It was 3 days before the wedding. I still had a dress fitting, deciding flowers, which noble to invite and what food to eat. I wasn't even from this empire and the queen was very adamant on me deciding these things. I was exhausted. I just wanted to rest my eyes a little but I couldn't even do that. 

"So this is were you hid" I heard a familiar voice come from behind me "Theo?" I said quietly with a little shocked as I turned my head to look at him. "When did you..." "just a moment ago" he said interrupting me. I sighed "what are you doing up here?" I asked him. 

"I wished to see you" he said sweetly "your mother is driving me crazy" I told him "she cares that is a good thing" he replied. "No I believe she is actually just trying to work to death" I told him. "Think of it like this the faster you get it done the faster you can rest" he said with a light smile. "Perhaps" I replied. "You will be a beautiful bride" he said "I'm sure your already imagining consummating this marriage" I said looking away from him.

He lightly grabbed my face and turned it toward him. "I'm a gentleman, I will not force you if you do not wish" he said light heartedly. I looked into his eyes. I could see he was being truthful. I sighed. "I should get back to the wedding preparation" I said pulling away from him.

I then jumped out of the tree, and began to walk away. "Princess there you are" a group of maids said approaching me. "Come the queen is waiting" one as as they lightly began to push back into the castle. I was bored with everything already, but in the end this was my choice, and I needed Angerias help if I wished to take zera from my father. 

"Took you long enough" the queen said as we entered a dressing room. "We have brought over 20 dresses for you to try on you must pick one" she said in an annoyed tone. The maids began to pull the dresses off of the rack they hung on and put them infront of me, as I stood I front of the queen. 

"How's this your majesty" she swipped her and to the right. "And this" said another maid, this time he hand went towards the left. What was this what was she doing? She kept this up for the next few minutes until the dresses were sorted. 

"You shall take the dresses on the right and try them on, the ones on the left could be burned for all I care. I stayed silent. I couldn't risk saying anything that might ruin my chances of getting married. 

"What are you waiting for?" She asked, "undress" she added. "You wish for me to undress infront of you?" I questioned. "She smiled and walked over towards me. "Were both women here my dear" she said. It was obvious she was antagonizing me. Or at least trying to. 

"I will not undress in front of your majesty" I said firmly. She sighed and leaned closer to me. "You don't have a choice" she said. "The king may wish to use you now but all I need to say is a few simple words to convince him your the enemy my dear" she said. Was she really threatening me?

"Do you really want to risk losing us as your allies?" She asked. I was silent. "Come now you poor unfortunate soul" she said sarcastically as she began to walk around me "go ahead... make your choice" she said leaning into me. "I'm a very busy woman and I haven't got all day" she added backing up to the door. "It won't cost much... just your pride" she said as I turned to her. 

God how I hated this woman. I thought as I looked at her with disdain. "Oh you poor poor soul, so very sad. Yet so very true" she said dramatically. "If you want this alliance to work it would be best if you listen, after all the only strength you have is the dragons you care so deeply about" she said. 

I truly had no choice. At least not yet. I began to undress. And it only took a moment for me to be standing fully naked infront of the queen along with the many maids in the room. The maids gasped in shock. "A poor soul indeed" the queen said. "Cursed with an ugly body because you were raised without love" she added, as she stared at the scars covering my body. The scars that were created by my father. 

"Put on the first dress" the queen said coldly as she gestured to the first maid who was holding a dress.the maid quickly approached me and helped me put on the dress. "Next" the queen said quickly. 

I spent the next 2 hours trying on dresses. Some I even tried on more then once. By the time I was done it was dark. I went straight to my room after, I didn't eat. I felt oddly humiliated that a woman like her not only saw my body but judged It. It wasn't as if I liked how my body looked. It wasn't as if I wished for it to look like this, or wven had a choice. 

And it wasn't as if I hadn't looked for countless healing potions in order to get rid of the scars. The only thing I do do was with with them a d move on. One day I would give my father exactly what he deserved, one day he would pay for all his choices. One day he'd regret hurting not only his family but all of Zera. 

To be Continued