Dedicated to the person who saved me from writer's block. Thanks!

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The chandelier twinkled high above me, the ceilings sporting artistic masterpieces older than my grandmother's antique chess set and vaulted arches to support the aforementioned ceiling. Not only was the ceiling spectacular, but the smooth marble walls blended into the marble floor as if the walls were the floor positioned sideways. The confectionery of these chambers had my eyes bulging at the marvelous sight before me. I wish that I could gaze upon the paintings strewn on the walls for hours and decipher their mysteries.

It was indeed a splendid delight to a girl who had never been out much.

If only I didn't have to spend my time with stuck up royals who acted like they were 'la crème de la crème' and seemed immune or maybe ignorant from the beauty around them. I hoped I would never become spoiled like they were. Maybe, it was a blessing in disguise that I was raised with Aunt Fleur instead of these people.

"Danica, my dear! Come here!", my mother called me from my blissful thoughts and interrupted my quiet observation of those around me. I had determined to talk as little as I could around these people. They were but strangers to me and I felt as I were the one walking on eggshells, unaware of their customs, save what Aunt Fleur had said generally about royalty and the advice my mother had given before we left.

"Never lose your cool in front of these people.", she had warned when I was getting dressed in my ballgown.

"These are my relatives, mother...", I started saying before I was cut off.

"Yes, but they don't know you. Regardless of being family or not, these people of the court can destroy your reputation and rip into shreds with less than a single blink or nod of the head.", she seemed angry at this last part as if this subject was personal to her. Did she have experience dealing with gossipers and loose wagging tongues?

"I've had to practically prevent the kingdom from self-destruction from within for about as long as I can remember. Even when I was not married to the king, I had to watch my back and have all the right moves. Any misstep could cause a potential coup and create chaos.", she spoke with authority on this issue, revealing a tiger of a mother I had not met before in my 16 years of life.

Clearly, I had misjudged my mother as of late and decided to listen on to her last piece of advice.

"One more thing, always remember that though your father rules the kingdom as king, he is a diplomat to the outside world only. An analogy would be if our kingdom is the house, he is the lawnscaper/outdoor maintenance man while I am the housekeeper. If there is anything, I mean anything that troubles you, please come to me for help. I will help you to the best of my ability, alright?", she stated and I hugged her for good measure.

Back in the present time, I fiddled with my ballgown, amazed at how the dress came out after the seamstress took my measurements.

My gown was white and long, probably to represent innocence and purity. I just hoped it would stay that way once I met with the bachelors of aristocracy.

"Danica, this is your cousin, Count Von Braun, he hails from Denmark and is very pleased to make your acquaintance.", she introduced him to me.

"It is my indeed my pleasure to make your acquaintance and the queen is very kind to invite me here.", he curtsied, I held my hand out and he kissed it. Ew, he was a disgusting man for sure.

After he left, I drew my attention to my mother's face and determined to ask the question that was troubling me now.

"Why did you introduce me to him? He seems like a masochistic pig if you ask me."

"He had been eyeing you for some time since you got here. It was either I introduce you or he would introduce himself first. Now that he knows he's related to you, he'll stop his advances. He maybe several things, but he's clever enough to know when to back down.", she stated.

Knowing that my mother was right, albeit I did not let her think I was surrendering to her whims just yet, I asked her to fill me in my family history and the characters that filled this grand ballroom.

She explained to me about her side of the family coming from England and my dad's side of the family being from Denmark. The cousin must be one of dad's relatives then. That is just priceless, really.

While I was speaking to my mom, I noticed some of the nobles had stopped their chatter to stare directly at me.Suddenly, a woman came over to where we were.

"Pardon Madame, could I speak with...", the pompously dressed lady started.

"Its your majesty. I am queen after all.", my mother commented.

Way to go, mom! Standing up for herself amid these petty self-entitled nobles. Wait, did I call her mom?

"Oh, forgive me your majesty, I apologize for my...indiscretion.", she said in place of saying sorry to the queen.

My mom brushed it off and asked her to continue with what she had planned to say.

"Well, is it true still that your daughter that will continue with her engagement with the fairy prince? Though she has been away from the public eye for such a while, the alliance with the fairy kingdom will still continue as the king had told our people it would at her christening."

Never had I seen my mom so furious at another person. Her temperament was cheerful, a smile accompanied her face and her voice was soothing when she spoke again.

"That alliance does not exist at this time. Thank you."

She dragged me away gracefully.

"What did she just say?"