Chapter One: Voids to Be Filled

If you had asked the citizens of Illéa what they thought their princess' first words to her people would be you probably would have been met by many with long discussions of hopes, predictions and expectations. The most farfetched wishes and wildest dreams were regularly voiced in conversations across the country.

"What if she bursts out singing?"

"What if she's mute?"

"What if she speaks out against the castes?"

"What if she's secretly one of the rebels and she kills the queen right then and there on the Report, announcing that she is the new queen?"

"What if she introduces herself?"

It was true; the crown princess of Illéa hadn't really ever gotten as much as an introduction. As the people watched her on their TV every Friday, sitting on her throne, so proper and silent it was almost as if she never existed, they couldn't help but worry that she might not even get a word in before her mother was gone, if ever.

So when Gavril took the stage one Friday at the Illéa Capital Report and, instead of interviewing the queen, announced "Now, welcome Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess Kyoko!" ears were sharpened and heads turned, as everyone waited in anticipation for the princess' words to fill the silence that befell living rooms across the country.

"I shall be holding a selection."

If you had asked any citizen of Illéa what they thought their princess' first words to her people would be, that wouldn't have been it. In fact, if you had outright asked them whether they thought their princess would be holding a selection, you probably would have gotten your fair share of laughs in your face and questioning stares. After all, princesses were traditionally married off to foreign princes, and though Princess Kyoko was the first female heir to the throne, that alone was already questionable enough and there really was no reason for her to be any different.

Yet there she was, going over the rules of the competition, the gentle smile on her face unchanging, from "The selection process is entirely random, with the exception of applications being removed due to the candidate being unfit, for reasons such as having been convicted of crimes like robbery or going out past curfew." all the way to "I look forward to meeting the 35 selected boys."

"Yes," Gavril said, "if you want to be one of the the lucky selected, make sure to send in your application in time, and you might even get a chance to marry Her Highness over here!"

Suddenly, for the first time in the history of the Report, Princess Kyoko's smile faltered. As she briefly turned her eyes to the camera, a dark aura surrounded her.

"If you think you could marry me, that is."

The remark was seemingly impulsive and quietly mumbled - or hissed? - but not unnoticeable. The princess' eyes widened with realization, but before she could say anything Gavril came to the rescue.

"So, Your Highness, you say you're looking forward to meeting the selected. Have you ever had any romance your life or will this be a first? I'm asking for the boys' sake, of course."

Gavril's playful wink didn't do much to lighten the mood that seemed to have gotten worse despite the fact that the smile was back on Her Highness' face.

"Oh, I am afraid not. Between my duties as the crown princess and the fact that the palace does not have a large amount of visitors, there has simply not been much possibility or need for romance."

Luckily for the princess, the camera moved away from her face before she started glaring at the horrible, horrible man who had asked her such a horrible, horrible question. What a rescue that had been!

"Oh, uh..."

Gavril scrambled for something to say; usually, a question about whether she was looking forward to the change would have been his move here, but his finely honed interviewer instincts told him that things would only get worse if he continued on this topic. What the hell was he supposed to do then? If romance was off the table, practically the entire selection was!

"So... Have preparations started yet...?" Suddenly, he got an idea, "Do we have anything special to look forward to? Dresses, perhaps?"

Princess Kyoko's face lit up.

"Oh, yes! My maids have been working on the most wonderful designs..."

As the ecstatic princess started gushing about her maids and dresses, Gavril and people in front of TV screens across the country breathed a collective sigh of relief. Really, anyone could see that this was a genuine smile, and as the bubbly princess went on and on it seemed like maybe any way she had acted before was just nerves and this was how it was going to be from now on. But, as showcased earlier, the world didn't obey the hopes of the people of Illéa, at least not that day, and in the middle of explaining just how amazing the bow a maid had made for the back of her dress was, their princess happened to cast a glance to the side - coincidentally the side where her mother sat.

And she froze.

Then she spoke again.

"So, in short, you definitely do have something to look forward to, as long as you do not have anything against awe-inspiring works of art."

The smile on her face showed that she was back. The reserved princess. The proper princess. The princess with the smile that was forever calming, relaxed, and gently joyful. The princess who had been sitting in the background for the past ten years. The "perfect princess" princess. But the citizens of Illéa had to wonder, as they compared her to the lively girl they had just seen; was that the perfect princess they wanted?

"Well, I'm definitely looking forward to it now," Gavril paused, "And, I'm so sorry to say this, but it looks like our time is up for today!" A lie or two - they had over five minutes left - but the people watching didn't notice and they most likely never would, "It has been delighful talking with you Your Highness. Boys! If you are eligible, do not pass up this chance, because you will never get another one like it. That's all from me. We will be back in a week, on the Illéa Capital Report."

And thus the preparations had begun, not only in the castle but the country as a whole, for a selection was to come!

And a princess was to fill her role.

Author's note: Come could rhyme with begun, right? Right?! Kind of...?

I don't really expect anyone to find this here anytime soon - unless they had any reason to go to my profile (why would they though) - because of the weird crossover category thing. But I couldn't stand not putting it in the crossover category, because it is a crossover after all, and if somebody was actually, for whatever reason, searching for a crossover of these things I'd want them to be able to find it. Anyways, to all future people who might come across this, thanks for reading, I hope you ejoyed it, and whether or not you did please review and let me know your thoughts!