The Sapphire Pendant

Chapter 17

Adeline

This was the second time maids and servants were fussing over me preparing me for the rest of my life.  The first time it was against my will.  Now I felt that cliché nervousness, that my mother had once told me about when I was eight.

“Here,” Irene said smiling at me, “this was your mother’s gown.  Maid Marion altered it to fit you better.”  She held it out to me.

“Thank you Irene,” I said throwing my robe clad arms around her.

“Get your hands off me your wrinkling the dress,” Irene said playfully, “we need to get you ready. Your Majesty.”

“I’m not Your Majesty yet, Irene,” I said taking my arms off her.

My mother’s former wedding dress was beautiful.  It was the traditional sky blue of all Air Kingdom wedding dresses: royal and village.  The dress was sleeveless and satin.  It had a full skirt; I could feel the tulle under the overskirt as it chafed against my legs and a tight bodice which was speckled with small diamonds. 

I wore gloves that went above my elbows.  They weren’t like normal gloves for they didn’t have any place for me to put my hands.  They stopped just below my wrist bone.  They were more like detachable sleeves.

Of course I was wearing the sapphire pendant, which I had discovered was jewel which had manifested the Speak’s power from within when I was claiming to be the king’s successor

Now the people of Air Kingdom had accepted me as their next leader and Josh as their next king even though he was not of royal bloodline.  Somehow, King Felix made this fact known amongst the kingdom during Josh’s mourning day.

“Okay Princess,” Irene said combing my hair, “are you ready to get married?”

“Well, I’m more certain about marrying Josh than I was the first time,” I said staring at myself in my mirror.

“But you want to marry him right?” Irene asked.

“Definitely,” I said smiling.

Irene left my hair down and curly.  She topped my hair with my second-best everyday tiara.  The one with mostly made of diamonds.  She topped the tiara with a piece of unadorned tulle veil that trailed to the small of my back in one layer then extended in another layer to the ground dragging out behind him.

I stood up and twirled.  I felt my skirt twirl and sway as I spun around.  When I stopped my veil whipped me in the face.  Irene and my maids laughed as I tried to unlatch my veil from my face and tiara.  I started giggling as Maid Elise tried to pry my veil from my tiara.

The maids exited my room and I looked at Irene.

“Irene,” I confessed, “I’m scared.  What if I’m a bad wife and ruler?”

“You honey?” she asked incredulously, “I’ve known you since you were six months old and you’ve always demanded attention, ever since you started to cry.”

I laughed and she continued, “And you’ll have Josh, your sisters and me to look after you.”

“Thank you Irene,” I said again throwing satin gloved hands around her.

“Are you ready Princess?” Sir Steven asked coming into my room and offering his elbow to me.

“Lead the way Steven,” I said taking his elbow.

“So are you ready, Princess?” Steven asked again.  This time it was softer.

“Of course I am,” I said twirling my necklace around my fingers, a nervous habit that Irene tried to break me of when I was twelve.