𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥

𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈. 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠

Until she fell asleep, Arice was thinking about her sister. About how she was stealing the man she loved. How she'll ruin both of her and her sister's life.
  It was all her fault. Because she existed. Because one day she born and ruined everyone's lifes. She'll never be able to be normal.

                      ***

At seven in the morning, Arice was woken up by her mother.
"wake up! Is the big day! You have to be ready until afternoon!"

"muum but it's 7 in the fucking morning" she said covering her head with the pillow.

"wake up! First you choose the dress and shoes, then you have manicure, then your hair, and your makeup and-"

"okay I am awake" Arice said to stop her mother from talking.

"Take a shower, brush your hair and theet, and dress up in clean clothes. Then come downstairs, we'll leave to choose a dress"

Arice did as she was told. She didn't have any energy, any hope, anything to fight for. She'll just embrace this lifestyle.

The shower took an hour. She washed her hair and skin while trying not to cry. Her sister was right, nobody wants to see a bride with swollen eyes.
  Oh how she hated this body. How she wished to disappear, to turn into a rose forever. She was too skinny. Too pale. Full of scars, some of them were deeper, some weren't.
  She was just ugly.
  After she got out of the shower the girl dryed her hair and brushed her theet. The day just started and she was already tired of it.
The clothes she had choosen were simple. Jeans and a black shirt. Clean and elegant, just as her mother requested.
  Downstairs, her mother was with Alice and other women to prepare the things. "your father and Leon are outside with other men to prepare the garden" her mother said when she saw her puzzled face.
"let's go and pick a dress!" she said again, clapping her hands.
Arice was ready to leave the house.
"where are you going? They're here. We brought everything here" her mum pointed to the other room.
The guests room.
A big bedroom, now full of dresses.
"choose one" Alice said soft.

Arice walked inside. She gazed at the dresses. "does it have to be white?"
"of course! It's a wedding not a night club!"
She sighted. After half an hour her eyes got on the biggest dress.
It was literally enormous. It had a white corset over, long sleeves made out of lace. From the waist, the dress became very big. Made probably from toulle.
She didn't like the others. There were other flat dresses, mermaid dresses etc. But she wanted this one.
"i want this one" the girl told her mother.
Her mother looked at the dress. She didn't have any problems with it, so she showed Arice the shoes.
On the bed were at least twenty pair of white shoes.
The girl looked for something simple, clearly without hight heels. After some good minutes of thinking, where she couldn't concentrate very well, she had chosen the most simple pair.
  "good choices" her mother said proud. "now, the woman who is going to do your nails should arrive"

  Arice went to the hall, looking in its mirror.
Nothing was new. She looked the same. She is going to be a very ugly bride.

A blonde woman with a big bag came into the house. The manicurist. "you're Lavinia's daughter, aren't you?" the woman said cheerful.
They sat at a table, the woman putting all kind of nail-polishes and gels on the table.
"so tell me. What do you desire? Maybe a hot red? What colour, besides black, is the groom wearing? Or do you want white?"
Damn, this woman really had energy.
"can you make them black?"
"Black? But dear! It's a wedding, don't be silly. I have plenty of other colours"

Arice looked throught the colours. The manicurist  really had all the colours.
In the end, she chose a dark purple.
"great! It suits your eyes!"

It took two hours for the nails to be ready. But in the end, they were actually pretty.

Another two brown women came into the chamber, women who were supposed to do her hair and makeup.
Her mother really thought of everything.
"i'm Leah, and this is Isa. Tell me darling, what you want to do with your hair?" the woman said.

"uhm... Something simple... And don't change its colour..." Arice mumbled.

Those women really don't judge her? Until now, nobody insulted her. Nobody said she was ugly. Of course, this was their job. But probably all the other girls they prepared were pretty.

The woman named Leah started to preapare her things. A hair dye, some shampoons and sprays, combs, hair brushes, curlers and bobby pins.
  She started to aply the cold hair dye to Arice's head. It was a black one, the girl found out after asking Leah.
  Then, half an hour, Arice didn't say anything. She just stood there, waiting for time to pass. Not talking. Only thinking.
Her mind flew back to Japeth, but her thoughts were intrerupted by Leah starting to wash her hair into the magic sink.
  She washed it with about three shampoos, or whatever they were, then, she didn't dry it, but put curlers into it.

"leave it like this until you do your make-up. Natural drying is better than others"
  The other woman came and asked her about what make-up was desired.
"simple. Something simple. Not noticeable"
  But Isa didn't do as well as Leah. Because in the end, Arice had bright blush on, purple eyeshadow and hot red lipstick.
   The girl's hair dryed already, so Leah came back to finish it. She brushed it gently, as light curls showed up. Still black. But a shiny healthy black.
Arice had to admit, it looked better.
But when she was showed a mirror, the girl didn't recognize herself. The scars on her face were fully covered, the skin wasn't that pale anymore.
  Arice couldn't believe it, but she was actually... Beautiful.
 
But she couldn't admire her face too much because her mother got her up and dragged her to another room, where she started to dress Arice up.
"what? How many time passed?" the girl asked confused.
"too much time! Hours! We have to see if the dress needs any modification!"
Took Arice half an hour to get into the dress. But in the end it looked beautiful. Her grandmother had a say: "No matter how ugly the woman is, at her wedding she is going to be beautiful"
And she was right.

10 minutes. 20 minutes. 30 minutes. 40 minutes. 50 minutes. One hour. Two hours passed while Arice had to take down her dress and get completely ready, helped by the bridesmaid.
She didn't know any of those girls except Alice. They were probably choosen by William or their parents.
                      ***

She was finally ready! FINALLY! Arice breathed in relief. Everything was done.
Well, almost everything.
Alice walked in with a box. She then pulled out of the box a white material. The bride's veil.
Proud, Alice put it on her sister's head and covered her face.
But Arice saw. She saw that Alice was sad. And looked like she cried. And this destroyed her mood.
She'll make her sister happy again. This was a promise. No matter what it takes.

"it's time" a man said entering the room. But all the bride's maids started to beat him, telling him nobody should see the bride too early.

This was it. This was Arice's day. The day her life will change.