The parade float Andrius and Sybil were on continued moving on its intended path, and Sybil looked out at the crowd that was clapping and cheering for her while Andrius waved and smiled at his people. Just a few minutes ago, she not only found out the soldier she had helped was the crown prince, but then she found out that she was apparently going to marry him.
She felt shell-shocked and couldn’t move or make a sound, not even when the parade ended and it was time for her and Andrius to get off the float. Life around her continued to move at its fast pace, but Sybil felt frozen and confused.
“Come, my love,” Andrius said as he held out a hand for Sybil to take.
She blinked out of her daze and gulped before she took Andrius’ hand and made her way down the stairs and off the float. She looked around at the heavily armed guards that were surrounding her and the prince before she realized that the float had taken them back to the church where the pair had first met.
“Go pack your things and we will make our way home,” Andrius told her. “I’ll wait for you here.”
“What?” she asked after she finally found her voice. She had not said a word since she found out he was a prince, but the confusion she felt in that moment finally pulled her from her stupor.
“You can bring as much or as little as you choose. I’ll make sure you have everything you need in the castle,” Andrius assured her.
Sybil nodded her head before she turned to walk into the church. She felt like she was on autopilot. Everything was happening so fast, and she didn’t have time to process any of it. She had no idea how she felt yet, but her heart started to race with each step she took towards the place that had been her home the last sixteen years.
When she walked through the doors, the sisters were sitting in pews with their heads all turned towards the entrance as if they had been anxiously waiting for their adopted child to return.
“Oh Sybil, how was it my dear?” Sister Elizabeth asked as she stood and made her way towards Sybil.
“It was, uhm—we should sit, I have something I need to confess to you,” Sybil struggled to say once she reached them.
“What is it? You don’t seem well, did something happen?” Sister Mary immediately asked as she placed the back of her hand on Sybil’s forehead to check her temperature.
Sybil looked between the sisters and took in a deep breath before she started from the beginning and told them about the night Andrius came crashing into her life. She told them that she had kept his existence a secret because she didn’t want the sisters being at risk should someone come looking for him. That was only partially the truth though because Sybil still didn’t feel comfortable sharing with them about her magical healing powers.
The sisters stared in awe at Sybil as she explained how when she went to the festival that she saw the man she saved, and she discovered that he had been the crown prince that people had feared to be dead. By the time Sybil told them that he wanted to repay her by marrying her and making her a princess, all of the sister’s eyes looked like they were about to bulge from their heads from shock.
“Oh my,” Sister Mary said when Sybil finally reached the end of her story.
The four women sat in silence for a while to process. The more and more time that passed, the more Sybil’s numbness started to melt away and realization started to set in.
“Our child is going to be a princess!” Sister Margaret shouted, breaking the silence. Her smile lit up the room, and she clapped in glee, which caused the other two nuns to giggle.
“But that means she’ll be leaving us,” Sister Elizabeth said, causing the tension in the room to go back up. “I’m sad to see you go, but I know it must be because our gracious God has a bigger plan with you in mind. You keep your head up and make us proud, my child.”
Sybil felt tears prick at her eyes as she jumped forward to hug Sister Elizabeth. The other two nuns joined in and wrapped their arms around each other so that they were huddled together in a warm embrace.
“I promise I’ll come back as often as they let me,” Sybil said through tears. Even though she had started to feel excited about her chance at a new life, leaving behind the people who had done everything for her would be difficult. Those three ladies were her role models, inspiration, strength, and light, and she would miss them more than words could ever express.
The three nuns helped Sybil pack the few dresses and shoes she had. She didn’t have much, so it took them no time at all before they found themselves walking her towards the doors of the church so that they could send her off to become a princess.
Sybil felt the tears threaten to spill again, and when Sister Margaret saw the young girl struggling, she grabbed her cheeks and said, “You have always been light among the darkness in this world. Your beauty isn’t just skin-deep, my child, and it’s about time that the rest of the world gets to see how wonderful you are. It sounds like the people at the festival already got a small glimpse.”
Sybil nodded, thankful for the words of encouragement, and gave each of the sister’s one last hug before she went back outside to leave with Andrius. An endearing smile immediately graced Andrius’ face when he saw Sybil, and he held out a hand for her to join him.
“Are you ready to leave?” he asked her.
She looked back behind her at the church, the only home she had ever really known, before she looked back over to Andrius and gave him a delicate smile. “I am,” she said, and it was the truth. As sad as she was to leave, she was equally as excited for this next chapter in her story.
One of the guards took Sybil’s small bag before Andrius helped her into the carriage before he hopped in behind her.
Knowing that Sybil must have been experiencing an influx of various emotions, Andrius didn’t push her to talk during their carriage ride. He allowed her to look out the window at places he knew she had never seen, while he told her what each place they passed was.
They were going to be married, so he knew they would have plenty of time to acquaint themselves with one another more than they already had while she helped him heal. He was elated that she had come to the festival. He had come to miss the innocent church girl, and he knew the second he saw her pushing through the crowd that he wouldn’t be able to walk away from her a second time.
By the time they made it to the castle, Sybil’s nerves began to kick in, and she tapped her feet on the carriage floor. The action made Andrius chuckle, but he grabbed her hand and held it tightly to help ease her tensions.
“I’ve never been in a castle before,” Sybil said to Andrius as he helped her out of the carriage, finally breaking her silence.
“No? I would have never guessed,” Andrius replied with a wink.
Sybil smiled and felt a little better after that. Even though Andrius was playfully teasing her, it felt nice to have him with her again. She had missed him, teasing and all.
The guards opened up the grand front doors, and Andrius led Sybil through the long entry hall. “Where are we going?” she asked as she tried to take everything in at once.
“So curious. You’ll see,” he said with a smirk.
When they reached a room that held two thrones, Sybil realized Andrius’ plan. Sitting tall in the thrones were the King and Queen of Ignis. Sybil’s eyes widened, and she moved closer to Andrius’ arm in an effort to hide behind him.
“Mother, Father, I’d like to introduce you to the angel who saved my life and cared for me those weeks that I was gone. This is Sybil, and I have chosen her to be my bride,” Andrius said as he moved away to present Sybil to them.