The trio had already scared off a group of people standing in what appeared to be a parking area for horses and carts, and one lone farmer who had come to accuse them of trampling his vegetables. Their bout of laughter wore off as they approached a waiting line of sorts leading into the walls of the town. Someone dressed in an oversized head yelped loudly and ran at the first sight of them. The few people who were in the line turned, gasping in unison, eyes wide.

"Is something going on?" Fiona stepped a little closer to Shrek.

"No, um, Farquaad he's… well ye'll see," he explained hesitantly. He raised his hand to the people who were staring in silence. "Nothing t'see here folks. Told ye we'd be back," he addressed them.

"The princess you ordered, coming right up!" Donkey joined in.

They bypassed the line. Donkey trotted through the gap between the rope pillar and the wall, Fiona following. Shrek knocked the pillar over, causing the few connected to it to fall one by one until the rope was all laying on the ground. He gave the watchers a wry grin as they passed and pushed through a turnstile gate.

Fiona's jaw immediately dropped when she looked at the town itself. It was quaint, certainly a place you could imagine settling down for a sweet fairy tale life, however it was also incredibly perfect. Each tree was the exact same shape, each house was matching in white and blue, someone was mowing the grass that sat as a centrepiece, but you could barely tell the difference in length. And strangest of all was the giant castle that loomed over the place. It was almost militant in structure; a bland grey block with breaks for small windows, reaching high up into the sky. If it had looked ugly from the windmill, it was worse up close. It sat in stark comparison to the whimsical looking houses and shops. Looking at the flower beds portraying the likeness of their leader, a castle so vast that it took up much of the precious space in the town seemed to add up. She wrinkled her nose at the spectacle as she surveyed the place.

The mower was abruptly stopped, driving the noise in the town to zero. A silence fell over everyone as they paused their tasks to stare at the newest visitors. It seemed weighted, knowing. It was the princess they ordered, with the most unorthodox company, after all. Discomfort washed over her. It was eerily similar to when Charming passed through the towns with her on horseback. Except this time they started moving quickly, not looking anyone in the eye and certainly not winking.

"Hey Princess," Donkey whispered loudly.

"Hm?" She glanced down to him.

"Do ya see what I'm seeing?" he asked. "'Cause I spy with my little eye lots of very eligible looking bachelors."

"Oh." Fiona realised she hadn't really been looking, but he was right. She had finally reached the place she was sure held her destiny.

"Y'know, if green isn't your colour."

Fiona shot him a glare. Of course that wasn't why she wasn't looking. It was self-preservation, to help Shrek. If she needed to marry the lord of this place, she couldn't be flirting with his townsfolk. At least, not until afterwards anyway. That was a future Fiona problem.

They took a step onto the grass-

"Hey!" called the man with the silenced mower.

They all looked at him before side-stepping onto a new route around the town centre. The mower didn't continue, neither did any conversation or movement. The townspeople all continued to stare.

"Hey! Shrek!" Donkey suddenly chirped, beginning to dash off towards an Information booth of some sort, however Shrek quickly grabbed his tail, halting his movement.

"No!" he hissed, "Not again." Fiona caught his gaze as he turned to her. "Ye don't wanna know."

She gave him a nod, lips curling upward. The princess looked up again at the vast structure they were heading towards, trying to ignore the lingering eyes of all that watched her. It happened in waves as they walked. As soon as they were visible to a new line of people, a hush would fall over the place. The princess held onto her sunflower tightly as they continued to walk in silence towards where Farquaad resided. They were crossing the town as fast as they could, but it felt like forever before they walked through the entryway into the castle courtyard.

"Halt."

"Ah!" Donkey yelped as spears were crossed directly in front of them, stopping them in their tracks.

"What business do you have?"

"Ye don't remember me?" Shrek asked mockingly before his tone fell flat, "I'm bringing Princess Fiona to Farquaad." He gestured to her, she gave a stern nod.

The guards stared at them for a small while before turning to each other.

"Only the Princess can enter the castle. You have to leave," was the instruction.

Fiona's eyes widened, the nerves swelling in her stomach. She sucked in a breath to protest.

"Nope. Not happening," Shrek responded bluntly. "I'm not leaving until his end of the deal is complete and I have the deed t' my swamp."

The pair looked at each other again. They released their spears and stood back allowing the trio to pass through into the courtyard. A guard pointed them in the direction of an entryway and they quietly followed. Fiona couldn't stop herself from looking around. The courtyard was small, far smaller than the one in her kingdom, but it made sense given the town size and especially given the size of the castle. It had an area for horses and tents like any other castle courtyard, but this one had lines of seating and a tall balcony where she assumed the leader would make his announcements completely separated from his people. There wasn't a Duloc flag as such, just long blue strips with a giant f, in fact she'd seen them plastered all over the town.

The more she saw of the place the more uneasy she grew. This wasn't any leader or lord, nothing like her father or any she had come to know in her childhood. The gaudy display suggested someone closer to a villain, someone she wasn't too sure she wanted to be entwined with. She supposed she didn't have to be. She could back out at any moment. Her pace slowed as they headed for the entrance to the castle, just enough for a large elbow to gently nudge her. She looked at him with her fixed, troubled expression.

"Don't get cold feet now," he spoke quietly, in a somewhat light tone, raising an amused eyebrow.

"My feet are frozen… and I don't have any feet," Donkey added his own commentary. "This place gives me the creeps now it's empty."

Fiona forced a smile onto her face. He was checking in on her, in his own way. "I'm okay," she reassured him. She'd made a promise and it was something she intended to keep.

They met more guards at the door. Shrek once again stated their business. One hurried in ahead of them while the other opened the door and instructed them to wait.

Fiona stepped onto a deep berry red carpet and the doors were hurriedly shut behind her as she entered after her friends. The room was lit mostly by torchlight, as the windows beside the doors were small, letting in limited sunlight. It was silent, only Donkey's hoofsteps on the carpeted floor could be heard. There were cold stone benches along one side of the room. Shrek had already taken a seat, putting his hands behind his head, leaning back and sighing into a rest.

She wandered around the room that extended into a long hallway. She imagined Farquaad would be emerging from it soon. A pedestal was in the middle of the room, a stone f stood proudly on top of it. Just in case anyone had missed all the identical ones outside. How fitting that her name also began with an f, how perfect, she mused.

There were long mirrors running along the wall the benches sat against, one at face height and one slightly lower. She saw herself again, her eyes widening at her reflection. Her shorter hair curled at the ends into loose ringlets. She hadn't seen natural curls in her hair since she was a very small child. As soon as her hair was able to be grown out, it was always long, only turning into waves and curls after being braided. Her face bore the evidence of their journey - it was the longest she'd gone without washing. If she was anticipating this man as her true love, she would certainly have been nervous. Instead, knowing that he wasn't, she felt a strange sense of ease as she watched herself. It was unlike any feeling she'd ever felt about herself.

"Y'know, I know that we've been journeying here the past few days but I didn't think we'd actually make it," Donkey filled the silence, walking in anxious little circles. "For a second back there I really didn't think we'd make it, and I mean make it make it. But here we are in this empty-"

"Donkey." Shrek opened an eye to glare at him before closing it again. His breath was heavy, relaxed. Fiona wondered how much sleep he got the previous night. She had been so wrapped up in her own mind to even realise he might have had his own feelings about laying with his arm draped over a human princess.

The princess delicately sat next to him on the bench, placing her flower in her lap. As restless as she felt, they had been walking for a long time and her body needed rest. Being close to him put her more at ease, but he didn't acknowledge her presence. After staring at the wall for a small while, listening to Donkey's anxious steps and humming, she glanced up at the ogre's face. While he wasn't watching, she looked at him. He was ugly, sure, she couldn't deny that. Even her ogre self wasn't as ugly as he was. But there was a softness about him, she could see it now. He didn't seem scary to her, just like she wasn't frightened of herself either. She looked down at the flower, gently feeling some of the petals.

"Ye don't need t' keep it if ye don't want." Even though his voice was low, it startled her.

"I want to," she responded, "it's beautiful and bright." She smiled at it. It was everything she had been missing out on in the lava-surrounded keep.

"Ah," he chuckled hesitantly, "Just like… uh… I…" he faltered, she met his eye, "Y'know." He shrugged, avoiding her gaze. He suddenly looked down the hallway, raising his voice, "How long are we gonna be waiting? Anyone there?" he called out into the echoey room.

"What happened to being quiet?" Donkey whipped around to face him. "Or are the rules different for donkeys? Y'know, I'd say the rules are different for all of us here in this creepy, dark-"

"Princess Fiona!" A voice called to her down the hallway, interrupting Donkey's hurried speech. It was deep, regal, and it caused the animal to rush behind her, cowering against the ogre.

Fiona abruptly stood, widening her eyes as a man who stood as tall as her bosom walked towards them, a cluster of guards behind him. His clothes indicated high status, with a matching cape, hat and gloves. His hair was just as perfect and shiny as Charming's. He walked with an air of arrogance. His aura of regality was something she might have once admired. She wondered what she would have felt if he had indeed been her rescuer. Would she have swooned at him too? Probably. She wanted to roll her eyes at herself. It wasn't time for her real feelings anyhow. It was time to pull that princess out of her tower and take her for one last spin.

"Lord Farquaad?" she called after him, in the most awe-struck voice she could muster.

As he got closer, he slowed. His brow was furrowed, he put a hand to his strong chin and ran his eyes over her.

"You are Princess Fiona, are you not? You don't look quite right."

Fiona realised her tiara was long ago abandoned. Her dress was one of a serving girl's and was soiled from their journey.

"I was in a tower…" she began hesitantly, "... guarded by a dragon. Things aren't exactly cushy up there."

Before he could respond, Shrek piped up behind her, "I did not fight a dragon fer you t'not give me my swamp back!" He effortlessly lied, just as she did.

"Hm," the lord hummed his indecision.

Fiona's brain managed to catch up with her. She curtsied deeply. "Please forgive my appearance, my Lord. My circumstances have not been the most ideal." She glanced at him as she rose from her stance. "However, if you are unhappy with me, I could request my parents send someone to take me home to Far Far Away instead and I'll find someone else to marry."

His brow raised quickly. "No, no. No need, Princess." He bowed his own head at her. "Forgive me for doubting you. I couldn't be entirely certain the ogre completed the quest. Its cognitive abilities don't seem to be very sharp."

Fiona turned to look over her shoulder. She met Shrek's gaze, desperately trying to stifle a smirk.

She turned back to see Farquaad beckoning a knight. They walked forward, a scroll in hand.

"Here, ogre, the deed to your swamp," he spoke with reluctance in his voice. "It will be cleared out as agreed."

The knight passed her and approached Shrek, handing him the scroll.

"Take it and go. You are not welcome to loiter."

Farquaad stared past her. She turned. Shrek met her eye before he led Donkey back out of the castle. She was on her own now. She strengthened her grip on the sunflower she still held.

"My goodness, what a harrowing event for you!" The lord burst into action as soon as the doors were closed behind her friends. "Come! We must see you to a bath and gown immediately." He beckoned for her to come closer. "Walking with that ogre must have been dreadfully disgusting, take my sincerest apologies for that, Princess. I will be honest with you, I didn't expect it to actually win. Oh well, no harm no foul."

Farquaad looked down to what she still held in her hand, quickly nodding his head toward it. Before Fiona even had time to glance down herself, the sunflower was pulled from her grasp by the knight who had handed Shrek the deed. She looked accusingly at him as he didn't even pause to acknowledge what he had done, returning to his station behind his leader.

Farquaad only laughed at her. "Oh that's so sweet. You see one vaguely beautiful thing and you want to keep it. I promise there will be far more beautiful things in this castle with me."

She softened her gaze. She could get a new sunflower. Perhaps Shrek would be waiting with one at the creek. She nodded at the lord who stood before her.

"Your castle, it is indeed beautiful," she complimented him.

"Of course." He smiled at her before turning to his knights. "A banquet! In honour of the Princess! For tomorrow, we wed!"

She sucked in a breath. Tomorrow. She was reminded of her need to wrestle through a night by herself.

"My one condition is that I am to be safely in bed by sundown. One can't get enough beauty sleep before their wedding day," she smiled at him, "especially given my journey." She gestured to herself.

"Of course, of course!" He took to her conditions. "Let me show you to your servants." He turned on his heels, cape flying out from behind him, and began striding forward.

Fiona began walking after him, back straight, head held high as she had been taught. She hurried just a little faster to walk beside him.

In a small voice she asked, "I was wondering, if you have any… magic at your disposal."

"Oh, no." Farquaad was quick to crush her hope. "No fear, Fiona. All magic and… filth has been swept from this magnificent place. Quite a feat, don't you think?"

"Very much so." Fiona felt her heart sink to her feet as she gave her false agreement. It truly was going to be a long night. She almost wanted to stop the march forward and demand they wed that very day before sunset, however, given their late rising, elongated breakfast, and meandering journey, it was already the later half of the afternoon. She cursed her decision to delay the inevitable.

Freshly bathed and dressed in a silk gown that she wasn't sure was entirely appropriate for a banquet, Fiona found herself standing outside a large set of wooden doors. Given Farquaad's stature, she found herself surprised at how vast everything was in his castle.

Before she was even able to murmur a word, the doors were opened.

"Announcing Princess Fiona."

Wide eyed, she looked to the person who had announced her presence without even glancing in her direction. A dozen or so well dressed men around the banquet table stood from their seats, all except the lord himself. They looked at her. She barely had time to muster a smile and bow her head to the room when someone in a uniform wordlessly directed her to her seat around the giant U shaped table. She didn't sit at the head of the table, no, only Farquaad sat there in a grand chair that took up much of the space. A smaller dining chair to the right of him was pulled out for her, and gracefully tucked underneath her as she sat. Wine was poured into a glass before she could say anything. It was like clockwork.

"The finest red wine for you, Fiona."

Fiona's eyes met Lord Farquaad's gaze; he ran his eyes over her body. "Thank you." She lifted her glass as everyone else in the room returned to their seats.

"That's right," he mumbled, lifting his own glass. "A toast!" he announced to the room. The almost silent room gave way to complete silence. "To Princess Fiona! Beautiful, fair, flawless Fiona."

"To Princess Fiona." The room lifted their glasses and agreed, all eyes carefully watching her.

She finally allowed herself to take in the banquet hall. Various noble looking men sat around the table, she noticed that only one other woman seemed to accompany what appeared to be her husband sat on the opposite prong of the table, at the end. Servants in identical uniforms - and identical hair - lined the room. Every other servant carried bottles of wine, those between them carried polished gold trays. They all seemed to move in unison with each other, anticipating people's needs before they could express them.

The eyes on her soon disappeared, even the man who sat to her right turned away from her. It was almost a purposeful gesture from everyone at the same time.

"Forgive me if this is all so startling to you, Fiona," Farquaad demanded her attention in a smooth voice, "for you startled me." He held an airy hand to his chest. "I have never seen such a radiant beauty before." Leaning an elbow on the table, he held out his other hand for her to take.

She reached her arm across the table to take it. He lifted it to his lips and planted a kiss on her fingers. His lips were warm on her skin. She blinked and pulled a smile to her own lips. "Of course. What an incredible banquet… hall…" her words were interrupted as a plate was placed in front of her.

Farquaad didn't acknowledge his own plate, he only stared at her, holding onto her hand. "Tell me," he prompted her, "what do you think of my kingdom?"

Fiona felt herself being taken by surprise - a place was not a kingdom without a king. Ah, she realised as soon as it entered her mind - that was where she came in.

"It's magnificent… it's very… neat and orderly." She very subtly pulled on her hand that he still held, though he didn't loosen his grip.

"Yes, it's perfect," he purred. "I created it so. I endeavour to stop at nothing short of perfection."

She nodded at him, straightening her spine just a little more. "Achieving it seems effortless. This event runs like clockwork."

"Doesn't it?" he agreed with her observations. "Some might say I'm a little harsh on my rules, but what is a kingdom without rules?"

"Of course. Rules… order…"

Everything slowly began clicking into place in her brain. Perhaps her instincts about Duloc hadn't been correct. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to find her true love in such a strict and orderly place. Perhaps her true love didn't live here after all, or perhaps… her eyes glazed over as her mind brought her back to the previous night. No. She stopped herself, looking down at her plate. An ogre wasn't what would end her nightly torment. And a night of torment was coming right up, perhaps it would give her enough time awake to think it over.

"Well… let's eat." She pulled her hand away from his grip. "This food looks delicious, my Lord."

"Indeed. I hope you'll find it to your liking. Nothing but the best for my betrothed."

She laid her napkin on her lap and picked up the outermost cutlery. Glancing towards him, he was still looking at her. She opened her mouth to find words. "Given what I'm used to from the tower, I am sure that this will be the best I've ever eaten."

He finally looked down to his own plate, raising his eyebrows. "Yes, yes, the tower. How dreary. After this you shall never speak of the tower again."

She blinked at him, he didn't look at her. His words weren't a demand as such, only an optimistic statement. "Yes," she responded simply, falling quiet.

For the rest of the banquet, she mostly kept her eyes on the table in front of her. Not that there was much to look at. The room was decorated lavishly in a bland sort of way, a large centrepiece portrait of Farquaad holding a visor in one hand and a sword in the other hung on the wall behind where he was sat. Most of the regal coloured materials were set in blocks. The table runner was a deep red, with a golden trim, curtains matched. What would have been ornate candlesticks were large rectangles with only a small flourish at the top where the candle sat. All were lit despite the sun pouring in through the windows. The food was much of what she expected. Despite him not being royal, he ate like one. Little did he know she'd already spent a few days as a princess back in her home castle, eating three royal meals a day.

The one thing that pulled her attention from her plate was when there was a musician in the middle of the room. Different instruments took turns playing masterfully. She eagerly watched, taking what little enjoyment she could. In her few days spent back at her home, there hadn't been the opportunity to listen to music. Hearing it now, she didn't realise how much she missed it. Not that the princess was able to dance, or even really move at all. The Lord's gaze mostly sat on her, though he didn't share many more words with her. He did speak to others, crowing with them from his position at the top of the table. They mostly spoke in compliments above the musicians, most everyone ignoring the music, only acknowledging to applaud at the directed moments. The rest of the room continued to barely acknowledge her. Occasionally she would catch a wandering eye watching her, though they would quickly look away, glancing towards Farquaad before continuing to mind their own business. It was as if she were Farquaad's property, so fragile that their gazes would damage her. It brought her great unease.

The candle in front of Fiona was burned two thirds of the way down when she decided to excuse herself. The food and music had finished, but the talking had not. Most importantly, the sun was growing dimmer, and Fiona's patience was wearing thinner. She rehearsed the words she needed to speak in her head before she finally had the courage to speak them.

"My Lord," she pushed as much control into her voice as she could.

He raised his brow at her.

"Thank you for this banquet, it has been a… wonderful afternoon, but I am growing tired."

"So soon?" His words intimidated her, though he seemed to only be taken by surprise.

"Yes," she pressed firmly, her brain alighting with an idea. "The journey with the ogre was very tiring, as you can imagine. As beautiful as this event is," she gestured to the room, "one can't quite shake the memory without a good rest."

"Ah." His gaze softened in understanding. "Of course. Will I see you before the wedding?"

She hesitated just a little before her answer, "No." She picked up her napkin from her lap and folded it onto the table. "Beauty rest before my wedding day is important to me."

He nodded his approval at her.

"Goodnight, my Lord."

"Tomorrow you shall call me your king. I look forward to that." He smiled at her, raising an eyebrow. "Goodnight, Fiona."

She nodded at him as she rose from her seat and hurried away. She hurried all the way out of the banquet room where a maid seamlessly materialised, beckoning her to follow.

The princess was led across the castle and up stairs so vast it almost reminded her of the tower. If she had already planned to leave quickly after the wedding, she planned to do so even faster now. Thirteen years she had spent waiting in a tower, yet it did nothing for her level of impatience thinking about the time between herself and regrouping with her travel companions.

Fiona was led to a bedroom decorated in the same way as the rest of the castle. The four-poster bed was huge in the middle of the room, in fact, it almost took up the whole room. The pillows were plump and the blankets were many in linens and silks. There were curtains partially undone around the bed; it would come in handy, privacy was something she did need. It was important for her to not be disturbed, lest word spread about her curse. A satin nightgown was draped over the side of the bed, where the curtain was pulled back, but she noticed there was no dresser in the room. Nor vanity, or any other piece of furniture besides a couple of nightstands.

"Lord Farquaad told me to take your dress." The chambermaid beside her seemed to anticipate her confusion. "You won't be using this room for more than tonight."

"Oh."

. . .

Thanks to everyone for combatting me labelling a chapter as a filler last time. We are definitely out of 'fillers' now. Let's goooo

Thank you for reading!