Switched ~ a Fractured Fairytale

Chapter Eleven ~ A Piece of Cake

I met Alastair in his study a few days later to review plans for our impending wedding. It was a bright spring morning, and his study windows were flung open to catch the breeze wafting in from the rose gardens below. Alastair was sitting at a desk facing the windows, surrounded by mountains of parchments.

I knocked softly on the door and Alastair turned, his eyes lighting up as he saw me.

'Elia, my dear!' Alastair cried, rushing to seize my hands. 'Come to rescue me from this?' he gestured to the piles of parchment.

I chuckled as I drew up a chair and surveyed the mess. 'Never planned a state function before?' I said.

He shook his head, 'I normally leave it to Mother,' he said. 'She's left us a list of things to consider when we make decisions.'

I glanced down the list, my eyebrows slowly travelling further and further up my forehead as I read.

'Alastair...' I said slowly. 'Does she expect us to follow all of this? I mean, a thirty-foot lace train on my wedding dress? A seven-tiered wedding cake?'

'Oh, no,' Alastair said. 'It's just advice.'

'Oh, good,' I said.

I began sorting through the piles of parchments. Some were about guest lists and seating arrangements, others about foods and wines. The largest stack were all sketches of wedding dresses.

'Well,' I said, picking up a piece of parchment and waving it at Alastair. 'I'm not wearing this thing.'

Alastair laughed as he looked at the sketch. The dress had a huge skirt, covered in gems the size of my fist, with enough lace to supply the entire palace with handkerchiefs for a month. It looked like it weighed a ton. I would need little wheels on the skirts to help me move in it.

'I'm sure you'll look wonderful whatever you choose,' Alastair said. 'Like a forest after a snowstorm.'

'Covered in damp white powdery stuff?' I said doubtfully.

'No!' Alastair cried. 'Pristine and breath-taking.'

I smiled and held up another design. 'How about this?'

'Much better,' Alastair nodded.

I set aside the design and turned my attention to food choices.

'Elia,' Alastair said after a while. 'Your animal sanctuary, how did you set it up?'

'I would rescue injured animals and keep them in my chambers or the kitchens,' I said with a laugh. 'Last year, Father finally got fed up of finding animals all over the castle and me always being covered in mud and he agreed to help fund a sanctuary.'

'You are truly an inspiration,' Alastair said, seizing my hand again.

'It's nothing,' I said. 'I'm just happy helping the animals.'

'Well, I was thinking, we might set up a sanctuary here, in Pembleton,' Alastair said hesitantly. 'So you can continue working with animals.'

'Alastair, that would be lovely,' I said, smiling.

'Consider it my wedding present to you, my love,' he said.

After several hours, most of the major decisions had been made. We had decided on how many dinner courses we wanted and with which wine; The bridal party would all wear pale gold to match the groomsmen's ties; I had chosen a bouquet with flowers native to both Pembleton and Santana, and we had narrowed down the guest list down to only 1000 of the most important people, though I had a feeling Olive would try to double that.