"I'm too late Vi." Sofia sobbed.
"If the story is real then there's still a chance. King Laurence joined a ten-year war after he made his promise to Princess Katherine and-"
"And when he returned Princess Katherine was married to another man." Sofia mumbled.
"Then won't that mean you're going to be married when King Hugo returns?" Vivian asked.
"The competition for your hand, the victor will marry you." Vivian uttered, answering her own question.
"But we can't do anything to stop the competition father-in-law even asked me to persuade you about it."
"You're right but I still have a choice and I choose to follow my mind." Sofia said.
The day of the competition...
"I give a toast to all the princes may you fight fair and equitable. Good luck!" Roland raised his cup as a gesture that the event will now start.
"First event, Flying Derby! Riders, in position. 1 2 3 Go!" The steward signaled as the racers started flying their horses.
"Go number 7!" Queen Vivian cheered, making James arch his eyebrow.
Number 7 flew over riders after riders until he was second in lead.
"Come on number 7 you can do it!" Vivian cheered louder.
"Vivian would you stop cheering, people are looking." James demanded, feeling jealousy overpower him.
"Is it wrong to cheer for someone I love?" Vivian asked after sitting down.
"Someone you LOVE?" James asked through gritted teeth.
Vivian mentally face-palmed herself.
"That's not what I meant." Vivian explained.
"And number 7 takes the first win." The steward announced.
"Looks like your loved one won." James uttered and left his seat.
"Let him be Vivian, he just doesn't understand." Amber winked.
This made Vivian's mind settle for a while. Sofia and Vivian ended up telling Amber about the prophecy which she didn't like, she knew the danger that it brought but seeing her sister willing to do it made her change her mind.
"You've got great skills! May we know who's behind the helmet? For us to congratulate." The former King Roland spoke as the victor stood beside the royal family.
Number 7 slowly removed his metal helmet, making the crowd gasp.
"S-Sofia." Miranda stuttered.
"I'm sorry Dad but I can't let you continue this. I don't know how to explain it yet but please trust me." The armored princess spoke.
Roland exhaled and looked at Sofia.
"I-I'm sorry but I can't watch you live your life alone." He caressed her cheek.
"Guards! Take Princess Sofia to her room and make sure she doesn't leave. Guard the door and make sure she doesn't leave." He ordered.
"Roland-" Miranda tried to speak only to have Roland gesture her not to.
Sofia didn't talk, instead tears escaped her eyes.
"Dad, you can't do this." Amber stated as the knights started to guide Sofia back to her room.
"I will hear no more of this matter." Roland sternly spoke and sat back to his chair.
"Continue the competition."
The steward bowed and started instructing the royals.
o0oOo0o
*Knock! Knock!
The sobbing princess wiped her tears away and gulped as she spoke.
"Come in." Sofia suffered to mumble as her throat ran dry from her weeping.
The door creaked opened, revealing a fair-looking old woman.
"Aunt Tilly!" Sofia tried to sound happy but her melancholic self failed her to.
"Hello Sofia, how are you?" The Dutchess asked as she sat at the edge of the princess' bed.
"I can't do this Aunt Tilly. Dad's forcing me to marry someone I don't love and-"
"And you got the prophecy to worry about?" Tilly ended Sofia's statement.
Sofia looked at her with wide eyes.
"Princess Katherine told me." Tilly spoke answering Sofia's unspoken question.
"What was it again?" The woman asked herself.
" Let there be light
So much as might
For the great disaster
Shall we encounter
The denied love
Shall we now have
For it shall be the key
To prosperity
The faith of all
In love it shall crawl "
The wise adventurer/beautiful aunt of Sofia uttered like the prophecy was a rhyme taught to them when they were young.
"So tell me Sofia, who do you love?"
"I don't know." Sofia responded.
"Then why are you so worried of getting married to someone which isn't King Hugo?"
"But he's in the war. If the competition ends tomorrow then I shall be wed the following week. It'll be too late." Sofia replied.
"Sofia, things aren't always as they seem. There's hope, there will always be hope." Aunt Tilly smiled and kissed Sofia's forehead.
"Go on Dear, take a rest all your weeping's far over."
With this Sofia drifted to sleep.
o0oOo0o
"Are you sure about this?" Amber asked after she slid Sofia's tiara on her brown locks.
Sofia smiled.
Amber sighed and escorted her to the door.
"I'm sorry Queen Amber but we can't let you through." One of the knights who guarded Sofia's room spoke.
"Princess Sofia-"
"I just want to watch the last day of the competition." Princess Sofia spoke, cutting her sister off.
"If it may please you, you can come along and guard her as we head to the stadium." Amber suggested.
They had no power to disobey the Queen's order so the palace guards nodded and followed the two royals as they walked to the stadium.
"Hoorah!" The crowd cheered.
"Another win to number 11." The announcer gleefully announced.
"That guys good." King James complimented.
"Sofia!" Queen Vivian exclaimed after she and her sister entered.
"Hi." Sofia weakly spoke as she hugged her best friend.
"Mom." Sofia greeted and kissed her cheek.
"Dad."
Both her parents smiled as they returned their attention to the competition.
"How are you?" James asked and hugged her.
"I'm fine." Sofia replied.
"You could've told me you participated. I had an argument with Vivian and now she's not talking to me." James whispered, making Sofia giggle.
"Now, there's the Sofia I know." James smiled as he watched her sister smile.
"But seriously though, my wife's avoiding me." James added.
"Don't worry I'll talk to her." Sofia patted her brother's chest.
She took a seat beside her best friend and joined in watching the competition.
"Who's that?" Sofia asked and pointed at number 5.
"One of the leads." Amber answered.
"Who are the others?"
"Number 11 and 7." Vivian replied while watching attentively.
"Three of them?"
"Yeah and if one of them gets to be champion for the next event, he'll win." Miranda responded.
"For the next event, the royal that shall accomplish to save the princess shall be the victor." The steward instructed and signaled the game to start.
The guards placed the dummy on the other edge as the royals battled to reach it desperately.
Roland stop from his chair as 5, 7, and 11 are racing to reach the dummy.
*Boogsh!
The three royals bummed into each other.
"Number 11 wins!" The announcer, who was also at the edge of his seat managed to speak.
The crowd clapped and cheered.
Number 11 exhaustedly walk to the platform where the royal family was.
The champion was removing his helmet to greet the royal family...
"Your Majesties, there's a fire." A panting royal guard spoke in between breaths.
Looking to the east, there was smoke.
'The Secret Library.' Princess Sofia immediately thought and ran towards the direction of the smoke.
"No!" Sofia screamed after she saw the blazing fire.
"Princess!" A knight managed to stop her as she advanced to the burning flames.
"What happened?" Roland asked as the other royal family reached the area.
"The source of the fire is unknown, Your Majesty." One of the knights who was trying to kill the fire replied.
"Did anyone got caught from the fire?"
No one uttered a word.
"I'm sorry for your loss Your Majesty." A knight sincerely mourned as he handed a golden locket to Roland.
"Matilda." Roland mumbled with trails of tears crawling down his cheek.
"Aunt Tilly?" Sofia spoke out of thought.
"No!" She cried.
Tears flowed down Sofia's cheek as she fell to her knees.
"Sofia." Amber, whose eyes reddened mumbled as she asked her to stand up.
The royal family entered the palace as the guards continued to kill the fire.
"Your Majesties, the victor pays his respect for your loss and has requested to invite him over if all your troubles are through." The steward bowed.
"Thank you Nicholas." James thanked.
'The winner?' Sofia thought.
"Nicholas." Sofia called out to the leaving steward.
"Yes Princess Sofia?" The steward asked.
"I-"
"The wedding shall not be cancelled have the champion come first day next week." Roland cut off.
Sofia looked at her father, she knows he's going through it hard just like her.
"But father we should-"
"It's okay Amber." Sofia cut off as she smiled at her sister.
After three days...
"Good morning Sofia!" Amber greeted and kissed her sister's cheek.
"You seem gleeful." Sofia smiled as she took a bite from her breakfast.
"Well, since you're getting married... How 'bout I plan the wedding for you?" Amber asked excitedly.
"That'd be great Amber, Thank you." Sofia smiled.
"Before that who are you marrying anyway. We never got to know who it is because of the... y'know." Amber shrugged.
"There's Nicholas, why don't we ask him." Sofia uttered after seeing the steward pass through the kitchen door.
"Nicholas, can we ask you something?" The Princess asked.
"What is it Princess?" The steward bowed.
"The winner of the competition, may we know who it was?" Sofia asked.
"That would be King Hugo, Your Majesties." The steward responded.
"King Hugo?" Amber asked surprised and looked at her sister, who was know paralyzed.
'Hugo? But how?' Sofia asked herself.
A/N:
dun dun dunnnn...
Bet some of you predicted it was Hugo..
Anyways, I hope you liked the new chapter. .