the brush down, I gathered my hair up
and twisted it up into a simple updo and anchored it in place with a few
hairpins. I went to retrieve my hat and put on the bracelet and I was ready
to greet my parents.
"Before you go," Darien said. He took my left hand and slipped the ring on.
"To make things official," he explained.
I smiled up at him. "It's beautiful," I told him. It was an oval white
diamond that had smaller triangular-shaped pink diamonds flanking it.
"It's beauty pales next to you," Darien replied. He leaned down to kiss me
lightly. He took my hand and we walked to the West Wing, where my parents
normally ate breakfast.
"Serena!" Mother greeted me happily. "You look wonderful today."
I curtseyed to her and Father. "Thank you, Mother," I said.
"What do you have planned today with our daughter, Darien?" Father asked.
"I was going to help her celebrate her birthday, Your Majesty," Darien
replied.
Mother nodded approvingly. "Be sure that you are back before eight tonight,"
she reminded us. "Your birthday dinner will be waiting."
I nodded. "Yes Mother."
After Darien and I had eaten breakfast, he led me to a limousine that was
waiting at the main gate of the palace. There was a crowd waiting outside
for us, all wishing me a happy birthday. There were several guards collecting
cards, flowers and other small gifts from the people. I smiled and waved to
them before getting into the limo.
"Where are we going?" I asked Darien once the limo was in motion.
"It is a surprise," Darien replied mysteriously.
I smiled and decided to play along. We pulled into the airport and I followed
Darien onto the Outopian royal jet. Darien and I took our seats and the plane
lifted off. Once the jet leveled off, I unbuckled my seatbelt to get a better
look at the scenery below.
"Are you enjoying the view?" Darien asked me.
I nodded. "It's very beautiful," I replied as the plane flew across the
country. I leaned back in my seat and looked at Darien. "What do you do?"
I asked.
"I beg your pardon?"
"What do you do as Prince of Outopia?" I clarified. "Your parents seem quite
capable of taking care of things for a long time. What do you do?"
"I go to university," Darien replied. "I assist my parents in negotiations with
other countries. I sit in on meetings with the advisory council. Although I am
not ruler yet, I am quite active in the politics of my country."
I nodded, understanding. "I see."
"What do you do?" Darien countered with a smile.
"I make public appearances where I dedicate new buildings or meet the citizens
of my country. I'm being trained to act like Princess Serenity instead of
Serena Tsukino," I replied. "I have to constantly watch myself to make sure
that I don't commit a mammoth breach of etiquette and possibly start a war."
Darien laughed, and my heart was warmed by the sound. I looked out the window
as we flew over a mountain range. "Is that the Alps?" I asked.
Darien looked out his window and nodded. "Yes," he replied. "We're almost
there."
"Will you tell me where we are going?" I pleaded.
Darien shook his head and smiled slyly. "I will give you one hint, though.
You know how to speak the language," he replied.
I burst into laughter. "That doesn't help me at all!" I exclaimed.
Darien chuckled. "Yes, I know," he responded.
I shook my head, frustrated. "Darien?"
"Yes?"
"Where will we live when we are married?" I asked.
Darien regarded me closely. "Where would you like to live?"
"You mean it doesn't matter where we live?" I asked.
"I didn't say that," Darien replied with a half-smile. "I wanted to know
where you would like to live."
I shrugged in a very un-princess-like manner. "I've never been to Outopia,
so I can not make an unbiased decision."
"I do not think that it will matter much where we live when we are married,
because Paradeisos and Outopia are right beside each other," Darien
replied. "If it becomes necessary, we can have a castle built right on the
border of our two countries."
I smiled. "That would be interesting. I'm sure the travel bureau and the
cartographers of the world would like that."
Darien threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Yes, I'm sure they
would," he agreed.
Our conversation was cut short by the pilot's announcement that we would
start our descent soon. Fifteen minutes later, we had touched down at an
airport.
"Now will you tell me where we are?" I pleaded.
"Look outside," Darien instructed with a smile.
I looked out the window and gasped. The Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe
were in plain sight. "Oh my," I managed to say.
Darien took my hand and kissed it. "That was the reaction that I had hoped
for," he said. "Let's go, the limousine is waiting for us."
I stood up from my seat and followed Darien off the plane. We descended down
a portable flight of stairs and got into the waiting limousine.
As soon as Darien and I were settled in, the limousine was in motion.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"The Paris Opera Ballet," Darien replied. "There is a matinee performance
of 'La Sylphide' today."
I just knew that I was grinning like an idiot, and I didn't care.
Apparently, neither did Darien. With the privacy partition up in the
limo, he leaned over to kiss me breathless.
"What was that for?" I asked, after I had caught my breath. "Not that
I'm complaining."
Darien kissed me lightly. "You looked adorable after I told you where
we were going."
"Will you kiss me whenever I have that look?" I asked teasingly.
Darien nodded. "Yes, but I don't think I'll ever need a reason to want to
kiss you," he replied.
"That's good to hear," I said.
Darien smiled charmingly. "I want to kiss you again now," he told me.
"Is now a good time?"
I nodded, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him closer. "Now
works for me," I whispered before our lips met.