Gemma smiled as her citizens cheered from below her quartz balcony. They were celebrating from the news of Princess Gemma Green hosting a ball that all of her citizens could attend in order for the other four kingdoms royal children to attend for her 16th birthday. Turning on the microphone to make her voice more audible she continued, her melodic and soft voice filling the kingdom and silencing her citizens.

     “Be sure to dress in your most extravagant clothes! It will be held exactly in a week", and with that note, Gemma floated back inside her sparkling palace. Although she was the princess, she never looked down upon others. She loved the citizens who crowned her the ruler of their naturally green country. She scanned the many scrolls that were scattered over her dark oak wood desk. They were lists of information concerning the princesses and princes of the four other neighboring countries.
She narrowed her wide sparkling green eyes, furrowing her eyebrows in concentration.

     "Prince Braxton of the Blue Kingdom, the country is mostly ocean, noble, and fair"

     "Prince William of the White Kingdom, land is covered in snow, 'kind'?, secretive.."

     "Princess Ryline of the Red Kingdom, the kingdom is filled with redwood forests, fierce, and fair, but strict."

     "Princess Yazmin of the Yellow Kingdom, that is mostly desserts, spoiled rotten, and  always refuses unless she gets her way.."

     "Prince Yin of the Yellow Kingdom, complete opposite of his twin sister, mellow and kind."

     She finished analyzing her future ball guests before there was a soft knock at her pristine white doors.

     "Come in", she called softly. A short plump woman walked in, holding a tray carrying a colorful salad, and a raspberry tea. Smiling she laid the tray beside Gemma's work desk and bowed. Just as she started to walk away, she turned back around to face Gemma.

     "Princess Gemma, your lovely hair must get in the way of your work.. would you like me to put it up for you?", she asked her warm brown eyes showing uttermost sincerity.

     "Only if it wouldn't be a hassle for you, Miss Nelli", Gemma replied.

     "Nonsense! It'd be an honor for me to help you!”, she grabbed Gemma's hair brush and began to stroke her silky pale blonde hair. Her long and wavy hair was soft and shone with each brush. After she was done untangling her extravagant hair, Miss Nelli picked up two large strands of white silk ribbon and tied Gemma's hair into two low pigtails.

     "Thank you Miss Nelli" And with that, she bowed and left, slowly shutting the large door behind her. She was finally alone, in her room that was far too big for herself. She sat up, ignoring the lack of weight on her shoulders, left by her hair. Gemma heard murmurs outside her door, probably from the guards changing shifts. She took a glance at her clock that rested a good five feet above her on her pastel green walls. Okay, after eating I'll go to bed, and wake up early for my dance lessons tomorrow, she thought. Taking a bite of her salad, she smiled as each flavor burst on her tongue. She finished her meal in no time and left her table. She danced her way to her restroom, and with each twirl and dip she took, her short flowing dress floated up. Turning on the faucet to her bath, she waited for the warm crystal clear water to fill up her tub. Her eyes wandered, until they rested on her reflection in her wide rectangular mirror. Her wide green eyes were staring at her, as if a cat were staring at a new toy. She had long and thick eyelashes, that made her eyes seem wider than they really were. Her porcelain pale skin was soft, and the only thing that really looked odd about her skin was that there was a faded, but still noticeable horizontal scar below her right eye. Her hand slowly moved to touch the scar unconsciously. Only when her slim finger slightly brushed against it did she pull it away. The bathroom began to fog up, and the sound of water trickling brought Gemma back to reality, and she began to strip. She dipped herself into the bath and closed her eyes, thinking of the day that sealed her fate. That day, Gemma was seven, when everything changed. She had just gotten back from a neighboring county to play with the princess and prince there. She entered the palace, her long teal hair curled and in two high twintails. There was nobody in the throne room. Not her smiling father, not her caring  mother, and not her beloved older brother. It was silent, too silent, so she decided to go look for them. She searched each room, finally glancing at the last wooden door at the end of the corridor.
She creaked open the door, the floorboard beneath her squeaked. Her eyes widened in fear and shock. Gemma saw each of her loving family members, tied in a separate chair. Each member was bruised and injured, as far as she could tell. There was a cloaked figure in the room standing in front of them, with their arms crossed.

     "Alright, now tell me, where is Princess Gemma?", they sneered. Gemma could tell that they were male based on their deep and husky voice. Her tiny hands trembled, and covered her quivering mouth. The man walked over to her brother, and gave him a good punch in the face, making him fall over. Her mother and father screamed in protest, but refused to answer about Gemma's whereabouts. Her brother's deep blue eyes made eye contact with her green ones and they widened in shock. His hair was a darker shade than Gemma's, but at this point she couldn't tell what color it was. It was matted to his ghostly pale face, covered in dirt and blood. She couldn't take the sight in. Where were the guards, she scrambled to her feet. But than she began to wonder if she were wasting time by looking for a guard. She needed a weapon to fend for herself and her family. She ran across the castle, careful not to make too much sound looking for a sword. Gemma and her brother protested against her parents in order for them to let Gemma join her brother in his fencing lessons, a couple years before. They eventually gave in and signed Gemma up, so she trained hard every day until she surpassed her brother and their mentor. She reached her training room and grabbed multiple swords for her family. She raced back, praying that her family was okay. Eventually, she reached the room out of breath, and pushed open the door, in a fighting stance. The cloaked figure turned to her, shock written over his face, but then he quickly replaced it was a look of devious joy. Her family stared at her, obviously scared for her.

     "Gemma, get out of here!", her father yelled.

     "Gemmalina, run! Save yourself!", her mother cried, tears streaming down her face.

     "No! Please let Gem go!", her brother pleaded.

     "Shut your mouths will you?!", the man screamed, an ominous silence filling the room.

     "What do you want with my family?!",
Gemma cried, narrowing her emerald green eyes.The man held his stomach and cracked up laughing. Gemma felt sick to her core, and ignored the knot forming in her stomach. He wiped a fake tear off before smirking mischievously.

     "What I want is not your family sweetie..", he cooed. "I want you..."
Gemma will never forget the way he smiled at her. She tried her best to rescue her family, but she couldn't. In the end, the man cut her on the face and set the castle on fire, but as he did her brother grabbed her and ran out. That day, the castle went down engulfed in flames, taking the lives of King Gerald and Queen Gen. Days later, her brother passed away due to starvation, illness and guilt. Now, Gemma lives with the guilt of knowing that she could've saved her family. Her eyes flashed open, and she realized she was still in the bath. She wiped away the tears that were streaming down her face. Nobody could see her vulnerable like this. She quickly washed herself and left her bathroom, her eyes a little red and puffy from crying. She flopped herself onto her giant bed, basking in the pillows and blankets that covered her. Slipping into her slumber, she couldn't wait for her dance lesson. Gemma rose up from her messy bed and stretched, her long hair had fallen out of her hair ties. She grimaced at her morning breath, so she dashed to the bathroom and washed her hair and brushed her teeth. Slipping on her lace-y pastel blue gown, she walked through the building, brimming with pure excitement for her dance lesson. Long hours passed as Gemma twirled to the music with the help of her instructor. She never really had experience dancing due to a supposed 'priority mishap'. But she easily got the hang of it. Apparently, performing arts and all other forms of 'art' ran in the family. After her oh-so graceful lesson, she slipped on her slightly heeled white flats and skipped out of the castle with her head in the clouds. Gemma loved interacting with her citizens instead of moping around her empty castle. On certain occasions, she'd take out the orphans for a day at the market and have fun with them. Today, just so happened to be one of those days. She skipped across the rocky pavement, hand in hand with two of the younger children of the five. Once they got to the market place, she bought them healthy fruit, and took them to one of her favorite boutiques to get them new pajamas and new everyday wear. This was a normal thing, she would visit the orphanage three times a week, alternating between the orphans on who would get to go. Singing a happy tune with the five little munchkins, she climbed up the pale cemented stairs to the orphanage and smiled as the frail woman who ran the place opened the door and smiled gratefully at her.

     "Now what do you say to Princess Gemmalina kids?", she cooed. All of the children looked at Gemma simultaneously and cried out in sync.

     "Thank you Princess Gemma!". She felt her pale face flush. Kneeling down, she hugged each and every child before sending them back inside.

     "Thank you again Princess", the woman started, her eyes glossing over. "You have no idea how much this means to me.."

     "Don't worry about it, Miss Copper. It's my absolute pleasure to see all of them", Gemma coaxed, and smiled genuinely. Gemma waved her the final goodbye, and skipped down the stairs, humming the song that would be played at her ball. She closed her eyes, imagining her grand ballroom filled to the brim with people in suits and fancy gowns. She twirled and danced as several street musicians began to play the kingdom's favorite tunes. Soon, even bystanders had joined her in her dancing. This was a normal thing for the Green Kingdom. To interact with her citizens, Gemma would always go down to the town center and dance with her people, shedding all traces of worries and cares. In the middle of dancing, Gemma was twirled a bit too far to the left, and ended up crashing into a tall and lean boy that looked to be about her age.

     "Ah! I'm so sorry! Are you alright?", she exclaimed, her voice dripping with concern. The boy smiled at her, his pale cerulean blue eyes filled with amusement.

     "I'm alright, but do you know where I can find the castle?", he asked curiously. Shaking his head, his midnight black hair swayed in the soft, quiet drafts that filled the kingdom. "I um.. kind of got lost and was swept up here", he chuckled softly.

     "Oh I see, if I may ask, but why do you wish to find the castle?", Gemma questioned curiously. It was rare for her to get guests. Especially young, and well dressed boys, let alone her subjects.

     "Well er..", he clearly paused, hesitating to answer. "I'm here for the ball.. I received an invitation"

     What?.. I don't remember inviting this man..

     "I'm sorry, you must be mistaken! The ball is next week", Gemma answered softly. She really didn't want to be the one to break the news. Especially since this man looked foreign, and extremely formally dressed with a navy blue blazer with dozens of badges decorating its chest, a white collared shirt, and white dress pants with a well-decorated sword hanging at his side. His blue eyes widened in shock, but soon turned into distraught.

     "Oh no! I had no idea! What am I supposed to do now!", he hissed, running his hands through his hair stressfully. Gemma smiled at him.

     "If you'd like, I can escort you to the castle!"

     "Really?! Thank you so much! I may be able to talk to the princess about this mishap! How is she by the way? I've heard her beauty and kind nature is one of the prides of this kingdom!", he exclaimed. Gemma's face flushed in embarrassment. Too bad he will probably treat her different once he learns her true identity.

     "She's.. 'well'? I suppose..", Gemma replied uncertainly, picking up her pace a bit. They arrived a few short moments later, and he paused to take a gander at the tall cream castle.

     "Wow.. Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'll have to repay you for your kindness. If you ever visit the blue kingdom, ask to see Braxton Burin, Prince of the Blue Kingdom", he murmured. Gemma's breath hitched.

     "O-Oh, I s-see.. Um.. I'll see you later the-". She had no idea that this was Prince Braxton, he saw her and she wasn't even being proper at all in front of him! Oh, if her mother were alive, she'd scold Gemma. Gemma began to stammer, but before she could finish her sentence, a shrill voice rang and pierced the air.

     "Princess Gemma, is that you? Oh! Who's your guest?", a maid asked as she stepped out of the gleaming castle and out onto the patio. Gemma froze, not knowing what to do. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Braxton's head whip towards her and stare as if she had grown three heads.

     "H-Hello Ms. O'Niell.. I um.. Have a guest? Would you be able to prepare a guest room?", Gemma stammered nervously. The maid nodded, and trotted back into the castle, yelling out some commands to the others. The silence between the two was dreadfully awkward.

     "I had no idea you were the Princess..", Gemma heard him mumble. She bit her lip, a bad habit she does whenever she got extremely nervous.

     "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you were the Prince of the Blue kingdom", she apologized. As realization dawned upon her, she began to burst out in fits of giggles. He stared bewildered at her for a while, until he too began to chuckle along with her. Days passed, and Gemma and Braxton got to know each other and become friends, until the night of the ball finally was upon them.

    Gemma's sparkling green eyes fluttered open as sunlight peered into her room from her balcony. Today was her birthday, the day she'd be hosting a ball. Ever since Braxton had embarrassingly shown up a week ago, he had stayed in a guest room instead of having to make the awful trip back. Gemma wasn't that bad of a person. She swung her extremely pale long legs over her bed and ran across her room, scanning for a suitable dress to wear in order to look appropriate for a speech she was forced to be giving, a couple hours before the ball. Her eyes settled on a pearl white dress with lace sleeves and a long train of lace following behind her. Several maids hurried in and started up a bath for her, wishing her a happy birthday.

"Thank you ladies, you may leave if you wish!"

"Oh no Princess! Today is your birthday! We must help you get ready!", they exclaimed and scurried off to assist Gemma. She smiled thankfully, as they helped her in the bath and assembled her outfit for the day. Gemma was supposed to wear the dress she had picked from earlier with a cream sash, cream heels with gems dotting the front, a crystal headband that dipped across her forehead, and bracelets and necklaces that would soon adorn her pale skin. By the time she had finished getting ready, she was already exhausted from the nerves attacking her. Gemma let out a quiet sigh as the one of the smaller maids begrudgingly had just finished applying blush to her ivory skin.

"Thank you so much, Emilia", Gemma cooed out softly. Emilia's eyes shot up and widened in surprise.

"Your Highness, you know my name?", her voice wavering, as if she were afraid, and lowered her gaze.

Gemma's forest green eyes softened, and used her frail hand to lift the young girls head to meet her eyes.

"Of course I know your name, I know everybody's name. Don't treat me any different of how you'd treat your friends, okay?" Emilia's eyes were as big as saucers, but crinkled as a large smile finally graced her lips. She bowed and left the room, as Gemma could finally breathe in her appearance.

"Well, I guess the stories of your kindness weren't just rumors", a deep voice called out from the open door. Gemma's head shot back and was face to face with Braxton, all dressed up in his formal wear with badges and metals decorating his chest. His sword was tucked in its sheath and by his side. On his bed of styled jet blue hair rested his kingdoms style of a crown, made with navy blue crystals, and the finest of metals. Gemma chuckled slightly, heat rising to her cheeks. She stood up from the stool, and gracefully floated over to Braxton.

"Shall we leave now to the ceremony?", Braxton teased.

"We shall", Gemma smirked, as she placed her hand in the one that Braxton offered her. They walked together down into the ballroom that the castle contained. Several noblemen and women that served in her court were here, but nobody from neighboring countries were present to hear her speech. Several came up to her, congratulated her, bowed to her, talked to her. Just the normal things. Until one frail hunched over woman came up to her and Braxton with a sorrowful look gracing her face.

"Hello, Gemma dear.. Happy birthday, sweetie. I'm sure Gerald, Gen, and Gean would be so proud of you..", her delicate voice whispering to Gemma. Gemma's eyes widened, and tears started to pool in. She nodded anyway, and kept the tears in, ignoring the curious looks she got from Braxton.

"Thank you Grandma..", Gemma croaked, hating her voice for cracking. Her grandmother bowed and hobbled away. Letting out an exhausted sigh, she turned to Braxton and put on the biggest smile she could muster. Based on his face, he wasn't convinced, nor happy. She waved it off, and smiled as a bright light suddenly shot on her. Smiling and waving at the crowd was a simple task that required little to no skill. However projecting her speech confidently would be, somehow she managed just fine.

"Thank you all for supporting me throughout the years of my reign. I truly do hope you'll continue to stick with my till my end, and the day this beautiful country is destroyed. I wish you all to have a lovely afternoon and to please enjoy the ball in a few hours..", with that being said, Gemma and Braxton left to mingle with other guests a bit more and become more acquainted with each other than they had in the past week. She ended up learning that they actually had quite a lot in common, and just like her he had also lost his brother, but not his parents. Laughter and cheers were shared at her noon ceremony by her distant relatives, Braxton, and some others who held a title in her court. But soon, hours passed and it was time for her ball.

"Your Highness, you look absolutely stunning!!", several of Gemma's maids cried out, clapping their hands together. Gemma had changed earlier into a pastel mint dress with lace decorating the bodice and the sleeves, more lace and silk hemming the bottom edges of her dress. Her long and silky hair was put up into a long and absolutely dazzling braid, with jewels and flowers decorating her head. On her ears were a pair of sparkling tear drop silver and emerald dangling earrings. Across her forehead laid a golden and silver flower crown-like head piece, adding to her finished look. Her maids squealed and clapped her hands together as Gemma stood from the stool. She smiled, and bowed gracefully towards them, showing her respect. A few tears were shed by them as they scurried off to try and get ready for the ball themselves. Gemma left her lonely room and roamed her castle, her crystal cream heels clicking against the pristine quartz floor. With each door she passed, she grew more fond of having a celebration, only because of the noise that filled the once lonely castle. She paused as she caught up to Braxton's guest door, and gave it a few solid knocks. He slowly opened the door, and Gemma was left slightly surprised. His blue hair was gelled up and to the side a bit. His neck was bare, except for the white collared shirt that was left extremely dominant  due to the navy blue blazer he wore over it. More medals hung on the fabric of the blazer, shining gold and silver as he moved. Once again, he had his sword hanging at his side. Braxton's face wore a gleeful and excited look, matching Gemma's. He bowed and offered her a hand, to which she gladly took it. Together they made simple conversation as they made their way to the ballroom. As they opened the doors, a tall man with a red vest cried out their arrival.
"Please welcome to the ball; Princess Gemmalina Green of the Green Kingdom, and Prince Braxton Burin of the Blue Kingdom!" As the words left his mouth, more than three-quarters of the people in the room turned to face them and bowed. Gemma's face flushed and curtsied back, while Braxton bowed back. They nodded towards each other and didn't leave each other's side as they joined in the celebration. Soon, the announcer began to call out more.

"Please welcome to the ball; Prince Yin Yelle and Princess Yazmin of the Yellow Kingdom!"

"Welcome Princess Riza of the Red Kingdom!"

"Welcome Prince William of the White Kingdom, to the ball!"

And so the story began, all with the arrivals of royalty.

    Gemma smiled as the princesses and princes of the neighboring countries she had worked with for years came into her sight. Each had very distracting features. Yin and Yazmin had sun kissed blonde hair, and a pair of dazzling honey brown eyes, although Yin seemed more relaxed where as Yazmin was ogling the room and Braxton. Riza was off, scanning the surroundings and people, while William made a simple conversation with Braxton. Riza's ember flamed-colored hair was shoulder-length, and left alone. On top of her head sat a silver tiara, confidently showing off a ruby gem in the middle. William had white blonde hair, in contrast to his steel onyx eyes with a shining steel crown, adorning several cuts of diamond onto it. All of them wore outfits resembling the color of their country; Riza wore a red dress with jewels decorating the two shoulder sleeves, Yazmin modeled a pale yellow glowing dress with mini crystals adorning the belt around her waist and shoulders. The boys attire was quite similar, just with a gray blazer, white collared shirt, and a darker shade of gray pants for William, and Yin wore a pale yellow tie, matching with his sister. Along with the tie, he wore a navy blue blazer and black dress pants, with a dull expression in his honey colored eyes. Gemma was immediately intrigued by Yin, with his eyes, and hair, and just the way he carried himself. She thought that he was really attractive, and it wouldn't hurt to admit that her heartbeat increased drastically whenever he was near her.

"Yin!~", Yazmin started to whine, pouting her bottom lip. "I want some more of that lemon citrus tart they had!! Go get it for me!", she demanded. Yin's facial expression exposed none of his emotions, as he left to fetch his sister a tangy pastry. Yazmin spun around and sauntered over to Braxton, William, Riza, and Gemma. Gemma noticed that she specifically placed herself in between herself and Braxton.

"So, Prince Braxton- is it alright if I call you Braxton? Okay Braxton, so how is-..", Gemma

blocked out the rest of Yazmin's words as she placed her hand on Braxton's shoulder. She felt her gaze slowly starting to follow Yin as he tapped a servers shoulder to grab a pastry. Tingles shivered down her spine as she stared. She immediately turned around to see who had been looking at her.

Braxton.

She sent him a reassuring smile, much to Yazmin's dismay.

"I'm afraid I'll have to leave for a bit.. Excuse me..", she excused herself and walked over in the general direction of where she last saw Yin. Gemma already knew that she was drawn, in some kind of way, to Yin, and where ever he was, she had to be. She instantly spotted her among the crowd, with his glossy blonde hair, holding a platter of orange tarts, he was kind of hard to miss. She noticed the panicky way his bronze eyes darted from person to person once his sister was out of sight.

How cute, Gemma thought. Must be nice to have a sibling who cares for you.. She sighed when she realized that her longing to live in a large, empty, and lonely castle was as good as none. But what choice did she have? Gemma has no living relatives, aside from her grandmother, who refused to live in the place where her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson perished. She shook her thoughts away from her mind, and walked over to Yin.

"Hello, Prince Yin. Are you enjoying the ball?", Gemma asked curtly, trying to be casual about the whole ordeal. His eyes lowered down to meet hers, since he stood a good foot above her. They looked alarmed, as if he was surprised to see her talking to him.

"O-Oh, yes. Thank you Princess Gemma.", he replied hesitantly, and bowed. Gemma smiled at his little graceful bow.

"No need to be so formal!", Gemma said through her little chuckle. Yin's face flushed pink as he began to nervously fidget. He had never been approached by anybody, much less a princess, other than his own sister. Yin didn't know if Gemma was like Yazmin, spoiled and snobby. But Yin loved her all the same. All they had was each other, and they promised to be there to support each other till their demise. Yin stole a glance at Yazmin, who was earnestly and whole-heartedly chatting with Braxton, who seemed rather reluctant to talk with her. Yin noticed that Braxton would often steal little glances their way, his cerulean eyes focused on the tiny girl in front of him. Yin wasn't sure how he felt about it, especially since Yazmin was over there practically pouring her heart out to the man she admired from afar for seven years.

"So, Prince Yin, how's the trading port doing in the Yellow kingdom?", Gemma asked Yin eagerly, making sure to make direct eye contact. Yin was definitely surprised. He didn't think he'd be telling anybody about how he and his sister ruled, mainly himself, but somebody was actually interested in his accomplishments for once. Usually they'd be after money and power. 'They' being absurd men and women courting Yin and Yazmin. Gemma's green eyes brightened as Yin smiled genuinely for the first time since he came. They ended up talking for a long time, until Yazmin and Braxton came over to them.

"Yin! What's taking you so long just to get me a piece of desert?", Yazmin snapped, shooting a little glare at Gemma. Yazmin hated the way that Braxton looked at her, and now she was pretty sure that Yin was looking at her the exact same way. What was so good about Gemma? Yazmin thought that she was definitely pretty, but the scar on her cheek decreased her beauty, in Yazmin's opinion. Yazmin stole a glance to her left at Braxton, who wasn't even paying attention to her anymore. The blue eyes that Yazmin had fallen in love with at first sight seven years ago were off in space; mesmerized by Gemma. Out of the corner of her eye, Yazmin spotted Riza dancing to the music in William's arms. She suddenly had a idea.

"I know! Braxton, would you like to come dance with me?", Yazmin cooed, tugging at his arm. His eyes darted over to Gemma and let out a quiet sigh. He knew that he couldn't exactly say no to her, that'd be considered rude, and Braxton was anything but rude.

"I suppose..", he replied, rather hesitantly. She smiled and dragged him over to the dance floor, leaving Yin and Gemma to stand by themselves. Yin let out an awkward cough.

"S-So um, do you want to?.. dance?", he asked shyly. Gemma practically started glowing at his request and immediately nodded her head. Yin smiled and offered her his arm, to which Gemma gladly responded by taking it and letting him swing her over to the dance floor. Yin danced with Gemma in his arms, not noticing the way Braxton stared so longingly at her. Not noticing the way Yazmin glared so hatefully at Gemma. Not noticing the way his own feelings began to jumble up at the sight or mere thought of Gemma. During their talk, he got to learn more about her. He learned about her past, her actions, how she ruled, and how she genuinely loved her people. He loved and admired the way she looked to them, as if they were a third parent or child, waiting or giving advice to or from her.

"So Yin, tell me about yourself", Gemma inquired. Yin looked puzzled, and then amused.

"Haven't we been talking about ourselves all night, Princess?", a slight smile dancing on his pale lips. Gemma gave him a small smirk, his heart beat started to increase.

"You mean we've been talking about me; tell me more about you!", she teased. Yin raised his eyebrows, but complied with her wish anyway.

"Well, my name is Yin Yelle and I'm 17 years old. Yazmin is my twin sister.. uh. Yeah", he chuckled nervously. Gemma laughed and smiled as he continued to twirl her around. Out of the corner of Gemma's eye, she could see everybody starting to partner up and dance their way into the room. The lights reflecting off the crystal chandeliers dangling from the painted high ceiling of the room. The orchestra played music that easily bounced off the walls and contributed to the party's atmosphere. Everything seemed perfect, magical even. Gemma couldn't keep the smile off her face as she swayed to the music. Everything was perfect, absolutely perfect.

Until it wasn't.

The music was suddenly cut off by the sound of skin hitting skin; a slap. Everybody turned to look at the direction from where the sound came from.

Braxton was holding his cheek, his bangs falling into his face and covering his eyes. Almost as if it closed up a curtain or a door to his emotions. Yazmin stood next to him, her arm still crossed over her chest from the slap, tears threatening to pool down her eyes. She didn't dare to let them fall. She spun on her heel and pushed her way out of the crowd, making sure to especially push  Gemma out of the way. Gemma had no idea what had happened. She was puzzled beyond belief, so she ran over to Braxton to check if he was okay. As she ran over to Braxton, Yin bolted out of the castle to follow his sister, whom was clutching her arms and full out sobbing. Yin was shocked, and quickly hugged his sister in an attempt to comfort her. She pushed him away, her blonde bangs falling in eyes. She looked up him, clenching her jaw in pure hatred and despair.

"This isn't how it was meant to be. This is war. Prepare the kingdom, Yin", Yazmin called out, her hand in a fist as she stormed away to the carriage. Yin's face paled.

He couldn't let this happen, could he?

He couldn't let this war go on for such a stupid reason, Gemma didn't deserve it.

Yazmin paced around her pastel cream colored room, the sound of her heels clicking against the stone flooring. The only sound that filled her room was the grinding of her pearl white teeth and shoes against the floor. She was deep in thought, wondering how she would actually start this war against the Green Kingdom. Her clenched fists were shaking with rage. Did Gemma really believe she could get away with this? Not only seducing the love of her life, but her twin brother as well? Yazmin screamed in frustration and threw one of the chairs she had decorating her room at her painting of Braxton she had made years before. Her tears were streaming down her face, letting all the sadness of her heart break open. All she could do was cry ever since she had gotten back from the ball. She refused to talk to anybody, and locked herself away in her room.
"Yazmin? Can I come in?", Yin's voice called out to her from her door. Yazmin stood, hugging herself and let him in. Yin was shocked and hurt to see Yazmin like this. Growing up, all they had was each other. He made it his job to protect her no matter what.

"..Yin"

"Please don't be sad Yazmin, I'll do anything to make you happy. Please..", Yin pleaded, taking his twin's hands in his own. Yazmin searched Yin's brown eyes for any hint of trickery, but only found genuine concern. Suddenly, she had a sick and twisted idea. It would definitely hurt Yin, but Yazmin knew that it was only pure infatuation.

"You'll do anything? To make me smile, correct?", Yazmin said slowly, trying to see where his loyalties were. Yin gulped, but nodded, wanting to please his sister.

"Promise me that you'll do anything. Royal promise me." Yins eyes widened. He knew he couldn't break a royal promise; it'd be punishable by death.

"..I promise, Yazmin." She smiled mischievously internally.

"Then, I want you to prepare the soldiers for war".

No..

"We will attack their kingdom in a few days"

No.. Please, Yazmin..

"Then, when the kingdom is in ruins, we will gather all their citizens in front of the castle"

Please tell me this is a joke..

"Once everybody is watching, you will kill their beloved princess in front of them, Yin."

Gemma.. Please don't do this to her, Yazmin..

Gemma paced around her room, worrying about Braxton. He was to leave her castle in a couple minutes to return back to his kingdom. The last time she had seen him was an hour ago, and even then he was reluctant to leave. She bit her naturally pale bottom lip as she made her way over to the west wing of her palace where Braxton's temporary room rested. After announcing her presence with three slow knocks, she hesitantly walked into the room. Braxton was laying on the bed, his arm crossed over his face. Gemma sat down on the bed, and stared at his sullen state.

"Hey.. Braxton? You know your advisor and counselor will be here soon, as well as your parents.. You should hurry and get ready..", Gemma cooed softly. Braxton hesitated before reluctantly standing up and putting the rest of his clothing into a large bag. He then bowed.

"Thank you for your hospitality Gemma. I hope I'll see you in the future.", he said, his head still down. Gemma smiled as she noticed his fidgeting stance. As he stood back up, she hugged him tight. She could feel his stiff body tense up even more as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Feel free to come visit me anytime", Gemma said and let go of a blushing Braxton. He nodded and grabbed his bag on the way out of the room. Gemma grinned silently to herself and followed hm outside of the castle. The carriage that was supposed to pick up Braxton was already waiting, decorated in gold, white, and blue. A tall man stood in front of the carriage, his arm stuck out and ready to carry any item. Next to him, was a prestigious-looking couple, modeling navy blue silk and gold and silver jewelry. Gemma could easily guess that these two were the queen and king based on the welcoming looks they wore as Braxton stepped down from the marble stairs of her castle. Gemma curtsied politely, earning curtsy and a bow from the king and queen, and a smile from Braxton.

"Hello, mother, father", Braxton chirped as he opened his arms and gave them hugs. The king and queen briefly gave their thanks and compliments before they climbed back into their carriage. Not that it was abnormal for queens and kings to do that, they just tend to refrain from meaningless chatter with people other than family, in-laws, or people with equally status. However, Braxton waited a bit longer for his parents to get in, in order to talk to Gemma. He awkwardly stood there and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.
"Thank you, um.. for your hospitality because of my ill.. uh?.. My lack of knowledge of the date of the actual.. ball?", he chuckled. Gemma struggled to contain her laughter, but managed to because the she felt the queen and king's eyes on her and Braxton.

"Of course, Braxton. Remember what I told you earlier. Feel free to visit anytime, I'll gladly welcome you..", she said, smiling warmly, ignoring the cold winds brushing her rosy cheeks. Braxton smiled, walked closer, and held her face in his hand, rubbing his thumb over the scar that ran across his cheek. His eyes widened, and stepped back and cleared his throat abruptly.

"Ah! Um, sorry hah? You um.. should get inside, wouldn't want you to get sick.", and with that last sentence, he climbed into the carriage and rode off back to his kingdom, leaving Gemma waving. She felt happy that she finally had a friend, but her mind definitely kept wondering to a certain blonde. She wondered how he was holding up, and if he even remembered her. For whatever reason, she had a feeling that she would be seeing him, and all the other royal families soon enough.

Riza knew all about the love tangle her fellow rulers had gotten themselves into. She found it troublesome, because she just may get caught in the crossfire. After all, her and Gemma held a close relationship. She didn't want anything bad to happen to her, so she decided to do something about it. Riza knew that William would most likely support Yin and Yazmin, despite the budding romance the two shared together. However, Riza didn't mind at all. If she had to go against those she loved for the sake of the nation, then so be it. She knew that those three held fond childhood memories together, so she didn't dare try to break off whatever friendship they shared. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she analyzed the notes she had jotted down regarding the situation. Yin would most likely side with his twin, despite his painfully obvious attraction towards Gemma. Braxton would always be on Gemma's side, while William would stick with Yin. Riza sighed and rubbed her temple. Everything their ancestors had worked so hard to build, was soon going to come crashing down. Their peace, their land, their friendships, their home. Everything would be ruined, mostly likely leaving bloody traces. Riza let out an un-lady like groan and shakily stood and crossed her room to her bed, where she lied down and close her eyes. Even if everything were to be "magically" resolved, nothing would ever be the same. As she drifted off to a dream land, a thought floated into her head and stayed as she fell unconscious.

Something must be done, whether or not it spills blood.

William held his face in between his hands, all her frustrations rushing into his head. Nothing made sense about what happened that night, nothing made sense about why it turned out like this. Not only was William embarrassed by his failed attempt at courting Riza, but now there was a war at bay stirring up. Running his pale hands in his white blonde hair in frustration. Yazmin had already contacted him, letting William know of her plans to take over the Green Kingdom. Needless to say, he didn’t want anything to do with it, but his loyalties ran deep with the two. He was conflicted, torn apart between helping people who were practically his family, or doing the right thing and possible getting the girl of his dreams. Yazmin would hire a double agent to get into the castle, kidnap Gemma, and hold her hostage until Yazmin could take over. The mission would start tonight, and William knew that she would go to extreme lengths to get what she wanted. That night, William went to bed feeling rather restless. The fate of their kingdoms rest in the outcome of what happens tonight, but who be at fault? Yazmin, for demanding war? Or Gemma? Whatever is was, nothing would end on good terms.

Gemma woke to a startling crash in her bedroom. She sat up, covered in her white, puffy blankets only to see a man wearing the exact same outfit as the murderer to her family all those years ago. Her face paled, as a smirk grew on his face. Shrieking, she scrambled out of her bed to her door, only to be grabbed and held at neck-point with a sword.

“Don’t move, or you shall meet the same demise as your family”, he whispered in her ear. Gemma took in a breath shakily, scared for her life, but complied. He took her out to the front of the castle, and sat her down. She didn’t dare to move an inch, stuck in fear of the blade coming down to take her life. Her hands started shaking, tears began pooling in her eyes as she saw two heads, full of sun-kissed blonde hair walking up those steps.

“Hello Princess”

William couldn’t take it. The guilt resting on his shoulders was too much to handle, and he couldn’t bare to risk losing those he loved, so he contacted Riza and Braxton, informing them of Yazmin’s ‘ideal’ world without Gemma. Together, all three rushed to the Green Kingdom, to see the land of the kingdom full of families staring up at the castle. Braxton’s blue eyes widened in fear, and bolted to the castle, across the stone-pavement, closely followed by Riza and William. As they reached the steps, They saw Gemma’s shaking pale figure standing by the dark-clothed man, Yazmin, and a disturbed-looking Yin. No words could describe how shocked, horrified, and infuriated William, Braxton, and Riza felt. Upon seeing her friends, Gemma let out a shaky breath, and gave them a sad smile.

“I see you’ve all come to join us”, Yazmin spits distastefully. The longing for love that lingered in her eyes has disappeared, only to be replaced by a colorless brown. She stood up tall, pressing a long-bladed knife into her brother’s hands, nodding to him. Glaring at the three below the stairs Yazmin continues, “Come closer, and Gemma won’t live to tell the tale”. Braxton’s fist closed, Riza’s eyebrows narrowed, and William jaw clenched. Everything seemed bleak, and it was. Because nothing would ever change the fact that Yin loved Gemma, so he openly broke into tears, dropping the knife. Yazmin stood furious and in distress to see her brother crumble, to see him beg and plead for Gemma’s life on his knees. Everybody was put into a state of shock, except for one; the man dressed in black. He picked up the knife, while nobody was looking, and put it to use for his own benefit. One slash was all it took for the color red to burst. One slash, was all it took for the world to stop, time to freeze, for everything to turn colorless.