Chosen

by Shelby Hild

  “To hinder our movements in hopes that it’ll end the Trials.”

  “But what would that accomplish?” she asked.

  “I only wish I knew.”

  They rode in silence for a while. Vivilyn watched as they moved along the road. The view from the window kept her from focusing on the path ahead. Trees and bushes lined the road, blocking her from seeing things beyond, but it didn’t differ that much from what she was used to.

  The farther they got from Treelyn the more relaxed Malcolm became, until finally small snores arose from him as the trees began to give way to small buildings. As the small buildings turned into larger ones, his small snores grew much louder.

  The wheel of the carriage squealed. As she drifted to sleep, Vivilyn’s mind threw her vision from the buildings outside to the two royal brothers, Princes Aiden and Ethan, sitting in what looked like a study. Aiden had his head bent over a book in front of him while Ethan tossed a balled-up paper above him to catch.

  “I’m so bored,” Ethan said with a dramatic sigh.

  “Then leave,” the other said. “All you’re doing is distracting me from this book.”

  “I’m distracting you?” He tossed the ball into Aiden’s face. “Seriously, Aiden, because the history of grain in our kingdom is such a riveting read.”

  “But it is,” Prince Aiden said, lifting the book to point to the page. “Did you know that the grain production increased twenty-fold the year the Trikilio discovered Praytha and then us—”

  “I think we could have done without them finding us,” Prince Ethan grumbled as he crumpled up three other pieces of paper. He stood up and started a poor attempt at juggling them. “If it weren’t for them and their dragons, Etilidus would be in a better place.”

  “You’ve been listening to Mother recently,” Prince Aiden said. “You know she blames everything magic-related for anything that goes wrong.” The elder prince clenched his hands and rolled his eyes.

  “But, Aiden, what if she’s right?” Ethan asked. He continued attempting to juggle and dropped two of the three paper balls. “I mean, things were fine before all those black dragons came.”

  “The dragons didn’t bring magic, though,” Aiden said. He started rummaging through the different books in front of him. “Even our earliest records indicate magic already existed here.” He pulled a thick leather-bound book out of the stack. The pages had browned with age. “There are thoughts that two millennia ago, magic grew drastically here.” He lifted his hand, halting his brother’s argument before it could be formed. “Dragons didn’t show up until the beginning of this millennium.”

  “How do you know all of this?” Ethan asked. He lifted one of the papers as though deciding something.

  “Books,” Aiden said, gesturing first to the twenty or so on the table in front of him, then to the bookcases surrounding them. “Books that you should be studying as well. You could become king someday and you will have to know our history.”

  “Don’t even joke about that,” Ethan said. He then lobbed another paper ball at his older brother. “You know that you’re the one suited for that. I don’t even want to have an Enchanted Trial. I am the spare. And all I’m supposed to want out of life is to make sure you stay alive long enough to have a son. Which is fine by me. I’ll never have to worry about taking your place.”

  “You think I want to be king?” Prince Aiden shook his head and picked up the pieces of paper that ended up rolling near his feet. “I see how much stress Father is under. And don’t forget the stress of the crown is what killed Uncle Brian.”

  “I mean, you act like you do.” Prince Ethan sat back down and looked to his brother. “Elissa and I talk about it all the time, but I’ve never thought to ask you: if you weren’t heir to the throne,” he asked, “what would you want to be?”

  “What does it even matter?” Prince Aiden asked. He looked back down to the book in front of him. “It’s what I have to be. Why imagine anything else?”

  “We all have our dreams,” Ethan said. “Like if Elissa had any choice, she’d be a forest ranger or a gardener. Between her and Colin’s gardening abilities, we could all run away and start a farm.” Prince Ethan picked up and tossed another of the paper balls at his brother. When Aiden caught the ball, Ethan continued. “I’d be a soldier. In fact, Father might allow me to train with the royal guard once you’ve got a kid on the way. When it’s obvious that I’m no longer needed as a spare.”

  “Ethan,” Prince Aiden said, his tone was full of concern.

  “It’s true,” Ethan said. “You know it. I know it. The whole kingdom knows it. But I’m okay with that. I’ll go off and train professionally, then return and be your left-hand man again. Maybe guard a few caravans and save the world while I’m at it. I just want to do something more. I want to be known for more than just being your little brother.”

  “You will,” Prince Aiden said. Then he returned to the question before. “I’d be a historian. Etilidus has so much history. Both before and after the banishment of magic. And Grandmother used to swear the stories of the past can help solve problems in the present.”

  “She also used to say that apples kept you healthy and magic wasn’t inherently dangerous. And she wanted a dragon. Not the best example of someone to listen to. Besides, what can the history of grain do to help us these days?”

  “But she’s right,” Aiden said. “The world has a balance. Everything in it is in a balance. And everything is a two-edged knife.” Aiden picked up the book he had been reading before his brother distracted him. “The same rain that helped grow this abundance of wheat also would have drowned rats and rabbits. Good and bad, light and dark. Magic and… and…”

  “How can it be something of balance if you can’t think of its opposite?”

  “I don’t know everything,” Aiden stood up with three of the paper balls. He changed the subject abruptly. “But I can juggle better than you.” He proceeded to. Prince Ethan threw the remaining ball at Aiden and Aiden added it to the rest without missing a beat.

  “How—?”

  “Lady Entra taught me last time she was at court.”

  “Is it weird to know so many of the Chosen?” Prince Ethan asked as Aiden stopped juggling and tossed the balls all back to his brother.

  “Yeah,” he said simply.

  “And…?” Ethan prompted.

  “And I don’t know if this is going to work.”

  “What do you mean?” Ethan went back to trying to juggle.

  “The girls I know are nice. And some I could see standing by my side, but they all are so similar. Only a few would be willing to get their hands dirty. I don’t want some prim and proper lady. I want someone I can really share my entire life with. What if I can’t form a connection with anyone?”

  “Elissa is happy with who she ended up with,” Ethan said. He sat back down, finally giving up on keeping any of the paper balls in the air. “And she didn’t even really see him until the People’s Vote. Gods, the people loved him so much he was first choice every week.”

  “That’s true.” Prince Aiden flipped through his book on grain history again. “But what if I do have a connection with someone and then she’s voted out?”

  “Keep me informed of your first choice at all times. I’ll use my save.”

  “And if she gets voted out the next week?”

  “I’ll make sure someone else uses their save.”

  “There’s just so much unknown,” Prince Aiden said. “Or what if I make the wrong choice and decide on someone who isn’t queenly?”

  “Simple,” Prince Ethan said, a crooked smile formed on his lips. “You just won’t choose wrong.”

  Vivilyn snapped back to reality as Ettravil appeared in the distance. The Administrations Office back in Treelyn was the largest building Vivilyn had ever seen. Growing up, she often equated its size to that of a palace or castle or even a fortress.

  The buildings Vivilyn could see in Ettravil dwarfed that one. As the carriag
e went on the road around the city, she saw buildings of many different colored stones: reds, browns, grays, and greens.

  The carriage pulled up to the city’s stations. Vivilyn saw it was packed with different people trying to see into the carriage.

  “Malcolm,” Vivilyn said when she realized the carriage didn’t stop at the station. When he didn’t move, she spoke louder, with a bit more panic in her voice, “Malcolm!”

  He jerked awake and rapidly attempted to stand. When he hit his head on the roof of the carriage with a loud clunk, he sat back down rubbing the top of his head.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “We are still going! The station is there, but we’re passing it.” Vivilyn exclaimed, her heart beginning to race as the people crowded at the station waved as the carriage continued by.

  “What?” He asked, then looked out the window. He yawned before he spoke again. “We haven’t made it to the station yet.”

  “What do you call that, then?”

  “A station?” He said as he relaxed back against the cushions behind him. “But not the Palace’s station. We can’t stop there in case someone arrives on a rail. They get priority, so we go straight to the palace.” He leaned his head against the back of the seat and closed his eyes again.

  Outside the windows, the buildings slowly began to shrink, before completely giving way to trees.

  “How close are we?” Vivilyn asked as Malcolm closed his eyes again. She knew the Royal Palace had to be close to Ettravil but didn’t know where exactly it was.

  “We will be there soon,” Malcolm said, as he wiped his face. With a quick glance out the window, Malcolm stretched his arms out in front of him. He then leaned forward and yawned into his hand. “When we get there, you’ll be shown to your rooms. I’ll have to leave for a bit, but I’ll come to you as soon as possible with the schedule for the near future. You should be the first Chosen here.”

  As soon as Malcolm finished speaking, the trees began to part. A small building stood to the side of the road and the carriage stopped beside it. Beyond the building, the road forked.

  Malcolm opened the door to the carriage and slid out. A guard exited the building in a red uniform with three sets of golden phoenix wings on the left side of his black collar. Malcolm handed the guard a handful of papers. The guard looked through them and then looked to the window at Vivilyn.

  She didn’t even attempt to hide the fact she was staring. The guard winked at her and smiled, then handed the papers back to Malcolm.

  The guard nodded towards Vivilyn. As he returned to the building he’d come from, Malcolm got back into the carriage and told the driver to continue.

  They took the fork to right along the edge of the trees. The world was open to the left of the carriage as if nothing could contain it. Vibrant green grass met the sky and clouds. The sun blazed a fire in the sky.

  The carriage took them up a hill and once they reached the top of it, Vivilyn couldn’t help but gasp. In the distance the Palace gleamed in the sunlight. Pools and fountains surrounded the building making it appear even more golden than it probably was. The sun reflected blindingly off the water as well as the building.

  It hurt Vivilyn’s eyes to stare at it, but she couldn’t look away.

  “Stunning, isn’t it?” Malcolm asked.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it.” Vivilyn could feel Malcolm’s eyes on her as she continued to watch as the building.

  “There aren’t many here now,” Malcolm said, “but as more of the Chosen arrive, so will those of Rank. Without the Trials, the Social Season starts a week or so before winter. His Majesty feels that discontent rises most in colder months when people can’t be outside working.”

  “Is it true?” Vivilyn asked, taking a quick glance back at Malcolm before looking back to the palace. As they drew closer, she was very quickly realizing she’d also never seen a building even close to a quarter of the size of it. As more buildings came into view, she briefly noticed one that looked to be a large stable.

  “Well, from what I’ve read, most of the rebellions that have happened in our history start at the end of winter, so it could—”

  “Is that a greenhouse?” Vivilyn shrieked, pushing her face into the glass. “And is that one of the Grand Trees?” She pointed to a gigantic tree to their right.

  “Yes,” Malcolm said. He didn't react to Vivilyn interrupting him. Instead he smiled as he expanded on his response. “There are four of the Grand Trees of Etilidus in this area, one at each major directional. One for each season. One for each of the Gods and Goddesses. They are continually cycling between each of the seasons so at any time of the year one represents spring, summer, autumn, and winter. And yes, that is a greenhouse.”

  The closer they got to the palace, the more Vivilyn could see the trees.

  “It looks just like the tree that faces the Dragon’s Spine Mountains, only bigger.” And just as easy to climb.

  “Treelyn hosts one of the Grand Trees as well.” Malcolm said, “There are 200 in all of Etilidus. It’s why that’s the number of people Chosen for the Enchanted Trials.”

  Vivilyn didn’t say anything else as they finished approaching the palace. She was too busy trying to see everything she could. Connected to the roof of the building, Vivilyn saw sticks like the one connected to the top of the energy tower back in Treelyn. Beyond the greenhouse, a hedge maze came into view, just barely visible through a row of blackened trees.

  Before Vivilyn could ask about the trees, the carriage arrived at a platform that connected to the building. Two people stood waiting as they approached.

  Malcolm exited the carriage as soon as it stopped moving. He reached his hand up behind him to help Vivilyn down.

  “May I introduce Lady Vivilyn Minette of Treelyn,” Malcolm said with a quick gesture of his free hand. Both people waiting bowed and curtseyed to Vivilyn. As soon as Vivilyn started trying to curtsey back at them, Malcolm pulled her back up. “This is Fiona and Grey,” Malcolm said. “Fiona is the last member to your team and Grey is to help get you situated in your room.”

  “Nice to meet you, my lady,” Grey said with another bow.

  Fiona curtseyed again before speaking, twisting so the thick braid of long chestnut hair slipped behind her. “You are the first to arrive, so you are in the initial group hosted by Prince Bryton. There will be forty of you in his group. And you’ll have the honor of meeting your host as soon as the first meal after the last of the forty arrives.”

  Prince Bryton? Vivilyn could barely believe what she heard.

  “I will meet Prince Bryton? Brother to the king?” Vivilyn felt her pulse begin to quicken.

  “You will meet the entire royal family if you make it beyond the first ceremony,” Fiona said as she kept from making eye contact with Vivilyn.

  “Quick tip,” Malcolm said as he stepped towards the door. “Treat everyone you meet as a normal person. Many don’t appreciate being treated like they are something much more.”

  “But never forget they are the royal family,” Fiona added.

  “Now, you will be shown to your room and I need to announce that you’ve arrived,” Malcolm continued. Before Vivilyn could respond, Malcolm walked away through the door with nothing but a wave.

  The carriage driver finished unloading the luggage onto a rolling cart as Fiona curtseyed to Vivilyn again, the smile never left the woman’s face. Grey took the cart from the carriage driver with a slight bow of his head. The driver nodded in return and got back into his seat before driving the horses and carriage away.

  As she watched the carriage fade from view, Vivilyn’s heart felt heavy, as though the carriage took with it any chance of returning to her family.

  “My lady,” Fiona’s voice pierced through the thoughts that rapidly began to fill her mind. “We should get you to your room.” Vivilyn looked at the petite girl and smiled.

  “Let’s go,” she said as she shifted her gaze from Fiona to the large door. Vivilyn thought the red do
or to the Administrations Office was large, but this door was at least three times bigger.

  “You should see the front entrance to the palace,” Fiona said as they began to walk. The wheels of the luggage cart slightly squeaked behind them as Grey pushed it. “It’s one of the most magnificent things I’ve ever seen.” Vivilyn blushed. She hadn’t realized her amazement was so obvious.

  Fiona seemed to vibrate with excitement.

  “I can’t believe you’re here,” Fiona said, as she walked through the doorway. “I didn’t think I’d get to be part of a team this year, so when I got the letter it was so exciting. Now you’re here and I’m here and… Ohh! I’m just so thrilled about all of this!”

  Vivilyn almost asked about how she was picked or why she didn’t think she would be, but all thoughts vanished from her mind as she stepped into the building.

  Large windows to the left filled the hallway they entered with bright light that reflected off mirrors to the right. Although the walls were an off-white, the light glistened on silver trim all around the room.

  “The end of the Hall of Mirrors,” Fiona said with a huge smile, “I recommend avoiding it in the morning. You can’t see a thing because it’s so bright.” She stopped in front of two mirrors close together. She lightly touched the line between the mirrors and then backed up.

  “Doors,” Vivilyn said under her breath as she shook her head. The mirrored doors slowly slid open. “Do they use energy to open?”

  “Yes, but not any of the stored energy,” Fiona said as she took a step through. “There are underground springs that are constantly moving, and we harness that movement for different things throughout the palace. The technicians have been working hard to fix any of the kinks that happen since it’s still so new. Just a few weeks ago, three of the guards got stuck because it wouldn’t open.”