Once Upon A Time... Three Kingdoms lived in harmony.
To the west, where a formidable mountain range severed the continent in half, lived the only people that could tame it. The large, broad and imposing people of Fortissnor lived a more simplistic life. Even their king and queen had a modest fortress, close to their subjects.
Those that resided in this kingdom were miners, blacksmiths, and quarry workers. Their houses and buildings were sturdy stone, and their weapons were the finest in the land.
This kingdom truly was the strongest.
To the East, on the coast of this vast land, spread the tropical, mediterranean and elegant kingdom of Clarrintia. With tall, spiraling towers, golden statues, intricately carved walls and doors, and overlooking the turquoise blue ocean, the palace of Clarrintia sat on a cliff, far above its townspeople.
These people were the merchants of the continent. They traded with the kingdoms west of them and with any people from the islands dotting the ocean close by. Through all of their markets and trades, Clarrintia and its people lived in lavish luxury. Even the lowest peasants still lived in satisfied comfort.
This kingdom was truly the richest.
Now, in the midst of these two kingdoms, resided a third. The castle of Medialla rested between the Moderate Plains and the Forests of Mutuality, surrounded by its towns and subjects. In this kingdom, those near the Moderate Plains were mostly farmers, ranchers, and animal breeders. In the northern part of the kingdom, there were carpenters, lumberjacks, and cloth workers.
If you traded with someone from Medialla you know you always got a reasonable price. The people of Medialla were relaxed, fair, and sometimes even referred to as apathetic. Besides trade, they minded their own business.
This kingdom was truly... eh. But it's home!
Unfortunately, there can't always be harmony. Eventually, there was unrest coming from Fortissnor, and it was directed at Medialla. You see, Fortissnor felt that Medialla and its people didn't work hard enough for what they had. To be fair, though, they thought this of everyone. Fortissnor was famous for its hardworking people. Medialla was not; their people did what they needed to, but not more, and not less. So when Fortissnor declared war on the non-confrontational kingdom, Medialla was at a loss.
It was no surprise that, over time, Medialla began to lose the war. Fortissnor's army was far stronger, larger, and had better weapons. Without trade from Fortissnor, Medialla's weapons were depleted, their army was inexperienced, and their supplies were spread thin. Their only hope was to receive support from Clarrintia. Fortunately, Clarrintia's king and queen were willing to help. On one condition: The princess of Medialla was to be betrothed to their son, fortifying the relationship between the two kingdoms.
The prince was to marry me, Princess Lucinda Antoinette Edowyn.

The morning light filtered through the curtains, pulling me out of my dreamless sleep. The comfortable silence lasted only a few moments before a knock reached my ears. I quickly invited, whom I expected to be Gwendolyn, my handmaiden, into the room, "Come in!"
Gwen entered and replied cheerily, "Good morning, your highness!" Then she set down a tray of breakfast on my lap, and rushed off to ready the bath for me.
When she returned, I held out a plate of her favorite cream puffs for her to take. She shook her head and looked down, saying, "M'Lady, I shouldn't. You know I shouldn't."
"Of course you should. Why else would I order them? You know I don't like them myself." I offer the plate again with a smile. This time she takes them.
"Thank you, your highness."
I nod and busy myself with finishing my breakfast as Gwen opens my closet, nibbling on a cream puff. She starts to pull out dresses and corsets, shawls and undergarments, organizing my outfit for the day. As she does this, she starts up idle conversation with me, "The Clarrintians will arrive today." I don't respond with my mouth full, but the news draws an internal sigh from me. Gwen continues, "The castle will be busy preparing for the ball tonight. All the servants and cooks will be working double time."
I swallow my bite and reply, "I would assume that it would be better for everyone if we stayed out of their way today, correct?"
"Yes, that seems right."
I nodded and slid out of bed. I approached Gwen and suggested, "So, how about we go into town today and keep out of the way of the servants until the ball?"
"That is a wonderful idea, m'lady." Gwen flashed a smile at me, and began to pick out a casual dress for the town.

After I had finished my bath and dressed for the day, Gwen sat me down to fix up my hair, so that it wouldn't mess up while we visited the towns. While she worked, I couldn't help but ask, "Any news of the war?" Her hands didn't even pause in her work as she replied, "No m'lady. I'm sorry to say that nothing seems to have changed."
I sigh and busy myself with rearranging the trinkets on my vanity. If it wasn't for the war, I wouldn't have to marry anyone at all. If someone could just convince Fortissnor that this war was useless, I'd be free to continue my days as a single (age) girl, not a married queen. But I couldn't pity myself about it. There was no use in pretending there wasn't a war, and to help my people I needed to marry the prince, so that was what I was going to do.
Lost in my thoughts, I almost missed hearing the sounds of trumpets in their fanfare, and applause floating up into the air and through my open window. I rushed over, forcing Gwen to abandon her work on my hair, and leaned on the windowsill to sneak a peek of the extravagant group below.
Peering down, I saw a parade full of color, music, performers, and the flags of Clarrintia. Amidst the commotion, riding in an open air carriage pulled by four Clarrintian horses, were the honored guests themselves: King and Queen Cortes, and their son, Antonio.
Gwendolyn joined me at the window, glancing down for a moment, before trying to continue with my hair. When she noticed my frown, she spoke, "It's perfectly normal if you wish not to proceed with the wedding, Lucy. I'm sure your parents would understand."
I tried to shake my head, but Gwen held me in place, so I gave up to mutter, "No. No, I can't do that. We both know there is no way we could win this war without their help, and I want to help in anyway I can. Even if that means marrying Prince Antonio. Besides, I'm sure he's nice enough. Don't you?"
"I don't think it matters what I believe, your majesty. You'll marry him no matter what I say, won't you?" Gwen finished with my hair, and I turned to look at her. I smiled coyly and nodded. Then I became serious as I asked, "What about Lucas? Have you heard from him?"
Gwen looked away, and I could see tears pricking her eyes. Absentmindedly, she twisted the small engagement ring on her finger. After a moment, she replied simply, "No. I haven't." Tears spilled over her eyelids as I pulled my friend into a tight hug. As I whispered comforts in her ears, I resolved myself to my fate. This is what I was fighting for.

Gwen and I had decided we would visit the towns after lunch, so until then, we chose to walk the castle grounds. It was peaceful as we strolled through the gardens, and it was relaxing as we read in the library. With a new book in my arms, and a rose in Gwen's hair, we aimlessly walked the halls, needing nothing to entertain us but each other.
It was while we were darting through the great hall, that we ran into Isaac, my parents' advisor.
"What are you doing in the Great Hall? Our guests will be arriving any moment," the tall, pale man said, as he looked down his nose at us. Startled, I didn't immediately reply, and Isaac took the opportunity to add as an after thought, "If you don't mind me asking, your highness?" He bowed deeply, which I knew as mockery from him. Slightly annoyed by his rudeness, I huffed, "We're just spending our time until my lunch with mother and father."
"We? Will your handmaiden be joining you and your parents for the meal as well?"
I glanced behind me to see Gwen almost three feet away and looking down at her feet, almost as if she expected a lashing. I turned back to Isaac, wanting to tell him off for treating her that way, but I held my tongue instead, and replied curtly, "No."
"Good. Good. Of course she is always welcome to dine with the other servants, if she wishes."
"Of course," I glared. He nodded as if his business was done and brushed past me.
Once he was out of earshot, Gwen joined me again. I growled at his bald head, "I hate that man. He's so..." I trailed off, trying to think of a word horrible enough to describe him. Gwen supplied, "Creepy? Slimy? Suspicious? Any one of those will do." I smiled, "Exactly."We laughed together as we continued with our aimless travels.

At noon, I sat in the Dining Hall with my parents, enjoying the meal the cooks had prepared. We ate mostly in comfortable silence. We didn't need to talk to feel each other's presence in our family. Though, today, mother was the first to break the silence, "So. Are you excited for the ball tonight?"
I sighed, snagging a bite of sautéed carrots to avoid answering the question for a bit longer. Finally, I replied, "Suure..." I drawled it out. It was a half truth. I loved the balls we held every year, with all the dancing and dresses and food, but this ball was more of a formality, so I wasn't entirely excited. I was excited for the ball itself, yes, but not for the meaning behind it.
Nevertheless, mother nodded and continued eating, seeming satisfied with my answer.
After another pause, it was my turn to speak, "I was planning on going with Gwendolyn into town later." My father nodded for me to continue. "It would just be for a little while. We'd be back before the ball, and I'm sure the other servants would appreciate us being out of their way." My father seemed to mull it over in his mind and finally decided, "That's alright with me. Dear? Would you mind if Lucy and Gwen went in to the towns today?"
"Not at all. That sounds fun." My mother smiled at me before returning to her meal. I thanked them and we finished our lunch in comfortable silence.

"Though you should be more focused on your fancy ball tonight. You'll be meeting your future husband, won't you?" Gwendolyn's father smiled over at me, pausing in his work to wait for my reply. I blushed, embarrassed, and replied, "Yes. That is what it seems." He nodded as if he had expected that answer, and went back to work.

Music floated through the air as the orchestra started up the first dance. Swaying to the music, I peeked out from behind a wall to see the ballroom fill with people dressed in gowns and suits. I knew the castle servants had been extremely busy preparing this night, so I almost felt bad that all of these people might mess things up.
I sighed and backed away from the scene. In an effort to get farther away from the Ballroom, I travelled down a few hallways and reached for the carved wooden (animal) that Gwen's father had given me. Soon, I found myself in a part of the castle that was abandoned for the time being.
Thinking of what was to come that night, I began to pace and fiddle with my fingers. I started to rehearse what I would say when I met the prince, practicing my curtsy, "Good evening, Prince Antonio. It is a pleasure to meet you." Curtsy. "No no, an honor to meet you." Curtsy. "No, that's too much. I'm very excited to be your wife?" Curtsy. "Ugh, that just sound weird and creepy."
I was so wrapped up in my nervous chatter, that I hardly noticed the footsteps coming toward me. When I did, I thought it might be Gwen or Isaac coming to call me back to the ball for my entrance, but when I looked back to see who it was, all I saw were two shadows ducking behind a corner.***making twists and turns that only someone who had lived in the castle for years could understand.***Antonio Emilio Sebastián Nicolás Ricardo Cortes.

Aarón, Ian, Adrían, Gabriel, Nicolás, Sebastián.