Just a Kingdom To the West

Chapter One

Life is funny, sometimes. Although, life's humor is far different from the humor that humans usually enjoy.

Life is ironic and cruel, the kind of person that would laugh at someone else falling down fifteen flights of stairs while everyone else wondered if the poor sap was still alive (they likely weren't).

And so life, in all its great mystery, had decided to play with the fates.

In two sister schools sat two sisters, perhaps no more than a mile apart, yet miles of acres were between their thoughts.

Agatha dreamed of a safe trip home, to whisk her friend from this danger and never look back.

Sophie prayed for the fairy tale ending, with the prince and the castle, to become the princess she had always believed she was.

One of these things would be fulfilled, though not with the girl who wished for it.

-

Nicola was a practical girl. And, as such, she was not a flamboyant person. This was why she had decided that, for the opening ceremonies at least, she would be wearing a helmet to hide her gender. Not that she was ashamed, as she was in no way shape or form. She only wished for a fair fight from her classmates, and perhaps, deep down, a chance to embarrass them all. What? She was allowed to be petty, and she took advantage of that liberty as much as possible.

The helmet was stuffy and impractical, certainly more of a hindrance than a help in a battle, but it was clean and sturdy, which was enough for this occasion.

She wouldn't stand out too much from the other princes, she was sure. Perhaps a bit shorter, though not too much so, and slimmer, but nobody would be paying close enough attention to tell such things.

Unlike the other princesses, she was not in the mass of gawking girls and chatting Nevers. Instead, she was in a mass of sweaty, annoying princes that were trying their best to intimidate one another before they were forced to fight.

She could tell by their body language that all but a few of these boys were just talk, and she made mental note of the remaining threats. Her main enemy was going to be, obviously, Tedros of Camelot, who was likely the only person in this whole school with more practice with the sword than she. Not to mention the fact that he had Excalibur, which he crudely brandished like a slab of meat.

On second thought, he might not be much of an issue. All brawn, no brain. That was Nicola's favorite type of opponent.

Just then, there was a shrill whistle that echoed through the small hall, causing the boys to leap into motion, jostling one another as they hurried to be first into the opening ceremony.

Nicola waited for a moment before she made her move, confident that at least an eighth of her competition would be dealt with before she had entered the ceremonies.

Those thirty seconds made the difference between unmanageable chaos, and manageable chaos.

When she stepped into the crowded room, a self-assured smirk grew on her lips.

-

Sophie was desperately trying to located Agatha and switch clothes with her.

But the sound of boots caused her to become very distracted by something far more important.

Boys.

But not just any boys.

Princes.

Something that she certainly didn't get to see in person back in her small little village in the woods.

Now seemed like the perfect time to choose which one she would dig her claws into. Meaning which one she would make fall in love with her and her with him for all of eternity, just as she was supposed to.