It is a wonder that the great king has chosen to marry the daughter of the blacksmith. Rumors spread like wildfire. We do not know what charm she must have used to captivate him. Some speculate she may be a witch, for the king would not have chosen a lady whose skin is not fair and whose hands are not as soft as those of other maidens.
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"That is the finest hairpin, one of those your Father got for me during his travels in America. Oh, look, it fits you perfectly," Mrs. Catherine said as she held her daughter's hair, turning her head from side to side while viewing her through the mirror.
Madeline's shoulders slumped; she cared little about the hairpin or the powder applied to her face, as her heart was beating drastically. Today was the day she would be returning to the castle, as the wedding was scheduled for tomorrow.
"Mother," she bit her lip, "Do you think I would make a great queen?"
"Oh," her mother clasped her hand over her mouth, her eyes gleaming, "You will do more than great, my dear. You are going to be the country's best queen."
Madeline gave her a small smile. Her mother was the happiest; the joy on her face was unlike anything she had ever seen before. She was crying softly, sniffing into a white kerchief, as if she had been waiting all her life for this moment.
"Mother," Madeline sighed, turning towards her, "I will be going far away. I will be gone for a long time and I will not see you, Father, or Josiah. It will take a while." She bit her lip, unsure of what lay ahead. This was all new to her; she had never been away for so long.
"I know, my dear. This is how we all felt on our wedding days. But do not worry, we will come to visit often," her mother reassured her, squeezing her shoulder. "Now, you will go to the castle and be the perfect queen."
Madeline nodded, staring back at the mirror. "He could have picked anyone else other than me. Why me?" Those words were not meant to be overheard by her mother, but she heard it nevertheless.
Mrs. Catherine shrugged, picking up a brush and starting to comb her daughter's hair. "One cannot question one's destiny," she said, then let the curls loose and looked at her daughter through the mirror. "There. All done. Oh, you look just like me when I was younger."
Madeline smiled, shaking her head. "I bet I look more like Father."
They both laughed, and then Mrs. Catherine waved her hand. "Look at your mother, Madeline. Look at her, and look at yourself. There, there, that's the resemblance."
Madeline bit her tongue. She did resemble her mother, no doubt, but her tanned skin made her feel less attractive compared to her mother, whose skin had a natural glow even at night.
Josiah rushed into the room, watching his sister in awe through the mirror. "Madeline, is that you?"
Both women laughed.
"Come here, Jo," she opened her arms and he jumped into her embrace. "I will miss you, my boy."
Jo nodded. "I will miss you too, Madeline, but I promise to visit."
"Of course you will."
"Ah," he leaned back, darting his eyes from his sister to his mother, "will Mother take me henceforth to the cathedral, or do I have to go by myself?"
"Of course I will take you there," their mother answered before Madeline could reply, "Do not worry about that."
"All right, bye Madeline, I will see you tomorrow." With that, he dashed off.
"Father?" Madeline slightly tilted her head, her shoulders slumping. Internally, she was exhausted.
"He will come for the wedding tomorrow," her mother gave her a tight smile, "he must have customers so as not to see you off."
Madeline nodded. She knew he did not have any customers; it must have bothered him to think he was selling his daughter off. But he need not feel that way; this was Madeline's decision.
"Tomorrow then," she nodded.
The carriage arrived, one that would take this lady to her new household, to the castle and wait upon tomorrow for the grand wedding. Madeline made a final, or perhaps not final, goodbye to her family since she would still be meeting them tomorrow at the wedding. Then she climbed into the carriage, the horseman helping her with her gown, which in fact was heavy and big, another one sent by the king, another gesture that troubled her.
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In the bustling street, at the market where their mother's tailor shop was, they sat in chairs overlooking the street. Georgina, the second daughter of Mrs. Sophia opened her mouth, her hazel eyes blinking at her mother and Elizabeth as she called on her elder sister, "Hyacinth."
"Hmm?" Hyacinth peeped through many cloths, frowning. "Why have you called me in such a way?"
Georgina twirled her head towards her sister. "Did you not hear what mother just said?"
"What?" Hyacinth said uninterestedly. What could make one flare up but unimportant gossip? She should rather focus on the dress she was embroidering. However, when Georgina said the next words, it truly got her jumping.
"The king is set to marry Madeline."
"No way," she raced towards them, her eyes darting. "Madeline is no fine lady to sit on the throne."
Mrs. Sophia held her head, muttering something. Then she spoke, "But she is about to; did you not hear? The wedding will be held tomorrow."
Elizabeth nodded, "Yes, it seems so. That day I went to her place, it seems the king's carriage arrived, one from the castle."
Georgina and Hyacinth gasped.
"She is lowly," Hyacinth spat.
"Neither is she more pretty," Georgina added disgustedly.
"But she is marrying the king. When will any of you bring in a noble suitor, one who lives in the big town? Look," Mrs. Sophia pointed towards the opposite shop, "soon, he would have more customers than us because everyone would try to be on his good side." She glared at her children. "When will you bring such a suitor?"
"Mother," Elizabeth said softly, "it is not our fault."
"Travel," their mother waved her hand impatiently, "and get yourself one."
The children nodded but still frowned for the big opportunity that Madeline got.
"Did you say the wedding is tomorrow?" Hyacinth asked, suddenly interested. Their mother nodded.
"I'm sure we won't be chased out if we attended," she said with a big smile.