Is It Worth It?
So that's what happened. For the next 2 days, I had crammed and reviewed information into my head about politics and mannerisms. I knew that at some point we were going to be tested on it, but wasn't sure when. For all I knew, I was going to die during the next test anyway. If fact, I questioned the point of the King's lessons. It was the last review session before the test, and I could barely focus, thinking about my execution.
"Eleana," I heard. I snapped out of my thoughts and payed closer attention.
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"Is there a reason you aren't listening to the last bit of information I'm giving you before your test?"
"I apologize, Your Majesty. I was thinking about the test," I said.
"I wouldn't worry too much about failing. We went over a lot of topics, but you passed every quiz," he said.
I was silent and looked down at my paper full of notes. The air between us was slightly thick, and I wanted nothing more than to finish this lesson.
"Are you ready for the test?" He asked.
"May I have 5 minutes to go over the summaries of my notes?" I asked.
"I suppose," he remarked.
Time passed quickly and the test was put in front of me. I made my way through, answering the questions with more ease than I expected. There were some I struggled with, but the test only took a little under an hour. The King took hold once it as I finished and graded it swiftly.
"95%... I wouldn't normally say this... but well done."
"Thank you, Your Highness," I replied in a dull tone. He stared at my down expression almost waiting to hear more.
"Shouldn't you be a bit more excited about escaping death?"
"I apologize, I'm grateful you've decided to spare me, Your Majesty."
For now at least.
"...It's time for lunch, let's go," he ordered.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
We walked to the dining room, the set up different so everyone from each group was able to sit down. The King and I sat down slightly before the rest of the girls started to come into the room. Sofia sat down next to me and used lunch to quiz me on table settings and manners.
"No, that's the Salad fork," she pointed out. I pointed to the separate forks and repeated the names inside of my head, before finally taking hold of the silverware and taking a bite of the food. As the meal progressed, more and more girls entered the room. I tried to see how many girls had made it past the round. Surprisingly, a lot of girls made it . The size of the room hadn't decreased too much. I still felt nauseous at the fact that girls had to die in the first place. It reminded me of the cruel nature of the king.
I just have to make it to the final 50.
"Welcome, everyone," The king announced. Everyone turned their heads to the king and listened.
"It has been quite the time before we last saw each other, I know. In fact, this is the longest break in between tests that you will have from this point on. The next test is going to be after lunch, and for some of you, it will be your last meal. So I encourage you to enjoy it. And lastly, for those of you in red and those have been in red, if you are put in that category 3 times, then I deem you unfit to be queen, and you will be executed."
I looked at the King with my eyes widened, unable to ignore the fact that I had been in red twice already.
The king sat back down, and I looked back to my food. Most of everyone continued eating without so much of a care, considering that no one at the table had been in red. The king glanced at me as I kept my gaze glued to the table, wishing I knew what the test was going to be. I ate a few more bites of the meal and tried to focus on the food instead of my predicament.
Soon enough, the meal ended, and the king led us to another room. It looked like a small auditorium. The King instructed us to sit down while he went up to the stage. Once he was there, he spoke into a mic, "I hope you all enjoyed your meal. I will be announcing the next test here, where you all will be taking the test. Every year this is where most of the girls fail. It a singing competition. My queen has to be able to sing."
I breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Thank, God. That is the one thing I can do.
"My standards are different than most and, it's more than being able to hit a note. I'm looking for an aesthetic voice that I like to listen to, so this will also be based on my personal opinion, as well as technique. This is something that is absolutely required of my queen, so if you can't do it, you will be executed."
Well, now I'm worried.
The king started to call people up by name, alphabetically. So, as unfortunate as I am, I was one of the first few to go up. The king had us sing solfeige and a couple warm ups. Almost every one of the girls who went before me were eliminated before they even finished. I shook as I went up, nervous for multiple reasons, as well with the fact I was being tested.
"Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do," I sang. The didn't dare look at the king, focusing on the piano. We went through the drill a couple of times, giving my voice a chance to get used to the notes.
"Do it without the piano," he ordered.
"Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do," I sang again. My legs shook slightly, but I was relieved to know that my voice didn't crack or fall sharp.
"Go up in range," he said. The pianist played the keys as we tested my limits going higher and lower. The pianist gave a reassuring glance as I went, letting me know that I was doing well. At least, well enough to live.
"Let her try the song," he ordered. The pianist handed me a paper with lyrics and notes on it. I had never seen the song in my life, but it didn't seem to be all over the place.
"The pianist will play this song 5 times, how well you do will determine your final score," he explained.
I looked at the music sheet and listened carefully to the melody as it was played. I hummed along the last 3 times.
I gave my shot, and did well. It as a soft melody, almost like a lullaby
"... Your score will be put on hold. Sit back down," he said.
Worry and relief crossed my mind. While I wasn't passed, I felt like I could still be executed.
I sat back in my seat and watch one after another get sentenced to execution. The king was relentless. Over half of the people in the room were disqualified. I listened as more people were put on hold, and sat down relieved. Some people had beautiful voices and I wanted to applaud their performances.
"All participants put on hold rise and come to the stage," he ordered. We went up, not really in any particular order, and were told to sing once more. This time I was in the middle rather than the first one. I prayed that I wouldn't mess up too much. All I wanted was to pass, and not die. The king finished judging the girl next to me and handed her a necklace.
"Sing," he said. I did.
"...Gold," he announced.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," I said with a sigh, my muscles relaxing. He didn't reply and moved to the next girl.
Top 50..... You just have to get into the top 50...
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