A Grand Celebration

Chapter 1

Kaiser's POV

I smoothed the front of my dress over with a sigh. It was a champagne colored form-fitting mermaid gown with beading detail in the center. It was strapless and made of satin. Liliwen braided my long blonde hair in a side ponytail. For my entire life, my mother would only trim my hair, never cut it. It was well past my butt. I had my father's high cheekbones and my mother's doe-like eyes. Liliwen was putting the finishing touches on my makeup.

"Hold still," she said with a frustrated sigh. I didn't wear makeup often, so I was fidgeting a lot. I giggled slightly before I opened my eyes. Liliwen sighed and put down the small makeup brush. "Cessie, you're supposed to be getting on the jet in 15 minutes. You're mother will kill me if you're not flawless... please," she asked. I quieted my giggles with a sigh and closed my eyes agin.

"Fine, Liliwen. My mother gets her way yet again," I said sarcastically. I felt her continue my makeup with a sigh.

"She only wants the best for her children. You shouldn't be so hard on her," Liliwen said.

"I can't help it, Liliwen. She acts like she's never been my age before," I said. When she finished, she stood back and admired her work.

"I'm going to miss you, Cessie," Liliwen said. I held her hand in mine and squeezed it gently.

"I'm going to miss, too, Liliwen," I said.

When the jet arrived, I was ushered to its doors with Liliwen carrying my bags beside me. She handed them to the stewardess before she turned to me. Her callused but gentle hands held my arms.

"You're going to be fine, Cessie. Good luck," she smiled before she scurried away. I boarded the plane and froze when I saw I wasn't the only one here. There were a handful of other girls already seated.

"Kaiser Rowan of Texxarnan," a butler introduced me to the rest of the plane. I could see the girls sizing me up as they sat upright in their pristine gowns. One girl took the time to smile and stand.

"Cessie!" she greeted me as she came closer. I smiled at the familiar face. I was glad to see her dark locks and blue eyes. I hugged her gently so I wouldn't mess up her gown.

"Harper!" I greeted her. Harper and I had known each other for a while now. My older brother, Winston, married Harper's older sister, Guinevere, about five years ago. Our families were very close.

"I'm so glad to see a familiar face here. Come... sit with me," she said. I gladly obliged besides the occasional phone call, I hadn't seen Harper in a few months now. We spent the entire plane ride catching up. The other girls were quietly judging everyone, listening to music, or sleeping. It was slightly unnerving. We didn't pick up anyone else. I guess I was the last of the region.

Finally, we landed behind the Royal Palace. The Palace was in the capitol of Aedorynn: Ioraxus. King Alastair and Queen Joan greeted us as we stepped off the plane. King Alastair was the eldest brother of the Royal Family. He took over after the death of their father. Queen Joan was the winner of his Grand Celebration. The five girls who filed off the plane lined the rich green grass in a semi-circle as we waited.

"Welcome to the Royal Palace, ladies. Thank you for representing the Southern Region. I hope you find this Grand Celebration a wonderful experience, and good luck," the King greeted us. We curtsied before we were ushered inside the Palace. We were led into a large lounge area where more girls were waiting in their arrival gowns. No one was talking to each other as a heavy tension settled over the room. The warm colored chairs and wood could do nothing to brighten the mood. We all just sat there doing nothing as we waited. It felt like everyone was waiting to snap at each other's throats. Finally, the last batch of girls arrived to create a total of 13 girls. A butler walked in and stood tall at the door.