Chapter Text
The birds start to chirp outside castle walls creating a cheery harmony paired with the faint rustle from the tree branches, the sunlight shines brightly through the stained glass of the princess’s chambers. Despite the bright atmosphere the room is silent, the only thing cutting through the tension was the soft sound of crinkling of fabric as the princess gets dressed in her clothes with the help of her two maids. “You look gorgeous in green m’lady!” the younger maid exclaims, “Indeed… I can tell it was custom made just for you.” The other maid speaks with a calm gentle tone, giving Princess Iris a lopsided smile. Iris turns her head away with a small huff of impatience as she moves to brush her hair, paying no attention to her maid as some sort of defiance.
The maids look at each other, unsure whether or not to keep breaking the tension or to let the Princess sulk in her silence - both undoubtedly leading to a tantrum. “You must be really lucky to be betrothed to such a great prince.” The older maid lets out a small sigh “All you think about is looks don't you Gissele?” a light yet firm smack is met with the back of Gissele’s head “Owch! Madam, you're so coldhearted!” Gissele yelps in surprise. “In other words, the Tazara kingdom is quite a powerful kingdom. I’m certain the King and Queen are very happy to form an alliance with them. You should be joyous on such occasion, m'lady.” This specific comment makes Princess Iris's eye twitch.
The princess sighs, the thought of the prince annoyed her deeply. “I suppose it is only fit. Other ladies my age have already been wed.” she grumbled out, steam was practically flowing out of her ears. “Pay him no mind. I shall not be distracted with anything related to him.”
The young maid awkwardly giggles, teasing Princess Iris “Aww, m’lady, please be a little more open minded! His feelings would be hurt if he were ever to hear your brash words.” Gissele tries to lighten the mood, instead receiving a glare from Madam, “Watch your tongue, Gissele. You should have learnt by now to not blabber so much.” Gissele quickly shuts up, aiming her focus to the ceiling (wow…. So interesting) “Sorry, Madam… My mistake.”
The moment Princess Iris was done with her hair, she abruptly flees the room without as much as a peep leaving the two maids standing there uneasily. The maids feel the harsh slam of the door, mutually deciding not to probe her more today. She walks through the halls with a gut wrenching feeling in her bones, to think she would have to be bonded with someone she could never love. How irritatingly pointless.
Her trusted knight starts to walk alongside her the second she walks out of the room. “M’lady. Are you feeling alright? Do you need to rest? Did the maids treat you badly?” Princess Iris waves a dismissive hand towards Eobek, “I’m fine, Eobek. There’s just… a lot on my mind today.” Eobek shifts in his armor, examining her expression. “If you say so m'lady. Where would you like to go today?” She groans loudly, “Leave me alone, Eobek! I am not in the mood for your care!” storming off, a push connects to Eobek's chest, not doing much towards the man in armor physically but he understands that he should give her room to breathe for a while.
Princess Iris arrives at her garden without the overbearing supervision coming from Eobek, inspecting the vibrant colors of her favorite red roses. “Another one, you're becoming limper everyday, maybe I should take over the gardener’s job if this keeps happening.” Princess Iris mumbles finishing her sentence with another huff of frustration. She strolls through the garden, subconsciously walking into the garden's gazebo ending back in her safe space when she needs pure silence. A sigh of relief she wasn't aware she was holding escapes her lips. The chair creaks as her weight is put on top of it, lowering her head, her tiara slips out of place by an inch. “Must I really marry a stranger I have no feelings for…” she whispers - the words feel empty, it wasn't a question but realization. Because in the end, she never had a choice to begin with.