Thousands of eyes looked upon the couple taking the floor. All is quiet but the sounds of clicking heels against the marble floors of the castle. The small orchestra far in the distance were quickly prepping, knowing well that the show was about to begin. Cécile was nervous with all these patrons watching, including her own family, but Erzsébet seemed to be a natural. It was expected however, as one day she would become Queen of this land.

The two women stood in the middle of the crowd and in front of one of another. Erzsébet offers her hand and Cécile gently takes it. The music began and it was their cue to share a dance—the first dance as a married couple.

Cécile remembered the day her parents brought her into the court to make an important and urgent announcement. The war with a rival country was over, but it came with a price—her hand in marriage. She was devastated; she never wanted to be a married woman. Her wish was to be sent to a convent, one further up near a neighbouring county, and her parents had come to respect her decision but were now going back on their word. She was terrified of being shipped off to a foreign land, especially one that had been at war with for the last year. She begged and pleaded with her parents to change their mind but the deal was done. Cécile was due to be married in three months.

That same week she was off with several of her belongings and a small crew of staff. She was so nervous and bitter that she barely slept through the weeks-long journey to her new home.

Cécile had never met Erzsébet. But she was familiar of her infamous name. She was said to be a frighting woman- ferocious on the battlefield and hotheaded, she could make anyone quiver in their shoes. She was loud and fussy and was said to dress like a man. But when Cécile had arrived to the castle in her best-dressed gown, she was greeted to a completely different person to what had been fed to her. Erzsébet was beautiful in a dashing green dress with her long brown hair all done up, with added flowers to give a charming touch. Her voice was soft, pleasant, and welcoming. At no point did she ever feel threaten by her.

Despite that however, she still remained cautious. They had just met and first impressions didn’t always show how a person truly is.

Cécile and Erzsébet spent a lot of time together in getting to know one another and she was quickly learning everything she knew about her future partner. She had come to understand that the things people had said about Erzsébet were heavily exaggerated brought on by years of rivalry between their homelands. Erzsébet was indeed a strong fighter, but she certainly wasn’t loud or fussy. She was opinionated and had big ambitions and visions of how things should be done. She was active; she loved archery and horseback riding. She was intelligent and was fluent in several languages. She acted like a maternal figure to the younger children living in the palace. She loved to laugh and be with the people she loved most.

But it was the little things that Cécile loved most about her. She loved to sneak into the kitchen and make little snacks for the both of them. She loved long walks in the palace gardens and reading late into the night. She would leave her little messages of love in random places of the palace which Cécile found endearing.

The bit about her wearing men’s clothes? It could not have been more correct. Erzsébet them to be extremely comfortable compared to women’s clothing. She often wore them when she was relaxing in her study while reading up on some of her favourite books. She encouraged Cécile to come and join her many times and sometimes she’d dressed her up. She had to admit—they were indeed quite comfy.

Cécile was charmed by Erzsébet. She was beautiful in every way possible and far from the image she had conjured up. She doesn’t feel as nervous as she once was when she first arrived. The thought of being a ruler alongside her was still a terrifying image in mind. But with Erzsébet by her side, she is sure she’ll be fine.

Cécile was caught in her thoughts when the music ended and the applause brought her back to reality. Erzsébet held her close as she whispered in her ear.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing,” she replied as she lay her head against Erzsébet’s chest. “Just thinking about the first day we met.”

Erzsébet placed a gentle kiss on top of Cécile’s head. She could hear Erzsébet whisper “I love you” and the crowd getting louder as the guests quickly formed their own groups before the music started once more. Cécile did not return the sediment. She isn’t ready to say “I love you” just yet. But that is not to say she does not feel anything towards her wife. Erzsébet knows and understands this well. They have a lifetime to learn and understand each other. Erzsébet treats her right, and that’s all that Cécile wanted in the end.