The Florist And The Prince (ON HOLD)

~ 10 ~

Avery's POV

"Avery, leave those and come with me."

Avery looked at her grandmother in confusion as she was about to give the bushy plants in their flower shop a light pruning.

"Is something wrong?" She asked her grandmother, frowning.

"No. I just bumped into the Sheriff at the farmer's market and he told me to take you to the townhall. Apparently, the Royal family are going to invite some girls here in town, to go up to the palace."

Avery's eyebrows furrowed in question. "What for?"

"That's what we're going to find out. Come on."

"But I haven't pruned-"

"I'll handle them. You go with your grandmother." Avery's grandfather said, doing the shooing motion with his hands.

Avery's grandfather had mocha coloured skin, salt and pepper hair with dark eyes and was also a very tall man.

"Thank you darling." Claire smiled at her husband before pulling their granddaughter out of the shop with her.

"Wait, nan. Can you see what I'm wearing?" Avery said, looking down at her outfit; a plaid shirt, a pair of faded quarter-length blue jeans and sandals. Not her best outfit.

"You look fine." Her grandmother waved her hand dismissively.

Turning the corner of the block of buildings where their shop was situated in, they saw the town's square before them with the townhall on the other side of it, Avery frowned in wonder and confusion because there were so many other girls heading towards the town hall too.

"Nan, I don't know about this. Look, all the girls are going." She said aloud.

Every since she was a little girl, she would often dream about seeing the palace. How it looked like close up and on the inside, and now she could have the chance to do that but only three girls were going to be selected out of the town. So that seemed very unlikely now.

"Don't loose faith." A voice spoke up from behind them.

Looking behind them, Avery and her grandmother saw Rudolph leaning back against the wall, with a orange in one of his hand, watching them. His eyes smiling at them from his wrinkled, dirty face.

"Yes. Thank you Rudolph." Claire acknowledged the homeless man with a polite nod before looking pointedly back at her granddaughter. "You can do it...let's go."

Sucking in a deep breath, Avery nodded. "Okay."

"That's my girl." Claire smiled and began walking towards the hall.

Turning back to the wall which Rudolph leaning against, Avery saw that he wasn't there and looked around but couldn't see him in sight. It was like he had vanished into thin air. Licking her lips, she turned around and crossed the road after her grandmother, who was already a few feet in front of her.

"Hi Avery."

Avery smiled at the Taiwanese-Northdenian girl who joined her, walking up the steps to the townhall. "Hi Linda."

"Do you know what this meeting is about?" Linda asked curiously.

"No, I don't. My grandmother just came into the shop and told me to follow her."

"My mom too. I was washing the dishes and she rushed in and told me to leave them, and come here."

"I wonder what's going to happen?" Avery thought aloud.

"Girls, please make your way up to the front and find yourselves a seat there and sit. Our special guest will be here shortly." A member of the town's committee, Mrs. Acaster instructed by the doorway.