Chapter 39: Dress Up
"You can't do this Frey, you have to show it to us" Danielle said as she followed Frey, Noelle just a step behind the two "Tell her Noelle, we accompanied her to the first try, we deserve to look at the finished dress" the three ladies were arguing as they were headed to the kitchen.
"I know Danielle, but I would like to surprise you as well, can't a bride have some whims?" Frey said smiling. Danielle and Noelle had just found out Frey had just come from the seamstress, who had finished the arrangements for her wedding dress. They had gone to see madame Amelie the next day after they gotten back to Lune de Neige, that time lady Margaux had also accompanied them. Frey had decided to go alone with Siv, as she truly wanted to surprise them all, for once Frey the dress truly looked good on her.
"Don't push her Danielle, she seldom behaves this way, let her have her moment" Frey had bit her lower lip, she felt bad about not sharing it whit them "We can allow her a whim or two"
"Fiiiiiine" Danielle finally said seeing no support coming from Noelle "Where are we going?" she had been following them to ask about the dress, but she did not know what they were doing
"To the kitchen, mother ask us to check with madame Dumont, she wants to know if the food will be enough" Noelle answered.
"The whole kingdom is sending gifts and tokens for the wedding, I think there is enough food for the whole Lune de Neige to eat for several days" Danielle said with a confused face, in the last days, gifts and tokens from the kingdom had been arriving nonstop. The first was sent by the royal duke, and apparently everyone find out and followed suit.
"True, but most o them are going to be use for the wedding, mother is worried, because we are expecting Aedrik's sisters and their entourage in a week" Noelle explained, Danielle almost tripped.
"Finally, we are meeting the princesses, who else is coming?" Danielle asked once more fueled by her natural curiosity for such related subjects.
"His sisters have confirmed their assistance, there is a chance his younger brother might come, but had been sent to the Ivanen Archipelago. Pan's mother was supposed to come, but apparently, she is too fey according to Pan, she declined to give us Loirians peace of mind, her presence could upset the guest" Frey explained, she had talked with Aedrik about his guest, she insisted on Pan's mother, but he also said it was better to keep his aunt from this ceremony. There was a bit of bad history between the fey and Loire.
"That is not very classy of us, is it?" Danielle said indignant, Frey smiled, her cousin was many things, many only thought of her as the quintessential court lady, only living for the drama, but Danielle was much more.
They stopped at the entrance of the kitchen, there was chaos inside. Frey was surprised by how many people were working inside the space. Every surface available had something on it, people working on any space.
The castle cook, madame Dumont was one of the oldest servants of house Lunebleau. The cook had started working since she was little; her mother had been a maid of the castle. The castle was her home as much as it was for lord and lady Lunebleau, and in the kitchen madame Dumont reigned absolute, not even the knights dare mess with the cook.
As the wedding date was coming closer, the cook decided to hire additional personnel, madame Dumont would not allow anyone else cooking for the wedding of one of her precious ladies. She had not been able to cook at Luka's wedding and the old cook always complaint about it, this time however, she was up for the challenge, never mind how close the date was.
As the three ladies entered the kitchen, they noticed that among the chaos there was order. The cook was moving along each station making sure everything was taken care properly.
"Madame Dumont, lady Danielle, Noelle and Frey are at the door" one of the oldest cooks said as he spotted the ladies at the entrance. Frey and Noelle smiled at the man; they were afraid of moving inside the kitchen without breaking the delicate dance happing inside. The cook who was explaining to a young girl why her soup was bland, smiled as she turned towards her ladies.
"Wait for me at the entrance my dears, I'll come to you in a moment" the ladies nodded, and were amazed bow how agile the plump cook, moved around the kitchen, she even checked a coupe of stations as she went to them.
"Is everything alright? Do you fancy anything to eat, many brides stop eating as the date gets closer, or start eating too much, it is only natural to be nervous dear. I can prepare sweet fruit for you in a moment" Madame Dumont said as soon as she was Infront of them "I have always said you and your sister and too skinny, you as well if you don't mind me saying so lady Danielle, everyone likes a bride with rosy cheeks, if this prince has a different opinion, you let me talk with him, I will make him change his mind, don't you worry about a thing my dear" Frey saw Danielle half open mouth with respect at the cook, who did not seem to care her fiancé was the foreign prince of the Fey Danan Empire, the cook did not care, and if Aedrik was keeping Frey from eating, the cook would let him have a piece of her mind.
"Thank you madame Dumont, but there is no need, and we are not hungry, your breakfast was more than enough" Frey interrupted the cook before she carried on, half the kitchen had stopped and were listening as discreetly as possible to their conversation "We came to let you know, there will be additional guest for the castle in a week. My mother wanted to know if you have everything you need to take care of them, or if we could do anything to help you" madame Dumont made and 'O' face and smiled just a tad embarrassed by her display.
"Thank you for letting me know dear, I think we have more than enough food to care for a large number of guests, and with the new recruits, everything is well in order, how many are you expecting to come? and when will they arrive?" Frey smiled, madame Dumont was calling the new staff, recruits, this was her battlefield an apparently the cook was prepared.
"Aedrik, my fiancé should be here this evening, according to him there is 4 possibly 6 direct relatives with large escort arriving in about a week"
"Finally, I will be able to meet your fiancé, that is good. How big is their escort?" the cook asked with intend.
"He says round a hundred" the guards of Aedrik's sister, they had considered having them teleport directly to Lune de Neige, but this gave both countries a chance to showcase their closeness. In the end his sisters would be coming by land, escorted by a small force from the empire, and their real escorts were the men of house Lunebleau and Beaumont, both Percy and Luka would be accompanying them from the border all the way to Lune de Neige.
"I was expecting a larger number, don't worry my dear, we have enough food to keep them well fed, you just have to tell me if anyone has any special needs, I will see them being take care. Now, are you sure you don't fancy anything else?" madame Dumont had been too insistent in making sure Frey was well fed, with that remark, the three ladies knew they had to retreat.
"No, thank you madame Dumont, we are satisfied" Frey denied politely, but decisively.
"We'll let my mother know immediately, madame Dumont" Noelle added, and the three ladies escaped.
"Madame Dumont is the best, you just told her she has a hundred more people to feed, and she did not care" Danielle and Percy had always envied madame Dumont they had a great cook back home, but it was not on the same standard as the Lunebleau's cook.
"You said six people might come, I am guessing you counted Pan and Aedrik's younger brother as well as his sisters in that number, who else is coming?" Noelle asked curious.
"He just told me, it is possible that his nephew, the earl of Lach to come as well, he is older than him though, his father is the son of the emperor's sister" Frey explained and sighed as she noticed the confused expression on the other two "The emperor and the empress had their kids some years after they married, hence why his nephew is older than him. He thinks the earl of Lach might come by teleport though"
"How old is he?" Danielle asked curious
"He is 26" Frey answered, they were heading for the blue hall, a large space meant to serve as a room to entertain very close visitors in a more intimate manner.
"Finally, the Loirian court has been expecting a proper suitor from afar, you grasped the prince before he could play his part for the ladies of the kingdom, and Pan has evoked weird fantasies more than anything" Danielle commented happy by the idea, it was truth that the ladies of Loire had been intrigued about the foreign prince, but the day he presented himself, it was also the day their engagement became public.
"He might arrive just in time for the ceremony" Frey said
"That is better than nothing" the three ladies laughed after Danielle answered way to enthusiastic about the idea.
They entered the blue hall after a small knock on the door, lady Margaux and Mrs. Ferlin had made the blue hall the place where they worked every day, most times after they have had breakfast. Frey usually joined both older ladies, the rest of the house came from time to time or were summoned by lady Margaux.
René had been left in charge of supervising the arrival and needs for the numerous guest that would be arriving in the next few days. The royal Duke was going to arriving a few days before the wedding, it seemed he and Luka had started a more serious relationship, and it was welcomed, he and his wife would be stating at château Lunebleau.
As the three ladies entered the spacious hall they noticed, several tables had been brought inside it, the hall had become the center of the castle. The generals were seating close to each other on comfy chairs while drinking tea, but there were 6 arms man and 4 castle attendants at the ready.
The three ladies arrived at the blue hall and found, Lady Margaux and Mrs. Ferlin drinking tea, they were just chatting, waiting for Frey to arrive, a chair already pull near them, and two more were place to the side, a clear message for the other two ladies. There was chair already place close to the two older ladies, it was clear they were waiting on Frey. At this sight Noelle and Danielle were considering excusing themselves.
"Would you care for some tea?" Lady Margaux offered them the moment they walked inside the hall. The vast space was decorated with painting, most of them where places from the Lunebleau demesne. Next to lady Margaux, Mrs. Ferlin was sipping at her tea comfortable at the hall, she was a friend of lady Margaux, but Frey had noted the old librarian had taken her role in an incredible manner.
Mrs. Ferlin was incredibly knowledgeable about tradition, Aedrik had been very open and honest with her, and although the librarian had tried to excuse herself, Aedrik appealed to her familiarity with Frey, anyone else he appointed from the Empire did not know Frey, and the librarian was respected even in the Londen Woods, in the end the librarian accepted.
Aedrik give the librarian free reign to her calls, he only wished for his status and the Empire to be considered properly, but what he truly wanted was for the librarian to support Frey wished as much as possible. He also wanted for the Empire to pay for whatever the librarian managed to make lady Margaux admit. It was customary in Loire for the bride's family to cover most of the expenses of the wedding. Frey knew house Lunebleau could afford the event, even though her wedding was in size similar to that of the royal Duke, still, it had been a constant polite debate by the older ladies on what was acceptable for the Empire to cost.
The librarian however came well prepared, she cited old traditions and etiquette, and even had the documents to prove it. She was a fair opponent for lady Margaux. The old librarian had brought most recorded cases of wedding between Loire and foreign nobility as proof. She had also suggested some old traditions, to make the event grand, Frey had liked many of them.
Mrs. Ferlin had proved inviable when Frey and her mother had started arguing about how the wedding should be had. Lady Margaux wanted a grand and elegant wedding inside the castle, Frey wished for an open wedding, and the librarian had backed her opinion. It was a surreal thing to have the representative of the other family to care more for the whims of the bride, and Frey had to admit Aedrik had earned a lot of credit with her. Even with all their differences the two old ladies were friends, and they were enjoying each other, they most often than not found common ground, and Frey had heard her mother just one saying how Aedrik had indeed done an incredibly job and getting Mrs. Ferlin as his representative.
Frey sat at her designated seat near the two older ladies, Noelle and Danielle went for a sofa that was closest to a side entrance or exit in how they were viewing it. Tea was handed promptly to the newcomers.
"Did you have a chance to check if madame Dumont needed anything else?" lady Margaux asked once the young ladies were sitting.
"We did, she says she has enough, she can handle the Empire visitors and their escort" Frey sipped her tea and felt herself waking by the strong flavor.
"If madame Dumont, says there is nothing to worry about, then we can cross this from the list" both ladies had a list of the wedding preparations, and they both crossed the matter from theirs. Lady Margaux revised hers and continued "The next thing was your dress, you've already went to tried it on, is it ready?" Frey noticed the change in her mother's tone, she had wanted to go with her as well, but Frey also wanted to surprise her.
"The dress is ready" Frey answered not wanting to reveal anything else, she wished her face had not given anything. Her mother sighed and crossed her list, Mrs. Ferlin nodded tenderly at Frey and did the same with her list.
"We still have pending some of the positions at the ceremony" lady Margaux read on her list.
"You said lady René would ask if the royal Duke could perform the ceremony, and take their wedding vows. Any news on that?" Mrs. Ferlin asked, since the wedding ceremony was most times arranged according to nobility status the royal Duke had to be placed before the rest of the family, the librarian had the magnificent idea of asking if he could perform the ceremony, hence he would not displace the family by his status. René had volunteered to talk with the royal Duke.
"René has already spoken with the royal Duke and his wife, they accepted and feel honored by the suggestion. He should arrive three days before the wedding" lady Margaux answered happily, she was happy to see Luka and René formalizing, and closing their relationship with the royal Duke. House Lunebleau had always been a loyal supporter of the crown, but as the King secluded himself the relationship with him strained, Frey saw both ladies crossing their list again.
"We have to decided how are going to present the gifts of the rest of the nobles?" Mrs. Ferlin said worried, almost the entire Loirian court had sent gifts for the wedding, or rather tokens, a display to showcase their territories to the empire and the rest of Loire. They feared how they should place them, the guests could be offended if they did not see their tokens displayed properly, lady Margaux had been very upset about it.
"I have been thinking about this, however we arrange them someone will find a fault in it, so we should display them in a large space and place them geographically" Frey saw her mother surprised, and intrigued, Mrs. Ferlin smiled at Frey, who blushed in turn "They will complain, but it was not our fault how the country is, it a representation of our land"
"It is a wonderful idea, Frey. Whatever fault they found in it, it cannot be blamed on you, an elegant solution" Mrs. Ferlin said.
"I think you solve the issue as well Frey, well thought" lady Margaux added "We can also display tokens from Lunebleau and Beaumont, without our peers calling us showoffs, a fine solution indeed" Frey saw her mother relax as she crossed the matter on her list.
The small meeting carried on for almost two hours, they closed the matters on dessert and music. They had already listened to several ensembles, and chosen one, now they only selected the pieces to play during the event. They also decided on how the bride would be presented, and the matter that was still unresolved was how they were going to arrange the places at the ceremony, since Aedrik was supposed to arrive this evening, they decided to have him participate in the decision.
Once the meeting finished, Frey scaped with Danielle and Noelle in tow. Mrs. Ferlin would probably rest for a while, as she always did around noon. Lady Margaux on the other hand would remain at the blue hall, she seemed to have her entire day planned, and as the date was approaching, the staff that was always waiting on her was increasing. She was the heart of the castle, the mind that set the pace at which the castle moved.
The three ladies were heading to their rooms, they usually talked about the meeting, and listened to gossips courtesy of Danielle. They also had been discussing ideas regarding their project about orc clothing, which Danielle had also taken a liking too, to the surprise of the other two ladies, if not Frey would scape the pair and went to ger room to read or study, she missed having more time to ready, but she had many things to do, she was not complaining, she was enjoying it somehow.
This time, Noelle and Danielle were intent on not letting Frey go. The entire castle was aware the imperial prince, lady Frey's fiancé would be arriving this evening. The castle was expectant of it, even though the entire castle was preparing for the wedding one of the actors was missing, but the groom would finally arrive.
Frey had talked with Aedrik every day, sometimes they talked for a while, and they both wrote fast. Frey imagined Aedrik's voice as she read his words, and how he said them. Since they had been engaged, they had spent more time apart than together, and yet, she did not feel a apart from him. There writing came naturally, but she could not deny she missed him. She woke early in the morning, nervous, of meeting him again this evening. Noelle and Danielle had been by her side the whole day, Siv on the other hand had given Frey as much space as possible.
The other two ladies stopped in front of Frey's room much to her confusion "Why are we stopping in my room?" Frey asked worried at the grinning faces of the other two ladies.
"It is time Frey, we should start preparing, don't you think?" Noelle said with a large smile, Frey started getting really nervous.
"Prepare for what?"
"You have to dress up Frey, I don't understand how you manage to make Aedrik be so into you, but you should not slack up, you are meeting him this evening, give him a sight that would make him regret ever considering leaving your side" Danielle explained with more intent that Frey had ever seen on her cousin.
"Wait we can't" Frey said worried
"Why not, come on Frey, we'll get you ready" Danielle opened the door of Frey's room, and Frey blushed. The other two ladies lost their smiles as they saw Frey's room was covered in parchments and books, she somehow had the same number of things that her mother had in a space several times smaller.
"I haven't cleaned up" Frey admitted embarrassed.
"This is only a setback, to my room them" Danielle said, she would not be stopped. Frey sighed, and even though she was blushing she was happy, her sister and cousin had though about this. She had indeed prepared for Aedrik's arrival, but she welcomed the assistance.
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