Being a princess meant Priscilla was inherently well liked and popular among the city's upper class. At the end of the day however, she found solace in spending time with those who lived modest lifestyles. It was as if the weight of political hierarchy was lifted, and she could be herself and speak her mind as she pleased. Her most trusted advisers, caretakers, and friends were Marie and Aurora, two twin girls who had lived their whole lives within the city walls. As they helped Priscilla brush her hair they could sense the rapid tapping of her feet and the quivering of her arms as the hour drew closer to the tournament start.
"My lady you need not worry, I have heard that the princes who have arrived are very handsome and strong."
"I know, they must be given the circumstances."
"What does that mean?" Marie asked.
"To be a prince means to have the world at your fingertips. Even if their kingdom is starved to the brink of death, they will never go hungry. And by the end of this week I'll be forced to marry one of them."
"My lady I'm sure that your fate is not sealed, you will soon be the Queen of a great nation."
"And what is the duty of a Queen, Aurora? You spend your life simply acting figurehead, a status symbol, and an object by which a king may have sons to begin his lineage. I will have my life set for decades, but will I really be living?"
"My Princess, you are much more than what they might view you as. You have compassion and understanding. You're strong and fierce, and when you go out the palace gates you will show them what they are really fighting for, not the throne or the glory, but for you."
For the first time all day, Priscilla felt a wave of comfort in their words. There was a knock at the door and the voice of a kingsguard.
"Princess Priscilla! The time has come for you to meet your suitors!"
She quickly embraced her friends, and they saw her off. King Simon joined her as she walked out of the palace gates, holding her hand and guiding her down the steps.
"You look beautiful as ever, your mother would have been proud of you."
As she descended, she closed her eyes and whispered to herself "they fight for you," once more, just to reassure herself. It was time to finally time to meet the five men who would change her life forever.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I swear on mi mum, I'll end you!!"
Zayn and Liam's arms were locked in place, both of them trying to gain the upper hand in the impromptu wrestling match that had started over a land dispute. They looked less like seasoned warriors and more like children fighting over the last chicken tender. Nevertheless, the crowd of soldiers and bystanders cheered as they flailed their legs in random directions trying to topple one another. From behind the crowd, someone shouted
"Mayeth you please procureth me a waffle?"
The crowd roared with laughter.
Zayn shouted at Liam,
"Your shaved head makes you look like an egg!"
Liam retorted at Zayn "yeah well at least it doesn't look like a helicopter landing pad got hit by a tsunami!"
To say that Priscilla was shocked would be an understatement. The tournament hadn't even begun and the contestants were already ready to throw down their dignity to have the last word.
"STOP THIS MADNESS IN THE NAME OF THE KING!"
The Kingsguard broke through the crowd and ripped the two princes from each other, holding them back and shaking them up before informing them that the princess had been watching the whole time. For a few minutes, there was pure chaos. Both princes were scrambling to get dressed, the band was lost in the sea of commotion, and the citizens were climbing on top of each other just to try and catch a glimpse of the action.
Priscilla returned to her panicked state.
"Father, please tell me this isn't happening."
King Simon was equally as distraught,
"Ok so they made a bad first impression, maybe we caught them at the wrong time, please just give them a chance."
Priscilla said nothing.
Once everyone was ready finally ready, it took a resounding "SHUT IT!" from the priest to officially silence the crowd.
"We are here today to begin the X-Factor tournament! Before we begin, we must recite from the holy texts to bless the Princess and her Suitors for the upcoming days."
A few scattered grumbles could be heard from the tourney grounds, the people were already bored.
Two hours later, the priest said the final words and the sounds of horns startled the crowd, most of whom were half asleep. It began with a display of grand legato notes and then crescendoed into a brief yet refreshing rendition of the Hawaii Five-O theme song, and as the crowd cheered their approval, a polished man in luxurious purple robes who looked suspiciously like Ryan Seacrest, hit center stage.
"Welcome everyone to our brand new X-Factor tournament! Among us five wonderful princes from provinces across the land, here to test their luck at winning over the king's daughter in wedlock! We will start by introducing our contestants, lets see the lads!"
An announcer near the crowd began calling names.
"Zayn of house Malik, prince of Bradford!"
As Zayn strutted out in an elegant robe, Priscilla saw her first suitor clearly for the first time. He had a dark and mysterious look to him, and soulful eyes which entranced her for a few brief moments.
"Niall of house Horan, prince of Mullingar!"
After a slight pause, a blonde haired boy was shoved out into the open by a bearded man. He seemed incredibly jittery, but had an angelic aura to him, in fact Priscilla felt a little soft spot in her, he was just as nervous if not more.
"Liam of House Payne, prince of Wolverhampton!"
Out of all the princes so far, Liam seemed the most confident. He strutted out into the line, making a conscious effort to smile and blow kisses at the crowd, before finally taking a long bow in front of the princess. The women in the audience howled their approval.
"Looks like the people have already chosen their favorite," King Simon whispered to his daughter.
"Harry of house Styles, prince of House Cheshire!"
Priscilla heard an audible gasp as his name was called. Even King Simon looked shocked, as the prince began his walk to the line.
"What's wrong? Why is the crowd so unnerved?"
"Priscilla, Cheshire was one of the first kingdoms to be invaded during the eclipse last winter, there's no telling what that boy has seen."
Despite the crowd's reaction, Priscilla found herself intrigued by Harry's presence. He had curly brown hair which fell onto strong shoulders. As he looked up at her, she noticed his eyes were focused, staring right through her and analyzing her every feature. For a few brief moments, it was as if time had stopped, and the only people in the world were him and her.
" Louis of house Tomilson, prince of Doncaster!"
After about 15 seconds, the attendees noticed that no one had arrived.
"Prince Louis!"
"Prince Louis of house Tomilson!"
Suddenly, the fifth prince pushed through to the open, gasping for air and covered in sweat.
"My caravan got stuck outside the tourney grounds!" he said between quick breaths, "and when I tried to get in the guards didn't believe me when I said I was Prince Louis!"
Ryan Seacrest responded from his chair, "But... are you Prince Louis?"
This set off a few chuckles among the crowd, even King Simon let out a short laugh.
"YES I'M PRINCE LOUIS!" his face was steaming.
"So be it, there they are citizen, our competitors!"
King Simon turned to Priscilla,
"Look I know they aren't much to look at, but at least one of them should meet your fancy."
Priscilla once again looked towards Prince Harry,
"I think they will do just fine."
Ryan Seacrest took center stage:
"Our first event will take place in exactly 30 minutes! What better way to begin the competition than with a little friendly race," he said with a grin.
"You will ride through the city gates, down the river trail, circle around the forest, and ride back! The first person to make it to the finish line first will be crowned today's champion, and will have one victory under their name!"
Once again, commotion ensued. The princes moved quickly towards their camps, suiting up in lightweight armor and their best riding pants. Servants began saddling up their horses, and leading them to the starting line. They each looked truly dashing on horseback, like knights in shining armor.
"Contestants! Do you promise to uphold the ancient chivalric values, compete bravely, and fight for the honor of Dagnovir?"
Each prince gave a swift salute, and readied himself.
"Then on behalf of the kingdom of Dagnovir, the King, the princess, and the Lord above, let the X Factor tournament commence!