<i>What a strange dream</i>... Jeanine thought to herself as her eyes started to open. She seemed to remember faces, men, seven of them, but the details were cloudy. There was talking, something about seven...no, perhaps it was not men, but women? Brides? No, that couldn’t be right. Nothing seemed to make sense, and as her vision cleared, things began to make even less sense than before when her eyes were still closed. She looked around as if in a daze, still feeling the grogginess of sleep.<br/><br/>One...two...three....total of seven seats, each sat with seven women, herself being one of them. She didn’t know what to make of the room they were in, but her gaze didn’t last long on their surroundings as the rest of the women awoke as well, seemingly all with the same confused expression mirrored upon their faces. So, she wasn’t the only one lost as to where or why they were there. Jeanine looked next to her, wanting to ask the girl what was happening. There was so much that her mind was trying to process she barely even noticed the change in her wardrobe.<br/><br/>Before she could manage a word, though, another woman spoke up. She was beautiful, and wore different garments than herself and the other seated women. Morningstar Castle? Is that where they were? Like in a fairytale. She remembered her mother reading many fairytales to her growing up. In some of those stories the princess would be whisked away to a castle against her free will, but then fall in love with a monstrous prince. It was only through true love that the prince would show his true form and they would live happily ever after. Looking again at all the women who were situated the same as her, Jeanine began to wonder if perhaps they were all there to vie for the love of one prince, like in Cinderella when a ball was held for every eligible female in the kingdom to attend in hopes of catching the prince’s eye to wed. They were all dressed as brides, so perhaps it would be the same here.<br/><br/>Seven.<br/><br/>Wait, her dream had seven faces. But she clearly remembered hearing the word brides, yet the faces were that of men. Definitely not of these ladies here. So then, who did she see? Her head started to become fuzzy again as she closed her eyes and furrowed her brows. She concentrated as hard as she could but for the life of her nothing seemed to come into focus. Everything was a blur.<br/><br/>Then, as if repeating her previous thought, the woman addressed them as Little Brides. So, at least she was right about that one part. But what of the rest? The guests of honor? Were they not the guests? Were there more? Her mind was buzzing with questions, but each time she wanted to open her mouth to ask, something new happened. Sure enough, as soon as the knock had rung out, she watched as seven men entered. Jeanine’s eyes were wide in awe. Each and every one of them was more beautiful than any person she had ever laid eyes on. Not a one was without flawless detail as if chiseled directly from marble or stone by a master craftsman. Each one was incredibly mesmerizing to look at, each in their own unique way. Were these men, the princes? How could she ever live up to these standards? Her looks were plain, paling in comparison. Her background was homely and ordinary compared to the regal presence they emitted. Yet...she was chosen. By which of these men she was chosen, she didn’t know. Her eyes met with each one as she moved across the line of them. How in the world, in any world, could she have caught the eye of any of them was beyond her understanding.<br/><br/>Her mouth was dry for a moment. Whatever motive she had to speak up before had dulled in her admiration, creating a new feeling of hesitance. But then, a woman who led the men into the room announced herself and proceeded to push for introductions. “Play nicely, or else.” Jeanine knew she could be nice. If anybody was to reap the consequences of the “or else” should they break that rule, she knew it wouldn’t be her. So, with a small amount of courage, she opened her mouth and spoke, though softly. She wasn’t entirely without confidence, but she did feel a bit flustered still. “Uhm, hello. I’m Jeanine Fandal.” She gave everybody, the other brides included, a bright smile. “I hate to be a bother but....what exactly is going on?”