At long last, here it is. Let the record show that first impressions are a bitch. let the record also show that this chapter is due almost entirely to my lovely beta and all-around good person, sevenzeroseven, who whipped my ass into high gear and beta'd all 7.8k words of what used to be garbage. Through her, this chapter was made into something readable, so mad props for that!

Also! If you look on my pinterest board ( ww w . pinterest [dotcom]/ octaviastareyes/cog-characters/tributes-art-shitposts-incorrect-quotes-etc/) there's a new section called tributes, featuring original art from myself and the fandom's treasure, Altomi, of the cast. There's also some fun shitposting so check that out. Again—and I cannot stress this enough—Altomi is a gift to us all and her art is SUPER COOL. If anyone makes any art or memes or incorrect quotes, feel free to send them to me over discord (Octavia#7661) and I'll put them up on the pinterest!

And now, without further ado:

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Evana Renshaw, 19, Coranzorre

The platform was blindingly bright as Evana stepped outside for the first time in several hours. She blinked hard and rubbed her eyes as they adjusted, shaking off her sleepiness. She'd tried her hardest to stay vigilant on the train ride, but by the fourth hour, even her unending willpower had ebbed and she'd been lulled into drowsiness. Now she stretched and felt some of her energy come back, as she peered around to take in the scene.

"This is so exciting," someone whispered behind her. Evana tensed as she was jostled by one of the other girls, but kept listening. "I can't believe we're actually in Verelys! Look, there's the prince!"

Her attention zeroed on said prince, distinguishable from the others around him by the glinting glass crown on his head. He stood with immaculate posture in his palace-tailored suit, the picture of perfection, but he looked tense, coiled tight as a spring. His foot tapped on the ground at a rabbit's pace, and his eyes kept scanning the crowd of girls as they stepped off the train, sweeping back and forth. Evana wondered what he was expecting from them—based on the tension lining his stance, an attack. The thought amused her. Cute.

The boys standing around him didn't escape her analysis either. She recognized them as some of the sons of the primors, though she noticed Coranzorre's heir was not present. None of them particularly interested her, although she caught Lumetierre's heir staring at her for a moment too long before his gaze moved on. Interesting.

Evana slouched a little to avoid being noticed as she carefully observed the rest of the royals. The princess instantly commanded attention in her pantsuit and haughty scowl, while the second prince seemed to fade into the background, his blank expression as distant as his gaze. Notably, the king and queen, as well as the third prince, were all absent.

Not quite a perfect family, she mused to herself.

The hiss of the other train's doors opening drew her attention and the girls from that train began to step onto the platform. Her eyes skated over most of them, until they snagged on a girl whose hair appeared to be soaking wet. To her surprise, another girl came out ghostly-pale with a blood-soaked wad of cloth pressed to her face and car seven's doors opened to release a deluge of water onto the tracks. Evana blinked and reassessed the group, wondering what could possibly have happened to put them all in such disarray. Her awareness of the switchblade in her waistband, warm against her skin, suddenly increased. She scanned the platform again, as if a follow-up attack would manifest out of thin air. Around her, she could hear mumbled confusion passing through the girls on her train.

"They look like they were attacked," that same girl whispered behind her. "I wonder if Darthern somehow got soldiers on their train."

Impossible, she almost said aloud. Then again, this Selection was a transition of power. If they were to strike anytime, they'd be prudent to do it now. The question is, would they dare?

"Can we get a healer out here for the lady?" The ringing command drew Evana's attention back to the royals.

Contrary to what she'd expected, it was the lord of Prithvi who strode forward without hesitation. The platform erupted into motion at his words, but Evana stopped watching, instead keenly searching the crown prince who appeared to have frozen while all his companions set off in opposite directions.

Prince Silas made a motion as if he was going to move as well, but then he faltered and glanced around for any observers of his indecision. Like he could sense her curiosity, his pale eyes snapped to hers almost guiltily before his eyes narrowed and he straightened back into that statuesquely impassive stance.

Now wasn't the time to challenge him, so she glanced away, affecting distraction. In her peripheral vision, she watched him study her for a moment longer, before gathering himself with a deep breath and going to approach the conductor of the other train. For a prince, he was astonishingly easy to read. Transparent as all of his glass.

"Excuse me?"

She turned to the sound of the voice, surprised to be addressed. It was one of the other Coranzorre girls, the one with that pompous lift to her chin and all that glittering jewelry. The sight of so much entitled luxury on one person made her fingers twitch.

"You're Evana Renshaw, aren't you?" The girl said with a tight smile. "Melissandre LeRoi. High Priestess."

"I'm not religious," she said by way of reply, narrowing her eyes. "What do you want?"

Melissandre's perfect forehead wrinkled just slightly in an elegant imitation of puzzlement. "I just thought to introduce myself. You walked off so quickly on the platform, we didn't have a chance to meet."

"And you didn't think that might be on purpose, huh?" she said, amused. Melissandre recoiled in offense, like she'd been struck, and Evana chuckled. "Whatever, hot stuff. Since I didn't make it obvious enough, I don't really want anything to do with you, and I'm not going to be your friend."

The priestess's face went ice-cold, and her lip curled with derision. If Evana had been more easily intimidated, she might have shrunken back at the transformation that had settled over her.

"I didn't ask you to be my friend. For Coranzorre's sake, I thought we might ally," Melissandre snapped. Her eyes narrowed as she stared down the slope of her perfect nose down at Evana. When she spoke, her tone dripped with disdain: "Now I see I was foolish for thinking someone like you could be a team player. I apologize for bothering you. It won't happen again."

Evana opened her mouth to shoot something cutting back, but Melissandre spun on her heel and disappeared into the crowd, skirts swirling. There was a brief moment where Evana felt a flash of fire low in her gut. Her awareness of Melissandre's blood heightened and her fingers flexed. Just before she did something she regretted, Evana caught herself and reluctantly clamped down on the snarling beast under her skin.

Cool it, she told herself. Be patient.

With her temper dialed down to a low simmer, Evana turned her attention back to the action, hoping she hadn't missed anything crucial.

"Attention, Selected," Princess Stelle spoke up imperiously. Her voice floated above the crowd, quieting the commotion. "Welcome to Verelys. My name is Princess Stelle and I will be organizing the events of the Selection. You will now be taken back to the castle. Please line up in an orderly fashion and prepare to board a carriage. We can fit four per carriage."

Evana fell into step with the other girls from her train, trying to remain inconspicuous. Yet again, she mused to herself, someone had handled the crown prince's business for him and he hadn't done anything about it. She had much to digest on the ride back to the palace.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the prince and his posse briefly converse, before they drifted apart, each one finding a place in the line to the carriage.

"This way, please," a faceless guard said, ushering her forward when she strayed too far to the left in her distraction.

Somehow she found herself close to the front of the parade of Selected. She tried to melt back into the throng, hoping to catch a carriage with one of the royal sons, but instead a footman grabbed her hand and helped her step into the carriage. Before she knew what was happening, she was sitting in a carriage with three other girls and the vehicle was picking up speed.

Evana ground her teeth. Damnit.

Looking around her new surroundings, she tried to reorient herself and gather her thoughts. Who would be the first one to speak, she wondered. The silence was deafening as they all sized each other up.

"Holy shit, are you okay?" The brunette next to her blurted out. Evana almost startled at the abrupt comment. "You're the girl who was bleeding, right?"

"Oh, um, I'm fine," the girl across from her said with a brief smile. "It was a shallow cut. Akira, by the way. I'm Akira, Kaze-han."

"Nysa, Haixin," the girl replied with a grin. Evana eyed Nysa's arms, rippling with muscle. Some kind of laborer, probably. Farmer. No, wait, Evana corrected as she caught a whiff of something distinctly salty and scolded herself for not realizing it earlier. Fisherman.

Nysa glanced over at Evana and the other girl. "And you guys are…?"

"Celestina," she supplied quietly, peering out from behind her curly hair. "Blitzerren."

The Blitzerren girl—with her poise and expensive silks—was easy to place: nobleman's daughter. Maybe even a primor's daughter, although she didn't look much like the primor of Blitzerren as she remembered him. Didn't look like much of a fighter, either. The lean muscle she possessed looked more like a dancer's, and besides, with that shy demeanor, she didn't look like she'd be lashing out anytime soon.

The other three looked expectantly to her and Evana hesitated. She wasn't trying to be super buddy-buddy with these girls, but it wouldn't play well to get aggressive, especially during first impressions. She could at least feign civility until she got the information she needed.

"Evana Renshaw, from Coranzorre." She didn't miss how the others stiffened at the announcement of her nation and mentally jotted it down. To their credit, Nysa and Akira both recovered smoothly. Celestina continued to stare at her with reserved alarm and Evana toyed with the prospect of baring her teeth to scare her off.

"It's nice to meet you all," Akira said with a graceful smile. She looked polished for someone so young. Politician's daughter, Evana guessed. Or some kind of high-ranking background. That kind of porcelain expression was something she'd encountered often, and it only came from years of practice. Her figure was slender and soft. Not a fighter.

So none of them were warriors. Interesting.

"Hang on," Evana drawled, studying the other three. "Kaze-han, Haixin, and Blitzerren. So you guys were all on the other train. What happened over there?"

Upon hearing the question, Celestina slouched in her seat, her hair covering even more of her face, while Akira and Nysa exchanged a tentative look. Akira's eyes darted back to Celestina, almost as if she was checking in.

"You can say it," Celestina said miserably, avoiding eye contact. "It's not like everyone's not gonna know by the end of the day."

"There was a small," Akira delicately cleared her throat, "—mishap on our journey here."

Evana cocked her head, waiting for elaboration.

"There was an, er, unplanned blackout while we were crossing under the Atan Mountains," Nysa explained sheepishly, glancing at Celestina. "When the lights went out, some accidents happened."

It only took a second for Evana to connect the dots between Celestina's nervous tugging at her earlobes and what she was hearing. When she realized, she barked out a laugh, unable to help herself. Celestina slumped a little lower in her seat, pulling her hair over her face.

"Everyone probably hates me," Celestina mumbled. "I didn't even mean to do it."

"No one hates you," Akira said, reaching over to pat her knee while Nysa winced in sympathy. "They might be a bit confused, but I'm sure they'll understand."

"That's priceless." Evana grinned wolfishly. "I say good on you, kid. Way to establish your dominance before you even got here."

"Establish d—? No! That's not what it was," Celestina yelped, sitting back up. "I swear, it was an accident. I just lost control and accidentally blew the fuses, I swear I didn't mean to get anyone hurt and I wasn't trying to establish anything."

Her words adopted a breathless edge to them as the pitch of her voice climbed higher and higher. Evana raised her eyebrows; the girl looked like she was on the verge of panicking. The air had suddenly become thick with something crackling and sharp.

"Chill," she told Celestina, frowning. And then, because she was feeling generous towards the younger girl, she advised, "You should take this as an opportunity. The other girls will be freaked out by the amount of power you have. Use it to your advantage. "

"I didn't want to get anyone hurt," Celestina repeated shakily, like she hadn't heard a word Evana said. She seemed fragile, Evana noted. Unconfident, volatile, and overly apologetic. That was good news. Even with whatever grace or agility her dancer (?) training provided, she probably wasn't going to be a threat.

"Calm down, Celestina," Nysa said kindly. The look she shot Evana was unmistakably stern and she smirked back. "Evana was joking. No one thinks you were trying to establish dominance."

Evana shrugged, leaning back in her seat with her arms crossed. "Even if they did, who cares? What are they even going to do?"

"I guess." Celestina didn't look convinced, but she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and the prickly tension in the room eased. Still, Nysa and Akira both pinned Evana with considering glances, as if they were reassessing her. She lifted her chin to challenge them, but they both glanced away, Nysa a bit slower than Akira. Evana made another mental note.

"What do you think will happen when we reach the palace?" Akira spoke up, smoothly glossing over the hiccup in the flow of conversation. "I wish they'd told us more about the plan before we left."

"Hopefully they'll give us time to settle in," Nysa said, frowning just a little. "I wasn't even told what this competition was about, they just told me to pack my bags and go."

"It was the same for me," Akira agreed, brow knitting. "So what exactly are we doing in Verelys?"

Privately, Evana was almost completely sure that the tournament would involve fighting, especially in the context of her personal selection. The primor wouldn't have picked her if it wasn't related to bloodsport; she wasn't a safe bet in a long-term romantic competition.

But Evana hadn't forgotten why she was here, so she opted not to offer any of her thoughts. Instead, she just scoffed. "Maybe the prince will just speed-date us all until he finds his match."

Celestina's eyes widened. "Do you really think so? My mother said the last Selection was like that."

"Oh Wells, I hope not," Nysa said with a grimace. "I mean, is that even humane? Getting all of us to fall in love with him and then just being thrown to the side when he picks one?"

"Who says we're even going to fall in love with him?" Akira chimed in quietly and Evana actually grunted in agreement. "They literally just had our primors select us for our merit. But is anyone voluntarily here to find love?"

No one said anything, and Evana suddenly felt a twinge of kinship with the other girls. It might have been called an emotion for any other person, but she quickly quashed it. That wasn't why she was here.

"Well, whatever happens," Nysa said, slightly subdued, "—only one can win."

"Only one," Akira agreed. "I just hope we all escape the process unscathed."

Evana's finger idly traced the outline of the switchblade pressed against her skin and thought to herself with grim resignation, Not likely.


Crown Prince Silas Gaffrey

When Silas suggested splitting up to sit in the carriages with the Selected rather than riding back together, he'd been thinking purely from a strategic standpoint. He knew he needed to try and get a feel of some of the girls, and dividing the Core Four was the most efficient way to do it. It was a good and princely solution to the problem, one he was admittedly somewhat proud of. He'd felt like he needed to make up for his gaffe back on the platform, and this seemed like the perfect idea at the time.

What he didn't think of, however, was just how to make conversation with said girls once he was trapped in a carriage with three of them for twenty minutes.

"Your Highness," the blonde sitting across from him practically purred, as the carriage began to pick up speed. "Kandice Lior, Blitzerren! It's so nice to meet you."

He coughed and tried not to show the fluster he felt at her almost predatory stare. "Miss Kandice. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Of course, Lady Anastasia, it's nice to see you again."

The Hildekant girl acknowledged him with a courtesy dip of her chin and an imperceptible smile. Her steady grey-lavender eyes never wavered, with their thousand-yard-stare that seemed to cut him to the bone.

She had always kind of unnerved him, despite how little they saw of each other. Since Lady Anastasia had officially been pushed to the wayside when it came to the title of heir, Silas had pretty much stopped seeing her altogether. As it was now, they hadn't been acquainted well, and it had been many years since he'd had to face that intimidatingly blank mask she seemed to wear all the time. He couldn't really say he was enjoying it now.

Silas glanced away from her, ignoring the goosebumps breaking out across his arms, and turning to the final girl. "And I don't believe we've met, Miss…?"

"Ember," she finished brightly. "No need for the Miss, just Ember is okay. Mortefierro."

"Nice to meet you."

Her cheerful grin warmed him somewhat, but the iciness coming off Kandice and Anastasia in waves practically drowned her sunny aura. Still, he decided he liked her. Something about her reminded him of Madi a little bit; it was that same steady approachability.

"So, Your Highness," Kandice spoke up, her narrowed eyes darting between Ember and Silas, "—is there anything you can hint about what comes next? Perhaps give us a little spoiler about your plans for us?"

Silas had been called dense more than one time in his day, but even he couldn't miss the way she stared into his eyes, a coy smile playing at her lips. He shifted under her intense focus. Luckily, he was saved from replying when Ember chuckled.

"C'mon now, what's the fun in that?" She said playfully, arching an eyebrow. "Anyway, he probably couldn't even tell us if he wanted to. There's, like, rules and stuff, right?"

Silas blinked when he realized she was asking him and hurried to agree. "Yeah. Lots of rules. Can't give anything away that would let you guys have an advantage, sorry."

Kandice adopted a sulky pout. "Bo-ring. You can't even tell us what will happen when we get there? Please, Your Highness?"

Silas glanced at the faces around the carriage; Ember, whose smile was giving way to a frown, Lady Anastasia, who gazed distantly out the window, and Kandice, who looked up through her lashes with imploring eyes.

"No spoilers," he reiterated firmly, though he tacked on a smile to soften the statement.

There was the briefest disconnect in Kandice's expression like it was resetting, and then she suddenly smiled amicably in return.

"How noble of you. You have such honor, Your Highness. Alright, I understand. Can't blame a girl for trying." She scoffed. "I don't think I need the head start anyway."

That took Silas off his guard. "Ah...Um. I see."

Kandice tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I don't mean to be blunt, Your Highness, please don't misunderstand. It's just that... some of the girls here aren't quite up to snuff."

The air stilled and stretched taut as a drum. Even Lady Anastasia looked over, her strange pale eyes dissecting. Silas's skin prickled with unease as the air cooled and heated on opposite sides. His eyes slid from Ember to Anastasia as the air pooled with magic.

"What do you mean by that?" Ember said slowly, her mouth slanted and pinched tight.

Kandice looked around at them and laughed lightly, her eyes twinkling like they were sharing a joke. "I'm just saying, you all know about the power outage on our train, right? I was there when it happened. One of the other Blitzerren girls just suddenly went psycho and shorted out the whole place."

Silas frowned. "Really? Unprovoked?"

"It was so strange," Kandice said, shrugging. "I don't know what happened. Anyway, I truly don't mean any offense, Your Highness, I just think you should know what you're getting into."

The air temperature fluctuated to hot as Ember's forehead puckered. Silas glanced over to see her cheeks flooding with color.

"Listen," she started, an undercurrent of anger in her voice, "—I don't know who that girl is, but don't you think it's rude to say that about her? You don't know what was going on at the time.

"I wasn't being rude," Kandice responded, her voice clipped. "I'm just stating a fact. That was what happened."

"Now, hang on, let's just chill out," Silas said hesitantly, even as the air around Ember seemed to shimmer.

"I don't believe you. Nobody would just suddenly lose it like that," Ember accused, her eyes burning defiantly. "You're lying."

"I don't know what you mean," Kandice dismissed, crossing her arms. She shot Silas a bored look, like, can you believe this?

He wondered if she really thought she was going to find an ally in him. Who was this girl, anyway? Who did she think she was? What kind of person's first instinct was to start talking shit about someone else just to make them look bad? He wasn't going to forget her behavior in the future. She might not be eliminated now, but she certainly had improved her chances.

Silas inadvertently found his eyes drawn to Lady Anastasia's pale ones. Despite her crisply cold facade, there was the tiniest wrinkle of disgust around her eyes. Silas was just surprised to detect a human emotion on her face. Ember had sunken into a wordless glower aimed at Kandice, who ignored her, only periodically pausing to shoot her sulky death glares. For his part, Silas had never been so uncomfortable in his life.

He spent several moments trying to morph into Fitz or Madi out of sheer willpower in order to figure out what exactly to say to break the silence. He imagined what they might say if they were here, bringing all their easy charisma.

Fitz would definitely try to flirt with all of them. Silas almost grimaced. Yeah, he definitely couldn't pull that one off. What would Madi do? Probably just beam in that friendly way of his and exude that accommodating energy that just rolled off him so effortlessly. Sadly, Silas was severely lacking in that department. Now, if you asked him to hit people or break things, he was all over it. Conversation, not so much.

He became faintly aware of the background noise rising in volume, which distinguished itself into clamoring voices. The noise of a crowd made him tense, but Silas was just relieved he didn't have to be the one to address the silence.

"What's that?" Ember asked, craning her head toward the window. "Do you guys hear that?"

"People, obviously," Kandice snapped.

Silas glanced stonily at her before turning to Ember, adding, "It's probably the people of Verelys gathering to watch the carriages go by. Try to just smile and wave."

The carriage made a smooth turn, and the volume of the crowd buried the jingle of the bridles on the horses, as well as the rhythmic clip-clop of their hooves. Instead, they heard screaming and shouting overlapping incoherently from outside. Beside him, Ember started as she heard her name called.

"They must have officially released the list of names this morning," he explained when she looked quizzically at him. "Some people might have some fans already."
Ember beamed a megawatt grin. "Do you guys mind if we open the windows?"

"Be my guest," Silas said, shrugging.

There was the possibility of it being a security issue but he was more than confident in his ability to shut down an attack, and besides, who would be attacking them out here in plain daylight?

"PHOENIX!" Someone bellowed from outside. They hooked their thumbs together and splayed their fingers in an imitation of wings. "BURN IT UP!"

"You know I will," she yelled back, conjuring a smile from Silas. She mimicked the hand sign, but the bases of her fingers ignited with a brief flame that danced up the length of her fingers before disappearing.

At her response, the crowd swelled in volume, uproarious with approval and a desperation to be recognized by someone involved in the famed Selection. Cries of "Phoenix!" and "Ember!" multiplied, and Ember stuck her head out the window to shout back, grinning wildly.

On the other side of the carriage, the drapes had been pulled back and Lady Anastasia was nodding and waving serenely at the onlookers with the tiniest controlled smile. This side of the crowd was no less enthusiastic, although Silas wondered if they knew who she truly was—that she was a white wolf of Vinterbroste.

"You're beautiful!" One girl yelled at her as they passed. "You look like the Snow Queen!"

Lady Anastasia's stilted smile thawed a little at that, and the crowd seemed to coo as one, showering her with more praise. But one voice surged louder than the rest, a deep ringing baritone:

"Lang lebe die Eiszeit!" The people around him gradually joined in until the phrase was rebounding all around them.

"What does that mean?" Silas asked, when she looked bemused.

Her brow furrowed slightly as she contemplated her answer. "It's… a saying of sorts, in my country. A rallying cry."

"It means long live the Ice Age," Kandice said with a sneer. "Since Vinterbroste thinks they're better than the rest of us."

Lady Anastasia leveled a look at her that chilled Silas to the bone. We are, it seemed to say. However, rather than voicing it, she said simply, "It is a show of support, there is no ulterior motive."

"Exactly," Ember added as she ducked back into the carriage, slightly windblown. "Like my fans say 'burn it up' to show they support me. Slogan buddies, nice!"

She held up her hand for a high five but Lady Anastasia just looked at her with puzzled distaste.

Ember recovered with a laugh and just patted Anastasia's knee. "We'll get there."

"Prince Silas!" he heard called from the outside. "We love you!"

When he looked for the source of the cry, he saw a group of young girls holding signs painted with the words 'We Love Silas Gaffrey'. He felt the heat climb up his neck and ears, but smiled at them anyway, inciting a chorus of shrieking.

"Seems like we're not the only ones with fans," Ember noted, eyes crinkling.

"I mean, this is Verelys, they see me pretty often, I don't know why they always make a big deal of it," Silas said somewhat bashfully, subtly covering his burning ears. "I've actually seen those specific girls a few times. I think they lead my fan club."

"That's crazy." Ember shook her head a few times. "I can't believe you have a teenage fanclub. What a heartthrob, eh?"

The carriage groaned a little as they rounded a bend, and then the conversation halted as the looming silhouette of Castle Verelys came into view. Everyone, even Lady Anastasia, peered out the window to catch a glimpse of it. In the afternoon sun, the gleaming golden embellishments flashed and the imposing white walls almost blinded them. The pennants at the top of every twisting tower flapped lazily on the early summer breeze, emblazoned with the fist-and-shield crest of House Gaffrey.

"Whoa," breathed Ember, and even Kandice seemed to reluctantly agree.

Silas didn't wait for a footman. He opened the door and hopped down, before turning to look back at the girls. They hesitated in their seats for a moment, teetering on the threshold.

It was funny. All the way along, he'd been alternating between dreading the arrival of this day, resenting his father for forcing this upon him, and worrying about the possible outcomes. Now that he was looking his Selection in the face, it hardly felt real. Nothing was as black and white as it had been before. Silas took a deep breath to collect himself and then extended a hand to help them down, smiling wryly.

"Welcome to Castle Verelys."


Victoria Edison-Verne, 18, Alunde

"Excuse me, ladies, do you mind if I cut into the queue here?"

Victoria turned to size up the newcomer who'd spoken. But instead of finding a face, she found herself making eye contact with the stranger's tie pin. Undeterred, she looked up and up and up until her head was tipped completely back to look into a pair of very friendly brown eyes. Her jaw had dropped somewhere on the way to her destination, and, without thinking, she found herself blurting out:

"Third Well! You're bloody colossal!"

Luisa made choked sputtering noise in apparent agreement (—or was it scandalized shock? Victoria couldn't quite tell. She wondered if she'd just committed a social faux pas). Luckily, Tall-Dark-and-Handsome didn't seem at all fazed by her bluntness.

"Thank you," he beamed good-naturedly. "My name is Madi, it's a pleasure."

"Victoria Edison-Verne," she answered brightly, "and this is Luisa. We're Alundish."

Luisa, who had recovered from her fit, waved weakly.

"That wouldn't be Luisa Pagel, would it?" he asked, tilting his head.

"It is," she replied, looking bewildered. "Er, how—?"

"You designed my cousin's engagement ring," he said, smiling. "Devika Kshatriya?"

"Oh!" Luisa startled, her hand leaping up to shield her mouth. "Lord Kshatriya! I'm so sorry, I didn't realize. Silly of me."

Victoria, too, did a double take. She supposed he did look quite lordly. It was befitting of nobility to be so statuesque. She just hadn't expected the warmth in his eyes and the easiness of his blinding smile.

"Ah, no need to bother with titles, Miss Pagel, Madi is fine."

She flushed slightly. "In that case, just Luisa, then."

Madi turned to Victoria. "And Miss Edison-Verne, may I—?"

"Just how tall are you?" she inquired suddenly. He looked taken aback by her abruptness, but she just patiently waited for an answer.

"Six foot four," he replied, amused. "And you are?"

"Five foot two," she said, putting her hands on her hips. She added musingly, "I don't mind being short most often. It's only that you're so bloody tall, I'm straining my neck just looking at you."

Madi's head tipped back as he laughed in response, a jolly, resonant sound. The line to the carriages shuffled forward and Victoria idly stuck her hands into her pockets as she ambled along, Madi and Luisa keeping pace.

"So, how has your experience been so far?" Madi asked them. "Was the journey unpleasant?"

Luisa and Victoria exchanged a brief glance.

"I'd say it hasn't been too bad," Luisa offered. "It's a bit overwhelming."

"I think it's exciting," Victoria remarked. "We're going to meet so many new people. I'd never even seen anyone from Ethotaur until today… Although, I'm wondering now if that was perhaps for the best."

"They can be a little jarring at first," Madi agreed diplomatically.

"And rude." Victoria added flatly. She looked up at him consideringly. "But to be fair, I'd never met anyone from Prithvi either, and you're lovely."

He smelled very nice, Victoria noticed with some satisfaction. Something floral and heady she didn't recognize. Jasmine, maybe? Definitely a far cry from the smell of grease and smoke she knew often clung to her. Couldn't really be helped, with her field of work.

"Oh. Well, thank you. You're both lovely, too." Madi didn't exactly blush, but his smile adopted a quality of surprised pleasure. "You've really never met a Prithvian before? What about you, Luisa?"

Luisa shook her head. "Not really. Most other nations aren't partial to Alunde in general, what with all the technology, but especially Prithvi. It's the lack of living things, I think."

"Which is silly," Victoria countered belligerently. "Machines are plenty alive, certainly as much as water or fire."

The distrust of technology by other nations always got Victoria heated. Other nations always said they didn't trust it because machines weren't alive, they didn't have the spark of life that powers did. But how could they say the things that Victoria poured her soul into were lifeless hunks of metal, when she could touch her watch and feel its tiny ticking heartbeat? Each cog seemed to breathe as it turned, the teeth clicking together seamlessly like a steady pair of footsteps. Every mechanism was perfectly interlocked and functioning, just like a living thing.

Not to mention the metal itself. Each metal had a unique presence: gold was soft and buttery like summer, where iron was steadfast and bold. Titanium was bright and effortlessly cold, where copper was satin and agreeable. She could sense the smooth silver in Madi's cufflinks and tie pin from here, as well as the melodic white-gold ring around Luisa's finger, and their presences were as distinct as any person. What part of any of that was lifeless?

She was shaken from her thoughts as they came to the front of the queue and a footman opened the door to the next carriage for her. She hopped into the carriage with only a little difficulty and settled into her seat. Luisa sat next to her and Madi across from her, followed by one final girl in pink sunglasses that shaded her eyes.

The door slammed and the carriage began to move. The metal in this carriage wasn't of much note to her, just a brutish steel, so instead, she surveyed the girl in the glasses.

"Hello, a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she said briskly, sticking out her hand. "I'm Victoria Edison-Verne. You are?"

"Mika," the girl said, looking down at her offered hand with reservation.

"You're meant to shake it," Victoria said helpfully.

Mika did so after a second, not looking pleased about it. The others volunteered their names as well, opting not to go for the handshake.

Madi smiled warmly once introductions had been made. "So, Miss Mika, what nation are you from?"

"Ethotaur." Her eyes slid between them, daring them to comment. A sour taste entered Victoria's mouth, but she refrained from saying anything.

"And how are you finding things in the aboveground so far?" Madi asked. "A little bit different?"

"Sure, some things are different," she agreed with a shrug. "A lot more wind up here than I anticipated. A lot more light, too. But some things are the same. Cities are cities everywhere you go, I suppose. Trains, too."

"You have trains in Ethotaur?" Victoria blurted out before she could stop herself.

"Sure we do," Mika replied quizzically. "Doesn't every nation have trains?"

"Right, but—," no one knows anything about Ethotaur, we're not even allowed in. "How on earth do you have trains? Alunde didn't make them."

"You don't need metal magic to be able to build things," Mika said slowly, as if she were talking to a child. "We just… build them."

"What do you mean you just build them?" Victoria sputtered.

Mika sighed longsufferingly. "I don't know how to explain that other people know how to make machines, too."

"Don't condescend," she scowled, but she didn't even have time to dwell in irritation, overcome by curiosity. "Where did you even get blueprints? Where do you get the resources? How do you soften the metal, is it that old blacksmithing style? How large is the train network? Do you have other machines in Ethotaur?"

"Fifth Well, do I look like an engineer?" Mika said, nose wrinkling. "I don't know any of that. What's with all the questions?"

She bristled. "I just—,"

"She's just curious," Madi cut in smoothly. "You must know we don't get a lot of information about Ethotaur here."

"Not really my problem," Mika said with a smirk. "Don't you think we kept everything secret for a reason?"

Victoria's hands curled into fists, but Luisa laid a warning hand on her wrist with a pointed look, and she let the tension leak out of her shoulders. She absently reached for the watch in her pocket and checked the time, soothed by the weight of it in her hand.

"So, you all must be pretty excited," Madi said, clearing his throat. "How do you all feel about this Selection business?"

Victoria considered, tapping her chin. "It should prove to be entertaining, at the least. I mean, I just don't know what to expect, really."

"I think it's going to be a disaster," Mika chimed in, crossing her arms. "I mean, what in Hyalus could possibly go wrong with thirty-odd powerful girls left to their own devices as they fight for the crown?"

"You mean Silas," Madi corrected lightly, his friendly smile at odds with the intensity of his gaze. "You mean, as they fight for Silas."

Mika's lips curled into a sly smile. "Sure I do."

Madi's eyes lingered on her for a moment, and Victoria sensed some sort of change in the air. But it disappeared as the primor's son turned his attention to Luisa, and Victoria wondered if it had been her imagination.

"What about you, Luisa?" he encouraged, tilting his head. He almost looked like a puppy, with his big brown eyes and smile. Victoria found herself reluctantly endeared.

"I think it's sort of romantic," Luisa confessed, going pink. Around her finger, the white-gold ring stirred and changed from a serpent shape to a heart. "I just, um, I mean it sounds a bit like a fairytale, almost? I don't know, that's silly, I suppose."

"No, it's not, I totally agree," Madi beamed. "The truth is, I don't know what to expect, either. You all heard back on the platform, Princess Stelle is in charge. But she's being pretty close-lipped about everything."

Not even a primor's son close to the prince knew what was coming? Victoria couldn't help but frown at that. What kind of things was the princess planning? How could she prepare for the competition?

Her questions were drowned out by a wave of shouting that seemed to press against the glass of the windows. Curiosity piqued, Victoria abandoned her train of thought in favor of craning her head out the window. A sea of faces stared back at her, waving banners and flags. She saw the steel and blue flag of Alunde, and the burning red Mortefierren flag. Even the purple flag of Ethotaur waved in the gentle breeze.

"There are people out there!" she exclaimed, hand against the glass.

"There's so many of them," Luisa marveled, shyly waving at the passersby.

Mika just sneered, her pink-tinted glasses catching the light as she slumped in her seat. "I don't see what so great about having hordes of people screaming at you."

Victoria ignored her in favor of opening the window and reaching a hand out to the crowd, who cheered in response. Although it was difficult to discern individual voices, she thought she heard something along the lines of "Tell Madhavaditya I'm going to marry him!"

Victoria grinned, delighted, and ducked back inside to relay the message.

Madi just laughed when she told him. "You know, it's not the first time I've heard it, but I think they'd have to talk to my mother about that."

Nevertheless, he leaned out the window to wave. If Victoria thought the cheering had been loud before, they practically roared now. She nearly flinched back with the sudden spike in volume.

"Wow, they really like you," she exclaimed over the noise.

Mika scoffed. "Yeah, it's giving me a headache."

"By the Third Well, will you shut up already?" Victoria snapped, turning on her. "Enough, already! Who do you think you're impressing?"

"Victoria, take it easy," Madi advised. "Mika's just—,"

Whatever he said was muffled as the crowd got even louder. Victoria thought she heard the name Ophelia being shouted.

"It's that pop singer," Luisa realized. "I guess her carriage just pulled up."

"Ugh, god, that noise," Mika groaned. "It's driving me crazy."

She leaned out the window, brow knitted, but didn't speak, just stared at the crowd. Slowly, the crowd hushed, the shouts fading into mutters.

"What's going on?" Luisa said softly, looking around.

Mika smirked, pushing up her sunglasses. "Nothing, I'm just—,"

"What are you doing?" Madi's voice was low and sharp, his eyes black with fury. "Who do you think you are, Ethotaurian?"

She paled. "I—um…"

"Stop immediately," he commanded and she gulped, her gaze skating over the crowd quickly. Within seconds, the crowd was cheering again like nothing had happened. But the air in the carriage had become much colder. Mika's eyes darted wildly between the three of them, her expression trapped.

Victoria's heart picked up speed as Madi stared Mika down. Oh, First Well…

But just as suddenly as it had appeared, the dark rage in his eyes cooled and faded.

"You should be more careful," was all he said to Mika. "That kind of behavior might be permitted at home, but it's not going to fly here."

That seemed to effectively silence her, at least for the moment. Victoria couldn't help but feel some triumph at the completely shame-faced expression Mika wore.

Honestly, why were they such a bothersome lot? Those caves must have addled their brains or something, because they just refused to be normal, civil people. The Selection had hardly started, but Victoria was at her wit's end already, and clearly she wasn't alone in that sentiment.

"Let's all take it easy," Luisa said placatingly, looking between them. "I think we're about to reach the palace anyway."

The noise of the crowd fell away, as the carriage started up the long palace driveway. They rumbled to a stop and the door swung open. Mika was the first one to jump down and stalk away, while Luisa and Victoria were both helped down by a gallant Madi. To her dismay, he seemed even taller than before as she looked up at him.

"I think this is where we part ways, for now," Madi said, extending a hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you both. I look forward to our next meeting."

"Pleasure was all ours," Luisa said, cheeks warming as they shook hands.

"Apologies for getting heated," Victoria added. "I don't know what came over me."

"No worries." And then, leaning a little closer, he added, "I don't really blame you. I had some trouble with her attitude myself. But let's just keep that between the three of us, alright?"

With a final grin over his shoulder, he slipped away from the growing crowd of girls and rejoined Prince Silas, who stood to the side with his arms tightly crossed over his chest. Victoria linked arms with Luisa and they headed over to join the rest of the Selected.

"Well, he seems delightful," Victoria said, pleased. "I wonder if we'll talk with him again."

"I imagine so," Luisa replied. "If he's a friend of the prince, perhaps he'll stick around."

She pursed her lips. "That is the question, though, isn't it? What are those boys doing here?"

The crowd of girls went quiet before Luisa could offer a response, and they instinctively looked to where a man stood on the stairs of the palace.

"Hello and welcome to Castle Verelys!" The young man announced over the crowd. "My name is Rian Augustin, and I am secretary to Her Highness, Princess Stelle. During this Selection process, you are all welcome to come to me with any questions or concerns for her."

Victoria's eyes darted to where the princess stood, watching the proceedings with that piercing stare. Victoria would have called her beautiful if her whole demeanor didn't exude blistering cold. Like if you touched her, you'd freeze solid.

"We will now embark on your orientation of the palace," Rian said, looking at his clipboard. "You will be split into two groups, led by myself and the head of palace staff, Mrs. April Erikkson. When I call your name, please step either to the right or the left."

Victoria squeezed Luisa's hand tightly and received a squeeze in return. Some of the nerves eased as she took a deep breath, fighting the rush of adrenaline.

Rian cleared his throat. "Now, beginning with my group. Ahuja, Noor..."

Victoria waited until she heard her name called, and stepped to the left, reluctantly letting go of Luisa's hand.

"I'll see you later," Luisa said with a promising smile.

Victoria loathed to leave her only friend behind but simply nodded. "I'll see you."

Once the groups were sorted, Rian clapped his hands. "The orientation begins now. My group, please follow me into the foyer."

Victoria let herself be herded along with the group, but not before throwing one final glance backward. Just before the door closed, she caught sight of Madi, the prince, and the other boys slipping in and heading off to a side corridor. Her head tilted to catch what the prince said as they disappeared down the hall:

"I want to know what you all think of my Selected."

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Thank you everyone who has been so patient with me and this chapter. I struggled a lot to get this out, but I hope you enjoyed! Thank you for reading, and see you in the next one~