For King and Country

Coronation Week Part 3

Chapter 32

The morning of my coronation dawned balmy and cool. I lay in my bed for a moment, staring up at the roof of the four poster bed. I jerked awake and screamed. Lily and Tessa ran into the room, their eyes wide and terrified.

"What? What's wrong?" Tessa cried out, heading to the side of the bed, and grabbing at the covers as if she was searching for a snake.

"I'M ABOUT TO BE A QUEEN!" I said, jerking up. "These people are about to make me a queen!" I looked at Lily, who was staring at me with equally big eyes. Then we were both on my bed, jumping up and down in excitement. "It's coronation day!"

"It's coronation day," She yelled back as Tessa giggled. Then Marie burst in, looking tousled and tired.

"What in the blaze are you doing?" She snapped, motioning for me to get down. Lily and I looked at each other, stopping our bouncing just to look at each other.

"How many times do you think Fitz..." Lily began before Marie screamed throwing her hands over her ears before Lily could finish, making me burst out in tears because I was laughing so hard. I plopped down on the bed in my night dress, Marie grabbing both my hands before she led me into the bath where my Ma and Helena were waiting. When that was finished I was jerked in the dressing room where Josephine was standing in front of the giant dress I would wear tonight, making sure it looked alright. Marie was standing in front of the delicate white dress I'd wear at the coronation.

"Oh good," She said, dropping the pink and purple gown and motioning for me to stand on the delicate podium. "You're done. Willow, please get the day dress she will be wearing before the processional this afternoon." She squeezed my hands, "You've got a few people to see before you have to get ready for the ceremony." I smiled at her as they draped me in the white, chiffony dress that I would wear for the day. They draped the material around me, and Josephine and Ma began talking about how they would do my hair for the ceremony.

They left the room and I hopped down off the podium as Charlotte came into the rom. "My lady," She said, "Sir Thomas is here to see you." I looked to Lily with wide eyes, shaking my head quickly back and forth. "I'll tell him you're getting ready." Charlotte agreed to stall, and Lily sighed.

"Why exactly are you avoiding him?" She asked, adjusting her skirt.

"I'm not avoiding him." I said, "I just...don't want to see him right now. I can't." Lily rolled her eyes before walking away. The truth was, I had been avoiding Elijah over the past day and a half, which was growing increasingly difficult with the war cabinet meetings that had been scheduled around my coronation in light of the King's letter. Henry had dispatched a party of six men to collect information from all of the troop stations about the Rasholdian army, to see if they were actually withdrawing. In a few weeks, depending on the status of the troops, we would write to the King. Henry had kissed my forehead after a particularly long, argumentative war meeting last night, and told me that all we could was take it one day at a time. But as far as Elijah, I couldn't look at him without getting sick to my stomach.

"You have to go out there eventually," Marie said, coming back into the room with a pair of sparkling diamond earrings in her hands. She walked over and handed them to me, motioning to put them in.

"I know," I mumbled in a huff before turning to Tessa. "How do I look?" She grinned and nodded, before opening the door for me. I drifted out to my reception room, finding it bustling with servants and ladies I had never seen before, all helping Josephine with my coronation. Elijah stood from where he sat, a slight smile on his face.