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Chapter Text

Katarina actually woke up on her own on the day of her wedding, rather than having Anne shake her up as usual. She rose slowly, knowing this would likely be her last night in this room. Either something terrible would happen and she would have to flee the palace to one of the various locations she had prepared, or nothing terrible would happen and... well she would cross that bridge when she came to it. Her mind to that moment to remind her of the dream she had had last night. It had felt so real, but the clarity of the morning reminded her that certain things were just too impossible to believe.

She got up and moved over to the closet. Her wedding dress took up most of it, though it appeared to have somehow gotten pushed aside at some point. It was still perfect. While Katarina generally had no interest in ladylike things, she had enjoyed her wedding planning. Partially because no villainess ever met her doom during the wedding planning. There were also sweets involved. This dress was the crown jewel of her efforts.  To put a long explanation short, it was doom proof. The jewels sewn into various parts were more than enough to buy a small farm in any of the neighboring countries, there were two large pockets she had already filled with toy snakes and sand (in case someone other than Geordo attacked), she had even practiced running and climbing in the hoop skirt so she could move easily while tripping up anyone that came close. Doom couldn’t touch her (and neither could anyone else, considering the hoop skirt). 

Anne opened the door. “Lady Katarina? How rare to see you already awake when I come in. Admiring your dress?”

Katarina turned to her and smiled. “It really is beautiful.”

Anne smiled back. “Well gather it up, your bridesmaids are waiting.” 

Katarina then remembered that she had made plans to get ready for the wedding with Mary, Sophia and Maria. Normally this would be great, as they could spend the long hair styling process together and talk about how pretty they all looked, but Katarina's dream last night reared its strange head and caused her to flush. How could she face her friends after dreaming such scandalous things?

Anne ignored her lady’s personal crisis and helped her into the restrictive undergarments required for such a dress. She then gathered both the dress and Katarina and ushered them out of the room and over to the dressing room where the ladies prepared for such a major event.

Katarina had managed to get her face back to normal by the time she made it to the dressing room, after all this was just a fun morning of getting ready with her friends. She was going to be totally cool. She opened the door. She was not going to be cool.

Due to the fact that their dresses were so complicated, no one had put them on yet, so Katarina opened the door to the sight of three of her best friends (love interests?) in nothing but their underwear. Matters were not helped by the fact that Mary immediately jumped up and ran to embrace Katarina. 

“This is a crisis!” shouted timid Katarina “How are we supposed to look at our friends when our mind keeps going into the gutter!”

“That stupid dream” mumbled fearless Katarina.

“We have to make a plan. Maybe we could just not look at their gorgeous bodies? Proposed studious Katarina 

“There's just one problem...” said happy Katarina “On top of their gorgeous bodies are their beautiful faces!” The other Katarinas gasped in agreement. “And this room is full of mirrors anyway!”

“Katarina? Katarina? Katarina?” Mary tried. She then shrugged and gave Katarina a kiss on the cheek. Katarina stirred from her daze and immediately covered her tomato face with her hands.

“You're so cute Katarina” Maria giggled “I can wait to see how you look in your dress”

“I wonder if she will look better than she looked at her birthday parties?” Sophia wondered.

“That would be impossible. No one can look better than that!” Mary stated. 

Katarina extracted herself from Mary’s embrace and plopped down in the chair designated for the bride. One of the palace maids, Elizabeth, immediately started fussing with her hair.  “I mean you all are going to look so much better than me, even with the big dress”

The others giggled. They were just too cute. Katarina looked at herself in the mirror. Her cold blue eyes stared back at her, a bit too bewildered to look evil. She raised a hand to touch her cheekbones, remembered how Geordo did it in her dream, and immediately converted back into a blushing mess.

Maria went over to her. “Katarina are you alright?” she asked. Katarina shook her head.

“Stop moving!” said Elizabeth.

“We can still run away if you want! We’ll have to push the carriage hard to get there in time, but the tickets are still good!” Mary tried.

“You know I had a dream where you said something like that” Katarina said dazedly. 

“A dream...” mumbled Maria. She then turned Katarina to face her and fixed her with a serious stare. “Did this dream happen to involve love confessions and you stating we should all just be in love?”. Katarina nodded in disbelief. Had Maria developed telepathic powers? 

“It wasn’t a dream!” Sophia exclaimed “That really happened last night and I don’t want to go back to how things were before it!”

Katarina was even more shocked. “So you are saying that you all really...” she started. The others shushed her, gesturing to the large amount of maids that had been called into to prep them for the wedding, but nodded. 

“Honestly I don’t care what you get up to in your free time so long as you can sit still for a couple of minutes so I can do your stupid hair. None of you are going to look ready for the ceremony if you keep dithering about instead of letting us work!” said Elizabeth.

The girls returned to their seats fully chastened and truly began the long process of getting ready for a royal wedding.  Still they managed to give each other romantically conspiratorial glances and Katarina felt a little less doomed.

Chapter Text

“Look at you, my daughter! A bride!” sobbed Duchess Claes happily.  They were waiting for the various cues to enter into the grand Cathedral. Katarina’s father also brushed a tear from his eye as they attempted to hug their daughter despite the crinoline forcefield she had put between herself and the world.  Katarina eventually managed to lean far forward enough to hug her parents.  She was really lucky to have such loving and supportive parents in both life times. She just hoped she wouldn’t be as horrible a princess as her mother feared. 

Her father pulled back. “Now Katarina, whatever happens you will always be our daughter. There is nothing you or Geordo can do that can make us stop loving you or stop us from being on your side.” He said seriously, then he smiled and finished in a joking tone “except killing Keith. Maybe.”

Katarina looked over at her brother. He was currently sobbing into Nichols shoulder, ruining both of their groomsmen suits. She supposed some people just got emotional at weddings.

“The music is starting. We ought to get ready to go” said Alan, awkwardly making eye contact with neither his fellow groomsman nor the bride “Its nearly your last chance to back out Katarina.”

Before she could respond the king and queen  passed through the waiting area along with Alan and Geordo’s older brothers on their way to the altar. Katarina briefly made eye contact with her future mother in law and could have sworn she heard her mouth the words “thank you” as she passed through.

“Well we’re up next!” said Mary, smoothing her skirt and preparing for action. “MAID OF HONOR and best man first!” She roughly pulled her fiance into position and prepared to march down the aisle.

Nichol offered his arm to Sophia and they gracefully got into position behind Mary and Alan.

Maria offered Keith her handkerchief to wipe his eyes. It was the same handkerchief he had given back to her on the first day they met. They giggled at the coincidence. Katarina stared at the both very intently. Even with everything that had happened last night she still wasn’t convinced that Maria’s heroine charm wouldn’t kick in and start capturing hearts. They turned back and noticed Katarina staring. Keith looked embarrassed, but Maria just gave her a sweet smile. It was a one hit KO.

The music changed and the bridesmaids and groomsmen proceeded out. Katarina gave them a small wave as they walked away, knowing she would see them again in a minute but missing them nonetheless. 

Her mother smoothed her dress down. “Now Katarina I know we practiced times but please remember to walk, not run down the aisle. You shouldn’t say anything that isn’t explicitly prompted or part of your vows. Don’t scratch anything, I don’t care how itchy it is. And remember that I love you so much. No lack of polish can disguise the fact that you are a lovely young woman and Geordo is lucky to have you. Now please for once in your life be good.” She gave her daughter’s hand a final squeeze and proceeded down the aisle with all the presence of a true lady. 

There was a long pause and the bridal procession started. Katarina took a deep breath. She had faced doom many times before and come out swinging. She grabbed her father’s arm and marched out on the que.  

Her confidence lasted until she got a good view of the people waiting at the altar. Basically everyone she loved (except Anne, who was in the audience, and her father, who was beside her and a few friends who couldn’t make it) was up there, and they were looking at her like... like she was beautiful. Like she was really the bride and not some stand in to be dispatched before the I dos. Like they loved her.  Strange feelings bubbled up inside of Katarina that fully overwhelmed her confidence and caused her to pause in the middle of the aisle.

Her father gave a light tug on her arm, and they moved forward, far more slowly than before. It felt like an eternity before she finally reached the stairs up to the altar, her friends' (lovers) faces growing closer and clearer every second.  Keith had started crying again, Mary and Sophia had joined him, and... Geordo’s eyes had watered.  She almost wondered if he regretted the wedding after all, but his tears were accompanied by a smile so genuine it distorted the carefully kept lines of his face. It was the smile that transfixed her as her father handed her off to her fiance and went to stand with her mother. Katarina was certain that the officiant probably started talking at this point, but his words did not reach her . She just felt the warmth of Geordos smile, of his hand in hers, of knowing that she was surrounded by people who cared about her.

“I love you” she said softly, unsure of anything but what she felt.

The officiant paused for a moment at the interruption. Geordo somehow looked even happier. He took a second to brush away the tears and responded just as softly “I love you too.” 

The officiant resumed the ceremony. Katarina picked up a few words about the meaning of marriage, and something about a duty to the kingdom but she wasn’t really listening. She had decided to completely forgoe thinking in order to bask in the unfamiliar hope that was filling her soul. If she shifted slightly her skirt brushed up against Mary’s and she could feel the reminder of the presence of her bridesmaids without turning around.  She heard Nichol and Alan quietly whispering for Keith to get it together and knew they were there too.  Her own smile grew brighter to match Geordo’s as they stood through the speech that would bind them together.

“Now Lady Katarina Claes and Prince Geordo Stuart, please join hands for the recitation of vows” said the officiant and Katarina started paying attention. She had wanted to write her own vows, but apparently matters of etiquette required a specific script at a royal wedding.

“I Katarina Claes, take you, Geordo Stuart to be my husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish til death do us part. 

“

“I Geordo Stuart, take you, Katarina Claes to be my wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish til death do us part. “

“Do you understand the gravity of the vows which you have just taken” said the officiant

“I do” they said at the same time.

“Then bring forth the rings” the officiant was handed a pillow with the rings on them. He handed one to Katarina.

She took it hesitantly then moved to place it on Geordo’s finger. “I give you this ring as a signifier of our marriage. We are now to be bound body and soul in the eyes of the lord and the law.” she said hesitantly. She almost wanted to add a part about how totally okay she would be with divorcing him should he want to but she looked up and saw the raw love and devotion in his eyes and stopped. He lifted her hand

“I give you this ring as a signifier of our marriage . We are now bound body and soul in the eyes of the lord and the law” Geordo said, as triumphantly as a human being could. 

“You may now kiss the bride”

And boy howdy, Geordo did.

Chapter Text

After the ceremony the couple were whisked off to sign paperwork. Katarina had actually looked through everything she was going to sign, just in case there were any hidden clauses that would lead to her doom or losing her farm, but paperwork could change between versions, so she converted what should have been 15 minutes of rubber stamping into an hour of intense scrutiny. One could never be too careful with this sort of thing.
Once she had made sure that her head and vegetables had been secured, she finally remembered something very important. “Wait did they say the objection thing, the whole speak now or forever hold your peace thing?!?!?”
“Uhhhhh” said Geordo, who had also been far too focused on his spouse to pay any attention to the officiant.
“Of course they said it, were you not paying attention?” said Alan, rolling his eyes.
“Did anyone object?” asked Katarina
“Did you want someone to object?” asked Mary hopefully.
“No!” said Katarina. “I was just expecting it would happen. The giant stained glass window didn’t get crashed through either?”
“Why...Why would you expect that?” asked Alan “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”
“Ok then” said Katarina, relieved that the largest chances for doom had passed unnoticed. “These appear to be the same papers as last time, so I can sign them no problem.”
“YOU ALREADY READ THEM!” yelled Alan, who jumped out of his chair with all the fury the exists only in one who just found out they had to wait for nothing. He was soon physically dragged out of the room by Mary for his crimes.
Katarina and Geordo were finally alone. “Now, we did burn most of the time that we have in privacy for the day, but I think we can make up for it if we act fast.” He leaned in to kiss her, but underestimated how wide her skirt was even sitting down and stumbled. He attempted to get up and make a recovery, but was interrupted by the door opening.
“Katarina! The artist you hired is ready!” said Sophia
“Really? Hooray!” Said Katarina, gathering up her skirt and dashing out of the room.
Geordo gave the defeated snap of a cartoon villain and got up to join her.
Now one of the main things that Katarina missed from her past life was photography. It was sad to think that she couldn’t just casually capture images of herself and her friends and that fish she caught that WAS twenty pounds regardless of what Keith said. Thankfully she had managed to find an artist who was willing to do drawings and even the occasional painting very quickly under often silly circumstances (he said something about a muse? And his passion being reignited by the challenge? Katarina didn’t know what that meant but was glad to employ him). So she had arranged to get a large picture of her whole wedding party that would be turned into a painting later. It was still hard to sit still for as long as it took for the artist to capture what he needed to in order to create the base for the picture. It was worth it to capture this moment.
After that Katarina and Geordo were paraded through the town so that the people could see them. Katarina was deeply worried that the commoners would see her evil face and immediately start throwing rotten vegetables, so she had gone into town in disguise and given them fresher vegetables to throw, so she would at least smell good (and maybe catch one or two for a snack )after the procession. She held tight onto Geordo as the ride started. Yet the barrage of produce never started. In fact when she opened her eyes the people of the city were cheering. All they threw was flower petals and rice. Perhaps her dress was pretty enough to distract from her villainous face? She loosened her hold on Geordo and began to smile and wave. The children watching tended to just stare at her, probably scared stiff, and when she made sure to smile just at them they just freaked out and pulled at their mothers skirts while pointing at her. She supposed she couldn’t win over everyone. Still she would have to make sure that she did everything she could to help the people. Revolution was definitely a doom flag.
Once the procession ended Geordo escorted Katarina back into the palace. She gave a departing wave to the crowd. She followed him into one of the palace’s lesser known rooms. “Now we still have” he pulled out his watch and checked it “15 minutes before they expect us to start receiving guests. Lets make the most of that time.”
Katarina’s stomach loudly rumbled. “I’m sorry!” she said “I thought I would get a chance for a snack before now but everything ran long” She seemed honestly repentant.
Geordo sighed. He knew Katarina could barely focus normally, let alone on an empty stomach. “Do you need me to find you some food?”
“No wait! I prepared for this.” Katarina pulled the bag of cookies Maria had given her out of her pocket, careful not to dislodge a snake at the same time. She held the bag up triumphantly.
Geordo plucked the bag from her hands and opened it. He took out a cookie and held it near her mouth. She ate it out of his fingers and the both smiled.
Intimacy comes in many forms after all.

Chapter Text

If Katarina thought greeting people at her childhood tea parties took forever, then a receiving line took all eternity and a day. It was apparently traditional for the new couple to personally greet everyone as they came into the reception. It was exhausting. Geordo of course seemed perfectly at ease. About half way through she reached out to shake yet another hand and it felt familiar. She looked up into Maria’s smiling face, but before she could say anything, Maria slipped one of the hor d'oeuvres that Katarina thought-she-would-get-to-eat-but-apparently-not into Katarina’s mouth and moved through the line. This unexpected display of affection managed to motivate her through the rest of the introductions, even if the next few were a bit garbled. 

Once the last person had entered the hall, Katarina finally got to sit down. She almost put her feet up on the table, but was stopped by her mother who was sitting beside her for exactly that reason. Katarina’s father and the king stood up. Her father spoke first. “I am grateful to have the pleasure of welcoming you to the celebration of the marriage of my daughter. However as we are clearly at the royal palace rather than the Claes estate, I would be remiss in giving the traditional host’s toast. That honor falls instead to my new in-laws, so take it away your majesty, as your son has taken away my daughter.” He sat down. There was a light chuckle at the joke, but everyone was more focused on what the king would say. Except Katarina, who was focused on the fact that she was thirsty.

“Lords and Ladies, It is indeed a great honor to welcome you here tonight. While I have had the honor of speaking at my son’s weddings before, each holds a special place in my heart. I could not ask for a son finer than Geordo, for there can be no son finer than him. He has excelled in everything since he was young and choosing a wife is no exception. Lady Katarina is someone whose excellence in breeding is matched only by her excellence. She will be an excellent princess consort, and should the stars align an excellent queen and an excellent mother. So let us raise a toast to the health and fertility of my son and new daughter.” He raised his glass, and the rest of the room followed.

Katarina’s mind caught on what the king had said. She would be expected to be a mother in time. It wasn’t something she had really considered, as it would require her to have gotten past all the doom flags and found someone who loved her enough to have children with (marrying for politics was one thing, having children she couldn’t guarantee would be loved was another). However the revelations of last night and the fact that she had gotten through the important part of her wedding had suddenly put a very different future on the table.  She considered it as she got up to have her ceremonial first dance with Geordo, and found the idea appealing. It would have to wait a while, but she could see having children, so long as she never put her hair in a side ponytail. 

Geordo and Katarina arrived in the center of the dance floor and the music started (Alan had agreed to play later, but not for this).  Geordo took her hands in the same way he had at every dance before (except at a far greater distance due to the dress).  This was supposed to be the most romantic dance of their lives, and Geordo was treating it like any other. Did this mean the others had also been romantic? Katarina found her face heating up as her husband spun her about. She still managed to dance well (dancing was one of the few ladylike skills she had mastered due to the various uses of quick footwork) and it felt as though the dance ended as soon as it started. Geordo escorted her back up to the head table and Katarina’s reconsideration of past events was immediately interrupted by dinner being served.

A few courses passed while Katarina focused almost entirely on eating. She could feel the weight of her mother’s eyes the whole time, so she had to eat properly and far too slowly for her liking.  

Before the first main course, Alan stood up to make the second toast. “I’m gonna have to echo some of what my father said, in that Geordo is in general annoyingly perfect and his choice of Katarina shows that wife picking is not one of the few areas in which he lacks skill. We all know that the goal for a noble marriage is often just to find a spouse you can work with, one you tolerate or like and who makes your work easier. That’s what we would consider a good match, so what are we supposed to do with this couple that is clearly dopily in love. Though of course as Geordo’s brother I have to point out that his marrying Katarina was in no way a result of skill. I mean they only got engaged because she happened to fall over while he was there and scar her face. That was luck brother, especially considering that before that accident she had very few of the traits that we now consider so appealing.” Katarina laughed nervously and looked around, but no one seemed to have reacted strongly to that statement. Alan continued “ No one can know why Katarina is the way she is, but I like to think that she was able to do for herself what she does for everyone around her. Katarina takes people who are broken and sad and somehow manages just by being around them to repair them and make them happier and happier until the old unhappy person they were feels like an odd dream or past life compared to the life they live with her. Without Katarina there would be no way I would be able to play here for you tonight, or make this speech without looking like a complete idiot. So Geordo, I hope you can make Katarina as happy as she makes you and everyone around her. Or else” Alan raised his glass. The crowd raised theirs back, though the whispers about what he meant by “or else” had already started. Katarina made a mental note to test whether he was psychic. 

There were even more courses.  Katarina wondered how people were expected to dance after eating this much. Perhaps they were doing that rich people thing where they didn’t actually eat? Toward the end of dinner, Mary stood up for her toast.  She actually seemed a little nervous, closer to the little girl Katarina had first met then the proper lady she had grown into. Katarina gave her a smile and a thumbs up to cheer her on. Mary saw, and smiled like she had been given a deeply precious gift. “I think Alan covered most of the important things, that Katarina is an angel on earth and Geordo is... very lucky...to be marrying her.  However I have to add that perhaps the greatest part of this day is the fact that this is not just a union between Katarina and Geordo but a joining of families, Geordo to the Claes family.” Mary paused to see the unhappy look Geordo and Keith gave each other. “And Katarina to the Stuarts. I simply hope I can find this much happiness when I join her.” Mary sat back down. She smiled at Katarina and Katarina smiled back, attempting to say “You did a great job! There was no need to be nervous” with only her mind. Sadly Mary (unlike Alan?) was not psychic. 

Soon later the music turned from mood setting to dancing. Katarina’s father offered her his hand, and they walked down to begin the dancing alongside Geordo and his Mother. Geordo and the queen were of course perfectly graceful, a picture nobility. Lugi Claes had learned when Katarina was very young that the way to make Katarina happy while dancing was to spin her around a frankly ridiculous number of times, and he cared far more about sharing a happy moment with his daughter than propriety. 

Chapter Text

Katarina was always kind of uncomfortable with being the center of attention. Sadly being the woman in the massive white dress made it hard to be anything else. It seemed that everyone, most of whom she barely knew needed personal attention. Her head was honestly spinning as she took the hand of what felt like her hundredth dance partner. It was definitely spinning when she looked up to see Nichol’s handsome eyes and handsomer smile. “Just follow my lead” He said. Katarina could only nod in response as they began to dance. She managed to relax a little as they followed the steps, though their movements did seem a little strange. She didn’t realize why until Nichol let go of her hands and closed the door between them. He had someone managed to dance her on to a balcony. Katarina turned away from the door and took in a deep breath of fresh air. It was exactly what she needed.
“How are you feeling?” Sophia asked. Katarina turned around at her voice, delighted to see her dear friend. She ran to hug her, but their skirts collided and stopped them before they could make contact. They laughed and decided to sit down beside each other holding hands instead.
“How am I feeling... Well I’m full, a little tired, quite thirsty and definitely overwhelmed but... I’m happy. I’m happy today even if that seems weird.” Katarina responded, staring out at the twilight sky
“I don’t think it's strange, I mean the novels always say this is supposed to be the happiest day of your life.”
“How do you think this would have gone if we were in a novel?” Katarina asked
Sophia thought for a moment. “It would depend on the type of novel. There definitely would have been an objection though, people would have probably confessed during the ceremony rather than the night before.”
“I still can’t believe that happened... in some ways it still feels like a dream... but it also feels more real than a lot of things I have lived.” Katarina looked to Sophia for reassurance and found it in her eyes. Katarina stood up slowly, pulling Sophia up at the same time. They didn’t stop looking at each other until they were fully standing. “I suppose I should get back inside, you can’t steal the bride all night.” She winked.
“Well Nichol did owe me one.” Sophia giggled, opening the door for Katarina.
Katarina resumed the routine of dancing and chatting with various nobles. She had gotten used to pretending she knew their names at this point. Soon enough the various dances, fast and slow had gotten quite boring and Katarina found herself looking around the room for anything interesting. Sadly that was the moment that the staff decided to sneak in the cake for cutting later. Katarina excused herself as quickly as possible and made her way over to investigate. The cake was almost as exquisite as her dress, with 12 layers of different flavors coated in the finest frosting and sugar decorations. Surely no one would notice if she had a tiny bit of it before the official tasting? She leaned in, and was immediately pulled back by a hand on her shoulder.
“Let me guess. You were thinking that no one would notice if you took just a tiny bit before you cut it” said Keith as he pulled her back from the table.
Katarina burst out laughing, attracting a decent amount of attention. “The more things change the more they stay the same.” They walked away from the dessert table and toward the wall where they could talk. “I meant to ask... are you okay? You were crying earlier.” She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“I... I don’t know. It doesn’t feel real yet. We may be partying today, but what about tomorrow, and the days after that. Everything has changed and I don’t really know how, so it's hard to know if I’m okay.” He said
Katarina patted his shoulder. “I know from experience that even if you can see doom looming in front of you, you still have to focus on where you are now. The world here has a funny way of turning out better than expected, so all worrying too hard usually does is ruin the moment you are in.”
“When did you get so wise?” Keith asked
“What are you talking about, I’m older than you and thus I have always been wise. Lets dance” Katarina responded, offering him her hand. He took it and they went out to the floor.
Of course it didn’t take long for Katarina to actually get some of the cake. Her and Geordo performed the traditional cutting ceremony, and fed each other the first bite. Katarina then went on to feed herself many, many more bites. Of course, this meant a trip to the bathroom.
She took her time walking back, taking in the various decorations of the hallway. As she was admiring a particular painting of a landscape she heard what sounded like muffled crying. No one should be crying at her wedding reception! She immediately went over to investigate the sound and found Mary and Maria sitting together in a side room. Mary had her head in her hands and Maria was stroking her shoulder. They both looked up at Katarina’s arrival.
“I’m sorry.” Mary sniffled, drying her eyes on her sleeve “You shouldn’t see me like this.”
“Oh no!” said Katarina, running over to comfort her “You shouldn’t have to hide it if you’re upset, what’s wrong?”
“Her sisters are here” said Maria, leaving her hand on Mary’s shoulder “among other things”
Katarina sat on Mary’s other side and started rubbing her other shoulder. Mary burst out in another round of sobs.
“It...its..its just hard to feel like I’m good enough” she sobbed, leaning into Katarina.
Katarina placed her hand under Mary’s chin and tilted her face to meet hers. “You aren’t just good enough! You are good period and you deserve to be with people that realize that. They are probably just jealous that you look good in your dress and gave a great speech. I love you Mary.” Katarina then decided to seal her message with a kiss. When she let go of Mary she was blushing and smiling.
“I..I should go clean up and head back in.” she said, dabbing away the last of her tears with a handkerchief. She left the room to go freshen up, leaving Katarina and Maria alone.
Katarina to Maria, prepared to comfort her as well, but she looked fine.
Maria explained before Katarina could ask. “I got a little overwhelmed by the crowd and figured that I could sneak out without getting noticed, then I heard Mary and came to help her.”
“I’m so glad you all are friends... You are all friends right?” Katarina asked, suddenly worried about the prospect of her friends not liking each other.
Maria giggled. “I doubt Geordo would admit it even under torture, but I think by now we are all definitely friends.”
“Good.” nodded Katarina. She then took on a more serious tone to her voice. “What I want most is for you guys to be happy. Don’t feel you have to stay back for my sake!”
Maria didn’t say anything, she just pulled Katarina in and kissed her gently. Katarina pulled back with a smile and offered Maria her arm to escort her back inside. They met Mary in the hallway, who immediately took Katarina’s other arm. They made their way back to the ballroom, which was significantly more empty than earlier in the evening.
Katarina danced a little more and then remembered something important. She made her way over to Alan and poked him in the chest. “You said you were going to play tonight. Also you have to tell me if you are psychic or else its entrapment.”
Alan looked at her bewildered. “I’m not psychic, and I already arranged with Geordo to play the last dance in a bit.” He smiled and offered her his hand to dance. “Though I’m glad you're looking forward to hearing it, I was always going to play for you.”
Katarina tilted her head in confusion. Then for the first time she actually understood the meaning of what someone was saying and flushed. “It would be weird to have everyone hear it.”
“True. Though looking back on it now a lot of my earlier stuff is also about you.”
“It’s so weird! I can’t believe I didn't notice so much stuff!”
“Yeah. Me either.” They finished dancing and bowed to each other. Katarina decided to skip out on the next few dances and checked in on the remaining guests, who she knew far better than average. Her mother even told her that her behavior that night was “ technically fine, especially if another scandal happens soon” which Katarina counted as a huge success. Soon enough she felt movement behind her. She turned quickly, catching Geordo (who had been attempting to elegantly tap her on the shoulder) in the movement of her skirt, knocking him off balance. He managed to perform a semi elegant recovery and offered her his hand. “I believe it is time for us to dance.”
Katarina smiled and took his hand.