The Cair Royals

Apparently Family Time Mattered?

It took Sanya a lot of self-control to remember her princess training and not use every expletive she knew as the fitters manage to like another pin in her side.

She pointedly ignored Lucy, who was sitting watching next to Susan, clearly amused at her future sister-in-law's annoyance.

"Rather you than me." The younger Queen voiced, seeing Sanya's scowl.

"Hopefully it WILL be you someday, Lucy." Susan spoke, before her eyes turned back wistfully to the hanging wedding dresses around them.

"Is that you or me being hopeful I'll get married?"

"It SHOULD be both of us being so." Susan replied, glancing back to her sister.

"Lilith said it wasn't necessary if I didn't want to."

Both Sanya and the elder Queen looked to her, rather surprised by the mention of the presence each had been refusing to bring up the lack of on such a day.

"She was right." Sanya replied with a small smile.

"I know. And I'd appreciate you not pressuring me into such like the last time we were here. That's the reason she had to comfort me."

"Oh, Lucy- I didn't mean it in such a way, but I'll stop. I didn't realise that it was getting to you so."

"It wasn't! But- it DID get frustrating."

"I'm sorry, Lu. I truly am. I-"

"I shouldn't be doing this without my maid of honour."

Both Queens turned to look at the bride to be, her thoughtful, rather melancholy words catching them by surprise.

"Sanya-"

But the ex-journalist continued speaking to the mirror, fingering the folds of her makeshift wedding dress model, "Then again, she would've been as bored as I am. She couldn't STAND her fittings."

"I'm sure she'd have sat through them for you." Susan spoke, a kind smile on her lips.

Sanya scoffed slightly, "Possibly, but that bottle of Prosecco in the corner wouldn't have lasted this long."

"We'd have been on the third." Lucy agreed with a laugh.

"Probably second." Sanya replied, chuckling. "I don't usually drink, remember."

"You've got the patience of a saint then." Susan replied and pointedly took a sip from the glass.

"We'd have made up for your lack." Lucy reassured her. "And I assure you, you'll turn to alcohol after even a few months of being Queen."

"And having Ed as a husband." Her sister added snidely but before Sanya could retort, she said, rather nostalgically, "Ed married... oh, I still remember how Mum used to say how shocked I was when I saw his brown eyes- we all had blue- and he- oh, he used to be a perfect sweetheart when he was a child..."
The other women looked alarmed at the tears accumulating in the eldest Queen's eyes, "then became so surly and rude when he was younger. But now- he's King and happy and good and getting married- I'm so proud. Ah, but he's still so little!"

Here, Sanya HAD to interject. "I assure you, he's not LITTLE at all."

Her future sisters-in-law made faces at her.

Blinking back her tears, Susan said, "Disgusting. Vile, utterly."

"You two deserve each other, you walking innuendo makers." Lucy said, shuddering and took a sip of her drink.

"I meant he isn't a child anymore!" The bride-to-be's face was unconvincingly innocent. "What did you think I meant?"

But all she got was two unimpressed looks.