-A/N: I hope you guys like this. I'll try to update soon. I've had an idea like this for a while, but I was unsure how to go about doing it. Feedback would be nice. Mel and Vidanric will be a bit out of character the whole story, just for the sake of the plot as I realize they would never betroth their daughter without telling her of this her whole life, or at all for that matter… Willow-41z, thank you for being a great beta!

Disclaimer: Sherwood Smith owns everyone you recognize!

"WHAT?" Princess Oria Renselaeus of Remalna gaped at her parents as they tensed at her exclamation. In reality, it was her mother who tensed and her father who placed his hand on his wife's arm, trying to calm her. Ria knew that whenever her father did this, it was usually because he was feeling the same emotion.

"Ria, calm down. It's not the end of the world," her older brother Alaraec said, looking up from the letter he was writing. The whole family, save Elestra who was currently with the dressmaker making her wedding gown, was in the library in their wing. Oria had been sitting on a window seat, Alec had been writing a letter at a desk and their parents had been standing by the door before Oria's outburst.

It had been a nice day at Athanarel. Meliara and Vidanric had presided over Petitioners' Court, with Alaraec watching as usual, taking note of how they ran things. After all, it wouldn't be long before Alec took over running Petitioners' Court. Mel and Danric had decided that when Alec married he would start taking over and as Elestra was getting married to Flauvic Merindar on Midsummer's Eve, which was shortly approaching, hence her dress fitting, it seemed as if Alec would be expected to find a bride soon.

So the Crown Prince of Remalna would soon be looking for a bride and Elestra would be the Marquise of Merindar and most likely having children. Oria had figured she would go back to the Dyranarya Academy and maybe teach. She had been fourteen when she had started to learn there and now at eighteen, she was a full journey mage. She had finished her learning in only four years rather than five because of her aptitude for magic, which she had inherited from her mother.

So Oria had been prepared to be hear that she was returning to the Academy to do… Something! Anything! Athanarel was boring. All there was to do was go to ball after party after dinner after Petitioners' Court after picnic after yet another ball . There was never anything fun to do. At least at the Academy she had friends… And rivals, for that matter. Or rather, one rival. Lucier Heth was the most annoying person Oria Renselaeus had ever met! Not only was he annoying, he was nearly as powerful as she was. He was a nobody, which made it extremely aggravating that he had nearly everyone in the Academy on his side. Even on her very last day there half of the girls in the school had thought badly of her because she was cruel to the handsome mage.

"Oria, are you coming?" Telest picked her books up off the desk at which she had been sitting at and looked at her room partner who was looking down at a piece of paper.

The blonde looked up at the brunette and smiled. "Yeah, of course." She folded the piece of paper, one that had been folded many times over, before standing up. She followed Telest out into the hall, holding the piece of parchment in her right hand, her spell books in the other. The piece of parchment happened to be a letter Alec had written her. It had arrived earlier in the week, warning her about the invitation, which she was going to receive: an invitation to the wedding of her sister and a certain lying Merindar! How could Elestra do this to them? Wasn't it enough that he had kidnapped her? Now he had to marry her?? Of course, it had been years since he had become human again, but really!

Oria had been annoyed and not entirely paying attention since she had received the letter and was expecting the invitation any day. Everyone had noticed, including Lucier, her rival. A rival who was waiting outside of the classroom for the princess.

"Why princess, you really look annoyed today. Whatever is the matter?" he said, looking down at the her. She glared at him with her gray eyes, not even bothering to give him a reply. He wasn't worth it; he was a nobody, she reminded herself of this as she continued to walk, the fabric of her lavender skirt sweeping across the floor. She walked away from the most annoying, arrogant, nobody in all of Dyranarya Academy. And every girl lining the hall glared at her because of it. Including one annoyingly perky little redhead by the name of Jilla.

"You know he likes you, you foolish princess," Jilla said, walking passed a portrait towards Oria. Oria hardly noticed her. "The handsome man never pays attention to any of us; only you. And yet you just scorn and ignore him. Just because you're a princess doesn't mean you're any better than the rest of us."

Oria turned around and glared coldly at Jilla. The look was a mixture of one of her father's intimidating gazes and one of her mother's hot glares. "Don't you dare speak to me that way," she said . "You think I care what any of you think about me? I'm a princess of Remalna! I can choose any person I want. And everyone in this academy knows it, except you, Jilla. Everyone including Lucier. But you don't understand that. Even if Lucier, or any of the men at this Academy, had even a thought of courting me, they would know it's impossible. So even if you think Lucier, my rival may I remind you, does for some unknown reason like me, he wouldn't even try. Nobody would. Please, Jilla just go and court him yourself. Heaven only knows you want to. And I-

"Ria! What are you doing? Your brother is in our room!"

Oria's whirled around at Telest's voice. "Alec? Here?" Telest nodded to the princess's question. Oria quickly turned away from Jilla and walked towards her room, Telest beside her. "Well, I guess I'm leaving."

The princess pushed aside a hanging and the two entered the wing where the girls of the school lived. Unknown to her, someone was watching her enter it. "Life I'll miss you," the black-haired mage said softly . "Until the engagement, then."

Oria returned to the present, continuing to glare at her parents. She loved them dearly, but how could they ask this of her? This could not be happening. She turned once again to her elder brother. "Do not tell me to calm down, Alec!" Ria yelled at him. "I was just told a life changing thing! It is the end of a world, my world! I'm a mage! I'm a princess of Remalna for goodness sakes! I shouldn't be forced to wed someone I have never met! I want to marry for love like El is! I want a choice like you're getting. Why must I wed a complete stranger?"