fic: Bridezilla Revisited
Aug. 24th, 2023 11:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bonnefoisTitle: Bridezilla Revisited.
Series: Fire Emblem: Awakening
Character/pairing: Maribelle/Lissa
Rating: 2319
Word count:
Summary: As their wedding day draws near, none of the preparations are enough for Maribelle's taste. Or: Maribelle, Bridezilla extraordinaire.
Author's note: Maribelle would be a complete Bridezilla, the Bridezilla to end all Bridezillas, in fact. This is canon.
I think Henry was the wedding planner.
Title is a bit of play on the book "Brideshead Revisted."
All the staff flinched just slightly as Maribelle threw open the door. She gave a sharp glance over the proceedings.
"What is this?" Maribelle gestured at the dress, filled with pins. "What if Lissa were to try this on without looking? You know how distracted she gets. And these ruffles are positively garish. I said something fashionable and yet fitting. This is not befitting a queen!"
The seamstress flinched, yet remained composed. The sewing needle was held tight between her spindly fingers. "But Lady Maribelle, the wedding day is weeks away," she said.
"Weeks? More like weaks. This is the most important day of Lissa's life, and I will not let your incompetence ruin it. What if due to some foul means, we were forced to marry today? What then?"
Maribelle turned on the next tailor, with untold fury in her blue eyes. "I can tell you what, it would be a disaster! Just look at this! When I ordered bone porcelain, I didn't mean for the cups to be actually made from bones! What do you think I am, a Plegian who drinks from the skulls of my enemies?"
She whirled around, gesturing to the macabre decor.
"Black drapes, black tablecloths, what do you think this is, a funeral? No wedding should be a place of mourning! Whoever chose this is fired."
"And this cake sample is much too sweet. Did you pour ten buckets of sugar in it? The last thing we want is to make the guests sick. This isn't fit for a pig farmer's wedding, let alone her!"
The door opened, and a soft, clear voice came in.
"Maribelle, it's okay!"
Lissa, dear Lissa, loved her even at her worst. And now, the hand of her beloved was at her back, soothing her.
"No, it's not! It's supposed to be our special day. I refuse to accept anything less than absolute perfection."
She entwined her fingers in Maribelle's own. "As long as you're there, then it'll be perfect," Lissa said.
"Darling, you'd be happy married in sacks in the wilderness, and that's why I love you. But I refuse to leave you to their gross incompetence," Maribelle said.
"Go gentle on them, Maribelle. They're trying as hard as they can. Really, these exams for the Magister has you all stressed out."
Maribelle let out a long breath. "I just want what's best for you, darling. I gave such clear instructions, and yet--"
She shook her head, and gestured back. A morbid, depressing mess. All of it. And absolutely unacceptable for her darling.
"Look at this. Nothing I ordered came out right. Mere weeks until the wedding and this is still a complete disaster."
"There's still plenty of time for these mistakes to be fixed. I'm sure the people are sorry about the missteps and it can be all sorted out."
And oh, her darling Lissa was always full of such hope and belief in people. It made Maribelle want to be a kinder, more patient person. Such hopes did not always materialize, but her darling best friend and wife-to-be surely brought out the best in her.
Maribelle let out a sigh. "Fine, darling. I'll hold my tongue for now. But I refuse to let it stand."
"Perhaps I should've done it all myself," Maribelle huffed.
"Why not come to dinner? You haven't eaten anything all day, between your studying sessions and overseeing the wedding."
"Ah, you are right. My skin will look sallow if I don't get a drink immediately," Maribelle said.
With that, Lissa guided her out to the dinner table. It wasn't until she took a sip of the tea offered her by a wary servant that she realized that she'd not eaten for the entirety of the day, so occupied was her mind with--the exams, the wedding, the everything.
"You're working too hard," Lissa said.
Oh, how she hated to see her wife upset.
"It is what it takes to be Magister, darling. I can take it."
"But, thank you for always worrying about me, darling. It means so much to me."
"Of course, Maribelle. What are friends for?"
Friends? Just friends, when their wedding was so close? Was that how Lissa saw her?
She sipped her tea, and forced a smile. Ladies always did.
Lissa was right. Maribelle was surely too overworked to second-guess something from her beloved like this.
*
She'd holed away in the library to get some quiet. None of the mages or scholars had taken up this corner of the library. Her candle had burned low. The hour was late, and yet, she kept forcing herself to study. Or try, for that matter.
Hours later--it had to be near midnight--Maribelle was still at it. Still studying, though the wedding lingered in the back of her mind, and made it difficult to focus.
The tulle still hadn't arrived. The cake tasting was an utter disaster. The cake too sweet, the icing too syrupy. The only person who could enjoy such a thing would be Gaius.
And even more, rain clouds had filled the skies and it looked to last and last. So the day would be beset by rain--and then what? Perhaps a plague of locusts would also descend from the sky as well! Or would Risen sneak into their wedding? Or a sudden attack?
How had it gotten so out of hand? Who was the wedding planner? Her brow furrowed. A bad habits, which would leave wrinkles on her skin if she wasn't careful.
Lissa had done that one, though she couldn't tell whom. She couldn't hold it against her beloved, but the choice had been...lacking. To put it mildly.
Though, that was her darling. Always loving and trusting, even if they were prickly, or in this case, prone to thinking that she wanted a wedding that lookedf like a funeral. Or a macabre graveyard, for that matter.
Maribelle massaged her temples. She didn't have time for this. Her exams were steadily looming forward, but this wedding seemed beset by troubles at every hand. How hard could it be, truly? She wanted a beautiful white wedding, a delicate cake, and her lovely wife-to-be by her side. The only woman she would ever love, her beautiful best friend who had never made her more happy than the day she said 'yes' to Maribelle's proposal.
She remembered back to the gorgeous sunny day when she had bent to one knee in the gardens they had once played in, brought out a family signet ring bedecked with diamonds and asked Lissa to be her lawfully wedded wife.
Lissa had squealed with joy, and yelled yes, yes, yes, of course, yes! Maribelle had rose up, and Lissa had thrown herself into Maribelle's waiting arms. They'd laughed in the sunlight and Maribelle had to realize that she had finally found a moment which surpassed the time which she had held so dear to her heart. When Lissa shone like the sun, but twice and bright, and showed such kindness to her when everyone else had scorned Maribelle.
And yet...Lissa had merely called her a friend last night. Not 'beloved' or 'dearest' or 'light of my life' as Maribelle's words were often filled with.
No, she must be tired to focus on this. Or it was wedding jitters. Surely, everyone got them. She forced herself to focus back on the book, only to remember the cake. The damned cake.
She'd tried to read the same paragraph on the intricacies of the Ylissean law code three times now, and only come up with what flavor of wedding cake had it been again?
Maribelle sighed, and set aside the books for now. The mere fact that the magister's tests came at the same time had only caused the wedding planning to be twice as stressful. And now she was even doubting what she loved most: her beloved Lissa.
She heard someone behind her. She nearly made a sharp remark, but waited. And good thing. She felt a pang of guilt that she'd almost snapped at her beloved.
"Lissa, Darling. Are you still up? You should be sleeping at this hour."
"So should you," Lissa said huffily.
"These tests won't take themselves," Maribelle said wryly. She gestured to the candle, which was almost burnt clear through, and the stack of books.
She yawned. "The exams are coming. I must be prepared. Ylissean Magister exams wait for no man or woman, no matter the consequence or reason."
"Go back to sleep, love. I'll turn in eventually. I want to finish this chapter."
Lissa looked away. She touched her hands together, a nervous gesture. "I have to admit something..."
"What..what is it love?"
Was this the part where Lissa said it was all a mistake and she really just wanted to be friends? The part where Maribelle's heart broke into so very many pieces?
"I want to cancel the wedding!"
It came out in a rush, with balled fists and Lissa's pigtails bobbing as she yelled out the words.
So here it was. The goodbye. She would save face, and she would lift her head. She'd noticed how Lissa had called them friends, and brushed it aside. But, it seemed she was right after all. And how she hated being right. Maribelle would probably never marry, not with a heartbreak like this. She'd throw herself into work--
The thought of turning her back on Lissa was too much. But the thought of also having to witness someone else marrying her Lissa as they were relegated, delegated to friends, just friends was cruel, far too cruel.
"So...that is how it was? You wish to merely be friends? You made a mistake when you thought you loved me as a lover and not a friend, and wish to go back?"
Even through her attempts to keep her composure, her voice trembled. Tears fell down her cheeks and Lissa reached to quickly to dry them.
"What? No! I don't mean cancel cancel. Not forever, just...delay! I didn't mean it like that. I just want to push it back a little so you aren't so stressed. Of course I love you, Maribelle! I love you more than anything. But maybe now isn't the best time with the exams so close. You seem so stressed. I don't want to add to it. Every little thing seems to set you off with the wedding. Like a single misplaced ribbon would utterly ruin the day and...I don't want you to feel like that."
"Ah...I jumped to conclusions. I've been doing a lot, lately."
"Maribelle. I'm always going to love you and be in love with you. Honestly, you're silly for even suggesting that I wouldn't want to marry you."
Lissa puffed out her cheeks at this. "Honestly, Maribelle! You know I would never play with your feelings! I adore you! You're my best friend!"
How could she have ever doubted her darling? Of course Lissa described them as friends for that is what they were. Friends and lovers and soon-to-be wives.
"But, the truth is, I fear I would be the same. It is our wedding. I want only the best for you. And the thought that someone might take that joy from you leaves me filled with complete rage," Maribelle said.
"I know. But I don't want to see you unhappy, either," Lissa said.
"This is how I am, dear. I am sharp, and demand the best. Even more when it is for you. I will not tolerate incompetence.
Lissa pulled her close, and Maribelle let out a soft sigh.
"Being with you....nothing could make me happier. I want nothing more than to be wed to you as soon as possible, before someone else steals you away."
"Nobody could ever steal me away, silly. The mere thought is laughable."
"You're the silly one, Maribelle. Implying that I'd ever just cast you aside. I love you, Maribelle. But, I want you to take care of yourself, too. You're stretched way too thin right now. We can push the wedding back further so you have enough time to study and order the perfect tulle and ribbons too."
Ah, Lissa knew her so well. And she knew just what to say to soothe all the--frankly silly--fears that had crept in. The same ones that were always there. That Lissa would one day wake up and realize that Maribelle was prickly and at times harsh. As if she hadn't a thousand times and more already been shown that Lissa liked that part of her. Enough to join their lives together, even.
With a longsuffering sigh, Maribelle said the words that needed to be said. That she herself needed to hear.
"I suppose we could push the wedding back for a short while to fix these many mistakes. Right now I simply cannot focus on anything, and I will not allow my wedding day to my darling to be sullied with skulls and too-sweet cake!"
Lissa tightened the embrace. "I'm so glad to hear it!"
Maribelle laughed softly. "Though, I likely shall be just as sharp even with a wedding planner who doesn't make our wedding look positively funereal."
"And that's why I love you," Lissa said.
Series: Fire Emblem: Awakening
Character/pairing: Maribelle/Lissa
Rating: 2319
Word count:
Summary: As their wedding day draws near, none of the preparations are enough for Maribelle's taste. Or: Maribelle, Bridezilla extraordinaire.
Author's note: Maribelle would be a complete Bridezilla, the Bridezilla to end all Bridezillas, in fact. This is canon.
I think Henry was the wedding planner.
Title is a bit of play on the book "Brideshead Revisted."
All the staff flinched just slightly as Maribelle threw open the door. She gave a sharp glance over the proceedings.
"What is this?" Maribelle gestured at the dress, filled with pins. "What if Lissa were to try this on without looking? You know how distracted she gets. And these ruffles are positively garish. I said something fashionable and yet fitting. This is not befitting a queen!"
The seamstress flinched, yet remained composed. The sewing needle was held tight between her spindly fingers. "But Lady Maribelle, the wedding day is weeks away," she said.
"Weeks? More like weaks. This is the most important day of Lissa's life, and I will not let your incompetence ruin it. What if due to some foul means, we were forced to marry today? What then?"
Maribelle turned on the next tailor, with untold fury in her blue eyes. "I can tell you what, it would be a disaster! Just look at this! When I ordered bone porcelain, I didn't mean for the cups to be actually made from bones! What do you think I am, a Plegian who drinks from the skulls of my enemies?"
She whirled around, gesturing to the macabre decor.
"Black drapes, black tablecloths, what do you think this is, a funeral? No wedding should be a place of mourning! Whoever chose this is fired."
"And this cake sample is much too sweet. Did you pour ten buckets of sugar in it? The last thing we want is to make the guests sick. This isn't fit for a pig farmer's wedding, let alone her!"
The door opened, and a soft, clear voice came in.
"Maribelle, it's okay!"
Lissa, dear Lissa, loved her even at her worst. And now, the hand of her beloved was at her back, soothing her.
"No, it's not! It's supposed to be our special day. I refuse to accept anything less than absolute perfection."
She entwined her fingers in Maribelle's own. "As long as you're there, then it'll be perfect," Lissa said.
"Darling, you'd be happy married in sacks in the wilderness, and that's why I love you. But I refuse to leave you to their gross incompetence," Maribelle said.
"Go gentle on them, Maribelle. They're trying as hard as they can. Really, these exams for the Magister has you all stressed out."
Maribelle let out a long breath. "I just want what's best for you, darling. I gave such clear instructions, and yet--"
She shook her head, and gestured back. A morbid, depressing mess. All of it. And absolutely unacceptable for her darling.
"Look at this. Nothing I ordered came out right. Mere weeks until the wedding and this is still a complete disaster."
"There's still plenty of time for these mistakes to be fixed. I'm sure the people are sorry about the missteps and it can be all sorted out."
And oh, her darling Lissa was always full of such hope and belief in people. It made Maribelle want to be a kinder, more patient person. Such hopes did not always materialize, but her darling best friend and wife-to-be surely brought out the best in her.
Maribelle let out a sigh. "Fine, darling. I'll hold my tongue for now. But I refuse to let it stand."
"Perhaps I should've done it all myself," Maribelle huffed.
"Why not come to dinner? You haven't eaten anything all day, between your studying sessions and overseeing the wedding."
"Ah, you are right. My skin will look sallow if I don't get a drink immediately," Maribelle said.
With that, Lissa guided her out to the dinner table. It wasn't until she took a sip of the tea offered her by a wary servant that she realized that she'd not eaten for the entirety of the day, so occupied was her mind with--the exams, the wedding, the everything.
"You're working too hard," Lissa said.
Oh, how she hated to see her wife upset.
"It is what it takes to be Magister, darling. I can take it."
"But, thank you for always worrying about me, darling. It means so much to me."
"Of course, Maribelle. What are friends for?"
Friends? Just friends, when their wedding was so close? Was that how Lissa saw her?
She sipped her tea, and forced a smile. Ladies always did.
Lissa was right. Maribelle was surely too overworked to second-guess something from her beloved like this.
*
She'd holed away in the library to get some quiet. None of the mages or scholars had taken up this corner of the library. Her candle had burned low. The hour was late, and yet, she kept forcing herself to study. Or try, for that matter.
Hours later--it had to be near midnight--Maribelle was still at it. Still studying, though the wedding lingered in the back of her mind, and made it difficult to focus.
The tulle still hadn't arrived. The cake tasting was an utter disaster. The cake too sweet, the icing too syrupy. The only person who could enjoy such a thing would be Gaius.
And even more, rain clouds had filled the skies and it looked to last and last. So the day would be beset by rain--and then what? Perhaps a plague of locusts would also descend from the sky as well! Or would Risen sneak into their wedding? Or a sudden attack?
How had it gotten so out of hand? Who was the wedding planner? Her brow furrowed. A bad habits, which would leave wrinkles on her skin if she wasn't careful.
Lissa had done that one, though she couldn't tell whom. She couldn't hold it against her beloved, but the choice had been...lacking. To put it mildly.
Though, that was her darling. Always loving and trusting, even if they were prickly, or in this case, prone to thinking that she wanted a wedding that lookedf like a funeral. Or a macabre graveyard, for that matter.
Maribelle massaged her temples. She didn't have time for this. Her exams were steadily looming forward, but this wedding seemed beset by troubles at every hand. How hard could it be, truly? She wanted a beautiful white wedding, a delicate cake, and her lovely wife-to-be by her side. The only woman she would ever love, her beautiful best friend who had never made her more happy than the day she said 'yes' to Maribelle's proposal.
She remembered back to the gorgeous sunny day when she had bent to one knee in the gardens they had once played in, brought out a family signet ring bedecked with diamonds and asked Lissa to be her lawfully wedded wife.
Lissa had squealed with joy, and yelled yes, yes, yes, of course, yes! Maribelle had rose up, and Lissa had thrown herself into Maribelle's waiting arms. They'd laughed in the sunlight and Maribelle had to realize that she had finally found a moment which surpassed the time which she had held so dear to her heart. When Lissa shone like the sun, but twice and bright, and showed such kindness to her when everyone else had scorned Maribelle.
And yet...Lissa had merely called her a friend last night. Not 'beloved' or 'dearest' or 'light of my life' as Maribelle's words were often filled with.
No, she must be tired to focus on this. Or it was wedding jitters. Surely, everyone got them. She forced herself to focus back on the book, only to remember the cake. The damned cake.
She'd tried to read the same paragraph on the intricacies of the Ylissean law code three times now, and only come up with what flavor of wedding cake had it been again?
Maribelle sighed, and set aside the books for now. The mere fact that the magister's tests came at the same time had only caused the wedding planning to be twice as stressful. And now she was even doubting what she loved most: her beloved Lissa.
She heard someone behind her. She nearly made a sharp remark, but waited. And good thing. She felt a pang of guilt that she'd almost snapped at her beloved.
"Lissa, Darling. Are you still up? You should be sleeping at this hour."
"So should you," Lissa said huffily.
"These tests won't take themselves," Maribelle said wryly. She gestured to the candle, which was almost burnt clear through, and the stack of books.
She yawned. "The exams are coming. I must be prepared. Ylissean Magister exams wait for no man or woman, no matter the consequence or reason."
"Go back to sleep, love. I'll turn in eventually. I want to finish this chapter."
Lissa looked away. She touched her hands together, a nervous gesture. "I have to admit something..."
"What..what is it love?"
Was this the part where Lissa said it was all a mistake and she really just wanted to be friends? The part where Maribelle's heart broke into so very many pieces?
"I want to cancel the wedding!"
It came out in a rush, with balled fists and Lissa's pigtails bobbing as she yelled out the words.
So here it was. The goodbye. She would save face, and she would lift her head. She'd noticed how Lissa had called them friends, and brushed it aside. But, it seemed she was right after all. And how she hated being right. Maribelle would probably never marry, not with a heartbreak like this. She'd throw herself into work--
The thought of turning her back on Lissa was too much. But the thought of also having to witness someone else marrying her Lissa as they were relegated, delegated to friends, just friends was cruel, far too cruel.
"So...that is how it was? You wish to merely be friends? You made a mistake when you thought you loved me as a lover and not a friend, and wish to go back?"
Even through her attempts to keep her composure, her voice trembled. Tears fell down her cheeks and Lissa reached to quickly to dry them.
"What? No! I don't mean cancel cancel. Not forever, just...delay! I didn't mean it like that. I just want to push it back a little so you aren't so stressed. Of course I love you, Maribelle! I love you more than anything. But maybe now isn't the best time with the exams so close. You seem so stressed. I don't want to add to it. Every little thing seems to set you off with the wedding. Like a single misplaced ribbon would utterly ruin the day and...I don't want you to feel like that."
"Ah...I jumped to conclusions. I've been doing a lot, lately."
"Maribelle. I'm always going to love you and be in love with you. Honestly, you're silly for even suggesting that I wouldn't want to marry you."
Lissa puffed out her cheeks at this. "Honestly, Maribelle! You know I would never play with your feelings! I adore you! You're my best friend!"
How could she have ever doubted her darling? Of course Lissa described them as friends for that is what they were. Friends and lovers and soon-to-be wives.
"But, the truth is, I fear I would be the same. It is our wedding. I want only the best for you. And the thought that someone might take that joy from you leaves me filled with complete rage," Maribelle said.
"I know. But I don't want to see you unhappy, either," Lissa said.
"This is how I am, dear. I am sharp, and demand the best. Even more when it is for you. I will not tolerate incompetence.
Lissa pulled her close, and Maribelle let out a soft sigh.
"Being with you....nothing could make me happier. I want nothing more than to be wed to you as soon as possible, before someone else steals you away."
"Nobody could ever steal me away, silly. The mere thought is laughable."
"You're the silly one, Maribelle. Implying that I'd ever just cast you aside. I love you, Maribelle. But, I want you to take care of yourself, too. You're stretched way too thin right now. We can push the wedding back further so you have enough time to study and order the perfect tulle and ribbons too."
Ah, Lissa knew her so well. And she knew just what to say to soothe all the--frankly silly--fears that had crept in. The same ones that were always there. That Lissa would one day wake up and realize that Maribelle was prickly and at times harsh. As if she hadn't a thousand times and more already been shown that Lissa liked that part of her. Enough to join their lives together, even.
With a longsuffering sigh, Maribelle said the words that needed to be said. That she herself needed to hear.
"I suppose we could push the wedding back for a short while to fix these many mistakes. Right now I simply cannot focus on anything, and I will not allow my wedding day to my darling to be sullied with skulls and too-sweet cake!"
Lissa tightened the embrace. "I'm so glad to hear it!"
Maribelle laughed softly. "Though, I likely shall be just as sharp even with a wedding planner who doesn't make our wedding look positively funereal."
"And that's why I love you," Lissa said.
