// balcony //
Alviva waits with a pounding heart as her name is announced during the announcement of the selection. Hopeful, she looks at her parents with a proud smile, expecting that for the first time, her parents would look at her with the same smile. The smile quickly melts away when she sees the expressionless looks of her parents who only stare ahead. The proud feeling she had fades away and despite the large crowd, she suddenly feels very alone.
On the day she was picked up, she knocked softly on the door of her father’s study. her parents, who were busy talking, just look up and immediately they stop speaking. “It’s time for me to go” she says in a muffled voice and her eyes fixed on the ground. after looking up for not even a second, Alviva walks out of the house without hearing a goodbye or a wish for a good trip. No one to wave her goodbye or tell her they’ll be waiting for her to come back. in spite of everything, Alviva looked back at her house one more time and a practically invisible smile is all she can bestow before getting into the car and driving away.
And then there was the moment of arrival. By the second trip in her life, Alviva was in a better mood. An enthusiastic smile was on her face as she drove through the gate to the castle. Only to get a direct cover the moment she comes in. As she enters the palace, her gaze falls on a familiar face. Eloise’s eyes also fall on her and in a subtle way she gestures with her finger for Alviva to come to her. Alviva quickly excuses herself and without a word she approaches her older sister and as soon as she arrives, Eloise nods to follow her. Without sharing a word, they walk to an empty room where her sister looks at her with her arms crossed. "a quick warning little sis, from the moment we leave this room I don’t know you. I don’t want to clean up after you, I don’t want any trouble caused by you, and I certainly don’t want to be associated with a failure like you while you’re embarrassing yourself. Mom asked to keep an eye on you, so you better try your best not to mess anything up or you won’t have to expect to show your face back home. Let’s face it, those few etiquette lessons I’ve so generously gave you won’t help you enough to fit in here. So make sure you don’t drag me down with you” Her sister said in a cold, distant and disapproving tone.
Alviva says nothing. in silence she looks at the floor instead of her sister which leads to her sister stepping loudly on the floor, creating an echo in the deafening silence. “Didn’t I teach you to look at people while they talk to you?” she orders and slowly Alviva looks up. “And what do we say when someone asks us something?” she adds sternly. “yes Eloise, I’ll keep my distance from you, excuse me, I have to go back or else they may find my absence suspicious” she mutters softly before slipping past her sister and walking back where her maids await her.
She followed the maids to her room, after giving them a shy greeting. There she is fixed up and while she was getting dressed, they ask about the earlier event. “what was it that the royal tutor said to you?” asks Mina, one of her maids. “oh she told me to watch my posture while walking” explains Alviva in a lie based on an event from the past. She knew her sister was going to teach the selected girls manners and it was a comment she had heard before as she prepared for the selection.
In the mirror she could see the maidens share a look with each other but none of them asked about it further. “after this you get a tour of the castle and then you have some free time” says Becka while she did Alviva’s hair. “thank you” Alviva responded as Annabeth gave her shoes, choker and gloves.
when she is fully dressed, she follows the tour. She tries to store all the information as best she can and before she knows it, it’s over and she has time for herself.
But in all honesty, Alviva wasn’t quite sure what to do with her free time. She used to do household chores all day at home, but they were now for other people. A little lost in thought, she walked around until her eyes fell on an open door that led outside. she went outside to discover that it was a balcony with a railing thick enough to sit on. The sun shining warmly on her face and the wind gently caressing her relaxed her. Slowly she closed her eyes after she sat down on the inner edge of the railing. in a neat pose she enjoyed the peace, and before she knew it was relaxed enough to hum softly. She often did this when she was alone and relaxed.
Approachable