A Multifandom Collection of Short Stories

4: Supernatural (Royal AU) Part 1

"Your mother, the queen, is asking for you dear." The short, stocky maid cracks open the door and relays the message to me.

"Tell her I'll be there in a moment," I say, messing with my hair in the mirror.

"She says it's urgent. And she wants you to wear the pink dress."

"But I only wear that one for formal meetings." The maid winks.

"She wishes to see you in the ballroom."

"Oh." I change quickly and rush down the stairs. I trip on the last step stumbling into the ballroom of the castle. I pick myself up and walk as gracefully as possible for an awkward 22 year old. I meet my mother and two young men in the center of the room.

"Mother." I nod at her in acknowledgement. I take in the image of the strange men before me. They appear to be brothers, based on their similar looks. Both are fairly attractive.

The younger brother has long, sandy blond hair. His face is cleanly shaven and smooth. He has a soft smile, and a polite look about him. He wears a smart, deep red suit, and his hands rest casually in his pockets.

The older brother has short, medium brown hair. His face is scruffy with a hard look in his eyes. His arms are crossed over the chest of his dark blue suit, crinkling the shoulders of the fine material.

"Princess Jamie, these strapping young men are the Winchesters, the princes from the Northern Kingdom. Dean," She motions to the older one. "And Sam," she says. He removes his hand from his pocket and gives a small wave before returing his hand to his pocket. "This is my daughter, Jamie," she says to the two men. I nod politely as my mother turns to me. "They will be joining us for the competition." She turns back to the brothers. "My husband is in his study and wishes to speak with you. It's in the upstairs corridor. The huge oak door, you can't miss it. Excuse us while we discuss details." My mother takes my arm and leads me to the stairs. Dean and Sam take the stairs at the other end of the hall. My mother talks as we ascend the stairs.

"Dean and Sam are here for your betrothal competition. They'll be competing against those murderers from the south and the idiots from the west. I wanted them to meet you, so they knew who they're competing for." She winks. "So, which are you fancying?"

"I'm not going to tell you." I laugh and run up the stairs ahead of my mother.

My parents have been planning my betrothal competition for months. I've always loved a good, healthy competition. I'm excited to rule, and my parents are retiring once I marry. My mother didn't want to arrange a marriage unless I did, and I decided I wanted an arranged marriage. My only condition was there had to be an exciting competition.

The competition consists of seven rounds. The first is a formal dinner tonight with me and my family. This round does not eliminate any possible suitors. The second, tomorrow, is an archery competition. The third, is a poetry contest. I like a man with a good taste in literature. The fourth is a personal interview with each remaining suitor. The fifth is a sword fight with my father, the king. The two remaining suitors are then drilled by the king and queen. And the final step is I consult with my parents and choose the winning suitor.

I return to my room, my governess poised on the edge of my four-poster.

"How'd it go?" she asks excitedly. Although she's stopped caring for me now that I'm over 18, she's still as gossipy as ever.