For centuries, the royal family of Aridia has hosted The Choice, the competition where the eligible daughters of the Nobles of Aridia, come together to vie for the hand of the heir to the throne. This year, Prince Carlos is the heir to the throne a...
"You can't attend The Choice, Caroline. You forget you're older than Prince Carlos," My father explained, looking exasperated.
"Only by a few months," Caroline pouted.
I turned to my mother, who hadn't spoken since the letter arrived. She looked stunned into silence, probably wondering why she hadn't birthed Caroline months later.
"Mother?" I said and she looked up quickly, like she'd just been woken up from a dream.
"Why can't I just pretend to be Madeline? As much as it pains me to utter those words," Caroline muttered.
"You forget you went to finishing school with some of these girls," My mother shook her head. "As much as I'd prefer Caroline to represent our family, it would only make us look hopeless if she went under false pretenses."
Caroline's eyes darkened as she scoffed, "Madeline will make us look hopeless. She's the most unladylike person I've ever met- talk less of the fact that she has the body of an 8 year old."
"Caroline!" I protested, ready to pounce on her and rip out her blonde hair strand by strand.
"There's really nothing we can do. Except try to get Madeline ready for The Choice," My mother said, sounding genuinely disappointed.
I couldn't help but start to panic. It was hard for me to act like a lady at a simple formal dinner, talk less of at the palace, in front of countless nobles and the royal family. Besides, The Choice was a competition in which Ladies competed for the hand of the prince. It would seem oddly inappropriate because I wanted nothing to do with the prince. I actually despised him- and I had good reason to.
***
A few years back, the royal family hosted the Nobles of Aridia and their families at a fair- it included jousting, games, delicious food- everyone was ecstatic. My mother and father made sure we were on our best behavior and dressed to our finest in dresses imported from abroad. Caroline was excited, obviously, she was 13 and would get her first chance to meet the prince she'd fawned over for years with her Finishing School classmates. I was 11 and thought the event would be extremely boring- which it was.
As a child, I didn't have many friends. Most of the girls didn't like me because I didn't share their interests in dresses and dancing. I was completely satisfied with that, because I didn't like any of the girls either. While the girls giggled and looked around for the prince, I decided to slip away into the forest, pretending I was in some sort of adventure story.
I was alone in the middle of the forest that surrounded the palace, away from the celebration. I pretended that I was a sorceress, fending away the evil goblins on my unicorn. That was, until, a rustle of leaves startled me out of my daydream.
"Who's there?" I called, slightly petrified.
A boy emerged from behind the trees. He was definitely older than me, I placed him about Caroline's age. He had dark black hair that was nestled under a glinting crown. He was dressed immaculately, with medals adorning his suit, but his green piercing eyes were cold and filled with disgust.
"You're meant to bow," He said, raising an eyebrow.
I was annoyed at him and refused to bow, so I turned away. I knew that he was Prince Carlos, the prince that all the girls adored, but he seemed like just a cruel little boy to me.
"I heard you talking to yourself," He continued and my cheeks turned a knowing shade of red.
"That's just something I do when I'm bored," I said, embarrassed that he'd caught me. My mother never failed to scold me for getting lost in my head.
"You know, they say people that do that are crazy- or witches," His eyes had a malicious glint to them, he reveled in insulting me.
"Excuse you," I folded my arms across my chest.
"I'm guessing that's why you don't have any friends," He smiled deviously, before walking off. "Have fun with your imaginary ones though."
I didn't expect big fat tears to roll down my cheeks. I wiped them off quickly and stalked back towards the celebration, muttering curses on my way.
***
"Madeline!" My mother snapped, calling me out of my flashback. The memory of my first encounter with the prince made me so angry, my fists were automatically clenched. "I've warned you about daydreaming, it's very unbecoming of a lady!"
"Yes, mother," I rolled my eyes, sighing.
"We will start work immediately. There's a lot to be done," My mother eyed me critically. "I will not be disgraced in front of the whole kingdom."
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