Three Pretty Princesses

Chapter 1- Ava

"The first line is always the most important"contemplated Ava, chucking an unsuccessful book out her window, "It doesn't matter how many people open up your book, it only counts for something if they read past the introductory sentence."

Ava was perhaps the best girl in Dulcinea at judging opening lines. Since the day she was born, she'd had access to the Fairfax Palace Library- the most extensive collection of books in the kingdom. She had access to books about the gods; there are books about kings and queens; there are books about love; books about the very nature of life; and there are books about the anatomy of the Blue-Ringed Moth.

She had access to hundreds of books, but only so many seconds in her life. It's because of this, that the Princess of Dulcinea had developed a very particular way of determining whether to read a book.She read the opening line. If it grabbed her interest, she read on. If it didn't, it was thrown from her bedroom reading perch, down to the palace courtyard. Some of the servants would place bets on which of them was going to be hit with a flying book- the winner would be considered lucky for the remaining week.

Ava opened the next book. The binding was gorgeous- smooth cowhide dyed a radiant shade of purple. None of that mattered to her.
"The preacher spoke of a prophecy that could save the kingdom from ruin."

Ava slammed the book shut. She was sick of reading about prophecies.
"Let me guess," Ava snapped, speaking allowed with no fear of the maids hearing her- they were used to her rants, "The main character is a troubled teenager who finds out they're actually the chosen one who has to save everyone. I've read that one before."
She looked at the title of the book, and any doubt she had left about rejecting it disappeared. Ava tossed the book into the air, saying, "Of course- 'The Power of Three'. Why is there always three? Why not two, four, or six?"

The princess was so engrossed in her tirade that she didn't notice a small, dark maid lean on the edge of her doorway.
"Why three? The answer's simple. The universe works in threes. There are three gods, three kingdoms of Montague, three cardinal colours. Three is the most balanced and unbalanced number in all creation."
tAva smiled. Sonyae wasn't just a pretty face. "Once again I find a disrespectful maid in my quarters who didn't knock. I could have been writing a very personal love letter for all you know."
"Actually I'm not actually in your quarters, just outside," Sonyae shot back, motioning to the doorway. She knocked on the door, and then stepped inside. "Is that alright- my love-stricken princess?"
Ava smirked. "Jealous are you?"
"Just a little," Sonyae laughed, shrugging.
"But why are you herre?" Ava asked, "Not that I'm complaining or anything.."
"Your mother would like to have a word with you. She's waiting in her parlour," Sonyae explained, as she began trying to neaten up the already flawless room of her friend.

At Sonyae's message, Ava jumped to her feet and raced to the mirror to check herself. "Oh crap. I can't waste any of my mother's precious time!"Queen Gwendoline was an independant woman. When it became apparent that she had nothing in common with her husband and he would never love her, instead of wallowing in self-pity like most women did, she simply decided to become the greatest woman in all of Dulcinea. She embroidered. She played the piano. She wrote poetry. She spent far too much time trying to raise her daughter perfectly. And most importantly, she bragged about it all to her friends. When Ava entered her parlour, her mother was designing the decorations for her upcoming dinner party. "Oh darling, please come in!" she sung, using a posh accent that Ava knew she had only gained after her mid-life crisis, "Shall I pair the aqua blue with a stark white or a creamy sand?"Ava inspected the colour chart on card table, and reported, "Uh, the sand, I guess?""Yes, you're completely right! Definitely the creamy sand. The colour combination will remind your guests of the beautiful beaches of Summer Isles." Ava had a feeling that her mother only asked her the question for confirmation. "But my beauty," Queen Gwendoline continued, "I didn't bring you here to consult about colours.""Good decision.""As you're probably aware, rebel attacks have been getting bigger and more violent recently. Also, political assassinations are on the rise," Ava's mother explained, dramatically gesturing to show the terror of the situation."Political assassinations on the rise?" Ava quipped, "Soon Montague's not going to have anyone left to live in it."Her mother let out a loud, fake laugh. "Oh honey, you're so funny! Anywho, you're father and I have come to a decision. No, don't raise your eyebrows like that! We've decided that this current situation is too dangerous for you, and we need a protection mechanism.""And this 'protection mechanism' is...?" Ava requested. "Lookalikes. We get girls who look like you to pose as you at political functions. Therefore, any assassination attempt won't actually be directed at you." Ava took a second to process what her mother was saying. "You're a mad, mad woman, mother.""A mad, mad mother.""But how would we find these girls who look so much like me?" Ava inquired, slightly embarrassed that she was was even considering such a wild idea. "Oh, we've already found them!" The Queen beamed with pride. All the questions Ava had running through her head quieted, and one single sentence repeated itself over and over again.Perhaps the most overused sentence in all of the books she's read."I have a bad, bad feeling about this."