Runaway Bride ━ James Potter

001: THE PUPPET MASTER

CHAPTER ONE: THE PUPPET MASTER
song of the chapter: suburbia, troye sivan

Treason is not something one should commit lightly. It was once considered to be one of the highest crimes in the Royal Court, and while undeniably handsome in his youth, King Philipe is as old-fashioned as they come. Nobody commits treason and gets away with it. At the start of his reign, Philipe reigned England and its surrounding countries with an iron fist. Guards could be seen from the balconies of Meadowhall Palace lining the streets in red and black, loaded guns strapped to their side, ready to shoot down anyone who may speak of the Royal Family in any regard that is not of the highest degree.

He may be old and grey now, frail as his age catches up to him, but King Philipe is no more innocent than he was when he was young and had his men gun down a mob who dared protest the existence of the monarchy. The young may not remember, but the old do not forget. Those who witnessed it with tear stricken faces, watching in horror through shop windows as blood hit the glass and bodies fell to the ground, do not forgive.

In King Philipe's mind, all is forgiven in the year of 1960, when his wife gives birth to an heir. Two heirs, if we're being exact, but Anastasia won out by two minutes and forty-five seconds. Millicent followed only moments after, barely a minute old when she is discarded and forgotten, because the real Princess has already been declared. She gets her Princess Royal title out of pity.

Despite it all, through all the unfairness and all the inequality, Millie does not despise her sister. They are twins, two halves of one whole, and despite it all there is a part of Millie that only Anastasia can touch. They are partners in crime through childhood, wreaking havoc through the palace at day and giggling under duvets at night.

It's funny, the way things turned out, when she thinks about it. They are pit against from the day they were born, put head to head in every scenario and never back to back when it's finally time to fight. Her father wanted a pretty Princess in Anastasia and a warrior in Millicent, and when all comes to a head, King Philipe got neither.

Despite their differences and the twisted lies force fed to them through every person supposed to care, Anastasia and Millicent are sisters, and the invisible string connecting them to one another withstands every obstacle they are tested against. That is something that cannot be stolen from them.

The biggest difference between Anastasia and Millicent is something that their father could never have predicted, and it is patience. Anastasia sits still as a statue until she is given instruction, picture-like in her throne, while Millicent slumps in her chair in a very un-royal way with her tiara slowly slipping from her head. They pose for family portraits, Anastasia and their father front and centre with picture perfect smiles, the current King and his successor. They are the Webster dynasty above all else, and in this modern world, appearances are everything.

As she said before, Millicent has never been the most patient of people. She is bouncy and cannot stand still, her hands twitching and feet tapping along to the rhythm of a song against the floor. The tile floors warn people of her approach thirty seconds before her arrival, bare feet slamming against the expensive marble work, before she comes to a halt at the doors of her fathers chamber. Behind the heavy, oakwood doors, Millicent hears shouting and the sound of someone sobbing. She tries to force her way past the guards at the door, but they do not budge. For once in her life, despite her Princess title and her obvious superiority to the people who work for her family, Millicent Webster is forced to wait.

The straw that breaks the camels back comes on October 31st, 1975, and the earth-shattering sound of her sisters hysterical crying brings the world to a halt. Children continue to trick-or-treat, giggling with glee as they roam the streets with friends and family, enjoying the spookiest night of the year. Parties go on without interruption, teens having firsts and elders having lasts. Anastasia is pushing past the guards and sprinting down the hallway before Millicent can comprehend what is happening, and her father is shouting profanities and false promises, appearances be damned.