Tiaras & Razorblades

Chapter Three

"You really exceeded yourself there." Charlie whispered. Azure blushed a deep scarlet and refused to meet his eyes.

"Yes, well, I didn't realise quite how disappointed my mother would be at me for wearing the wrong attire and then proceeding to swear in front of some of the most influential people in the world." The petite, raven-haired girl grinned, her eyes sparkling in the blazing sunset.

"The night's nearly ending; care to dance?" Charlie asked calmly. He ignored the harsh, piercing looks his fiancée was giving him from across the garden, and took Azure's hand, leading her to the makeshift dance floor.

The summer air was warm and humid, as the two danced in perfect contentment. Azure danced gracefully across the floor, almost an entirely different person, as her and Charlie seemed to fit together like a puzzle. She could feel Almira's stares burning into her back like a poker, but tried her best to ignore it, as she felt more free and elated than she ever had done before.

As the song ended all too quickly, Charlie could feel somebody behind him. He knew who it was before he had even turned around.

"Come on, gorgeous, we have to go." Almira practically purred into his ear. She wrapped her arms around Charlie's waist, laughing to herself as Azure's hands snapped to her side as if she had been jolted by lightning. She kissed Charlie on the neck, feeling nothing but smug satisfaction as she watched Azure squirm and shut her eyes tightly.

Charlie could do nothing but mouth apologies to Azure as he was forcibly pulled into a small concave that made up part of the spectacular palace. He could see that Almira was fuming. She was red in the face, and she didn't seem her usual perfectly together self.

"Almira, what's going o-" Charlie was cut off suddenly as he was slapped across the face. He fell to the floor, his eyes wide as he stared in silent shock at his fiancée.

"Why did you do that? I never did anything to hurt you!" Charlie whispered with a look of fear mixed with confusion marked across his features. He got to his feet with a wary expression on his face. Almira sighed and rolled her eyes.

"You know perfectly well what you did." She hissed, her eyes burning like fire with anger. She leaned against the wall before sliding to the floor with her face in her hands.

"Almira, I swear, I really have no idea!" Charlie replied desperately. He stood over Almira, watching her intently as she seemed to lose every bit of sanity she had in her. Almira sighed in defeat.

"Charlie, I love you, I really do, with all my heart, but I can't if you're having some kind of affair with that Azure girl. I don't even know what you see in her, it's not like she's good looking or polite. She's just some common goth girl disguised, rather badly, as a princess." Almira muttered bitterly. Charlie didn't know what to say that would make his fiancée feel any better.

"Almira, I'm not having an affair! Azure is my best friend! Our parents are best friends! But they know all too well that Azure isn't princess material, and that's why I'm engaged to you and not her." Charlie dragged a hand through his dirty blonde hair, unsure of what to do.

"Oh yeah? Tell me you love me. Look me in the eyes, and tell me you love me more than her." Almira demanded, as she rose from the floor onto her tiptoes to come face to face with Charlie.

"I..." Charlie looked away, bowing his head. If he had glanced slightly more to the left, he would have seen Azure racing down the hallway with tears falling down her face like a waterfall.

"Well?" Almira commanded expectantly.

"I... I'm sorry, Almira, I really am." Charlie whispered, before walking away from the woman who was supposed to be the love of his life. Once he was out of the stuffy palace, he took in gulps of fresh air, before starting to run. Where he was running, however, even he didn't know.

-

"Azure, Azure!" Came an insistent voice from outside her room. Azure sighed, wiping a tear from her eyes before she snuggled deeper under the covers. Her eyes were red, puffy and sore, and even the slightest bit of sunlight made her wince. She tried to block out her mother's voice, but it seemed to get louder and louder. She shot up in bed suddenly when she heard the word 'Charlie'.

"What about Charlie, mum?" She asked, as she hurriedly opened the door. Caresa frowned at her daughter's red eyes, and the tear stains down her face, but continued into the room.

"You should probably be sitting down for this." Caresa said. Azure sighed, and sat down on the very edge of the bed, watching her mother impatiently. Her mother sat beside her, taking her hand. She couldn't help but notice the deep red gashes up and down Azure's arm.

"Honey, you didn't... Again?" She stared sadly at her daughter. She often wondered how she ended up with a daughter like this. Azure had no intent to talk about it, and so decided to blank her mother until she changed the subject back to the news about Charlie. Caresa sighed heavily. She couldn't help but wonder how much easier life would be for her and her entire family if her daughter had never been born, although, of course, she never expressed this.

"Alright... Charlie's gone missing." She started.