Wrongly in Love

47- Last Chance

Guinevere had no memory of what happened the night before.

A maid served her some calming tea seeing as she had trouble sleeping. At 6 a.m. sharp, she woke up to her bedroom being totally clean- books on the shelf in perfect order, blankets folded and towels hung, and her window wiped clean of dust. At the mere sound of her yawn, two maids who stationed themselves in front of her room quickly dashed inside.

"Your Highness, we are aware that you prefer bathing and dressing up on your own, but this is a special day. We are specifically requested to assist you in doing all these things," a maid said in a rush, then she quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.

"I see, I see." Guinevere totally forgot about royal protocols- aren't maids forbidden to speak when not asked to? Nevertheless, she didn't care. She had too much on her plate, and scolding a poor maid isn't going to help matters.

The maids prepared a special fragrant bath with lotus flowers, and no sooner when Guinevere climbed in they scrubbed her whole body clean. After what felt like half an hour, they immediately sent her up to the dressing room.

The gown was still in perfect condition. It sparkled in the sunlight passing through the window, and Guinevere's desire to wear it only grew stronger. She remained calm as her maids helped her put it on.

Accessories were very simple. Guinevere simply wore a veil with a silver tiara, and diamond studs shone on her ears. Lastly, a makeup artist arrived at the room, adding a light and natural-looking touch to her face. Maids held out a mirror for Guinevere to look at her reflection, unsure of her reaction.

"You look gorgeous, your Majesty," a maid blurted out nervously, before remembering the don't-talk rule and quickly went silent.

Guinevere surveyed her face in the mirror. She looked beautiful as always, and the tailor did a great job. Her maids styled her hair in a French twist that looked cute adorned with tiny jewel butterflies (Samantha already helped sew the hole in the dress Pierre Dupont accidentally made, so there was no need to let her hair down). Yet there was something about this whole situation that seemed so wrong, her getting married to a prince, and someone planned to die on the occasion. It felt so dark, if not sinister.

The feeling of dread slowly crept inside of her.

She swallowed the thought. "You did a wonderful job," turning to the maid who complimented her. "You all did a wonderful job."

"Well, your Majesty, we can't be late," one maid spoke up. "The ceremony starts in less than an hour!"

"Alright then. Let's get going," Guinevere commanded. "Help me with my dress- it sure did look beautiful but walking with a fifteen-inch long train is a nightmare. No need to help with it, Vivien- I can do it."

She shot a spell, and glittering violet butterflies appeared out of nowhere and helped lift the train so it would be more comfortable walking, but not too high it exposed her legs. Sure enough, a chariot waited for her ready to bring her to the Paxley Palace where she would be wed. She felt a shiver go up her spine.

Once they were inside, the charioteer drove off immediately. One of the maids noticed that Guinevere was sweating. She immediately grabbed a towel to wipe off Guinevere's forehead, but her mistress refused.

"I'm fine."
"But Your Highness, your makeup-"
"No one would notice it."
"But everyone's going to see you-"

"Oh alright," Guinevere said in annoyance. "I'll do it myself. Touch up my makeup once we arrive there, I don't want my face to be a mess."

"Oh-of course." The maid suddenly realized that Guinevere was unenthusiastic about this wedding. She showed no signs of excitement, sadness, or... anything. Her face was completely blank and expressionless.

"It's your big day, your Highness," she tried to cheer her up. "You'll officially be Queen once Arthur is crowned King- and King Leodegrance will come and Sir Lancelot will be banished-"

Guinevere went white. "So my brother won't be executed? He'd be sent away to some faraway land? How did you know all this?"

The maid went quiet. Guinevere didn't prod any further, until the chariot came to a sudden halt.

"We're at the back of the Palace. Now help me get ready, will you?" Guinevere and her maids hopped off the chariot, and one maid led her to a small vanity room for last minute touches before the ceremony.

"Now, that bumpy ride didn't exactly ruin your makeup, your Highness... A little blush and you're perfect! An extra layer of lipstick won't hurt either... but we want you to look proper and simply natural for the wedding..." One maid babbled.

"Larisa." Guinevere grabbed her maid's wrist, makeup brush just inches from her nose.

"Wh-what is it, your Highness?"
"I... I don't want to get married."

Sorry if this chapter is too short... I've been really busy with school and most annoying of all: dealing with writer's block.