Topic: A Royal Request

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-09-03 08:34 EST
Returning to Rhy'Din was the biggest relief Dru had felt in a long, long time. Thirteen days of royal engagement fever was more than enough for her, and she thought Josh was probably infinitely relieved to be returning to the anonymity of Rhy'Din, for a little while, at least. The pictures had been taken, Josh had been introduced to an hysterically pleased crowd as the Prince Consort-Elect, and the whole of Tirisano seemed to have jumped head first into wedding frenzy. Unfortunately, she couldn't entirely escape the now looming royal wedding even in Rhy'Din, but here, at least, she had a little control over something important to her. Folder in hand, she paused on the steps of Rose Cottage and rang the doorbell, hoping Miranda wasn't going to faint or have some kind of episode when she presented her hope to her cousin.

"Dru!" Miranda exclaimed as she pulled open the door, though she had been expecting a visit from her young cousin. She threw her arms around her to hug her close before taking hold of her hand to draw her inside. "Congratulations!" she told her happily. "You have to tell me everything!"

Greeted with this much enthusiasm, Dru couldn't help laughing as she was hugged to within an inch of her life and pulled inside excitedly. "There isn't that much to tell," she protested laughingly, brushing her hair back out of her eyes. "And hello, Miranda. Goodness, anyone would think you were a little excited."

"Why wouldn't I be excited" You're getting married, and weddings just happen to be my specialty." She couldn't help but smirk a little playfully. "That is what you're here about, isn't it?" she asked, knowing Dru hadn't just come there to give her the good news.

It was tempting to tease the older woman, but Dru knew she couldn't do it. Miranda looked so excited, it was difficult not to be caught up in that feeling herself. "Yes," she admitted with a grin. "But you only have to worry about the female side of things. I had to compromise, so one of the Itana tailors is dealing with the men."

Miranda waved a dismissive hand as if none of that mattered and closed the door behind her young cousin. "Menswear is boring. Anyone can design a suit. The bridal gown is the real prize." She took Dru's arm and led her inside. "Every bride should feel like a princess on her wedding day, but since you're a real princess, it's even more important that your gown be special. Unique. One of a kind." Miranda led Dru into the kitchen where the table was strewn with various sketches, photographs, and catalogs. "Would you like a cup of tea?" she asked as she let go of her arm and went about putting the kettle on before she received a response.

"Uh ....Yes, thank you," Dru conceded to the offer of tea, sliding herself down into a seat as she set her folder down. She'd actually thought ahead this time, thankfully, coming prepared with a few statistics Miranda was going to need if she chose to take on this commission. "I realize this is incredibly short notice," she apologized to her cousin. "The date is top secret right now, but I can tell you. It's the 30th of October, which gives you just under two months. So I was going to ask you if that is too short a time to design two bridal dresses and one maid of honor."

Miranda jerked her head toward Dru at the realization that she didn't have much time, though the truth was she did her best work under pressure. "Design, no. It's not too short a time to design the dresses, but if we want them actually made in time, I may have to enlist a little help."

"See, that's why I insisted on just me and Keira," Dru smiled, glad she'd called that one back in Tirisano. "The usual royal dressmakers are working on the bridesmaids and the flower girl, but ....Well. I don't want to get married wearing anyone but you."

Miranda turned back around to take two tea cups down from the cupboard and gather the rest of the tea fixings. "You said two bridal dresses and one maid of honor. Why two?" she asked as she dropped a tea bag into each cup, her back momentarily turned to the princess. "I'm flattered, Dru, but if you would prefer the royal dressmakers make your wedding gown, I understand completely."

"Don't be ridiculous," Dru snorted, shaking her head. "I want you to make my wedding dress. That's all there is to it." She smiled, leaning forward on her arms to explain what she was asking for. "I'm asking for two dresses because ....one is the fairytale dress, for the ceremony, and for the public to see. The one that will be in all the photographs and reproduced by dozens of hopeful brides over the next year or so. But that isn't a dress I can attend a banquet and a dance in without keeling over. So I would like something else, a little lighter and more contemporary. If it isn't too much bother."

"No, of course not," Miranda replied, her imagination already concocting various designs before she ever put those ideas onto paper. "I made a few designs," she started, frowning a little as she realized this was going to take more effort than the usual wedding and she had far less time to work with. "I may need a few days to come up with more ideas," she admitted.

"I trust you," the young princess assured her cousin. "Oh, and I brought Keira's measurements with me," she added with a low chuckle. "She'll only be able to come to Rhy'Din once for a fitting, so we thought we'd measure every last inch of her for you. It was rather hard work making her boyfriend leave the room so we could do it." She giggled, remembering the look on Jamie's face when she'd pulled rank on him.

The kettle whistled and she poured hot water into each cup, though her thoughts were far away, imagining Dru in design after design in her head. A dress fit for a real princess - it could be nothing less. "Once?" Miranda echoed. "Why's that?" she asked, turning her head toward the younger woman a moment. She knew Dru was doing her best to remain anonymous here in Rhy'Din and to keep her paternal origins a secret from Tirisano, but that didn't really explain why her maid of honor - a woman Miranda had never met - should maintain that same secrecy.

"Ordinarily, she would be able to come as often as you need her to, but unfortunately she is at the center of a rather enthusiastic amount of professional gossiping at the moment," Dru smirked faintly. "She's managed to snag Tirisano's foremost eligible bachelor, who just happens to be Josh's brother. They have very graciously agreed to enjoy their courtship of each other as publicly as they can for the next couple of months, to keep the press from trying to find us."

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-09-03 08:35 EST
Miranda arched a brow, obviously surprised by this news. "Well, that takes a little of the attention off of you and Josh," she remarked, matter-of-factly. "All right, we'll just have to do it in one fitting," she said. "How do you like your tea, dear?" she asked once the cups were full.

"Black, no sugar, thank you." Dru smiled faintly, wondering if Miranda realized she was going to have to be in Tirisano for at least two days before the wedding, as well. "That was the idea," she told her cousin. "If we can do all the fittings for me while we're in Rhy'Din, that means the only dress that needs any last minute adjustments will be Keira's, and with any luck, they won't take more than a few hours."

"I see you've thought this all out," Miranda remarked as she turned to hand Dru her cup of hot black tea. Rufus had taught her the way to make a cup of proper English tea once upon a time, but when he wasn't around, she had a tendency to take short cuts. "Do you have anything in mind?" she asked, as she stirred milk and sugar into her own cup.

"I do, actually." Dru smiled, slightly embarrassed to have come to a fashion designer with her own ideas, taking a sip from her tea as she opened up the folder she had brought with her. Keira's picture and measurements were set aside, and she withdrew several pictures of wedding portraits from the gallery in the palace in Itana, as well as a rough sketch she had done herself. "I completely trust your instincts when it comes to the evening gown," she assured her cousin nervously. "But there's a certain amount of tradition that I need to follow. Well, I don't need to, but I'd like to." She spread the pictures out, and it was immediately obvious that the style of dress Dru was leaning toward was similar to an accolade gown from medieval Earth.

Miranda sipped at her tea while she looked over the pictures, noting how all the dresses had a certain style in common, though each was different in its own way. "I see," she said, looking over each picture in turn with a sharp and scrutinizing eye for detail. "Satin and chiffon, I think. We want it to drape and flow, but not get in the way."

She opened her sketchpad to a fresh sheet of paper and took up a drawing pencil, pausing a moment to think before starting to sketch an idea on the paper. "Princess waist," she mused as she put pencil to paper. "Fluted sleeves," she remarked, adding that to the drawing. "Beading at the neckline," she continued, adding a few touches here and there. "The sleeves could be sheer, which will give it a very feminine touch. Ivory, not white. White is too stark for a gown such as this."

"I was wondering if there was a way to incorporate something from my grandmother's trousseau," Dru murmured, not wanting to interrupt the creative process. She'd been consulted on various ballgowns in the past, after all. "My grandmother had two pearls that had been given to her as a gift by her grandmother, and she wore them on clasps that held her veil. They're about ....so big?" She held her hand out, finger and thumb around a centimeter apart.

"Mmm," mused Miranda as she lifted her head to Dru, considering a moment before going back to her sketching. "Perhaps here and here?" she asked, drawing in a pearl about the size that Dru had estimated at the center of the V that shaped the neckline and another at the center of the princess waist, directly below the other. "What do you think?"

Leaning over to take a look at the sketch that was coming to life beneath Miranda's pencil, Dru couldn't help smiling. She hadn't really engaged with the fact that she was going to be married before Christmas, but it was very difficult not to begin feeling excited as what she'd imagined seemed to come into being at the hands of her cousin. "I think that's beautiful, Miranda," she said warmly. "Will it suit me, though?"

"I think so. It's a little old fashioned, but it's very romantic, and the sort of thing a princess might wear." She added a few other touches. "You should wear your hair down, I think," she said as she added that, too, though Dru might want to do something more with it than just wear it loosely about her shoulders. "You're slender enough that this style will suit your figure well without making you look too thin. In fact, if you were more buxom, like my Bethany, I wouldn't suggest it at all."

The princess nodded in agreement. "I'll be wearing my mother's tiara," she said quietly, glad she could include something of her mother's in the day that was looming ahead of her. "I'm sure we'll be able to come up with something to flatter the gown." She blushed a little as Miranda commented on her assets. "You don't think I should pad myself out, then?"

Miranda looked appalled at the very idea, her mouth dropping open a moment at the very idea. "No! Not at all! You are perfectly lovely just the way you are. There should be nothing fake about a wedding day, not even that." The warm smile returned to her face. "Trust me, Dru. You are going to be the most beautiful bride Tirisano has ever seen. Now, about the ball gown."

Blushing at the appalled look on Miranda's face at the thought of her padding herself, Dru giggled a little. "Well, the ball gown will need to be in a shade to match the wedding dress itself," she managed, touched by Miranda's insistence that she was fine as she was. "But it doesn't need to be ornate or traditional. I'll be in it for several hours, and ball rooms can get ludicrously hot."

"And you want something you can move easily in that will move with you. Do you want something more modern-looking or old fashioned?" The wedding gown had a decidedly medieval Earth look to it, but Miranda wasn't sure if Dru wanted to continue that theme for the reception.

"Something more modern would be nice, but I'd prefer it to be modest," the young princess told her, chewing on her lower lip. "I'm going to be newly married, the last thing I want is to be worrying about whether or not people can see my underwear or if my dress is going to slip down to my waist if I stand wrongly."

"Hmm," Miranda considered a moment, tapping the pencil thoughtfully against her chin, trying to pull up an image of a design in her mind that would flatter Dru's shape and provide the necessary modesty while still looking fashionable. "What about something like that?" she asked, after a moment, as she started sketching again. This time, the gown that was taking shape on the page was very different from the other. It was much sleeker with a more modern look and feel, modest yet feminine.

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-09-03 08:35 EST
Dru watched as the design took shape, entranced by the way Miranda could take a few not very helpful comments from her and transform them into a picture on the page that was very close indeed to what she had been thinking of. "Oh, I like that," she smiled, and there was that sense of excitement once again. "What is this bit?" Her fingertip gestured to what looked like a second neckline to her untrained eye.

"It's a sheer neckline, with a bit of lace and beading at the top, see?" Miranda explained, pointing out how the neckline seemed low-cut, but was really an illusion. There would be no worry about the dress falling off or revealing too much, as there was a sheer panel that covered her upper chest and shoulders, trimmed in lace and sparkly beads and sequins.

"Oh, I see." Whatever reservations Dru might have had about her initial thoughts on the dress were wiped away by that bit of reassurance, her smile relaxing once again. She couldn't help wondering what Josh would think of these dresses, making herself blush all over again. Now their wedding night was so close, they'd agreed not to tempt fate, happy just to be able to sleep next to each other again now they were out of Tirisano. "You really are a genius at this, Miranda," she complimented her cousin. "I could have told a dozen designers at home what I've told you, and none of them would have come up with anything like this."

"They're just ideas, but with a wedding in two months, we don't have much time to waste. If you like, I can work a mock up on my computer and see how it will look on you before we go any further." That way, Dru would be able to see what she looked like in the gown without even trying it on.

"Is that what you'd recommend we do?" Yes, she'd consulted on ballgowns before now, but this wasn't just another ball. She had a duty to give her people what they hoped for, and to be perfectly honest, Dru did want her wedding dress to be perfect. Which was why she had come to Miranda in the first place. "The only gown that needs to be strictly traditional is the ceremony gown," she assured her cousin. "Keira - the maid of honor - the only thing she asked me was to keep it relatively contemporary and not pink."

"Do you have a photo of her" I need to know what she looks like." Though Miranda could and had designed countless outfits without a particular person in mind, when it came to custom-designed formal wear, it was very important to consider who would be wearing it. She needed to take this Keira's shape into consideration, as well as her coloring. What might look stunning on one woman could look horrific on another.

"Oh, yes!" Rummaging in her folder once again, Dru pulled out the photographs of Keira she had brought with her, envious of her friend's seemingly effortless beauty. "Gorgeous, isn't she?" she commented, sighing a little and laughing.

"Very," Miranda agreed as she looked on the photo of Dru's chosen maid of honor. "She's a striking girl," she said, though beauty was a matter mostly of personal preference, in Miranda's opinion. "What color do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking of blue," Dru admitted thoughtfully, though she was open to suggestions. "Not a pastel shade, or deep midnight, but a rich shade. Like royal blue. Would that work?"

"She would look lovely in royal blue. My only reservation is that you don't want the bridesmaids outshining the bride. That is why bridesmaids' dresses are usually a little more..." Miranda considered a moment, as if searching for the right word. "Subtle. We want them oohing and aahing over you, not your wedding party."

"I want her to stand out," Dru confessed awkwardly, smiling at her own confession. "She's the only member of my bridal party that I chose for myself, who knows me. All the others are there because they're the right rank and it is expected. So they will be in pastel shades of whichever color we decide on for Keira."

"All right," Miranda said, taking that into consideration as she started sketching again. The bride was always right, after all, and Miranda wanted Dru to be happy with her designs. "What about something like this?" she asked, as she sketched out yet another dress. This one had a high waist from which fabric was gathered and then flowed down to the floor in soft pleats. She added rhinestones at the sweetheart neckline and cap sleeves that were more like thick straps. She took up a pencil in a shade of royal blue and added some color so that Dru could get a good idea of what the dress might look like.

"Oh, Miranda, that's perfect," the little princess by her side exclaimed when the sketch was done. "It truly is." To her surprise, she found herself tearing up, sniffling as she swallowed hard to try and avoid disgracing herself. "I'm getting married," she said suddenly, as though it had only just sunk in. The delicate ring on her finger sparkled as she wiped a stray tear away, turning to embrace her cousin tightly. "Thank you so much for doing this for me."

Miranda set her pencil and sketchbook down when she heard Dru sniffling, maternal instincts sensing that the young woman was becoming emotional. "You need not thank me, dear. It is an honor and a privilege to do this for you. Truly," she said with a smile as she hugged her back. "You are going to be the loveliest bride, Dru," she told her. "You're going to take Josh's breath away," she promised gently.

"You're going to be able to call yourself a royal fashion designer now, you know," Dru teased her gently, pulling herself together as she drew back. "Is it hard" Being married, I mean?"

Miranda chuckled at that thought, but didn't bother to remark on it. Her business was doing well enough without having to make any such claims. Dru had asked a far more important question than those that had to do with fashion. "I could say no, but that would be a lie. Being married is like anything else. You get out of it exactly what you put into it. Do you know why so many marriages fail" It's because people stop talking to each other. If there is one thing that is important than any other in a marriage, it's communication. That, and trust. If you don't trust the person who you are supposed to love more than any other, then who can you trust?"

"I do trust him," Dru was swift to assure her cousin. "Josh knows me, inside and out, and he has never once seemed put off or intimidated by me. He's so worried about getting things right as a prince, I wish I could find a way to show him how perfect he'll be. I just have to hope that he'll realize it, in time."

"He'll grow into it, Dru, just as you have. When you are together, you can just be each other. You don't have to worry about being perfect or being what other people expect you to be." She quieted a moment as she considered something. "There might be a way, but..." She shrugged, unsure if it was wise to suggest what she was considering.

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-09-03 08:37 EST
It was too late to back out on telling her now - that little hint toward somehow being able to show Josh how perfect he would be as Prince of Tirisano was too much for Dru to ignore. "What do you mean?" she asked curiously. "I would do anything to help him come to terms with this. He insisted that we announce our engagement last month, after what happened following the parade frightened him, but the shortened timeline is worrying him more than he wants me to realize."

Miranda frowned when Dru mentioned the close call she'd encountered after the parade. Humphrey had shared the news with her and a few others he trusted and who were particularly close to Dru - namely, Jon and Desmond and Lena, among a few others. "Anything encompasses quite a bit, sweetheart. Tell me, what do you think worries him most?"

Dru considered that for a long moment, not entirely sure of the true reason for Josh's concern. "I think ....I think he's worried that he will let me down somehow," she said finally. "That he won't be able to do the job. Which is patently absurd, because I know he can do it. He could have been born to it."

"Hmm," she replied thoughtfully as she took a sip of her tea, the matter of wedding dresses forgotten for the moment. "There might be a way, but I'd have to look into it further to be sure."

"Truly?" Dru's eyes lit up hopefully as the carrot was dangled in front of her. "Do you really think he can be convinced, Miranda" I hate how worried he is, always trying to hide it from me. He's going to make himself ill."

"I don't want to promise you anything, but I can find out. I just need to make a phone call or two." How long had it been since she'd talked to Dom, anyway' That man really needed to learn to keep in touch better.

"I would very much appreciate it, Miranda, truly I would," Dru assured her fervently. "Oh, and the invitations will be arriving over the next week. You and Rufus are invited to both the ceremony and the reception, and there will be a suite provided for you in the palace for the duration of your stay."

"I assume I will be attending as a friend of the bride and not a relative," she said, taking that fact a little better than had Jon, though Miranda had no way of knowing that.

"Unfortunately, yes," Dru sighed, as unhappy about it as any of them were. She would have loved to have been able to openly acknowledge her affiliation with the Grangers, but she did not dare to. "But the important thing is that my family will be there, even if we can't behave as family in public."

"Well..." Miranda started, smiling affectionately. "No one said anything about not acting like close friends. Now, how long are you going to be in Rhy'Din?" she asked, needing to know so that they could accomplish as much as they could while she was here.

"I'll be in Rhy'Din until the 20th of October," Dru assured her with a faint smile. "The majority of the arrangements are being taken care of by my uncle, who is ridiculously pleased to be able to do it. As the designer of the dress, the palace will be open to you from the 27th."

"All right. That should give me plenty of time. How busy are you right now?" she inquired, reaching for her cell phone and scrolling down as if to look for a particular name and number.

"Aside from my lessons, nothing very much," the princess told her. "I didn't return in time to take a role in Annie, and the Shanachie will be auditioning once that production is over. Unless they're prepared to take me on for a very little while, I doubt I will be doing anything much for the next two months."

Miranda tapped out a text message to someone and hit the Send button. "Are you planning on auditioning for next season?" she asked, more curious than anything else. She knew Dru took her duties as a royal very seriously, but she was still a teenager, after all.

"Well ....we won't always be in Tirisano," Dru said quietly. "We have every intention of coming back here as often as we can, and ....well, we thought that perhaps the Shanachie might take us on as guest performers. I truly enjoy being on stage, and Josh loves it."

It wasn't long before Miranda received a text message in response to hers and she sent off another, though she didn't bother to tell Dru what or who it was she was getting in touch with. "I'm sure Mataya would love that," Miranda replied, hearing every word Dru was saying even as she finished up with whatever conversation she was having on her cell phone. She set the phone aside and lifted her head with a smile. "And you both will always be welcome at Maple Grove," she reminded her with a pat of her hand.

"I hope so," Dru smiled, gently bumping Miranda's shoulder with her own. "Because I want my kids to know all about this place." Her eyes sparkled wickedly as she grinned at her cousin, knowing this was a tease she would never dare try on her brothers.

Miranda laughed at Dru's teasing, relieved to see her eyes sparkle with happiness, and why shouldn't she be happy' She was getting married soon to the man she loved. Though many might think them still children, Miranda had a feeling they were more prepared for this than many full-grown adults that she knew. "One thing at a time. First the wedding. There's plenty of time for children later."

"An heir and a few spares," Dru intoned mischievously, inching closer to pore over the sketches once again. Truthfully, she just wanted to get through the wedding and everything that would lead up to her eighteenth before she even considered thinking about children yet. "So when would you want Keira to come up?" she asked, returning the conversation to the point of her visit. "I've got her measurements, but I suppose you'll want her in the dress at some point."

"Well, I can go to work right away making some mock-ups so you can see how the gowns will look when they're done. If you still like what you see, we can get to work making the dresses. If these measurements are accurate, we don't even need Keira until the dress is ready. Then it's just doing a few minor alterations, depending on what shoes she wants to wear and such. It's not really as complicated as it seems."

Dru nodded, absorbing all this with quiet interest. She'd not been so closely involved in the first steps of creating any gown before, intrigued and glad to be a part of this process with a cousin who was a genius in her quiet opinion, secure in the knowledge that Miranda was more than capable of creating something truly beautiful, even in such a short time as she had been given. In a little under two months, Tirisano was going to be introduced to Miranda Granger in the best possible way, and Dru couldn't help feeling a little thrill about that. Wedding day or not, she liked to be able to show off her family, even if no one was supposed to know about the connection. But deep inside, the little girl she didn't often indulge was bouncing excitedly in her seat. In Miranda's hands, she would be beautiful, a real princess on her wedding day, and secretly she found she couldn't wait. Josh was a lucky groom indeed.

((Aww, little Dru is growing up! And what is this mysterious method on Miranda's mind for convincing the groom not to get cold feet' Stay tuned to find out!))