A/N: Sorry for the delay! School started and I've been so caught up in school work. I'll try to be quicker to get up the next chapter, but I can't promise anything, sorry. So yeah... I don't own anything you recognize from Crown Duel, although I wish I did.

Lady N

The day had arrived and for the first time in four days, someone other than her maid was allowed into Oria Renselaeus's suite of rooms. She had been in solitude since the afternoon when her parents had told her the fate that awaited her. The blond was able to understand her parents and their motives; they had done it out of loyalty to an ally and she wouldn't be disloyal to them in spite of it. However, that didn't mean she was happy with it and she would forever be jealous of them for the love they shared, a love that she may have once had a chance at having but now that chance was ripped away from her. Her parents shared something she never expected to share with anyone. Of course, there was a chance she would share it with someone, but that man would not be her husband.

Elestra came into her room on the morning of the fourth day and sat down on the edge of Oria's bed as her sister awoke. She had ordered the maid to let her in that morning, saying her sister had not yet issued an order to keep anyone out, so the maid couldn't claim her lady had ordered such an issue. The maid had let Elestra enter, only because she didn't want a future Merindar to dislike her. She had heard the rumors of how servants had been treated during the last period when the Merindar's were influential and although she knew the princess to be kind hearted, her husband might not be the same.

So as Oria woke up that morning, she felt something heavy land on her feet. She opened her gray eyes slowly and saw a pile of dark curls and her sister's face looking down at her. She groaned softly and closed her eyes as she muttered two simple words: "Go away… " She raised one of her hands from the place it lay on one of her many pillows and swatted at her sister. "Let me sleep for another time change. I need my beauty sleep for today," she said, mentally cursing her words as she said them. She didn't want it to be the day it was. She wanted it to be any other day, past or future. Any day but today; but it was today and she had to face it.

"Don't be like that, Ria," her sister said in a tone that hinted annoyance. Although her sister had isolated herself from everything but her room and, with an assessment from her glance upon entering the aforementioned room, her spell books, Elestra had been unable to. No… Elestra had been doing everything in her sister's place, taking pity on her poor sister. But today was the one-day she could not take her sister's place. Her sister was needed today-- to meet her future husband. "Royalty aren't allowed to sleep late," Elestra said to the blond. Oria muttered something as her closed eyes fluttered slightly but did not open. "Especially today of all days, 'Ria." The soon-to-be Merindar tried to sound supportive, but she knew nothing would get Oria through the day except her own will and obligation to her duties as a princess of Remalna. Elestra hoped those were enough.

Seeing that her sister was in the mood to be a slugabed, she waltzed over to the windows that were directly in front of her sister's bed and pulled back the midnight blue curtains. Oria yelped slightly and pulled the covers over her head; covers that Elestra promptly pulled away from her sister. Oria groaned and tried to pull her covers back and smiled as Elestra walked away. Then she heard water and opened her eyes; Elestra was holding her water pitched inches from her face. "Don't you dare!" Oria said as she sat up, "I'm up…"

Elestra grinned and put the pitcher down, "I haven't had that hard of a time waking you up since the morning after your Flower Day! Remember? The Duchess of Bromier came from Sartor on behalf of the royal family and you and I arrived to the introduction a half a time change late?" She chuckled at the memory; "Papa didn't let us come to the ball later that night."

Oria smiled at the memory as she stood up and walked to her wardrobe. Her maid walked in and walked over to the wardrobe and took out a dark purple dinner dress for Oria. She groaned softly; her father had told her mother that the family should dress in something other than their morning clothes and the queen had suggested evening clothes. Ria loved the style of the dresses, but they were for night. She wanted one of her light morning dresses but knew she couldn't. He was arriving soon.

As she started to change out of her nightclothes into the gown, she glanced over to Elestra. The auburn-haired princess was wearing a silver gown with crimson embroidery, also a dinner gown. Elestra caught her sister staring and smiled softly, "after today you won't need to show off to him. Don't worry. Tomorrow morning you'll be back in your light colored morning gown and most likely on a ride."

"With him," Ria said sourly, as she lifted her arms so her maid could tie the ribbons. "I suspect so," Elestra said softly.

Some Time Later

A little bit more than a time change had passed since Elestra had woken Oria, but the younger still wasn't any happier that the day was upon her than she had been upon waking. She was looking down longingly at the scene on her fan, one of a forest with the sun shining down on it and colorful birds, Lady Elenet's daughter, Jessrell, had painted it for her as a gift for her Flower Day. To Oria, the scene was one of pure happiness, the complete opposite of the emotions she was feeling at that moment. This moment was when the whole royal family was about to greet her future husband. Flauvic was also there, at Elestra's request, but he was more off to the side.

Meliara was looking at her daughter while Vidanric was listening to Alec with half an ear. He looked over at his wife and saw a worried expression in her blue eyes. He reached for her hand and took it in his own as he softly said, "she'll be all right." He was trying to be comforting, but Mel wasn't entirely sure that it was merely for her benefit. He too was worried, she knew, about letting their daughter marry a complete stranger. There was nothing they could do now however, save go against their morals. Both of them had decided it was best to continue on this path. However, Mel had decided if the prince were less than satisfactory, she would give Ria the option to escape the agreement. She would feel as if she was breaking her moral's, but she couldn't let her daughter be miserable her entire life.

Oria turned to her mother and their eyes met; Mel saw a look of determination in her daughter's eyes, a look Mel knew Ria had inherited from her. It made her sadden, but she knew she couldn't do anything now. Now the deck was in Ria's hand and she was determined to be the one who played the cards, not let anyone else chose for her. The two only tore their eyes apart from each other when an announcement was heard. "We welcome Prince Lucieneres of Enaeran and his foster brother, Lord Lucier of Kolari," the page announced and Oria gasped.

She wasn't looking at the Prince; she wasn't even looking at his foster brother yet. But the moment she looked up at him, the blond wasn't sure whether she wanted to punch him or curse him. In the end, she decided on smiling sweetly to his foster brother and curtsying, trying to hide her annoyance of Lucier's being here. By the time Ria had finished her curtsy, her parents and siblings had already bowed or curtsied to the foreign prince. Now Oria knew it was her turn to speak. "Welcome to Remalna, Prince Lucieneres," she said, smiling at him with an appropriate smile suiting the situation. She didn't, however, say anything to his foster brother, Lucier.

The two men were both dark haired and if Oria didn't know better, she would have thought them twins. Yet Ria noticed her fiancé's eyes were dark brown while she knew Lucier's were a shocking gray, much like her own. He had pointed it out to her often, taunting her, saying that although they were rivals, they were similar. Oh, how he frustrated her! But Oria knew she couldn't let her betrothed sense her frustration with his foster-brother. If they were close, it could cause problems. Although Oria may not wish to be wed in this manner, if she had to, she would try to make it as peaceful as possible. If that meant being civil to her rival, so be it. It wasn't just Oria's reputation at the Academy that was at stake if she did something to Lucier, it was her reputation as the mage-princess of Remalna.

"It is my pleasure in being here, Princess," Lucieneres said as he bowed and reached for Oria's hand and kissed it. Every person of the Remalnan royal family looked at him with shock and Oria's cheeks turned bright red.

"My… What is it with us men who wish to marry the princess's in this family?" Flauvic asked, causing Elestra's cheeks to match her younger sisters.

A/N: I couldn't resist ending the chapter that way! So yeah, reviews are nice!

Lady N