Once Upon Insanity – The second chronicle
A/N: I can't wait to write the later parts of this fic…Its gonna be really, really crazy. And when I say really, really crazy, I mean really, REALLY crazy.
"NO WAY IN HELL – !!"
It was all but a scream which shattered the peaceful morning frost. Birds still lazing in the trees surrounding the large, sophisticated building shot though the thick canopy of dewy leaves, cawing and shrieking in fright. The maids and servants, however, displayed an expression of that of indifference, some even shaking their heads, exchanging looks which said, "I knew it."
And yes, of course they knew. They were already informed of 'it' beforehand, and was asked to take all necessary precautions…
…And 'it' was as in today was the day where the Queen decided to break the news to the princess of her arranged marriage. The SUPPOSEDLY demure and gentle princess.
For the record, the princess wasn't very… "princessy".
Slamming a fist down, an anger vein throbbing at her temples, the young blonde shrieked at her aunt who stood behind the polished, wooden desk.
"Never am I going into an arranged marriage," the princess yelled, " and I don't give a damn if its going to be some kinda peace alliance thingamajig for the country! I don't plan on marrying a stranger and I will not! Never in a month of Mondays!"
"Now look here young lady," Kate cried, her voice rising at an alarming rate – always a danger sign. " I am your guardian and – "
"Oh, don't pull the ' I am your guardian so you must listen to me' thing, AGAIN!"
The two women stood there, glaring, seething in silent (or not so silent) fury. If there was one thing they had in common, it was this.
Joshua gulped, taking a hesitant step back, weighing his chances. One was his sister, the other his aunt, and both were equally terrifying and not to be trifled with. He really didn't want to incur either of their wraths. And the possibility of him making a run for it –
"Joshua, say something already!!"
– was just about nil.
Chrno stirred. Inky eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks as his scarlet orbs flickered open. Habitually, he raised his hand to rub at his bleary eyes, his vision groggy and smeared as they frantically worked to adjust to the light. As he was on the verge of waking up, it hazily occurred to him that the covers he lay upon was soft cotton, not the usual silk his bed sheets were made of.
He frowned as the figure before him swam into focus. A pair of copper-red eyes gazed back into his crimson ones, full of a familiar worried expression.
Squinting, he asked in a slightly slurred voice,
"Azmaria?"
The girl breathed a sigh and Chrno heard murmurs of relief echo from around the room. Wincing, he raised a hand to his aching temples as he sat up in the foreign bed. He threw a glance at the lady before him and at once realized his mistake.
The maid had the same shade of eyes as his own servant did, but instead of having light lilac tresses, she had short, auburn hair. Despite that, however, she bore an uncanny resemblance to the songbird, from the eyes to the dark blue maid uniform.
The servant at once flushed under his gaze and hurriedly attempted to do a curtsey in deference to him.
"Your name?" he enquired, amused as the maid stumbled over the hem of her dress in her frenzy.
"A-ah, yes. I mean, it's Iora. Iora Aigithina," she rushed, flattered to have a royal to address her directly.
So much like Azmaria, Chrno mused as he cast a sweeping glance around the room, taking in his new surroundings. Finally, he voiced the question he had been pondering on ever since he stirred,
"Where am I?"
"O-oh," the maid stuttered, before shoving a bright smile onto her face and hastily answered, "The Duke's castle. Princess," she finished, upon the nudge her neighbor gave her.
Chrno blinked, then looked down at himself. For a blissful moment, he'd forgotten the day's events and wondered when Princes' clothings were made frilly. Then it hit him. He twitched and threw a scathing glare at the four he recognized as his 'ninja attackers'. One of them did an involuntary movement towards the door.
Choosing to ignore it, Chrno piped up once again,
"Why am I here?"
This time, the flicker of expression on the maid's face did not go unnoticed as she seemed to struggle with the words.
"Err…well," she cast a frightened glance at Chrno, "T-the Duke has, err, no! I mean…"
Iora stood, brain reeling, then recited in a rather dead-pan sort of voice,
"The Duke has offered your father an attractive proposition of a political alliance between them," she smiled, gaining confidence before continuing, "I'm sure that the joining of the two will, without a shadow or semblance of doubt, benefit the Duke as well as King Remington. Though the Duke has set a few – I mean, the terms are rather rudimentary and I'm sure your father would agree – I mean, HAS agreed –"
Something within him snapped and exploded into a million tiny pieces.
"Get straight to the point," the "princess" yelled, his patience stretched far beyond the limit. First Aion, the ninja attackers, now THIS?!
Iora cringed before taking a deep breath…
"The Duke wants your hand in marriage."
A pause.
"E-excuse me?" Chrno asked incredulously, certain that he heard wrong. It couldn't be…
Iora's voice faltered at the look on Chrno's face, "He wants to we – I mean, marry you."
The silence which hung in the air was that of impending doom, like a time ticking away every minute, every second, down the seemingly endless and dark abyss until the fated disaster struck –
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeh?! Marriage? But I'm only seventeen!"
Too bad they had already wisely decided to scarper, slamming the door shut with a defiant "click", leaving poor horrified Chrno with no one to protest to.
A/N: … Who can guess what's gonna happen next? Who can guess who's Rosette's to-be-partner-in-marriage?