Beyond the gigantic doors Prince Auron opened up was nothing the sister witches could ever imagine. Apparently, within lied the royal throne room of the castle.
The room itself was big enough to fit nine flower shops. Marble-covered columns raised high over their heads to support a sky-designed ceiling with angels flying from one cloud to another. If they didn't know any better, the sisters would think they were actually believing that ceiling was as high as the actual sky. The floor was filled by elegant, polished white tile that gleamed and reflected everything, giving off the illusion that people were standing a gigantic widespread of mirrors. The length of one wall to another was the halfway mark that matched the Grand Hall (the hallway our heroines traveled through before bumping into Prince Auron's backside). Concordia couldn't believe her eyes, and looked at her sister to see the same reaction.
'If this is the throne room, then what does the ballroom look like?' she heard Nora thinking. The white-haired maiden couldn't help but stifle a giggle to her sister's remark. Done looking around, they noticed that the entire room was filled with guests in elegant attire. Women wore puffy, exaggerated dresses with ridiculous designs (Concordia's thought), while the men wore simple tuxedos of a variety of colors to match the ladies. Some of them even wore formal military attire such as blazers and dress pants. The sisters thought that they looked just plain and simple compared to all the formality. Apparently, elegance was an entirely different matter in the Kingdom of the Vale.
Being too enthralled by this room, Nora realized that Prince Auron had disappeared from their sight. But, she was getting odd looks and gazes from people who very foreign to her. She wasn't really to compete with any of these women for the hand of one of the Princes in marriage. She was just a girl, a witch, and nothing else. Concordia was feeling the same as her sister. She was just here because she was chosen as an eligible maiden for a hand in one of three marriages.
'I wonder what would happen if you had two Princes, if not all three, fighting over the same women that they wanted to be their wife.' Concordia thought to herself. But, if the other two Princes are the same as Prince Auron, then I think these women have some competition against each other. She just hope there were some sane people among them. Suddenly, a loud trumpet echoed across the entire room.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if you would be so kind as to make your way to the throne itself, our King and the three Princes will soon be joining us." a voice said. Nora recognized it as Natori's voice. He did say he was one of four advisors to the royal line. 'Maybe there is one advisor for each royal member.' she theorized. The brunette gripped her sister's arm as they made their way towards the five thrones.
The thrones themselves were seated on top of a large and wide staircase, apparently to accommodate with the large throne room itself. Two large thrones stood in the center while three thrones stood in front, side by side, of the grand thrones itself. They were all decorated the same way, red cushions, silver iron covered by gold trims and designed with carved branches.
Nora looked around, taking in the entire room and allowing the feeling of nobility to sink into her body. She couldn't believe why she was here. Just like her sister, she felt a little out of place because this was nothing like the nice and simple Aromavale. Sighing deeply, she knew it still didn't matter. Yes, she wanted to get away from Aromavale because of the terrible memories, but she was feeling a little homesick.
About twenty minutes had passed before trumpets sounded out through the room again. This time, another advisor spoke.
"Allow us a moment of respect as we are honored with their majesty's presence. His royal highness of the Kingdom of the Vale, King William." he said, projecting as much as he could. Just then, two doors to the left of the throne opened and revealed the King himself.
King William, unlike the Princes, was human with brown hair, a long moustache with a short beard, and hazel eyes that pierced into the guests before him. A royal crown, although it looked simple with red, blue, and green jewels encircling it, was perched on top of his head. He wore the symbol of the Kingdom as a pendant around his neck. By his side, stood a woman with her arm wrapped around the King's. She had long brown hair that reached her waist while wearing a simple violet dress. She wasn't flashy, and that's how she featured herself with simple elegance. This woman was his queen. Queen Maria to be exact.
The royal couple made their way towards their respective thrones as the audience before them bowed and curtsied in respect and honor. King William allowed his Queen to sit upon the throne while he remained standing before the audience. Looking down below, past the three thrones, he gazed into the audience as they stood back up. Smiling at the sight, he issued his advisor, Malachi, to continue on.
"And now, his royal highness would like to say a few words." Malachi stated. The audience remained silent as they listened to the King.
"Thank you kindly, Malachi. My friends and honored guests, we welcome you to the Kingdom of the Vale, the respected kingdom upon this planet and within the eighteen Vales." his deep voice boomed. "Many of you are aware of exactly why you're here. But, for those who don't have a clue, let us enlighten you. All the women in here, ninety maidens to be exact, have been brought to the Kingdom of the Vale to be chosen upon by our three Princes at the time of our Grand Festival. The festival will be held in eight days. So, therefore, if any of you are seeking to be a lawfully wedded wife, do what you will to catch the eyes of either Prince. In the end, they will choose three of you to be their destined brides. We leave this all up to fate. And now, if you will, we grant you sight to our three royal subjects. My Princes, shine your light down upon us, grace us with your presence." the king commanded.
Out of nowhere, three lights, of red, blue, and green, shined upon the audience and before the three thrones. Some of the guests had to cover their eyes from how bright the lights shined. Within a few seconds, the lights died down and everyone gasped as they looked up. Where the lights were, the three Princes stood, dressed in the royal uniforms, colored pants and a white royal blazer jacket with badges and medals pinned upon them, for occasions such as this. Three cats, side by side, gazed into the audience.
The cat on the left was tan and had eyes as brown as soil. The smile he wore on his face depicted as friendly. His uniform was decorated with red. The cat on the right was Prince Auron, but he was now wearing a uniform similar to the other two Princes, only it was decorated with blue. His eyes quickly scanned the area around him, kindly accepting the different tastes people had in clothing. Last, but not least, was the cat in the middle. His appearance made him look unamused by anything. It was like he didn't know how to smile. He was a ginger cat with a cream color running under his chin. His green uniform matched that of his eyes, which pierced the gazes sent towards him. All three Princes couldn't be any more different from each other. The King smiled at them, knowing what they've gone through.
"Please welcome our royal Princes. To your right stands the active agile Prince of the Sea, Auron." he gestured towards Auron as everyone bowed in respect. The King had high hopes for them, which is why he sounded like an announcer at this time. "To your left stand our calm and tranquil Prince of the Land, Daron." Once again, the people bowed in respect, some women winking as they stood back up. "And our third and in the center, the mediator between the other two, our elegant, hard-working, and compassionate Prince of the Sky, Baron." a third time followed the same result. But, no one dared look him in the eyes. Once finished, the three Princes all paid their respects to the people as they bowed before them, hands over hearts.
"Now then, let our opening celebration begin." the King commented.
Nora and Concordia were taken back by how much magic poured within the room. Something that hasn't been seen by any of their eyes.
Author's Note: In the next chapter, Baron will be more like a stiff figure that keeps to himself and dislikes all the flirting he will endure.
