The Dragon King's Bride

Chapter 3 : Preparations

Zofia slept late. She really shouldn't have, but she did. She woke up in her new bed with her cheeks still sticky from the sobbing she did through the night. She would marry a man she didn't love. A man she didn't know. She wondered what they would speak about if they were to talk to each other again. If they would even talk. She wondered how they would share a bed, or if they were even supposed to share a bed. It was a horrible move on his part, choosing a woman who was not fit to be a queen at all. She washed her face in her simple basin and put a simple light grey dress on that Juniper had picked out. She was not looking forward to the day at all. Zofia had only then started to realize what was happening, what she was getting into, that she would be made queen, that she would have a whole new place in the castle and that every other girl in the kingdom would hate her for it. It was like a wall was crumbling down around her, her defenses weakening. She had been fine where she was, dreaming that Nik would ask her to marry him and staying in a small house with little to no possessions, sharing a bed with her sister. Her heart ached for her sister. She had nothing that meant something to her. She lost her whole life when he had taken her away, with not even a pendant to remember her family or her mother by. Zofia knew she would never be able to face her father again either. She was not going to be bitter about that part. The only thing she was horribly sad about was not getting to say a proper goodbye to her sister, and that she wasn't able to save her from her father. Zofia tugged her blonde curls up into a bun and stepped out of her room. She was met with a face, an eager face that had her falling back against her door. 

"Your highness, I apologize. Please, let me help you."The dark haired woman said, careful to not touch Zofia. She frowned at her. She vaguely remembered seeing her face the day before.

"Who are you?" She questioned her, frowning. She stood upright again and brushed her thin dress off. "It's Zofia." She added, not liking the new title that was being forced upon her. 

"I am Livina, your highness, your handmaiden." She pointed out. Zofia hated hearing that. Could she not brush her own hair and make her own bed? Now she had someone who was going to do that for her. Furthermore, this Livina ignored her request at wanting to be called by her name. She simply nodded, and opened her bedroom door back up. Livina moved inside before Zofia followed. "Let me do your hair?" She offered. 

"It is done." Zofia countered, frowning at her. 

"Let me help." She insisted as she pulled her down into the stool and started to re-do her hair. Livina made her look like a dog, so she fixed her hair herself as someone came in with Juniper.  He was standing ready with a white ribbon that had numbers scrawled all over it. She stared at all the people in her space. Zofia was about to greet them when instead she jumped, nearly out of her skin. A door slammed and a voice boomed down the corridor. 

"How many times do I have to tell you? Do not move my papers!" Draegon shouted. He passed Zofia's door, walking swiftly. She caught a glimpse of him, with a few other men. Once he was out of ear shot, one of his young new servants ran past in tears. Zofia wanted to cry herself. She supposed that the servants that were previously his were about to be hers too. She did not want servants. She did not want people who would be her friends to be her slaves. Perhaps they were the very women that he would sneak in and out of his room. Rumors regarding the king were abundant. She was yet to see the whores that everyone said he has. She didn't know how she would deal with being the queen to a man who liked to share his bed, apparently. The girls whispered a lot, too. For all she knew, he was only putting on a show so he could get some legitimate heir. Zofia's mind wandered. Maybe he had made some favorite whore pregnant and she was going to be the cover for the kid, only to mysteriously die during her 'labor.'

"Let's get to it then." The man said in a singsong voice. He hurried over to Zofia with his ribbon, starting to wrap it around every part of her body. "A nice figure, truly a nice figure. I can see something tight on you." He offered, standing back and waving his hand. She gathered that he was the dressmaker. Juniper stood there looking all proud as he jumped back in to measure more parts of the future queen, parts she didn't know she had.