I happened to be playing Candy land with my cousins the other day and 'thought, you know, I could make an awesome 'fic out of this!' So here I am, ignoring my other story, 'A Bride's Incubus', because I feel like writing this now.

This is from Princess Lolly's Point of View, by the way.

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I'm not sure what was bound to be worse, loosing the view from my window, or having to find out whether the rumor I overheard from one of my nurse maids was true.

It was the year of my "upstream"; basically meaning; now that I was fourteen I was aloud to have more freedom in the palace.

Long ago had I out grown the need for a nursery, much less any nurse maids, but mother and father still kept me in the room which I had lived in since I was born, literally. I was borne in one of the chambers in the west wing of the palace, and then brought here not ten minutes later.

And there I've stayed, silently wishing that I could just break free; to see the world outside of the horrible pink, yellow and other pastel colors that were splayed on the walls in colorful bubbles and flowers and other childish nonsense.

But I had taken refuge in the big bay windows that face the East, and over look the Valley Molasses Marshes.

In the early mornings, before any of the maids even thought I would wake, I would crawl out of bed and watch the beautiful sun rise; lighting up the marshes and making everything seem to glow with freshness, showing the way to a brand new, special day.

But today was different. It was the morning of my fourteenth birthday and I was finally escaping from the stifling confines of the nursery I hated. I had woken out of the perfect dream, watched the flawless sun brighten my world again, and began to dress, not bothering to wait up for the maids to help.

True it would be a little hard to get the corset on, but I think I'd manage… but after twenty minutes of huffing, I couldn't keep the thing straight with my arms behind my back, and I couldn't keep my breath in if I needed it to pull the strings.

From somewhere behind me I heard the chamber door open and something thump to the ground.

"Miss Lolly!" She exclaimed, and I turned to face the speaker, still attempting to get the corset on.

"Yes Cecilia?"

"Miss! Tha 'twould me my job!" she said, hurrying over to me, avoiding the basket of laundry she dropped in surprise.

I gratefully let her take control of the situation, holding my long black locks out of the way of the strings.

"Now miss," Cecilia said, pulling, "Why in the name of York are you up this early, and tryin' to dress yerself?"

"Well, I was much too eager for today to stay in bed, and I couldn't think of anything to do while I waited, so I thought I might as well try to help you out." I said, sucking in.

"Miss," she said with her Yorkshire accent that faded and returned with full velocity, "When I come in the first think I think to myself is 'Lord, she's just goin' to up and kill herself with that there corset.' And now, do you think that would make me rest easier if the young missus was to…"

I cut her off. "Cecilia, I could barely fit on myself, how could I have possibly cut off my air supply?"

"Well, you still gave me a fright." She said, giving a final jerk and trying it off. "Can you still breathe a little?"

"Yes." I said, adjusting to the limited air supply I was given.

Cecilia had been tightening my corsets for months now, trying to get me used to the smaller waist, seeing as I was officially older now I would need to look more like a young lady and less like a child, and we had gotten my waist down to the impossibly small seventeen inches.

"Beautiful." Cecilia said, patting my waist. "And now…" She went over to my wardrobe and opened the fine peppermint doors, revealing an assortment of Taffeta, satin and silk dresses, all originally supposed to mid calf, but were now nearing my knees as I grew taller.

"Oh dear…" she said, looking at the dresses, which were now considered un-wearable by a girl my age.

It was the tradition for girls to wear these short dresses until her Upstream, and then she would wear full skirts like ladies did, and evidently my presentation dress hadn't showed up.

"Cecilia, I thought that they had arrived already…" I said, gasping.

"I thought I had put it up here…" she sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

She sniffled a little, and I started to feel anxious pangs in my stomach.

"Wait!" Cecilia said suddenly. She strode across the room to her abandoned laundry basket and pulled out the crisp, white petticoats and spring green and coral pink dress.

"Knew I had it!" she said, smiling as she presented them to me.

I took the amazingly soft material into my hands, enjoying their smoothness and pretty colors.

"Now, let's get you set up for the morning celebration." She said, slipping the petticoats around my waist.

After a few moments I had the full outfit on, and was being led to the table where Cecilia fixed my hair, and today, my make-up.

I had never worn make-up before, as it was part of the ceremony; my beauty coming out, and I was anxious to look in a mirror to see myself as a true lady, not a child.

It took ten minutes for Cecilia to fix my hair up into curls and then pile them into a mass on the back of my head.

"There." She said, giving my shoulder a little pat, telling me she was done. "Now, I shall be right back with"

"The make-up!" I said breathlessly.

She smiled and hurried off to one of the adjoining rooms, coming back moments later with a rectangular box that was pink and blue, making me think of candy floss.

She opened it, revealing an assortment of brushes, small canisters and other metal things I didn't know of.

She removed one of the metal things that was in the shape of a tall, thin "V" and told me to close my eyes.

I closed my eyes, expecting to feel it making me more beautiful, but felt only a sharp pain from my eyebrows.

"Ow!" I squealed, opening my eyes at once. "Cecilia, what are you doing to me?"

"They're called pluckers, Miss; they make your brows pretty and curved like your mothers." She explained.

"They hurt…" I said, rubbing where she had evidently pulled my hair.

"I know they hurt, miss, but they're necessary. But after a little bit it won't hurt as bad, and it helps if you think of something nice."

I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to think of something nice before she could attack my brows again.

"Ow!"

Too slow.

"Ow, ow, ow" I said, resisting the urge to wince, but Cecilia ignored me, plucking faster.

After a moment she stopped.

"Are you done?" I asked, opening my eyes again.

"No, you have two, remember?" She said, smiling.

I groaned softly, but closed my eyes.

She finished in a matter of seconds, but it seemed that the faster she did it, the more it hurt.

She stopped, but I kept my eyes closed just in case, but now instead of pain, I felt cold cloth against my eyes.

"What's this all about?" I asked, startled.

"That's to keep the redness down." She said from somewhere above me.

I didn't even want to know what she meant, so I kept silent, waiting for her to continue on making me a lady.

She removed the compress and I opened my eyes to see her putting away the box.

"But… the rest of it!" I said, reaching for the box.

"No, miss, the rest will come tonight for the grand ceremony."

I couldn't mask my disappointment.

"Now don't go looking like I've denied you the option to live; you'll wear it tonight." She said sternly, and rather mother like.

She had been my maid since I actually needed a nurse maid, and she seemed more like a mother to me that my true one did, even though she was only five years older than I.

"Go hop up and take a gander at yourself, now; see how pretty you are." She said, patting my arm, sounding nice again.

I did just that, and was surprised at who I saw.

So long had I been used to seeing myself in dresses that were immature and not flattering, that it shocked me to see the girl with an actual figure staring back at me.

Her brows had been groomed perfectly, accenting her eyes and her hair was drawn into a regal knot on the nape of her neck.

"Oh wow…" I gasped, leaning forward to touch the glass.

"And now…" Cecilia said, taking my arm and dragging me toward the door, "It's time to show the King and Queen."

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Not too terribly bad, what say you?

Please review!