8 Cristopher-freaking-Cassavetes

"What is this?!" I yell as the door opens to a bleary looking Marie.

"What are you talking about?" She asks tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and covering a yawn elegantly

"This!" I say shoving the envelope in her hands

Marie glances at it and slowly her face blanks and she looks up at me and speaks in a monotone voice

"Don't you see Anna? I am getting married" She looks like she doesn't care, but her not caring voice gives her away because the thing about Marie is that she always gives a damn about everything.

"Who is it?" I ask my voice covered with a barely disguised rage

"Cristopher Cassavetes" Marie spats and my blood goes cold

Cassavetes?

"What?!" I exclaim "What are you talking about?"

Marie sighs as she rubs her elbow lightly and looks around before grabbing my hand and pulling me in her room

"Look at this" Marie shoves a piece of paper in my hand

I glance at it and began reading the italicised words printed:

'I, Stephen Castellanos, propose a marriage contract between my daughter, Marie Castellanos, and Cristopher Cassavetes to end the feudal between the Cassavetes and Castellanos for once and for all'

I looked at the the Castellanos stamp at the corner of the paper which showcased a lion which appeared to be roaring

"Has he dropped his marbles down the drain?" I ask angrily as I crumple the paper into a ball before throwing it on the bed

Marie grabs the paper and begins smoothing it down while I glance at her wondering how can she be this calm. All of a sudden she lifts her face up and my eyes widen as see multiple tear drops sliding down her cheeks.

I quickly walk towards her before throwing my arms around her and hugging her "It is alright Marie, we will figure out something"

"I don't love him Anna" Marie sobs burying her face in my arms "I-I love someone else"

"What are you talking about?" I demand as I began to think of the possibilities "It isn't the sixty year old man is it? Marie he doesn't love you! He just likes to think that he is handsome! He is not handsome! He has a pot belly and he is married!" I panic as I remember the man who had been hitting on my sister at the last ball

Please don't fall in love with that douche!

Marie gives a light chuckle "No silly. Ever since that man told me that our children would have his strength and my eyes, I lost all the interest I had." Then she shudders and adds "Not that I had any interest in the first place"

"Thank god" I say as a wave of relief passes over me and disappears just as quickly "Who is it then?"

Marie turns pink and whispers so quietly that I have to basically lean in to hear "Karolbagh"

I freeze before loud peals of tone-deafening and unladylike laughter begins to escape my mouth

"I am serious" She tells me in a slightly angered voice making me look at her in surprise and realise that she is, indeed, serious about that matter

But wasn't Karolbagh in love with me?

My mind reversers back to the time when he said that he loved.. the princess. Oh. I am feeling a little offended right now.

"You love that six foot tall Indian man?" I ask in a slightly dubious voice

"Hey! He is probably the most sweetest man I know!" Marie defends him while I give her incredulous look. He threatened my (Non-existent, of course) balls once!

I digest this new piece of fabulous information as I eat the chocolate which I had acquired from a secret pocket which had been stitched in my gowns.

"Want some?" I offer the piece of delightful goodness to Marie who had been staring at me with an implacable expression as I was eating it

"Let me get this straight" She begins in a sceptical tone "I entrust you with my most deep and crucial complication and instead of helping me calm my quavering nerves, and you begin to eat a brown piece of chocolate"

"That sounded quite poetic" I observe

Mere seconds later, a pillow embraces my face painfully hard.

"Hey!" I yell before shoving the pillow off my face and being greeted by another almost immediately

This. Is. War.

With 'CHOCOLATE' as my chosen war battle cry, I pick up the pillow that had caused me pain before bringing it down on Marie's head.

Except she gives me a light push which makes me fall back on the bed and my pillow on my face again.

Elegant and ladylike light laughs sets fire to my determination on taking revenge and with newfound strength I launch on her and mange to successfully hit her a few times with my loyal pillow.

Marie grabs her pillow and begins to hit me too and then the inevitable occurs and the pillows burst, covering us in fine white and fluffy cotton stuffings.

With an elegant giggle (Marie's) and a horse like snort (Presenting: me) we fall back on the beds and begin to aimlessly stare at the ceilings.

Then suddenly a thought appears on the tip of my tongue

"What are you going to do May?"

A few beats of silence makes me wonder if she had fallen asleep and before I can look over to confirm, she speaks

"I don't know Anna"

***

A light rustle awakens me from my slumber and look around to realise that Marie and I had fallen asleep after our exhausting and historical pillow fight.

I stifle a yawn before swinging and bringing my feet down on the carpeted floor before padding around softly.

Where are my sandals?

After looking around for a bit and still not sighting them, I give up and look towards the curtain drawn window to see a glimmer of orange light falling on the wall perpendicular to it.

I walk towards it and draw the curtains aside to realise that the sun has almost set and just forgot to go to work today.

Damn it!

With a sigh and a slight fear that the next time I meet Grace would be quite unpleasant and would probably include a nice and long lecture, I proceed to open the doors before stepping out and being greeted by my uncle and an equally snobby looking man with dark jet black hair and equally dark eyes and lips which are turned into a sneer and who I do not recognise.

Out of politeness and also, because my uncle is the emperor after all, I dip into a curtsy

"Uncle Stefan" I say as my way of greeting and he proceeds to give me a curt nod.

"Who is this young lady?" The man speaks in a rumbling voice making me quirk an eyebrow

"I just called him uncle. Are you deaf or stupid?" I ask genuinely worried for the man's health

"Anastasia!" Uncle Stefan exclaims sharply "This is the emperor of the dirt- I mean the rich country of Nullum Cacas"

My head whips back to the person and stare at him as I realise that he is a Cassavetes.

"You are a Cassavetes!" I say almost angrily, almost.

"Yes. I am the emperor actually" He tells in a tone that tells me to get down on the ground and kneel before him.

Excuse me, but I so not want to see his flabby stomach and smell his smelly feet.

"Your son is the one who is going to marry to marry the princess, Marie Jane Castellanos?" I ask as I plan to tell him what exactly do I think of his little and probably fat son.

The emperor of Nullum Cacas gives a slight cough before giving me a smile which closely represented a sneer "Marie is supposed to be my bride, not my non-existent son's"

I freeze before I let out a choked cough "Excuse my language but- WHAT THE HELL?! YOU ARE ABOUT FREAKING FORTY AND HONESTLY LOOK LIKE A CHAUVINIST PIG"

My uncle lets out a chortle before giving me the stink eye which I had received once when I had put extra strong glue on his throne due to which he literally ripped his pants off in the court.

Sweet memo-

Focus Tessa! Focus!

"Don't you dare look at me like that" I glare at my uncle "How can you dare to marry your daughter to this old haggard?!"

I turn to Cristopher "No offence"

Cristophers eyes darkens "You know, you are quite right about that matter but I am afraid that the wedding has been fixed and its too late to do anything." He turns and looks back "And.. Anastasia? I hope you control that tongue of yours in future or else it might turn out to be quiet.. unpleasant" Then with a smile that chills my spine, he proceeds to leave.

My uncle gives me a look "We will talk about this"

*~*

I lie on my bed wondering how will I be able to prevent the stinking marriage from taking place.

Then all of a sudden I hear a small clink which makes me snap my head towards my balcony, I sigh and jump off the bed landing somewhat clumsily on my two limbs. I walk towards the balcony and push the huge window back and take a step forward to feel something beneath my right foot.

Frowning, I lift my leg up and peer down at the floor to see a small scroll of paper which I quickly grab. Before I can open the scrolled chit a whistle makes me look outside the window and at the ground where the silhouette of a person stands.

I peer and realise that it is a girl who looks very familiar to Marie except she is not dressed like a princess instead she is wearing the uniform of the Castle's maids.

The person lifts her hands and lightly touches her ears before turning and running away into the Castle's small Orchard.

I unscroll the piece of paper and feel a tremor spread through me.

***