Chapter Text
“Your Highness,” Cleo called, poking her head into the princess’s chambers, “supper is ready. You should head down.”
Lizzie glanced up from the pile of paperwork on her desk. “Oh, I’ll have it in here tonight. I’ve got quite a bit of work.”
Cleo sighed. They stepped into the room, shutting the door behind them and swiftly walking over to Lizzie’s side. “You cannot ignore them forever, Lizzie. They’re your family, and the rulers of the kingdom besides.”
“I’m not ignoring them!” She protested. She wasn’t! “I am busy. I’m going to be queen soon. I’ve got lots of work to do.”
Cleo raised her eyebrow. “Mhm.”
Lizzie loved her handmaiden to death, really she did, but she resented how easily Cleo could read her.
“Look, I understand. Everything was sprung on you all at once. But you should at least talk to your siblings. They had nothing to do with it; besides, they’ll be more help than I will.”
Lizzie pouted. Cleo was right, of course- they were rarely wrong. The twins would understand; they were royalty too, even though they wouldn’t inherit the throne. And while she wouldn’t admit it under pain of death, they would make her feel better. Pearl typically had decent advice, and Jimmy could always make her laugh, even if he wasn’t trying.
“Tell you what. You can eat in here, but Jimothy and Pearl will too. Alright?”
“Very well.”
Cleo grinned at her, then ruffled her hair affectionately.
Lizzie smiled after them as they left. The two of them had been together since they were children; Cleo’s mother had been Lizzie’s nanny. Cleo wasn’t the easiest to befriend, still cold even then, but once she managed it they were inseparable.
A little while after Cleo left, the door opened again, this time much more forcefully. A streak of purple-green-pink shot across her room and flopped directly onto her large bed. A dark-yellow-blue blur followed it, a loud ‘oof’ sounding as it landed on top of the first. Lizzie giggled as her siblings scuffled on her bed.
A head of dark hair poked into her room. He stifled a laugh at the twins' antics. “I bought up your meals, Highness.” He called to Lizzie.
She rose from her desk and stretched her wings. She crossed the room and took one of the trays from the cart. “Good evening Bigb.”
Bigb smiled at her as he took the other two trays into the room. “Evening, Highness.”
Lizzie set her tray on her desk, shoving aside some paperwork so Bigb could put his down. There was a loud shout, and they both looked over at her bed. Jimmy knelt triumphantly, Pearl in a heap on the floor.
Bigb laughed, waving as he departed. Lizzie made her way to the bed, where Pearl had climbed back up and was pinning her brother to the bed. Lizzie flopped unceremoniously on top of them.
They both yelped and started shoving at her. After a bit of wrestling, the three of them were lying on the bed, winded. Lizzie couldn’t remember the last time they had hung out together like this; the last time they had acted like siblings. Lately all the politics and intrigue that came with being royalty had been getting to her- to all of them, really.
“Jimmy, go get the supper trays. They’re on my desk.”
“Why me?” He groaned, rolling onto his stomach.
“Because I told you to.”
“Yeah Jimmy!” Pearl snickered. “Go get them!”
He sighed dramatically, but sat up and went to her desk. He carried them one at a time. When he was done, he sat crisscross on the bed and joined his sisters in devouring his meal. They talked as they ate, chatting about their days, until Pearl brought up the subject Lizzie had been dreading: her upcoming marriage.
“So... Lizzie, how is the ball planning going?”
Lizzie sighed. Several weeks ago, her mother had informed her that she was arranged to marry the crown prince of Dogwarts. A few days later, she had announced it to the entire kingdom.
In two days, Lizzie would travel to Dogwarts to meet her future husband. They would stay there for one week, then come to Faerie for another week. After that, a ball was going to be held to celebrate.
Lizzie knew how beneficial this alliance would be. Dogwarts was a powerful kingdom, and having their support would be incredibly helpful.
But... just because she knew it was good in her head, didn’t mean she felt the same in her heart. She didn’t want to marry a man she had never met- especially not the prince of a warmongering kingdom like Dogwarts.
Even so, she was royalty- the crown princess. Marrying for love was one of the few luxuries she could not afford. No matter how hard she wished.
“It’s… fine,” she said, answering Pearl’s question. “Mother has been doing most of the work.”
Jimmy patted her knee sympathetically. “I know it’s not ideal, having to marry someone you don’t know,” he said softly, “but maybe you’ll really like him. And even if you don’t fancy him, I’m sure you’ll at least be friends.”
“He’s a werewolf, right?” Pearl added, “you like dogs, and I bet he does too. If Dragon, Ogre, and Taxes get along with him, things will probably go great.”
“Yes, but what if he hates cats? I can’t possibly marry a man who hates cats.” Lizzie argued.
“Even if he does, he’ll change his mind once he meets Froggy,” Pearl said confidently, “no one can hate Froggy.”
Dragon, Ogre, and Taxes were Lizzie’s pet wolves. The three of them were excellent judges of character, and if they decided someone was untrustworthy, Lizzie refused to trust them. Once, a man came to the palace, and they growled and bit at him, chasing Lizzie away whenever she got near him. It turned out that he was an assassin, and had intended to kill Lizzie. When he tried, it was the wolves who had stopped him. After that, people were rarely allowed in without getting a check from them. She knew the wedding would be called off immediately if the dogs decided he was suspicious.
Froggy was the stray cat that occasionally wandered into the palace. Pearl had taken it upon herself to care for her, and enlisted the help of Bigb to provide her food and water. She was ridiculously friendly, and even the hardest of knights had been seen petting and meowing at her. It was an unofficial palace rule that if Froggy was sitting on you, you weren’t allowed to get up, no matter what you had to do. If there was any cat that could convert a dog person, it was Froggy.
There were two other royal pets. Pearl’s dog, Tilly, was similar to Dragon, Ogre, and Taxes, in that she was very protective of Pearl and chased away anyone she found untrustworthy. She, however, was much more suspicious. Tilly didn’t like anyone except for Pearl; the only other people she seemed to trust were Jimmy, Lizzie, and strangely, the gardener Scott.
Jimmy had a pet frog, who’s name was Judge Judy & Executioner. Mostly they called her Judge. She seemed rather ordinary, but there had always been something odd about her. Lizzie suspected she was magic of some kind; possibly a human cursed to be a frog, or the ex-familiar of a witch. Regardless, Jimmy adored her, and she was a very good listener.
“What do you think he looks like?” Jimmy asked.
“I think he has black hair. Most of the Dogwarts rulers did.” Pearl said, sipping her pomegranate juice.
“Medium height, most likely,” Jimmy said thoughtfully, “if we’re going off past rulers.”
“With a serious expression.” Pearl added. “And green eyes.”
They gossiped for a little while longer, Jimmy and Pearl chattering about the prince and Dogwarts and what dresses she might wear while on her trip. Lizzie gave her opinion here and there but mostly kept quiet. When she noticed that Jimmy was yawning more than he was talking, and Pearl could barely keep her eyes open, she insisted they go to bed and ushered them out.
She glanced at the pile of paperwork on her desk, then sighed. She sat down and got back to work.
—🌕—
A canopy of leaves stretched high above her. One fell, landing in her hair. The boy in front of her laughed, and she laughed with him. He had fluffy, dark brown hair with a streak of green, like the trees that surrounded them. He was short and scruffy, a boyish sort of handsome. His deep brown eyes were her favorite things in the whole wide world.
He spun her around clumsily, setting her down a touch too hard. She couldn’t find it in her to care. The clearing they danced in was far from a ballroom, her practical attire far from a gown. None of it mattered. She loved him, and that counted for everything.
He grinned at her, that grin that she knew and she loved. “Oh, Lizzie,” he said softly, “I wish you would take more care of yourself.”
He was... he was holding her, so gently, so carefully, she was certain she would always be in his arms. Then the ground fell out from under her, and the dream went with it, and she was thrust into the waking world.
“Sorry, sorry,” she was told by a whispering voice she was much too tired to discern, “your legs slipped a bit.”
She managed to crack her eyes open, and found a pair of concerned green ones looking back.
Cleo set her down on her bed. They arranged the bedding carefully, tucking her into the covers. “It’s nearly dawn,” they murmured, “and you need some actual rest.”
She might have continued speaking, but Lizzie was already asleep.