Sebastian William Vanders
"I am a prince with no purpose..."
Silvers and Reds alike bowed into their deepest bows as their Prince passed them, but he walked without stopping to acknowledge them. The colors of different houses swirled around him; dark green for Tewors, canary yellow for Gilderstens, navy blue for Rowans. But the black of the guards stood out the most, their faces covered in masks with slits for eyes. Even with the Silver's amazing source of power, they still needed to be guarded like the cowards they were. Strongholds that could smash boulders with their hands, nymphs that could drown people as long as water was in sight, and his father that could cook a man from the inside with just a look still needed trained soldiers at every corner to make him feel at ease. Bastion was no different, for he too couldn't walk down the hallway in his own home without at least two guards by his side to feel safe.
The pair of them walked in silence together, weaving through the royal Silvers here for the Queenstrial. Most of them ignored the red servant following behind him, but a few raised their eyebrows or sneered as Cerise passed them, but no one spoke up about her being there. Servants fluttered in and out of the crowd, but they never stuck out long enough to be really noticed. A Red's job was to be silent, swift, and indistinguishable from other Reds. Cerise was hardly any of those, except maybe swift as she stuck close to Bastion's back. He could almost feel her pressed against him as she tried to keep up with his pace, and it seemed his step - mother noticed it, too. His father and his wife sat on top of the tallest stand, and they both turned to see the prince come to climb up the stairs leading to them with a servant in tow. His father's eyes rolled lazily away towards the middle of the courtyard where guards were places huge statues of marble for the girls to destroy but Catherine's eyes stayed glued to Cerise.
"Why is that in my booth?" She drawled, looking over to Sebastian for the first time. "Because my hand - maiden stays with me, as did Rochelle did when she had the postion," Sebastian said, taking the seat to the right of his father. He patted the seat next to him for Cerise to sit in, looking at her with inviting eyes. Her seat wasn't as plush as the royal seats, but it was cushioned and probably was nicer than anything she'd ever sat in. Well, maybe his bed topped the chair. Once they were settled a Red brought over wine for them to take, which the Queen took happily. Both men refused their drinks, and the Red scurried off so it wouldn't seem like they were offering any to Cerise. Faintly, he wondered if Cerise knew any of the Reds filtering around them but he pushed the thought from his mind. It was easy to accept things that were wrong if he didn't think about them, which is what he often did.
It wasn't much later that the Quuenstrail began, and his father's booming voice announced it was time to begin this little "talent show". The girls came in one at a time, showing off their different skills. Their were nymphs, ashes, shadows, dimensioners, but no one really cared until Isla stepped into the center of the courtyard. The girls weren't allowed to bring anything into the arena with them but themselves, but somehow Isla managed to smuggle a snake into the arena with her. The two played with each other for awhile, before the real dance began. The snake was no garden snake, and weighed at least as much as she did, but the things she was able to do to it just short of giving it little kisses was horrifying. Her poisons made the animal writhe and scream in the only ways a dying animal can, it's skin peeled away from it's flesh, and it frothed until it finally died from either suffocation or some other internal poison, but the crowd had been mesmerized. When the snake finally lay cold Isla looked straight up into the royal family's booth, smiled a fiendish smile and walked away. A shudder passed through Sebastian as he watched her leave, thinking of how he was going to have to marry that vile thing. His step - mother decided now was the time for her own little intervention, so she stood up and reached around to grab Cerise by the neck.
"All of these girls, these Silver girls, have every right to hold the title of queen. But, a queen must be ready to do anything. So I ask you, ladies, step forth. Who will have the courage to kill these measly red the Prince has picked as his new favorite maid? Who will step forth and take this prize, if it means the death of another. After all, a Queen most do what others cannot. And this is just a Red anyway, a pest that drains our resources as we continue to let them live. Now, who has what it takes to actually be a queen!" Catherine said, squeezing forcefully on Cerise's neck. Sebastian had stood up from his chair, eyes frantic as he looked from Cerise to the Queen. He couldn't stop his step - mother, she had so much more power and influence then he did, but he couldn't just let Cerise die.
The crowd murmured uneasily as they watched Cerise gasp in Catherine's hands, but none of them stopped Isla as she stepped forward to say, "Let me kill her."
