Maire was on the verge of fainting, partially due to the tightness of the corset she had been forced into but mostly due to her own inability to breathe normally. “I can’t do this. I can’t. They’ll find out..! They’ll know immediately!” Her eyes wide with fright, she desperately tried to convince the man sitting across from her to turn the carriage around. They were already within Lutetia’s borders, and the lively buzzing of people just beyond the covered windows of the carriage seemed to suggest they had finally arrived into the capital. This also meant that Maire’s time was quickly running out.

“Our kingdoms were not on very friendly terms Princess Alicia, almost no one from Lutetia has had the chance to properly meet the two of you in person.” Unsympathetically, the man spoke to her in a stern but respectful tone. She had been told that he was one of her father’s, the King’s, personal guards and could be trusted to the ends of the earth to protect both her and the secret about her missing sister. However, to Maire he was nothing but a stranger carrying out her father’s orders.

“But I’m not-”

Using the same tone of voice as before, he interrupted her mid-sentence. “Princess Alicia, we’re almost there. Please let go of your dress. We will not have time to get you changed before you meet your fiancé.” Without warning her directly, he was clearly reminding Maire that she was to respond to one name and only one alone: Alicia.

Slumping back into the plush seats of the 2-horse carriage, Maire stopped gripping onto the fabric of her dress and attempted to smooth out the wrinkle she had made. Instead of her usual knee-length skirts, she was in a proper full-length dress that needed to be gently lifted up to her ankles to be able to walk without treading on the laced hems. Matching her white and purple dress, she wore purple heels with small white rose decorations that helped her reach her sister’s natural height. The tight corset she wore under her dress was also forcing her to straighten her back and stand tall as her sister always had. Her straight red hair was pulled back and raised into a style similar to her Alicia’s, but they had not been able to replicate the natural tight waves in her sister’s hair. In short, she was dressed as Alicia would have been. Her sister had always loved the color purple. It suited Alicia’s deep blue eyes and the mature manner in which she carried herself. Maire’s eyes were green, and no matter how hard she tried she knew there was no way for her to mimic the natural charisma her sister always exuded.

She had never even worn a single article of clothing they had brought with her. They had all been made to mimic her sister’s tastes in clothing, but tailored to actually fit her smaller body. Tight corsets, heels that were always at least 2 inches higher than she was used to, and fabric that always had a tint of blue or purple… Her existence as ‘Maire’ had been completely left behind in Brynmor. They had not dared to even allow her to bring a single item of personal importance for fear that it would give away her true identity.

And all too soon, the carriage came to a stop. Someone beyond the door was announcing ‘her’ name. [i]Alicia Isolde Brynmor.[/i] [i]‘Alicia…’[/i] Calling out to the sister that had abandoned her, the princess tried to recall the many moments she had chased behind her sister’s tall and reassuring back. Slowly getting out of the carriage, she stood tall and tried to walk towards the castle in front of her with confident strides. Her chin was tucked in and her eyes politely lowered, but not so low to seem hesitant or weak. Humble, but still confident and strong.

Maire had no confidence. She was weak. She was far younger than her sister and wanted nothing more than to return back home and cry her heart out. However, there was one thing she could be sure of. If there was anyone that could copy Alicia’s mannerisms perfectly down to even her subconscious habits, it was her. More than anyone, she had always followed after her sister and admired her with all her heart. For the sake of peace, in place of her sister who had yet to be found, for her parents who had no choice but to send her there, and for her own safety… She had to rely on her physical resemblance to her sister as a direct sibling and the years she had spent by her sister’s side. No matter what, as soon as she stepped into that castle, she had to become ‘Alicia’.