A Fate Not My Own
The Gilded Awakening
Elara
Elara: (Whispering) Her Highness is stirring! Be quiet, everyone. She needs her rest.
Rosé
Rose: (Groggily) Wha…? What happened? My head....
Elara
Elara: (Rushing to the bed) Oh, Your Highness! You've been feverish for a full week. Thank goodness you've woken.
Rosé
(Confused) A week? No... I was just in my car... there was a flash.
Elara
Elara: The flash, Your Highness? There was no flash. Only your fever. Perhaps you are still delirious
Rosé
Rose: (Sits up abruptly, looking at her hands) These... these aren't my hands. (She feels her face) What is this? This isn't me!
Elara
Elara: (Nervously) Your Highness, you are ill. You must rest. Lord Valerius has been waiting.
Rosé
Rose: Valerius? Who is that? (A sharp, cold voice enters the room)
Lord Valerius
Lord Valerius: (Stepping forward) I am here, my lady. I was concerned for my future wife's well-being.
Rosé
Rose: (Her breath hitches. A wave of ice-cold dread washes over her. It's not her own feeling; it’s Annelise's.) who are you?
Lord Valerius
Lord Valerius: (He looks to Elara, an eyebrow raised) She is still feverish, it seems. A shame. The wedding plans are on hold until she is in a more… compliant state.
Rosé
Rose: (The words pour out, not from her but from the deep, buried rage of Annelise) The wedding is off! Do you hear me? I would rather die than marry you!
Lord Valerius
Lord Valerius: (A cruel, smug smile spreads across his face) You have already tried that, my dear. And failed. Now, you will obey.
Rose falls back onto the pillows, her mind reeling. The words were not her own, but the rage was terrifyingly real. It was Annelise’s voice, a torrent of torment from a princess trapped in a gilded cage. Rose wasn't just in her body; she was sharing her pain.]
Amused
As Elara frantically fussed with the layers of a magnificent silk gown. "Please, Princess, you must be calm. Lord Valerian is an imposing man. A quiet disposition is what he expects."
Just then, a heavy door swung open, and a man with a stern face and an even sterner gaze walked in. He looked like he belonged on a movie poster, not in a medieval castle.
Lord Valerius
Lord Valerian: You are not as I recall. You are… slouching.
Rosé
Rose: Uh, yeah. This dress is like a corset-torture-chamber. Also, hi! You look like you just stepped out of a period drama. And in a good way, you know?
Lord Valerius
Lord Valerian: "Period drama"? Are you unwell? Elara, fetch the royal physician!
Rosé
Rose: No, no, I'm fine! Just a bit of culture shock, I guess. So, are we a thing now? Like, are you single-on-a-dating-app or are we officially 'engaged'? We should probably set some ground rules. Do you mind if I call you "Val"?
Lord Valerius
Lord Valerian: You wish to... give me a nickname? You also refer to a "dating-app," which I assume is a peculiar merchant's guild for courtship? You intrigue me, "Princess."
Elara
Elara: Princess, please! Your Lordship, I apologize for her odd behavior. She must be exhausted from the travel preparations.
Rosé
Rose: It’s fine, Elara. He gets it. So, Val, what's your favorite thing to do for fun? Besides brooding and wearing velvet. Also, what's your social media handle? We could DM.
Lord Valerius
Lord Valerian: A "DM"? I am Lord Valerian, master of the Northern Territories and a knight of the King's Guard. I have no such "handle." But I must admit, I find your unconventional humor… refreshing. Perhaps we should take a walk. And you may tell me more of these "dating-apps" and "socials." They sound quite ridiculous
Valerian's stern face cracked into a small, almost invisible smirk. He didn't look angry. He looked... amused. He held out his arm, and Rose, bewildered but slightly relieved, took it. This was going to be a lot more interesting than a stuffy historical drama. It was going to be a comedy
The Royal Walk of Confusion
As they walked through the castle's manicured gardens, the air filled with the scent of blooming jasmine and the tense silence between them. Rose, in her ornate gown, felt less like a princess and more like a human-sized cupcake. Lord Valerian, with his stoic expression, finally spoke.
Lord Valerius
Lord Valerian: You said you were from a different "time." Elara says your memory has been muddled since you were ill.
Rosé
Rose: Oh, yes! My memory is… very muddled. It’s like a glitch in the… in the great tapestry of the universe! It's very poetic, isn't it?
Lord Valerius
Lord Valerian: A "glitch in the tapestry"? You speak like a seer, not a royal. And you stare at the sky as if you expect a metal carriage to fall from it.
Rosé
Rose: Oh, that? I was just… picturing something from a story. A story from a distant land where everyone watches moving pictures on small glowing rectangles. We call it "streaming." It's quite the art form!
Lord Valerius
Lord Valerian: So, in this land, you are a storyteller? Is that why you speak in these peculiar riddles? What of this "streaming"? Is it a river? A ritual?
Elara
Elara: Princess! You are making no sense. Your Lordship, I have been teaching her breathing exercises. She is still a bit… off.
Rosé
Rose: Yes! Just doing my breathing exercises! So, anyway, Valerian, what do you do for fun? Besides just… brooding? Do you ever get together with your friends for a group project? Or maybe a board game?
Lord Valerius
Lord Valerian: A "group project"? Are you speaking of battle strategies? As for a "board game," I have heard of a primitive form of strategy, but my mind is on more pressing matters. Such as the rumor that the King has heard of your recent… oddities.
A chill ran down Rose's spine. Just as she was about to send a panicked reply, a new chat message appeared, demanding their immediate presence. Valerian's stern face remained impassive, but a flicker of something new—amusement? curiosity?—danced in his eyes. He wasn't scared or angry. He was intrigued. He held out his arm, and Rose, bewildered, took it, praying she could get her "act" together before meeting the King.
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