Chapter Text
The soft chirping of the birds and the gentle rays of the sunlight pouring into Cherry’s room was all that she needed to wake her up in a good mood. With a soft yawn, she rose up from her mattress and looked around her room.
It was something out of a fairytale.
A soft pink wallpaper surrounds the entire room– some sections with a floral pattern spread across it as well. There was a soft gold trim lining the walls and floorboards with intricate details that were hand crafted by one of the best craftsmen in her kingdom. There are silk curtains tied with pink ribbons draped across the walls and windows, making everything feel soft and warm.
And of course, Cherry’s pride and joy: her vanity. It was a smooth white one with swirled edges and designs that looked so whimsical, it brought a tear to her eye. All of her favorite trinkets were organized across said vanity.
Multiple bottles of perfume were placed neatly on the vanity, each with different scents. Although, her favorite had to be her floral scented one. Each of her crowns were lined up in a row on the shelf above the vanity.
Each bottle sparkled as the soft morning light hit them.
This room was truly made for a princess.
And that’s what Cherry Valance was: a princess.
With no rush at all, Cherry moved her legs over the side of her bed and stood up. She fixed her sleeping gown– which got a tad bit ruffled whilst she was sleeping. Her long, fiery, red hair was still tied up from the night before. She took it out and her loose waves now gently rested on her shoulders, as she made her way to one of the windows.
The view was breathtaking.
The palace gardens were filled with flowers of all types. Some of them were even from different kingdoms, some native to Tusla, and some came from overseas. With the mix of various kinds of flora, it made the gardens look divine. There were three swans that were currently in one of the ponds, and what looked like sparrows took the fountain as a bathtub.
And beyond the gardens, a lush green forest spread across more land than the castle. She has heard a few myths that fairies take the forest as their home, but she has decided that as false now that she has grown up. But when she was younger? She believed those myths were true and always tried to go fairy catching in the forest.
The sound of a door opening and footsteps pulled her out of her thoughts as one of her ladies in waiting stepped into her room.
“Good morning, Your Royal Highness.” She said while giving a small curtsy to show her respect.
“Good morning Lady Beverly. Wonderful morning isn’t it?” Cherry said as she made her way to her favorite lady in waiting, but she would never tell that to their faces in fear of hurting the others feelings.
“Yes, truly a magnificent morning. Ma’am, your parents are requesting that you speak with them at breakfast after you finish getting ready for the day.” Beverly said in a polite tone.
My parents want to speak with me? Cherry thought.
But she has no time to dwell on that thought for too long.
“Very well, thank you for informing me. Now, may you please help me look presentable for the day.” Cherry said while gesturing to Beverly to make her way inside Cherry's room.
ִֶָ. ..𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🪽་༘࿐
The consistent sound of the clacking of heels against the marble flooring of the palace filled up the quiet palace as Cherry made her way down to the dining hall where her parents were waiting for her arrival.
Cherry wondered if she had done something to ruin the image of the royal family, but nothing came to mind. Maybe she had ignored one of her many duties as princess?
Cherry scoffed at the thought.
She has always made sure to finish every single task given to her to make sure she is seen as responsible and put together.
She stopped walking and stood right in front of a doorway that led into the grand dining hall.
ִֶָ. ..𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🪽་༘࿐
(pov change because yes :D)
Oh god, I’m screwed.
I have thought of all the possibilities that could have led my parents to want to have a discussion with me, but all have been shut down. Honestly, what would they want to talk to me about?
Have I not been up to the standards they hold for me?
No. I’m perfect. I make sure I get everything done and I keep my mouth shut when my opinion about a matter doesn’t need to be heard. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve been perfect.
A sigh escapes from my mouth as I double check my reflection in one of the mirrors upon the castle walls.
My wispy red hair is down on my shoulders and my make up is perfect. Not a single smudge in sight. My dress is a light shade of pink with lace sewed onto the neckline. My favorite set of pearls are resting on my neck and an elegant pair of pink diamond earrings are dangling from my ears.
I take one more final check of my reflection and gently push open the doors that lead into the dining hall.
“Ah, look who finally decided on joining us for a nice breakfast.” My dad said while chuckling to himself. Apparently, my mom thought it was slightly funny and let a small grin make her way across her face.
“Sit down dear, your father and I have something to tell you about.” Mother said while clapping to get one of the maids' attention.
I give a small nod and make my way towards the seat set out for me across from my mother. While I was starting to sit down, the maid my mother had requested came over and gave a curtsey as she quietly said: Your Majesty.
“Please bring the letter we received from an envoy earlier this morning.” Mother said with a warm smile.
Oh? A letter?
“Right away Your Majesty.” The maid said as she gave another curtsey and walked away.
My eyes spotted a pain au chocolat on one of the pastry towers and I made my way to grab it. As soon as I got it on one of the small plates most commonly used for pastries.
Just as I was about to take a small bite of the pastry, the maid my mother called for came back with a letter in her hand. She brings it up to my mother and quickly makes her exit.
My father and mother exchange a quick look, one that I couldn’t read no matter how hard I try, and my mother slides over the letter to my side of the table.
“What is this?” I say while picking up the letter and inspecting it. The envelope is made out of high quality paper and the seal is made of wax with some sort of herb or flower pressed onto it. From my knowledge, the plant doesn’t come from Tusla, so that means the letter is from a different kingdom. No doubt this letter is from a high class family from a different kingdom, maybe even sent from another palace?
“Darling, would you care to explain?” My mother asks while cocking an eyebrow.
“Of course dear,” My father says with a small nod before continuing his sentence. “Cherry, your mother and I recently reached out to a neighboring kingdom in the West. After much discussion, we have decided to set up an arranged marriage with you and the prince of that nation.”
My hands dropped the letter in my hands as soon as I heard the words arranged marriage. They can’t be serious can they?
I let out a nervous chuckle while looking down.
“Father you can’t be serious?”
Silence.
“No… Father please! I can’t believe–”
“Silence Sherri. You do not have a say in this discussion. Both your mother and I have thought about this long and hard. It is best for both of our nations. You will be wed with the prince of their nation, Bob Sheldon. This discussion is over.” My father says as he gives me a stern look from across the table.
By now, tears are welling up in my eyes.
An arranged marriage with some random prince I haven’t talked to before, let alone met. Are my parents really that ignorant to trade their daughters happiness for more land?
“This is ridiculous!” I shout as I grab that god forsaken letter and run out of the dining hall, ignoring my parents' shouts for me to come back.
Angry tears blind my vision as I shove past the servants and make my way into the palace gardens and towards the forest.
As soon as I make it to the edge of the palace gardens I glance behind me out of fear that my parents sent guards to come retrieve me and bring me back to them. Luckily, they didn’t. Thank the gods.
I rub my eyes, ignoring the traces of makeup that stain my nice set of gloves now.
I gather some of my dress skirt into my hands with the now crumpled up letter to make sure the hem doesn’t drag on the ground as I walk.
I take another look back and step foot off my palace grounds.
This is pure madness. I can’t believe I’m getting forced to marry some random prince from a place far, far away in the West.
To be completely honest, I really don’t get what most ladies my age see in men. Like sure I can admire them, but never have my gaze set on them in a romantic way. I have always known from when I was ten that I had no romantic interest when it comes to men.
There was this one girl, whose mother was one of the head cleaning staff at the time who I always used to play with.
She had short, blonde curly hair that looked like honey when the sun hit it right and her eyes were a murky blue. She didn’t treat me as some higher being who needed to be worshipped at every second– instead, she treated me like a regular human being.
My heart fluttered when I was around her, though I was too young at that time to understand what those feelings were. When her mother got fired for some mysterious reason I still don’t know, I was heart broken.
Eventually those feelings went away after a few months, but I will never forget how she treated everyone with the same amount of compassion and respect whether it be a servant or a member of the royal family.
Apparently, I was so lost in thought that I had wandered into a section of the forest I wasn’t familiar with. I stuff the letter into one of the hidden pockets in my skirt as I begin to look at my surroundings.
This part of the forest was different from what I had been exposed to. Unlike the parts by house, there were all different plants and fungais growing everywhere, the sun seemed to shine more in this area, and I could hear the faint sound of running water.
This place was peaceful, and it seemed to fix my bad mood a bit.
The sun was high in the sky, and there were little to no clouds in the sky. It was truly a wonderful spring day if I ignore the events of earlier this morning.
A wave of dizziness washed over me as I quickly leaned onto a tree for support.
I haven’t had a single drop of water all day today. I must have been too caught up in my emotions to even realize how thirsty I was.
Maybe that faint sound of running water is a stream? I should head over there and check it out. I think to myself as I push off of the tree and continue my trek through the forest.
After about five minutes of walking, the sound of running water becomes louder and I catch a whiff of fresh water nearby. I grab my skirt and hastily trot over to the stream.
“Oh thank heavens.” I mutter as I tear off my gloves and bend over and cup my hands in the stream, bringing up cool and refreshing water to my lips.
After a minute of drinking the fresh water, I dust off my skirt and stand up. Maybe I can retrace my footsteps back to the palace? If I do that, I could be back before dark.
Just then the sound of humming catches my attention.
“Hmm? What was that sound?” I said to myself curiously.
The humming does sound quite relaxing though, like a lullaby.
It wouldn’t hurt to check it out? Right?
With cautious steps, I begin making my way over to the location of the humming.
Eventually, I end up behind a tree, carefully observing the lady that is humming a very nice tune.
She has a really dark shade of brown hair in a short bob with flowers in her hair. The babydoll dress she was wearing was a lovely shade of green, with all different kinds of embroidered plants on it. She is in the middle of a small clearing of a decently sized pond, which appeared to be shallow enough for her to stand in without getting her whole body wet.
And then, I noticed it.
A pair of green, semi-translucent wings are attached to the mysterious girl's back.
She’s a fairy!
I let out a surprise gasp, which was enough to catch the beautiful fairies' attention. And our eyes meet.
And then I noticed it. Her eyes were this beautiful shade of brown that held innocence and warmth within them. Her face was shaped as if one of the sculptors made a statue that could win an award for the most beautiful face.
The mysterious fairy let out a surprised squeak, which startled me. I pushed off of the tree I was hiding behind in attempts to back up.
“Ahh pardon me… I’m sorry I didn’t mean to stare–”
As I was backing up, one of the heels to my shoes landed on a small pebble which caused my ankle to sickle and for me to lose my balance.
And before I could even react, my head hit another rock and I was out cold.