"Thank you for coming. I'm glad you're having such a wonderful time. Your dress looks absolutely stunning. Oh, actually Joseph picked those out; I was surprised too."
Just like Milo had said, no one had come swooping in to rescue her from marrying Joseph. Her heart had broken as each second ticked on, as each vow was exchanged, as they kissed in front of everyone, as they were pronounced as Prince and Princess Armstrong.
She shook the hands of every person who approached her that night, never letting the smile fade from her face. She did everything she was supposed to do. And in the end it wasn't enough.
Living this kind of life wouldn't be bad, she thought as she watched everyone around her. Being a queen, a doll to sit beside a king, was not a bad fate to be dealt. But what of everyone she loved? Was she never to see her parents again? Was she ever going to be able to talk to Alex, Alan, and Milo normally? Would Copeland always be her lady in waiting?
The answers were lost in a sea of confusion. She wanted nothing more than clarity, but no one would answer her. She doubted they ever would again.
And it made sense. The three children that had been raised in a hidden bunker were carefully hidden right under the king's nose, and Astoria, the jewel of them all was untouchable.
It reminded her of a story in a religious book she'd stumbled across years ago. The king of the land needed a new queen and one young woman won his favor. The new queen had been of a different cultural group, a group the king's right hand man was working hard to eliminate. The queen had put her life on the line, and in the end she saved her people.
Astoria wasn't a fool to believe that such a miracle would take place, at one point she had hoped it could, but she had no guidance like the queen had. She had no one.
The festivities of the night were coming to an end, the weight of what came next pressing down on her.
The lights in his room had been dimmed, the door had been locked. He took his time when approaching her, but she stepped forward to meet him in a effort to get the situation over with.
His eyes were glazed over when they pulled away from their kiss. She watched as he seemed to sway on the spot and stumble over to the bed.
"Joseph?" she asked.
He didn't relpy, he was out cold on the bed by the time she'd finished talking. She had just confirmed he was still breathing when someone knocked on the door.
"Ria," Alan called softly.
That was all she needed to fling open the door and pull him in.
"What the hell?" she snapped.
Quickly his hands went up in surrender. "I tried everything. But they think this is the best thing to do."
"Tell me this. Please. Are they giving up?"
And Alan had no answer.
*
Patrick was pacing, and it was driving Pete mad.
"Lunchbox, come sit."
"No. We just married out daughter off, Pete! How are you not furious?"
"Because it's the best thing for her."
"Did you read her letter? She didn't want to do this. She was practically begging for any other option."
"What other option? That's right. There are none. She's safe, they all are, and that's what matters."
"We need to do something. Soon. I can't . . . I can't watch her live like that. She was never supposed to be the accessory of a king."
Pete reached out and pulled Patrick to him. "I know she's not. We all do. But trust us, okay? Everything is going to play out just right."
*
Humanity looked good on the king, something he didn't seem to notice. Why would he notice the subtle changed that had occured as Astoria so ruthlessly poisoned him? He had no reason to expect it, no reason to worry, but as the days passed on he looked surprisingly more human to those who knew what to look for.
Alex watched the changes day by day, smiling to himself at the reminder that this would end. He dreamed of nights with Jack, tangled in the sheets with nothing to worry about.
Not much longer now, he reminded himself.
The people around him craved freedom too, those who had been deemed friends rather than foes were laying the foundation for the final moves.
After all, the queen was the most powerful piece on a chess board.
*
The wedding bells had barely gone silent when announcements of the upcoming coordination rang through the streets.
That peaceful transition of power the king had been talking about before was definetly peaceful. All of the "attacks" had seemed to stop all together, leaving the prince to announce his ascension to the throne—with his beautiful bride at his side—and the winning of the war.
No one questioned how the war was won, no one questioned that it was considered a war. Anything to make the monarchy shine and prove they could protect their people was a good enough excuse for a little, white lie.
Night and day she was by his side, ever evening just enough sleeping elixir was placed in the evening drinks she had brought to their room to ensure he slept through the night without remembering what the evenings consisted of. Alan had seen to it that she hadn't been completely trapped in this unwanted marriage and promised he'd be there with Milo every evening in case things didn't go as planned.
But on the eve of the coronation things didn't go as planned and neither man was able to save her. It seemed that sleeping elixirs and alcohol did not mix appropriately and the end results were passed out husbands and terrified wives who sought the comfort of her best friend in the hallway with blood, bruises, and tears staining her body.
