It took Sanya a lot of self-control to remember her princess training and not use every expletive she knew as the fitters manage to like another pin in her side.
She pointedly ignored Lucy, who was sitting watching next to Susan, clearly amused at her future sister-in-law's annoyance.
"Rather you than me." The younger Queen voiced, seeing Sanya's scowl.
"Hopefully it WILL be you someday, Lucy." Susan spoke, before her eyes turned back wistfully to the hanging wedding dresses around them.
"Is that you or me being hopeful I'll get married?"
"It SHOULD be both of us being so." Susan replied, glancing back to her sister.
"Lilith said it wasn't necessary if I didn't want to."
Both Sanya and the elder Queen looked to her, rather surprised by the mention of the presence each had been refusing to bring up the lack of on such a day.
"She was right." Sanya replied with a small smile.
"I know. And I'd appreciate you not pressuring me into such like the last time we were here. That's the reason she had to comfort me."
"Oh, Lucy- I didn't mean it in such a way, but I'll stop. I didn't realise that it was getting to you so."
"It wasn't! But- it DID get frustrating."
"I'm sorry, Lu. I truly am. I-"
"I shouldn't be doing this without my maid of honour."
Both Queens turned to look at the bride to be, her thoughtful, rather melancholy words catching them by surprise.
"Sanya-"
But the ex-journalist continued speaking to the mirror, fingering the folds of her makeshift wedding dress model, "Then again, she would've been as bored as I am. She couldn't STAND her fittings."
"I'm sure she'd have sat through them for you." Susan spoke, a kind smile on her lips.
Sanya scoffed slightly, "Possibly, but that bottle of Prosecco in the corner wouldn't have lasted this long."
"We'd have been on the third." Lucy agreed with a laugh.
"Probably second." Sanya replied, chuckling. "I don't usually drink, remember."
"You've got the patience of a saint then." Susan replied and pointedly took a sip from the glass.
"We'd have made up for your lack." Lucy reassured her. "And I assure you, you'll turn to alcohol after even a few months of being Queen."
"And having Ed as a husband." Her sister added snidely but before Sanya could retort, she said, rather nostalgically, "Ed married... oh, I still remember how Mum used to say how shocked I was when I saw his brown eyes- we all had blue- and he- oh, he used to be a perfect sweetheart when he was a child..."
The other women looked alarmed at the tears accumulating in the eldest Queen's eyes, "then became so surly and rude when he was younger. But now- he's King and happy and good and getting married- I'm so proud. Ah, but he's still so little!"
Here, Sanya HAD to interject. "I assure you, he's not LITTLE at all."
Her future sisters-in-law made faces at her.
Blinking back her tears, Susan said, "Disgusting. Vile, utterly."
"You two deserve each other, you walking innuendo makers." Lucy said, shuddering and took a sip of her drink.
"I meant he isn't a child anymore!" The bride-to-be's face was unconvincingly innocent. "What did you think I meant?"
But all she got was two unimpressed looks.
Lilith would've laughed, she thought sourly before another pin pricked her in her stomach.
"How much LONGER of this acupuncture?"
The acupuncturist looked up to her, not in the least bit reprimanded by the Queens' glares- he had had many a bitchy royal customer and was used to it.
"The silhouette and neckline-" She had wanted a lower neckline but APPARENTLY there was enough time to wear skimpy clothes on her honeymoon, wherever it was "is done, Your Highness, but the hem and sleeves are left. As is the embellishments, which will take me at least a month to sew on."
"I've to stay here for a month?"
The sister Queens burst out laughing as the tailor shook his head at the future Queen and continued doing what he was paid to do but was considering retiring from.
--
"I think the white was- Peter!"
"Hey." The High King spoke with a small laugh as he stood to offer Lucy an embrace- which was accepted within a second, of course.
"You're back." Susan spoke, pleasantly surprised as she embraced her elder brother also once Lucy had retreated.
"I missed you lot. The flat's great, but- well, it hasn't the commotion that there is here."
"You went to get away from all of that." Susan spoke, rolling her eyes light-heartedly as the settled in armchairs.
"All of that. Not all of you." He spoke with a smile that had once made his wife's heart flutter. "Where's Sanya?"
"You best not have left her alone with them!" Edmund finally voiced, placing the book he'd been lost into down.
"They're here to fit her dress, not tort- harm her." His elder sister spoke pointedly, swiftly correcting her near slip up.
"They were poking holes in her, though." Lucy pointed out. "I felt bad, but- even SU was falling asleep."
"She'll kill you when she escapes." Edmund warned, placing the book further away- apparently 'family time' mattered?
"'Escapes'? Ed said you were just having dress fittings."
"We were." Lucy replied, "You wouldn't know how terrible the whole ordeal is."
"We have suits!" Edmund argued for his brother.
"Oh, stop complaining, the lot of you. It's really not that terrible." The eldest Queen spoke, shaking her head, "We run a country, we can manage a few pin pricks."
"And being prodded and poked for a few hours? They can have the country."
"Oh, Ed. Stop being so over dramatic."
"Clearly that's why YOU'RE High King. Willing to take anything- from pinpricks to prods for your people and country."
"You would, too." Lucy told him pointedly. "You DO."
"Only because the country would be in ruin without me."
"See, you do care about it!" Susan spoke, amused.
"Well, yes. It's the home of rugby!"
"Along with your people." Peter reminded him pointedly.
"Yeah, them too."
Lucy chuckled at her brother's tone of his answer.
"You love the country, really."
"Of course I do, do you really I would put up with everything instead of just skipping away to some paradise island with Sanya if I didn't?" The brunet asked rhetorically.
"You ARE kipping away to a paradise island." Susan reminded him- everything about the wedding and related to it had to be screened by her, even the honeymoon destination.
"But not for ever..."
"The country WOULD be in ruins without you." Peter felt his heart warm much more than he had thought possible again as he looked over to his siblings. "All of you, really, but mainly Ed for the last few months."
His brother looked extremely surprised. "Er- thanks, Pete. It means a lot, truly it does, especially coming from you."
"You two DO love each other!" Lucy burst out, it being quite obvious the brothers wanted to hug.
The two looked at her, mock annoyed.
"How DARE you even say such a thing, Lucy?"
"I shall have you exiled for even making a preposterous claim."
Susan rolled her eyes at them, yet joined Lucy with the imploring tone as she told them- "Oh, just hug."
"Not with an audience, thank you very much. Especially one with a camera ready." Edmund eyed the contraption next to his little sister.
"WHY do you have a camera?" Peter asked, as usual oblivious to everything.
"I was taking pictures of Sanya in her dress-"
"You've got pictures of her? Show me- ow!" Edmund moved his head away from Susan's hand, lest she strike him again. "What?"
"You're not supposed to see her in her dress!"
"It's just a picture-"
"Oh, shut up, you two." Peter swatted his hand at them. "Lu, go on."
"Then I remembered that Jill was meant to come today, so I figured I might have a photoshoot with her."
"Don't you usually have shoots with Rheia?"
"Yes, and it might surprise you to know, Pete, but there ARE differences between a dog and a human."
"Dogs are infinite times better." Sanya came storming in the room, face thunderous. "I swear, as beautiful as the dress is-"
"Just one picture, Lu, I'll love you forever-" The younger King practically begged his sister as his fiancée continued ranting to his elder siblings.
"Absolutely not, it's bad luck!"
Perhaps putting down his book had been the wrong decision, he grumbled mentally.
----------
"You're early!"
"I can go if you like- perhaps come back later?" Jill offered with a small laugh, relishing in how quick the youngest Queen shook her head.
"No, no! It's fine! We can start early!" Lucy spoke, grabbing the girl's hand and leading her through the Palace.
"Start what?"
"The photo shoot!"
"The- Lucy! You should have warned me! I'd have worn something more photo-shoot worthy!"
"You ALWAYS look photo-shoot worthy." Lucy glanced back to tell her. "You've more fashion sense than even Susan!"
Jill laughed, "No one has more fashion sense than Susan- she's an icon!"
"Only because she's Queen! If you had that publicity- Susan would have competition."
Jill could only smile, ignoring the heat that were creeping to her cheeks.
"Left- lift you head- try- oh, never mind. You're doing better on your own." Lucy called from behind the camera to her friend who'd been obeying her commands for the past half an hour.
"Free style?" Jill laughed, stopping to raise an eyebrow at the Queen.
"It's worth a try!"
And so Jill did. She posed and she laughed, she spun and she laughed more.
And it was in that following hour that, behind the viewfinder, Lucy Pevensie suddenly wondered if it WAS purely her fashion-sense that made Jill so photo-shoot worthy.
"Well, that was fun!" Jill beamed another hour later to Lucy, who'd stopped taking pictures some minutes ago, only seeing the blonde dance through the palace halls and the staircases after that. "I never would've thought it."
"I suppose it helps if the subject and the photographer are friends." The brunette shrugged, getting up from the step she was sitting on.
"You say subject, and I feel like I'm in an experiment to discover something new and exciting."
New and exciting, most definitely, the Queen thought and ignored it.
"I'm not cruel enough to experiment on you." She laughed. "Anyway, I suppose you can't stay for supper?"
Jill WANTED to stay forever but shook her head. "I can't, sorry, familial obligation to carry out."
"I don't suppose we can do another sleepover?" Lucy suggested, hardly even joking.
"Your wish is my command, Your Majesty." She laughed back, walking backwards so as to not lose sight of the brunette's face.
"Oh, don't call me that, I'm only Lucy with you- or rather, Cupcake."
"Again, your wish is my command, You-"
"Oh, hush already." Lucy shook her head, despite her laughter. "Well, I'll develop the pictures- and I'll send them to you when I can."
"Or just give them to me when you see me again. Surely, this wa- this photoshoot wasn't a one time thing?" A blond eyebrow was raised. "You don't seem like a one night stand girl."
Lucy looked flabbergasted. "I- oh, Jill! MUST you use such metaphors?"
But she couldn't help her giggle nor fight the blush on her pale cheeks.
The blonde only shrugged. "It'd be your loss, Cupcake. Well then-" The main doors came into view and she nearly collided with them "goodbye, Lucy."
"Come with me to the wedding?" She was unable to stop herself. "Your presence would make the occasion even better."
"What wedding?"
Here, Lucy rolled her eyes. "Obviously my brother's wedding! I don't go around attending just any Tom, Dick or Harry's wedding, you know."
"Are you even ALLOWED to have a date?" Jill really hoped her heart would stop beating so loud or she'd be unable to hear the Queen's answer.
"Yes, and besides, it's just as friends, so it wouldn't matter anyways." Lucy instantly felt horrible after she said this- though it WAS the truth. They were friends and leading someone on was a terrible thing.
"Then it's perfect then." Her smile had never been more fake. "See you at the wedding, Cupcake."
"Hopefully sooner, Tumbled Down the Hill, hopefully sooner." Lucy whispered as she saw the silhouette disappear through the grounds.
----------
"You'll be fine, Eddie."
"Don't call me that! I'm fine, anyway!"
The High King bit back a laugh, focusing on his own tie once more- something he'd finally been managing to master.
"People who're 'fine' don't put salt in their coffee." Caspian spoke, pulling on his shoes.
"The pots looked alike!" The youngest king snapped before adding, "I'm about to get married, cut me some slack."
"The entirety of the press- and viewing nation- won't 'cut you some slack' if you mess up later, cousin."
"Oh, shut up, Eustace. Your jacket's got a mark on."
"What? Where? I can't-" Yet then the groom's cousin realised their wasn't a mark anywhere, and that he'd simply been fooled, and seethed.
"20 minutes. You ready?" The blond King turned to face his brother.
"Well, I'm clothed, if that's what you mean."
"Not ready to get married?" Caspian spoke, looking to Edmund also. "That could be an issue."
"No. I'm pretty sure I'm ready."
"Positive?"
"Pete! You're supposed to be supportive! Not making me second guess!"
It was Sanya. Of course he was ready.
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. You do realise you've got odd socks on, though-"
"Crap."
---
"How does it look?"
"It's beautiful, of course. It IS a royal wedding." Jill told Lucy down the phone from where she'd arrived with the guests at the venue.
"Oh, I can't wait to see it! It'll be stunning! And you, of course."
"Can't wait to see me too, or I'll be stunning too?" Jill dared quietly down the phone, hiding her amused anxiety for the answer from the bustling guests around her.
Lucy also glanced around her at the ready bride and bridal party before answering, "Both, of course. My- best friend's always stunning. Do all the flowers look right? Su'll flip if they aren't."
"As I said, cupcake. It's a royal wedding- of course everything is perfect."
"Good. I don't think I could put up with- yes, Susan! One minute, I- okay, okay I'm coming! I'm sorry, I have to go. Bridesmaid-y things."
"Have fun, I'll see you after."
"That's only when the fun'll start, believe me."
Then, the blonde heard her friend call to her sister once more, and the line went dead.