Author's Note: Hey guys! All right, so when we left off, Nirvana was reunited with her boyfriend, Carlos, and Layla announced that she had to go back to Tides for a family wedding, but couldn't bring Jason, leaving him heartbroken. This chapter is sort of going to set the plot for the rest of the story in motion. There isn't any action in it, not until the next chapter. But you can guess what's going to happen from the title. Poor Layla, she's in for a shock. Happy reading!
Chapter 3: An Arranged Marriage
Over the next week, the girls didn't have any communication with the boys, except for a text message or an IM. They were all so busy with school that they barely had time to think of each other. On Friday, Layla was in her and Guinevere's room, packing her things for the trip to Tides.
"I should have left an hour ago," said Layla, checking her watch. "The wedding rehearsal is in three hours and my mother wanted me home so she could oversee my getting groomed up. She's one of those moms' who wants every single thing about her daughter to be perfect for a special event and that takes time. I was hoping for a swim with some of my mermaid friends before that, but it doesn't look like I'll have time."
"When will you be back?" asked Guinevere, sitting on her bed, reading a magazine.
"On Sunday," said Layla. "After the wedding tomorrow night, I'll pack my things up and be ready to leave first thing Sunday morning. I might go for a swim with the mermaids then actually. There's nothing more fun than going swimming in the sea with your friends. And when I get back, I'll talk to Jason and tell him what my parents said. They have to tell me why they won't let me bring him. I think I deserve an explanation, don't you?"
"Definitely," said Guinevere. "I don't see why they won't let you take him home with you, he's a really cool guy and he's crazy about you Layla."
"I know. I want them to realize that."
"Well, I hope you manage to convince them."
"Thanks Guinevere," said Layla, hugging her. She closed the lid on her suitcase and walked out into Bloom and Flora's room, where the rest of the girls were chatting. "I'm off, I'll see you guys on Sunday."
"Be careful," said Flora. "All the danger isn't over yet and this event might be a good time for someone to try and take your powers."
"If they want my powers, then they'd better be ready for a fight," said Layla.
"Just keep on the lookout," said Musa.
"Do you want me to take you back to Tides?" asked Stella. "I can get you there in ten seconds flat."
"Would you Stella?" asked Layla. "That would be great." Stella transformed, threw the ring of Solaria in the air and took hold of her staff. Layla said goodbye to all the girls, hugged them each and went to stand next to Stella.
"Transportus back homus," said Stella. She and Layla disappeared in a flash of light. In a few seconds, they reappeared in Tides. Layla looked around her home realm and said, "home sweet home."
"I'll see you in a few days, be safe," said Stella. "And take some pictures so I can see what everyone was wearing."
"I'll see what I can do," said Layla. "See you on Sunday." Stella waved her staff and disappeared in another flash of light. Layla looked around her realm. It was just the way she remembered it, nothing had changed. The town with its bustling marketplaces and thousands of people, the smell of salty sea air every place and her beautiful palace, situated right next to the ocean, surrounded by water on three sides. The glistening ocean, sparkling in the radiant sun of Tides, stretched for miles as far as the eye could see. On every shoreline in the realm, there were beaches with people tanning and playing in the surf. Layla walked to the palace, taking her favorite path next to the water. Some waves came up next to her and she realized that it was all her mermaid friends, swimming up to greet her.
"Princess Layla!" they all yelled, waving to her. "Welcome home!"
"Hey guys!" she yelled back. "It's great to see you all!"
"Princess Layla," said a voice behind her. She turned around to see one of the palace guards. He bowed to her and said, "it's good to have you home, Your Highness."
"Hello Triton, it's good to see you too and please don't call me Your Highness," said Layla.
"But Princess, it is the way to greet the heir to the throne," he said, as he walked her back to the palace.
"I'm not just a princess you know," said Layla. "I'm a regular girl too. I'd like to be thought of that way."
"If that's what you want," said Triton. He stopped at the guard post. There weren't many guards at the palace, because Tides relied on the elite mermaid guard, which patrolled the water and reported all signs of trouble to the king and queen. Layla couldn't help the feeling of separation she'd felt for her home all these months. It always felt a little strange, coming home from school during a vacation. But that always passed within the first few hours and she always got used to being back, even if she did have to see to her duties as a princess.
She wanted to take a few moments to bask in the joy of being back in her beautiful realm, but she didn't have the time or the chance. One of the servants walked up to her and said, "welcome home Princess Layla. Her Majesty, Queen Lyra, wishes to see you immediately in the throne room. May I take your bag up to your room?"
"Thank you Alyssa," said Layla. She walked to the throne room, wondering what her mom wanted to see her about, hoping it was an explanation about Jason.
"There you are Layla," said Queen Lyra, hugging her daughter. "It's wonderful to have you home my dear."
"Thank you Mother," said Layla. "It's good to be home."
"How's school been going? Are you studying hard?"
"Always," replied Layla. She was surprised she'd been able to sleep the last two months. Having to juggle school around power-crazed villains trying to steal her and her friend's powers wasn't exactly a walk in the park. She didn't dare mention that to her mother though. She didn't want to give her mother any reason to bring her home, away from her friends and away from Jason, though she wasn't going to admit that last part to anyone either.
"Now that you're back, we have several things to attend to," said her mom. "I want to make sure the dress you're wearing tomorrow night fits. I have laid out another one for you to where tonight. Your cousin arrived yesterday and she's wanted to see you for quite some time. She wants to catch up as she says. She's waiting outside by the western beach when you're ready to see her."
"I wanted to have a talk with you and Dad when you have a moment," said Layla.
"Of course dear," said Queen Lyra. "But your father is busy at the moment. Can this wait until after the rehearsal dinner tonight?"
"I guess so," said Layla. "What's Dad doing anyway?"
"He's meeting with a diplomat from another realm. You're going to have to learn how to do all this soon you know. You're supposed to ascend the throne in just four years."
"I know that, Mom," said Layla, rolling her eyes. "I'll learn what I have to."
"Four years may seem like a long time now, but you have to learn it while you have time to," said Queen Lyra. "The years will fly by, believe me. Now you should go upstairs and try on your dress for tomorrow night. Ariel's waiting for you after that."
Layla was then shepherded upstairs, where she spent the next half hour standing up straight with her bridesmaid's dress on, so the royal seamstress could see what alterations were needed. She promised to have it ready before the wedding the next day.
As there were a couple hours left before the rehearsal dinner and it never took her very long to prepare for a formal event, Layla decided to walk down to the beach to find her cousin. When she reached the beach, she took her shoes off and let them dangle in her hand, loving the feeling of the sand between her toes. She walked down to the edge of the water and let the surf wash over her feet. She loved that too. As she walked further down the western bank, she saw something beginning to surface out of the water. She relaxed when she saw that it was one of her mermaid friends.
"Princess Layla, it's so good to see you!" said the mermaid.
"Cyrene, hey," said Layla. "It's great to see you too."
"Do you have time for a swim?" asked Cyrene.
"I wish I did," replied Layla. "What about tomorrow, first thing in the morning? Go and tell some of our friends and we'll all swim together. We can all catch up and I bet I'll need someone to talk to tomorrow, after I've had a certain talk with my parents concerning my boyfriend."
"You have a boyfriend? What's he like?"
Layla wasn't sure how to respond to that. It was still very awkward for her to talk about Jason sometimes, making it difficult on her when people started grilling her for details. But thankfully, the sound of someone calling her name saved her from the grilling session. She turned to see her cousin running down the beach towards her and a smile broke out on her face.
"I have to go, I'll talk to you tomorrow," said Layla. "Bye Cyrene." Cyrene waved goodbye and dived back into the ocean, promising to round up a few of their friends. Layla ran up to her cousin, gave her a large hug and said, "Ariel, it's great to see you!"
"Layla, it's great to see you too, I've missed you!" said Ariel. She looked a lot like Layla, except she had pale skin and black hair that reached halfway to her knees. But in the face, the two girls looked almost exactly like. It was a family likeness, for Layla's mother and Ariel's mother were twin sisters.
"What have you been up to since I saw you last?" asked Layla, as the two girls walked down the beach together.
"Well for the last seven months, I've been trying to get things ready for my wedding," replied Ariel. "I want everything to be perfect for tomorrow night and since you're my only cousin and my best friend, I was overjoyed when you said you'd be my maid of honor. I know you're a tomboy, not into dressing up and all, but it was so sweet of you to do this for me."
Layla didn't want to say that she was doing this because her mother made her, not because she wanted to. But Ariel was such a good friend to her that she couldn't say no anyway. Ariel had been instrumental when Layla found out that her friend, Anne was leaving. She was still afraid sometimes that she'd lose one of her friends at Alfea the same way, but with each passing day, those fears diminished more and more.
She decided to say, "It's no problem. So who is this guy you're gonna marry?"
"His name's Christopher and he's compassionate and loving, and cute as can be. I can't wait for you to meet him and I want to hear about your boyfriend."
"How did you know I had a boyfriend?"
"I heard you talking to that mermaid. What's he like?"
Layla had to suppress a sigh as she heard that question again. She should've known Ariel would ask it as well, but she'd wanted to avoid it. After a moment's silence, she said, "Jason is a really nice guy. He's heroic and brave, unafraid of a challenge. My friend Stella set us up on a blind date and we hit it off. It took me a little while to get used to the idea of having a boyfriend, but he's grown on me."
"Did you bring him home with you?"
"I wanted to," said Layla, an edge to her voice now. "I even asked Mom and Dad if I could, but they wouldn't let me. I've been trying to set a time for them to meet Jason for a month, but they keep postponing it. I'm having a talk with them after the rehearsal dinner to find out why. You don't happen to know why, do you?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you had a boyfriend until a few minutes ago," said Ariel. "But that's strange. I mean, they normally don't object when you bring friends home, granted you don't bring friends home very often."
"I know I don't," said Layla. "They're not used to having guests who aren't diplomats or something. I wish they'd see that there's a part of me that isn't the princess. I want to be treated like a normal girl for once."
"Have I ever not treated you like a normal girl?" asked Ariel, turning to face Layla so that she was walking backwards along the beach.
"That's what I love about having you around, Ariel," said Layla. "You and my friends at Alfea make me forget I'm a princess and make me feel like I'm just a girl, which is a blessing to me."
"No problem," said Ariel. She looked down at her watch and said, "Lord, is that really the time? We have to get back up to the palace and get ready for the rehearsal. It's supposed to be the groom who's late on the wedding day, not the bride."
Both girls laughed at this and went up to their rooms. Layla put on a knee length, sleeveless, pale green dress, the same shade of green as the lighter shade of her Winx outfit. She also put a scarf around her waist, a deep shade of green with sparkles on it. At the top, there was a strap going across her right shoulder and two straps that crossed her heart and wrapped around her neck. Layla put on a pair of green heels and a little glitter next to her eyes.
She walked to a section of the palace that the wedding would be held in. She met the rest of the family there, ready to start the rehearsal. Even though it wasn't the actual ceremony, Layla couldn't help smiling through it. She was so happy for Ariel that she was able to forget how nervous she was about the discussion she was going to have with her parents.
They went through the ceremony and the rehearsal dinner without any problems. The dinner itself was delicious and Layla spoke to her cousin, introduced herself to the groom and the best man and had a good time, but all throughout the evening, Layla was wondering what her parents would say to her when she brought up the Jason subject.
After the rehearsal dinner was over and all the guests had left, Layla went to find her parents, but Queen Lyra actually found her first. Her father had already gone back to the throne room.
"Layla, do you want to talk to your father and I now?"
"Yes Mother," said Layla. She followed her mother back to the throne room and found her father there sitting on the throne, reading an important looking scroll. He looked up when they came in and smiled.
"Layla, dear, you look as radiant as the sea in the setting sun," he said.
"Thanks Dad," she said.
"I gather you wanted a word with us," he said. "What's it about?"
Layla took a deep breath and said, "I wanted to know why you don't want me to bring Jason home and introduce him. I was really looking forward to Ariel's wedding tomorrow because I had hoped he would be my escort and he was more than willing to be. But then you told me I couldn't bring him and then I had to break the bad news to him. You should have seen the look on his face, it was awful. I think he thinks I hurt him on purpose because I didn't want to be with him. So I think I deserve an explanation as to why you both won't meet him."
"She does have a point, Aquarius," said Queen Lyra. "It's time we told her."
King Aquarius just sighed and said, "Layla, I know you want to bring this boy of yours home, but this isn't the time."
"I don't understand," said Layla.
"We've found someone else for you," said her mother. "All we need is your word and we'll arrange a marriage for you. We thought we were doing the right thing, that you would love this boy more than Jason."
"What?" asked Layla, tears forming in her eyes. "Why would you do that?"
"Nezaro, Prince of Fergal has asked for your hand in marriage and we accepted his offer," said King Aquarius. "All we need to go through with this is your approval."
"You're not getting it," said Layla. "How could you do that to me?"
"What do you mean my dear?" asked Queen Lyra.
"I didn't think you two would enforce the tradition, even if we have it," said Layla, tears now streaming down her face. "I want the chance to find someone who really loves me and Jason does. I don't want to marry Nezaro. The few times I met him, it was easy for me to tell he was just a power-hungry tyrant. You can't force me to do this. I can't, I won't."
"You have no right to deny this marriage," said her father, starting to yell.
"I have every right," Layla yelled back. "I won't go through with this." She ran from the throne room and back to her bedroom, crying the entire way. She flopped down on her bed, and cried into her pillow. "I can't believe it," she said. "I just can't believe it."
Suddenly, there was a knock at her door and a voice said, "Layla, are you all right?" It was Ariel.
"Come in," said Layla. Ariel walked in and shut the door behind her. She walked over to her cousin's bed and sat down. She couldn't bear to see her upset like this. Layla wasn't the kind of girl that cried very often, which made it all the worse to see. Ariel couldn't stand people hurt and upset under normal circumstances, but seeing her own cousin like that was the worst sort of torture possible for her.
"I overheard what your parents said," said Ariel. "I'm so sorry Layla. I don't think I could go through with an arranged marriage. I wish I could help you, but I don't know what to do."
"What would you do in my position, Ariel?" asked Layla.
"I suppose I would run away," said Ariel. "I would go and stay with my friends. I know several people who would be more than willingly hide me away for a few days. How about, when you go swimming with your mermaid friends tomorrow, get some advice from them and choose a plan, although I suspect they'll agree with me."
Ariel stayed with Layla for most of the night, comforting her cousin as best she could. And together, they came up with a plan for Layla to escape. She only left after Layla had fallen asleep. She turned out the light and went to her own room, wondering if she could even have her wedding with Layla in this state.
Author's Note: All right, another chapter done. I don't know about you guys but if my parents set me up with an arranged marriage, I'd be running for the hills as quickly as possible. The next chapter is going to introduce our bad guy, which incidentally she's supposed to marry. I know the marriage thing is getting old, considering we had Tecna almost marry Paritho two stories ago. But I will go ahead and reassure you that it's not going to reach the wedding in this one. I think I've had my fill of evil weddings. But there's going to be a lot of running and there's going to be a little bit of action as she tries to escape back to Alfea in the next chapter. Stay tuned!