Of course the water Credence drank was doused with poppy.

Lilith continued to supply the increasingly unsteady girl with small doses, at some point giving up all care of masking its scent. Credence showed no signs of emotion, pliant or otherwise, but moved through the day in a blank, silent trance. She knew she was being drugged, but she could not muster the energy to argue. She wasn't happy, or sad, or angry.

She just was.

She allowed Lilith to bathe her, not protesting for modesty as the old witch scrubbed until her skin was sore. Every so often Lilith would pause to say something like, "You remember now, when you sit on a throne, what I've done for you," or "No one but me took you in and cared for you. No one else told you the truth. Don't forget that."

Lilith tugged at the knots in Credence's hair, brushing it to a glossy shine before twisting and braiding it. She left Credence's side only once, and returned with a dress, pale and old but not without its own beauty.

"Got this from a bride in the woods," Lilith said. "Don't you fret, she doesn't miss it, not in the state I found her in." 

Credence nodded.

Lilith instructed the girl to step into the dress, then buttoned a row of pearls up the back from Credence's waist to her neck.

When she was finished, Lilith pulled the girl into her bedroom, and for the first time Credence saw where the witch slept and took her comfort. It was a shadowy place filled with plants and cobwebs. There were books and skulls and bottles filled with potions and flowers. Boxes, most of them shut and locked, a few opened to reveal stashes of sticks and dyed candles, were spread haphazardly, like Lilith had thrown them about the room with her eyes closed. In one corner hung an iron cage that held an aged raven, who seemed uninterested in anything going on around it.

For all its oddities and macabre knick-knacks, the most unexpected thing in the room was a tall length of glass standing near Lilith's bed.

What use did Lilith have for mirrors?

The witch ushered Credence before it, and for the first time in a long while Credence saw herself.

She wasn't certain she recognized the person reflected back.

Her hair shaped her face with a lovely frame, and the dress that appeared slightly ill-fashioned in Lilith's hands hung on her beautifully, clinging to a body that had a whisper of a woman's curves.

Credence was a stranger to herself, not the child she knew she was on the inside, but a girl who ever-so-slightly resembled Ma, only younger and—dare she think it?—prettier. Credence had never thought much about her appearance, but now, seeing herself this way, she thought for the first time that she might actually be—

Beautiful.

"Aye, go on," Lilith said with a chuckle. "No harm in admiring yourself."

Credence turned her body to look at the back of the dress, marveling at the buttons and lace that fell around her hips to enhance her shape.

"You see?" Lilith whispered. "How can you deny that you were born to be royalty?"

Royalty.

The title was foreign, and Credence felt unworthy of it.

"Keep looking," Lilith commanded gently, "while I fetch a little something for you."

The witch scurried out of the room, leaving Credence alone once again. The poppy water had done its work and Credence felt lazy and eased, and the world around her seemed nothing but a dream.

Not ready, her mind cautioned, but Credence paid it little attention.

"One is not always ready for their destiny," she reasoned out loud, "but destiny comes all the same."

These were not her own words, but Credence couldn't remember who said them first. 

Someone special would arrive soon, and the notion gave her a spark of excitement.

You shouldn't feel excited, you should run.

Credence shook her head at her reflection. She had already tried running, and look where it got her—right here anyway, waiting to face what was coming.

Why not try accepting her fate?

Because it's not right, not right at all.

"Why is that," Credence argued while admiring the way her hair caught the light of nearby candles.

Because it's not your decision. You've been enchanted.

Credence didn't care. She was born to be a queen.

You are more than that.

"More than a queen?"

More than a promise to a monster.

"Stop," Credence commanded, "you'll not change my mind."

After everything you've been through—

"I deserve a little peace."

She was done fighting, even against her own instincts. She ignored her thoughts as they continued to drone on with warning and turned her attention to her nose and cheeks, pinching them to give them color as she'd once seen Ma do.

Lilith returned with a silver cup, but when she offered it Credence refused.

"I don't need more poppy. I'm ready to accept my fate."

"No poppy in here. This is wine. A special drink for a special lady, on her most special day."

Credence had seen her parents drink wine a handful of times in her life, and only ever in celebration of something important. She'd never thought much of it, as it was a drink meant only for grown ups. Looking at her reflection, Credence thought herself very much a grown up. Why shouldn't she have a taste?

"Give it over," she said and took the cup and brought it to her lips. The taste was exquisite, like sour berries with a warmth that trickled down her throat.

"Mind you don't spill on your dress," Lilith muttered, watching Credence's tentative sips turn to brave gulps. In little time Credence had emptied the cup and handed it back to Lilith.

"More."

"Not too much, now."

"I said more."

The demand startled Lilith, but the old witch nodded her head.

"Growing into a ruler already. I'll fetch you more, but let's see you to the fireplace in the entryway. Want to make a good impression, don't you? Want the king to see you for the first time with light dancing on your face, yes?"

"He's already seen me."

"Not like this. You will enchant him with your beauty."

It was a reasonable request, so Credence followed Lilith to the entryway and reclined on the chair she had sat in on her first night there, next to a fire that had already been conjured.

"Sun's setting," Lilith noted as she draped the long skirt of Credence's dress around the chair in a charming display. "He'll be here soon. I'll greet him outside. You sit there looking pretty, and turn your head just so when the door opens. Stand up slowly—with a smile—and see if you don't take his breath away."

Lilith hoped the girl wouldn't hear the pounding of her heart. The witch's task was almost complete, and her rewards would rival a noble's riches: Galeia's bones, access to a collection of exotic and rare supplies, and a gullible queen as her apprentice.

Not to mention a place in court, where no one would be able to sneer or look down on her ever again.

"You'll fetch more wine?" Credence asked, breaking Lilith's private gloating.

"Aye. You'll share a cup with your intended. Now I must go outside to wait."

"How long will he be?"

"Patience, girl. Soon enough."

Credence paused, and a question that had been tickling her tongue found its way past her lips.

"Aunt Lilith?" The witch turned to her, shocked by the sudden familial addressing.

"Yes, Credence?"

The sound of her real name on Lilith's tongue gave Credence an oddly warm feeling. Not 'stump', or 'idiot', or 'dim-witted girl'. She was addressing her with a hint of care.

"Will I be married tonight?"

"Would you like to be?"

Credence thought about it.

"Yes," she said with a nod and a dreamy grin.

Lilith opened the door to the yard.

"He'll be most pleased to hear it. But listen—!"

Lilith cupped a hand around her ear, and both of them stilled long enough to hear the faint ringing of bells.

The witch gave a wink.

"He approaches."