It Is You I Have Loved

Chapter 32

Vox's wedding preparations were almost complete. There was only one thing left to be done, and that was Charlie's wedding dress. Vox had hired Niffty, the most gifted seamstress in the land and she worked with Blitzo and Moxxie on designing and sewing the gown exactly how Charlie wanted it. Blitzo relayed the ideas, Moxxie took care of the supplies, and Niffty did all the sewing. They were almost finished, they only needed to add a few more details and embellishments.

"I'm sure this will please the bride." Niffty said as she completed a stitch. "This gown is fit for a princess."

"Did you get the measurements right?" Blitzo said.

"Of course and it's made from the finest organza and lace. I know because the material was spun by an imp."

"An imp?" Moxxie asked.

"Yes. Imps are natural spinners and I had one in my employment who spun all my material. She was the best there was. I also used to employ pixies to make accessories for the gowns. The last thing they made for me is perfect for the veil of this gown."

"Was her name Millie?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

"Millie is my wife." Moxxie said. 

"Oh, well it's nice to finally meet you. Millie has told me a lot of wonderful things about you. We would have such nice, long conversations. I was so sad when she had to leave. It wasn't right."

 "Hey banishment isn't the worst thing that could happen." Blitzo said.

"It isn't?"

"No. She could have been locked up in jail like we are."

"You two are prisoners?"

"Duh. Why else would we hang around in this shit hole? And things are only about to get worse from here on out. Once Vox marries the princess he'll become king, eradicate all creatures of lore, erase any and all form of history, and sentence his bride to a fate worse than death."

"What are you talking about?" Moxxie asked.

"Well if he marries a princess he has dominion over-"

"No not that. I know about that. I meant the last part. You mentioned something about the princess the other night too. What's wrong with her? Why would Vox do something terrible to her? She's his one way ticket into the monarchy."

"Yeah but funny thing about the princess, she's not really human."

"What?"

"During the day, starting at sunrise, she takes the form of a lovely human female. But every night, after sunset, she transforms back into her natural form which doesn't exactly live up to Vox's beauty standards. Once he finds out what she really is he'll reject her but not through divorce I'm sure. He can't risk losing his crown so he'll mostly like stay married to her in name but she won't reign by his side."

"So what will he do to her?" Niffty asked.

"I don't know but it can't be good."

...

Meanwhile in the Ninth Kingdom, King Gabriel, younger brother to the late Queen Lilith, and uncle to the Princess Charlotte, was sitting a by the marble fireplace, reading the most recent documents that had been brought to him by the royal messenger. 

Life had been bitter-sweet to the young king. Born to parents who saw him and his elder sister as nothing more than a means to expand their power. He rarely saw them and to spend his days learning one royal lesson after another. But his sister Lilith had loved and looked after him like a true mother and he in turn adored her. As a boy there was nothing and no one he cared for more than her. 

But then came the day when Lilith fell in love with a handsome youth she met in the forest. Lucifer he was called and their parents did not approve of him at first but when he proposed that he could make the Ninth Kingdom the richest of all others, they reconsidered. Lucifer led their father and his men to a waterfall and behind the showers was a cave filled with an endless amount of gold. Lucifer was rewarded with Lilith's hand.

Gabriel had never really liked Lucifer though. From the moment he met him, he suspected that the man was not as he seemed. True he was handsome, charming, wealthy, and very much in love with Lilith but Gabriel could never shake the feeling that he was hiding something. He voiced his concerns to his sister but she dismissed them as nothing more than childish paranoia. 

Lucifer and Lilith were married before the year was out and the very next day after the wedding, much to Gabriel's sorrow, he was sent to off to a very strict boarding school. He wouldn't see his sister again for ten years, or so he thought. He was eighteen when he received word of Lilith's death and he was utterly heartbroken. He moved back into the castle where he was ignored by his brother in-law but befriended by his late sister's lady in-waiting Madeleine.

Lucifer seemed like he had lost his mind. He acted dazed and pitiful. Guilt ridden. Almost as if he blamed himself for the queen's death. Strange, because everyone said that it was an illness that had taken Lilith's life. There was no one to blame.  Yet some nights Gabriel would hear Lucifer weeping in his chambers, crying out,

"Forgive me. Forgive me."

Gabriel had tired to learn what exactly Lucifer was begging forgiveness for but no one would say. He questioned Madeleine but she had only been recently employed and knew very little about the royal couple. Then one night, he awoke to hear a maid scream because she had discovered the king had hung himself, leaving behind an envelope addressed to someone named Charlotte. Gabriel kept that envelope along with Lilith's diary and the couple's other sacred belongings. 

After Lucifer's funeral, Gabriel became the new king and his friendship with Madeleine had turned to love so he chose her to be his queen. They ruled with wisdom, justice, and compassion, and they were blessed with healthy, strong, and beautiful children. Gabriel was pleased with his kingdom and his family but he still missed his sister and longed to have some form of closure. 

"It is late my love." Madeleine said walking over to kiss his cheek. "Won't you come to bed?"

"Soon, I just have one last thing to look over." He opened the last envelope. "We've been invited to a wedding."

"How delightful."

He starting reading the details casually but then he became confused.

"Princess Charlotte?"

"What's that dear?" His wife asked.

"This invitation says that the bride is Princess Charlotte of the Ninth Kingdom. But there is no Princess Charlotte in our monarchy. We have no record of her."

"Are you certain?"

"Positive. The only time the name Charlotte has ever come up was when..." Then something dawned on him. "Forgive me Madeleine, but I couldn't possibly sleep now."

"Why not?"

He stood up from his chair and began searching the shelves. 

"I need to find the letter my brother in-law left behind, and my sister's diary."

"You're not going to read them are you?"

"I know I've always been respectful in regards to their privacy but recently I've been thinking that was a mistake. This invitation is a sign that my suspicion is right."

"Gabriel I don't think this will give you the closure you've been seeking."

"Perhaps it will, perhaps it won't, only one way to find out."

"Do as you wish my lord, I just hope you're not disappointed with what you find out."

She kissed his cheek again.

"Try not to stay up too long dear."

And she left him to his frantic searching.