Work Text:
August 24th, 2006, 5:04 PM
**SUZKA’S POV**
Princess Suzka usually wasn’t one to worry. She had everything she wanted. A life planned out for her, friends, family who ‘loved’ her, everything a normal princess could want. Yet, she didn’t feel right that day. She lay down on her very fluffy bed (those maids really know what they’re doing) and sighed. Something was wrong. She tried to recall what had happened earlier that day.
Oh. I know.
**4 HOURS EARLIER**
1:05 PM
“Sooo, are you excited?” Aurelia chirped. “Mm? I mean, yeah, I guess…for what though?” Suzka wasn’t really paying attention. Aurelia rolled her eyes and giggled. “To be married off to some prince in a far-off land, of course! It’s just like a fairytale! You should be grateful; I would do anything for that.” “Oh,” Suzka responded blankly. “I mean uh..yeah! Totally!” “Great! Great.” The two sat in silence for a moment awkwardly before Aurelia spoke up again. “Do you think I have a chance with your brother?” Suzka spat all over the ground and stared up at her in shock. “Wha- NO???” Aurelia frowned. “Aww.”
“WHY WOULD YOU EVEN ASK THAT!?!?” Suzka yelled, confused. Aurelia shrugged. “I mean…I’m going into my senior year, Suzka. I wanna start being mature and if I get a boyfriend, then people’ll take me seriously..!” “Uh-huh..” Suzka responded, still skeptical.
**BACK TO THE PRESENT TIME**
One maid popped into the room and asked anxiously, “Miss Suzka? Are you alright?” Suzka sighed and sat up. “Not really..?” “Would you like to talk about it?” the maid asked curiously, taking a reluctant step forward. “I mean…I guess I’m just worried for my friend. She’s going into her senior year of high school and is still so immature!” Suzka whined. “How so?” the maid asked. “Paige, she dresses like a fifth grader. Her entire head is dyed like a rainbow. She isn’t gonna make it anywhere. Plus, she asked if I thought she had a chance with Elias totally out of the blue.” Paige blinked. “Which friend is this?” “Aurelia Rae. The one with blue, purple, and teal hair. The owner of Stefan’s Fantastical Pastries’ daughter.” “Oh. The scene one?” “Mhm,” Suzka responded blankly.
“Miss Suzka, I assure you she’ll be fine,” Paige started, placing a hand on Suzka’s shoulder reassuringly. “I think she’s doing great. She’s happy with her life, no?” “Yeah, but she said she wanted to be taken more seriously. Serious and Aurelia don’t go together. It’s an oxymoron or something.” “That is a huge word for you. Where’d you learn that?” Suzka scoffed, clearly offended. “Excuse you! My vocabulary is as expanded and developed as the average 17-year-old’s, thank you very much.”
Paige giggled. “Well, I think you could really benefit from having a civilized conversation about it with her. She’ll understand where you’re coming from, I’m sure of it.” Suzka sighed once more. “If you say so.”
***
**ELIAS’S POV**
5:23 PM
Prince Elias was having quite a fine day until his twin sister rushed in and just had to ruin it. “ELIAS!!!” Suzka yelled down the hallway, making her way towards him and lifting her skirt up ever-so-slightly so she didn’t step on it. “Heya! Are you busy right now?” “Uh…no...?” he responded dryly, raising a suspicious eyebrow. “Great! Y’know that baker’s daughter, Aurelia?” “Mhm.” “Well, she has a gigantic crush on you.” Elias snorted. “What? Hello?” “Yup! She said that since she’s going into her senior year, she needs a boyfriend to be taken seriously or something. Pretty funny, right?” “Yeah..hilarious indeed.”
“Are you okay?” Suzka tilted her head. “Yeah, it’s just…I knew people liked me, but a poor girl having a crush on me? She’s never even met me!” Elias scoffed matter-of-factly. “She comes to the palace like every day. You’ve seen her and have had multiple conversations with her,” Suzka crossed her arms. “I don’t personally know her, though. What do you even want me to do with this information?”
“I dunno. You could get to know her? That might make her less of a pain. I know she’s my best friend, but she introduced the topic of liking you super randomly.” “Mm, good point…but what does she even wanna do here? Why ME?” Elias whined. Suzka sighed. “I told you, she’s trying to be taken more seriously.” Elias shook his head, not following. “Uhhhh..she’s trying to be less of a Marilyn and more of a Jackie. There, do you get it now?” Elias smirked satisfactorily. “Yes. Yes, I do.” Suzka frowned. “You were trying to get me to say that the entire time, weren’t you?” “Yup.”
“You’re supposed to be the mature one here, Elias. This is just blatantly unethical and unserious,” Suzka snapped. “Okay, okay, fine. I could try to help your friend be more serious. Or something,” he responded flashily. Suzka smiled, exasperated. “Thanks.” And she walked off back to who knows where.
***
**AURELIA’S POV**
6:24 PM
Aurelia stood outside the towering palace gates. She had been there hundreds of times, of course, but it never got easier. Showing up at the palace always made Aurelia feel bad. It made her feel insignificant and small, like she would never be good enough to be as rich as her best friend. She had known Suzka since they were toddlers, when Aurelia had to come with her father to drop off bread for Queen Vivienne. She had quickly befriended the small girl in the yellow dress, who was the princess of Ambresia.
It was odd to think how hypocritical Suzka could be. She would tell Aurelia that she needed to be more serious, yet coincidentally would barely talk to her subjects or leave the palace. Aurelia was totally more serious than that lump who did nothing fun or exciting.
Aurelia dawdled up to the gates, and the two guards waved at her. “Hiya Tony! Hiya Jim!” she greeted back enthusiastically. She showed them her pass to enter the palace, signed by Suzka herself, and started the long journey up the stairs.
It’s not like the trek up the stairs took too long, but it sure was tiring. It should have been considered torture to add that many stairs to any place. No place needs this much suspense!, she thought angrily. After what seemed like an eternity, Aurelia finally made it to the top and pumped her fist into the air weakly. She opened the gigantic doors and made her way to the princess’s room.
“Suzkaa!! I’m hereee!” Aurelia sang as she pushed her friend’s grand bedroom door open. She twirled inside, only to see the princess sitting cross-legged on her large bed, staring right at her. “Oh…uh..you okay?” Suzka sighed. “Aurelia, I need to talk to you.” Aurelia shrugged, dropped her bag on the floor, and plopped down next to Suzka. “What’s up?” She sighed again. “I talked to Elias about your…situation. He told me he would help you. To be more “serious”, if you will.” She made little quotation marks with her fingers at the word ‘serious’. “Uhhh…ookayyy…how so?” Aurelia responded reluctantly.
“Well, he said that he’d be open to fake-dating you so you can be taken more seriously. I’m really worried about you, Aur. I don’t know if you’re gonna make it anywhere if this behavior keeps up, so I really think this is gonna help you.” Suzka gently touched Aurelia’s hand. “Uhmm…alrighty.” “I can bring him in and you guys can talk about it. Or you can go over there. Either works.” Aurelia stood up. “Uh, I kind of want to go to his room? After all these years, I still haven’t been everywhere in the palace.” Suzka nodded and led the way to her brother’s bedroom, the two stuck in an awkward silence the whole way.
***
**ELIAS’S POV**
6:31 PM
“What on God’s green Earth could you possibly want right now?” Elias snapped as his sister and her friend cautiously opened his bedroom door. “Hi,” Suzka murmured sheepishly. “Uhh, I brought Aurelia.” She further opened the door, revealing another girl with long purple and blue hair. “Hi,” Aurelia waved awkwardly. “We just wanna talk,” she said quietly, pushing the door closed and stepping further inside. “About?” Elias questioned. “You guys like fake dating or something.” “Fake da- HUH?? When did I agree to THAT?” “Like an hour ago...?” “I said I could help her be more serious, not that I wanna date her!!” Aurelia frowned. “N-no offense, though,” Elias squeaked, waving his hands back and forth. “None taken,” Aurelia replied flatly.
“Anyway,” Suzka interrupted. “Elias. You in, or no?” Elias thought for a moment. “Uh, sure, deal.” He and his sister shook on it awkwardly. “Why are you so sweaty?” Suzka asked honestly, wiping her hand on her dress. “What?” Elias sniffed his hand. “Ew. I dunno.” “Just shut up.. okay. Aurelia starts her senior year in 3 days. Just drive her there, and people’ll know she’s serious.” “If you’re sure. I’m really not that impressive," Elias shrugged. Suzka scoffed. "Yeah, I seriously doubt that."
***
**ELIAS’S POV**
August 27th, 2006, 5:41 AM
Aurelia had shown up at the palace about two hours before the school day started at 8 AM, waking Elias up way earlier than he had planned to. He never saw the point in being early for things. If he was gonna be there, he was gonna be there on his own terms, thank you very much. To be quite honest, Aurelia was really loud sometimes. Those chunky Converse of hers always knew how to scuff up a marble floor and be noisy while doing it. So Elias was awoken by her very loud walking up to his room, to his dismay. Aurelia knocked on his door. "Elias? Hello? You awake?" He pulled the pillow over his head and yelled,
"AURELIA. IT'S FIVE IN THE MORNING. GO BACK TO SLEEP." He heard her go still for a moment and possibly think about what she was doing before she spoke up again. "I don't wanna be late. I gotta show em I'm serious!" Elias groaned. "Yeah, I know, I know."
***
**AURELIA’S POV**
August 27th, 2006, 7:36 AM
Aurelia was so, so, SO excited. She could hardly stop herself from giggling. If people thought she was dating the prince of their kingdom, they would surely like her! Right? They finally pulled up to the old, worn-down public school she had to go to in Elias's limousine that he just owned, for some unknown reason. She got out of the car and waved to Elias. "Bye..! Uh..sweetheart! Love you!" He sighed. "Love you too." Aurelia grinned and looked around for approval from her colleagues, but nobody seemed to notice. She cleared her throat.
"Ahem. I said, bye sweetheart! Love you!" She spoke slightly louder this time, but nobody noticed her again. She frowned. What could she possibly be doing wrong?
***
**SUZKA'S POV**
August 27th, 2006, 5:09 PM
Suzka had been attempting to figure out how to sew a dress she ripped since it was way too small for her, when Aurelia burst into the room. Suzka jumped backward and nearly fell off her bed. "GAH! What- Aurelia? What's wrong?" Aurelia sniffled, wiping her face with her sleeve and sitting down next to her friend. "N-nobody..noticed me. They didn't care. They STILL thought I was five.
Suzka frowned, genuinely feeling bad, and put her hand on Aurelia's shoulder reassuringly. "Uh, y'know, now that I think about it..." she started, and Aurelia looked up at her with big, curious eyes. "I think you're fine just the way you are. I shouldn't have asked you to change; I'm sorry." Aurelia giggled. "I-it's all good!" She hugged Suzka tightly, and she squeaked, but didn't protest.