The large double doors at the end of the hall were pulled open by two men standing at attention in crisp red uniforms with gold braiding, their forms as rigid as the ceremonial pikes they held. A man with a long walking stick, his uniform more ornate than the guards, struck it twice on the marble floor with a sharp crack that echoed through the vast space. As if the sound of creaking hinges wasn't enough to silence the room, the women fell instantly quiet, their attention drawn to the newest arrival.
"It is time for the welcome ceremony. Please follow after me, princesses." The man, Patrick, noted with pleasure that no one seemed dead or injured yet. It was a far more pleasant start than previous years. If anything, these women seemed far more civilized. He smiled to himself as he turned to lead the way to the hall that would hold the future of many young women in this very room.
A shrill gasp escaped Lola's lips as she took in the sight of her charge. "Princess Daniela, I implore you to put on more clothes!" she cried, her voice a reedy whisper of disbelief. Daniela looked less like a noblewoman and more like an actress, a scandalous sight in this world. The other maids, Josephine and Ida, could only stare, their faces pale. Even a maid wouldn't dare to dress as brazenly as the Princess had chosen.
Daniela simply shrugged, refusing to indulge in their hysteria. She had cut out the many layers of stiff fabric from her hoop skirt, removing the cage altogether and freeing herself from its cumbersome weight. The once-sickly yellow dress now moved with her body, and she had even added a daring slit up her thigh to allow for easier movement. The V-neckline plunged lower than was acceptable, a hint of her pale skin on display. She had also pulled her dark green-black hair into a neat bun, with a few wavy curls framing her face, an unusual, unadorned style compared to the elaborate, jeweled updos of the other princesses. She had seen their whispers and questioning glances, and she couldn't have cared less. For the first time, she was comfortable.
"Keep talking, and I'll put on less," her voice came out in a sweet, singsong tone that made her maids instantly quiet down, their mouths snapping shut.
The procession began. Each princess walked in front of her three maids, their regal expressions as carefully constructed as their gowns. Daniela watched as some of the women moved, their dresses of shimmering, iridescent silks and satins rippling like water, hinting at a mastery of hydrokinesis. Others wore stiff gowns of crystallized fabric that glittered in the light, a tell-tale sign of their command over earthen magic. The maids' dresses were a simplified version of the princesses' outfits, showing a hint of their unique abilities as well. She noticed that some of the women had oddly colored hair, just like her own. Whatever this place was, it was definitely interesting.
The sound of hundreds of heels clacking on the stone floors echoed through the long, vaulted hallway as the parade of women made their way to the Grand Ballroom for the welcoming ceremony—the official start of the marriage market. The air buzzed with excited murmurs as they approached the grand archway. Princesses from all over the realm had gathered. This was their chance to make a name for themselves, to secure a future of power and luxury.
"How can so many tiny women sound like a herd of buffalo?" Jasper muttered to himself, leaning against the banister of the upper balcony. He scanned the tidal wave of women below, his eyes searching for one in particular. He wasn't sure if she would actually come. The current King had wanted to deny access to the Valerian youngest princess, but doing so would undoubtedly sour the relationship with her older sister, who was known to have a unique, once-in-a-millennia ability. His eyes, however, were not fixed on the eldest. He was fixated on the younger one. She possessed something he desperately needed. Something he would do anything to get.
He held his hand before his chest, concentrating. He watched as the black tendrils of smoke, the substance of his soul, bled from his core and swirled in front of his palm. His skin grew several shades paler, turning a ghostly white. The smoke was a heavy, velvety substance, its weight and texture as real as water. As his eyes glowed with the light of obsidian, he looked at the piece of himself that he had extracted. He tossed the ethereal orb over the balcony. It floated down, slowly forming into an opaque duplicate of himself.
Jasper closed his eyes, deciding to watch through the eyes of his fractured soul. The view was clearer, unfiltered by the physical world. He scanned the crowd, and near the back of the highborn women, he saw her. She was finally of age. He had waited ten long years for her to finally ripen, and he would not let her get away. His opaque form stood just to her left, its form imperceptible to anyone else. It reached out, not to touch, but to check if the precious belonging in her chest was still there. He watched as it glowed bright, as green as her hair, and a slow smile spread across his true body.
But the smile faded as he took a deeper look at the princess. Her soul was in flux. It was a maelstrom of energy, moving and shaping as if she were a newborn. Completely fresh to this world.
"Interesting," he muttered to himself.
Daniela shifted to her left. She could feel a subtle shift in the air, a cool weight that she couldn't see. Her eyes blurred for a moment, as if something was blocking her vision, but she knew something was very near.
The smile on Jasper's face returned as she made eye contact with his soul's creation. He could tell she was aware that something was there, that it was an obstruction to the natural order of things, but she was having a hard time making it out. He didn't want to give himself away too quickly. Extending his hand over the balcony, he called his fractured soul back to him. The opaque form dissolved into a tendril of black smoke, streaking back to his palm and re-entering his body. His skin regained its color, no longer ghostly pale, his body returning to a state of wholeness.
"How will I ruin you?" he wondered as he made his way to the Grand Ballroom, a new spring in his step. He had a princess he was dying to meet.