286 The Design
Xenia couldn’t believe what she was going through right now. Sure, it wasn’t as stressful as being held captive against her will by a foreign sovereign or being thrust into the middle of combat with nothing but her wits and her sword, but it was pretty up there in terms of how much her indecisiveness was currently affecting her judgment.
Then again, the subject of getting the perfect design for her wedding dress was way too important for her to mess up. The royal seamstress already had a variety of wedding dresses to choose from but she was having a hard time picking what she wanted.
“I’d really want it to be based on Ebodia,” Xenia wondered aloud, staring at her current self in the mirror as she eyed the gown she was wearing. “I want to represent my home kingdom, after all.”
“Understandable,” the Queen Mother hummed in agreement, her keen eye studying the princess’s form. “Although, you might want to try and represent your new home as well. You are just as much a Cordonian as you are an Ebodian, my dear.”
Xenia smiled. While she was still missing her home back in Ebodia, the feeling was starting to become less and less pronounced as the days went by. Slowly but surely, she was starting to think of Cordon as her new home, a place where the snow and winters were both cold and warm due to the presence of her new extended family.
“I suppose you’re right, Queen Mother,” the princess nodded, her hand on her chin as she made observed her dress. “It’ll be improper of me to not represent my new home. The local designs would also go well with the heirloom you gave me as a present.”
The Queen Mother nodded in approval, and before she knew it, they were going through yet another batch of gowns and dresses prepared for her current fitting. The servants were running at full time, touching and retouching Xenia as they went with every consecutive fitting.
Hours ticked by, and more and more dresses were picked before being promptly discarded. Both women wanted this fitting to be perfect, Xenia more so as she kept a keen eye on even the slightest of details. It was well in the afternoon now, and they started the fitting just after they ate lunch.
“Say, how goes your preparations for the trials?” the Queen Mother asked in between yet another set of fittings. “I do hope that you’re taking your training seriously.”
“I’m doing my best, Queen Mother,” Xenia firmly replied, her hands still busy trying to wear yet another dress for her to try. “Darius and the others have been doing their best to prepare me. Really, if I failed these trials even after all this preparation, then maybe I’ll actually concede that I’m not up to the task of being queen.”
“Is that doubt I’m hearing there, my dear?”
“Absolutely not,” the princess chuckled. “It’s just that- If I somehow fail even after all of this effort and preparation, I’d say that fate was actively conspiring against me. And even then, I’ll still do my best to fight against it. While fate has been kind to me for now, I’m still more than ready to defy all odds.”
“Good. That’s the best mindset you can have going into these trials,” the Queen Mother nodded in approval. “Be sure to never show mercy, even if you think you’re already going to win. The trials will be brutal, and until you hear the declaration that you’ve already won, never let your guard down.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Xenia mumbled in determination.
Another round of focused fittings occurred soon after. Slowly but surely, the two began to piece together what they wanted, keeping to their own wants as they picked and nitpicked each and every element that they liked from each dress. The servants did their best to accommodate their whims, their suggestions on the changes becoming ever more detailed.
By the end of it, they were both presented with a design that, while it looked rather crude on the sketches, still contained all the elements they wanted to represent while also looking like the best of both kingdoms.
“This will do, I think,” Xenia hummed, looking at the design with a careful eye. “Although, would they be able to make this custom fit in time for the wedding?”
“Don’t underestimate Cordonian weavers, my dear,” the Queen Mother smirked. “If anything, I’m sure it’ll be ready the next day.”
The princess couldn’t help but smile at what she just heard. Perhaps it’ll all work out, maybe even for the best even with the limited time they currently had to prepare. All that was left was to wait for the day to arrive. Letting out a satisfied smile, Xenia began to take off her last gown as the servants cleaned up for the day. There would be more fittings to come in her life for sure, but for now-
*BANG!*
The door swung open with a loud bang, Xenia almost letting out a yelp as she quickly covered herself up with the gown she just took off. The Queen Mother was quick to use her body to block her from the newcomer, the tension rising as quickly as the- Wait… “Freya?”
Upon being called, Freya turned to look at what she just got into. Her considerably pale face whitened even more, concern quickly replacing the fear Xenia felt as soon as she noticed how flustered her friend looked.
“What’s wrong?” the Queen Mother asked, the tension in the room quickly evaporating as they addressed the new addition in the room. “You look pale, my dear.”
Freya opened her mouth to speak, only for her to close it just as quickly before shaking her head. She covered her face with both hands, letting out a few muffled groans as her shoulders shook.
Almost immediately, the Queen Mother moved. “Xenia, get dressed. Let me handle this.”
Nodding, the princess did her best to make herself decent, her worry only increasing as she saw Freya melt into her mother’s arms. She’ll do her best to help her, she decided. As both her friend and her future sister-in-law, it was her duty to help in matters such as this.