13 May 2012
The moon shone onto the balcony. A cold breeze made her shudder again. Felix looked at her with sad eyes but his facial expression was stern. A tear rolled down her cheek. He stepped forward to wipe it away with his sleeve. "We'll always be best friends though." he smiled but his eyes were still sad. He began to climb over the balcony railings. "You can't climb down there, it's too high!" she exclaimed. Felix put his finger to his lips and she shut up. He jumped down. She didn't hear a thud when he landed. She looked over the balcony and it was like he had vanished into thin air. Flo slumped over the railing, her hair falling into her eyes. She thought about the next day. Another tear rolled down her cheek, then another one and she buried her face in her hands. She looked up at the moon then went inside, slamming the door behind her.
••••••••
She was woken up again by the sound of her mothers voice. Light reached in through the window as her mother opened the curtains. Flo squinted at the blinding sun. "Florentina, you must get up now!" her mother ordered. She got up from the bed, she was still wearing the filthy purple gown from last night. Her hair was in tangles. Her mother dumped a pile of white silk in her hands. "What's this?" she asked, unfolding it to present a wedding gown with a long flowing train. "It was my wedding dress, and now it's yours." explained the Queen.
"You're giving a lot of gifts these days." said Flo sighing. She stretched her arms and yawned. "Well?"
"Well what?"
"Go and try it on!"
Flo turned on her heel and walked into her bathroom. When she reappeared from behind the mahogany door her mother squealed with delight, fixing her hair. They stood in front of the mirror and her mother put a white veil around her head. It may have looked extravagant to the Queen, but to Flo it was nothing more than a piece of material. She was then given a bouquet of blood red roses. She preferred lilies as they were simpler and didn't have as strong a smell. She sneezed and to of the petals drifted to the floor. Her mother had already started making her way towards the ballroom where the wedding was being held. She sighed and followed. Trying her best not to cry, she blinked back tears. She felt her stomach twist again and the floor turned lumpy. The room started to sway, either that or it was just Flo that was swaying. The roses nearly slipped through her grasp. When she got to the top of the stairs all she could see was a vast amount of people. They all stood up as she entered. The band began to play 'Here Comes The Bride' and she felt her heart pounding against her chest, like it was going to explode. Her father waited at the bottom of the stairs, smiling, an open arm for her to take. She reached him and they walked slowly down the aisle. Everything began to move slowly and she couldn't hear anything, just her heart, beating rapidly. She looked up at the alter and there he stood. The Prince. She began hoping this was all a dream. Her eyes grew heavy and faces became a blur except one. Felix. In a second his smile faded into a frown. In what seemed like an eternity, they reached the alter. Prince Henry smiled at her which made her feel sick. It was a cruel smile, or so it seemed to her. She looked straight ahead. The priest began the ceremony. Flo wasn't listening. She kept turning back to Felix, who was staring at the ground. "And do you, Princess Florentina Di Maggio, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
For a second she thought her heart had stopped beating. Felix looked up. The whole room waited for an answer. Flo stuttered her words "I-I-.." her stomach churned more. "I ..... have to get some air." she ran back down the aisle, the veil fell from her head. Loud murmurs of confusion and worry spread like wild fire through the seats. Flo kept running until she reached the door. Once she was out, she just kept on going and didn't look back. Back at the wedding the Prince stood at the alter, alone and angry. The Queen looked at Felix and he ran off at a great speed, following Flo.
Birds Of A Feather (continued) • Opuss № I