Everybody wants to be a cat

Marriage Is A Partnership

The morning of her wedding was something Marie had always feared. Her wedding night even more so. The thought of being Eduard's wife was enough to cover her skin with goosebumps as her hair raised on its end. Although upon the morning of her actual wedding, Marie awoke calm and refreshed, as if it was just another day.

Almost a minute after she woke, her door burst open to reveal servants and lady's maids carrying various items, including one closed dress bag. Marie remembered the day her mother had arranged her dress fitting, the intricately detained fabric adorning her skin felt itchy as the poofy tulle made her feel like a marshmallow.

"King Peter sent it," Queen Ava said softly as she entered the room behind the women, causing them all to curtsey.

"It isn't the one you chose?" Ava shook her head slowly at her daughter's question, unwilling to admit she scarce remembered choosing the gown. "Mother?" Ava tilted her head and gave her daughter a look that indicated she was listening. "Could... could you possibly stay..."

"Sober?" Ava asked, her face crumpling slightly. The woman sighed deeply before standing straighter and adorning a smile Marie had missed. "I can do that for you my dear." The two shared a smile before the sound of a zipper pulled the attention of all to the dress hanging from the wardrobe door.

"Wow," Marie breathed as the other woman in the room gasped.

Hanging from the door was a dress like never before. Diamonds encrusted the upper half of the dress and cascaded down the a-line skirt like water droplets racing to reach the bottom of the window mid-storm. The top of the dress dropped into a sweetheart neckline as the delicate lace of the sleeves began on the precipice of the shoulder line.

Once the servants had finished pinning Marie's hair and applying her makeup, all watched as two helped her into the dress to be corseted against her back. As with most corseted dresses, this one felt secure against her body, but Marie was delighted to discover that unlike all the others, this dress didn't cut off her circulation. It was as if there was magic coursing through the bones of the dress, allowing the fabric to shift and move with her every breath.

"He said it was his mother's before you. It just needed some alterations last minute." Marie allowed the women some time to swoon at the lie they had been gifted as she falsified dabbing a tear from her eye. "Well, let's not stand around. We have a wedding to get you to," Ava said as she urged the servants out with a simple hand gesture.

"Mother." Marie's voice stopped the queen from leaving for just a moment longer to turn and face her daughter. "I love you." The two smiled at each other almost sadly for a few seconds before Ava sniffed and straightened her posture once more. "Tell my brothers the same?"

"Tell them yourself," came a voice from the door behind the queen as the two princes entered in their most formal attire. Prince Toulouse, the oldest of the trio, stood straight with a blue cravat around his neck. His orange hair had been trimmed for the occasion rather than the usual messy mass upon his head, and not a drop of paint appeared anywhere on the man's body or clothes. Upon his chest sat only a handful of his many medals, many of which he had earned recently.

Beside Toulouse, stood Berlioz. His near black hair also trimmed for the occasion, although his cravat was red, his favourite colour. In his hand was a carefully wrapped gift, tied with a pink satin bow. "Someone told us it was to be our little sister's wedding day." The man grinned as the girl held out her arms waiting for the embrace of the pair.

They each took turns hugging Marie gently before Berlioz handed over the gift, but before Marie could unwrap the paper, she paused to admire the bow. Inside the wrapping, the gift was a small jewellery box with a bracelet inside.