《Into the Looking Glass》


 Chapter I

    The heavily jeweled dress dragged as she walked through the empty hallways, candle in her hand to light her way. The cold stone walls offered no comfort ¡ª no sense of warmth. The walls that she will call her home. The tiara felt heavier than usual on her head as she wandered the place, her heels clicking against hardwood floor. Princess Florence marveled at the smallest of details, her own small castle provided stone on the ground opposed to this castle ¡ª a much larger and far more wealthy castle that offered beech hardwood floors underneath her feet. Her head swiveled right to left as she observed the different doors lined against the wall.


    All the doors were the same ¡ª mahogany with a gold doorknob ¡ª nothing extravagant at all. That''s why when she spotted a white door with a crystal like doorknob she had stopped as if she was in a trance. What followed next was the reason she advanced towards the door like a genie enticing a snake from a basket. As she took a step towards the door, a blinding bright white light bathed from under the door before fading out with a soft buzz. Her small delicate hand rested on the doorknob, jiggling it once then twice. With a final jiggle, the door crept open with a soft click.


    Stepping into the room and securely closing the door behind her, the woman observed the dark room ¡ª the only light coming from the flame dancing in her hand. "Mirrors..?" She murmured softly, confusion lacing her voice. Princess Florence moved about the room gracefully as inspected the mirrors, her eyes bouncing to the different sizes that filled the room before her. The woman heard the stories of her future father in law going into the kingdom and confiscating any and all mirrors ¡ª accusing the objects of witchcraft and any person who refuses to relinquish their mirrors were punished severely.


    "A lot of fuss to make over mirrors." She says quietly to herself, her fingers dragged gently across the design of a standalone mirror. Finally moving her eyes away from the frame, she took in her own appearance. Florence couldn''t recognize herself when she was adorned with all the jewels. She wore enough jewels to support 4 small families and still provide for herself. She was the Princess of Kitaran, a small kingdom in the Dark Continent ¡ª a name the Europeans came up with due to their lack of knowledge of it. She was marrying the prince of France ¡ª Prince Enzo.


    The princess was just about to make her exit when a silver handheld mirror sitting on a dusty abandoned desk caught her eye. It was like no mirror she''s ever seen before. It was oval with a two head silver snake slithering around the frame, its tail wrapping around the handle of the mirror. The woman couldn''t stop herself from taking the silver mirror in her hand. It was heavy, the metal felt oddly warm ¡ª as if it was held over a fire for a few seconds.


    Gently twirling the mirror over, she seen two letters carved in the back. Her fingers traced the letters as she hums quietly. "E.A.". Turning the mirror back, her fingers ran across the body of the snake slowly. "How odd..." she breathes out softly, her eyes analyzing the mirror as if she was attempting to burn it into her memory. Florence took a moment to gaze at herself within the mirror.


    Understand that the young woman isn''t obsessed with herself, it''s just she''s never seen herself so put together. Her hair was usually styled messily, her tight chestnut coils fell around her heart shaped face and fell mid back was pulled in tight neat bun with a tiara holding it securely in place. Her skin was sepia ¡ª a reddish-brown with orange undertones, dark freckles littered across her nose. She had full, sultry lips that naturally pouted when she wasn''t smiling. A startled gasp fell from her lips when she gazed into her own eyes. Her dark chocolate brown eyes were glowing ¡ª resembling closer to the color of hazel.


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    Suddenly the mirror began to buzz in her hand, the doubled headed snake sprang to life ¡ª biting at her fingers. Yelping, the mirror slid from her hand and shattered at her feet. The snake began to advance towards her, uncoiling its body from the mirror frame as she stumbled backwards, and watching the snake flick its tongue dangerously. The snake remained silver, black scales covering the entirety of its body as its black tongue licked out in warning. As if her feet were rooted into her very place she stood,  fear crept into her bones as the snake wrapped its body around her ankles and slithered its length of its body up her leg.


    The snake disappeared under her dress, her hands trembled as she attempt to move but it was as if her arms were glue to the side of her body. A piercing pain shot through her thigh, radiating up the frame of her body as the snake sunk its teeth into her soft inner thigh. That''s all it took for her to break out the physical trance she was in, reaching under her dress to yank the evil creature from her thigh ¡ª tossing its body aside.


    Her feet couldn''t carry her fast enough towards the exit, slamming the door behind her as she took in ragged breaths. Florence''s fingers trembled as she hiked up her dress, assessing her wound. "Ow.." she murmured softly, prodding at the sensitive area around the bite mark. Once ensuring that the bite mark was not venomous, a sigh of relief passed through her full lips before allowing the dress to fall back towards the ground. She began her journey back down the hallway she was headed towards, her eyes taking one last look at the white door.


    By the time she made it to her night chambers, she had decided not to inform her future husband of this incident ¡ª in pure fear that she would be accused of witchcraft and given the ultimate punishment ¡ª death. Her newly anointed maid and lady in waiting came bustling through the door in a straight organized line, their heads bent low out of respect. Silence lingered in the air as the maids worked to get her ready for bed, her body moving on autopilot as she sat down in the comfortable seat behind her.


    The lead lady in waiting stood behind Princess Florence. She began to take down the young woman''s hair, unaware of the turmoil the princess beneath her was experiencing. Meanwhile, Florence''s mind was moving 100 miles per minute, flipping through different thoughts until it settled on the thought of her home village. The sole reason she agreed to marry Prince Enzo to start with.


    Kitaran was a small village ¡ª a population of about 763 citizens resides within the palace walls. Due to their size, Kitaran dealt with slow to nearly no trades with any of the large kingdoms. Now, families have begun to starve and she could not stand to watch  her people die out. So when a large kingdom offered their assistance in exchanged for her hand in marriage, she knew what she had to do. One nightfall, Prince Enzo and his father King Gabriel appeared at their castle with her father''s invitation in hand. While Prince Enzo courted Princess Florence, their mothers weren''t far behind cooing of an engagement. By the fifth nightfall, Princess Florence was officially engaged and heading to what she would be consider her new home.


    But she would do it again if it meant saving her people.


    "My lady, your bed is made up for night. We shall return early sunrise to aid you in preparation of your nuptials." The lead lady maid said as she bowed, the rest of the maids following her suit. Florence bowed her head in understanding, politely dismissing the maids. She watched as they filed out in a single line, her hand running over the fine silk of her night gown. Her fingers traced the flower design sowed on her ribs, inhaling deeply before she climbed into the feather soft bed willing sleep to creep over her.


    Tomorrow was the day everything changed.

 Chapter II

    "Run my Queen! Run and don''t look back! We''ll send guards to find you!" The deep voice shouted desperately, his voice raspy from thick smoke clouding the air. Another explosion went off to Florence''s right, her ears ringing as she falls to the ground. A groan escaped her lips as she forced herself onto her feet, stumbling in her heels.             "These coarsen heels!" Queen Florence sobbed, kicking off the heels in distress. She scrambled to her feet, the soft flesh of her hands scrapped against the gravel forcing blood to the surface. She grabbed the hem of her wedding dress and petticoat, bolting towards the entrance of the castle. Broken cries tore through her throat as she stepped over bodies of soldiers and townspeople alike.


    A child clung to his mother, begging her to wake up. She stopped at the scene, quickly deciding to scoop the screaming and crying child in her arms. Florence ran closer to the entrance. "Elijah! My queen, thank you." A frantic father ran towards the queen, recognizing his child amongst the chaos. "Where is Mary?!" He asked frantically. All the new Queen could do is shake her head solemnly. The distressed husband let out a heartbroken cry as he scooped his child out of her hands and cradled his body to his chest. "Thank you again, my queen." He murmured, his voice thick with tears as he bowed. The man wrapped his cloak around his son before turning away and darting towards the exit taking a  right and disappearing out of her sight.


    Florence blinked once before continuing her path, running out the entrance and turning to the left. The new king, her husband, was already  shot. She seen it happened. The way the bullet pierced the area where his lungs would be, the way he swayed and  cradle his side, his father rushing to his side almost immediately. The former king roared in agony, catching his only child as he fell. Her husband''s eyes were glazed over when he looked over at her. Another desperate cry escaped her lips, running into the forest. "Run my Queen!" The former king called to her while she stood in shock. He held his injured and dying son to his chest.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Twigs and rocks dug into the sole of her bare feet. Her once pure white dress was covered in blood and dirt. The dress caught on a tree branch, tearing as she yanks it away. The sound of heavy thudding boots could be heard not too far behind her, making her push her body even harder. Florence came to a large rock with a small cave tucked into a corner. She released her dress, gripping the ledge of a rock. She willed her body up the rock wall, biting back a cry as a rock scraped her skin.


    "She went this way!" A gravelly voice shouts, his voice drawing closer. "Please! Heavens watch over me!" She cried as she squeezed herself into the tight cave, backing up enough to be hidden from view. "C''mon out little lass, we aren''t gonna hurt you ¡ª yet." The voice taunt her. She sniffled softly, turning to crawl further into the cave. Florence felt her way through the cave, the wet concrete dragging across her hand as she crawled ¡ª small hiccups escaping her lips as she moved. Tears rushed down her cheeks as she pushed herself further into the cave. It was silent other than her soft sniffles and the sound of water falling from the ceiling and hitting the concrete. Florence had no idea where this cave led to but she hoped it was safe.


    As if the her prayers fell upon deaf ears, her hands gave out from in front of her.


    A gasp fell from her full lips as her body fell down, colliding with body of water with a splash. She began to panic, the weight of her dress threatening to pull her under. "No no¡ª No!" She cried before the unforgiving water pulled her under. Her hands reached towards the surface, kicking her legs in desperation.


    A current picked up the young woman as if she weighed nothing and pushed her further downwards. Her lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen, she waved her hands blindly in front of her. The current swept her up one last time and slammed her against the rocks, her head colliding against the stone before she fell unconscious.


    Her body floated downward, resting on the sea floor.


    Her final resting place for certain.

 Chapter III

    Florence gasped, jolting up from her bed with a frighten start. A trembling hand reached up to touch her face, collecting tear drops on the pad of her finger. Her hand pushes stray curls from her face as she inhaled a shaky breath. The dream felt real to Florence, her lungs still burn from what felt like lack of oxygen. She moved slowly, tossing the heavy blankets back and sliding out of bed. Her bare feet collided with the hardwood floor, shuttering at the cool sensation at her feet. She grabbed a silk rob that lay hanging at the back of her vanity chair, sliding her hands into the arms of the robe. Hugging the robe to her chest, she grabbed the lone candle that was sitting on her desk and ventured towards her en-suite balcony.


    The flustered princess placed her candle on the railing on the balcony as she stared out into the night sky. The sky was a pinkish orange, the colors swirling in a beautiful pattern as the morning sun rose. Her head fell back her eyes fluttering close as she inhaled deeply as the cold air filled her lungs before exhaling as a pillowy white air escaped her lips. The dream felt as if it had a viper hold onto her heart, causing her head to drop with tension. Florence didn''t know what to do. On one hand, she can tell the king and the future new king but if the dream doesn''t happen ¡ª she''s crazy and making things up. If this dream did come true and she stops it ¡ª she''s accused of witchcraft or even a traitor and would probably be sentenced to death. And the alternate to that is if the dream is real and she decided not to stop it ¡ª her new husband dies and her newfound kingdom gets taken over by murders.


    Princess Florence fluttered her eyes open, her gaze traveling to the water lapping at the dock. Her eyes moved to the guard tower that was situated towards the far left corner of the dock, her eyebrows furrow in confusion at the empty guards'' tower. Her eyes moved to the second tower situated to the far right, also empty. Where could they possibly be? Her eyes moved with a sense of urgency, waiting for any movement  from either towers. A sense of relief washed over her body as she seen movement suddenly from the left tower, her shoulders dropping as the tension left her body.


    "Unable to find rest my lady?" A deep voice called to her. A startled gasp fell from her lips as her head swiveled to the left, a balcony was across from her ¡ª holding her future husband. "I cannot. I have found myself plagued with nightmares, your majesty." She says, pivoting on her heels to face him. "Please do call me Enzo, we are to be wed and run a kingdom together." The man responded, his thick accent slurring his words slightly. "If that it so, please call me Florence." She said with a bow of a head and a gentle smile. Enzo was not an unattractive man, Florence could admit that to herself.


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    When he courted her, he towered over her frame. She stood about five foot five, which would make the man stand at a comfortable six foot four. A mop of dark auburn curls sat on top of his head, his hair rested at his earlobes. His hair would usually slicked back neatly from what she could remember but in this moment his curls looked as if he continuously ran his fingers through his hair. His skin was laiteuse, dark freckles only covered his nose and just under his eyes. He had green orbs with rings of silver closer to the pupil of his eyes. His lips were just the perfect size with a pink tint to them. It suits him well. His nose was perfectly straight with a strong jawline. Florence could remember the feel of his muscles under her hand when he offered his arm to her on a stroll once at her kingdom.


    "You say you found yourself plagued with nightmares, which is odd I do say so myself Florence for I have also been plagued with terrible nightmares." He revealed, walking towards the railing of balcony. "How unfortunate, I do hope our lack of sleep does not disturb our nuptials." Florence teased lightly, also approaching the railing of her balcony. The couple stood face to face, the distance between them was enough to keep each other out of reach but close enough where they did not have to shout at each other. "I know it will not." He says, chuckling as he crossed his arms chest. "Florence, I am happy to have this private moment with you. I did want to speak to you about our arranged marriage." He stared, his voice rumbling deeply.


    Florence did not know what to expect Enzo to say, but she''s witnessed an arranged marriage before. Her parents. And it was not a happy one. They married purely for duty ¡ªa duty to the crown. Florence''s maternal and paternal grandparents arranged the couple to marry and merge their two small kingdoms into one ¡ª which was known now as the kingdom of Kitaran.


    Her father did not love her mother and would often cheat with chamber maids. Her mother was no saint, especially when Florence caught her coming from the garden one day¡ª smoothing her dress as a royal guard stumbled ungracefully behind her, tucking his shirt into his trousers. There was no love, just duty and if that was what Enzo was going to say ¡ª she was not expecting anything less from the future king.


    So Florence waited, to see how he would seal their fate.

 Chapter IV

    The duo stared at each other, daring the other to speak first. Her heart hammered unsteadily in her chest, her eyebrows shooting up in question as time slowly ticked. Enzo cleared his throat, his fingers reaching up to dust his curls from his forehead. Tilting her head, the pregnant pause held heavy tension in the air.


    "I would like to inform you that just because this is an arranged marriage does not mean I will forsaken the bond that was placed before me. I will not be dishonest or deceitful. Nor will I make you look like a fool with infidelity. I will be loyal to you and you alone and if you give me a chance maybe we can truly become... enamored with one another." He stated, his gaze never moving from her face.


    From all the things she thought he would say ¡ª that was not one of them. But the words seeped into her skin and wrapped its way around her heart. The words settled there, creating a warmth in her. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, as she bows her head in respect to his words.


    "I do appreciate your words and promises. But how can I be certain of your words to be truthful?" She asked, not ready to drop her walls around the man. A rumble came from deep from his chest as he laughed, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he stared at the woman. "You, Florence do not trust easily do you?" He asked, cocking his head to the side.


    A sheepish smile tugged on her lips as the tip of her ears warmed with embarrassment. She shook her head slightly. "Unfortunately I''m a child of a loveless arranged marriage, words do not pacify me easily. I''ve witness both my parents'' infidelity. So no, Enzo, I do not trust easily." She says easily, her head held high as she spoke.


    Enzo did not move nor blinked. A small, sad small tugged on his lips as he nod in understanding. "The ring I will present to you at the nuptials, the ring is a family heirloom. Princess Florence, I do not take family lightly and giving you this heirloom I''m declaring to you and my family that I am taking you serious." He finally spoke, his gaze unwavering. He stepped away from the railing, bowing his head respectfully. "Florence." He says in goodbye, bowing slightly before disappearing back into the room leaving the woman speechless.


    Florence retreated back into her room, her heart settling with an even thud. The sun rose, spreading the light onto the kingdom. She plopped into her chair, staring blankly ahead of her as she digested what Prince Enzo just declared to her. A small smile tugged on her lips, bowing her head as excitement for today suddenly flooded her mind. That nightmare no longer forefront in her mind. He wanted to have a real marriage. He wanted to be fated to her for the rest of his life, no one but her. The realization set and suddenly she wanted to give the marriage a real try, which means saving his life if the scene was to happen.


    The lady in waiting knocked once then twice before pushing open the door. Her posture straighten at the sight of the princess sitting in her chair, waiting for her. "My lady! Apologies I did not know you would be up so early. You should have rang for me, I could have had tea prepared while your bath was drawn." She says quickly, moving to open the curtains in the room. The sun bathed the room in an orangey yellow tint, the sun slowly climbing the once night sky. "Please do not fret, I was okay. Thank you, Ms. Campbell." Florence said coolly, straightening her spine as the woman came towards her.


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    Ms. Campbell sent a maid down to the kitchen, requesting Princess Florence''s breakfast as the chamber maids filled the tub attached to her room with warm water. They sprinkled lavender and orange slices into the bath, hoping to scent the woman as soon as she slips into the tub. "Alright my lady, let''s get you in your bath and by time you are finish, your breakfast should be finished." She said, ushering Princess Florence towards the bathroom.


    The Princess began to disrobe herself, handing bedchamber maid her silk robe and nightgown before her lead lady in waiting helped her into the tub. Florence sunk into the water, allowing the warm water to slosh against her skin as she settled into tub. The lady in waiting came over with a pitcher, scooping water out of her bath to pour over her curls. The water weighed her hair down, plastering it to her cheeks.


    "Ms. Campbell, how long have you worked here in the kingdom?" Florence asked curiously, eyeing the white bar in her bedchamber maid''s hand. "Well, My lady, the way one becomes a Lady in waiting is having former relationship with the queen. My mother''s mother was a Lady in waiting until she had my mother and died and the title was passed to my mother and when my mother died, it was passed to me. Once I die, my beautiful daughter Julienne will inherit this role and it will move down that way. So to answer your question, My Lady, is all my life." She concluded her small speech, removing the white bar from the bedchamber maid''s hand and dipped into the water. She moved the bar across the back of her skin, cleaning at the grime at her skin.


    "What is that?" Florence asked, peeking over as she watched her water become murky. "This is what the Spaniards call soap. Made to clean any impurities and sins from the skin." Ms. Campbell answered easily, dragging the bar down her arms then her legs. Once her lady in waiting deemed her clean enough, she was wrapped in a towel and ushered back into the bedchamber.


    Once the young woman stepped into her room, three things caught her eye. A mirror situated in front of her vanity chair, a bouquet of assorted flowers and a note. Florence picked up the bouquet, holding the flowers to her nose. Her eyes bounced from the red tulips to the white gardenias. Her heart felt as if it stuttered out her rib cage, she knew the meaning of the flowers. She remembered having the conversation with him when they walked through her garden back at the kingdom of Kitaran.


    "I spend time in the garden a lot. It''s where I feel most connected to nature. My mother and I have taken time to plant these together." Princess Florence explained as she clung onto Prince Enzo''s arm. "We usually sit near Azaleas, they signal family bonds. My mother believes it''ll strengthen us as a family unit." She rambled on, peeking up towards Enzo. The man was already staring at the woman, in awe as if every word that came from her mouth was magic. A pink tint covered her cheeks as she moved on to the next row of flowers. "The Calla lily represent modesty, Canterbury Bells represent gratitude."


    "What do these represent?" Enzo questioned, gesturing towards the Alstroemeria springing from the ground and reaching for the sky. "Well this section of flowers are my personal favorite, I planted these." She says softly as she stared at the flowers. Her eyes skimming over the flowers. "That flower is known as Alstroemeria, it represents strong bonds between two people." She says softly, smiling at the flowers adoringly.


    "What is your favorite flowers? And what do they represent?" Prince Enzo questioned, causing Florence to look towards him. "Red tulips and Gardenias are my favorite." She says, pointing towards the flowers as she spoke.


    "Gardenias represent purity while the red tulips symbolizes a deep connection ¡ª a soulmate connection."

 Chapter V

    The way Princess Florence''s cheeks warmed at the kind gesture of Prince Enzo. Her hands set down the bouquet, moving to grab the note next. The ink was not as fresh, but it was obvious that it was done within the last three hours. Slowly she allowed her eyes to move across the words of the note, her hands trembling.


    My Dearest Florence,


    Since our first introduction, I am no longer the master to my own heart. From your knowledge to your smile, I have became enslaved to you. And so the only thing left to do is offer my heart to your acceptance. I would do anything in my power to keep you by my side. If it means ripping the heavens from the sky to wrangle every beautiful star ¡ª I will. Because a life without you simply seems like a life not worth living. I arranged for Gardenias to be sent to you every time the grand church bell rings until our nuptials, in hopes you understand of my purest of intentions.


    Yours forever,


    -Enzo.


    A smile curved her lips as she gently touched his name, her heart fluttering with excitement. "Your majesty, Prince Enzo requested a mirror to be moved to your room in order to look at yourself as you get ready for your nuptials." One of the chambermaids said, bowing to Florence. Church chimes came from outside, signaling the next hour. Florence rushed to the window, watching the sun climb further into the sky. The woman knew exactly what to do with the flowers that would be delivered to her room. "Ms. Campbell will have a maid fetch me a needle and a white spool of thread." She requested, taking her note to her seat. "And my wedding dress as well." Princess Florence added, sending Ms. Campbell a gentle smile from the mirror. "I have an idea." She declared.


    Princess Florence went to work, at the top of every hour as promised, the princess received a bouquet of flowers. Stems littered the ground as the young woman sat on the floor in front of her dress. She was sowing the last of white Gardenias  to the hem of her dress, her tongue stuck out in concentration as she sowed. There should have been one last bouquet arriving before her nuptials, deciding those would be the one she walked down the aisle with. The woman rose from her feet, taking a step back to examine her handiwork.


    The dress was the same dress her mother wore, made of soft cotton with floral lace on top. It was pure white, long, off-the-shoulder puffy sleeves, the corset sat snuggly against the chest of the mannequin, gold pearls dangled from the top of the dress and flowed down to the end of the corset. The dress was a ballgown, the fabric pooling outwards and dragged across the floor. At the bottom of the dress laid her personal touch -- the sowed in Gardenias. Her veil was a head band, Gardenias covered it and flowed all the way to the ground. The bottom of the veil had the white flower sowed sporadically on it. She had the jewelry she would wear laid out on the small provided dresser.


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    "Quite beautiful, m''lady." Ms. Campbell said from beside her, admiring the dress with the young princess. "Thank you, Ms. Campbell. Let us prepare myself for the nuptials." Florence says, sitting in the seat in front of the mirror. "Yes m''lady." Ms. Campbell said, standing behind the woman as she gently began to separate her curls. "I would like an updo please Ms.Campbell." Princess Florence requested, her hands moving to grab one of the many perfumes -- inhaling the scent. The rich, sensual, sweet and fruity scent wafted to her nose, the undertones were musky with light touch of vanilla. The scent was a tenacious smell -- ensuring the smell stuck to her skin for the next few days. "I quite enjoy this smell." she says to Ms. Campbell, uncapping the perfume and dabbling it to her skin. "The smell is meant to mock the smell of Jasmine flowers." Ms.Campbell said from behind her, brushing at Florence hair with care. "Jasmine represents love, sensuality and grace. Fitting for the occasion." Florence said, glancing at the woman combing at her hair. Ms. Campbell smiled, sending the princess a nod in agreement. Ms. Campbell spent the next hour attending to the princess.


    "You look exquisite M''lady." Ms. Campbell''s voiced called from behind the Princess. The woman took a look in the mirror, her breath hitching at she staring at her reflection. Her hair was pulled away, two tendrils falling in front of her face. Her eyelids had white glitter, her eyelashes was brushed with a small red brush with black makeup rubbed into her eyelashes. Ms. Campbell said it was called mascaro. Her cheeks were painted a rosy pink, making her eyes seem like they glowed, a light red lipstick stained her lips. The sound of tapping came from the opposite side of the door, causing Ms. Campbell to head over and open it. "Thank you." Ms. Campbell said to the maid standing at the door, taking the bouquet of flowers from the maid before closing the door with a soft click. "M''lady, it is time." Ms. Campbell said, pulling the veil over Florence''s face before handing her the flowers. "Why of course Ms. Campbell allow me a moment to myself." Florence requested, which Ms. Campbell obeyed with a curt nod. "Oh and m''lady? Do call me Adeline, we are to be with each other for the rest of our lives." the woman said, bowing her head before exiting the room and pulling the door closed behind her.


    Florence took another look at herself in the mirror, her heart thudding unevenly. She still felt unease about her dream, the residue feeling of her nightmare sat heavily in her stomach. "Grab protection." she suddenly thought, rushing over to her breakfast tray. Spotting the untouched knife from her breakfast tray. She hiked her dress up, grabbing a piece of cloth from the table. She wrapped the blade of her knife before wrapping the knife to her thigh. Adjusting her dress to its original position, she stepped out the room and was met with Adeline waiting for her right out the door. "Ready?" Adeline asked, grabbing her veil so it would not drag on the floor.


    With one final nod, Florence picked up the hem of her dress and made her way to the center garden in the castle to seal her fate.

 Chapter VI

    The sun was at the highest point, the soft bells from the church rang in the distance. The air was warm and clung to the village people''s skin alike, waving fans to cool their quickly dampening skin. Princess Florence stood just right at the entrance,attempting to fill her lungs with greedy gulps of breath. Soft strings of violin is being plucked, signaling the start of their nuptials.


    "Elijah! This is no time for playing!" A voice scolded as the sound of pattering feet was echoing through the hall followed by childlike giggling. Florence whips her head around, her breath catching in her throat when she spots the mother scolding her child for running off. It was the same mother and child from her dream. "Camille, give me one second..." she says, grabbing the end of her dress before making her way to the mother and child duo.


    "Elijah, we should have been seated already. The nuptials have started." The mother fussed, straightening out her son''s clothes as she picked off invisible lint. "Surely your new queen will be understanding of your lateness." Princess Florence said from behind the mother. "Oh! Oh! Your majesty! I do apologize!" The mother scrambled to bow, gripping her son''s hand. "Truly it is fine." Florence dismissed with her hand, her eyes bouncing to the boy she saved in her dream.


    "Why hello there, Elijah." Florence says, dropping down to his height. The little blonde boy bowed, his head tucking to his chest before looking back at the princess. "Mary. I must request a favor from you." Princess Florence says, standing back to her feet to look at the mother. "H-how did you know my name?" She breathes out in astonishment, staring at the future queen. "Do not worry about that. I would like your family and yourself to be seated against the wall of the garden. The flowers will obstruct your view if you were to sit anywhere else." She lied pathetically, looking at the mother expectantly. "Yes your majesty..." she says softly, picking up the three year old and scampering away to the garden.


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    Florence nodded her head before making her way back to Camille, smiling apologetically. The lead lady in waiting watched the interaction between the princess and poor village woman with interested. "Your majesty, I can assure wherever the guest sit they will be able to see the nuptials." Camille says, smoothing over the ends of Florence''s dress. "Better safe than sorry." She says, holding the bouquet up as she heard the six string ensemble announcing the commencement of the wedding. The double doors in front of her were yanked open, the warm air rushing to meet with Florence''s skin. She could heard seats scraping, signaling that the guest were standing.


    Inhaling deeply, Florence began to walk down the aisle. Her hand gripped Camille''s arm nervously as they made their way down the aisle. She could hear the soft murmurs about her dress, causing a small smile to tug on her lips. Once she reached Prince Enzo, she relinquished her hold on Camille''s arm to take his hand. Handing her bouquet to her lady in waiting, Florence and Enzo joined hands. As the ceremony went on, Florence''s eyes bounced around nervously from under her veil. Everything seemed to be going smoothly so far. "The Prince has decided to speak his vows." The priest announced, closing the Bible to give the Prince an appointed look.


    "With this ring, I give you my heart. From this day forward, you shall never walk alone. May my heart be shelter to your feelings, my arms be the haven from the storm that rages outside our kingdom. I present you this ring ¡ª a ring to mark the remembrance of this moment of love in this hour. I am yours as you are mine." Enzo said, sliding the ring onto her finger. The ring was a gold band with a pearl in the center, small pearls and diamonds surrounded it as vines wrapped and housed the small stones. The words from the note echoed in her head, her eyes staring at the ring lovingly before looking at Enzo. "With this ring, I vow to honor and love you from this point forward. May this ring be a symbol of my eternal and everlasting love for you. Know that I''m forever behind you and by your side." She says, sliding the band onto his finger as she never broke eye contact with him.


    "By the power invested in me, by the spirits of the son, the Holy Ghost and before the eyes of the lord ¡ª I pronounce you man and wife. Long Live Queen Florence and King Enzo." The priest concluded. Enzo stepped forward, removing the veil from her face. His eyes roamed her face, cupping her cheeks with both hands before planting a loving kiss to her lips. Breaking the kiss, Florence shakily grabbed Enzo''s hand as turned to face her new subjects, the cheers were deafening as the crowd moved to their feet and cheered.


    But the moment of celebration was just that ¡ª a moment.