01: Sealed Fate

Jotham, Silveran Capital.

2030

       Hazel straightened her spine, her head held high even as she was prodded and pricked in the course of being dolled up for the Crown Prince Bride Choosing Ceremony. She clenched her jaw, trying not to show how upset she was.

Just last night, she'd been in the safety of her father's house in Rubia. But then, hours before dawn, some uniformed men had visited her father's home and after  the men had had a brief discussion with her father, her father had called her to his study. Without further ado, he'd apologized to her and had allowed the uniformed men to whisk her away. Hazel had been too shocked to do anything even while she'd been led to a train that had contained thirty other young ladies and a couple of uniformed men. That train had taken her to Jotham, the great capital of Silvera. Only when she'd arrived at the palace did she find out the truth of the matter. Her own father, one of the greatest generals of Rubia had shipped off his own daughter to be among the ladies that the crown prince would choose from to make his own bride. Hazel was distraught on learning about this bitter information and she just couldn't wrap her head around the reason her father had done so. For all she knew, Rubians hated the Silverans deeply.

The Silverans, also known as silver-bloods were characterised to be selfish, self-righteous pricks that felt like they were above everyone else because of the raw magic they possessed. They were at the top of the food chain. They had everything going for them and they had a large wall surrounding the expanse of their territory and other kingdoms feared them greatly.  Whereas, the Rubians, also known as red-bloods were at the bottom of the food chain.

They didn't have magic or wealth and they were totally under the mercy of the other kingdoms. The silver-bloods would steal and oppress them, despite how less privileged the red-bloods were because Rubia was a small nation and Silvera was clearly no match for them.

Hazel had heard her father times without numbers, claiming that he hated the silver-bloods. Yet, he had let them take her. Hazel's blood was boiling and she desperately wanted to confront her father but, it wasn't possible.

Getting into the Silveran palace was not a cake walk, leaving the palace wasn't simple either. So, she was stuck and she decided that she was well and truly fucked.

"You look like you're a second away from punching that mirror" a soft, willowy voice said from beside her and she turned to look at the petite lady who was standing beside her with a warm smile on her face.

"It's okay, I understand. I just got here too. I don't even remember entering the train. It turns out that my parents drugged me and let them take me away" the young lady said, still wearing a bright smile on her face. Hazel stared at her, wondering how the young lady was able to smile even when she'd been literally sent away by her own parents.

"I'm Charlotte" the smiling lady said and Hazel forced out a bland smile.

"I'm Hazel"

"Nice to meet you, Hazel" Charlotte said and Hazel nodded. Charlotte didn't seem to be a Silveran because she had the typical ordinary look. She didn't have silver eyes like Silverans and she didn't have startling aqua blue or green eyes like the blue bloods. So, she was definitely a Rubian like Hazel.

Just then, a loud bell rang in the main hall, catching their attention. The other ladies started to gather together and Charlotte and Hazel exchanged bewildered glances. "Come on, let's go. I think an announcement is about to be made" Charlotte said and Hazel followed her to the center of the large hall where the rest of the ladies were gathered.

"Attention, Ladies!" A masculine voice bellowed and all the whispering as well as the chattering came to an abrupt halt. A middle aged man wearing a white dress shirt, black slacks, a black bow tie and a pair of black dress shoes stood on what looked like a podium. He had a well styled silver hair that was cut short, piercing grey eyes, sharp cheek bones, thin pink lips and a regular jaw dusted with a day old stubble.

"Listen, carefully. My name is Aaron and I'm the chief butler. I was assigned by his royal Highness, the crown prince of Silvera to lead ten of you to the main court where the prince will begin his choosing. After each hour, ten more ladies will follow me to the main court and the previous ten will return to their quarters. After the prince has chosen his bride, the rest of you will be screened and tested further. If you're lucky, you'll be selected as maids here in the palace. But if you're not, you'll be sent to serve the prisoners"

The previous chattering began and Aaron narrowed his eyes.

"Silence!"

Once again, everywhere went silent. Two uniformed men walked in and began to select from the ladies, the first ten candidates to be brought before the crown prince. Hazel held her breath and didn't release it until the uniformed men had moved past her.

She noticed the indigo eyed lady standing just behind her and Charlotte. The lady looked like she was on the verge of having a panic attack. From the looks of her aqua blue colored hair and eyes as well as her numerous ear piercings, Hazel gathered that she was neither a Rubian nor a Silveran. Only blue bloods possessed hair and eyes of any shades of blue or green. They were also known as the Sapphirans.

"Are you alright?" She asked the Sapphiran who looked at her with teary eyes.

"I-I'm scared" the Sapphiran whimpered and Hazel embraced her.

"It's going to be okay" she whispered and the Sapphiran nodded.

"Thanks" she responded and Hazel smiled.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Violet" she replied

"I'm Hazel. It's nice to meet you" Hazel said and Violet grinned.

"You're going to be the queen" Violet said and Hazel furrowed her brows, confused.

"Sorry?"

"He's going to choose you"

"How can you tell?" Hazel asked slowly, trying not to let her fear get the best of her.

"I'm a blue blood, duh"

Hazel inhaled sharply, rubbing her temples where an ache was starting to form.

Surely, Violet was just joking right? But, Hazel couldn't shrug off the fact that blue bloods were known for both their healing powers and their ability to see into the future. Charlotte walked up to the both of them, her signature golden smile tugging at her lips as usual.

"Hey. What's with the distraught look on your face?" She asked and Hazel swallowed hard.

"It's nothing. I just need to sit down" Hazel breathed and Charlotte frowned slightly, feeling concerned for the brunette.

"Come on, let's sit over there" She said, taking Hazel's hand and leading her towards a couple of empty chairs by the corner. Hazel sank into one of the chairs, suddenly feeling vulnerable.

She started to miss her elder brothers who were triplets. They were a handful sometimes but right at this moment, she missed them terribly. She couldn't help but wonder if they'd figured out what happened. She knew they were overprotective most of the times and would most likely find a way to barge into the castle if they found out where she was.

"Now what?" She mumbled, under her breath.

"I say, we wait" Charlotte responded and she heaved a sigh. This is going to be a long day.

She hated her dress. It was blood red and was completely sleeveless. Her back was very much exposed and so was her left leg. The dress was quite long but it had a long slit from the corner of her left thigh, downwards. Her cleavage was also a bit exposed and this was not making her feel any better. She felt like a slut, a royal slut. Hazel wanted to scream and cry as she stared at her reflection in front of one of the full length mirror in the corridor. Her brown, waist-length hair was wrapped up in fancy braids and a chignon. Her usual dull brown eyes now looked strangely seductive especially with all the make up and that god-awful red lipstick.

Aaron had returned to the hall thirty minutes ago and this time she was picked alongside Charlotte to be among the next ten candidates to be brought before the crown prince.

As if the annoying make up wasn't annoying enough, they'd made her wear the stupid dress.

"Wow, you look.... gorgeous" Charlotte said from behind her. "I feel like a slut" Hazel groaned and turned to look at her friend.

Charlotte's golden brown eyes twinkled at that statement.

"Come on, Hazel. You're just overreacting. The dress isn't too bad" she said and Hazel sighed.

"I would choose your dress over mine, anytime" she grumbled and Charlotte rolled her eyes, brushing her blonde hair out of her eyes. "Well, my dress is skin-tight and believe me, it's not that great" she chirped with a tinge of annoyance in her voice.

"Get moving!" A deep voice yelled at them and they both flinched. They hurried over to join the other eight ladies and they were immediately led towards the main court.

Hazel was strongly apprehensive and her stomach churned with unease. She hoped and prayed that Violet had been wrong. She didn't belong in Silvera. She didn't want to become a queen, much less the queen of the people she's hated all her life.

She quietly took in the sight of the palace. Everything in it was virtually in just purple and silver. The garden was a beautiful sight though. The place was so colorful, it reminded her of a rainbow.

They finally got to a large double door that shone brightly of silver. Three guards stood by the door, their expression stoic. The door slowly creaked open and the ten ladies were promptly ushered in.

As they were lined up before the crown prince, Hazel took her time to observe. On the left, the king of Silvera sat in his throne, silver eyes, cold and vacant. On the right, sat the queen. She had long silver hair and blue-gray eyes which could only mean that she was a half-blood.

The queen had both Sapphiran blood and Silveran blood in her veins.

Half-bloods were extremely rare, in the sense that they usually die few days after their birth.

The crown prince on the other hand was a sight to behold. He was gorgeous, drop dead gorgeous in every sense. His eyes were a bright silver that was warm and kind at the same time. His long silver hair had blue streaks among them and his long eyelashes were silver.

His lips were pink, the lower lip slightly fuller than the top. His nose wasn't big or small, it was just perfect for his face. He was pale, just like every other silver-blood Hazel had come across and he was dressed in a simple black shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, a pair of gray pants and a pair of black dress shoes.

The ladies curtseyed in front of the royal family and the prince smiled, his gaze quickly wandering over the figures of the ten candidates.

Time seemed to freeze when his gaze finally rested on Hazel. A strange emotion flashed in his eyes and he rose to his feet. Hazel felt her heart thump harder as he started to make his way towards her.

When he finally stopped in front of her, the sweet scent of apples and roses invaded her senses. She lowered her gaze, her heart beating a thousand miles per second.

"Look at me, beautiful" his sultry, deep voice sent an alien feeling settling low in her belly.

His fingertips touched her chin and tilted her head a little. Their gaze met and he grinned. Hazel felt her heart sink to the bottom of her shoes. She knew her fate was sealed.