A group of seamstresses bustled around the wide room as Queen Odette stood still; she was being fitted for her dress for the wedding. Despite her misgivings about continuing the plans as usual, the king had decided it would be best to continue as if nothing had changed.

    Over the past two days since Mirabel’s disappearance, not much progress had been made in the investigation. While the guards had discovered how the kidnappers - as it had been found that she had in fact been kidnapped - had entered the palace, they had not been able to ascertain exactly where they had gone after that. All cart tracks looked the same, which unfortunately made it difficult to follow a particular set.

    The guards had also discovered that the kidnapping might have been an inside job. Unfortunately, they couldn’t actually prove it. While it would have made it much easier for the kidnappers to enter the palace with help from the inside, there was no actual proof that anyone had helped.   

    All in all, the queen found herself stressed beyond belief as she tried to keep up a cheery facade as she went through the wedding plans. The truth of it was, she was worried about her daughter. While it was all well and good to keep herself busy, it continually reminded her of how silly it was to plan for a wedding that may or may not be happening.

    Nevertheless, she continued to throw herself into it as wholeheartedly as she could. And so there she was, being fitted for her dress. It was a beautiful dress, she had to admit. The seamstresses could be proud of it.

    It was a lovely peach color, complementing her golden hair and pale complexion. The sleeves had a nice puff to them, while the front had a square neckline, brocaded with pearls and floral lace patterns. The skirt was nice and full, a gorgeous white embroidery embellishing the satin of the dress. If she hadn’t been so worried about her daughter, she might have actually enjoyed the fitting.

    Instead, she couldn’t help but wonder about if the guards had found anything yet. It had been two days. The king still insisted on keeping it quiet, but the queen was wondering if perhaps they should tell Winterthur what had happened to the bride-to-be. Surely two kingdoms searching would be far more effective than one?

    Unfortunately, King Lionel didn’t agree. He was sure they would find her soon and the whole matter would be resolved in no time.

    That was a full day ago. Since then almost no progress had been made, despite the search parties that had been sent out. Whoever these kidnappers were, they knew what they were doing, and they knew how to hide. The queen hoped to have a talk with the king later on about getting help from Winterthur; having an investment in Mirabel’s well being, it seemed that it would be a good idea to ask them for assistance.

    The queen was distracted from her thoughts as one of the head seamstresses asked her a question. After answering her, the queen realized that a dress fitting gave her far too much time to think. When she was planning the food or the seating arrangements, she was actually doing something. While she was being fitted, all she could do was stand there and think.

    It seemed like hours later when she was finally released from the fitting. In reality it had perhaps only been a half an hour, but when one is standing and waiting, anything can seem like an eternity.

    Back in her normal gown, she was rushed off to her next meeting. While she’d already had her breakfast, she found that she was already craving more food. Perhaps it was the stress, or perhaps the constant meetings, but she was hungrier than usual lately.

    Ironically enough, her next meeting was with the cooks to plan for the food. She’d been planning the meeting for days, but she hadn’t had the time to sit and hash it out with the cooks. She had her ideas for the menu, however, so she was going to attempt to run it past them and confirm everything before hurrying off to her next meeting.

    Walking hurriedly to the kitchens, she went over everything in her head again. Planning a wedding was difficult, she’d discovered. Far more difficult than she’d expected. She hadn’t had to do the majority of the planning for her own, and so she found herself surprised at the workload. Trying to keep up with the planning as well as her normal duties as queen was beginning to drive her half mad.

    Perhaps she ought to bring in her mother. She’d been through it before, after all. While she was now much older than she had been at the time, surely she could still be of some help. She added that thought to her list of things to speak with the king about later, when they both had a bit of time to spare.

    For now, though, she’d have to manage on her own. Two days straight of wedding plans, and already beginning the third. It was no wonder she was exhausted. Suddenly her mother’s exhaustion of so long ago made much more sense.

An hour later, she strode away from the meeting, pleased. Everything had gone smoothly with the cooks, and they’d even offered their own suggestions of foods they could make. With one small victory under her belt, the queen felt much more confident in her abilities to plan the wedding.

The meeting had also gone much quicker than she’d anticipated; she’d planned for it to take longer, and thus, her next meeting was not for a little while yet. She suddenly found herself at a bit of a loss as to what to do with herself.

Checking the time, she discovered it was still only late morning. She’d hoped for lunch soon, but it seemed that hope was to no avail.

An idea found it’s way into her head then. Perhaps the king, too, had found a break in his schedule. If he had, now would be the perfect time for her to talk to him. The thought now lodged in her mind, she headed off to see what he was up to.

A few inquiries later, she found him. He was in between meetings at the moment, and he had only a few minutes to spare.

    “I think you should tell Winterthur,” she said, being as straightforward as possible. His thick eyebrows knitted together.

    “You what?” he asked.

    “I think you should tell Winterthur,” she repeated herself. “Two kingdoms searching would be more effective than one, surely.”

    The king stroked his chin thoughtfully. She waited patiently for an answer, knowing that he was the sort of man to think such things over carefully. She could understand his misgivings about telling Winterthur about Mirabel’s kidnapping, but she was sure it was only going to help them find her faster.

    After a long moment of silence, he spoke again. “You may be right.” He met her eyes. “But I still think it would be best if we kept it quiet for now. I don’t want them breaking off the wedding.”

    The queen felt herself deflate slightly. “Of course,” she said, nodding. She could understand his reasoning, and she respected it. She only wished there was some way to get their daughter back sooner rather than later.

    “But,” the king began, speaking again. She looked at him inquisitively. “If we haven’t caught their trail by this time tomorrow, I’ll request their help in the search.”

    She could almost feel herself sag with relief. Whether the guards found the trail by tomorrow or not, at least they’d be one step closer to having their daughter back.