Maid for you - Chapter 17
Queen Gaia, King Sol, Prince Endymion and Serena were all seated around a large wooden table in one of the palaces many meeting rooms. Dozens of sheets of paper covered the surface of the table, the creamy-white expanse broken only by several large coffee cups. None of them had ever arranged a wedding before and they were quickly finding out just how big a task it was.
Sol sighed and reached once more for the off-planet guest list. He had been somewhat nicer to Serena the past couple of weeks, ever since the public reaction to the Prince's choice of bride had not been as bad as he'd feared. In fact, with the exception of a handful of noble families who'd hoped to marry their daughters off to the Prince, The announcement had been met with a great deal of approval. The King was beginning to think that this just might be a good thing for the royal family. Also, he had to admit to himself, Serena was far nicer to be around than many of the noble girls he'd tried to get his son to court.
"We need to get the off-planet invitations out as soon as possible." He said to the others. "Otherwise they may not get the invitation in time." The queen nodded in agreement.
"I'll see that they are sent out by the end of the week." She reached out to take the list from her husband.
"I suppose we must send an invitation to Queen Serenity?" Sol said as he handed the list over.
"Yes dear." The Queen replied. "It doesn't matter that we already know she won't come. It would be rude not to make the offer." Serena was confused by this.
"Why won't she come?" She asked the Queen. Gaia smiled sadly.
"Queen Serenity hasn't left the moon since her daughter was killed." She said sadly. Serena was horrified.
"Killed?" She gasped. "What happened?"
"There was an attack from outside the solar system. Evil beings who wanted to claim it for their own. Queen Serenity used her most powerful weapon, the Silver Imperium Crystal, to defeat them, but not before her daughter, who was also called Serenity, was killed. It was a terrible blow to the queen. The child was only two years old." Queen Gaia closed her eyes, remembering the terrible day she'd heard of the Princess's death. "Queen Serenity has never really recovered." She finished.
Serena suddenly felt great sorrow for this queen she'd never met. "The poor woman." She said softly. "To lose your child - I can not imagine what could be worse." Her hand drifted to her still-flat stomach. Knowing what was going through her mind, Endymion reached out and put a comforting hand on her arm.
King Sol frowned. His son and his bride were acting very strangely. "Is there something you're not telling me?" He enquired with suspicion. Endymion looked up and over to his mother. The look he gave her clearly said "I though you'd told him." The Queen responded with a look of her own that said "I thought you did."
"Well?" Sol asked again. He looked to his wife, then to his son and then to Serena. No one said a word. The King gave up asking and replayed the conversation in his mind. A moment later he figured it out. "Oh no." He groaned. This wasn't happening. "She's pregnant isn't she?" Three silent nods confirmed his fears. Sol put his head in his hands. "How long?" He asked quietly. Serena, a little fearful of his reaction, gathered her courage and spoke.
"About ten weeks, your majesty." There was silence again while the other waited nervously for the King's reaction. Sol let out a deep, resigned, sigh. Finally he spoke.
"I suppose we had better get a move on then." Serena smiled. Perhaps he wasn't as bad as she'd thought.
The wedding preparations continued for weeks. Almost the entire palace staff was involved in one way or another.
Serena had slipped into the role of organiser with surprising ease. Gaia was pleased about this, they were skills that would serve the former maid well in her new royal life. The Queen found herself smiling as she walked along the long hallway to the room Serena had been given as a study. The girl was making amazing progress, it was as if she had been born to nobility, but she still retained the humbleness and sunny nature that made her so likeable.
When she entered the study, she found Serena deep in conversation with Hana, a highly respected local florist. Both women looked up as she came in, Hana dropping into a curtsey and Serena giving her a warm smile. The Queen acknowledged the florist with a smile and then turned to Serena. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but the seamstress is here to take the measurements for your dress." Serena's eyes lit up. She was looking forward to picking out her wedding dress. She quickly spoke to Hana.
"I'm sorry, we're going to have to stop for today. Can you come back tomorrow?" Hana nodded.
"Of course. Is 10 am convenient?" She asked.
"That's fine." Serena smiled. She turned and grinned at Gaia. "Lets go!"
The seamstress was a middle-aged woman with bright green eyes and greying hair. The Queen quickly introduced the two. "Serena, this is Carlotta. She's been designing wedding dresses for over twenty years and it was her mother who designed my wedding dress! Carlotta, this is Serena, soon to be the Princess of the Earth!" The two greeted each other and then Carlotta pulled out a black leather folder.
"Here some design sketches I've done for your dress. Have a look and tell me what you think." She handed the folder to Serena who sat down and began looking through the many designs.
Serena was blown away by the stunning pictures that were presented to her. Each one was better than the one before. She didn't know how she was ever going to choose. "None of them have to be exactly like that." Carlotta told her. "We can make any changes you want. Or perhaps you had something else in mind?" Serena shook her head.
"Not really. I hadn't really thought about it before, I have no idea what I want!" She replied. She looked at the pictures again. To pick just one seemed like an impossible task.
"Well, while you're thinking about it, let me take your measurements!" Carlotta laughed. She went to her bag and pulled out her tape-measure. As she did so, the tape measure caught on another piece of paper, sending it fluttering to the ground.
"What's that?" Asked Serena, picking it up.
"Oh," Said Carlotta, That's just a rejected design I did for the Countess of Chiswick. She's also getting married soon, but she didn't like this one."
"But it's perfect." Said Serena quietly. A strange feeling rose within her. This was the dress.
"It is?!" Carlotta said, stunned. Serena nodded. The wasn't a doubt in her mind. Gaia leaned over and looked at the picture Serena held.
"My, It IS lovely!" She agreed. She looked at Carlotta. "Why was it rejected?" She asked.
"Apparently, it was too frilly. I didn't think so, but it was her choice, not mine." She explained. The Queen looked again. There were a lot of frills, but they looked just right. There was no accounting for taste she supposed. She laid a hand on Serena's shoulder.
"Well then, it would seem that her loss is our gain." She smiled at Serena. "I assume this is the one you want?" Serena grinned.
"Definitely."
As Carlotta took Serena's measurements, Serena took a moment to reflect on all the amazing things that had happened to her. She was marrying the Earth's Prince, a man she loved more than life, she carried his child and she had wonderful friends. For the moment at least, life was perfect.
End Chapter 17
Queen Gaia, King Sol, Prince Endymion and Serena were all seated around a large wooden table in one of the palaces many meeting rooms. Dozens of sheets of paper covered the surface of the table, the creamy-white expanse broken only by several large coffee cups. None of them had ever arranged a wedding before and they were quickly finding out just how big a task it was.
Sol sighed and reached once more for the off-planet guest list. He had been somewhat nicer to Serena the past couple of weeks, ever since the public reaction to the Prince's choice of bride had not been as bad as he'd feared. In fact, with the exception of a handful of noble families who'd hoped to marry their daughters off to the Prince, The announcement had been met with a great deal of approval. The King was beginning to think that this just might be a good thing for the royal family. Also, he had to admit to himself, Serena was far nicer to be around than many of the noble girls he'd tried to get his son to court.
"We need to get the off-planet invitations out as soon as possible." He said to the others. "Otherwise they may not get the invitation in time." The queen nodded in agreement.
"I'll see that they are sent out by the end of the week." She reached out to take the list from her husband.
"I suppose we must send an invitation to Queen Serenity?" Sol said as he handed the list over.
"Yes dear." The Queen replied. "It doesn't matter that we already know she won't come. It would be rude not to make the offer." Serena was confused by this.
"Why won't she come?" She asked the Queen. Gaia smiled sadly.
"Queen Serenity hasn't left the moon since her daughter was killed." She said sadly. Serena was horrified.
"Killed?" She gasped. "What happened?"
"There was an attack from outside the solar system. Evil beings who wanted to claim it for their own. Queen Serenity used her most powerful weapon, the Silver Imperium Crystal, to defeat them, but not before her daughter, who was also called Serenity, was killed. It was a terrible blow to the queen. The child was only two years old." Queen Gaia closed her eyes, remembering the terrible day she'd heard of the Princess's death. "Queen Serenity has never really recovered." She finished.
Serena suddenly felt great sorrow for this queen she'd never met. "The poor woman." She said softly. "To lose your child - I can not imagine what could be worse." Her hand drifted to her still-flat stomach. Knowing what was going through her mind, Endymion reached out and put a comforting hand on her arm.
King Sol frowned. His son and his bride were acting very strangely. "Is there something you're not telling me?" He enquired with suspicion. Endymion looked up and over to his mother. The look he gave her clearly said "I though you'd told him." The Queen responded with a look of her own that said "I thought you did."
"Well?" Sol asked again. He looked to his wife, then to his son and then to Serena. No one said a word. The King gave up asking and replayed the conversation in his mind. A moment later he figured it out. "Oh no." He groaned. This wasn't happening. "She's pregnant isn't she?" Three silent nods confirmed his fears. Sol put his head in his hands. "How long?" He asked quietly. Serena, a little fearful of his reaction, gathered her courage and spoke.
"About ten weeks, your majesty." There was silence again while the other waited nervously for the King's reaction. Sol let out a deep, resigned, sigh. Finally he spoke.
"I suppose we had better get a move on then." Serena smiled. Perhaps he wasn't as bad as she'd thought.
The wedding preparations continued for weeks. Almost the entire palace staff was involved in one way or another.
Serena had slipped into the role of organiser with surprising ease. Gaia was pleased about this, they were skills that would serve the former maid well in her new royal life. The Queen found herself smiling as she walked along the long hallway to the room Serena had been given as a study. The girl was making amazing progress, it was as if she had been born to nobility, but she still retained the humbleness and sunny nature that made her so likeable.
When she entered the study, she found Serena deep in conversation with Hana, a highly respected local florist. Both women looked up as she came in, Hana dropping into a curtsey and Serena giving her a warm smile. The Queen acknowledged the florist with a smile and then turned to Serena. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but the seamstress is here to take the measurements for your dress." Serena's eyes lit up. She was looking forward to picking out her wedding dress. She quickly spoke to Hana.
"I'm sorry, we're going to have to stop for today. Can you come back tomorrow?" Hana nodded.
"Of course. Is 10 am convenient?" She asked.
"That's fine." Serena smiled. She turned and grinned at Gaia. "Lets go!"
The seamstress was a middle-aged woman with bright green eyes and greying hair. The Queen quickly introduced the two. "Serena, this is Carlotta. She's been designing wedding dresses for over twenty years and it was her mother who designed my wedding dress! Carlotta, this is Serena, soon to be the Princess of the Earth!" The two greeted each other and then Carlotta pulled out a black leather folder.
"Here some design sketches I've done for your dress. Have a look and tell me what you think." She handed the folder to Serena who sat down and began looking through the many designs.
Serena was blown away by the stunning pictures that were presented to her. Each one was better than the one before. She didn't know how she was ever going to choose. "None of them have to be exactly like that." Carlotta told her. "We can make any changes you want. Or perhaps you had something else in mind?" Serena shook her head.
"Not really. I hadn't really thought about it before, I have no idea what I want!" She replied. She looked at the pictures again. To pick just one seemed like an impossible task.
"Well, while you're thinking about it, let me take your measurements!" Carlotta laughed. She went to her bag and pulled out her tape-measure. As she did so, the tape measure caught on another piece of paper, sending it fluttering to the ground.
"What's that?" Asked Serena, picking it up.
"Oh," Said Carlotta, That's just a rejected design I did for the Countess of Chiswick. She's also getting married soon, but she didn't like this one."
"But it's perfect." Said Serena quietly. A strange feeling rose within her. This was the dress.
"It is?!" Carlotta said, stunned. Serena nodded. The wasn't a doubt in her mind. Gaia leaned over and looked at the picture Serena held.
"My, It IS lovely!" She agreed. She looked at Carlotta. "Why was it rejected?" She asked.
"Apparently, it was too frilly. I didn't think so, but it was her choice, not mine." She explained. The Queen looked again. There were a lot of frills, but they looked just right. There was no accounting for taste she supposed. She laid a hand on Serena's shoulder.
"Well then, it would seem that her loss is our gain." She smiled at Serena. "I assume this is the one you want?" Serena grinned.
"Definitely."
As Carlotta took Serena's measurements, Serena took a moment to reflect on all the amazing things that had happened to her. She was marrying the Earth's Prince, a man she loved more than life, she carried his child and she had wonderful friends. For the moment at least, life was perfect.
End Chapter 17