Angelraised

"Remember, all you have to say to each of these boys is "I accept your challenge," alright, Rosalina?" Father asked, pulling one of my small hands into his. Mother sat on the other side of him, her eyes blank like they always were when she was in front of everyone.

"Yes, Father," I said, always the obedient daughter and stared out to the people. I knew the truth now, and he couldn"t hide it much longer. I wasn"t the heiress he wanted.

She was.

"May the challenges commence. Present your gift to my daughter and be ready to battle for her hand!" The room became deafening and I sat through it. A defiant tear rolled down one cheek and I silently wished for those boys to be here. The truths they spoke seemed nonsense at first, until I saw my face on another girl.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Who are you?" I asked the group that stood at the center of my garden. They all turned to me in surprise and I realized I must have looked a mess. I had violently ripped the crown and veil off in my anger and sadness, so my hair was tangled. My eye makeup had smeared as I had begun crying for the pain I had felt.

"Who are you?" One of the boys asked. His hair was brown and his eyes were bright blue, almost like mine but there was a slight darkness to them. I started stunned at the group in front of me.

"As princess of this court, I command you answer my question," I said, trying to sound brave, but my voice coming out shaky as I tried to calm down the hurt inside me. My eyes landed on a familiar face and I recognized him as Kai. "Now, I command you, Kai. I am your princess."

The boy knelt down and the rest turned to him, stunned. "My heiress, we are here to look for our dear friend Rose. Can you be of any a.s.sistance to us?"

"And you thought breaking into my garden was going to gain you my a.s.sistance?" The look on his face was panicked at first, before relaxing back into the stone cold expression I was used to seeing.

"No, but we-" his voice was cut off by another familiar one running toward my garden. Her veil was in one hand and her voice carried through the garden easily. She paused and stared at the group in front of me.

"Young miss, your veil."

"I know, please keep this between us. For now, get these people rooms and fresh clothes. They will stay in the castle as my guests, understood?" I asked, sitting down on a border edge of the garden as my nurse maid ran to me and nodded. She began to fix my hair and makeup. I studied the group and finally my gaze landed on the small girl. Her features mirrored mine almost exactly, but her eyes were what tipped me into my panic. Mother was right, I did have a twin sister, and she was stood in front of me. She wasn"t dead as she was believed to be, and I could see it now. I jumped up and walked over to her and stood in front of her.

"Angel?" I asked, her eyes widening as she nodded. We were about the same height, and I guessed she thought I wouldn"t have known her. "Can you bring Angel to her room and dress her up as well, please? I believe she is someone Father would like to see." I slid my veil down over my eyes and started my walk.

"Wait!" I heard behind me and turned and recognized the face before me. It was the boy my portal always seemed to find and zoom on. "What"s your name?"

I smiled at the boy. "My name is Princess Rosalina. You and your group may call me Rosalina. If anyone questions why a demon, a human, and a half-breed are in the castle, say "Rosalina is our hostess and she has given us permission," understood?" I didn"t wait for an answer and I walked out of my garden and into the hall, trying to calm my racing heart. Why did that boy have such an effect on me? Who was he and why do I feel like I"ve known him for a very long time?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Princess Rosalina of the archangel Michael"s court, my name is Zayn of the archangel Raziel"s court. I hereby stand to fight for your hand, and I present you with this gift to show my loyalty to you," the boy said, holding out a small box. I side rested a beautiful golden tiara with bright red rubies woven into the pattern.

"I, Princess Rosalina, accept your challenge," I replied as I stood, taking the small crown box from him and setting it onto my growing pile of gifts. They all ranged from bright crowns to necklaces to rings and bracelets to earrings.

"The last court has presented his son, are there any civilians who wish to join the battle?" My father called and no one said anything at first. "Great, than this concludes-"

"Wait, sir" I heard in the crowd as a boy in a black and red cloak came forward. The hood his his face from me as I stared down at him. Father looked over at me, silently asking me if it was okay. I nodded once and the boy finished his path towards me and bowed his head in respect.

"Princess Rosalina of the court of archangel Michael. My name is Kai, I am the son of archangel Zadkiel and I am here to fight for a thrown and place in this world that shunned me away," he said, pulling his hood off and revealing Kai standing before me. "Please accept this gift as a symbol of my loyalty to you," he said and pulled out a set of hairpins that had emblems of roses on them, not just any roses, bright red ones that shone in the light. I looked over to father and he shook his head no, asking me silently to deny this boy.

I stood with the grace I had been taught and took the gift from his hand before pinning it to my hair in defiance. "I, Princess Rosalina, accept your challenge."

"Wait, Princess, there"s one more!" I heard from the crown and someone with the same type of cloak came before me and kneeled next to Kai, who had a small smirk on his features as he bowed and backed away from us, joining the rest of the boys. Each boy turned and sent him a hateful glare and I put that question away to ask later. I turned my attention to the male in front of me instead and nodded to him, signaling for him to continue.

"Princess Rosalina of archangel Michael"s court, I am Week of the demon kingdom Asladon. Heir to my thrown, and I wish for you to give me a chance for your hand," he said, pulling his hood off and revealing the boy who even now made me feel foreign things. "Please, young Princess, take this gift as a token of my loyalty to you." I looked to his hands and let out a tiny gasp. In his hands, he held a single bright red rose.