It was an autumn noon in Saint Marshals.
Colourful confetti flew in the clear blue sky of the Capital. Streets, shops and buildings of the picturesque city were decorated with various national flags. Festivity was in the air as more and more people gathered in the side walks of the Grand Canyon Road. Sound of the pipes, drums, trumpets and police sirens could be heard from a distance.
Admist the sea of people was a young girl, swimming against the tide. In a high-waist skinny jeans, pink hand-knitted hoodie pullover with the hood on, a pair of white sneakers and with a cute canvas backpack she was an average teenager like any other.
Scampering her way through the intense crowd she managed to reach the four point junction of the Grand Canyon Road. Afraid that she'll be swayed away by the overly excited crowd, she tried to squeeze her way to the left turn ahead. But given the crowd, she couldn't move an inch and was pushed into the nearby back alley instead. She tried to get back into the crowd however, thanks to the intensity of the crowd it was no use.
Compared to the crowd outside, the alley was deserted and covered with shadows of the towering buildings. Impatiently checking her watch, the girl signed dejectedly. With the crowd outside and a dead end alley behind her, she was basically trapped. Out of options, she decided to wait until the crowd dispersed.
Supporting her back on the wall, she simply stood there listening to the music from the band as it got closer.
Just than, someone from the crowd exclaimed. " Oh Look!! The procession is here!! "
The excitement of the already excited crowd escalated to new heights. People began waving colourful little flags, flower bouquets and placards with various different messages as they welcomed the procession.
' Finally!! ' She thought, breathing a sign of relief and looked over through the crowd of people as the procession entered the scene.
This was no ordinary procession. It was a high profile procession, one that the whole world at the moment was tuned in to have a glimpse of its prized jewels.
It was the procession of the opening ceremony of the Saint Marshal's Grand Exhibition. Also known as the Marshal's Expo, it is held after the Prince's games once in every five years. The exhibition serves as a symbol of world peace and prosperity while showcasing to the world the unique art, culture and heritage of The Sovereign National Union.
The preparation for the Expo is bestowed upon the shoulders of the crown princes and princesses of the participating nations. This expo also measures their eligiblity as the future rulers of their nations on the holiest of the grounds.
At the forefront were two police bikes, leading a group of police cars as they paved the way for the procession.
Following the lead of the police cars was the Saint Marshal's imperial band. Dressed in sky blue uniform with white military style hats and silver decorations adorning all over their uniforms. They marched through the city playing theme song of the occasion.
The girl watched as the band played by and heard excited cheers coming from a little ahead.
The princes were coming!!
' Well...since I'm already here I might as well make the most of it. ' With that thought in mind the girl fished out her phone from her jeans pocket.
She was about to start shooting the remaining of the procession when she felt something extremely soft and delicate rub itself against her feet.
'....' Suspicious about the sensation she immediately looked down at her feet to find a tiny snow white kitten. Curled up beside her feet, it looked like a little white fur ball.
Her lips curved up to a delicate smile and she slowly removed her feet away from kitten.
Startled by the sudden movement, the kitten instantly stepped away pulling up it's guard as it intently observed the girl's sneakers.
The girl laughed. She understood as to why the kitten approached her in the first place and crouched down before it.
With every movement from the girl, the kitten stepped further and further away from her.
Finding the kitten's innocent actions extremely adorable, the girl extended her hand and remained still while waiting patiently for it to come close. " It's okay little buddy, I won't hurt you.... "
The kitten seemed to have already accustomed itself to the girl's scent and found her trust worthy. Because it came running back to the girl the moment it saw her extended hand. It seemed that the little one was only startled by the sudden movements of the girl and not the girl herself.
The girl carefully picked up the kitten and was surprised to find it's entire body fit in just one of her palm. The size and delicateness of the creature brought concern over the girl's features because they clearly said that the being was newly born.
Securing the little kitten in her arms, the girl got back on her feet and began to look around the alley. Unfortunately, she found nothing except an overturned cardboard box. Judging from the condition of the box it was clear that someone had dumped the kitten away in that box.
Meanwhile, the kitten enjoyed the girl's touch and warmth as it sniffled and licked her in return. Pain washed over her to see the cruelty of the human society.
' Just because they can't speak.... They can't revolt.... ' Her expression changed to one of despise as she looked down at the little fur ball in her arm. But, before the little one even that didn't last long and she broke into a smile again. " Don't worry, I'll make sure you have a good home. " She promised placing a chastity little kiss on its head.
Just then, time stopped!!
An unfamiliar sense of familiarity shrouded the air.
As if something that was long lost suddenly returned.
Guided by fate and uneasied by the unfamiliar sensation, the girl looked at the direction of the procession. One of the participating prince's royal carriage had just entered the scene.
Decorated with the national flag of the country and the insignia of the royal family, the mini stage-like carriage passed by following a military march.
At the centre of the carriage, there stood a man waving at the crowd, dressed in what looked like a pure white uniform. A blue pageant hung across his body, a black belt was fastened at his waist and several gold badges decorated the left side of his uniform.
To the girl's surprise, when her gaze returned back to the procession she was greeted by the prince's iconic pair of violet eyes staring right back at her.
Like a mythical abyss tempting her to explore deeper, she felt lured by his gaze and in no time she was transported into a different world. A world where she was the only one.
Simultaneously, the moment the prince's carriage entered the scene, he immediately caught sight of a person standing at the far distance in the back alley, completely uninterested in the procession and most importantly in him. Upon a closer look, he understood it was girl holding a small white thing to her chest. Because of their distance, he couldn't make out as to what it was. He was instantly blown off when the girl's crystal clear grey eyes met his.
" Beautiful!! " he mummered.
His hand froze in mid air. The sound of his heartbeat echoed in his ears. He felt an intense urge to get close to her as curiosity bubbled inside him. Just like the girl, he too felt as if he was being lured into another world.
All sounds disappeared...
All the people disappeared...
Locked in each others gaze, the world no longer existed for them.They were wrapped in their own cinderella spell.
Sadly, everyone knows that even Cinderella's spell came off at midnight than how can their's not.
" Ced?? Ced, can you hear me?? "
" Prince Cedric, are you okay?? Can you hear me?? "
Multiple concerned voices came from the other side of the earpiece, snapping Prince Cedric back to his reality.
" Yes, I'm fine. " He replied monotonously, pulling himself together as the carriage passed by the alley. A smile plastered on his face and a graceful wave that was mastered to perfection.
At the same moment, the girl's phone also rang in her hand reminding her of the real world. She immediately picked up the call to answer it as if nothing ever happened.
For the world, though he was the dream of every woman, he was someone who can only be admired from afar. Therefore, his gaze was supposed to be just a fleeting glance ; empty and meaningless.
In spite of that, only Prince Cedric knew what his gaze meant and what it was doing to his heart.
The image of those unfamthomly beautiful eyes were burned in his own still, his curiosity showed no sign of subduing.
Instead, they were growing at an exponential rate. Something he hadn't experienced in a long time.
' Who was she??? '
' What was she doing in that back alley when the others were busy clicking out on us?? '
' Why did those eyes seemed so familiar?? '
' Could it be.. '
All such questions clouded his thoughts trailing him off. A possibility of the impossible lingered in his heart with a silver ray of hope. Because her face was covered by the shadows of the towering buildings and under her hood, all Prince Cedric could see was the pair of grey eyes.
They say fate and time are the two most mysterious things created by God. When they come together, they hold the power to turn an ordinary, abandoned girl into a world icon called ' The People's Princess '.