Part 16 - Princess Lessons
*Presenting the only thing people remember about this movie; this song. I actually think that Matt would be really good at this song. Oh, and BTW, the guy that plays the original character here is Alessadro Juliani. He provided the voice AND singing for this character. You may not recognize his name, but maybe you'd find him familiar if I told you that he was L in the official English dub of Death Note. So please enjoy the song where L sings about what it means to be a princess.*
Matthew had snuck Christina into the castle, telling her to duck down in the carriage. This time around, the guard didn't see them, and let him pass with just a passing nod.
Matthew brought her through the halls with her hood drawn, until they reached the princess's room.
Christina was in awe. "Would you look at the size of this place..." She said, her mouth wide open. She spied a picture of Stephanie on the wall. Matthew noticed her looking at it.
"The likeness is remarkable." He exclaimed.
Christina pulled down her hood. "Except for my hair. You know, brown... black... not exactly the same." She shrugged.
"I've thought of that." Matthew went to get a box he had hidden under the desk, round and colored pastel pink. "Brunette in a box." He said. He took off the lid, pulling out a long brown wig. With a smile, Christina took it.
Looking in the mirror, she ajusted the wig. She turned around. She looked exactly like Stephanie. *Not really.* As amazed as they both were, Christina still had to bring up another problem.
"Um, Matthew? We're missing one teeny, tiny detail." She looked up at her bangs. One black strand was still hanging out the front. She blew it out of her eyes. "I don't know the first thing about being a princess." She said.
"Leave that to me." Matthew said. Making sure no one was looking he brought her to the princess's study, and sat her down at the table in the middle of the room. A silver plate and cutlery lay in front of her.
Matthew pulled a book from the shelves, placing it open in front of her. "It's all here in The Princess's Book Of Etiquette. Start simple; no nagging, bragging, sweating, fretting, slipping, tripping, slurping, burping, twittering or frittering allowed. Stay present, stay pleasant, stay proud."
"Oh, great, and it rhymes too."
"And no sarcasm."
"I figured."
Matthew went around to her. "Alright then, let's try something different." He said. He pointed at the cutlery. "Say you're on the soup course. Which spoon do you use?"
Christina picked up a fork.
"Okay then... we'll work on that later." He shoved her hand back down, the fork clattering loudly on the table. "Here's a tip; don't ever eat the parsley at dinner."
"What's parsley?"
"You know, it's that little green sprig on the plate." Matthew explained.
"I usually don't get a plate."
Both of them were silent for a second, contemplating their impending doom, before Matthew continued. "You know, you should be practicing in a real gown. You'll get used to it." In reality, he really just wanted to change the subject. She was hopeless at this, for now. Might as well see what she was good at.
Grabbing her by the arm, he pulled her towards the closet, just across the room from the study area. When he opened it, Christina nearly fainted. Hundreds, no, thousands of shoes sat in front of her. She had never seen something like this before.
A little while later, Christina had changed into a purple and gold gown, and admired herself in the mirror. She did look beautiful. But she had little time to enjoy it before Matthew brought her back down to earth.
"Okay, um..." Matthew searched his mind for something she might be good at, something to start with. "Oh, you seemed nice enough, maybe we can start with how to act."
"What do I have to act like?" Christina asked.
"Well, be charming, but detached, but still amused."
"Huh?"
"And don't be confused."
"Way too late."
Matthew felt like banging his head into the wall. But he wasn't going to give up anytime soon. "Okay, posture, maybe?
"You're about to snap, aren't you?"
"I think I already have. Now," He pushed Christina in front of the mirror an forcefully adjusted her posture. "Shoulders back." Christina could have sworn that she heard a snap. "Stomach in." He practically punched her in the stomach. "Pinky out, lift the chin, and turn the head." He moved her head back and forth until she was doing it herself. "Stiff upper lip and arch the back."
"I see now." She said.
"Breathe gently, step lightly, smile brightly, nod politely." He turned her around to meet his eyes. "Never show a thing you feel inside." *Actual line, people. Being a Princess sucks.*
Christina pulled back. "Calm down!" Both of them went silent. "I can't do this. I'm not a princess, I can't be."
Matthew thought for a second. "Then don't be a princess." Christina looked at him, confused. "Be Stephanie."
"How do I be Stephanie?" She asked. Matthew, now calm, lead her to a large painting of the princess.
"Well, she has beautiful eyes. And when she walks in the room, the people's spirts rise." He said, almost dreamily. That's when Christina picked it up. So this is who she was in love with.
"I see." She said with a smirk.
"She's like a... a rose that's always in bloom-" He noticed Christina staring at him. He coughed and regained his posture. "Well then. As long as you can be Stephanie, you can pass."
"How do you know I'm like her, though?"
"Something tells me that you two have more in common than your looks."
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