^^^^
Princess Venetia's wedding dress
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"I have to go." I managed to say through his kisses.

"Why?" Clark said, halting his kisses and leaning against the wall, closing his eyes.

"You know why, Mum will get suspicious if I'm late for my fitting. I know you don't like it, but it isn't my choice. You know I wish I could marry you instead of King Victor..." I said sadly, leaning into his chest and he wrapped his arms around me. As I mentioned the wedding dress fitting, Clarks' face lost emotion.

Mum, Queen Isabella, had always wanted me to marry someone with royal heritage, while Dad, King Ernest wanted me to marry who I loved. Even though everybody believed that Dad was in charge, it was really Mum. Mum always had control, so I was to marry royalty. Mum wouldn't have rushed the marriage if it wasn't for the media. They keep interrogating us, the royalty, about when I was going to marry, if I was, who my husband would be, etc.

"I know" he sighed. He gave one last kiss before I ran off to the fitting room, heels click-clacking against the floor. I contemplated putting my hair up - Mum always hated my hair down, saying, 'A princess always has their hair up'.

"Sorry I'm late, I-" I said, cut off by the sight before me - A girl who stood in front of the mirror donning my wedding dress. Mum was praising how well it fit her. The pearl white dress that adorned her body flowed to the floor in diaphanous fabric that was lightly topped with the lace that also covered her arms

The unsettling thing about this situation wasn't that she was attending my fitting with my oblivious mum, but was that she couldn't have looked more like me. She had the same soft pink lips, amber eyes, and hazel-brown hair, the only difference being the dress and that her hair was braided in an elegant French braid trailing down her back.

I don't know how or why she looked like me but she was beautiful. The pearl white dress that adorned her body flowed to the floor in a smooth layer of white covered by lace and her arms were covered by lace sleeves. Upon seeing me in the large mirror, she stopped fingering the dress' fabric and turned to face me. And when she took a curious, yet cautious step towards me, it was as if she was floating. Her demeanor would be the same as mine if our roles were switched; I in the dress, and she where I am now. Except there was one difference between what would be my reaction and hers: she was smiling at me, smugly. She knew something.

I looked at Mum, whose eyes had widened and after looking at each of us a few times, fainted. She fell backwards and hit her head on a chair before landing disgracefully on the floor face down. A pool of blood was slowly beginning to gather around her head on the navy blue carpet. I was feeling a bit light headed - the sight of blood had always me faint - and I crumpled to the ground. I struggled to keep my eyes open, and with the image of my mother lying on the floor with blood slowly seeping out imbedded in my mind, I blacked out.

When I opened my eyes a guard was carrying me down a familiar hall with walls filled to the brim with oil paintings of my ancestors.

I was lowered to the ground soon after awaking and following that was the realization of why I fainted - Mum. I suddenly spin around and picking up my dress, I ran toward the hospital wing where I know Mum will be.

Just as I got inside the wing, I spotted searching for me and I frantically searched the beds for my mother. Once I found her, I ran over to the bed where she lay, a bandage wrapped around her night-black hair, messy from the bandaging. Some of her hair had blood on it, and I started to feel light headed once again.

"No, Venetia, you can't pass out now!" I muttered to myself.

I hugged her, relieved she was okay, but only to be picked up suddenly by someone from behind and was taken to what looked like a guest room. I was gently put down on the pink bed and saw Levy leave as he closed the door.

I wanted to bang on the door but if Mum found out (which she would) she would be enraged and say, "Princesses do not bang on doors!". Instead, I paced back and forth on the dark red carpet.

I waited for an hour for someone to come until the door opened and I saw my Dad enter.

"Dad, what happening? Who was she? Why does she look-?" I hurriedly asked.

"Enough." He cut me off. "This is hard enough as it is, I don't need you blabbering. I have one question. Who are you? Exactly?" He asked, ignoring my questions.

"Princess Venetia. Dad, what's-"

"I've heard enough. Take her to the dungeon."

"What?" I exclaimed. "Dad, wai-"

"I am not your father. And you are not my daughter." Then he left. Leaving me more confused than ever. I had no answers to who the girl was, if Mum was okay, what was going on, why I was going to the dungeon. The questions rattled my brain.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when the door suddenly clicked unlocked and in the same moment, was wide open to allow two guards to enter. They both grabbed me by the arm firmly; not tight enough for pain, yet not loose enough for me to escape. Occasionally I tripped, but they ignored that and kept walking to my cell as they dragged me along as I struggled to get to my feet.

The cell's door creaked open, and I was given a little shove to get into the cell quicker. I stumbled, my tulle dress dipping into the ground, dirtying it. The guards turned their backs and made to leave.

"Wait!" I called out to them. "Why am I here?"

"They get stupider every year." Muttered one to the other. "Fraudulence of the princess."

"But I'm the princess!"

"Yeah, sure you are."

Brushing myself off, I pushed myself off the ground, and looking around the cell for an escape route I saw a small window with rusty bars and the locked door. I attempting to move the bars to escape, and failed. I then took the bobby pin out of my hair and seeing there was no guard on duty, I started picking the lock.

After picking the lock for what felt like hours I gave up and sat against the ice cold bars caging me in and I cried. My situation is hopeless, I have no key, I can't pick the lock, the windows are barred, and no one is coming to save me. And as a princess, I have never experienced any ill treatment.

I cried until my head hurt, when I heard a voice.

"Venetia?"

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Hey guys, I hope you like the first chapter of The Royal Fraud! This is my first book, so I'd love to hear what you think!

Ciao,
Mephzo