The Prince's Choice

Chapter 4: Ballgowns

Arabella's P.O.V

"Ball." I spat out, horrified by the idea of having to attended a masked ball with a bunch of strangers, when all I want to do is fall on my bed and sleep for hours.

"Yes, the first event of the competition. The King thought it would be a good way of easing everyone into the competition and also entice viewers." The King sounds like an i***t, I wanted to add, but I knew that would only lead to more drama which I definitely don't need right now.

"Okay Flo, I'll leave you too it. Make her look stunning. We need to make an impression, remember." Flo eagerly nodded, earning a soft smile from Xander, before he leaves the room.

"So Ari, we will deal with the rest of your wardrobe later, but for now we need a dress. Think of a dress, any style, any colour. We practically have every type of dress you could possibly imagine. Remember though, it's a masked ball so perhaps something dark and sexy. The Prince favours dark colours, to bright ones. He lives his life in the dark." I wanted to ask what she meant with her last comment, but she thrust a bunch of colour palettes and fabrics into my hand.

The fabrics and colours were making me feel overwhelmed from the hundred of choices and the fact that I have no clue about fashion and what looks good. I mean, I've been wearing the same shade of blue, and the same long dress shirt for 18 years now.

Eventually I gave up and told Flo that she could pick what she liked. She seem concerned at first, but once I explained that her fashion taste is probably a hundred miles better than mine, she was fine with that.

She seemed to be in her element as she explained in a great amount of detail the dress she wanted made. After, she joined me on the bed and offered me a glass of cold water, which I took hastily.

My mouth is so dry that it hurt to even speak but I was afraid of asking for water as stupid as it sounds. I'm still unsure of what my place is here, a guest, a royal, a girl from the sectors, the future queen.

This whole thing is mind-numbingly scary. The uncertainty of the future is beginning to settle in and I know for sure that I'll either be trapped within these walls or trapped with man.

"You can't even imagine how much fun you're going to have. Balls, beautiful gowns, lots and lots of food. You are one of few lucky ones." Flo carried on prattling about how lucky I am and how she would kill be in my place, which didn't help to settle my nerves.

I know girls would kill to be in my position right by now, Ivy being one of them. I also know they would kill to be queen and I have a feeling a few of my fellow competitors wouldn't mind a little blood shed if it meant scoring a place next to the future king.

After, she began to tell me all about her ambitions of opening up her own beauty parlour one day. Apparently she's a pro at styling hair and doing make up, making me silently thank Xander for getting Flo as my hand maiden, since I have no f*****g clue what to do with a makeup brush.

The door suddenly opened, making me jump, and in walked a small chubby woman, with a straight black bob and round glasses, framing her unusually large eyes.

"The dress. I'm very busy now so bye bye, I'm off." The woman had a funny accent and she dumped the bag on the bed, before dramatically leaving the room.

"Who was that?" I asked Flo, who was laughing under her breath.

"That was Celine, the royal dressmaker. She's very... dramatic and loud. She used to be an actor so I guess it's expected." I simply nodded and allowed Flo to push me into a chair, near the desk where all her supplies were.

She ran over to the bed and unzipped the bag, presumably to check the dress was up to her specifications. I tried to take a small peek at the dress but she closed it back up, before I could look.

"Okay, let's get you ready for the prince." Ahh this amazing all powerful prince, I still have no knowledge about, apart from his name is and he's apparently a major jerk.

First she applied some foundation, a shade darker than my actually skin colour, which made my complexion seem smooth and clear. Then, she applied some glittering dark blue eyeshadow, that morphed from into white as it approached my inner eye. She painted my lips a soft pink colour, not deriving too much from their natural colour, and layered on some thick lip gloss over it.

She skill-fully created a thick black wing with the eyeliner, drawing attention to my eyes. I'm guessing those were the main centre piece since she spent, what felt like, hours on them. My eyelashes were now a lot thicker and longer, thanks to the heavy amount of mascara she used, and my eyebrows were perfectly filled in.

She curled my raven tresses and then took the upper section of my hair and twisted it, before securing it down at the back of my head. She pulled two thick strands out, to frame my face, and left the rest of my hair to hang down my back.

When I looked into the mirror, I was taken aback for a moment. She had completely transformed me into someone else.

"You like?" She asked, a big grin plastered over her face. A wave of sadness washed over me, as I looked at her. She didn't deserve to be a slave, locked in the castle. She deserves a life, a happy one.

"Yes, it's amazing. You're really talented Flo." I praised and I could tell that my words meant something to her.

"Where did you get that? It's beautiful." She asked, pointing at my necklace. My hand immediately went up to it and a sad smile appeared on my mouth, as my mother came to mind.

"It's the last thing I have of my mother. I don't know much about her." Flo looked down, as if ashamed of asking.

"It's fine Flo, really. I don't mind talking about her." That seemed to make her feel a little better and she smiles at me.

"Why don't we see your dress now? I think you'll love it!" She squealed, and I was thankful for the change in subject.

I have to admit that it scared me how much more excited she is for this ball than me. I walked over to finally see this dress she kept raving about, when she stopped me.

"Close your eyes, I want you to be surprised." I sighed but complied anyway and she guided me into the dress, before pulling it up and carefully doing the zip. I ran my hands over the soft material, velvet maybe?

"Open them." The moment my eyes saw my reflection, I gasped. The dress was navy blue, the top half being darker than the bottom and it was strapless, with a deep plunging neckline. It was cinched at my waist, before flowing down beautifully, the bottom of the dress trailing along the floor. There was a slight cut in the skirt, which showcased my left leg perfectly.

Sure it may be blue and I'm definitely sick of blue, but it's still breathtakingly gorgeous.

"You look so alluring and sexy. There's no doubt in my mind that you will definitely catch the Prince's eye." The problem was that I don't to want to catch his eye, but nevertheless I kept a smile on my face for Flo's sake. I didn't want her thinking I disliked it after all she had done for me, because I don't, in fact I liked it.

I've never been so glammed up before, if only Lilia could see me now. She would have died over all the overwhelming choices of fashion. She always used to try and spruce up our bland dresses, even though I teased her about it constantly. Just thinking about Lilia made tears well up in my eyes.

"Oh Ari, are you alright?" Flo asked in concern, giving me a much-needed hug.

"Yeah, just thinking about the past." She pulled away and gave me a look of sympathy.

"Don't dwell on the past, you have to be focused on the future. There's a Prince waiting for you!" She beamed, trying to beoptimistic for my sake I'm sure.

"Yeah, and five other girls." I muttered angrily, under my breath.

"But he will only look at you. You're the epitome of beauty. He won't even look twice at the other girls and I know that if you try, you can win his heart." Do I even want to try? Why should I have to degrade myself to a pathetic desperate girl who needs a Prince to live, to be strong.

All I know is that from now on, I'm alone. It's me against the crown, and the world. I can't trust anyone in this place, even Flo, despite how kinds she is. I can't open up my heart to strangers and I can't let my guard down. Whatever this night brings, I have to be prepared for anything.

"You ready?" Xander asks as he pops his head through. Flo nods and begins to tidy up, whilst Xander strolls over and starts to inspect me.

"Wow, brilliant. I didn't think you could do it Flo and yet again you've proved me wrong. She really is gorgeous." I should feel a little insulted he didn't believe I could look good enough to win the Prince's heart, but I couldn't be bothered with such trivial matters. Not when my life is about to change completely.

"Remember, the mystery component means you won't know who's another competitor, a royal, or the Prince. You have to be careful and wary of who you interact with. Try and blend in if you can, or if the opportunity presents itself impress everyone. I'm sure with your beauty and this dress you can easily do just that." A blush threatens creep up on my cheeks, probably because I'm not used to being complimented so much, and I'm probably going to ignore his latter choice. Blending in seems just fine to me.

He pulled a black lace mask out of his pocket and put on my face so it fit perfectly. It matched well with the dress and as soon as Xander noticed the time, he grabbed my arm and began pulling me out the door.

We climbed into the elevator and he pressed the button marked one, before it shot off. He still kept ahold of my arm as we ran through the maze of hallways, the only people I saw were guards posted at every entrance and window.

My heart was racing with every step we took. I didn't know what to expect, or what to even do. I'll just try and stay out of everyone's way, I guess. That should work.

We finally stopped in front of a huge door guarded by four men, all with very stoic looks on their faces.

"The next time we see each other will probably be tomorrow morning. Flo will be in your room when you get back and help you get ready for bed." He spoke as if I was a child that needed a bedtime and then suddenly it dawned on.

"You're not coming in?" I asked, desperation wanting the answer to yes.

" No, I have work to do sorry. Okay, good luck and have fun." Xander gave a big smile and thumbs up, before pushing me through a set of large oak doors.