Chosen

by Shelby Hild

Vivilyn open her mouth as if to ask why he wanted to know, but instead just shook her head.

  “No, I’ve never kissed anyone else.”

  There were a few moments of silence as Adontus smiled at Vivilyn and then pat her arm like an old friend. Goosebumps formed where his hand met her skin. Vivilyn couldn’t explain why she was so uncomfortable with his touch.

  “I assume you help your parents with the orchard and the garden?” Adontus asked, changing the subject.

  “Yes, sir.” Vivilyn pulled lightly at the bottom of her blazer, then looked back over at Adontus, “Our family has rented the land there for generations. It has been a family affair to take care of it since before the Enchanted Trials were even devised. We are on the verge of being able to afford the rise in status forms to officially be able to own the land ourselves.”

  “That’s a long time to have your family in one spot. What about any extended family? Aunts? Uncles?”

  “Papa and Mama were only children, and I don’t know much about Papi’s and Nana’s family.” Vivilyn paused. Although she had vague memories of her grandparents on her father’s side, beyond knowing her name came from her grandmother and great grandmother, Vivilyn didn’t know much about Suzetta’s side of the family.

  “Well, when you aren’t helping your parents out in the shop or the orchard or the garden, what do you like to do for fun?”

  “I sketch.” She said quickly. “And I paint. I love to create new things. All the time.”

  “Any particular subject?”

  “Not particularly. Just what hits my mood for the time. I do a lot of landscapes, but sometimes I’ll draw portraits or animals or even just stuff I make up.”

  “Could you draw me?” Adontus posed with one hand under his chin, head tilted, looking at Vivilyn. It made he uncomfortable. No one had ever asked her to draw them before.

  “Um…”

  “Let’s get Lady Vivilyn something to draw with right now!” He yelled to the crowd. Noise started to rise as people tried to find something for Vivilyn to draw on and with.

  Her eyes opened wide. Did he really want her to draw him on camera?

  One of the people in the crowd approached and handed Vivilyn a clipboard with a blank sheet of paper on it and a charcoal pencil. She looked back over to Adontus who had resumed his pose.

  Vivilyn just stared at him for a moment, absorbing what he looked like. His cheekbones were high and his eyelashes were thick. His lips were wide and thin. One eyebrow was rounded with absolute precision while the other had two errant hairs pointing straight up. Although his complexion was smooth, he had slight circles under his eyes and a mole directly below his widow’s peak.

  Since it didn’t seem like he was going to continue the interview until she at least began to sketch, Vivilyn set the pencil lightly to the paper and began.

  There was no way people would be interested in watching her sketch, but Adontus let her keep sketching until she had finished a base of his face.

  “So, what do you think of Prince Aiden?” Adontus said. Vivilyn froze. Did he know they’d met?

  “What do you mean?” she said, careful to not look up from the paper.

  “Well, I assume you watched the choosing. Everyone did,” he said, leaning over the armrest to get closer to Vivilyn. “So, what do you think?”

  “He…” Vivilyn bit her tongue. “He’s very regal looking.”

  Adontus laughed. To Vivilyn, the laugh seemed forced, but since she didn’t know him, she couldn’t say for sure. No one else seemed to notice. In fact, they all laughed with him.

  “That is indeed a good description of most of those in the royal family,” Adontus said. “He’s rarely seen with so much as a hair out of place. I sometimes suspect that he’s perfect.”

  Vivilyn’s mind drifted back to the previous night when she’d startled him out of the tree. Hairs were definitely out of place then.

  She felt her cheeks begin to warm up. That wasn’t supposed to happen.

  The red light above the camera began to blink.

  “Oh phooey,” he said. “We are out of time.” He shook his head and patted Vivilyn on the shoulder, which caused more hairs to stand up straight on the back of Vivilyn’s neck. “That means it is time to say goodbye.”

  Vivilyn smiled at him, thankful that her first interview was almost over. She just had to make it through the farewells.

  “What last thoughts would you like to give our audience? Any parting words for the people of Etilidus?”

  “Um,” she said, looking up at the camera again. What should she say? What did Malcolm say? That people wanted to love her? She was the first person not of Rank to be chosen in a long time. It took a few moments to compose her words in her mind, “I… I am very thankful to be here and I hope that I can represent not only myself well, but I hope I can be a good representation of the people who’ve never even thought they’d have a chance to be here.

  “This is all new to me, the clothes, the people, the cameras. Up until a few weeks ago, I had never imagined coming to the capital, much less the palace. And I hope you bear with me as I learn to navigate these new waters. Perhaps, just maybe, this is the beginning of the rest of my life and I’m excited that so many people are going to be a part of it.”

  Chapter 9

  “You did well,” Malcolm said, as they were ushered out of the interview room.

  “Oh look,” a girl said. “It’s the peasant.”

  Vivilyn turned her head to see blonde girl sneering at her. She had blue eyes so pale they were almost clear and her skin was translucent.

  “Brayleigh,” a stiff-looking woman said sternly. “Keep moving, you’re not to interact yet. You know the rules.” The girl walked next to Vivilyn and ran into her with her shoulder.

  “Watch yourself,” Brayleigh said before she stormed into the room.

  “Lady Brayleigh,” Vivilyn heard Adontus say. “How pleasant to see you again.”

  “Oh, Donty,” the girl’s voice was so different, much lighter than it had been.

  As Vivilyn rubbed her shoulder, Malcolm led her back to her room. Then he left to go find out when and where the brunch would be held.

  “Don’t let anyone get you down,” Nell said after Vivilyn told the rest of the people in her room what happened. “These girls are just jealous.”

  “These people all want to win,” Tia said. “You are all technically here for the same reason: to win the heart of the heir to the throne.”

  “You’re not here to make friends.” Nell fixed the few strands of Vivilyn’s hair that were falling as she spoke.

  “But friends will make the whole process more palatable,” Andrea spoke up for the first time. The quiet woman looked over at Vivilyn and smiled. “Not all the women here will mesh well, but you will meet people who will become your friends. It’s just going to take some time.”

  “How do you know?” Vivilyn asked. “Have you helped someone through this before?”

  Andrea just smiled and looked away, before walking out of the room to find Malcolm.

  “She doesn’t talk much, does she?” Tia asked.

  “When you’re around, no one needs to talk much,” Nell mumbled just loudly enough for Vivilyn to hear. Vivilyn giggled.

  Once Nell and Tia finished touching up Vivilyn’s makeup and hair, Malcolm entered the room again with Andrea right behind.

  “Are we ready?” He asked as Vivilyn stood up.

  “Yes,” Nell and Tia said together. Vivilyn didn’t respond. The last time she’d said she was ready, she’d been wrong. How could she be ready for anything regarding the Trials?

  “Then let’s go meet Prince Bryton and the other Ladies in your group,” Malcolm said. He held out his arm for Vivilyn to take.

  “I’m not ready,” Vivilyn said, plopping back down into her seat. The pressure of hitting the chair aggravated the skinned part of her legs from where she flipped on the branch the previous night.

  “You’ll do fine,” Nell said. Tia n
odded her agreement.

  “Yeah, unless you totally offend Prince Bryton, get us all kicked out before even meeting Prince Aiden, bring shame not only on yourself but the enti—”

  “OUT,” Malcolm yelled at Tia. Vivilyn’s eyes had grown wider with each thing that Tia said. Her heart pounded and she was glad all she’d had to eat was a small bite of a pastry. Her stomach rolled, this time not hungrily. Vivilyn could hear Tia muttering about manners and yelling as Nell and Andrea led her out of the room.

  There’s so much more that could go wrong than even Tia knows, Vivilyn thought, attempting and failing to steady her breathing.

  Malcolm sat next to Vivilyn and took both of her hands in his. She didn’t want to look at him. She felt as though her guilt at both having already met the Prince and the knowledge of her visions would be visible on her face, even if she remained silent. But Malcolm sat still as stone, waiting for something.

  Vivilyn finally looked up.

  His eyes held hers, greener than brown in the sunlight beaming in from the open windows.

  “You will do fine.” He said it firmly, in a way that would brook no argument. It reminded her of her father.

  “But what if I don’t?”

  “Prince Bryton isn’t the one you need to impress. His opinion doesn’t matter. He’s just a host. And just the initial one at that.”

  “But—”

  “No buts.” He squeezed her hands. “Be you, that’s all we can ask. That’s all we want.”

  When Vivilyn opened her mouth to say ‘but’ again, Fiona walked in.

  “Excuse me,” she said as she moved into a curtsey. “The others are starting to walk to the lobby.” After she delivered her message, Fiona curtseyed once more and left.

  “Then we shall join them,” Malcolm said to Vivilyn. His smile seemed so easy, so relaxed. Vivilyn could only wish she could be as calm as he was. He stood up and offered his arm once again to Vivilyn. After she took two deep breaths, Vivilyn stood up and took his arm.

  Vivilyn and Malcolm exited the door at the same time Vivilyn’s noisy neighbor exited her room. She was short and her auburn hair was pulled back into a loose tail. The green jumper she wore looked specifically fitted for her frame with gold embroidery around her waist like a belt.

  The woman snorted at something a tall, gaunt man said and patted his back. When she looked up, her seafoam eyes glistened.

  “Hello,” she said loudly with a smile. “You are so pretty. And I love your jacket.” The woman straightened the front of Vivilyn’s jacket. “It looks so professional.” She giggled slightly as her manager approached and whispered something to her. “We are going to be on camera in less than five minutes. I can give her the compliments again then if you insist, but I’d rather say them now so she knows I mean it.” The girl winked at Vivilyn before she turned and walked hurriedly down the hall, leaving her manager rushing to catch up.

  “Who was that?” Vivilyn asked Malcolm as they continued along. The noise in the hallway was much less than it had been before, although the movement level was higher.

  “That was Lady Darissa,” Malcolm said.

  They walked in silence for a few moments before passing Lance and the other guard again. This time Fiona stood beside Lance while she said something that caused his cheeks to redden.

  “Hello, Lance, Fiona,” Vivilyn said with a smile. Both of them jumped slightly before saying hello.

  Malcolm and Vivilyn left the Chosen’s Wing again; this time they continued walking beyond the interview room. Although Vivilyn initially recognized the areas they walked in, very soon she was completely lost.

  They entered a large hallway that had portraits all around. There were guards underneath every eighth frame. At the end of the hall, one painting hung with a cover over it.

  “That’s the new still of Princess Elissa and her family, right?” Vivilyn asked. “The one Eric Cliftin took?”

  Malcolm nodded.

  “This is the main hallway of the Palace,” he said. “This place is easier to get lost in than a cornfield right before harvest. In fact, if you can master getting around this place, you’ll be a master at the maze outside.” Malcolm shook his head before continuing. “This hall runs the length of the palace’s public areas. When you get lost, ask one of the guards with the purple armbands. In fact, if you have any issues and none of your team is around, find one of these guards.”

  “It’s huge,” she said. She couldn’t see where the hall began. “What’s beyond there?” She pointed to the wall near the portraits of the current royal family. While looking at it, Vivilyn realized no one would be able to mistake any of the King’s children for someone else. They all looked so similar. It wasn’t just they all had the same hair, eyes, and smile. In the portrait, they all held themselves the exact same way. They all had the same small dimple in their right cheeks. Vivilyn wondered if she just saw parts of their faces, if she’d be able to tell who was who.

  “The main ballroom is beyond there, along with the throne room.” Malcolm replied.

  They crossed the hallway, which seemed wide enough for two carriages to travel down side by side. They moved down eight doors before entering another hallway, this one almost the size of an alley between buildings. Vivilyn could imagine the palace as an entire city with walls and a ceiling encasing it all as a measure of protection from the outside.

  As they walked, the smells of sizzling bacon and sweet cinnamon filled Vivilyn’s nose. She knew they had to be approaching the room where brunch would be hosted based on the scents alone.

  Malcolm released Vivilyn’s arm with a smile as they approached a closed double door.

  “Once you walk beyond this door, every moment of your life is going to be filmed. You will immediately be attached to a microphone which will consistently be on when you are with Prince Aiden or the other women. From here on out, your life is going to change,” Malcolm was looking directly into her eyes again, lines formed on his forehead.

  “As though my life hasn’t changed already?” Vivilyn smiled. She felt her lips twitch with her nervousness and hoped Malcolm had missed it.

  “It has. And it will continue to change. Just…” Malcolm sighed before continuing. “Remember who you are. And don’t let anyone convince you to be anyone but yourself. Now smile for the cameras.”

  With that, Malcolm opened the door to reveal a relatively small room full of people who all had some sort of unrecognizable equipment. A man in all black looked up as the door slammed closed behind them. He smiled and ran over to them.

  “Malcolm, it’s about time.” He looked Vivilyn over before handing her a small box that had a cord and a small bulb at the end. “Put that in one of your pockets, then we’ll attach the mic near your mouth.” She did as she was told and was pulled over to a table covered in papers.

  “She’s already signed all the waivers,” Malcolm said. Vivilyn remembered the entire training session where Malcolm had had her sign 87 forms about how she agreed to be filmed however long was needed, she didn’t have any allergies, she wouldn’t go crazy and murder everyone, and a bunch of other things.

  “These are new for these Trials,” the man said.

  “Let me look at those,” Malcolm pushed forward and picked up the stack the man gestured to.

  “Basically, it is acknowledging that you won’t tell anything that occurs here. You will follow the rules. And if there are any possibly dangerous secrets you have, then you need to tell them before entering that room.” The man put out a finger with each thing he said.

  Vivilyn countered the rules in her head, I will tell my family everything that occurs because I don’t keep secrets from them, I’ve already broken rules by leaving my room, and I have visions which you all would kill me as soon as you found out so I’m definitely not telling about those.

  “Hold on, I’m reading all the fine print,” Malcolm said. He held his hand up to stop the man from handing Vivilyn a pen, then he looked at Vivilyn. “If you learn only one thi
ng from me, it is never sign something without reading every word at least three times.” Then he looked back at the papers. “And if you don’t understand something in it, find a third party who does.”

  Someone opened the door behind them and Lady Darissa entered the room with her manager. Vivilyn didn’t know when they had passed the woman. She should have arrived before Vivilyn and Malcolm had.

  “Laura,” Lady Darissa said happily as a woman dressed in all black approached her. Vivilyn couldn’t hear what the other woman said back to Lady Darissa, but they hugged as Lady Darissa was handed a pen. Her manager was handed the papers.

  “Vivilyn,” Malcolm said, bringing her attention back to the forms in front of them. “This says that if you break this contract at all, you can be imprisoned or exiled. It’s all worded so oddly.”

  He shifted his attention back to the man in black. “Why have they added this? What happened?”

  “It’s by the order of Queen Boudica. Just a few extra securities since this is the Choosing for the next queen.”

  “It didn’t happen with the last Choosing for a queen.”

  “How would you know that?” Vivilyn asked.

  “It was my first Choosing as an aide. I remember everything about those Trials.” Malcolm pointed to the forms in his hand. “That includes the paperwork.”

  “It’s fine,” Vivilyn said. It says I can be imprisoned, not that I will be. Plus if they find out about my abilities, then I won’t have to worry about being exiled when I’m executed.

  “That’s exactly what a rule-following person with nothing to hide would say,” the man said with a smile as he handed Vivilyn a pen. “Plus, she has to sign it if she wants to continue.”

  “Well, that settles it,” she said.

  With a slight nibble of her lower lip, Vivilyn signed it.

  Why do I feel like that’s going to come back to haunt me?

  “Follow Shareen and wait for her to announce you,” he said, gesturing to a woman in a long red skirt and a white shirt. Malcolm stopped her before she could follow.

  “I leave you here,” he said, grabbing her shoulders tightly. “But know this: I believe you are going to take these Trials by storm.” He nodded with a smile then turned and left the room through a smaller door to the left.