moon river | a selection roleplay | closed

challenge number one

queen autumn sat in her office, staring at the sixteen pieces of parchment in front of her, all with matching letters and signatures. by tomorrow, the sixteen men and women who would soon be living in the walls of the vaidorian castle would have these letters in hand, explaining what it was they were in for. as a mother, autumn felt sick to her stomach at the idea of the months to come but as a queen, she knew it was best for the fate of the kingdom. 

a knock on the door startled her from the depths of her own mind. she brushed the stray hairs that had floated into her face, taking a mental note of just how many strands had become grey over the years. standing, autumn tidied her desk and organized the letters before walking to open the door. 

as she had suspected, outside stood her two eldest children. a soft smile crept onto her face as she looked at roz and rowan with a sense of nostalgia, remembering the days they used to do secret knocks on the door to tell her it was them. "my dears," she started, reaching for both their faces and placing gentle hands on them, "i know this is not what either of you wanted but please know how incredibly proud your father and i are of you. you both are so strong, stronger than you know." a single tear leaked down the cheek of the queen but was quickly swept away by rowan who smiled brightly at and pulled her in for a hug, "ma, dont worry about it, we know this is the best for the kingdom and our general futures." rowan gestured with his eyes for roz to join in on the hug who did so without a second thought. 

a booming voice from down the hallway yelled out to the trio, causing the three of them to jerk up as king lee walked toward them. in the past few months, that voice had lost its gusto but still had the same attention-drawing effect it did when the prince and princess were younger. autumn hurried to wipe the tears away from her face as roz and rowan formed a sort of protective wall in front of her. 

the three of them had made an agreement a few months ago, at the time of the selection announcement, to not let lee see any of them cry or express negative emotions. he was such a force of nature, having held the kingdom together for as long as he had. the day he told roz and rowan of the selection, lee worse his guilt and regret like a blanket and it was painstakingly obvious to his children. they had been the light of his life since he and autumn were wedded and the idea of hurting them put the man in true agony. since that day, autumn, roz, and rowan agreed that no matter the cost, lee could not see them hurt over the selection. 

when the king caught up with his family, he smiled wryly, "rowan, roz.." he nods to his children, turning to his wife, and gently grasped her shoulders, "my love.. its time for the letters". 

and so, the selection would commence the moment the contestants received their letter. a letter that read:

Dear Mademoiselle/Monsieur Selected, 

It is with my greatest honor to welcome you to the Vaidorian Selection. As I am sure you have gathered by now, I am the crown Queen Autumn and I am beyond hopeful that this letter reaches you in good health and mind. By receiving this letter, it means your week has begun. 

Now you may be asking yourself, how has my week just begun if it is only Wednesday? Well, my dear, your week leading to The Selection is what has just begun. In exactly one week to the hour, each one of you will be greeted by a dark sedan and brought to the Vaidorian Castle where you will reside until further notice. 

Your nerves may be flowing, you may want to light this letter aflame and that is all within your right however, I urge you to read to the end for it contains your first challenge. Ah yes, perhaps there is a grimace upon your face right now. A challenge? In a competition for love? For the hearts of my own children? Well of course! How else will we weed out those not suited for the war ahead? Expect several of these simple challenges throughout your time here and expect to give your all.

Now for the important pieces. For the upcoming welcome ball, I want you to form an outfit. I am sure questions are pouring through your mind but before you ask what authority I have to demand such a thing, I would like to put your minds at ease by informing you it was in fact Prince Rowan and Princess Rozelyn's ideas. Furthermore, this outfit must be extravagant. Enclosed you will each find $500 to fund such an outfit. Ensure you are masked as first impressions shall not be marred by first sight. 

Best of luck to all and we look forward to your arrival. 

Sincerely, 

Queen Autumn Hearth of Vaidora "

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Hello loves! This is the first challenge and I am beyond stoked! In case the "letter" was not clear, you will be making an outfit collage for the welcome masquerade ball! Your collages will be due on Tuesday, September 6th by 11:59 pm EST. If you have any questions, please make sure to message me or comment below! I am beyond excited and once I receive all of the collages or the deadline arrives, we will begin!