Chapter 12: The gifting ceremony
I woke up to loud noises. The halls buzzed with distinct voices and the sound of moving furniture.
"Stop making so much noise. At this rate you'll wake up the entire royals and the prince."
"This is supposed to be peach not lavender."
"This is oolong tea. It's supposed to be jasmine tea, you moron."
"Everything is in disarray. The king is going to kill us."
I scoffed as I pulled my blanket over my head in an attempt to go back to sleep. It was easy to drown out all the noise seeing I had lots of practice doing so. My attempt however, was ill-planned. What I assume to be not long after, I woke up to knocking. I didn't have time to groan in annoyance before my hand maidens barreled in.
"I told you to wait for her reply first Kayla. It's rude to open the princess' door like that." Lydia chided. "Very rude. You're lucky she doesn't get cross with us like some other people living here." Yasmine chimed in.
I smiled as I imagined Kayla rolling her eyes in response to them. I always told them not to be so formal with me since I thought of them as my closest of friends but it's only Kayla that took what i said to heart. She is truly the most brazen of them.
"Lighten up, you two. How do you expect her to reply when she's sleeping." "We all know she's not. Even you can't deny that." Yasmine said. They were at my bed now.
"Rise and shine, your highness. It's a beautiful day." Lydia said as she tried to pull the blanket away. But I didn't want to get up, I desperately needed the rest. "Oh my! Your highness, your eyes are swollen and red." Lydia gasped when she finally managed to pull the blanket of my head.
I knew she wasn't exaggerating. I held my incessant crying responsible. "It's nothing make-up can't fix," I mumbled pulling the blanket over my head "I need more sleep." "No, no, no missy. Don't try to downplay this. You cried the whole night crying didn't you, your highness?" Kayla said pulling the blanket away.
A sound somewhere between a laugh and a snort emerged from my mouth. "You're overexaggerating the matter, Kayla. I assure you, there's nothing to be worried about."
Lies.
"But your..."
"Stop. There's no need for your concern girls. I'll go have my bathe now...alone." I said as I groggily walked to my washroom.
~ ~ ~
I was dressed in a purple amethyst cocktail dress, my hair styled in a neat donut bun with twin curls delicately framing my face. I wore no jewelry besides a pair of golden dot earrings and my navy blue pendant. Today my gifting ceremony takes place. However, despite what the name might imply, it is not a ceremony where I receive gifts.
The gifting ceremony is a longstanding tradition in the history of Darinton. A princess' gifting ceremony is a test of their skill and a show of power. In front of both royal families, her husband and a handful of guests who have been deemed important, the princess presents her skills to prove that she is worthy of her husband and his love.
The princess' husband is given three cups of tea to choose from— rooibos, jasmine and pu-erh tea— in order of sweet to bitter. If her husband likes her performance, he drinks the cup of pu-erh tea to show that his love for her shows no bounds and that he's willing to stand beside her in bitter times. And if he doesn't, he takes a sip of the rooibos tea. This shows that he is ashamed and the princess has brought disgrace upon both families.
The jasmine tea holds no particular significance. It is simply present for the guests to enjoy after the ceremony ritual. "Close your eyes, your highness" Yasmine says as she moves to brush concealer under my eyes. I oblige not wanting a repeat of the brush accidentally entering my eye. The room is stiff with awkwardness when it'd usually be bustling with a range of emotions.
Although they don't say anything, I can tell my handmaidens were pondering on my behavioral and temperamental shift. I can tell they are worrying about me and maybe I am too. I worry about life in the kingdom of Aragorn. I worry about life as a newlywed. I worry about life as a queen of a kingdom.
Or maybe, I have already come to terms with these things and just simply worry about life without him.
"You can open your eyes now your highness." I open my eyes and spot Kayla through my mirror. She has that look on her face that tells me that she's contemplating speaking her thoughts because she wonders if it crosses boundaries or if talking about it would do any good. In this case I assume she's wondering both so, I make her dilemma easier on her.
"Yasmine, your hands are shaking, Lydia, your legs are bursting with nervous energy and Kayla you have that look on your face. I take it you three are worrying about me, correct?" Silence. I see through the mirror, their eyes blinking in shock which is quickly replaced by relief. Relief that they didn't have to bring up the topic themselves.
"I assure you, there is no need for your concern. I'm—" "Don't. Don't lie, your highness." Lydia says, her voice radiating care and concern. It made my heart crack, my throat dry up and my eyes sting. I feel like running into their arms and bawling my eyes out like I always do but I can't. I have to be strong now, for all of us. Especially since we are not going to be together anymore.
"Alyssa," Kayla begins "you are getting married just like you always dreamed. You walked down the aisle, said 'I do' and did the opening dance. Today is your gifting ceremony and after today... after today you're gone. Off to your husband's house. Far, far away from here. But Alyssa, this isn't what you dreamed. You're married to a man and that man isn't him—the man of your dreams." I'm surprised she managed to keep her voice stable with the swarm of emotions I know she feels.
"I know." I say achingly, (not my intention).
"I know he isn't Zeke and I know I didn't choose him but I don't have a choice, do I? I've never had a choice and I have spent too long crying about it. I don't want to cry anymore. I don't want to be the weak bullied princess. I don't want to be... forgotten. So I'm not going to be. I will embrace my new fate with a head held high and a heart of stone. I will never be below anyone ever again— not because I'm the strongest, or the smartest, but because I've bled, I've broken, and I've built myself back harder."
"Alyssa— "
I can feel more tears gathering at my lids. I need to end this conversation before my tears can begin streaming my face and I do just that. I raise my hand— a gesture for silence— and the room stills. I am grateful for the silence but the prying eyes around me threaten to counter that gratefulness with fret.
"Press your lips together, your highness." Yasmine's the first to break the silence. "We'll help you put on your heels, your highness." Lydia says as she and Kayla move to hold my feet and shoes respectively. I smile but my smile is sad "I'm going to miss you all so, so, so much." "Why would you miss us?" Kayla says as she buckles my heels that Lydia had already inserted my feet into. I stare at her blankly wondering if she's joking with me. "Because— "
Luke barrels in after a few knocks "Alyssa don't tell me you're rebelling again. The ceremony started ten minutes ago, everyone has been waiting for you and the prince. I sent three maids over to call you."
"Nobody came here though, Luke. I can't help but wonder why I'm always late to my own events." Lydia giggles and Yasmine hides her smile. Realization and embarrassment dawn on Luke's face, "Let's just go. Are you ready?"
I nod and he extends a hand towards me which I accept. "You look stunning by the way." He whispers with a cheeky smile as he helps me up. "Do you mind accompanying her to the hall ladies? I'll meet you there." He says to my handmaidens and they all nod in response. "Well then, you best be on your way. You should probably run if you're going to get there in time but be careful." he says as I make my way out the door with my handmaidens in trail.
Here we go again; racing down the halls.