The Marriage Game

Let The Game Begin

Isla. 

I yelped in pain as Lin yanked the hairbrush through the knots in my hair. I was barely paying attention to what she was doing, since today was the start of the contest to win my hand in marriage. It was all my father's idea, but like everyone else in the kingdom, I had no say in the matter. The idea was that twelve suitors, hand-picked by the King, would compete over a years time, to win me as there bride. Every suitor had to live in the castles west wing for the duration of the game. And for each year of the month, I would select one of the competitors to die. It sounds so evil. And I couldn't believe my ears when my father said that. And I will never forgive him for making me responsible for the death of twelve young men. Or I suppose eleven since one will get to live. I as thought this morbid thought, I wondered who my father would have chosen. When I asked him why they'd had to die he'd said: "If they aren't good enough for you, then surely they are not good enough for anyone else."The first murder (I refused to think of it as anything else) would be decided mainly on a first date. I thought that wasn't fair to the guy dying, since he deserved more of a chance. I would have my first encounter with all the suitors today.

"Stop fussing" Lin commanded. I rolled my eyes at my reflection in the mirror. But of course Lin noticed that and slapped my hand lightly with her brush. "Do you want your hair to be presentable or not?" I believed that Lin did not expect and answer, but I gave her one anyway.

"No. I would prefer my hair to be unruly and wild when I meet them" Lin's only response to this was a low sigh. I think she thought I was kidding, I didn't bother to tell her I was serious.

Lin had finally finished my hair just to exclaim that it was hopeless, and proceeded to put it up in a ponytail. "Stop messing with it Lin, it's fine." Lin didn't look like she agreed, but she did stop. I hopped up from the chair in front of the mirror, and gave Lin a kiss on the cheek. I grabbed my phone off the table and shoved it in my pocket. I applied a layer of chapstick to my lips, smacked them, and checked my reflection one last time. Good enough, I thought.

"Bye Lin" I said, then I ran out the door. The hallway was empty, I pulled out my phone and glanced at the time. I had five minutes before I was officially late to the party. I almost bolted down the hallway to make it on time, but decided being late and presentable was better than almost late, sweaty, and panting. I arrived in the dining hall that the party was being held in five minutes late. All the bachelors were seated at the central table, with one seat open, presumably for me. I quickly strode towards the table, plopping down in the seat rather inelegantly. I glanced around at all the faces, three of the seemed to be identical. That struck me as odd, why would father chose three people that looked exactly alike? Aside from the triplets, all the other faces were unique. I avoided looking at any of them. Since they'd die later anyway. This was most likely not the best policy, but whatever. The room of marriage meat went silent when I walked in. How terribly awkward.

"So..." I looked around hoping someone would put me out of my misery and pick up the conversation. No takers. My words fell flat, and I looked around the room, this time taking in the faces. Aside from the triplets, who were all blandly handsome, with brown hair, brown eyes, and light skin, there was a youngish man with glasses, and freckles, he had dull orange hair the same shade as a old carrot. He was seated to the left of the triplets. He was in some ways the same as thing one, two, and three, by which I meant he had the same unremarkable qualities. He looked over at me and seemed surprised that I was looking at him. He looked to his left, and then his right, like he was making sure it was really him the at was staring at. He finally looked me in the eye, and I chose that time to look away from him, sizing up the rest of the man meat. Before I could get very far my father entered the dining hall.