Again, remember what I said about the Aurora-Char-Ella relationship.
Other A/N: Review, please!
Disclaimer: Well, I obviously did not think of the title by myself. That goes to whomever came up with the title for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the movie that stars the two most handsome men over 50, Robert Redford and Paul Newman (sigh). And again, obviously I do not own anything that already belongs to Gail Carson Levine.
Chapter 2
After Aurora had taken Marius to the castle, she hurried to her room to change for dinner. Because she had stopped to rescue him, she barely had ten minutes. She didn't mind, though. She smiled as she thought of him; he had been so nice, courteous even, that it thrown her off guard. She was so used to people thinking so little of her that she didn't know how to react to him. She thought back on their conversation… what had she said? She remembered laughing, truly laughing, something she did not do often.
She quickly brushed her hair so that it shone, red and straight, and checked her face one last time for any dirt. Although she loathed it, she gave a quick spray of perfume and hurried out the door.
She entered the dining hall just as the trumpets sounded for dinner. The long table had been brought out, which was filled with nobles and foreign rulers who were in Kyrria for the wedding. Their chattering ended abruptly as Aurora let the doors close behind her. She rolled her inconspicuously as she headed to her place. She avoided all their gawking eyes, except for Marius, whom she spotted in the middle of the long row. He smiled at her; he was the only one.
The moment she took her seat, the chattering recommenced, and Aurora settled in. Her parents were looking at her with a mixture of shock and happiness.
"What?" she asked defensively.
The queen was the first to break the stare. "Nothing, dear, nothing," she said with a hopeful smile.
"Well, I'll say it, then." Aurora looked up to see Eleanor her sister across the table, a haughty look spreading across her face. "We're all amazed that you've decided to grace us with your presence, Aurora."
"Eleanor," the queen admonished.
"Well, it's true," Eleanor said, noticeably entwining her fingers with those of her fiancée's, a rather bland bloke with dusty blond hair and a passive expression.
"I think it's wonderful you've arrived for dinner," the queen told Aurora, her green eyes encouraging. "Now we can eat as a family."
"Oh, so these …oh… fifty or so other people are part of our family?" Aurora said.
"They are now," Eleanor replied before her parents could speak. "They're here for my wedding, after all, the most exciting day ever!" She squeezed her fiancée's hand to emphasize the point. He only gave a grimace of pain.
While the rest of the family went back to chattering, Aurora's brother Charmont, who was sitting next to her, leaned in.
"Where have you been? I've been the only sane one to deal with these lunatics," he whispered.
She smiled. There was an exception to her insufferable family, and that was Charmont, or as Aurora called him, Junior. Two years her elder, Char had taken upon the task of becoming a "people prince." As such, he had been traveling nearly nonstop since he turned sixteen, and often looked exhausted. He was a near replica of their father, except the son had taken on a more laidback, carefree look than his father.
"Sorry," she mumbled through her bread. "I was rescuing a prince," she said proudly.
He chuckled. "Really? Who is this Prince Charming?"
She tried to subtly point Marius' way, but Charmont couldn't see him through the candlesticks that lined the center of the table.
"Marius of Oredya," she finally said.
"Oh. The lad with the brown hair right there?" he said with a smile, pointing his fork at Marius.
She slapped the cheeky devil. He just laughed at her annoyance and continued eating. They suffered together through Eleanor's verbose ramblings about married life and becoming queen, but Aurora soon lost him to a discussion with their father.
She ate quietly, but found herself trying to catch Marius' eye. He, however, seemed enraptured in a conversation with a buxom blonde, and Aurora felt part of her become annoyed. He must have lost interest in her already; or perhaps he had heard some more stories, even more horrible ones than the baby story. She decided that must be it, that he disliked her along with nearly everyone else at the table. She knew it had been bound to happen sooner or later, but she had been hoping it would have been later.
Dinner finally ended and Aurora fled out of the room, desperate to get some air. She knew the others would claim the balcony just outside the dining hall, so she took a little known hallway and came out instead on an abandoned terrace.
The air was very quiet, even though she could still see the throng of people on the balcony. Her calm eyes gazed at the party for a moment; they all seemed so happy. How could that be? How could all those people possibly be so happy for her sister, half of whom hadn't even met the princess herself?
She soon saw a figure crossing the lawn toward her. Supposing it to be her brother, she hopped onto one of the tables that stood on the terrace and waited for him. Even through the dark, though, she soon could tell that it was, in fact, not her brother. The figure was taller, and lankier than her brother, and she squinted to try to make out the face.
"I've been looking everywhere for you," she finally heard a voice call out. Marius' voice. "Why must your castle be so large?"
He neared her finally, a smile on his face. She gawked at him in amazement, causing his smile to vanish.
"What?" he asked, worried. "What's wrong?" He stopped in front of her.
She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm just… I must have been imagining things."
"What sort of things?" he said with a mischievous smile.
"No, I just thought… well, it's silly, really…" she stammered, looking at the ground. Why did she become so flustered around him? She hated feeling flustered.
"Tell me."
She looked up, examining his earnest yet playful face. "I thought you were ignoring me," she said, with a sarcastically-angry look.
His jaw dropped in fake shock. "On the contrary, I thought you were ignoring me."
"What? I tried to get your attention. You, however, seemed very interested in a certain golden-haired maiden," she said with a laugh.
"Ah," he said, sitting on the table next to her. "That was just a ruse."
She raised an eyebrow. "Do explain."
"Well, I thought that if you saw me conversing with an attractive female, you would burst out of your seat in jealousy and show her her place."
Aurora laughed at the image. "So then you weren't having a grand time with her?"
He made a disgusted noise. "Absolutely not. I'm surprised I didn't just vomit into my soup right then and there." This made her laugh again, and he laughed with her. "They're all intolerable," he went on. "I only found enjoyment when they spoke of you."
She chuckled, but secretly felt pleased. "I'm sure they spoke with the highest regard of their princess."
"Well… not quite."
"I'm so surprised."
"I, for one, was greatly amused."
"That's a feeling I don't think I've induced with my stories just yet."
"There's a first for everything."
She chuckled, sliding off the table. She took off her shoes and stepped down to the grass. Marius didn't follow, but she could feel his eyes on her.
"How long have you been this way?" he asked softly.
She smiled, lifting her skirt to feel the cool grass under her feet. "What way?" she inquired.
She heard him sigh. "Sad… lonely."
This caught her by surprise. She looked up and studied his face. He was looking at her more sincerely now, his eyes considering her with a steady gaze.
"How do you know I'm sad?" she asked, her voice surprised yet understanding.
He shrugged and broke his gaze, looking to the ground. "Your laugh… it does not come as natural as most people's do."
She considered this for a moment. It was true, she did not laugh without sarcasm often. Yet he had made her laugh… and she had enjoyed it. Yet she did not want to fall in love; there was far too much she wanted to do before she settled down. If she ever settled down, that is. She thought of her parents for a moment; somewhere, deep down, she knew it was her fault they had such a strained relationship. But when the rest of the kingdom hated her so, it was difficult not to take it out on them. Perhaps that was why she was sad, but she couldn't be sure.
"I don't know," she said simply; there was no sign of question in her voice, it was simply a fact.
He nodded, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to pry."
She smiled, and left the grass to stand in front of him. He did not look at her, instead studying his fingers in his lap.
"What about you?" she asked. "You do not seem so happy all the time."
He looked up at her, his eyes half hidden behind locks of brown hair. He smiled a little, but it was sarcastic. "I do not enjoy society," he answered, his voice hard.
"Why not?"
He paused, before saying, "People have lost all honor. True honor, not this family honor nonsense. They care not that their fellows are begging and starving in the streets, but care more about putting on a good show for a prince so that they may be looked upon favorably by everyone else. They find the latest fashion to be more intriguing than the fact that there are people who do not even have shoes for their feet. They would rather see me with a trophy wife than to let me find someone I love. They would rather force you into conforming into the conventional princess than let you be happy with who you are. They-"
But she had suddenly held a hand up to his face, and he trailed off. The side of his face felt flushed under her cool hand, and he took some deep breaths to try to calm down. She let her thumb softly stroke his cheek, as his eyes closed for a moment. He then lifted his own hand and wrapped hers in it.
"I should let you sleep," he said in a whisper. "It's a big day tomorrow."
She smiled, but knew he was right. He brought her hand to his lips and lightly kissed it.
"Goodnight, Marius," she said with a small curtsy.
He chuckled. "Goodnight, Aurora."
Without wanting to think, Aurora left him and went straight to her bed.
Marius watched her walk away, part of him rejoicing, and part of him distressed. He was happy to see and talk with her again; he was distressed to find his feelings warring amongst themselves in her presence.
She must have thought him a fool. Him, a prince, spouting the downfalls of society? It was hypocritical, and yet he felt she had understood.
She was unhappy here; she had been the only gloomy face besides his own at dinner. He longed to see her happy, to see her the way she looked whenever he made her laugh. They had only just met, and yet he felt like they were connected, as if they were in this together. As if they could run away together and never look back, content to live far away from anyone else.
The thought clicked somewhere in his brain. It was perfect… and why shouldn't they? They had nothing to keep them here…
He went to sleep mulling over his plan.
Aurora awoke sharply to a loud knock at the door. She bolted up, immediately regretting the abrupt move. The door opened and Nancy, one of the head maids, bustled in.
"Rise and shine, your highness!" Nancy chirped as she opened the curtains.
"What is this madness?" Aurora muttered.
"It is your sister's wedding day!"
"Don't remind me," Aurora mumbled, squinting in the bright morning sun. Her hair lay in tangled strands about her head, and her bedsheets were in a great disarray.
"I'll start some water for your bath, Highness," Nancy said, going into Aurora's washroom. She soon heard the sound of water.
"I'm off to awaken your sister, Highness. Ring the bell if you need anything!" Nancy said as she left the room.
Aurora sat for a few more moments in her bed. She sighed, looking over at the dress that hung from the door of her closet. It was a deep green, with silvery petticoats and a long train. She dreaded putting it on, for she inherently knew that it would not fit, what after the three dress fittings she had forgotten to attend. She could already tell that the shoulders weren't wide enough, but she didn't want to have to go to her parents to tell them it didn't fit. She could already see their "I-told-you-so" faces.
She dragged herself to the bath as the clock chimed ten o'clock in the morning. Feeling cleaner but not much better, she sidestepped the dress and instead put on her usual fare. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to eat lunch with her family before putting on the dress, or what the heck was going on, so she left her chambers and headed for her parents'.
She knocked on the door, somewhat hoping they wouldn't be there.
"Come in!" her mother's voice chimed.
Darn. Aurora opened the door and leaned on the doorframe, finding her mother on the bed putting her shoes on and her father on the balcony.
"Anyone want to run down today's events, perchance?" Aurora said, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. This was no time to antagonize them.
She heard her father sigh but he didn't turn. The queen nodded as she crossed over to her bureau.
"The wedding begins at four, exactly. You are to eat lunch at half past twelve with the family, then get dressed and have your hair done. Then go to your sister's chambers to help her get ready," her mother recited, also trying to keep an edge out of her voice.
Aurora paused. "What if my dress doesn't fit?"
She saw her mother take a deep breath and keep her eyes closed for a moment. "Then we'll fix it." Her voice was tense, as if this was the last thing she needed right now.
"What if it can't be fixed?" Aurora knew she was just provoking them now, but she had to do something to get rid of her energy.
She heard her father say something under his breath, to which her mother said, "Char!"
Aurora set her jaw. "What was that Father? Was that No one wants you there anyway so it'll be a blessing? Or was it the Well, we can't fix you being born, so we'll have to fix the dress? Or-"
"That's enough, Aurora," the queen chided.
Her father still did not turn, but his head was in one of his hands. She rolled her eyes and made to leave.
"Remember lunch, Aurora," her mother reminded her, and it struck Aurora how tired she looked.
"Lunch, twelve thirty, got it," Aurora said, and then closed the door behind her. She paused to think; the grounds had been taken over by the wedding, so there was no chance she could get to her stable. She decided to just return to her room and read until lunch.
Lunch came and went, with the usual let's-ignore-Aurora routine. This time she did not mind it all, and was especially grateful that they had excluded her from the incessant wedding conversation. She went back to her chambers and took the dress down and unbuttoned the long line of pearly buttons that ran down the back. She slipped it on and was amazed; it fit. It was as if it was magic.
Mandy, she thought.
Of the few people who had been kind to her, Mandy, the chef and apparently her mother's fairy godmother, had been kind. Of course, Mandy was kind to everyone, but it felt nice to know that she wanted to help Aurora out.
She twirled a bit in front of her mirror. She rarely wore dresses, but she didn't mind them. This one was wonderfully comfortable, and she was inwardly happy to see that she looked rather splendid in it. There was soon a soft knock at the door, and Aurora opened it to see one of her sister's ladies in waiting cowering before her. She shook her head at the silliness of it, but beckoned the woman to come inside.
They didn't speak once as the woman quickly brushed the full length of Aurora's hair. It took a good three-quarters of an hour to get her hair up, pinned, and decorated with a few flowers. The woman curtsied and left just as silently as she had come.
Aurora knew she was ready, but hesitated leaving for her sister's room. She knew it would boring and dull, but she also knew they would soon hunt her down like a dog if she did not come. Reluctantly, she left her room and headed towards her sister's.
She came into the room unnoticed, and it was easy to see why. At least a dozen people were zooming every which way, and Aurora often had to dodge out of the way. She picked her way to her sister, who was standing in front of a mirror next to her bed. Aurora plopped onto the bed and gave her sister a wave through the mirror.
"Orders," she simply said when Eleanor gave her a funny look. That was about the last thing she said for another hour, while the harried seamstresses and ladies in waiting rushed about. It finally calmed down around three o'clock, one hour before the wedding. Eleanor was dressed in a resplendent, beaded, pearl encrusted white gown, complete with a tiara and veil. She was unusually quiet, however, and once they were left alone, Aurora inquired why.
"Oh, you know, big day, and all," Eleanor stammered, staring at herself in the mirror.
"A very big day," Aurora emphasized. "You'll be with this man for the rest of your life."
"That's an awfully long time," Eleanor said.
"Yes," Aurora agreed, but a mischievous smile soon curled at her lips. "And tonight…"
"What about tonight?" Eleanor said quickly.
"Well, you know," Aurora said, egging her on.
"What? What? What do I know?"
"I mean, you'll really be with this man for the rest of your life, starting tonight."
"What do you mean, be?"
"Have you ever seen him without his clothes on?" Aurora asked impishly.
"No… will I have to?" Eleanor asked.
Aurora laughed at her sister's naiveté. "Of course."
"I don't think I want to," Eleanor said. "Is that all I'll have to do?"
Aurora laughed again.
"Oh, Aurora, please tell me."
It was not five minutes later when Aurora was running out of the room. Panicked, she closed the door with a slam and turned around to see none other than her parents.
"Hello, you," she said with a false smile, blocking the door.
"What is it?" her mother said shrewdly. "What's going on in there?"
"Going on? Nothing, nothing's going on!" Aurora lied.
"Aurora," her father said threateningly.
She took a breath. "We have a slight situation."
"What sort of situation?"
"Well, you know… I… I was… and then she… she didn't… I thought that she would… but she didn't… so I… well, then she… I couldn't… I didn't think…" she stuttered, trying to relay the story with hand gestures.
"Just tell us!"
"There's vomiting," she finally said.
Her parents rushed past her and into the room. Aurora sighed, chuckling at herself. How was she to know that her sister didn't know what happened on a wedding night? Eleanor was elder than she, after all.
She meandered down to the grounds, where most of the seats were already filled with chattering guests. She walked onto a terrace a few feet away from the altar, unnoticed. She leaned her chin in her hand and dozed a little until the wedding began.
Marius arrived at the wedding later than everyone else, earning him some disdainful stares. He shrugged it off and took his seat; if everything went to plan, he could be away from these insufferable people before long.
"I can't believe she is marrying this fool." A man in front of Marius had turned in his seat and was whispering with the woman next to Marius.
"From such a low class!" the woman hissed back. Marius raised an eyebrow; the groom was a baron, that was not so low class.
"She should marry a prince!" the man replied.
"Kyrria gains nothing out of this. Did she not think of her people at all?"
Marius groaned and slumped in his seat. He tried to block out their conversation, but found it to be impossible.
"She should have at least thought once about the consequences. He'll be king!"
"What if she loves him?" Marius finally asked, his voice not at all friendly.
"Loves him?" the woman said, shocked. She then turned to the man and they began to laugh.
"Love has nothing to do with marriage, you wistful boy," the man asserted. "Royals in particular should not marry for love."
"The king and queen of Kyrria are in love," Marius challenged.
"Yes, and look at Queen Eleanor! She refused to become a princess! It's unheard of!" the woman said.
Other people had joined in by now, and were murmuring agreements with Marius' foes. He bit the inside of his cheek to prevent him from getting too angry.
"So you would rather see the princess with someone she abhors but is a good alliance than to see her happy?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"It's not that we don't want her happy… she just would be happier with someone from a higher class," the woman said, strengthened by the like-minded guests.
Marius gritted his teeth; how sadly in denial these people were. They wanted so much to believe that they were thinking the right thing for their princess.
"But the other siblings? Does it matter if they marry?" Marius inquired.
"Of course! There's still time to form an alliance with other nations, or have the other royal children marry well," the man on the right of Marius said.
"Except for Aurora, of course," someone down the row said. They all scoffed in harmony.
"That ruffian will be the ruination of the family," the woman said.
"No one would ever want to marry that headstrong, ignorant girl," the man agreed.
"On the contrary, I think she's very intelligent," Marius argued.
They stared at him in shock.
"It takes some nerve to defend that… that… hooligan!" the woman cried.
"She'll be exiled before long… even her parents hate her," the man said.
The others fell into a heated discussion of the rogue princess, but Marius resumed his slumped position. His eyes drifted over the lawn, searching for some relief from this hell. He soon found it; Aurora was sitting on a terrace not far from the altar. He smiled at the dazed expression on her face; We'll soon get away from it all, he said in his head.
The wedding began shortly, and the talking around him stopped. He did not pay attention to the ceremony, but it felt as if it went on for hours. He contented himself with watching Aurora, who was standing next to Eleanor with her younger sister. She was one by one picking all the petals off her flowers, even though her sister nudged to her stop.
The ceremony finally ended amidst great rejoicing. The entire party was told to head for the ballroom as the clock struck six. The sun set as the great body of people drifted to the ballroom, Marius lagging behind.
He was the last to enter the glittering ballroom, where dozens of couples were already dancing. An orchestra played a spirited tune as the newlyweds led the dance. Marius headed for the food, bypassing several hopeful ladies who were eyeing him. He did not care for dancing, even though his mother insisted he was wonderful at it. He was forced to introduce himself to numerous guests, all of whom asked him the usual polite, yet boring, questions about Oredya. He leaned on a large plant vase, surveying the crowd. The king and queen were already dancing, joined by their children – except one.
Marius looked up to the where the thrones were placed, a few steps above the dancing floor. He just caught a glimpse of the swish of a green dress, leaving through a side door. He subtly made his way toward it, nodding politely to people who recognized him. He finally made it, and with once last check to see if anyone was watching, left as well.
He paused for a moment; the air was cool, and wafts of music still drifted outside. He saw Aurora walking through the garden that the door opened upon, and he smiled.
He walked toward her, but she didn't notice him. He came to a stop right behind her.
"Care to dance?"
She turned, and her eyes were happy to see him.
"You like to dance?" she asked, a tone of surprise in her voice.
"Why are you surprised?" he asked, a smile on his face.
"Well, for someone who loathes society, it wouldn't seem very practical to indulge in such a social activity," she responded.
He chuckled. "Well, you are right. I don't especially care for it. But I would like to dance with you."
She smiled, biting her lip. "Alright, then."
He took her by the waist, clasping her hand in his. They waltzed to the soft music that floated out of the ballroom, both of them silent for once. He debated with himself; should he ask now? Might as well. It was as good a time as any. But then he felt her rest her head on his shoulder, her breath soft on his cheek. Later was fine, too.
They danced like that for a long time, not bothering to change with the music. He had asked her once if she would like to go back inside, but she said that no, she didn't want to see her family's happy faces ruined by her company. His grasp on her waist tightened when she began to shiver, causing her only to nestle her head further on his neck.
There was a long period of silence, while Marius mulled over his idea. Would it work? Would it work if he was in love with her? But he wasn't… was he? He couldn't be… he was just very taken with her, that's all. It would pass, and they would be better friends than ever. Right?
"Run away with me," he finally said in a whisper.
She lifted her head, her eyes bewildered. "What?"
He took a deep breath. "Run away with me, Aurora. We can escape all this, together. We can run away and never look back. Nothing's keeping us here, right?"
Her mouth was slightly open, but a look of understanding spread across her face. She soon smiled.
"Why not?" she said in a fervid whisper. "There is nothing to keep me here. Why not escape it?"
He returned her smile, a thrill running through him. "We can right society's wrongs," he said in a determined, yet joking, voice.
"We can show everyone just how much of a scoundrel their princess really is," she answered, a flash of revenge in her eyes.
"So it's a plan?" he said.
She nodded. "It's a plan."