The sun shone bright and yellow over the land of Arius. The sound of heels clinking against the stone floors as they walked through the palace corridors in a synchronization that would make even armies shy.
The jaw of every soldier that saw them had to be picked up off of the floor. They were used to it… the gasps and stares had become a regular experience now.
The women looked forwards with steeled eyes as they stared at the solid gold door that stood in front of them.
The four princesses of the Blue Vale- the most beautiful in all the land. There they stood in all their glory wearing the best clothes that their kingdom had to offer yet the one thing that bothered them were the chains.
They were all bound by thick gold collars and chains at the neck. As much as they tried to ignore it, the discomfort and constriction they felt was acute.
The soldiers nearly tripped over one another in their attempt to open the door. The girls didn't bother, never taking their eyes off of the door that slowly swung open.
The throne room they walked into was massive- pure gold. A single large throne stood in the center where King Arawn sat with his wife- Queen Gaea who was of the land of Ardor. She smiled, adjusting gold hair, so it didn't fall over her shoulder, looking at them as they walked in and bowed in front of the king.
"The Princesses of the Blue vale." King Arawn's voice boomed causing them to look up. Queen Gaea looked over at the princes who stood beside King Arawn. The girls looked at them and bowed as well.
The older son- Prince Ragnar stood, dressed in full royal Armor, his red cape nearly touching the ground. He was tall and looked like the personification of the word 'warrior'.
His brother- Prince Cassian- stood beside him. He had a similar look except he was leaner. His dark hair was long and reached his shoulders. He had on a black armor with a dark purple cape. The look of disinterest decorated his face which, like his brother looked like it was chiseled by Gods.
His brother… unlike him, looked like he had seen the personification of paradise when he saw the princesses.
"The tales are true…" Queen Gaea spoke up, "They truly are the most beautiful women in all the land…"
A lady walked out from behind the princesses. Her dark hair was a stark contrast to her pale face and her gray eyes were frigid. The aura she held would cause one cower by her sheer intimidation.
The tall and lithe women walked forward, "That is praise indeed." She said in a voice so cold that it caused the guards to shudder.
The princes looked at each other before looking back at the woman.
"Ah, Valli, Queen of the Blue Vale. It is a pleasure to have you and your daughters here. They are truly stunning." King Arawn smiled.
The woman nodded and picked the chin of the princess closest to her.
"They are the apples of my eye." She said in the same cold intriguing voice. Prince Cassian looked unimpressed with all of this and watched the princesses instead.
That was when he saw one princess, who stood at the very end, roll her eyes.
This made him smile softly. When she saw him and realized that he had seen her, her eyes widened. She looked straight ahead, and he could tell that she had become scared. This confused him. It wasn't as if he looked angrily at her, so why was she so frightened.
She was different from her sisters, while they all had dark hair and gray eyes, she had silvery hair with purple tinted eyes. A sign that her lineage was different from the others.
"Our boys shall be honored to choose a bride from your beautiful daughters." Queen Gaea smiled while Queen Valli looked at her daughters with an attempt to look loving but Cassian could tell that there was very little warmth in her eyes. The daughter she was looking at didn't look happy with being looked at. There was a slight tremble in her hand which Cassian noticed. They were scared… all of them were. The way their toes twitched when they accidentally made eye contact with their mother and the way they fidgeted with their fingers made him wonder if they were scared of the process…. Or of their own mother.
As he stared at them, he caught the eye of the white-haired princess. He noticed her stare at him for a second too long before looking away. So, she was intrigued?
This brought a smile to his face.
"Let the ritual Begin! Today The princes of Arius shall find a bride!" King Arawn's booming voice startled them all.