A/N: Hi there! If you've wandered in from the quinceañera next door, lo siento, pero la fiesta está allá (pero si quieres quedarte, no te tiraré). Alright! Now that we have that all cleared up, if you're not from the quinceañera next door, welcome, welcome! I'm assuming that some of you may have wandered in here from a different YOI story I did called Adopted (and if you haven't read Adopted yet, it'd be really cool if you did), am I right? Or maybe from the sick fic I did last week (Dr. Nikiforov has a Ring to it.)? I told you about the miniseries that I'm going to be doing until December (except for when we take hiatus for November. NaNoWriMo season is like a religious holiday for me.). Well, friends, this is that miniseries. A little Victuri AU that sprung into my imagination back in March. I started writing this as a one-shot, but this can't be a one-shot. So, enjoy the spoils of my imagination.
People usually thought the lives of the royal family were so glamorous, so exciting. Sure, being royal had its perks. Everyone adores you. Anyone would kill to be in your position. The power, the notoriety. All of that was great and I'm not complaining. It's when it's forced upon me...That's when it becomes a bit of a problem.
There once was a powerful king and queen that ruled their kingdom with an iron fist, yet somehow managed to keep their people content. However, the king and queen are getting on in years and are now stepping down from the throne, leaving the responsibility to fall on the shoulders of the oldest prince. Alas, that oldest prince who would become the new king was none other than yours truly.
To be honest, the life of being royal was starting to bore me. I didn't really care about taking the throne. Especially if it meant going through the hell of finding a queen. Because of some silly formality, I was forced to fall in love. That was something that should come naturally, not be arranged. Oh well...I might as well get it over with.
I sat beside the king and queen and my sister, the princess, on the other side. My younger brother and next in line for the throne after me, Yurio, was nowhere to be found for the fun. At least I had Mila there for moral support. Our other brother had given up his title for priesthood. Georgi never thought he'd find love again, so instead, he clung to religion. If I were more of the religious type, I'd consider the same.
"Bring in the first princess!" the king demanded.
A beautiful, dark haired princess came in with a man already on her arm. Our attendant, Phichit, if I remember correctly, called out, "Announcing the arrival of Princess Sara and Prince Michele."
"Good morning, King Yakov," Princess Sara bowed, "Queen Lilia."
"Good morning, highness," Father addressed her, "Allow me to introduce my son, Prince Victor."
"Your highness," I smiled politely, not too terribly interested. However, Sara was enough to make Mila sweat a little.
"What makes you a suitable queen for the prince?" Mother asked.
"Well," Sara began, shooting quick glances at Mila, "Our kingdoms could do so much good combined."
"Excuse me?" Michele stepped in, "Forgive me, your highness, but having to ask if my sister is good enough for your son? It's a great insult!"
"Mickey," she attempted to settle him, "Please."
"The prince is the one unworthy of you!" he continued, taking her hand, "We can rule our kingdom together."
"No," Sara shoved her brother aside, "I'd rather rule on my own."
"Sara," Michele put a hand on his sister's shoulder, "We've been together since we were in the womb..."
"It doesn't matter!" she yelled, "You're smothering me, Mickey! I'm done!"
"Sara, wait!" Michele ran after the princess and I waited for whoever was going to come through those doors. After that, I'm sure it's only uphill from here. Probably another princess that I'd be forced to marry. Why did I even have to take a princess? Was I incapable of ruling the kingdom on my own? What's the worst that could happen? I may not have fallen in love with her, but Princess Sara had a point and I had to admire her for that.
"Announcing the arrival of Princess Yuko and her knight," Phichit called out.
"Good morning, King Yakov, Queen Lilia," the princess curtseyed. A little cuter than the last one, but like a doll. Not quite like Sara. And by the looks of Mila, she wasn't her type either. But I'll give her a chance.
"Good morning, your highness," Father gave her a nod.
"I find it strange you travel with a night so close, Princess," Mother pointed out, shooting glances between the princess and her knight, "Any reason you need that much protection?"
"My knight travels everywhere with me," Yuko explained, "He is more than just my protection. He's my best friend."
"I think that's wonderful," I commended. Maybe she was different, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Yuko."
"Likewise, your highness." I gave her a little smile, making her eyes sparkle. Yuko was quiet, but the rattle of her knight's armor was interesting. I wonder what that was all about.
"This is pointless," Father rumbled, "Thank you, Princess."
"Your highness," Yuko pleaded, "Give me another chance."
"Father," I defended her, "Her kingdom and ours have always been allies since you took the throne. What has you wanting to call this off?"
"We're going about this the wrong way," he thought it over.
"Father," Mila chimed in, "If you're wanting to find someone for Victor, why have individual princesses come here? Why don't we take the uncomfortable formality out of it and throw a ball instead? That way, the princesses are more relaxed and this will be less painful to watch."
"I like her idea," I approved, "Let's do that."
"Fine," Father allowed, "You're taking care of everything, Mila. You have one week."
If there was anyone in the entire kingdom I trusted with this type of thing, it was Mila. Out of all my siblings, Mila knew me the best. She knew what I liked and I liked a good party. A little wine, good company, what's not to love? And Princess Yuko's knight...He intrigued me. He came off more nervous than she did and I didn't even see his face.
"Victor?" Mila shook me, "Were you even listening to me?"
"I'm sorry," I came back, "What were you saying?"
"Honestly," she rolled her eyes, "You need to pay attention. This party's for you. And with the time restraint Father has put on it...All I want is for you to help me a little. That's all I ask."
"I'm just scatterbrained," I apologized.
"Do you need to talk?" Mila settled down, putting her party planning on hold to be my sister.
"Princess Yuko," I thought.
"Are you interested in her?" she assumed.
"She seems sweet," I shrugged, "But something about her knight. I can't get him off my mind."
"I know how you feel," she sympathized, "What about Princess Sara? What did you think of her?"
"She's gorgeous," I said, "But I don't think she's the one for me."
"So, for the record," Mila hoped, "You're not interested in Sara?"
"Not at all."
"We should still invite her to the party anyway," Mila wrote her name down, "Anyone else you want?"
"Invite Yuko," I told her, "And make sure she has her knight, too."
"For you, my dear brother," she promised, "I will gladly see to it."
"Thank you," I got up, "You're a saint, Mila, but I don't think I'm in the mood for party planning. I'm just going to bed."
"Alright," Mila wrapped her arms around me, "Whatever's bothering you, don't be afraid to talk to me, ok?"
"I won't," I kissed my sister's cheek, "Good night."
"Good night, Victor," she sent me off and went back to her party planning.
I sat out on my balcony and got completely lost in the sparkling night sky. This was maddening. I didn't even know his name. Just his mere demeanor was enough to make me interested. Something about his charming awkwardness...It only made me want to get to know him more.
A/N: We're barely into the story and I already love it. This is only the beginning, friends. I'm a very excited little bean. Because I'm a sucker for a good fairy tale and I'm an even bigger one for my Victuri. So, for the next few Wednesdays, it's going to be you and me watching a beautiful ship possibly sail into the sunset. Are you excited? Because I'm excited. Now, if it's all the same to you, I have an update for Mystic Messenger to start on for tomorrow. See you next chapter! xx