Castium's palace was unlike any other. Its exotic outside exterior was stunning yet intimidating. The concrete fountain, covered in moss, possessed murky waters giving off the illusion that the rippling waves might swallow you whole. Ivy crawled up the walls, unruly and overgrown. It was a wild beast that no one had the strength or will to tame. Nothing about this palace welcomed you. If it weren't for the courageous queen leading the many girls to their destination all of them would have shied away by now.
"This way ladies, the palace is off limits unless you are invited in by Prince Leonard himself. You are only to enter the palace without invitation for dinner or any parties thrown. Exceptions will be made this first week." Queen Cecilia smiled politely before opening the doors to household off to the side of the large palace. Although it was still rather large the palace dwarfed it in size. "This will be where you spend most of your spare time." The queen stated waiting patiently as the girls slowly filed in.
Everyone began to chatter taking in the quaint area. It looked nothing like anyone had expected. The hardwood floors were scratched, the sofas and chairs unable to hold all of their stuffing. Instead of looking like a museum where everything was untouchable it appeared to be a normal home. The chatter soon died down as the ladies took a seat in front of the crackling fire.
"As I was saying," Queen Cecilia started where she left off. "This is where you will be living. All of the rooms are located on the second floor; the other rooms are located down here. Due to the fact that there are only ten rooms you will all be forced to have a roommate. This will be a disappointment to some, but it is a great was to become friendly with your competition." Scowls were apparent on many faces; however, Queen Cecilia, oblivious to the angry sneers continued to ramble on.
"Now we must talk about rules. This is going to be the most boring part of the day, but after this you will be able to settle into your new rooms! There aren't many rules, but these are still very important so listen up." Cecilia's once excited voice was now stern. "If any of these rules are broken you will be thrown out immediately, do you all understand me?"
Murmurs erupted from the silent crowd, every head slowly nodding. A smile of delight passed across Cecilia's face, "Good, let's begin. You all already know that the castle is off limits unless invited inside. I believe that is a simple rule to follow, therefore I won't need to talk about that one rule. You are not allowed to do any harm to other ladies. It is nearly impossible to not emotionally harm someone, which means that this rule only applies for physical harm. If you harm anyone you will be sent home, and you will be forced to write an apology letter. A sincere one. And lastly, treat this guest house with respect. If anyone breaks anything they will either pay for it or be sent home."
A few girls nervously tugged at their hair glancing around at their competition. No one dared to speak up even though every single one of them was about to fall asleep standing. "It's nearly midnight. I will allow all of you to go to your assigned rooms and prepare yourselves for bed. Don't stay up too late since you will be woken up early tomorrow morning." Cecilia straightened her posture and crown before exiting the house. Only minutes after she left every light in the house was turned off.
~*~
"Mother," Leonard whispered sadly looking intently at the dancing flames, "Why are we even doing this competition? Penney passed away only weeks ago, and now I'm being forced to rush into another relationship."
"Everyone knows that a Prince can never show weakness. You must be ready for anything and by showing the people that you aren't able to move on..." Cecilia trailed off gently fingering the bracelet on her pale wrist. "If you can't move on then the people won't either. We are the ones they look up to." A sigh escaped her lips as she buried her delicate face in her hands.
"Leonard, I am only asking you to do one thing. All I want is for you to try, maybe you might find her. However if it doesn't work out, I will leave you be." Cecilia embraced her son attempting to soothe him. "I am heading upstairs. Don't stay down here too late, you have a big day tomorrow. Goodnight Leo." After ruffling her Leonard's hair, and planting a kiss on his forehead, Cecilia headed out of the room.
Leonard stood up quickly grabbing his mother's wrist quickly. Tilting his head down he ruffled his mother's honey blonde hair, a smile taking the place of his scowl. "I love you mother. " He kissed the top of her head before shoving her out of the room. "Now, go get some sleep. You have an even bigger day tomorrow." After chucking lightly Leonard sat down on the sofa once again.
Leonard's eyes glazed over as he lost himself in his thoughts once again. Cecilia only wanted to make him happy again; however having twenty girls competing against each other to win him over was overwhelming. Maybe it was what he needed to find another lady to wed, or maybe it would only cause him to miss Penney even more. There was only one way to find out, but the question was; Was he really ready to take the risk?
