Finally, after about five rewrites, I got a chapter 1. However, it's still bad and needs some help. Suggestions are most welcome! There will probably be typos because I didn't reread it. I have to get going and I quickly finished it (you'll find the ending very quick and breaf. ) It's also really long. Any comments on that is welcome.

If you haven't read the forward: Click here!

Chapter 1

“I feel nervous!”

“I hope Lord Derrick and I are united.”

“I heard the lords and ladies get interviews by the queen herself tomorrow morning!”

“Interviews?” Diana asked, looking up from her blank parchment to look at her friend, Lady Margaret. All the ladies around the circle table of the library could not believe what they heard either and fell silent. “What do you mean?”

“I am not entirely sure why, but my nurse said I have to look nice for the interview with the queen tomorrow morning,” Margaret said with a shrug. Diana’s brow furrowed and Margaret shrugged.

“Why are they changing the system?” Diana continued to ask. “It just doesn’t make sense. They never did interviews, and, even if they did interviews, I’m shocked to hear that the king is allowing the queen to do them.

“Where is the Day of Union held again?” Margaret asked the ladies. “It was held in Tyroan last year, so it will be somewhere else, no?”

“Actually,” started one of the ladies with long, auburn hair and gray-blue eyes, “the queen insisted on holding it in Tyroan this year.”

“The other two kingdoms didn’t argue?” Diana asked. “I would’ve thought Gallium would have something to say.”

“I am just as surprised as you,” the young lady replied in a snotty tone. “My mother would never have gotten away with something so easily. My father must have a good reason for allowing such a thought to happen.”

Princess Adorèe’s cold grey-blue eyes attached themselves to Diana’s bright green ones. “That does not mean, though, that you can misbehave as you always do. I do not want my father to be embarrassed this year. However, he will be more than happy to rid himself of you, I am sure.”

“Why is that?” Diana asked coldly. Margaret shifted uncomfortably.

“I have told him about you,” Adorèe said easily, looking away and speaking to the ladies around the table since they were also paying attention. “He is not very pleased with you. You do not do well in classes, your behavior is despicable, and you lack the beauty every other lady possesses.

“Well, I’ll be more than happy to leave your palace, m’lady,” Diana said bitterly, mimicking a slight bow to her. “I certainly would not want to—”

“What makes you think you will leave the palace, Diana?” called a male voice. The ladies turned and everyone except Diana and Adorèe sighed at the sight of Lord Derrick. Derrick had dark black hair that shined in the sunlight that streamed through the library windows, his dark blue eyes sparkled and a crooked smile appeared on his face for all the ladies. Diana rolled her eyes, Adorèe stood up and walked toward Derrick with a sweet smile.

“Hello, my lord,” she said teasingly, setting her hand on Derrick’s shoulder. Derrick smirked as he put his arm around her waist.

“I hear Diana will be leaving us? I can hardly believe it,” Derrick said in his drawl voice. Diana glared at him. “Even the queen will be unsuccessful in pairing you up with a decent lord.”

Diana didn’t reply. She honestly couldn’t think of anything to say in return. She didn’t trust the queen much, because she married the man that made life the Underworld. Even Diana was affected by the king, and she knew full well that something was wrong. She also knew that it was not her job to fix the problem, but Princess Adorèe’s.

“You might as well not get your hopes up, Diana,” Derrick continued as Adorèe slipped out if his arm and back to the table with the other three ladies. Diana’s hands curled into tight fists in the maroon fabric of her lap, her eyes glared in Derrick’s direction, right past his dark bangs and into his playful blue eyes. “I dare you,” Derrick taunted. “Come tackle me like you did when we were younger children.”

Diana’s chair screeched across the wooden floor to stand up, but Derrick made a small gesture and a much bigger man came their way. Diana froze as her eyes landed on Lord Kieran.

Compared to short, thin Derrick, Lord Kieran was more muscular, his hair messier and his eyes glinted with rage. Diana could see his veins in his temples, his jaw clenched. She has seen only once in a while Lord Kieran in the training grounds alone, playing with swords or even shooting some arrows at a distant target. He was definitely not one to mess with.

“Good day, Lord Derrick,” said a toneless voice slowly approaching them. Diana, forgetting what was happening, turned around and saw her older sister walk toward their table and stop behind Margaret and another young blonde lady.

“Lady Autumn,” Derrick sneered playfully, a smirk plastered on his pale face. Diana’s nails dug into her skin as she saw his look. Autumn was more vulnerable for insults and attacks than Diana was. His blue eyes looked Autumn up and down as he thought of a good verbal attack. Diana wanted to punch him in the face, but she knew better than to get herself in trouble with the king, since the princess would obviously tell her daddy what evil Lady Diana did to innocent Lord Derrick.

“Lady Diana,” Autumn said smoothly, her empty, dark eyes on Diana now, “The queen wishes to see me tonight, so I will not accompany you any longer until tomorrow for the Day of Union.” Her voice was as emotionless as before. She simply said what she had to say. No one, not even Lord Derrick, dared interrupt her. “Nana will be with you until you are in bed for sleep, however, and then she will also see the queen.”

Diana’s brow furrowed, ignoring Derrick’s snickering in the background. “Why would the queen want to see you?”

“She is twenty years old, genius!” Derrick blurted with amusement. “She is obviously going to be either hired as a servant of the Palace or sent to live with the peasants down the road.”

“Was I talking to you?” Diana said coldly and turned back to Autumn. “What’s going on?”

“I am afraid I cannot tell you,” Autumn said easily. “Before I depart, I am sure you would like to hear that a package awaits you in your quarters for tonight. Nana brought it there and put it in a safe place, I trust. You can ask her about it.”

“Alright,” Diana muttered. She knew she wouldn’t get much more out of quiet Autumn. Her sister was just too strange for even Diana to understand much about her.

“Good night, Diana,” Autumn said tonelessly. “Get plenty of rest for tomorrow. It will be a big day.”

Diana’s brow furrowed as Autumn turned around and left the library, walking her smooth stroll across the floors and carpets. As soon as she was gone, Margaret gave Diana a questioning look. Diana shook her head. “Never mind.”

“Seven years!” Derrick blurted again. “Dear Lady Autumn has been single for seven years! She is not fit for any lord, and I am more than sure it runs in the family,” he added with a sneer to Diana.

“Do you ever have anything new to say?” Diana asked with exasperation, looking back at Derrick.

“I will not sit around and watch you two bicker any longer,” Lady Margaret put in, standing up. “Excuse me while I look for a book.” Diana watched her best friend leave the table then looked back at Princess Adorèe and Lord Derrick. Lord Kieran stood a short distance away from them, but was still ready to defend Derrick.

“You really don’t believe you two will be paired?” Diana stated, her brow cocked as she looked at Lord Derrick.

Derrick looked from Adorèe to Diana, his gentle expression changed to a smirk. “I have won the king’s favor, Diana,” he replied. “He will most certainly make sure that I am saved for next year when my dear Adorèe is of age for the Day of Union.”

“Have you forgotten already?” Diana said, disbelieving her ears. “The queen is in charge of the Day of Union, not the king. They ignored tradition this year. Brace yourself—you may lose your princess.”

Derrick glared at Diana, his posture straightening. Diana involuntarily leaned an inch back, her hands flat on the table for when she must stand to defend herself. “Watch your mouth, Diana,” he said coldly and Lord Kieran braced himself for Derrick’s order. “I will not be offended in such a way. The king will do all he can to save me for his daughter rather than give me some waste-of-a-wife lady.”

Diana stood up at this. She didn’t know why she felt so offended, especially by Derrick. He always spoke like this to her, yet she could not stand letting him get away with that. Her green eyes flashed behind her red curls and Derrick took a step back at her look. “Say that again and see what happens—”

“—Is that a threat?”

“You can bet your head on it, it is—”

“Kieran!”

With a wave of his hand, Derrick ordered Kieran after Diana. Diana’s hands curled into fists. She knew better than to fight a lord. If a lady defended herself against a lord, the lady would get a worse punishment than the lord. Usually, Diana would fight, and would be punished with a servant’s job while Kieran would only get more work from his instructor. However, Diana had a new plan of action.

Kieran grabbed Diana’s wrist and squeezed tightly. Diana winced at his grip and her fingers instantly reacted, her nails digging into his skin. Diana silently cursed at herself. This was not her new plan. This was how she always acted in defense. No, Diana was determined to rid herself of Kieran once and for all.

Diana’s foot didn’t agree. She kicked Kieran in the shin. Kieran yelped, but nothing more. He grabbed a chunk of Diana’s red curls and yanked. Diana shrieked and fell over on the floor. This was what Diana was going for.

Kieran yanked on Diana’s arm, pulling her up to her feet. Diana shrieked again, standing on her two feet, looking as helpless as she could. Diana forced herself to begin crying, allowing tears to wet her face, her eyes flooding with tears and turning puffy-red.

“My lord! That is enough, I tell you, enough!”

Diana felt Kieran drop her to the floor and step back. Diana wiped her face on her maroon sleeve before looking up and watching the big Lord Kieran get told off by the thin, old librarian. She prodded him in the chest, yelling at Lord Kieran for his poor manners. Lord Derrick waited for the librarian to speak to Diana next.

“Come now, we shall see to your Nurse as to what to do with you,” the librarian snapped in her shrill voice. She had no right to even touch Lord Kieran, but she waited for Lord Kieran to move ahead of her, her green-yellow eyes piercing through Kieran’s soul. Kieran had no choice but to obey. Following orders could get him half off the hook.

Derrick was horrified to find his guardian get dragged off without his victim. Diana remained seated on the floor, smirking as she watched Kieran walk away like a child. Diana’s smile faded when she heard a strange growl. Looking up, she saw Derrick’s furious face look down upon her.

“You will pay for this, Diana,” he snarled, his knuckles white from his curled fists. With that, he walked off. Princess Adorèe watched Derrick anxiously. As soon as he walked out those oak doors after Kieran, Adorèe glared at Diana.

“How dare you!” Adorèe shrieked as she watched Diana stand up and brush herself off. “Not only has Derrick left me without a farewell, but his best friend will be forced to relinquish his noble title! You have disgraced the royal family, the kingdom of Tyroan! You will pay for your acts!”

Without waiting for a response, Adorèe ran out the library, ignoring the shrill of the librarian’s voice for running in the library. Diana seated herself at the round table with the other ladies. The blonde lady stared at Diana the whole time. Diana, getting uncomfortable, looked at the girl, her brow raised. “Do you want something from me?”

The blonde’s blank face looked shocked at Diana’s rude tone. However, she responded in her soft, mellow voice, “Are you not excited for tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” Diana repeated. “’Course not! No need to worry myself over something like that. It’s not like I have any control over my future anyway. No, my future is out of my hands.”

“But, Diana—”

“Here,” Margaret said as she dropped a huge brown, ancient-looking book in front of Diana, causing a loud slam to echo around the library. The ladies ignored the librarian’s hiss and glare, examining the dusty volume of The Wonderful Century. “Write your essay on this.”

“You’re joking,” Diana said, staring at the book, completely overwhelmed.

“No, I am not joking,” Margaret with emphasis, giving Diana a stern look. “This is a popular topic and one of the easiest to write about, since our instructors will not give up teaching it to us. Look,” she said and opened the book, flipping through pages, causing dust to tickle Diana’s nose and a sneeze sounded once or twice before Margaret let the pages settle.

“What am I looking at?” Diana asked, recovering from her sneezing attack. Her green eyes skimmed down the page, but it was all just plain script. No pictures to examine. Just script.

“This is a list of summaries on the…” Margaret hesitated, not knowing how to explain in simpler terms. “It’s a list of changes when the Wonderful Century ended. You know when it ended, right?”

“When the king married Queen Katherine,” Diana said bitterly, glaring at Margaret. “I know the stuff, I just don’t care anymore.”

“Well, there you go,” Margaret replied, pushing the book toward Diana. “Write, and don’t leave this library until it’s finished and given to your instructor,” she added sternly.

Diana sighed. “You’re not my mother—”

“Don’t even start that!” Margaret interrupted irritably. “Just write. You’ll think of something, I’m sure, especially with this book in front of you.” Without another word, Margaret spun on her heel, her brown bushy hair whipping around her shoulders, and she marched off. Diana sighed again, put her head in her hand, her quill in the other hand, dipped the quill in the ink, and thought long and hard before the quill finally touched the parchment and started scribbling one word, then two more, then another sentence…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Lady Diana, it is time for bed.”

Diana looked up from Margaret holding her editing quill to find the plump form of Nana standing in the doorway of the library, the huge bronze doors held open.

“Coming, Nana,” Diana called over to Nana then looked to Mary. “Well?”

“This is the best essay I have seen you write, Diana,” Mary said with awe, her eyes glued to the paper. “I do not necessarily agree with it, but it surely is well-written. Are you sure you wrote this?”

“Of course I did!” Diana replied. “After you left, the other ladies followed suit and I was left alone. I decided to just write something down so I can stop writing. Are you sure you read it? I hardly thought about it when I wrote it.”

“It is wonderful! You even dropped the contractions,” Margaret added with a stern look to Diana who was unaffected. “Give this to your instructor. I expect good marks finally.”

“Diana!”

“Coming!” Diana snatched the parchment from Margaret’s hands and stood up, closing the huge book in front of her. A cloud of dust rose up and Diana sneezed again before saying good night and hurrying towards the doors.

“Is that your class work, m’lady?” Nana asked, holding out her chubby hand. Diana handed it to Nana before they started walking down the hall. “Your instructor will be most pleased to receive this since it is past the deadline.”

“Thank you, Nana.”

“Oh, not at all!” Nana said with a slight giggle and, at that moment, Diana noticed she seemed anxious and on her toes. They seemed to be walking faster and faster down the halls. “I will be gone tonight anyway, so I can easily drop it off.”

“Autumn said something about that,” Diana stated, remembering Autumn’s visit in the library. “She said you both will be gone tonight, and that there was a package left for me?”

“Oh, yes, there is!” Nana said. “A young boy gave it to me and I set it on your nightstand so you will see it. Ah, here we are.”

Diana hadn’t been paying attention to their journey down the halls. She didn’t even remember walking up the stairs, but this was definitely her room when Nana opened the grand doors.

An exquisite bedroom was revealed behind the oak doors, more elaborate than her fellow ladies’ bedrooms. Candles of purple and gold were lit all around her room, her bed covered with purple and golden colors. The purple drapes were tied to the golden bedposts. The moonlight shined through the windows, the curtains drawn aside. Nana hurried over and undid the curtains so they fell in front of the window before entering the attached bathroom.

Nana returned, carrying a white silk nightgown. Her mouse-brown hair was falling out of the bun on her head, her apron was filthy and her feet bustled quickly about the room, as if not remembering how to walk at a slow pace. Diana walked toward her bed where Nana set the nightgown.

“Let’s get that corset off your bodice, no?” She bustled to Diana’s backside to undo the strings of the corset and gown. Diana only stood and let Nana work as she always did. When the corset was removed, Diana took a deep breath of relief. Nana chuckled at the reaction, but nothing more as she picked up the silk nightgown and handed it to Diana to put on, since Diana was much taller than little ol’ Nana.

Nana tied up the strings of the nightgown then left for the bathroom once again. Diana sat down on the edge of her bed and waited patiently for Nana when she spotted the package on the nightstand next to her bed.

It was a box-shaped package, wrapped in brown parchment. Diana reached for it and set it on her lap as Nana grabbed the hairbrush and returned. Nana crawled atop the bed and sat up to brush Diana’s curly red hair.

“Ah, I see you found your package. Go ahead and open it, m’lady,” Nana said as she stroked Diana’s hair with the brush.

Diana’s fingers were already undoing the strings as Nana spoke. She unfolded the parchment and let it fall atop her lap to reveal a small golden and turquoise lockbox. The letters ANA were on the top and three of the four sides. On the fourth side was an eight-pointed star engraved in the side, as if the star fell out of the box. Diana picked it up and studied it.

“It’s beautiful,” Nana commented, her brushing slowed down as she gazed at the box. Diana didn’t know what to say. She looked closely at each side, at the plain bottom, and even shook the box, but nothing sounded inside. “Is there a key of some sort, m’lady?”

Diana looked through the parchment and strings. “No, there isn’t.”

“Oh, m’lady, watch your grammar!” Nana said quickly, her brushing suddenly becoming more harsh and quick. “You will not be properly paired for the Day of Union if you keep that up.

Silence fell between them as Diana stared down at the strange lockbox and Nana fought a huge knot in Diana’s hair.

“Thirteen years old,” Nana broke the silence with a heavy sigh. “Are you excited for the Day of Union?”

Diana’s brow furrowed and looked up out the window into the night sky. “I have been thirteen for about a month now, and I do not feel any different with the Day of Union coming up. I do not see what is so exciting about it.”

Nana chuckled. “You will be excited about it in short time.”

“I am not ready for marriage!” Diana said, slightly afraid now of the thought of marrying another lord.

“Well, it all depends on what the Lady of the Palace thinks, no?” Nana replied. Realizing she scared Diana with such a thought, she put her hands to Diana’s shoulder and held them firmly. “You’ll be fine, Diana. You’re very beautiful. I’m sure you will get a fitting husband.”

Diana did not reply, still caught in the idea of marriage, of leaving Lady Margaret and her sister, Autumn, no matter how creepy Autumn was.

“A lot of ladies look forward to such an event,” Nana continued, fighting a knot in the red hair she brushed. “There’s nothing to worry about. The Lady is a very trustworthy woman, a very trustworthy woman,” she repeated, but Diana didn’t reply. “Only Princess—Princess Adorèe will not be wed.” Nana stumbled over the name and Diana heard her swallow a lump in her throat.

“What is wrong, Nana?” Diana asked kindly, sitting still as Nana continued to comb through her curly red hair.

“Oh, nothing’s wrong,” Nana said, clearing her throat. She continued talking to keep her mind clear, but Diana still didn’t understand how Adorèe even came into the conversation. “The oldest royal child is never given away, but is to wait for his or, in this case, her future spouse to come to her. Princess Adorèe is not to attend the party tomorrow night which is when y-you and your fellow ladies will be paired with y-your f-future l-lords—”

Of course Adorèe wouldn’t be there. She is only twelve! Her Day of Union is next year. Diana turned around, forcing Nana to stop brushing, and looked at Nana’s watery blue eyes. “Nana, I don’t understand—”

“Watch your language, m’lady,” Nana said, a hiccup following her words. “You won’t get a suitable husband with those silly contractions used by servants and peasants like me.”

“But Nana—”

“Tomorrow, the queen will come visit you in here to discuss with you about your future. Then, tomorrow night, you will attend the party to meet the lord Her Majesty has chosen for you.”

“Why must she choose for me? Why now? Why has Autumn never wed?” Diana asked desperately, fear obviously heard in her voice for Nana put her plump arms around her in a warm embrace.

“It is how society is run, nowadays,” Nana said, finally releasing Diana. “His Majesty wants to distribute his ladies to wealthy lords for economic reasons.”

Diana never did well in her classes, and her instructor would definitely agree, but even Diana knew what the word ‘economic’ meant, and she was no where near happy with that thought. The king was using her just to gain more money.

“But why hasn’t Autumn been wed?” Diana asked.

Nana hesitated and finally said, disappointing Diana, “It’s time for bed, now. You need your rest. Besides, your mother wishes to see me.

Diana’s mind raced with the horrifying thought of marrying another man while Nana returned the brush to the bathroom. When Nana finally returned from the bathroom, Diana realized Nana had spoken of a word Diana had never heard. “My mother?” Diana repeated, confused. “Lady Julia? I thought you were to see the queen.”

Nana’s face drained of all color and could not speak, looking horrified, as if she told Diana her deepest secret. Diana watched Nana return a sympathetic look, covering her hesitation to answer her lady’s question. “Do not worry yourself over such things. Well, we can talk in the morning,” Nana said. She threw back the covers and Diana crawled under, allowing Nana to tuck her in. With a final exchange of ‘good nights,’ Nana bustled over to the door and, with one more ‘good night,’ left the room.

Diana hardly slept that night, her head filled with questions. Diana was confused after her talk with Nana. Why did Nana suddenly start talking about Princess Adorèe? The princess had nothing to do with Diana. And did Nana go to see the queen or Lady Julia? Who would be Diana’s fiancé?

Diana turned on her side and her eyes fell on the golden lockbox on her bedside table. She was just wondering, once again, where she got that lockbox.

Diana did not think much on the topic, though. Her eyes drooped and she quickly fell asleep, the eight-pointed star printed in her eyelids that night.