The queen, unsurprisingly, looked absolutely breathtaking for her personal dress fitting. Her deep black eyes were perfect and penetrating, her long, auburn hair was lush and artfully styled, and her lips were unfathomably red. The dress, too, was especially lovely, not that Aaina was bragging. It was a deep ruby red to match Levana's lips, with sheer sleeves that fell to her wrists, every layer of skirt and sweep of fabric accentuating her rich beauty.

Aaina knew this part. She knew the exact moment when Levana twirled lightly with arms extended, coming to a standstill before Aaina. She knew the exact words Levana would say. And Aaina knew just how she would respond.

"So, Dear," Levana began, "tell me what you think. Am I not the single-most enchanting sight you've ever seen?"

Aaina wanted to fight back. She wanted to stand tall, smile with the easy confidence that she usually had. She wanted to be unshakeable. But she still curled in on herself. She still swallowed, lowering her head in a meek nod.

"My Queen," she all but whispered, "you are as fair as the dawn's first light, a graceful doe in a tranquil meadow, the river's pure song." Not that she'd ever seen a doe, or a meadow, or a river. But that didn't mean she couldn't be poetic.

Levana cracked the tiniest smile, a half-acknowledgement, before sweeping away, so tall and so regal. Levana was the queen and Aaina the pawn, just an object with one purpose: validating Her Majesty.

As soon as Levana was out of sight, Aaina felt her back straighten, her muscles loosen. She was free. And she was a coward.

She hated the way she acted around the queen. Every time Levana asked that fateful question, Aaina wished she could change. But she never managed to. She was never brave enough.

Aaina sighed softly, resisting the urge to cry. She'd been Levana's head dress designer and seamstress for some time, and the routine never changed, but it still hurt every time Aaina felt herself melting in the queen's presence.

This latest dress was for the second dinner of the Selection. The first dinner had been both terrifying and strangely expected for Aaina. Levana was... well, Levana. Of course she would make sure every inferior Selected was properly intimidated before they had the audacity to defy her. And Aaina... didn't have the audacity. She feared she never would.

But she'd been lucky enough to be chosen for the Selection. This had to be her chance. Even if she didn't win, she could still make friends and hopefully get to know the prince more. He was so fascinating, being somewhat of two worlds with his Earthen father and Lunar mother. Meeting him had been strange, to say the least. He'd seemed rattled by something; something, she suspected, that related to his mysterious disappearance at the first meetings. Andrina had assured them that he just had some trivial matter to attend to, but Aaina felt that there was something more to it, based on the way he'd acted. So quiet, yet genial in a way that had shocked her. How could someone with that kind of mother be so genuine?

Aaina knew she shouldn't think such things about Levana. She was the queen, for stars' sake, and probably under a lot of pressure. She had to be incredibly insecure to need constant validation from a simple servant like Aaina. Silly as it was, she hoped that there was some shard of good inside her, just waiting to be dislodged from its hiding place and fit like a puzzle piece into her empty heart, or perhaps that her actions were justified in some way. After all, no one could be entirely evil. Everyone had reasons for what they did.

Aaina made her way out of the queen's private rooms and toward her new suite, which was far more lavish than her previous servant's quarters. She was pleasantly surprised that Levana had provided her with such finery, since she was just a seamstress, and she wondered if each of the Selected's suites were as well-furnished as those of higher status.

She hoped that they did. All Lunars and Earthens were equal, and everyone would get a fair chance at being queen... so she imagined. But did Levana have some other motive, as she always seemed to? There was no way she'd crown an Earthen as queen, especially since Obsidian was only half-Lunar. But... she had invited everyone to the palace, and had been generous - as generous as she seemed capable of being, minus the spoon incident. There had to be some kind of hope here. This Selection had to be fair, just as Levana was... at least on the outside.

As Aaina stepped into her bedroom, her two maids hurried to her side.

"Miss Geoul, let me help you!"

She didn't know them especially well, but she had seen them around. It felt unjust to sit and let her equals pamper her and do her bidding. So she waved them away with a kind smile.

"Oh, I can manage. Please, I insist."

The maids were reluctant, but Aaina's assured smile finally seemed to convince them. "Let us know if you require assistance," one of them chirped, to which Aaina nodded quickly.

"I will. Thank you."

Blessedly, they left Aaina to choose from a few dresses she'd sewn in preparation for these types of events. She was eternally glad that she could come to the royal dining hall somewhat presentable, as opposed to last time when she'd been in her plain servant's uniform. Today, she could choose what she wore.

This would be the Selected's second meal with the royal family, as they'd all taken other meals in their private rooms, an oddity Aaina decided not to question. This was the royals' house; they could choose when and when not to eat with them. It must be incredibly overwhelming to constantly have thirty-five girls around, giggling and crowding their usually peaceful dining hall.

But just because she pitied them didn't mean she wasn't excited for the dinner. So many new people to meet. She was especially eager to find out more about Earthens, since she'd had a keen interest in anything outside the palace walls, since... well, she'd never left. She did have a seashell collection, though, and sometimes she just pressed a shell to her ear and pictured herself standing on that warm, oh-so-soft sand, with the waves providing a perfect background. It was probably even better than she envisioned.

Aaina turned to the mirror for a final appraisal of her appearance. Of course, it couldn't recognize her glamoured blue-black hair, but maybe that was for the best. It was actually a reason she liked mirrors. They didn't lie. They just showed you the person you were, with no sugar-coating. And unlike many of the Artemesians she knew, Aaina appreciated a little honesty. Even if she was incapable of being honest with Levana.

Because, while she was beautiful, her true self - with her tyrannical rule and poisonous smile - was nowhere near the fairest in the land.

...

Alaïs Glass was delighted by the palace's luxuries, as any truly insane girl should be. Sure, Maude had told her of the endless beauty, the ceaseless wonders, but this... it was almost as vivid and picturesque as the places in her imaginings.

Almost.

She knew, thanks to her very informative maids, that she was supposed to be attending dinner in just under an hour, but oh, everything was so lovely! So many new sights to see, so many new experiences to be added to her mostly-fictional collection.

Of course, her previous home with her godfather, siblings and best friend hadn't been particularly gaudy or lush, so there wasn't much to compare it to - at least in the real world. But in Wonderland... ah, there were dozens of experiences that came to mind. Why, she'd visited a hundred different palaces in her dreamland, plus a dozen underwater cities inhabited by merfolk, ten cloud kingdoms filled with fairies and butterflies, and five underground labyrinths composed of... well, she couldn't really remember those, actually. Most of her visits to Wonderland, while incredibly vivid in the moment, were foggy once she returned. But she didn't mind. She knew she'd had a blast while there, and that was all that mattered.

Alaïs floated up from her bed, a hundred butterflies suddenly appearing in her room, flitting up from unseen corners and fluttering in on the sudden sunshine-smelling breeze that danced through the window. They congregated around her, laughing merrily like tinkling bells, and Alaïs felt herself slip-slipping away...

A loud banging interrupted her wild fantasy. Alaïs was in the middle of climbing the candy blossom tree with the talented Maestro Centipede, in search of the piano that had been so frenzied by its newest symphony that the power of the notes had propelled it up and up into the highest branches of the sugary plant. But that knocking... it brought a dim recollection of where she really was. She hated to leave Maestro Centipede to fend for himself on such an important mission, but there was something she needed to do... wasn't there?

Ah yes, the dinner. Her maids were probably frazzled, awaiting her return. She waved a regretful goodbye to Mr. Centipede and felt her dream world receding, like sand squeezed too tight. She found herself back on her bed, with barely the wisps of memories.

The banging became louder now, as she shook herself from her trance-like adventure and skipped to the door.

"Oh, do wait a moment, I'm coming," she said. She flung open the door and tried to comfort the flustered-looking maids with a warm smile. "How long have you been waiting?" she inquired.

"Oh, n-not long, Miss Glass," twittered the maid on the left. "We... we wondered if you might l-like some help for the second dinner of the Selection. Her Majesty will be there, you know, and we... we h-had a dress designed for you, and-"

"Oh, come in, come in," urged Alaïs. "I would love to see the new dress. It does have blue somewhere, right?"

"Oh, yes..." said the maid on the right. "Not a lot, but we... we kept your request in mind..."

Alaïs beamed. "Lovely! Blue is the best color in the entire world, you know. I do wish I had a nice blueberry muffin now, or a cobbler, perhaps. Mr. Beaver baked me the best blueberry scones the other day. I wish you'd been there to try them!"

The maids gawked; the common response, and the preferable one as well. She liked it much more than the way the bullies would turn away in disgust and call her a weirdo, a Lunar freak. She liked it more than the way Aunt Lasta tut-tutted in disappointment and sent her away.

She knew she was bizarre. She'd known it since childhood, when the kids ridiculed her and the grown-ups stared. But that had been the way Maude acted. She'd just thought it was normal, though she later found out that her godfather was suffering from the Lunar sickness, a condition caused by a Lunar refusing to use their gift in any way for a long period of time, causing increasingly serious hallucinations. Alaïs wasn't certain if she'd developed it second-hand or just picked up Maude's habits, but it wasn't something to worry about now. Now, she could be content with the person she was and not have to worry about putting on a perfect face for the rest of the world to see. She was okay with just being Alaïs March Glass, doing things just for herself. And now that she was in the Selection, she was hoping that she could find new friends and see new, real places - not that the imagined ones were unsatisfying, of course.

She just... well, she'd always longed to know things. No matter how much time she devoted to discovery, there was always more to see, more to question, more to answer. She supposed her curiosity would never truly be satiated, but she didn't mind. She enjoyed discovering novel experiences, even if she made them up.

"Er, Miss Glass..."

Alaïs started. She'd been daydreaming again, though this time it was more of a reminisce than a true expedition. "Of course, of course! I'm dying to see this new dress you've made me!"

Ten minutes later, Alaïs was ready to attend what would hopefully be the best dinner of her life. The first one had been terrifying; in the moment, Alaïs had wanted to leap from her chair, march up to the queen's high table and demand justice for that poor, innocent girl. She did, however, have high hopes for this dinner, because... well, why wouldn't she? It was so much easier to be perky than it was to sulk, at least for Alaïs.

She regarded herself in the mirror. Big blue eyes stared anxiously back, accompanied by rosy cheeks and a gentle chin. The girl in the mirror widened her eyes in anxiety.

"You look beautiful, darling!" Alaïs assured her reflection. She smiled warmly, and the reflection smiled back, looking much happier with the affirmation.

Alaïs glanced down at her white dress with the sweetheart neckline and the tiny blue flowers embroidered around the bottom of the loose skirt, which hung all the way down to her feet, thank the stars! She couldn't fathom wearing heels to a royal dinner; she was sure the Princess of Pleasantry could handle it, but she couldn't really attend in Alaïs' place, though she could certainly come along. Alaïs would gladly let her wear all the high heels in her closet, if she did happen to show up tonight.

It turned out, she didn't have to worry about high heels. The maids, after much pleading from Alaïs, allowed her to wear flats, since they wouldn't be showing anyway.

"You two are perfect saints," proclaimed Alaïs. "I hope they'll have something nice for you in the kitchens."

The maids still looked oddly unsettled, as though they hadn't the faintest idea how to deal with such a phenomenon as Alaïs. Well, she did tend to have that impression on people. She was strange, and she knew it.

The halls were filled with Selected, all dressed in stunning finery, making their way toward the dining room. Alaïs scanned her way down the line of beautiful girls - they all looked so nice.

Well, some of them did, anyway. There were a few that Alaïs was decidedly questioning, but she didn't like judging by first appearances. Perhaps they really were nice on the inside, despite the glares they were now throwing her way.

Then again, perhaps not.

The Selected all ended up clustering around the dining room doors, unsure whether they should enter. They didn't have to fret for long, however, for just a tick of a clock later, their coordinator was making her merry way down the hallway. Alaïs thought she looked like a queen in her lovely, endless dress and her angel-white veil and her new necklace that seemed to be made of starlight fragments. She sashayed up to the cluster of girls, hovering like anxious bees, and lifted a hand in a feather-light wave.

"Hello, ladies!" she trilled. Though they couldn't see her face very well behind that veil, Alaïs could just feel the waves of sunshine radiating off her. "You all look beautiful; I hope you're excited for the dinner!"

A long silence made itself comfortable in the hallway, and Alaïs glanced around. Most of the Selected had their gazes averted in shyness, though some seemed more haughty and arrogant than afraid. She was only met with a few beaming smiles among the crowd, but it seemed most of the girls were too timid to speak. The awkwardness thickened by the second, and soon Alaïs couldn't handle it.

So she did the entirely un-sensible thing and clapped, squealing in excitement.

It was a long span of seconds before a few of the other girls joined in, some tentatively smiling while others clapped vehemently. Andrina laughed in delight. "Well, I'm glad some of you are excited! As for the rest of you..." She shook her head. "I guess you have reason to hesitate."

A few uncomfortable laughs punctured the quiet, but as soon as the cheers had died down, the stillness was suffocating again. It seemed Queen Levana was a touchy subject for many of these girls.

"Well!" Andrina said. "I won't be able to attend the dinner for..." (her voice warbled in a peculiar way and she turned her head toward the door in apparent panic), "reasons, but I just know you girls will enjoy it! The prince himself will be there, after all, and how could anyone feel glum in his presence?"

Alaïs realized two things about Andrina then: first, she was definitely terrified of Levana, and second, she was mad-as-a-Lunar in love with Sid.

Well, Alaïs didn't judge her for that either. It was nice to have someone at the palace who was half as mad as she was.

...

Sid felt a new barrage of nerves awaken within him as he stood outside the dining hall, wiping the very un-royal sweat from his brow and smoothing back his hair. He tried to take deep breaths, as was always suggested, but they came slightly ragged and uneven.

What was he so nervous about, anyway? It was just a dinner, just a harmless little dinner...

But that's what he'd made himself think last time. Then a girl had almost been tortured in front of his very eyes, and he'd done nothing about it. Had she deserved it? Did any of the trial victims - criminals? - deserve their fate?

He didn't know. And that was the terrible uncertainty that still haunted him. Did he agree with his mother or didn't he? He kept swinging like a pendulum between the two, like some leaping acrobat, when he was really just a man. A man who had to pick a side before it grew too late.

But he'd picked one already... hadn't he?

He collected his thoughts and sent them away. He couldn't do this now, couldn't ever do it. But that was what it meant to be His Royal Highness, Prince Obsidian Blackburn of Luna. You had to be put-together. You had to be regal. And your gift should not be faulty. It couldn't be!

And yet, his glamour kept flickering out like some broken piece of Earthen technology when he tried. It could've been the nerves, it could've been his genes, or it could've been his mere inadequacy.

And that was what scared him most. Was his gift actually fully intact, incredibly strong, yet he somehow lacked the prowess to use it? Could he simply be too weak of mind?

That's how he'd felt, all those years ago, when he was a proud little boy holding a bedazzled cake platter, only for his mother to toss it aside, scold him like he'd done something wrong, when he'd really just been trying to please her. He was always trying to please her.

But he just... he wasn't good enough, even as a child. He'd lost the right to even call the queen his mother that day. He'd lost all pride or acceptance that might have been gradually accumulating over the years. And all because he wasn't perfect enough, couldn't do anything right.

Pounding feet alerted him. The Selected were coming; he needed to be in place, regal and refined, before they arrived. He couldn't let himself crumble, not now that the queen was finally giving him a chance. A chance to make his own choice.

Kind of.

But it was as much freedom as she'd ever given him. It would have to be enough for now. The Selected were nice... or, most of them. And he was eliminating some of the more petty ones tonight, if his mother allowed it. That was worth something.

Even if Sid felt, sometimes, that he was worth nothing.

He pushed open the door and sauntered in like he hadn't just been thinking about the first time he disappointed his mother, like he didn't think about it often, like he was ready to face the world because he was born royal, he was born deserving. Levana and his father were waiting, and they both shot him smiles as he made his way to his seat. Sid still wished he'd told his father about the camera incident when they'd spoken earlier that day, but... well, he couldn't burden Kai; he was the king and probably had a mountain of work and royal things to attend to - more, even, than Sid had. And besides that, he was just now becoming aware of how many eyes Levana had in the palace. It was entirely possible that she knew of Sid's disagreement with her - if he even did disagree with her, he wasn't really sure anymore.

But what would really happen if she did find out, if she did disapprove of Sid? What did that say about him?

"Obsidian, dearest!" Levana crooned. "You look simply dashing. I cannot wait for tonight's festivities! Though I do suppose that the eliminations put a damper on it - oh, what am I saying, it's the Selection!"

She was chipper today - more so than she'd been in awhile. But then again, that could also be a façade. Was her entire being a façade? If he were to peel off the top layers, would everything beneath the surface still be mask upon mask, back-up glamour and back-up back-up glamour, until all that was left in the center was a shriveled husk of a woman, never able to see the light of day?

Or was everything real? Was she just... naturally this way? He'd never know. She was too unreal, too perfect.

"Greetings, My Queen." He hid his insecurities with a bow before sitting. Kai shot him a secret smile and Sid tried to return it.

"So!" Levana was never one to hesitate in conversation. "Tell me about the Selected! I saw your meetings yesterday... er, most of them." She winced, "but I am dying to know your true feelings!"

Sid glanced at the ceiling as if it were the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen. "Um-"

The door swung open and a perfect line of Selected came flowing in. Sid could've danced with gratitude for their perfect timing - though that would've been awkward of course and he didn't dance. At least not in public, he didn't.

The girls swiveled to the table, each with a picture-perfect smile on their face as they all bent into mostly-synchronized curtsies.

"Hello, ladies!" sang the queen, brushing a strand of lush auburn hair behind her ear. "Please, sit! We have quite the celebration tonight, and I do hope it goes better than last time!" She let out a birdsong laugh as if she was simply speaking of afternoon tea. Sid, being the obedient royal he was, smiled along.

The Selected's wonder-filled eyes slowly rose with their gowns as they stood straight once more. They all scattered and made their way to their seats. Some slumped in timidity, some sat straight as queens, and others leaned casually back in their chairs as though they hadn't a care in the world. It was a rainbow of colors and personalities filling the tables, a splash of novelty to the uniformed guards and polished floors and conniving court members.

And one of them was to be his wife.

As the girls all settled like a flock for the night, he noticed something disquieting, something that he'd also seen at that fateful first dinner. All of the Artemisians were clustered together, some whispering and others absorbed in their own selves. Three empty tables later, the Sector girls were huddled, mostly slumped and mostly silent. Halfway across the room, the Earthens sat uneasily at the long, elegant tables, looking so out-of-place, so shabby and dim compared to the Lunars.

Levana saw his worry-creased brow and silently clenched fists, she followed his gaze with her own airy one, and hers was not a reaction of concern. It was a reaction of glee.

She was glad to see this divide in the girls. She hid it quickly, but Sid had spotted that traitorous little sliver of malicious jubilation. She reveled in their unease; she was waiting for their arguments with bated breath.

Sid looked to his father. He had to be seeing this too, right? It wasn't just him?

The king consort met Sid's eyes. He shook his head sadly. There was nothing he could do.

It wasn't that big of a deal, right? These girls could make their own choices; they shouldn't be pushed into mingling. But then again... Levana was smiling. Smiling! As though she had the right to be joyous in the Selected's distress.

Sid's immediate reflex was to look at his mother for permission, but he pushed that aside. He was letting the pendulum still. He was climbing down the ladder, away from the precarious tightrope. He was making his decision.

But... that small voice inside him, the one that had been crushed on Eclipse Day so many years ago, reminded him that his mother should be respected. He had to make her happy.

But making her happy hadn't gone well. He'd been trying and trying for years and had failed miserably every time. He couldn't put himself through that again only to be rejected, tossed to the side, mocked by someone who was supposed to be his parent, his supportive guide through the rocky terrain of romance.

But the queen had never been the motherly sort. And he wasn't a little boy anymore.

"Your Majesty, I'd like to make an announcement," he stated, trying his best to leave no room for question.

She raised her eyebrows, but nodded reluctantly.

Was he really doing this? Could he? He had so much to do tonight - eliminations, getting to know the Selected better, and somehow conveying to Zaire that what he'd said had been a mistake in a desperate attempt to keep his misstep hidden. He didn't have time for daring adventures.

But he also didn't have time to deliberate. He scanned the faces anyway. Gea smirked back at him. Fia gave a tiny smile, immediately looking away. Medea glared. Zhana winked and Alaïs beamed and Mel blushed.

At those tables he saw before him a collection of stories, of lives crossed unexpectedly, of multi colored motivations. But he knew he'd get to know them all. He knew he wanted the best for them, even if they'd just met. And yes, he would part with some as enemies, most - he hoped - as friends, and a few that he'd barely get to know. But one was to be his queen, his companion forever. He'd discover her life and she'd discover his, and they'd laugh and cry and stumble and skip and grow in the years to come.

He'd never been very fanciful, but at that moment he let himself dream of the magic that could be made from this Selection, if only it would be done the right way. Separation, hostility and fear weren't what he wanted these girls to feel. These were his guests. It was his responsibility to make him feel safe.

So he stood tall and smiled back at the Selected, who were all looking at him. The servants had not yet served their meals, as the Selected were just settling in.

"Hello, ladies! It was so good meeting you the other day, and I'm excited to get to know you better in the future. I do, unfortunately, have a few eliminations, though those will be later. I'd like to invite you all to make some new friends tonight, as it will be a long Selection and I want you all to feel comfortable. Feel free to sit wherever you like; Earth and Luna are allied, after all." The girls all seemed to loosen, ease in their seats a little as he spoke, though he could see Levana's shoulders tense ever-so-slightly. "I'm done talking for now. Please enjoy your dinners and get to know each other. Let the dinner begin!"

A scatter of claps greeted his announcement as he sagged back into his seat. He didn't meet Levana's gaze; he was scared to see her disapproval. Someday, he hoped he could let go of that. Someday he hoped he could make his own choices. But for now, he was trying. Trying to let himself rest for once, trying to better the lives of those who deserved it.

Tomorrow he could change sides just as easily as one might flip a coin. But today, he felt some of that pent-up stress he carried around wash away. He watched a few of the more outgoing girls bounce across the room and sit next to Artemesians. He watched Kai grinning. He didn't watch Levana - he couldn't handle that now. But he could let himself believe, for this one moment, that the Selection would go well. That Levana would approve of his choice and they'd marry and have beautiful children.

Because hope was the only thing he was certain of at that moment.

...

Hi friends! Look at me updating kind-of close to the previous chapter! I hope you enjoyed this, it ended up getting a little more introspective than I'd first expected, but I so enjoyed delving into the minds of the lovely Aaina and Alaïs (and I guess Sid is okay too.) I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did writing them, and to their lovely creators, I hope I've done them justice.

So what did you think of the chapter? I was gonna write the dinner but then it just got really long and I don't think you guys want a 10k chapter so next time we will have a fun dinner, yay! Sorry for my spontaneous writing, I really need to do better at that.

THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE REVIEWS! I know I shouldn't be screaming in a civilized author's note but I didn't expect anyone to still wanna read this silly little fanfic and even answer the check-in question lol, it made me so happy to see that you guys like it! I hope this chapter wasn't underwhelming, my writing really is just good sometimes and sucky other times, but I did put my soul into it and I hope you enjoyed. Thank you for 80 reviews and 70,000 words, it's so crazy that I've made it this far and I'm so ready to continue this adventure with you guys!

Please have an amazing week and look out for more frequent updates now that my break is about to start!

Love you guys!

-Miri