Rifiuto: Non Miriena
A/N: So apparently this first half was written to almost mirror a semester- how the winter semester seems to drag on, but the spring semester flies by, which is why the chapters in regards to Ever After High's spring semester are so quick and condensed. Written: 2015, Found: 2018- Licia
In another week, her last semester at Ever After High would be over, and she would be going back to Marberly with Mika. It would be a long summer of royal engagements, meetings, festivities and family gatherings until Mika returned to Ever After High in the fall, leaving Raven alone to rule Marberly. She would have countless meetings with her advisers, the court, and the other houses to keep her busy over the next three months.
But for now, she had the End-of-Year Dance to attend. And, to add to the festivities, she'd just gotten word from her father and Mira that Marberly was finally free of the trade agreements with Ever After, the last of the Seven Kingdoms to pull out. Somehow, someway, for now, they'd managed to escape without being seen, and Raven could only hope it would stay that way. The less contact the kingdoms had with Ever After now, the better...
She turned to the side, smoothing the skirt of her dress with a sigh.
As the reigning monarch of Marberly, Raven was under strict protocol in regards to what she could and could not wear out in public- nothing that showed more than three inches of midriff, nothing shorter than her fingertips, nothing that showed excessive cleavage, nothing see-through unless it was over something, and no mesh anything. Sneakers were allowed with 'casual' outfits; no loose jeans or crop tops; these rules had been in place for years, and had changed as the fashions changed, keeping the royal family up to date with the times.
The thick spaghetti strapped v-neck dress she had chosen for the dance was a beautiful dark red, with a natural waist and circle skirt encircled with a jeweled waistband. The back opened slightly and the bodice was fitted and skirt flared out slightly. It was a very beautiful little dress, one her father had had ordered for her for her sixteenth birthday, but she'd never worn it.
She tossed her hair over her shoulder, the tight black curls she'd put her hair up in again the night before tumbling down her back. She wore the black diamond Mika had given her for her birthday around her neck, and the pendant on her wrist. A pair of black heels completed the outfit, pulling the whole thing together. Her makeup was subtle, and she wore a pair of black diamond dew drops in her ears. Just as she was about to change her mind about the dress, a gentle knock sounded on the door and she moved to answer it. "Hi."
She blushed, suddenly a schoolgirl facing her first crush. "Hi."
He smiled softly, let his gaze slowly rove over her body, drinking in every detail, before he shook his head. "Ready?"
"One moment." She hurried back to her desk, grabbing her black clutch before joining him and shutting the door softly with a lock. Apple was with Blondie getting ready, which meant Raven had the dorm to herself for once. She slipped her arm through Mika's, suddenly all excited nerves. From what Raven could gather, the dance had only been allowed if the professors were there to chaperone- Madame Yaga, Professor Piper, Mika and a few others.
The short walk to where the dance was being held was filled with silence, as the couple strolled along, enjoying the silence. Eventually, however, she spoke up, meeting his gaze. "Daddy called today."
"What did your father want?" Mika hadn't quite gotten to the point where he felt like he could refer to his father-in-law by anything other than 'Sir' or 'Your Majesty' when together, unlike Raven, who had started calling Baxiana and Pál 'Mother' and 'Father' almost as soon as the engagement was announced. Although given the relationship between the two men before the engagement, it wasn't any wonder Mika was apprehensive. But he loved Raven, and she understood that it would take time for the two men to warm up to each other, and see each other as more than just having a common denominator between them, but as family.
"I- we- have been invited to Taki's birthday; Daddy said it would be a good chance for us to make a good first impression on Andorilia, since the wedding. Though why we need to make a good impression is beyond me, when all of Andorilia knows both of us, and the Seven Kingdoms had practically been-"
"Holding their collective breath, waiting for us to finally marry?" He finished, and she blushed, that he could read her so well. He shook his head. "Can you believe Taki turns...thirty-four? For she's only a couple years younger than Tar, and he just turned thirty-six."
"And you will turn twenty-three in September, my love," She replied with a giggle, stopping and turning to face him.
"You will turn nineteen in November." He added, tugging her close. She slid her arms up his chest before they wrapped around his neck. "And by the end of December, we will have been married a year." They shared a soft kiss; he pulled her closer, sliding an arm around her waist.
"And the anniversary of my dynasty is the year after- the quincentennial, can you believe it? My family has been on the throne as long as Marberly has been alive." She sighed. "Five hundred years, my family has ruled, despite the Blood Wars and the lives cost, regardless of sex, it was still a member of my family on the throne."
"And you will join them, when you're ready." He whispered, lifting her chin.
"I have joined them, my love, or have you forgotten? I'm the queen."
He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "I haven't forgotten. And what I meant, was that your legacy is not set in stone. You have so much more to write, that you are simply getting started. The ink has not dried fully on the page yet; your story is waiting to be continued." She kissed him then, deeper this time. When she pulled away, there was a glint in her eyes that matched his own.
"Would it be okay if we skipped the dance, Mika? I'm not really one for school dances."