Chapter 3
No. No. No. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. Keep your mouth shut, Smoak. Don't start babbling. I tried so hard to keep my mouth shut, that I made the mistake and looked him in the eyes.
"Wow, you have blue eyes, like ocean deep blue eyes, not like a sky blue. Don't you get lost in your eyes if you stare in the mirror, because I totally would?"
Mouth 1: Brain 0
He huffed out a laugh. Oh god. He thought surely I was totally nuts.
"I could get lost in your eyes as well."
I stared at him dumbfounded. He just smiled.
"My mother taught me, I shouldn't talk to odd men"
I blurted out.
"Shouldn't it be strange man?"
"Yes, that would work too. But you are odd."
His smile grew brighter.
"Care to enlighten me why I am odd?"
"Because you are listening to me babble and haven't run away."
"If that's your definition of odd, then I am gladly odd. I find your babbling rather charming."
I stared at him. Was this man for real? Not only was he really attractive, with his muscles, scruff and deep blue eyes, he was actual enjoying her babble.
"Am I dreaming? I have to be dreaming. There's no way that this is real. There is absolutely no way, that I am having this conversation right now. Pinch me!"
He looked at her confused.
"What?"
"I said: Pinch me!"
"I heard you, but why?"
"It's to test to see if I am dreaming or not"
"Oh I see"
And he did indeed as I asked him.
"Ouch"
"And are you dreaming?"
"Guess not, man that hurt."
"Are you alright?"
"Hmph"
"Okay?"
"I have to stomach that I am really talking with the Prince"
"Oliver is just fine."
"I am Felicity"
"It is nice to meet you. How about we take Sara back to her parents? I had totally forgotten the sleeping girl in my arms. We walked in silence for a while, as something struck me. "How do you know Sara's name? I mean she told me she is the daughter of one of my maids"
"Her father is my personal guard" He explained. "How did you meet her?"
"I was reading in the library, when I heard her crying. The arm of her teddy was ripped off. I told her I could sew it back on."
"Wait, you can sew?"
He asked bewildered.
"Of course, your majesty, I can sew. I had to learn it. I am a Six"
I snorted and fixed him with a dark look. He held up his hands to surrender.
"I am sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."
I could tell from his eyes that he meant his apology.
"Apology accepted. But next time, you won't get away so easily"
Oliver led me through the halls to the quarters of the servants. Sara slept soundly the whole way, didn't even wake up when I nearly fell down a stairs. Thank god, Oliver walked before us. We finally reached the end of the stair without further accidents. He knocked on a door and a big man stepped outside, with upper arms as big as my head. His skin color was dark. He closed the door behind him.
"You're missing something, Dig?"
Dig sighed.
"What did she do this time?"
Oliver stepped to the side and gestured to me with Sara in my arms.
"Felicity found her."
Dig opened the door and called someone. Moments later Lyla stood beside him and chuckled at the sight.
"Lady Felicity, I hope my daughter was no bother to you."
Lyla took Sara from my arms.
"One of her Teddy's arms is ripped off. I will fix it tomorrow, if it's okay with you?"
Lyla stared at her surprised.
"You want to fix her toy?"
"I promised her that I would do it. I mean I am not the best sewer, but a promise is a promise."
Lyla beamed at me admiringly.
"One day you'll be a great queen."
She whispered in my ear. I stared after her with my mouth open when she disappeared with her daughter through the door. I turned to her husband.
"John Diggle. My friends call me Dig. I'm Oliver's personal guard and Sara's father."
The guard introduced himself. I shook his hand.
"Felicity Smoak, but you already knew that. It is nice to meet you." I yawned. "I should probably head back to my room and get some sleep."
The men exchanged a meaningful look.
"I will accompany you"
Oliver offered. Finally, he said goodbye at my door, asking to keep our first meeting a secret for the sake of the other girls. I fell asleep after all the excitement, as soon as my head hit the pillow.
The next morning, Miss Danforth brought us into the salon.
"Ladies, before we go to breakfast, I would like to go through the rules once more:
The contestant cannot leave the palace on her own accord. She can only be dismissed by the prince himself.
There is no timeline for the Selection — it can last from days to years.
The contestant cannot arrange her times with the prince/princess. If in a large social setting, this rule does not apply.
The contestant cannot fight or sabotage other participants. If the contestant is found laying her hands on another contestant, causing her stress, stealing from her , or doing anything that might diminish her personal relationship with the prince, the prince will decide whether to dismiss her or not.
The contestant can only have a romantic relationship with the prince. If the contestant is caught in a relationship with someone else, it is considered treason and punishable by death.
If the contestant is found breaking any of Illéa's written laws, her punishment will be tied to that offense.
The contestant cannot eat food or wear any clothes not provided to her by the palace.
The contestant must be courteous to photographers, and allow them to see her lifestyle with the prince.
For each week the contestant stays at the palace, her family will be compensated.
If the contestant is no longer in the Selection, she will have an aide to help her adjust to her new life after the Selection. Her aide will help the contestant find new housing and employment.
If the contestant makes it to the top four, she is considered as an Elite, and will be required to learn about particular inner workings of the life and obligations she would have as a princess. Until then, the contestant is not permitted to seek out such information.
The contestant's caste number is automatically raised to a Three, unless she/he was already a Three prior to being Selected. Her family's caste remains the same. If the contestant was already a Two prior to the Selection, her and her family's status will remain the same.
If the contestant wins the Selection, she and her family will become Ones and members of the royal family. The contestant will also marry the prince and become the crowned princess of Illéa, taking on all the rights and responsibilities of the title.
The contestant must be a virgin.
That would be all"
There was a knock and Prince Oliver strode into the room. Some of the girls began to giggle.
"Can I have your attention please?"
The room fell silent.
"Before we all go to breakfast, I would like to talk to each one of you. Because, if I want to do this right, I need to know which name matches, which face, so I will sit over there?"
He pointed to two armchairs which stood slightly aside.
"If I call your name, you come over we'll talk a little bit. Then the next until everyone had their chance. And we can all have breakfast. First is Nyssa Al'ghul"
An Arabic looking woman followed him. I searched meanwhile for Laurel and Sara. When I finally found them Sara's name was being called. I parked myself next to Laurel.
"I am Nervous"
"Me, too"
I grabbed her hand and silently we waited together until our names were called.
After "Linda Park", "Isabel Rochev", "McKenna Hall", "Carrie Cutter" and "Helena Bertinelli", Laurel was called. Sara hadn't returned to us yet, she opted to talk to Nyssa. After Laurel was finished with her talk, some of the other girls, which hadn't talked with the prince yet, surrounded her and bombarded her with questions. I was waiting now alone bombed her with questions.
"Samantha Clayton"
I tried to take deep breaths.
"Caitlyn Snow"
In. Out. In. Out.
"Barbara Gordon"
Stay calm, Felicity.
"Shado Fei"
In. Out. In. Out.
"Kendra Saunders"
They won't forget you, will they?
"Louis Lane"
In. Out. In. Out.
"Kara Denver"
They have forgotten me, they must have forgotten me.
"Felicity Smoak"
One second later, and my knees would have failed. I walked over to him and sat down. I bit my lower lip to prevent me from making an ass out of myself. Oliver watched me with raised eyebrow.
"What are you doing?"
"I was trying very hard not to babble. But, you aren't making it easy, with how you are filling out this suit. I mean Wow. Ovaries explosion. They should weapon you in a suit. And other countries wouldn't stand a chance. And I did it again. I will stop in 3..2..1."
I buried my face in my hands.
"Wow, you know how to flatter my ego"
I looked up at him, he smirked smugly. I snorted out a laugh.
"Of course, you would take it that way."
He smiled.
"Another question: Last night I couldn't help noticing that the T-shirt that you wore was much too big for you, ex-boyfriend?" "Older brother he said to me. If you try something with me, you have to answer to him." I fell silent. "I shouldn't have said that." "I can understand him completely, your older brother. Should Thea participate in something like that I would react the same way."
My stomach grumbled. I blushed. Oliver laughed.
"Okay, it's time for breakfast. I wouldn't want you to lose weight now."
He got up.
"To those who I have asked to wait, please come over to me, and the rest, I release you for breakfast. Enjoy your meal."
I stood up and pushed past Carrie, Kara and Linda who were apparently the ones who should stay behind. Sara linked arms with me and introduced me to Nyssa on the way to the dining room. As we entered the dining room, there were no sign of the rest of the royal family. So we started with our breakfast. I bit into my Croissant gleefully, as Oliver walked into the dining room, accompanied by his sister, but without the others. I realized in this moment, that they were eliminated. Now there were only 13.