Chapter Four: Daughter of France
A week later the train of carriages containing Yumi and her dowry had arrived in France. Determined not to like it, Yumi gazed purposefully towards the carriage wall, refusing the look out the window. Aelita on the other hand was staring eagerly outside, taking in the landscape with muffled 'oos' and 'ahhs'. Yumi cast a slightly disgusted look in her maidservant's direction, but couldn't blame the girl for being curious.
"Oh, Yumi! Look, there's the castle!" Aelita wheeled around, grabbing at Yumi's arm and hauling her towards the window. "It's huge!"
Yumi sniffed, feigning indifference. But she was just as excited as Aelita. It was a huge castle. The carriage was rolling up a cobblestone path leading to the massive stucture. Caught up in the moment, Yumi lingered at the window as the castle grew closer and began to loom above them.
Suddenly the carriage rumbled to a halt as they awaited the castle drawbridge to be lowered. When it was down the carriage train crossed and came to a final halt in the courtyard. Yumi and Aelita moved to the door, anxiously awaiting it's opening.
Right on cue, Sir Ulrich opened the door, holding up a hand to assist Yumi as she stepped down. A vassel of the French court announced her to the gathered crowd. "Princess Yumi of Japan!"
Yumi's face fell as she remembered why she had come to France. Directly in front of her stood the massive King of France. He was smiling as he placed a hand on a young man's shoulder. The boy had blonde hair and glasses (A/N- I think glasses would be an anachonism, but I'm not sure). He gave Yumi a half-hearted smile and Yumi got the distinct feeling that he didn't want to be there either.
"Welcome, Princess!" The King's booming voice silenced all commotion in the courtyard as all eyes turned to focus on him, jolting Yumi out of her thoughts.
"Your Majesty," Yumi murmered, attempting a deep, Western-style curtsy, mentally cursing the European formality. She had never much cared for European styles and hadn't paid much attention when being taught their way of doing things. She pulled it off though, and waited for the King to make the next move.
"No need to be so formal!" He stepped forward, drawing Yumi up into a great bear hug. "Soon you will be another daughter of France, and my own daughter as well!" He released her. "Come, child, and meet your future husband, my son, Prince Jeremie!"
Placing and arm around her shoulders the King drew Yumi forward until she was in front of the boy. "Good day, Princess," Jeremie offered, shifting his weight from foot to foot nervously.
Taking a deep breath meant to calm herself, Yumi replied. "Good day." 'Let this end,' she prayed.
Thankfully, the king seemed to be on a similar thought train to Yumi's. "Sir Teo, would you please lead the Princess to her chamber? The journey has surely worn her out!"
Out of the crowd stepped another knight. Bowing slightly to Yumi, be said, "Please follow me, Princess." The crowd of servants and nobles began to disperse as Sir Theo led the way. Behind Yumi, Ulrich and Odd were flanking Aelita, glaring possessively at anyone who got too close to their Princess.
-----
"Well, what do you think of him," Aelita pressed minutes later. Theo had left them at her room, and Ulrich and Odd had taken up post outside.
"Who?" Yumi sprawled out on the massive bed. "The King? He's fat."
Aelita gave her an exasperated look. "No! Prince Jeremie, of course! What do you think of Prince Jeremie?"
"He's okay," Yumi mused. "And is it really your place to ask me that?"
Aelita looked down, humbled. "Oh, stop it Aelita, you look like a whipped puppy. You know I prefere it if you talk freely with me. What do you think of the Prince?"
Aelita colored slightly, and Yumi smirked in satisfaction. "Well, he's not so bad..." Aelita trailed off, her gaze firmly fixed on the floor as her cheeks got even redder.
Yumi continued to smile. "I see. Well unlike you, I don't want to marry him, so--"
"I never said that!" Aelita colored more, looking up at Yumi in rightous indignation.
"Ah, but it crossed your mind," the princess told her. "As I was saying, I need to think of a way to get out of this."
"Perhaps you should give him a fair chance," Aelita suggested. "You did just meet him after all. Maybe he won't be so bad?" The last part was more of a question than a statement.
Sighing heavily, Yumi rolled over with a pillow clutched to her chest. "All right then. I'll give it a couple more days."
Aelita's response was cut off by the chamber doors bursting open as two younger girls ran in. Halting at the foot of the bed, the pair gaped at Yumi as though she was a circus side show.
"Wow," the red-haired one breathed. "You must be Jeremie's wife!"
Yumi was about to answer hotly that she was no such thing, but thankfully Aelita cut her off, moving to stand between the children and Yumi.
"Hello girls. Who are you?" She smiled sweetly down at them.
Returning the smile, one answered. "We're Millie and Tamiya!"
"Jeremie's sisters! I'm Tamiya, she's Millie," the other girl clarified.
"You're going to marry Jeremie, right?" Millie looked at Yumi longingly.
Deciding to play along, Yumi gave a half-hearted smile. "That's what they tell me."
"Yay!" The girls gave identical squeals and fled the room, giggling madly. Odd and Ulrich poked their heads in the doorway.
"Why did you let them in," Yumi demanded, staring hotly at her guards, who promptly burst out laughing.
"Sorry, Princess, but they threatened to step on out feet," Odd choked out, laughing even harder at the simplicity of the threat. " 'We want to meet Jeremie's wife,' " he imitated Tamiya's voice, causing Ulrich to laugh harder.
"I am not his wife!" Yumi rose and started towards them. Quickly, they slammed the door shut, but their laughing echoed through the door. Yumi glared at the door sourly, then retreated to the bed with a sigh. "At least someone's happy to be here."
A week later the train of carriages containing Yumi and her dowry had arrived in France. Determined not to like it, Yumi gazed purposefully towards the carriage wall, refusing the look out the window. Aelita on the other hand was staring eagerly outside, taking in the landscape with muffled 'oos' and 'ahhs'. Yumi cast a slightly disgusted look in her maidservant's direction, but couldn't blame the girl for being curious.
"Oh, Yumi! Look, there's the castle!" Aelita wheeled around, grabbing at Yumi's arm and hauling her towards the window. "It's huge!"
Yumi sniffed, feigning indifference. But she was just as excited as Aelita. It was a huge castle. The carriage was rolling up a cobblestone path leading to the massive stucture. Caught up in the moment, Yumi lingered at the window as the castle grew closer and began to loom above them.
Suddenly the carriage rumbled to a halt as they awaited the castle drawbridge to be lowered. When it was down the carriage train crossed and came to a final halt in the courtyard. Yumi and Aelita moved to the door, anxiously awaiting it's opening.
Right on cue, Sir Ulrich opened the door, holding up a hand to assist Yumi as she stepped down. A vassel of the French court announced her to the gathered crowd. "Princess Yumi of Japan!"
Yumi's face fell as she remembered why she had come to France. Directly in front of her stood the massive King of France. He was smiling as he placed a hand on a young man's shoulder. The boy had blonde hair and glasses (A/N- I think glasses would be an anachonism, but I'm not sure). He gave Yumi a half-hearted smile and Yumi got the distinct feeling that he didn't want to be there either.
"Welcome, Princess!" The King's booming voice silenced all commotion in the courtyard as all eyes turned to focus on him, jolting Yumi out of her thoughts.
"Your Majesty," Yumi murmered, attempting a deep, Western-style curtsy, mentally cursing the European formality. She had never much cared for European styles and hadn't paid much attention when being taught their way of doing things. She pulled it off though, and waited for the King to make the next move.
"No need to be so formal!" He stepped forward, drawing Yumi up into a great bear hug. "Soon you will be another daughter of France, and my own daughter as well!" He released her. "Come, child, and meet your future husband, my son, Prince Jeremie!"
Placing and arm around her shoulders the King drew Yumi forward until she was in front of the boy. "Good day, Princess," Jeremie offered, shifting his weight from foot to foot nervously.
Taking a deep breath meant to calm herself, Yumi replied. "Good day." 'Let this end,' she prayed.
Thankfully, the king seemed to be on a similar thought train to Yumi's. "Sir Teo, would you please lead the Princess to her chamber? The journey has surely worn her out!"
Out of the crowd stepped another knight. Bowing slightly to Yumi, be said, "Please follow me, Princess." The crowd of servants and nobles began to disperse as Sir Theo led the way. Behind Yumi, Ulrich and Odd were flanking Aelita, glaring possessively at anyone who got too close to their Princess.
-----
"Well, what do you think of him," Aelita pressed minutes later. Theo had left them at her room, and Ulrich and Odd had taken up post outside.
"Who?" Yumi sprawled out on the massive bed. "The King? He's fat."
Aelita gave her an exasperated look. "No! Prince Jeremie, of course! What do you think of Prince Jeremie?"
"He's okay," Yumi mused. "And is it really your place to ask me that?"
Aelita looked down, humbled. "Oh, stop it Aelita, you look like a whipped puppy. You know I prefere it if you talk freely with me. What do you think of the Prince?"
Aelita colored slightly, and Yumi smirked in satisfaction. "Well, he's not so bad..." Aelita trailed off, her gaze firmly fixed on the floor as her cheeks got even redder.
Yumi continued to smile. "I see. Well unlike you, I don't want to marry him, so--"
"I never said that!" Aelita colored more, looking up at Yumi in rightous indignation.
"Ah, but it crossed your mind," the princess told her. "As I was saying, I need to think of a way to get out of this."
"Perhaps you should give him a fair chance," Aelita suggested. "You did just meet him after all. Maybe he won't be so bad?" The last part was more of a question than a statement.
Sighing heavily, Yumi rolled over with a pillow clutched to her chest. "All right then. I'll give it a couple more days."
Aelita's response was cut off by the chamber doors bursting open as two younger girls ran in. Halting at the foot of the bed, the pair gaped at Yumi as though she was a circus side show.
"Wow," the red-haired one breathed. "You must be Jeremie's wife!"
Yumi was about to answer hotly that she was no such thing, but thankfully Aelita cut her off, moving to stand between the children and Yumi.
"Hello girls. Who are you?" She smiled sweetly down at them.
Returning the smile, one answered. "We're Millie and Tamiya!"
"Jeremie's sisters! I'm Tamiya, she's Millie," the other girl clarified.
"You're going to marry Jeremie, right?" Millie looked at Yumi longingly.
Deciding to play along, Yumi gave a half-hearted smile. "That's what they tell me."
"Yay!" The girls gave identical squeals and fled the room, giggling madly. Odd and Ulrich poked their heads in the doorway.
"Why did you let them in," Yumi demanded, staring hotly at her guards, who promptly burst out laughing.
"Sorry, Princess, but they threatened to step on out feet," Odd choked out, laughing even harder at the simplicity of the threat. " 'We want to meet Jeremie's wife,' " he imitated Tamiya's voice, causing Ulrich to laugh harder.
"I am not his wife!" Yumi rose and started towards them. Quickly, they slammed the door shut, but their laughing echoed through the door. Yumi glared at the door sourly, then retreated to the bed with a sigh. "At least someone's happy to be here."