The True Measure of Character and Confidence

By: Sokai

Disclaimer: I, Sokai, do not claim ownership to the workings of Rainmaker Entertainment, in relation to their "Barbie" movie series (or, indeed, anything else of their creation), specifically (in this particular case), "Barbie: Princess Charm School." However, I can and DO claim to own this story and its inspired ideas FROM said movie.

Note: Haaaaaaaaaappy New Year, My Lovelies! Been a little while since this story was last updated, sorry! I hope none of you are terribly pressed by the wait, as my real life responsibilities continue to get within the way of a more steady updating schedule. =(

I hope to continue on with this one, though, alongside a few others, as we all continue to look forward to what 2020 brings, eh? =)

Okay, rambling, now. LoL Onto the newest chapter! Enjoy!

This chapter was created/written in June 2019, and revised January 2020.

Chapter Four: Forging Ahead

". . . . and that's about the whole of it. My life up until now, that is. Tch. Obviously a pretty mundane life, especially by comparison to yours, having lived as a real life princess-to-be this whole time, right, but . . . I dunno. I guess outside of worrying about Mom's previous decline within health and working like crazy at 'Café Gardania' to help pay for her medical bills, I gotta say that I didn't really have much to complain about. Every day was just one day at a time, and otherwise peaceful since we still had each other, you know? But now, suddenly? Bam! I'm a princess, with an entire kingdom on my shoulders! But, hey - No pressure!"

After her incredibly quick shower and general wash up, Blair had nearly raced out of her far-too-large-and-fancy-for-just-one-person new bathroom in order to avoid keeping Delancy waiting any longer for their privately shared breakfast.

Thankfully, it didn't appear to be the case, as the older girl had been within the middle of quietly setting up the last of their piping hot meal when Blair had reentered the room, nice and neat upon the small, circular dining table she had apparently wheeled into the bedchamber during her cousin's brief absence.

Blair honestly couldn't help stopping to remind herself, yet again, that this was the very same young woman whom had spent majority of the past school semester making it her apparent life's mission to make Blair's own a living nightmare.

The same young woman whom appeared to rather have her head shaved before she'd ever lift a finger to help anyone other than herself.

Yet now, there she was, with such a look of honest contentment etched upon her face as she continued to carefully lay out the remainder of their soon-to-be shared meal with obvious thought and care.

Such a sight almost made Blair even forget that the previous turmoil both had experienced within the last day or so was nothing more than a dispiriting memory, rather than the strong actuality it very much was.

Still, for now, at least, Blair, and it appeared Delancy, as well, could put it all aside for the time being in order to better envelop themselves within the here and now . . . which was precisely what they had done throughout that past half hour, and joyfully so, at that.

"'. . . . Café Gardania?' Was that the name of your place of employment?" Blair couldn't help but chuckle merrily at Delancy's otherwise unexpected question, causing the other girl's cheeks to grow a bit rosy as a result. ". . . . W-What? Did I say something wrong?"

"N-No, no! It's fine, it's just . . . of everything I'd just finished talking about, it's cute how you'd managed to zero in on the not so terribly important fact that I used to work at a café," Blair explained in between continued gaiety, carefully setting down the intricately designed and undoubtedly priceless teacup back down onto the small dining table set in between the pair.

Delancy promptly seized up at this, reaching up to scratch at her left cheek with her thumb in order to hide away her ongoing embarrassment as discreetly as she could before responding.

"O-Oh, no, it isn't like I didn't care about you sharing your life's story with me - Really! In all honesty, it was a . . . nice change of pace to have the attention be taken off of me for a while. Plus, it was also really . . . really lovely to get more of a firsthand view into 'Blair Willows, Lottery Winner,' before we both try to figure out how to bring out more of 'Princess Sophia' as future days pass," she stated softly with a sheepish, crooked smile as she slowly lowered her hand away from her face before continuing. "It's just . . . okay, yes, fine. Obviously, by now, you've been made aware of how I have an . . . affinity toward cooking and such, so . . . hearing about this café of yours, it just made me wonder what sort of . . . menu you have there, that's all."

Blair gently dabbed at the corners of her mouth with the tablecloth previously set neatly upon her lap and nodded understandably with a nonetheless amused grin, a temporary far off gaze settling across her face as she remarked, "Based upon how delicious the meal you'd served yesterday morning was, and how clearly talented you are at cooking in general, I'll bet! Ha, ha, ha! . . . . O-Oh, sorry, Delancy, but I was just picturing what it would have been like to witness 'Princess-in-Waiting Delancy Devin' suddenly strolling into Café Gardania during my shift one day, and how absolutely floored each of my coworkers would have been as a result! Heck! How floored I'd be, for sure, especially if I had to be the one to take your order!"

Delancy, too, began to softly chuckle within unison as she also apparently found herself envisioning the hypothetical scenario within her own mind.

"Yeah, well, given how . . . high maintenance I could make myself, and how positively reckless you once were prior to your collective lessons at 'Princess Charm School' this last semester, that premiere visit to your café would have undoubtedly made first page news within the 'Gardanian Times!'" she managed to tease the both of their formerly predominant traits with only a modicum of guilt for a change, letting out a wistful sigh, alongside a lingering smile, as a new thought sprung to mind. "Still . . . it might have been worth both the visit, as well as overall experience, I think. Good experience as Gardania's formerly future monarch to mingle amongst the 'little people' . . . as Mother has always thoroughly enjoyed referring to my – Your subjects. She probably would have sooner locked me away within my room for an entire week before ever letting me venture anywhere near Downtown Gardania. . . ."

Blair couldn't help but gently frown at this, feeling an unavoidable feeling of great umbrage regarding Dame Devin, the first reason being due to the fact that her unfortunate mention within the general sense (albeit the first time throughout that entire meal, at least) had undoubtedly soured the overall pleasant mood for both royals a bit.

However, Delancy's reference of the now incarcerated woman had also carried Blair's mind back to just a few weeks prior, during the charm school's premiere lesson within the palace.

Delancy's unfortunately blatant ignorance toward the overall living conditions of Downtown Gardania had effortlessly shown on that day, much as it still admittedly seemed to even now, although not entirely through much fault of her own.

Dame Devin had truly seemed quite adamant to do away with that 'blight,' as she'd cruelly referred to Blair's neighborhood, before ever allowing her daughter to risk visiting the area upon being crowned princess.

It was also the day which Blair had finally decided to completely dig deep within herself and at last push right back against Dame Devin's formerly curious, and incessant desire for her to vacate Princess Charm School under any circumstance.

A slight shiver unavoidably ran up Blair's spine just then as she continued to reflect upon said turning point, then beginning to wonder what might have been had she actually climbed into the carriage which Dame Devin had gleefully summoned for her, and allowed it to take her back home.

For one thing, besides all chaos breaking loose with Dame Devin more or less ruling in place of Delancy, my old neighborhood would probably already be half bulldozed right about now, with so many other families mercilessly left homeless, Blair thought with a growing scowl, before quickly shaking her head as though to properly let loose such dark musings. No. No, that's not the case anymore, and never will be now that Dame Devin's safely locked away. All those families still have their homes, and are safe and sound. . . .

". . . . Blair? You all right? I think I might have lost you again to your thoughts," Blair tuned back in in time to listen to Delancy politely query, both girls' mutual habit of becoming frequently entangled within each of their minds as of late apparently becoming one Delancy, at least, was gradually able to pick up on as soon as it might occur.

"H-Huh? Oh, right, yeah . . . sorry, Delancy! I was just thinking about everything that's happened again, you know . . . and then also realizing just how long it's already been since I'd even gone back to Downtown Gardania," Blair explained, slowly at first, with an apologetic smile, before continuing. "I mean, obviously, I originally thought I'd be back home by now, back within my family's apartment telling Mom and Emily about absolutely everything I'd experienced this past year. And then I'd be trying to figure out my next step as a lady royal for whichever princess would have hopefully chosen me. It still would have been pretty surreal heading back there with such a prestigious title as that, with several old friends from high school who still live around there gushing and teasing me about it, for sure! But . . . wow. Now? If I ever get the chance to go back within the very near future, imagine what they'll say or how they'll react to seeing me, Princess Blairphia clocking back into work at the café come Monday!"

"'Princess Blairphia?" Delancy couldn't stop herself from slightly giggling as she asked within understandable confusion, before Blair merely nodded with a sheepish grin.

"W-Well, yeah! It's, uh . . . sort of what I've been calling myself inside my head now whenever I also have to forcibly remind myself every day that yes, I am an actual princess. And since I'm nowherenear close to filling 'Sophia's' royal shoes just yet, but I know that the public will probably refer to me by said birth name more so from here on out, I've, for now . . . merged the two names," she explained with growing abashment, quickly reaching toward her previously untouched glass of iced water and took a purposefully long sip.

"There's no need to be embarrassed about the new name, or idea, Blair, honestly. I probably might have done something similar, myself," Delancy assured her cousin with a warm smile, gently clearing her throat before continuing. "After all, no one outside of Parliament, my . . . mother, and . . . Headmistress Privet perhaps ever knew you as Princess Sophia once upon a time. So you not having any present attachment to her isn't surprising, remember? But you'll get there one day, I'm certain of it. Until then, 'Princess Blairphia' can hang around for as long as necessary! No pressure from me, anyhow . . . o-ooh! Except for right now, because we really need to get a move on with the rest of today's scheduled affairs, or else we'll never be able to properly catch up!"

Blair found herself playfully groaning at this, her insides now becoming increasingly frazzled by this news . . . one she was admittedly pleased within secret to have been put on hold a bit longer, due to the girls' shared morning meal.

"Ohhh . . . is there any way to fast forward to the day when Princess Sophia fully arrives? Because now that it's officially time to actually commence my newfound royal duties, that previous excitement and even slight confidence that I'll be okay – At least, since I do also have you by my side to help – doesn't really seem all that interested in joining us, anymore," she admitted with a shaky chuckle, although still managing to follow suit as Delancy rose from the table before gingerly placing her tablecloth down next to her emptied plate.

"Remember what you just told me, Blair? You've been calling this new version of yourself 'Princess Blairphia' until you figure everything out, right? So, why not just continue focusing on that for today, while also reminding yourself to try to take it 'one day at a time' . . . just like your former life?"

Blair felt her previously fast paced heart gradually begin to slow down, as she then released a gruff exhale before nodding.

". . . . Y-Yeah. Yes, I think I can do that, thanks, Delancy. I mean, I will if you will, right? 'In for a penny, in for a pound,' as they say!" she remarked with a weak smile, following her already incredibly trustworthy lady royal toward the sealed double doors to her new bedchamber, where a now soundly slumbering Prince had peacefully laid by its side throughout the entirety of the girls' meal. "All right! . . . . Ready or not, here I – We go. . . ."

- O -

Upon completing their dual descent down the palace's main staircase a few minutes later, with Delancy initially continuing to lead the way toward where Blair could only assume would be where they would conduct their very first Princess-Lady Royal meeting together, Delancy nearly jumped out of her skin within alarm the moment Blair unexpectedly charged on ahead of her.

"Oh! I was right, Delancy! Well, I mean, what I was right about in private this whole time, anyway. I can definitely hear Mom and Emily's voices within the dining hall! So they are awake, good! Okay, so if it's all right, I'm just going to pop in real quick to say good morning, before you and I go do our royal . . . business!"

Delancy did not offer up any sort of rebuttal upon listening to her new princess's hurried request, simply nodding politely as she, as well as a few passing palace attendants momentarily watched the naturally animated teenager momentarily appear to forget herself.

She gleefully continued to rush down the connected corridor on their left, where Blair was slowly becoming familiar with knowing it to be where the palace's vast banquet hall happened to be.

. . . . That is something which will certainly need to be worked on – Again, Delancy couldn't help but think with a faint smile to herself, making a mental note to remind herself to remind Blair of her newly acquired charm school etiquette, in addition to the multitude Delancy, herself, had had drummed into her since childhood as a former princess-to-be.

As though her body had wished to prove her mind correct even further, Delancy found herself automatically taking her time down the warmly lit passageway, dipping her caramel blonde head ever so slightly within courteous acknowledgment toward each passerby, whom in turn mimicked the overall sentiment with the respectable bow or curtsy normally given to the viscountess on a daily basis, without fail.

By the time Delancy had reached the double doors to the dining hall, patiently allowing the pair of presently posted guardsmen to open them for her simultaneously, she found herself walking into what she could only assume was a typical scenario for her cousin.

For there Blair was, already sat down in between both a beaming Emily and an amused, also quite relaxed looking Ellen, a random plate topped with a decadent omelet and fresh fruit placed in front of her, while she appeared to be knee deep within an apparently incredibly humorous tale.

If Delancy hadn't just spent that early morning with her, even eating breakfast together, at that, she would have honestly thought that Blair had been there with her family that entire time, the scene was that natural.

"A-And then, and t-then . . . the next thing I know, wham! I'm being pelted in the chest by my would-be 'Traditional Welcome Cupcake,' and this with me already having several coffee stains all over me, and hair a mess from work, remember? Talk about a m-memorable first impression, r-right Grace?" Blair barely managed to finish an apparent memory Delancy was not privy to, watching with growing delectation of her own near the resealed doorway she continued to stand by, unnoticed, as her princess struggled to catch her breath in between continued laughter.

Delancy's eyebrows perked up slightly at the mention of Blair's former 'Personal Princess Assistant,' having yet to notice her presence, before her brown eyes quickly caught sight of the familiar flurry of pink and white sparkles left within the sprite's wake suddenly manifesting at Blair's side.

"H-Hey! I did say that I was sorry for that! But I was already running behind schedule trying to find you, and I just really, really, really wanted to make sure your first day at 'Princess Charm School' was an amazing one! Instead, we lost a truly yummy cupcake that day. . . . Mmm! Buttercream. . . ." Grace commented in between her own round of giggles, taking her new monarch's teasing within stride as she carefully fluttered down onto the elegant table, in order to then carefully stand before the trio of Willows women.

"Sure! But I mean, it wasn't a total waste, was it? You and I have this pretty unique memory to share forever, now, and my welcome cupcake had found a new home within Portia's tummy, if I remember correctly! Yeah! Yeah, she ended up eating it after Grace had accidentally dropped it onto the floor, and then ever since then she was always after having more 'Floor Cakes,' as she later began calling them," Blair explained to a now understandably perplexed looking Emily with a knowing grin, before gently stabbing a piece of honeydew onto her fork and politely took a bite.

Truth be told, she couldn't honestly eat another bite of anything for a while yet, not after having had her proper fill within private alongside Delancy earlier on that morning.

Still, given that she would have to spend however long honoring her newfound royal obligations as soon as Delancy returned to her side and reclaimed her, Blair couldn't bring herself to turn down the breakfast both Emily and their mother had already partaken in, themselves . . . one which Emily, this time, had personally set out onto a plate for her big sister prior to her arrival.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait! So you're saying that your cupcake became ruined, on the ground, and someone just . . . ate it? That doesn't really sound very 'Princess Charm School' to me," Emily innocently commented with a slightly wrinkled nose, her mind now racing with added wonderment regarding what it truly was like to attend such an otherwise prestigious institute.

Blair, now appearing to be curiously embarrassed, even guilt ridden, quickly cleared her throat as she began readying an answer.

Delancy, however, now feeling quite similarly as the specific event by then became more clear to her, quickly managed to beat her to it.

"O-Oh, good morning, everyone! Don't you look positively lovely! Ah, and what a wonderful meal you have laid out! I hope it was to your liking, Miss – Forgive me! I meant to say . . . Aunt Ellen, and . . . Cousin Emily, now, yes? I do remember your mother's personal request from yesterday morning regarding this. . . . A-Anyhow! Again, I'd picked out today's menu, although I'm afraid I hadn't the opportunity to personally help the kitchen's staff prepare anything, this time," Blair suddenly, albeit thankfully heard Delancy's familiar voice ring out from behind as the older girl gracefully approached, successfully breaking Blair from out of her momentarily oblivious bubble.

Blair found herself automatically rising to her feet alongside her mother, and even Emily, within greeting, despite having just seen the fellow blonde several minutes prior.

She really can command instant respect without even trying, Blair couldn't help but muse with a faint smile, maneuvering around her chair at the same time that Grace, too, swiftly sprang back into the air and gave a clumsy sort of curtsy toward the now slightly blushing viscountess. I wonder exactly how long it'll take me to manage that, as well. Well, with people outside of the palace walls, anyway.

"Oh, m-my! You'd startled me, Delancy! I was far too wrapped up within Blair's story about her first day at 'Princess Charm School' that I'm afraid I didn't even hear you come in! Good morning!" Blair watched with brimming happiness as her mom gave a slow, yet capable curtsy toward Delancy, before then moving closer in order to envelop her within a warm embrace.

Blair, naturally, wasn't too terribly surprised by this, as her mother had always possessed quite the outgoing, and loving nature, regardless of the given scenario.

And true, while the older woman had taken a moment during dessert last evening to openly confess to both of her daughters how the abrupt change within each of their overall lifestyles would understandably take quite a bit of time to get used to, Ellen was nonetheless up to the so called challenge, she'd stated, wishing to continue to support Blair within any way that she could.

And making absolutely sure that Blair's newest family member felt unequivocally welcomed, in addition to loved was evidently one of those ways, much to Blair's appreciative delight.

Blair playfully wrapped an arm around Emily's shoulder, whom she could feel previously beginning to cower ever so slightly behind her within returned shyness upon Delancy's arrival, as she bent down to whisper, "Doesn't this just continue to feel like one long, and crazy dream, eh, Em? We now live within an actual palace, I'm suddenly a princess on top of that, and we both now have a long lost cousin!"

"Y-Yeah . . . it really is crazy," Emily murmured back within continued timidity, her cheeks growing every bit as rosy as Delancy's had now become upon receiving Ms. Willow's unanticipated inclusion, as their eyes had then simultaneously met.

"I-I, uh, um . . . ahem! Thank you for that, Aunt Ellen! I . . . I truly do appreciate it!" Delancy clearly did her best to both sound, as well as appear unaffected by the older woman's physical advance, the peppiness currently within her voice sounding very much put on as a result. She then quickly cleared her throat once more as she took a secretly much needed step away from the hospitable brunette before politely stating, "I apologize for not attending supper last night, but I . . . I was suddenly feeling a bit under the weather. B-But I'm all right now, thankfully! And although I do wish I could stay to chat some more, The Princess has a scheduled meeting within the Venetian Parlor with me at the moment, so I'm afraid that we will have to cut this friendly affair short. . . ."

Ellen nodded within understanding at this and smiled, not appearing to have noticed Delancy's rather awkward behavior and mild retreat of sorts away from her moments before.

"Blair had told us about that last night, yes, Delancy. I'm glad to see that you're feeling better, though! As for you, sweetheart, a princess's work is never done, I suppose, right?" she smiled once more within jest, before moving back over to her eldest daughter and gave her a tender kiss upon her left cheek.

"Something like that, I suppose so, yeah," Blair responded upon Delancy's behalf with a slight nod and sheepish grin, before gazing down at a now thoroughly pouting Emily, who clearly was not as accepting of this news as their mother appeared to be. "I know that I said tomorrow, er, today, now, I guess, that we'd do some exploring of the palace together this time, Emily, as well as just spend some mutual time in general. And we will! We totally will! It's just that . . . well, as Delancy has put it, this whole thing: Us essentially swapping places, with Delancy now being Gardania's newest lady royal, while I'm its newest princess, instead . . . it's really done a number on us both, you know? A-And by that I just mean what had been originally planned out for her now has to be scrapped, or moved around in order to accommodate me, instead. So these next few days are going to be pretty . . . time consuming – At least for some of the day, anyway! But I still promise to try to always set aside enough time every day, just for you. . . . All right?"

While it wasn't the original promise she'd honestly been expecting, as well as looking forward to, Emily nonetheless found herself quietly nodding within compliance toward her sister's words, before forcing a light smile onto her otherwise disappointed face.

It was true that she really had been looking forward to today, what she was privately considering to be her official 'Day One' living within the Gardanian Palace, as it was originally going to be one spent alongside both her mother, as well as Blair this time.

While yesterday certainly had been rather interesting – Okay, more than just 'interesting,' as Emily now resided within an honest to goodness, real life palace, her mind obnoxiously could never get over that fact . . . still, it would have undoubtedly been a lot more enjoyable if her big sister had been able to join the random explorations the rest of their family had gone on during her absence.

In fact, by the time Emily had been able to see Blair again yesterday upon parting ways after breakfast, much like now, it hadn't been until several minutes into dinnertime . . . and by then, Blair had curiously appeared to be rather . . . forlorn, almost.

She didn't even really seem all too interested within eating her meal alongside the rest of her family, either, the more Emily reflected upon the memory, recalling within her mind's eye how Blair, at least for the first several minutes upon her return to the dining hall, would randomly move bits of her dinner about her plate, before then appearing to catch herself and abruptly stopped.

Emily hadn't much time to wonder after such curious changes within behavior, one pretty uncharacteristic of her older sibling, at that, before Blair was suddenly back to normal from then on, asking a million and one questions about Emily and their mother's day, before then making the promise to join them today.

Now that Blair had to rush off again, and was talking about the apparently large shift within whatever had originally been ironed out for Delancy after she'd been made princess, it only made Emily feel doubly nosy as to what exactly had gone on yesterday.

I wonder if it wasn't some sort of super secret royal conspiracy, or something, she couldn't help but think with a slightly furrowed brow, pondering further if she dared to directly ask her sister about it at some point later on.

After all, Blair had always been incredibly forthright with both Emily, as well as their mother for as long as Emily had known her, so getting a straight answer wouldn't be too hard.

. . . . Or would it? Now that Blair was suddenly a part of the Gardanian Royal Family, Emily's mind was positively within a tizzy about everything, now, wondering more and more if Blair was even allowed to share what will go on within her daily life as a princess from now on . . . because Delancy, or any other noble person would be against it, or however their royal protocol worked.

After all, Emily may have always been positively obsessed with fairy tales, royalty and, of course, princesses, specifically, but it didn't mean that she knew the first thing about what it meant to actually be one. . . .

Bah! There I go again, taking these new feelings out on Delancy, when she's been nothing but really nice and helpful to Blair! To all of us! Get it together, Emily! Emily suddenly found herself mentally scolding herself, at the same time that yesterday's previously nagging feeling she was, now especially, able to determine as jealousy effortlessly returned to her.

If there was one good thing the time apart from Blair yesterday had been able to afford Emily, it was more time to think and properly sort out her own emotions over the abrupt change within her young life . . . especially the sudden addition to her formerly small family.

Delancy.

Naturally, she didn't honestly know the older girl well enough to officially say whether or not she outright liked her, certainly not 'loved' her, either . . . but she at least knew that she also didn't dislike her.

Delancy was, for now, at least, just . . . there, as the truly, really, absolutely sweet, beautiful, and talented person whom would now be within Blair's life every . . . single . . . day for the rest of their lives as her new lady royal.

And as her blood relative.

That's all.

Emily could easily compete against that . . . except she honestly didn't want to.

She wanted to instantly fall in love with Delancy right away the way that Blair, and even their mother now seemed to.

She really, and truly did.

However, there were two things Emily was able to discern without question as she'd finally fallen asleep last night back within her brand new, and truthfully fantastic bedroom:

One: She wasn't going to go out of her way to be cruel to Delancy, as that simply wasn't how her mother had raised her, nor did she believe Blair would naturally appreciate such behavior.

And two: She also wasn't going to be left behind, nor pushed aside, by any means, either.

And so if that meant that Viscountess Delancy would sometimes have to take a backseat as a result, then so be it. . . .

For now, though, it would seem that Emily would have to be the one doing the stepping back, much as she didn't like it, and let her sister go and be the princess Emily was still very much ecstatic and proud Blair turned out to be.

"I'll – We'll try to be back around lunchtime or so, right, Delancy? And then maybe afterward we could have tea or something together, before we set off on our 'adventure,' okay, Emily?" Emily listened to Blair clearly attempting to further compromise, causing her to smile within avid appreciation as a result. "Oh! I just had another thought! Grace, since you were so sweet to come back again to the palace today, and just to check in on all of us, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind sticking around a bit longer? That is, to accompany my mom and sister wherever they might head off to today, at least until Delancy and I return?"

"Oh! Well, sure thing, Bl – Princess! D'oh! After all, I'm not just your former 'Personal Princess Assistant,' but also your 'Permanent Sprite Soulmate!' O-Or, at least, that's what I've now been calling myself in private . . . which totally should've stayed that way," Grace blushed profusely as she quickly flew closer toward a now giggling Blair, who then briefly shook her head with a raised hand.

"No worries, Grace, seriously! After everything you and I went through together the last semester, I'd say that 'Permanent Spite Soulmate' more than suits you! And thank you," the blonde complimented with a nod, before taking a step toward a patiently waiting Delancy. "Okay! I guess I'm ready to go, now – Finally, sorry!"

"You two have . . . fun, I guess! And you, as well, Emily, with Grace! I think that this time I might sit out exploring the palace grounds some more today, and perhaps settle down somewhere outside with a nice book for a bit," Ellen suddenly announced with a reassuring smile, before quickly continuing. "And no, nothing is wrong with me, you two, as I can now see the look of concern upon both your faces. Well, nothing new is wrong with me, that is. I still feel every bit as . . . revitalized, I guess you could say, as I did all day yesterday. See? No cane again today, or didn't you notice? No. I just think that taking it nice and easy, while continuing to also take in this fresh mountain air is the smartest choice for the moment, just in case I end up biting off more than I can chew. Now, go on, all of you! I'll be waiting right here at lunchtime."

Although she certainly didn't wish to leave her mother's side all the more, now, despite the continued strides the older woman already seemed to be making within such a very short amount of time, Blair gently bit down onto her lip as she nonetheless forced herself to completely tear herself away from her remaining family, Grace now included, and began exiting the dining hall alongside her lady royal.

"See you later, Blair!"

"Don't worry about a thing! Emily's in good sprite hands, here!" were the simultaneous goodbyes of both Emily and Grace being called out to Blair from behind, before she, as well as Delancy, each turned and gave a quick wave of their own parting right as they'd at last vacated the vicinity.

- O -

"Welcome, Your Royal Highness, to the Venetian Parlor! This was, as I've always been told growing up, where quite a many important meeting and the like carried on for Queen Isabella, and King Reginald in the past. This was where I, myself, was originally expected to spend a lot of time upon being crowned princess," Delancy announced cordially as she held open the mahogany door for a now increasingly apprehensive Blair several minutes later, upon having crossed from the East to the West Wing of the first floor.

Centuries worth (dating as far back as the fourteen, according to Delancy on their way there, in fact) of priceless, and painstakingly decorated Venetian artwork gracefully adorned every wall, nook and cranny of the brightly lit room . . . hence its name.

A set of crystal chandeliers elegantly hovered above the extravagant, elongated, and ivory colored table within the center of the large room, with a series of equally fancy looking chairs . . . twelve, Blair was able to quickly count, of the same hue neatly aligning both sides.

Two of them, however, were not only placed at the head of the table side by side, but were also much larger within size, effortlessly denoting their significance to anyone who would enter.

Because of this, it didn't take Blair very long to figure out to whom each chair used to belong. . . .

". . . . Wow . . . it's 'only' a room, yet it's every bit as impressive and breathtaking as everything else I've seen so far within the palace," Blair gushed with a growing smile, doing her best to take in as much of the surrounding area as possible, as she then stopped before both chairs. She then slowly reached out to caress the side of one of the gold trimmed seats as she quietly asked, ". . . . This is where my . . . birth mother used to sit?"

Understanding its importance, as well as natural delicacy, Delancy gingerly approached at her princess's side as she gently responded, "Yes, Blair . . . it was. And the seat next to it was your father's. . . ."

Blair felt herself unexpectedly blinking away a sudden onset of tears and quickly pulled her hand away from Queen Isabella's former seat as she let out a shaky cough, before then forcing a weak chuckle.

"O-Oh, gosh! I, uh . . . I knew that this – All of this – would understandably be pretty emotional for me, sorry. I just . . . I guess it's just really, truly hit home this time, you know? I mean . . . maybe it's mainly because this is the first personal item of my parents that I've ever come into close contact with. W-Well . . . besides Queen Isabella's magical crown, perhaps," she meekly explained, lightly shrugging as she reached up to blindly wipe a stray tear away from her face. "I-I don't know. Just sort of makes all of this that much more . . . real."

". . . . If this is too much for you right now, then we can always have our meeting somewhere else, and -"

"- N-No. No, I'm . . . It's fine, Delancy. Well, it isn't, but it is . . . if that makes any sense?" Blair hurriedly cut her lady royal off, who then slowly nodded within response. "We both knew that all of this was going to be . . . incredibly trying starting out, right? Besides, I won't last very long as Gardania's new ruler if I turn tail at the first sign of hardship, so . . . here we go."

With a sharp inhale, holding it in perhaps longer than ever initially intended, Blair took a shaky step toward her birth mother's former chair and hovered over it a few moments . . . before finally settling down into it at the same time she'd released her breath.

". . . . Can't wait to sit upon their former throne, next," Blair found herself weakly joking, doing her best to distract from the tingling sensations now rippling across her skin, her forearms now resting, albeit a bit tensely, against the very same armrests Queen Isabella had used once upon a time.

Turning her head to the left a bit to gaze upon her father's own seat placed next to her, Blair couldn't help but nervously reach out and briefly graze the side of the nearest armrest . . . before hastily withdrawing her hand and suddenly smiled brightly toward a patiently waiting Delancy.

"N-Now! Putting a pin in all of . . . this, I'm officially all ears for today's agenda! I don't want to stress you out any further if we keep having to put this off any longer," she happily remarked, a tad forced within the beginning, before it appeared to be more genuine, causing her lady royal to unknowingly settle her own emotions, as well.

"All right . . . if you're certain, then. Thank you," Delancy replied with a light smile of her own, carefully sitting down within the nearest seat to Blair's right. She then reached toward the middle of the large table and carefully seized the two, fairly thick and purple colored portfolio folders Blair hadn't before noticed were there until that very moment. "This seat in particular is the one designated for the kingdom's chosen lady royal. We always seat ourselves to the right hand side of our monarch within the general sense to further signify that we are, as they say, your 'Right-hand man.' Or, of course, 'woman.' Now, then! These here are copies of the original docket which had been prearranged for me upon having been crowned. I'd taken the liberty to have them amended, naturally, to reflect the current change."

"O-Oh, wow, look at how long this was! S-Still is! And you were really going to go through with all this? How on Earth could you have possibly kept up with such a . . . strenuous looking schedule?" Blair gasped, honestly flabbergasted by the amount of bulleted and timestamped descriptions placed upon the first page, alone.

Although a fair amount had indeed been struck out with an edited line going through each sentence, and new additions placed within red font to further indicate the corrections Delancy had already informed her cousin had been made on her behalf, it was nonetheless still brimming with entirely too much information for Blair to properly digest within one sitting.

Seeing this made her feel that much more grateful to have a royal advisor in the first place, because she didn't honestly think she'd separately be able to make heads or tails of anything which had been laid out before her.

"I know that you've been telling me that there was going to be a big celebration for Gardania's newest ruler and everything, but I kinda thought that we sort of took care of the bulk of that during Coronation Day . . . right? I mean, it was televised, a whole bunch of people also attended in person, and then later on that night was the party. So I'm a little confused as to why it says here, even still, that I'm expected to have a . . . 'Coronation Carriage Procession at Nine A.M., through the streets of Uptown Gardania.' Am I being crowned again, or something?" Blair asked within undeniable confusion, intermingling with increased anxiety, tilting her head to the side for added measure before gazing back up toward a now smiling Delancy dutifully sat next to her.

"Yes, that is correct . . . to answer both questions, actually. The first about whether or not I was originally 'going to go through with all this,' and I suppose, technically, to being 'crowned again,'" she stated with a slight nod, before taking a deep breath for what was clearly going to be a rather long explanation. "Sure, the actual coronation, slash graduation, had been televised a few days ago, and thus it was witnessed within some form. However, now that you're officially Gardania's princess, it's expected of you to properly meet the people in person. It's the same for any sort of truly major, royal event, really – At least, always has been here for as long as I've always known, and indeed within other realms, such as Narcissia where you know Portia's from. I'm sure she's probably within the middle of having her own procession and post-coronation celebrations being sorted right now, if not already. . . .

"Anyhow, doing this not only naturally further marks the occasion, but, more importantly, helps to reinforce your connection to your new subjects, even sort of making you a bit more relatable to some, while . . . less of a possibly 'larger than life,' God-like figure to others. And, of course, it still will subconsciously further solidify your new station as their sovereign, all the same," Delancy concluded, a bit triumphantly, Blair noticed with a faintly growing smile, the lady royal clearly taking a proper shine to her new role all the more.

". . . . Feels good to kind of pass on all this royal protocol-y knowledge you've had packed into your brain the past seventeen years, doesn't it? Especially to someone who truly needs all the help she can get," Blair couldn't help but openly comment, playfully poking at Delancy's side with a grin as Blair's nerves gradually settled once more.

Delancy's face immediately grew flush by her princess's evidently correct observation, before partially hiding her continually gratifying smile with the back of her left hand.

"W-What? No! Well, that is . . . I'm not trying to come off as 'high and mighty' about any of this – My know-how, of course, as like I'd explained, I've already just spent years naturally being that way as princess-to-be. So I really am trying to continue consciously turning over a new leaf . . . but, yeah! I mean, I'm honestly continually surprised how truly . . . satisfying being a lady royal instead of princess this has been for me so far, you know? Looking after your best interests and passing on all that I know, whenever and wherever I can . . . I imagine that this is what it'd feel like to have a child. O-Ooh, wait! Scratch that! I actually meant – "

"- Well, thanks for taking great care of me, then . . . 'Mom!' I really do appreciate it!" Delancy listened to Blair thankfully tease within her usual goodhearted nature, before the pair both began giggling over Delancy's honestly amusing, albeit innocuous comparison. "O-Okay! Continuing on! I think I can now better understand the whole procession thing, and why it's apparently necessary. . . . Says here, afterward, I'm meant to 'return to the palace, where The Princess will appear upon the balcony, twice, with the Royal Family to the crowds waiting below.' So, then . . . I suppose this is yet another instance of trying to better 'connect' with my new subjects? And, hey . . . 'the Royal Family?' Whom was that going to be, exactly? I mean, when it was originally you being crowned? You, at least, obviously didn't know of my existence, so that really only meant you and . . . Dame Devin, right? Do we even have an extended family? I actually never thought about that before, until right now."

Delancy nodded slowly, before curiously squinting her eyes heavenward, as though struggling to recall a misplaced memory.

"Mmm . . . yes, we do, of course, from Queen Isabella's side predominantly – At least, in terms of nobility, I mean. I'm assuming the majority of King Reginald's family was, or is you . . . my mother . . . a-and, as we now just learned, Headmistress Privet," she stated with decent momentum at first, before her facial expression momentarily darkened upon the mention of both girls' formerly concealed relative. "B-But, anyway . . . if there are more beyond that, I've never personally met any of them. As for Queen Isabella's lineage, it isn't to say that we – I've never been all that close to any of them, but rather that, traditionally, they haven't really visited Gardania all that much. At least, not within more recent years. Thinking on it all now, though, within retrospect, perhaps it was because a lot of them might have had their suspicions regarding the Royal Family's passing, but naturally hadn't any evidence to back anything up. . . . That, and my mother had never really been that much of a . . . 'fun' hostess to be around whenever any of them would visit, so I suppose the terse relationship just made it that much more simpler to stay away for longer periods of time. But! Of course, now that Princess Sophia has returned, I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing a lot more of our kin within the coming months!"

"O-Oh, wow . . . no pressure, like you said, right?"

"Well, no. I mean, yes, of course I'm sure you'll feel all sorts of apprehension when they inevitably start popping up – Most probably within the coming week, actually, if my last correspondence to their having originally 'RSVP'ed to coming to my coronation was any sort of indication. But I'm also sure that everyone will give you understandable leeway for a time as you continue to adjust to your new life," Delancy reassured with a light smile, timidly tapping a hand against Blair's shoulder before casually adding, "And besides, majority of them are cousins twice removed, and so on, anyhow."

Blair blinked at this, shaking her head within renewed perplexity.

"Aaand . . . that final tidbit was meant to help me . . . how, exactly?"

Delancy mimicked Blair's rapid eyelid movement just then, her cheeks becoming rosy once more as she smiled apologetically before stating, "O-Oh! Hmm . . . I don't know, honestly. I guess because it was just always something my mother liked to more or less 'remind' me of any time some would come to visit. Maybe to imply that they weren't as important as I was, or maybe it was just another way of her attempting to maintain control, keeping any semblance of family members as far away from us – At least emotionally – as possible. . . . Boy, do I have a lot more to atone for on my mother's behalf than I thought. . . ."

Apparently becoming increasingly in tune to Blair's thoughts, or perhaps at least, her impending intentions as the day carried on, Delancy was quite swift to stop her from offering up the rebuttal she so clearly wished to express as Delancy hurriedly remarked, "A-And, no, I'm not being hard on myself, or am trying to be, Blair . . . and yes, I do need to make amends where Dame Devin would, or more likely, will not. I have to, if I ever want to somehow crawl from out of the broad shadow of manipulation and misdirection she'd cultivated as my original legacy, and eventually forge my own path right alongside you. And, a-anyway . . . we'd agreed before breakfast this morning to put both my mother, as well as Headmistress Privet on the proverbial shelf, at least for today, right? So, let's not ruin the pretty decent progress we were both making in that and get back to this docket."

Delancy, grateful for the silence which appeared to be Blair's consent, nonetheless awkwardly shifted a bit within her seat a moment, before then gingerly resting an index finger upon the next bullet within the revised royal schedule.

"Now, immediately following your appearance, you and the other members of the Royal Family will sit for the official portrait, before then proceeding to Swanmore House for your state banquet, where honored, visiting dignitaries will attend and further commemorate the occasion," she dutifully explained, appearing to already set aside her personal scruples, this time without missing a beat. "And then, later within the evening on that same day, you will have your private, evening reception with family and close companions, which . . . I imagine within your case, would just mainly consist of your mother, Emily . . . and myself, now. . . . Or perhaps you might also invite Princesses Isla and Hadley? Although, considering they've their own new royal affairs and festivities to also attend to just like Portia, as well, I . . . don't suppose that would be very realistic. Hmm. . . ."

Blair, doing her best to honor the commitment they both really had made not to dive too far back into their most recent family drama for the time being, was able to successfully ignore her previously nagging desire to comfort her cousin in spite of this, as a new sensation had then washed over her.

". . . . Yikes. I'm basically, like . . . the princess of nobody," she murmured within unexpected awe, both eyebrows raised within furthered sentiment before catching Delancy's own surprised stare. "Oh! No, no, sorry! I didn't mean for it to sound the way that it did, really! I mean, like I'm suddenly depressed and all, 'Woe is me' right now, that is . . . not really, anyway, ha ha. No. I just meant that all of this specific pomp and circumstance really was better suited for you, instead, you know? Besides the blatant cross outs throughout each page here, as well as the added red print to further drive the point home, you can just tell that a lotttt of scrambling and rearranging really has been done on my behalf. Like, honestly, would we even really need to have this . . . 'private evening reception' if it sounds like hardly anyone will be there? And besides, I kind of already experienced that part, at least – Again, I'll point out, during our graduation party, right? Everyone I love and care for was there to help celebrate. . . ."

Pausing a moment, clearly contemplating the other girl's truthfully valid point, Delancy then faintly smiled before picking up the gold plated fountain pen set upon the table at her side, and proceeded to quickly, yet still somehow very neatly scribble something down onto her copy of the royal program.

". . . . Duuuly . . . noteddd . . . aaand done! I will pass this added change to our . . . added changes to the appropriate staff upon the conclusion of our meeting today, Your Royal Highness," she happily remarked, looking up from her writing and giggled at Blair's apparently taken aback gaze. "What? This right here is the core dynamic of our relationship as princess and lady royal, remember, Blair?"

"Well, y-yeah, I do, I guess, but . . . I don't know! I guess I just thought that, considering the special circumstances surrounding our specific princess and lady royal dynamic, maybe there'd be a bit more red tape to cut through regarding such an important occasion," Blair expressed with a befuddled smirk and light shrug, before leaning over a tad in order to peak at whatever it was Delancy had jotted down.

Playfully pulling the folder in toward her chest, Delancy shook her head as she tutted, before replacing the papers back down onto the table.

"So long as it isn't ever anything incredibly radical, isn't terribly last minute, and would stand to benefit the majority rather than the minority within the long run, then I don't see why the voice of any realm's ruling sovereign wouldn't ever be heard – Including yours," her words helping to remind Blair of her painstakingly memorized studies during that past semester as a former lady royal in training.

". . . . When you're right, you're right, Delancy! After all, I technically know more about being a lady royal than you do . . . m-maybe. Mmm, probably not, knowing you, as I'm slowly beginning to. Point is! Yes, I do recall the importance of a lady royal to never neglect her princess's personal input. I'm just continually grateful that, as you just said, this includes my own," Blair stated within ongoing appreciation, before returning to her copy of the royal agenda and turned to the next page. "So, then . . . after the, I guess what's now the would be evening reception, there is to be a . . . 'fireworks display, held within 'Gardania Royal Park!'' Ooh! Emily loves fireworks! This part really sounds like fun! And held within 'Gardania Royal Park,' as well? Isn't it one of four of the major royal parks of Gardania? I've never been there before – Nor the other three, actually – so that will be a real treat!"

Delancy smiled warmly toward Blair's almost childlike excitement by the news, and nodded.

"Well then, what better way to visit for the first time then by having an event held within your own honor? Although, truth be told, this was honestly more so for the people. That is, you wouldn't have needed to make a personal appearance . . . but I suppose I could find a way to make an exception somehow, and find a specific area within the park to now be designated solely for The Princess and her ongoing safety. Hmm. . . ." she trailed off into yet another thoughtful hum to herself, picking up her pen once more in order to take down a few more notes.

Hearing this, Blair quickly shook her head apologetically and flashed the other blonde a crooked smile.

"H-Huh? Well, then forget about it! I didn't know that that part wasn't actually meant for me, that is for me to be personally involved in! I don't want to put you, or anyone else involved with the planning out by my own continued amendments, and -"

"- If you'll forgive me interrupting you, Princess, as your advisor I must remind you that you are, in fact, royalty now. You have hundreds of individuals working for you, all of whom look to you for that sureness you'd managed to develop throughout these last several months. While you're more than free to . . . lean on me and express your true concerns in private, out there, past this door you must remember to appear as collected as possible, lest your subjects begin to fear that their new ruler is not as capable as I know she will be," Delancy instructed calmly, her face now reflecting the seriousness of the present topic. "And so, all that being said, if you would like to be able to somehow partake within this particular festivities personally, then I will do my absolute best to make it happen. Plus . . . as your cousin, I think I'd really enjoy being the one to take you to 'Gardania Royal Park' for the first time, as well. To each of the royal parks, actually! Have you really never been to any of them? I can't count how many times I've been to each one growing up."

Blair curiously blushed at this before nodding slowly, gently clasping her hands together within her lap as she responded.

"E-Er, well . . . no, I haven't. As you, well, sort of know now, my family – My adoptive family, I mean – was never on the well off side growing up, remember? I mean, certainly not like we are now . . . right? I say 'right' because I obviously don't honestly know how much The Royal Family is actually worth," she commenced with a thoughtful gaze, the overall monetary boon of her newfound lifestyle apparently settling into her mind more appropriately, now. "But a-anyway! Like I said, Mom always did her best to make sure both Emily and I were well taken care of, of course, and that neither one of us ever really had many complaints, or felt like we were missing out on too much, you know? We were happy, and still are! Still, traveling to Uptown Gardania, and experiencing everything it has to offer hasn't exactly ever been a . . . luxury, I guess you could call it, we ever really previously thought about. At least, I never really did, anyway. I mean, I do know that those parks are free and for 'everyone' to enjoy, but it's the getting there, commute wise, which isn't on the 'free' side of things, as well. Any spare amount of money I'd earn went toward Mom's medical bills for her herniated disc, as I'd explained earlier. So . . . yeah! There's the story about that!Still really looking forward to finally going there and experiencing the park – Experiencing Uptown Gardania in general – like this! Wait 'till Emily hears all about it during lunchtime!"

We truly have led completely different lives, Delancy couldn't help but privately reflect with a momentarily sympathetic smile, before it thankfully began to brighten as she kindly remarked, "Well, now I'm really looking forward to going back there, as well, Blair. It will be my honor to both accompany you, as well as perhaps see everything 'Gardania Royal Park' has to offer through new eyes. . . ."

Past this, the remainder of Blair and Delancy's premiere 'Princess/Lady Royal' meeting had carried on with little to no remaining hiccups or further derailment, at least regarding where the new princess's upcoming celebratory event was concerned.

Upon its conclusion, Delancy expertly moved onto the final topic upon the agenda, one which she was mildly certain would, if nothing else, feel a tad more routine to Blair than anything else she'd previously experienced thus far.

". . . . And so, coming up on our remaining bit of import, is the . . . truthfully rather pressing commencement of your princess tutelage, which -"

"- Wait, what? I mean, I know that this was already sort of mentioned and honestly expected now, given our newfound situation, but really? I'd only just finished miraculously jamming as much lady royal knowledge, etiquette and protocol into my brain as I could! Can't I have, say . . . a month or so to properly relax and sort of reboot, before diving into yet another round of studying?" Blair openly whined with a small, playful pout, as Delancy calmly began reorganizing both portfolio folders, which by then had been further edited a bit more with her now trusty fountain pen.

"Sorry, Blair, but I'm afraid that this isn't going to be one of those 'leeway moments' we talked about earlier," she replied with a sympathetic smile and shake of her head. "Maybe if it really were different circumstances, I might have been able to move some things around for you as I will do for several other things today; however, your return to the Gardanian throne is as much of a surprise to the entire country, I'm sure, as it obviously is to you. As such, we've far too much to catch up on where familiarizing you with your birthright is concerned, with virtually no time to do it in. After all, it isn't just seventeen years worth of missed history – Your history – to learn, but centuries worth, remember? But, if it's any consolation, you also know that I unavoidably know more than I probably care to know about our shared ancestry! Plus, once Missus Ilma Daskalov, one of my former private tutors from my childhood arrives within a few days, you won't have to worry about a thing, at least in terms of whether or not you'll ever know enough about Gardania's royal history!"

"So it's back to 'Princess Charm School' for me, then . . . or, I guess, just 'Princess School,'" Blair exhaled within defeat, although the smile slowly spreading across her face denoted an understanding of [precisely how important the present discussion at hand truly was. "My mom was right: 'A princess's work is never done!'"

- End of Chapter Four

(A.N. So much to sort of unpack, I suppose...yet not really. Maybe. Maybe not. LoL

The bottom line, or main takeaway for this chapter was that I wanted to sort of flesh out Blair's new kingdom a bit more than what had originally been portrayed within the movie, as well as what's expected of her, overall. Ended up being largely inspired by the actual Royal Family within the UK, at least where a few of the sites Delancy had mentioned during their shared meeting. I just gave everything new names, was all.

Also combined a bit of Queen Elizabeth II's actual coronation with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding as far as its schedule of events were each concerned...because otherwise it was giving me a headache as I continued to think of what exactly to list during the girls' all too important first Princess/Lady Royal meeting... LoL

What else, what else... Nothing much, really, I guess. I'm enjoying being able to slowly trickle out Blair's world, or at least what I personally envision it to be within my head, bit by bit. Helps me feel like I'm right there with her on her obviously 'Holy cow!' journey. LoL

Also planned to continue on with everyone else's scenes/moments, such as Emily with Grace, or even perhaps whatever Headmistress Privet might be up on this new day, but I saw that I was coming up on thirteen pages already, so decidedly stopped. =) Besides, as the title, and both cousins actively reminded themselves, 'today' was all about moving forward as best they could, honoring their responsibilities to the Crown, etc, while putting the temporary kibosh on the whole Dame Devin and Headmistress Privet chaos...AND how honestly insane their personal family lives really are. LoL

So, with THAT being said, I'm sorry to anyone who might have been looking forward to more family drama or drama, in general, OR just wanted to check in on Alexandra/Headmistress. She'll be back, probably within the next chapter, I'm sure, no worries!

But...yeah, I guess that's it, or all I can recall/care to mention! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and see you hopefully soon for the next one!)