We have a wedding to plan!

[Willow]

Willow was tired of all the construction going on. Her favorite place in the garden was now occupied by architects, contractors, laborers, and men who had come to Arconia, boasting that they were going to rule the throne. Steve was having a hard time at The Bitter End, with all the extra patrons, many of whom were getting drunk by spiking their Frescas and then starting brawls. This tournament was making a peaceful city into a horrid place to be. Prince Nicholas was contemplating entering the tournament, hoping that he would be able to help Zelda.

The other thing bothering Willow was her inability to see her best friend. She had yet to be allowed to see Lady Moon. Every time she went to her chamber, Willow was turned away by either Dr. What's-His-Name or by that nasty attorney. Willow had a serious problem with that attorney. Why would Moon want to sue Arconia for everything that had happened to her? That just didn't make sense to Willow. Oh, well. What she really had to do was talk to Moon about her upcoming marriage. Now that Moon was home, Willow had agreed to marry Nicholas in a simple ceremony, so long as Lady Moon could attend her as her maid of honor.

Willow carefully watched the door leading into Lady Moon's chambers. The doctor was out, and so was the lawyer. Perhaps this was her time. She made her way to the door, and carefully knocked upon it. There was no answer. Carefully, she tried the door. It was locked. Looking around, she saw that no one was there. Using her magic, which had been strengthening since her rest, the door easily opened to admit her. She made her way to the bed, looking at the form that appeared to be sleeping on it.

"Moon? Are you awake?" There was no answer. Willow sat down in the chair next to the bed and reached for Moon's hand. Holding her hand, Willow began to softly cry. She had missed her friend so much. Stirring, the form on the bed opened her eyes and looked upon Willow. Smiling, Lady Moon looked at Willow and said, "What brings you here?" Willow began to talk, telling Moon of her marriage and asking her to attend her. Moon said, "Well, that depends on what my doctor has to say. I don't know if I'm yet well enough to attend a wedding, much less be your maid of honor. But, I'll make sure to talk to the doctor. I'm dreadfully sorry, Willow, but I have to ask you to leave right now. I'm just so tired."

Willow left the room, very happy to have seen her friend. However, for some reason she couldn't explain, she had this nagging feeling in the back of her neck. Something wasn't quite right. What was it? She would have to think about this.

<img src="graemlins/freak2.gif" border="0" alt="[Freak]" />

[Zelda]

I cant HANDLE a wedding right now! The labours are tramping mud everywhere and the noise is driving me potty!

[Iwant2bafencer]

lol yea, and there's no way I'm letting you have the wedding while we're gone!
Driving you potty your majesty? Hey! whatever floats your ship.

-----------------
Carpe Diem

[Willow]

LOL, now did I say there was going to BE a wedding? I said it's time to PLAN the wedding. There's something going to happen, there's a plan afoot......and do you HONESTLY think that I would get married without EVERYONE there? Tee-hee.......&lt;whistling innocently&gt;

[DamedEscrime]

Beside..I thought that when Loch gets back we just might.....you know. And I wanted to be first in Arconia.... and I was waiting for King Arcon so he could give me away...and I have a whole bunch of Arconian wedding traditions to write about and ...and....and.. <img src="graemlins/crap.gif" border="0" alt="[Crap]" />

[ 02-04-2002: Message edited by: DamedEscrime ]</p>

[Willow]

The only thing I will say is I HAVE to get married before the baby is born. After all, the heir to the throne should be legitimate...LOL.....

[lochinvar]

Well, Willow, unless you're planning to have the baby in the next three weeks, we should be home in plenty of time for that!

[Zelda]

Potty is an australian slang term meaning barmy or insane. I am well aware of the american meaning!

[ 02-05-2002: Message edited by: Zelda ]</p>

[Iwant2bafencer]

Ooohh! I see hehe note to self: get out of the box.

------------------
Carpe Diem

[Willow]

The baby isn't due for another month or two, give or take. HOWEVER....LOL, I do have something in mind that I want to have happen....so just remember this....just because I write something....doesn't mean it's going to happen or whatever.....LOL.....just be prepared to roll with the punches. And, I promise, while it will be something wild, it won't interfere with plans that others might have...

[Willow]

Lord Tellurine, disguised as the doctor, saw Willow leave Ken-Dall's room. This was not good. As Willow rounded the corner, Tellurine hurried down the hall and entered the room. Ken-Dall was sitting up in bed laughing. Tellurine closed the door, then roared, "What was that WITCH doing in here? How could you let her in this room? I told you that NO ONE was to come in here without my permission!" Ken-Dall continued to laugh softly. This only made Tellurine more mad.

Ken-Dall, finally able to control her laughter, began to talk. "Oh, silly man, you worry needlessly. Willow used her magic to come into the room. She isn't nearly as weak as you might think. She didn't see through my performance, though. She thinks that I am her precious Moon. She merely came in here to ask me to be maid of honor to her upcoming wedding. She and that rotten Nicholas are going to be married soon, before their brat arrives. What do you think about that?" She began laughing again, having to put one of the pillows over her mouth to muffle the sound.

Tellurine looked thoughtful for a moment. "You in their wedding, huh? Hmmm....this could be an interesting development. Maybe we should plan something special for this momentous occassion...." His laughter joined Ken-Dall's as the two contemplated how to make sure that this wedding would never be forgotten.

[Swordsman]

Does anybody remember the maniacal laughter scene with Dr. Evil from Austin Powers?

[Willow]

Lady "Moon" sent for Willow, asking Willow to join her in her room. Willow hurried to see her friend. Upon entering the room, she saw Moon on the bed and the doctor sitting in a chair next to her. The doctor stood up and motioned for Willow to sit down in the chair. Willow did, anxious to hear what Moon was going to tell her.

"The doctor has given me permission to be in your wedding. He says I'll be strong enough and well enough by then." Willow gave a cry of delight and reached out to hug Moon. The doctor stopped her before she could complete the hug, however. "The Princess is not well enough yet for you to hug her. If you want her to be in your wedding, you need to allow her to rest and gain her strength back. If you want, the tailor can come in and take her measurements for the gown you want her to wear. Other than that, she should be left alone as much as possible."

Willow frowned. "Fine, Doctor. If that's what you think is best. The wedding is to take place in less than two weeks. Either my mother or Moon's mother will help with the arrangements." "That will be fine," the doctor said, "Perhaps it is best if you leave my patient, now."

Willow rose to leave the room. As she left, she muttered to herself, "There's something about that doctor. I just don't like him or trust him."

[lochinvar]

bumping

[Willow]

&lt;editor's note: Ok, now that my life is more or less back to normal (ok, what is normal and do I really want to be that way?), let's see if we can bring this thread a bit more up to date. Remember, what you see here isn't necessarily what you get...in other words, don't panic if you see something here you might not be prepared for. Anything can happen in Arconia...and it usually does.&gt;

Willow smiled as she smelled her wedding bouquet of freshly cut roses and irises and lilies. Nothing in the world could smell as sweet on such a beautiful day as this, her wedding day. Lady Olivia finished pinning the veil on her daughter's head, trying to hold back the tears. Moon stood by, looking tired, but rather radiant, in her burgandy silk dress, swinging her own bouquet in her hands. Down in the chapel, Prince Nicholas stood by, waiting for his bride. He looked a bit nervous, but then, don't most grooms?

Proceeded by Moon, Willow cautiously made her way down the stairs, entering the chapel. Queen Zelda, sitting in front with Lady Olivia, smiled, remembering her own wedding to Arcon. Oh, how she wished he were here with her now! Hopefully, the search party would return soon with some word of what had happend to her king. The not knowing was the worst. &lt;sigh&gt; It was time to put her own sorrows aside for a few hours. This was Willow's day, and nothing must be allowed to spoil it.

Moon and then Willow reached the altar. Nicholas reached out for Willow's hand, squeezing it tightly in his own. She was finally going to be his after all this time! Willow and Nicholas looked ahead at the friar waiting to marry them. The ancient words he spoke were fresh, new, exciting, as they heard them spoken to them for the first time.

"We are gathered in this beautiful place, in the sight of God, and all of you, to witness the marriage between these two young people: Prince Nicholas of Marsteria, and Lady Willow of Schoolcraftia and Arconia. Marriage is an honorable institution, not to be entered into lightly or without much thought. If there is anyone here who can show just cause as to why these two people should not be joined together, let him or her speak now, or forever hold his or her peace."

Looking around and blushing, Willow and Nicholas began to laugh and relax. Surely no one would object to their finally getting married! Just as the friar opened his mouth to continue on with the ceremony, a voice spoke up. "I know why they shouldn't get married."

Willow, shocked, turned to look at the person who had spoken. "Moon, what's the meaning of this? Why shouldn't I marry the man I love?"

[Willow]

Lord Tellurine, disguised as the doctor with the name no human being could pronounce, watched the wedding from the back of the chapel. He smiled evilly as he watched the spectacle at the front. Willow looked ready to cry and Nicholas looked both angry and embarrassed.

"Moon, what is the meaning of this? Why do you object to my marriage?" Willow began to sob as she faced the girl she thought to be her best friend. Moon looked at her and said, "You shouldn't marry him because he has made advances towards me."

At this bombshell, Nicholas looked white with rage. "How DARE you tell lies about me?! You were the one who tried to get me to kiss you. When I refused, you said something about getting even." Moon, a single tear trickling down her face, looked at Willow and said, "You must believe me. I can't let you marry someone who can't even be faithful to you."

Queen Zelda, Queen Joslyn and Lady Olivia all stood up and began yelling. The stressful time had taken its toll on everyone, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. What was going on? Could this be true? Willow screamed at everyone to shut up and looked from one face to another. She couldn't take anymore trouble or grief. She ran out of the chapel, and locked herself in her room.

[Zelda]

Again??? Willow dear you are locking yourself in alot lately! (The queen breaks up from School in 4 hours and will write loads after that!)

[Lord Tellurine]

The cake was magnificent. Nani had done a wonderful job on it. It was three layers and each layer was a different flavor. The top flavor was chocolate and was Brother Emmanuel’s favorite. He plucked off the little bride from the top and sliced himself another piece. Queen Joslyn shot him a nasty look, but he shrugged innocently indicating that he felt precisely as she did… Why the heck not?

The wedding had already been a disaster. All thanks to Lady Moon. What was wrong with her these days? Queen Zelda couldn’t understand what would make her do these terrible things. Sue the kingdom, destroy her best friend’s wedding, and keep that strange Dr. Wolfen-what’s-his-name around. She glanced back at the hairy-faced man, who despite the trouble his patient had caused, was smiling contently under his thick beard. Something about that doctor and that lawyer of Lady Moon’s made her very uneasy. She was glad she never met the two at the same time, as she believed the experience might be too creepy to handle.

Colin, the Earl of Brenwyck, sat down next to the perplexed Queen and said loudly, “Craig’s arm hair! As if things in Arconia couldn’t get worse!”

“I know,” sighed Queen Zelda. “I was hoping that this wedding would brighten up the mood in the castle. It’s been very depressing here lately. How I miss Arcon.

Colin did his best smile reassuringly, but it came off as an attempt to stifle a burp. He finally gave up and told her, “If there’s anything at all that Mortas and I can do for you… Please, don’t hesitate to ask.” He shot out a quick hearty laugh. “Besides, once you win the tournament and reclaim your throne there won’t be kingdom around that won’t respect you.”

“Which reminds me,” said Queen Zelda, standing, “I need to practice.” She looked down at the large Earl and she placed her hand on his shoulder. “I must thank you and Mortas for all that you’ve done for me. I would never be able to concentrate on winning the tournament if I didn’t have you two helping with the everyday affairs of running the kingdom.”

“Craig’s receding hair line!” boomed Colin, shattering any quiet the castle chapel tried to cling to, “It’s our duty and our pleasure!”

Queen Zelda gave the bewildered Prince Nicholas a reassuring nod and took her leave.

Lord Tellurine watched as she went and sneered at Colin, who was joining Brother Emmanuel at the cake. “So, he said to himself under his thick beard, “The Earl of Brenwyck and the Duke of Angford are keeping things running smoothly so Queen Zelda can concentrate on winning the tournament.” He lost himself in thought as he twisted the end of his thick black beard with his finger. “Perhaps,” he finally continued, “Queen Zelda would not do so well at the tournament if the Earl and the Duke began fighting between themselves…” Another evil plan was forming in Lord Tellurine’s head, which wasn’t all that shocking, as Tellurine’s head forms more evil plans by 9 o’clock in the morning than some large energy company executives do all day.

[ 03-26-2002: Message edited by: Lord Tellurine ]</p>

[Willow]

Willow started throwing some clothes into a bag. She wasn't paying any attention to what she had in her hands. She only knew that if it was in her hands, it went into the bag. This was the last straw. Should she believe her best friend? Should she believe her fiance? Willow just couldn't take it, anymore. She had to get away from everyone. The baby within her made its presence known. She took a deep breath and sighed. She had to get ahold of herself. She just couldn't do things on a whim, not with a baby coming. She looked down at the clothes in her hand. "Wait a minute. These clothes are my pre-pregnancy clothes. No way could I fit into any of these for a while." Looking down into her bag, she realized that everything in there wouldn't fit her for quite a while. She began to dump everything out of the bag and started over again, this time paying attention to what she was doing.

Nicholas began pounding on the door. "Willow, please, let me in!" Willow ignored him and continued packing a bag. "Please, let me in. We need to talk." "I have nothing to say to you right now. Please, just leave me alone."

Suddenly, the door flew open, and Nicholas flew into the room, landing on the floor. Willow stared in shocked surprise. She had never known Nicholas to do anything like this. "Get OUT of here!" Nicholas, picking himself up off the floor and looking sheepishly adorable, begged Willow to hear him out. She sat down on the bed and told him to hurry up. She gave Nicholas exactly 5 mintues to tell her his story.

"You know how busy we have been, with preparing for the tournament and everything. You also know how Moon has been in her room almost all the time since she has been back. I received a note from her, asking me to come see her, saying she had some things about the wedding and that she wanted to talk to me. When I went to see her, we talked about flowers and colors and such. It seemed rather pointless for me to be there with her, so I asked her if she wouldn't rather talk about these things with you, instead. Instead of answering me, she came over to me and tried to kiss me! I was shocked, and asked her why she did this. She told me that she had always liked me and that she thought we could have "fun" together! I told her to grow up and left the room as fast as I could. She was very upset and told me that she would see that I got what I deserved. I suppose she felt ruining our wedding was what I deserved for rejecting her."

Willow sighed. "It's not that I don't believe you, but I just don't know what to think or do. My best friend makes advances towards my fiance, supposedly because my fiance says no, she ruins my wedding. Nothing makes sense, anymore. I have to get away for a little while. I need to clear my head and focus once more on my magic. I've been an invalid long enough."

"Get away! You are going to have the baby very soon. You can't leave, now. Where on earth would you go? You aren't in any condition to go anywhere right now." "Nicholas, I have to. If I don't leave, I just don't know what I will do. I fear that I'll do something that I'll regret for the rest of my life." Nicholas, looking at Willow, tried one more tactic. "Your mother will never let you leave." "My mother doesn't control my life, Nicholas. I love and respect her, but even she can't stop me from leaving. I'll be back before the baby is born, and by then, I'll know what to do about our situation. I'll never stop loving you, but I need to go."

Shouldering her bag, Willow left her room and made her way to the stables. Under protest, the grooms prepared her horse for her. Shocked, people watched her leave Arconia, wondering what was going to happen to her, and even themselves.