Life in the castle as the Prince Wilbur's betrothed is a strange life indeed. The servants Queen Callista had working in our wing of the castle responded to my every demand, patiently waiting at attention for their next order. Of course, I didn't ask anything of them at first, but eventually, one of them came up to me and told me it was perfectly okay to ask them to do things for me. Even the kitchen staff became accustomed to my eating habits. Suddenly more fish, crackers, and water, rather than heavy bread and wine, were placed near where I sat. Melanie's daughter grew increasingly fond of me, often moving from her mother's lap to mine at meal times.
The day of the Queen's wedding was growing nearer and nearer, and the excitement and anticipation were reaching their peak. The ceremony was to be held in the castle's garden in front of the ancient willow tree at its center. Following the ceremony would be a public dinner dance in the castle.
I was sitting in my room one day, looking at the inner workings of my piano to see if I could fix it myself when a knock sounded on the door.
"Come in!" I called to the knocker, and the door slowly creaked open, revealing a tall woman with shoulder-length red hair. The Queen. "Good afternoon, Your Highness," I said, immediately bowing my head.
"Please, Callista is fine. I don't expect formalities from my own family," she replied, smiling gratuitously down at me. "Are you free today? It's lovely outside and I think it's a great day to go dress shopping." Her emerald eyes twinkled in the cloudy light from my window.
"Of course! Let me tell Wilbur," I said, heading over to the door that kept me separate from him. Tentatively I pushed it open, seeing him sitting in his armchair with his guitar and a journal in hand.
"Everything alright, darling?" He asked.
"Yes, I'm fine." Relief flooded his eyes. "I'm going to go look for a dress with Callista." He nodded with a grin on his face and returned to whatever he was doing before I interrupted him.
"There's a perfect boutique on the outskirts of town that I go to a lot," Callista said as we walked through the town square. I felt so small next to her; her muscles flexed with every movement she made. It's no wonder Technoblade fell for her.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. I've been told that my mother used to get all of her dresses from here." She paused. "She had phenomenal taste in dresses," she chuckled lightly.
"What style are we looking for?" I asked. A large gray dog ran out in front of us, a yellow scarf tied around its neck.
Callista turned to look at me for a moment. "You'd probably look best in a light blue. No, a navy. Or maybe just a gray?" Her brows furrowed in concentration. "Eh. We'll figure it out when we get there."
We walked a little while longer until we came across a quaint little building made of brick and stone. There was a large window that had the words "The Royal Boutique" painted on it. Very original and creative name, obviously. Callista said something about that not always being the name before we entered the shop.
"Good day, My Queen!" A stout little toad of a man nearly shouted as the door shut behind us. "What can I do for you today?" This man's energy and volume were more than intimidating. They were borderline threatening. He had to have been around fifty or sixty, with most of his head completely bald. He wore the thickest glasses I have ever seen and had perpetual sweat stains on the armpits of his shirt.
"Hello, Archibald. Is your wife in?" Callista asked in the most convincing fake polite tone. But I could see in her eyes that this individual was not the reason she loved this place so much.
"Oh! Yes of course! I'll get her for you," he said. Turning around, he yelled, "Cindy! The Queen is here for you!" His voice was so incredibly loud. I wanted to rip his vocal cords out just to shut him up.
Down from the staircase at the back of the room came a lanky and clearly more elegant woman wearing a rich brown dress. She had aged much better than her husband had. With piercing eyes that could've pinned me to the wall, she scanned the room, her gaze finally landing on Callista. A smile broke out on her face.
"You're positively glowing, my dear! Hopefully nothing has gone awry with your gown?" She said brightly, holding Callista by the shoulders.
"No, everything's fine. Lorelai here needs to be fitted for a dress," Callista said with a smile. The woman's eyes immediately landed on mine, something warm and cunning glimmering beneath the gray haze.
"Of course. Greetings, dear. My name is Cynthia, and I assume you've met my husband Archie already," she said politely. I nodded. Taking my hand, she led me to the back where an elevated platform surrounded by mirrors stood.
"What kind of dress are you looking for?" She asked Callista and I.
"We were thinking navy blue or gray. Something fit for a princess." Callista grinned slyly, casting a knowing glance in my direction. My face flared with embarrassment. Had Callista known that it was a ruse in the first place? Ophelia and Anatolios hadn't known, but Phil did. How many people had I unintentionally fooled? Lied to?
"I can do something like that. Let me get your measurements first, darling," Cynthia said as she wrapped a measuring tape around my waist. As she got the measurements, she wrote them down on a piece of paper she had on a table beside her.
My thoughts drifted to Wilbur in ways that I would have scolded myself for imagining only a couple of months ago. The way his hair bounced when he laughed. The softness of his touch. The sharpness of his mind. He touched me like I was a rare flower; he held me like I was the most important thing in the world. Nearly every night I wrapped my arms around him as he fell asleep, and nearly every night I stayed there. The nightmares still came, but that was part of the reason why I stayed. He always needed someone to talk to afterward.
I came face to face with a startling realization. I wanted his attention. Not only that, but I craved his affection like a drug. The idea of him looking at me put me on a sort of high that I never wanted to come off of. Like an addict I pursued his love, never satisfied. It was scary, seeing this side of myself.
"What do you think of this one?" Cynthia asked, holding a shimmering navy blue dress up to me. It was gorgeous. I nodded and she had me try it on.
"That's a beautiful color on you," Callista said. She was sitting in a chair in the corner of the fitting room, sitting like how a man would. But to be honest, I didn't expect anything else.
"Loose in the waist and bust area. Hm." Cynthia took a step back and crossed her arms in thought. "You always bring me the hardest subjects to fit, Cal," she told Callista, a small smile on her face.
"You did a great job with Melanie's maternity gowns."
"And yet I still had to come in and make adjustments as she got further along." She tugged at the hem of the dress. "Alright dear, out of the dress, please. I'll have Archie deliver it to the castle when I'm done fixing it." I slipped out of the dress and started getting redressed.
Back at the castle, servants were bustling around with bouquets and other decorations all while religiously dusting every surface until it shined. Callista departed to her and Technoblade's room, leaving me standing alone in a noisy foyer. So, like any sane person, I turned around and walked out of the castle and towards the beach.
While it was definitely still cloudy outside, there were moments when the sun would peak through a gap and warm the earth below. I hadn't seen the sun in literal months. I don't know what trick Apollo was pulling, but it wasn't a funny one. The ocean was still as angry and temperamental as always. No surprise there. I was really just going to talk to Daphne, seeing as I hadn't seen her for the last couple of weeks.
There was so much I needed to tell her.
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beep boop chapter time
*glances at story notes* uh,, *glances at u* *glances back at notes* boy have I got a doozy to write haahhahahahahahahhahah,,,,
n e way have a wonderful day/night/morning/afternoon/evening! make sure u r drinking water and eating fruits and veggies. stay on top of your homework! get plenty of rest!!! go on a walk sometime this week if you're able to!!!!!! take care of yourself!
I'll see you darlings in the next chapter <3333333
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Amphitrite - Wilbur Soot
Fanfiction~AGAPE BOOK 3~ Lorelai is not your average naiad. Tragedy has followed her wherever she goes, and she has grown cynical and jaded. But when the boy she has watched grow up from afar approaches her, her view begins to change. Will she be able to ha...
