Once Upon a Time

The Coronation- Victoria

I sat and waited as the servants attended to me, brushing and curling my hair, applying makeup to my face, and making me look like a princess. No, not a princess anymore, but a queen. As the eldest child, the throne was mine. When they all stepped away, I saw myself in the mirror. My dark brow hair was curled in ringlets, framing my face. My eyelids were dusted with a light brown color, almost gold. I wore a purple dress with sparkles and a bow in the back. It draped all the way to the ground, pooling at my feet.

I straightened my back when I heard the door open with a creak. In the mirror, I saw my younger sister Shailyn. Her hair fell in golden waves around her shoulders, and her blue eyes sparkled like diamonds. I stood and turned to face her, and she smiled, saying, "Hello, Victoria!"

"Good morning, Shailyn," I replied, admiring her dress, which I had been unable to see through the mirror. It was white and stretched all the way to the floor, with light blue ribbons around her waist. Her shoes had ribbons that laced up her leg to her knee, and her wrists were laced by the ribbon as well.

"It's beautiful outside," she commented, "Why don't you join Nick and I  in the courtyard for breakfast when you're done here?"

"I would love to," I smiled, "Thank you."

My sister sighed, "Why are you always so cold?" she asked.

"I'm not cold," I replied, "It's actually a bit warm ou-"

"That's not what I mean," she shook her head, and I wondered what she was going on about, but dismissed it. She walked out of the room, leaving me alone with my servants. I left, heading in the direction of the courtyard, and I thought about what today would hold. I would be crowned queen today, if all went well. I would have so many new responsibilities, things to do. This might be my last private time with my family for a while. Pondering this, I walked into the courtyard where my siblings were waiting.

I sat a the table in the center where my siblings were sitting. They each had a plate in front of them, Shailyn had an omelette while Nick had some bacon and a single pancake. He was frowning, and I immediately knew that Shailyn had to drag him here. I sat in between them, the table was a circle shape with a bouquet of flowers in the middle, and Shailyn was beaming. She loved having us all together, but Nick and I had duties to do, and not much time outside of those. Especially when I was queen, any free time I had would go out the window.

"Thanks for joining us, Victoria," Shailyn smiled as a chef brought over my meal. 3 pieces of bacon, 2 waffles, and a bowl of fruit. In between bites, I replied, "Thank you for inviting me. It is a beautiful day out. Hello, Nick."

Nick merely gave me a small smile, then began eating again. Shailyn gave a small exasperated sigh, then began the conversation again. After about fifteen minutes, one of the servants came and got me, saying there were guests that needed to be greeted. I said a quick goodbye to my siblings, then followed.

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"There's the princess," the man smiled. I knew him from meetings that my father would take me to when he was still alive. He was the king of a neighboring kingdom, Amaria, and one that he and mother used to visit quite often.

"Hello, sir," I bowed my head in respect, then continued, "Thank you for coming."

"I wouldn't miss it," he smiled, "Your father and mother were dear friends of mine, I'm terribly sorry they're gone," his face fell, then brightened right back up, "but I know that as Queen you will bring honor to your kingdom and family. If you ever need assistance, I am at your service."

"You have my thanks," I replied, "But if you can excuse me, I must be going."

"Of course," he laughed, "Have to get ready for your coronation. I'll leave you then," he held his hand for a shake, "By the way, my name is King Abernathy."

"Well King Abernathy, I'll be leaving," I smiled, and before he could say anything more, I walked away. The coronation would start in a couple hours, and I had to prepare.

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After the coronation, there was a huge ball in the courtyard to celebrate. I sat on a fancy throne at the front of the courtyard, my brother and sister beside me. A small band was playing, a flute and some stringed instruments, and people were dancing and laughing and generally having a grand time. My sister went away to get some refreshments, probably some juice, and it was just my brother and I sitting there. He cast occasional glances at me, but always looked away before I could meet his gaze. He was angry about something.

"Hello, Your Highness," a male voice greeted me, and I jumped a bit.

"Hello," I replied. He seemed to be about my age, a high social status, and he was just a bit taller than Nick. He had jet black hair, deep brown eyes, and a bright white smile.

"My name is Prince Alexander," he smiled, "May I have a dance?"

"Of course," I smiled back, took the hand he offered, and he led me down. A slow, lyrical song was being played, and we danced. He was a good dancer, and we chatted a bit while we danced.

"So where are you from?" I asked him.

"Amaria," he replied, "My father is King Abernathy."

I nodded, "Yes, I met him."

He smiled, "He talked a lot, didn't he?"

"A bit," I replied calmly, trying not to show how badly it had irritated me.

"He does that a lot," he chuckled, "He likes to hear his own voice."

I nodded in agreement, and we danced in silence for a minute or two. The song ended, and I expected him to lead me back up to the throne, but he didn't. We kept dancing, and he spoke again, "So, how are your siblings about you getting the throne instead of them?"

I thought for a moment, "Well, they haven't said anything, so-"

"Queen Victoria!" a voice yelled, "There's someone attacking the castle!"

I whipped around, seeing Nick already running out of the courtyard, sword in hand, about a dozen men flanking him. My heart was racing. Everything was happening so fast. I walked up to the front of the courtyard and immediately got control of the crowds, "Everyone, quiet! Do not panic. I will take care of the situation," then I exited, Alexander beside me, leaving Shailyn behind to keep everyone calm and following Nick into battle.