Work Text:
Being at the tailors for three hours had not been on her to do list.
Stella had other things to do, specifically like running the realm of Solaria.
Inter-realm cooperation was a goal she wanted to fully achieve and in order to do so she had to make sure to actually visit the other realms, while also hosting their representatives.
A ball representing the coming together of the seven realms was a perfect way to continue her initiative. Stella was hoping this would become an annual tradition hosted in a different realm each year.
She had to look the part of a strong leader, while not being too aggressive. Solaria might have gotten away from the patriarchal bullshit, but some of the other realms were still wary of a kingdom run by strong women.
Her clothes had to present an image of a strong, well led Solaria while also telegraphing that she wanted peace.
Usually, she just trusted her stylist and tailor, both friends she had met her first year at Alfea, to make those decisions.
They had never let her down before and she had a to-do list a mile long of things she still needed to prepare.
But her mother had been so nice asking about what she was going to wear to her next series of royal obligations.
And Stella thought maybe this was Luna coming to terms with being forced out of power.
Maybe Luna was finally going to make an effort to have a normal mother-daughter relationship now that the crown had been passed.
All those hopes had been crushed about 15 minutes into the afternoon.
Every time she walked out in a new outfit Luna had been sure to criticize her in some way.
Either it was too feminine or too masculine.
Too tight or too loose.
They had tried on some vintage options from when Luna first became queen and they didn’t fit at all - which Luna had made sure to point out.
After about hour 2 Stella, her stylist and her tailor were ready to lose it.
Then Luna suggested Stella use her stylist - who conveniently appeared right as Luna suggested it.
All Luna’s stylist wanted to do was put Stella in ball gowns.
She was queen dammit and a grown ass woman.
She didn’t need the ball gowns she would wear when she was a teenager.
That wasn’t who she was and that wasn’t what Solaria represented.
The whole interaction was making her more and more anxious.
She excused herself to go change back into her normal clothes. She was done with the situation and was going to make sure all those damn ball gowns got donated somewhere that would actually use them.
In her dressing room, she texted the only person she knew could calm her down.
Stella: Will you still stand by me even if I’m in a hideous, giant, orange ball gown?
Saul: Depends. What shade of orange?
Stella: Like pumpkin.
Saul: Now that’s pushing it.
Stella: Saul.
Saul: My love, you know I’d stand by you through anything….but, a ball gown?
Stella: I know.
Saul: Luna?
Stella: Fuck, why do I fall for her bullshit everytime?
Saul: She’s your mom, it’s understandable.
Stella: I just don’t understand why I let her do this to me.
Saul: You see the best in people, it’s one of the things I love most about you.
Stella: Even if I look like a pumpkin in a hideous, orange ball gown?
Saul: Yes.
Stella: How do you always know what to say to make me smile?
Saul: It’s all true. I’ll see you tonight.
Stella: I’m already counting down until then.
Now that she had her head on right, it was time to go tell Luna to fuck off and finish her to-do list. She had a specialist she needed to see tonight.