BURN

with this ring

"Yes, I'll come with you." she'd said.

Now, Agatha knew she'd lied to reassure her; she'd had no idea if she'd be able to come, and Agatha's bargaining with Vanessa had been to ensure she would. Then, though, she'd really only had one thought--

"Do I have to kiss him?" asked Agatha suddenly, apprehensive. Callis smiled, pulled out of her thoughts.

"Yes, sadly, you have to kiss him. It's part of being married."

"Oh, no, I don't want to kiss him! Ew--"

Callis had just laughed, even as Agatha complained.

She'd forgotten about it, mostly, as children tended to. But as she'd gotten older, Agatha had begun to deliberately resolve not to think about it. If she was honest, she'd purposefully avoided learning about Tedros as much as possible, because learning about Tedros meant that the wedding was suddenly a reality. But she'd kept it at arms length for as long as she could, until she was about sixteen and people had started mentioning relentlessly. Then she'd resorted to fatalistic jokes, and it hadn't been hard to pretend it was further away than it was, because Vanessa had kept her out of all the arrangements.

But now, she was staring it in the face.

It was to be a glorious day. Cold enough to mean the members of the public packing the streets weren't going to pass out in the heat, but bright and crisp enough to make it seem pleasant, even if it was still February.

Agatha has been sitting here, in the corner of her balcony, since 2am. She'd gone to bed knowing full well she wasn't going to sleep, and had given up on trying an hour in. She'd sat up in bed, staring at the wall and wringing her nightdress in her hands until she'd burnt a hole in it. She'd gone to lie in front of her fire, sat in the sitting room, gone to get a snack, gone to the bathroom three times and read the opening page of the same book multiple times, before eventually giving up on distractions and going outside. It's six, now, and more carriages are arriving. They've been appearing consistently for the last week, and still more are parading down the drive-- the palace has suddenly become abuzz with various dignitaries and royal families visiting for the wedding. The arrivals now are probably people who need to be reported to stewards, to get permission to be at the front of the crowds. Reporters and sketch artists, and such...

Agatha grimaces and looks away. Perhaps it will do to get a few more hours of sleep, after all.

But it barely feels like she's closed her eyes for ten seconds before she's being shaken awake by someone unfamiliar.

"Ow!" the unknown maid blurts, yanking her hands away. "She burned me!"

"Don't grab her then, clod." snaps Callis's voice from somewhere nearby. "Rule number one, Lucinda. Agatha, your mother has sent her personal maids to help you get ready."

Agatha sits up, eyeing the two prim, snooty maids stood in a pastel huddle next to her bed. Beatrix and Dot are lurking nearby with Callis, glaring at them.

"Extra manpower needed today." says Lucinda stiffly, staring at Agatha. Agatha, who knows her mother's maids have never seen her without her veil, glares back.

"Get on with it, then." says Agatha grimly.

---

Get on with it they do.

They strip her of her nightgown, and she's flung into a shallow, scorchingly hot, heavily scented bath. Agatha sneezes, cringing at the heavy, flowery perfume, as someone lathers her hair in a similar shampoo and her body in a matching oil, scratching her with long nails. Agatha, generally shaken from her abrupt awakening, isn't paying much attention--