In addition to being an AU, this is also an alternate history fic. This is why there is a king of America and a prince of Canada, and also why an Emperor of China would be betrothed to a King of Russia.
I apologize in advance for OOCness
You may now proceed.
Chapter 1
In the throne room of his ornate palace in Moscow, King Ivan of Russia waited as his older sister, the princess Katerina, approached his throne. Her skirts swept the floors, tripping her every so often on the long trek from the double doors to the raised thrones.
She curtsied to her brother. "You asked for me?"
Ivan smiled reassuringly. "Da, I did." He motioned to the guards in the room; they left their posts and exited the room.
"It is time to talk about your future, sister," he said. Beside him, in a smaller throne, his younger sister, Natalia, tapped her fingers repeatedly on the armrest.
"My…my future?" Katerina stuttered.
"We must find you a suitable husband, sister. You are nearly past a marriageable age."
"But I haven't found anyone—"
Ivan brought a fist down on his armrest; the sound it made echoed throughout the room, silencing Katerina.
"Enough! You are the oldest of the Braginsky family. I am betrothed to the Emperor of China; Natalia, who is six years your junior, is to marry the Prince of Lithuania. You alone have failed to secure a marriage. I have humoured you enough! You are no longer in a position to make this choice. I will find you a husband."
Just as suddenly as his mood had soured, it changed back. Ivan's smile returned, and Katerina felt marginally better.
"Please, brother, I want to marry someone I love."
"I know. But love is not easy to find." Ivan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Yet…there are many unmarried royals. Any one of them would make a good alliance partner. How to choose?" He stood up and began to pace the perimeter of the raised pedestal. "How to choose? Ah ha!" He spun around. "How is this? I will hold a contest. It has worked before, has it not? I will invite all the eligible men in Europe and Asia to a feast and a contest. The winner will receive Katerina's hand in marriage! It is a good idea, no?"
Natalia applauded enthusiastically, always willing to support her beloved older brother.
Katerina fidgeted with her gown. "You mean like an archery contest?"
Ivan shook his head. "No, no. More than that. There will be many trials. And points. All the details will be explained. Now I must start with the invitations! You are both dismissed."
Natalia stood up and walked with Katerina out the door. When they had put enough distance between the dark throne room and themselves, they stopped; they were in one of the many bright, snow-white halls with the large windows that let in the sun. Katerina sat herself down on one of the window seats and burst into tears.
"What's wrong, sister?" Natalia asked, seating herself next to her sister. "Brother is right; you must marry. And he has devised a wonderful plan."
"But I won't know the winner! What if I don't love him? What if I hate him?" Katerina covered her face with her hands.
Awkwardly, Natalia reached out to Katerina and pulled her close, letting Katerina's head rest on her shoulder. "It will work out. You must trust Ivan. He won't let just anyone marry you."
Katerina nodded and dried her eyes.
/
"A contest? It's just like the fairytales!" Katerina's maid, Victoire, clasped her hands and sighed. "I wish I was a princess."
"I wish I could switch places with you, Victoire," Katerina said.
Victoire shook her head. "No. I'm a slave, remember? No one should ever have to experience that."
Katerina blinked away tears. It always pained her to dwell on the circumstances that had brought her best friend to her. Victoire had been living peacefully with her family on Seychelles when, at the age of four, she had been kidnapped by pirates and sailed across the ocean, passing through many hands and enduring many stone-hearted masters until she came to Greece four years later. There she waited for auctioning on the black market, the only African slave in a pen full of white women who treated her like scum. Occasionally, children would sneak into the tents where they were kept on dares; Victoire had a hazy memory of their faces. Eventually, she had been auctioned off to a vacationing Russian merchant, who traveled home with his purchase and presented her as a gift (in lieu of taxes) to the king. Victoire had grown up with Katerina, becoming more of a friend than a servant, but a servant nonetheless.
Victoire took Katerina's hand and squeezed it. "Don't cry, Rina. It'll turn out fine. It'll be just like the stories you told me, you'll see! You'll meet the prince of your dreams and fall in love, and you'll live happily ever after."
"You're sure?"
"Surer than I've ever been."
/
A month passed; invitations were sent out, preparations were made, and the palace became a bustling centre of activity as food was shipped in, painting were rehung, bedrooms were made up, the grounds were made spotless, and extra servants were hired. In addition, Ivan received many mysterious packages, which were labeled "Do Not Open" and "Contest". He received them in his rooms.
Finally, the big night arrived when the kings, princes, dukes and knights of Europe and Asia pulled up in their carriages to the palace gates. Servants went to work unloading possessions and welcoming the royals. The guests themselves lined up to be admitted to the ballroom, where they were greeted by Ivan himself.
Behind a floret-patterned curtain, Katerina and Natalia observed the guests. Katerina could see Victoire managing the buffet, ready to serve slices of cake to hungry visitors.
Natalia kept up a running commentary. "That's King Arthur of England. He's a bit insane; he thinks he can talk to fairies. And behind him is the King of France. He's quite possible worse than Arthur. Oh, that one is King Gilbert of Prussia, and his brother, Prince Ludwig of Germany. That's funny, I thought I'd heard a rumour that the prince was in love with Princess Feliciana. Speaking of which, there she is now, with her sister and their protector, the King of Spain, Antonio. And of course you've heard of the Duke of Austria and his wife—or ex-wife, I suppose. Well, technically they were never married, since the union was never consummated. The Lady Elizaveta is beloved by her people, but the Austrian nobility are ready to get rid of her. Maybe the duke is hoping to pass her off on someone else. There's the Sultan of Turkey, and the Prince of Greece…he looks like a commoner! Princess of Belgium and her brother the King of the Netherlands, that famed knight from Switzerland and his little sister, the King of Poland, all those Scandinavian princes and kings, and—wait a minute!"
Katerina brought herself back from her half-daydream. Her brother was now smiling at two approaching young men, one getting pulled behind the other. Even from where she was standing, across the room, Katerina could feel the cold, dark aura that had made Ivan famous throughout the world.
"What's wrong?"
Natalia gave her sister a confused look which quickly passed. "Right, you aren't as embroiled in politics. The taller man over there is King Alfred of America. He and Ivan haven't been on the best of terms for a while. He most certainly wasn't invited."
"And who's the other one?"
"Him? Oh, that's Prince Matthew of Canada. Not much to look at, is he?"
I beg to differ, Katerina thought.
/
"Ivan! Great place you have here!" Alfred clapped Ivan on the shoulder. It was like slapping a rock. "My invite must have been lost in the mail. Lucky thing, I was talking to Arthur about trade embargos and he mentioned your little party! So I decided to come anyway. And I brought my brother, too." Alfred reached behind him and grabbed the escaping Matthew, squeezing his shoulder. "I don't believe you two have met?"
"We haven't," Ivan said, his icy grin still plastered to his face. Matthew bowed politely.
"A contest, huh?" Alfred leaned on his brother. "I've been looking for a wife. Matthew, too, so we both want to enter. Of course, we don't have invitations to present, but that's not a problem, right?"
Here Ivan faced a dilemma. He hated Alfred, didn't want him anywhere near his sisters. But at the same time, their two countries were on the brink of war. An alliance would fix all that. If Ivan didn't allow Alfred to enter, he might declare war then and there, which would really put a damper on Katerina's wedding day. If he let him enter, though, he ran the risk of having to marry his sister off to his worst enemy.
Ivan glanced at the prince, who was bearing the weight of his brother without audible complaint. The young man's face conveyed an apology.
The Russian sighed. He would just have to hope that, if one of these two young men won, it would be the prince.
"There is no problem. Welcome."
Alfred grinned and made a beeline for the buffet, dragging his brother, just as the final guests arrived.
"Yao," Ivan said, taking his betrothed's hand and planting a soft kiss on it. "Welcome!"
The Emperor of China smiled. "Thank you for inviting me, Ivan. It will be a pleasure to see my future sister-in-law's wedding. I understand that tradition forbids you from marrying until your older sibling has done so?"
Ivan nodded. Then he turned his attention to the young men and women behind Yao.
"I would like you to meet my family. My little brothers, Kiku, Soo Yong, and Kaoru"—the boys bowed respectfully—"and my sisters, Lien and Meimei." The girls, too, bowed.
"A pleasure. Now, if you will excuse me, I must make my speech before everyone is too full of food."
/
New thrones had been erected on the stage in the ballroom. Ivan stood in front of these as Natalia sat in the smallest one, hands folded neatly in her lap. Gradually, the room quieted down.
"Friends!" Ivan spread his arms. "You know, of course, why you were invited. You have all been offered the chance to contend for the hand of Princess Katerina, my sister. To win her hand, you must compete in a series of trials.
"There are ten trials in all. Within each trial, points will be awarded to the highest-placing competitors. First place will receive ten points, second will receive eight, third will receive six, and fourth will earn two points. In addition, in each round, a number of contestants will be eliminated.
"I know that not all of you here wish to try your luck. Because of this, if you wish to compete, please find me during the banquet. I will record your name. Now, before we begin the festivities, allow me to introduce you to the prize of the contest, Princess Katerina, Duchess of the Ukraine!"
On this cue, and to great applause, Katerina stepped out from behind the curtain and approached her throne. She curtsied to the ballroom and, as she had been told to do, remained standing. She tried her best not to blush as she felt so many pairs of eyes looking at her…
…chest.
She fought back tears; she couldn't cry, not now, not in front of everybody.
Why? Why was it that everyone always looked at her chest? Wasn't it common courtesy to look a woman in the face? In desperation, Katerina glanced around the room, trying to find someone, anyone, who wasn't entranced by her body.
She finally made eye contact. Across the room, standing unobtrusively by the buffet, was the young man Natalia had pointed out as the Prince of Canada. His eyes were a beautiful shade of blue—or perhaps they were purple? They seemed to change in the light. He realized that their eyes had met, and he looked away on instinct.
Then the applause died down, and Katerina took her seat. Ivan declared the party underway, and offered his sisters an arm to escort them to the ballroom floor.
Once there, Ivan left to find his betrothed and to mingle with his guests. Natalia ducked away somewhere, leaving Katerina alone. On a whim, she headed for the buffet, and the place where she had last seen Prince Matthew.
He wasn't there, but Victoire was. She was handing out cake at record speed, managing to keep each slice picture-perfect. But Katerina noticed that some of the guests made extra sure not to touch Victoire.
She walked up to her friend at the first lull in cake-getters. Victoire was in her element; despite the racism that remained in the hearts of the few, every guest had, without fail, thanked her politely for the cake. Victoire might wish to be a princess, but she loved to help people.
Wiping her hands on a towel, Victoire grinned at Katerina. "You were wonderful! You looked so regal and beautiful up there, I almost didn't recognize you! And I think you made a great choice on the dress." Victoire motioned to the white silk and blue ribbons.
Katerina sniffed. "I don't want to do that ever again."
"But you'll have to! Surely, during the trials, you'll have to attend. They'll be competing for you."
"Excuse me, may I please have some cake?"
Both women turned their heads to see Prince Matthew. He smiled at them.
"Of course, sir. Here you go, sir," Victoire said, serving up another perfect slice.
The prince accepted the cake graciously. "Thank you, madam." He took a bite. "This is delicious. Have you tried it?"
Victoire shook her head. "I'm not to eat anything here until after the party, sir. The food is for the guests."
"What a shame. What about you, princess?" His voice, already soft and respectful, became even more so. The slightest hint of red coloured his cheeks. What Katerina noticed most about him, though, was how he looked her in the eyes.
"I-I haven't," she said, her ability to speak suddenly trying to flee. She felt her heart begin to speed up a bit.
Suddenly, King Alfred came from behind and threw himself playfully on his brother's back. The plate of cake flew out of the prince's hands. They all watched with suppressed horror as it flew through the air towards the Prince of Greece.
At the last moment, he turned around, caught sight of the cake, and, with a swiftness that his outward drowsiness offset, reached up and plucked the plate out of the air.
"C'mon, Mattie, don't hog the cake! I want some too!" Alfred leaned over Matthew's shoulder. Victoire cut the king a slice.
As Alfred bounded away, Matthew rubbed his temples. "I'm so sorry about him. He just doesn't think sometimes. Would you mind terribly if I had another piece of cake?"
"Not at all," Victoire said.
"Thank you. And good night, ladies." Matthew bowed to each of them in turn and walked off.
"He seems like a nice one," Victoire whispered. "Much more civilized than his brother."
Someone tapped Victoire on the shoulder. She spun around and found herself face-to-face with the Greek prince. She stepped back hastily and curtsied.
"I'm sorry about the cake sir," she said.
"It's okay," he said sleepily. He reached over and took a fork from the pile, then sampled the cake. "Mm. Would you like some?"
"I couldn't!"
He smiled and held the plate out to her. "Go ahead."
Giggling to herself, Katerina left Victoire and went in search of her sister.
/
"Greetings, King Gilbert," Ivan said. "I take it you are here to enter the contest?"
The Prussian laughed. "Nah, it's not really my thing. No offense to your sister, but I have bigger fish to fry. However," he said, motioning to the taller blond man beside him, "Ludwig is entering. Ludwig?"
The prince was staring off across the ballroom to where the Italian princesses were chatting with the girl from Switzerland. It took a few tries to get his attention.
"Yes, yes, I will be competing."
"Good! Then I'll have you recorded. Thank you."
/
Okay AWFUL first chapter because it's late and I'm tired. I promise the next one will be better. Thank you for reading! Any questions or reviews are welcome!