And so I did.

I smiled and I waved at the huge crowd of Areganans that had hauled themselves out of bed that morning to see their royal family (and this year's Queen Maiden) in the parade. My name, Cassandra Carmichael, was announced periodically as we rode along the town. This year's Queen Maiden, Cassandra Carmichael!

Oh, I loved the attention! The intrigued stares! It really tickled my desire to be famous. We arrived back to the castle, and Dylan hopped off from his seat to help Princess Calista and I get down. His help would have been quite useful, but I refused Dylan's hand all the same.

Queen Klara approached me once we all had our feet safely planted on the pavement.

"Are you ready for the banquet, Miss Carmichael?" she asked me, her dazzling eyes staring into my own.

"Yes," I nodded. "Is there anything I need to know?"

"Let us go inside, and then I shall tell you," she said. Everyone entered inside the palace, but while the others continued on down the hall, the queen and I stayed behind near the door.

"You shall enter the banquet last," she told me. "I'll go in just before you and announce your presence. The banquet is located in the south gardens. You shall mingle and talk to everyone for an hour or so, and then I will announce that it is time for you to select your prince for the day, also known as the Autumn Prince."

My stomach plummeted. I had wanted to pick Prince Coleman, but truth be told, I didn't even know if he would say yes now. And my poor pride would take a serious blow to such a rejection.

"When you crown someone as your Autumn Prince, you two will spend a little bit of time around the castle before he escorts you to your room. From there, you will change into your evening gown, and your prince will return to take you to dinner. After you are announced, you two will have your own private table a ways off from everyone else. Then, again, you will change into your ball attire. Your prince will escort you to the ball, and you'll dance at least the first two sets with him, and then the last dance will be with him as well. Any questions?"

"Yes." I glanced down at my shoes. "What if he says no?"

"Says no?"

I looked up at the Queen meekly. "What if I ask him to be my prince for the day, and he says no?"

Queen Klara smiled kindly. "Cassie, it is a great honor to be chosen as the Queen Maiden's prince for the day. He will not say no. Every man at the banquet understands this, you know. You must go forward without any fear of this impossible outcome."

"Okay," I said. "One more thing; I don't know how to dance."

"Well of course you don't. I didn't expect you to know how," Queen Klara told me. "All of the men at the party know how to dance. They'll keep things simple and will lead you."

"Okay," I said wearily.

"Alright, shall we head to the garden then?" Queen Klara said.

I took a deep breath. "Yes."

The Queen and I walked together through the bottom floor towards the southern courtyard. As we passed various servants, they bowed or curtseyed for their regal queen. Soon the big glass doors leading to the courtyard were before us.

"You wait just behind these doors," Queen Klara said. "When they open again for you, it means I have just announced your presence, and you shall come join me on the stage."

I nodded, and before I could say anything else, two servants opened the doors for Queen Klara and she strode outside. Through the glass doors, I could see a short wooden stage draped in orange, yellow, and brown ribbons plastered with large fake leaves and covered with several pumpkins. Two chairs sat in the corner of the stage—one occupied by King Collin. In the yard stood several men in their noble outfits, all stopping to watch the queen step onto the stage. Canopies and tables of food dressed the courtyard, and suddenly I realized that I was quite hungry.

All too soon, the glass doors before me swung open, and suddenly the eyes of every young man were upon me. I immediately recognized a few faces—Lord Mercucio, Lord Roiben, and Prince Nikolas. Many people looked surprised, but those three in particular stood out as being quite shocked. I looked over towards Queen Klara's comforting smile, and doing my best to walk with good posture, I successfully walked over through the grass in my heels (fortunately, the heel was slightly chunky so I did not immediately sink in). I stepped onto the pretty stage and stood by Queen Klara.

"Do you have anything you'd like to say?" Queen Klara asked me, suddenly pointing the microphone on the stand towards me.

No. I thought. I didn't have a speech prepared! I looked out at all the expectant faces. Prince Nikolas's eyes were so wide I wondered if they were going to pop out of his eye sockets. I saw Prince Coleman had changed into a posh green sweater with tan pants and a white hat. I tried not to look at him, to think about his refusal to sit with me.

"Um," I began. A great start, really. "I, uh, I'm very happy to be here." Could they see me shaking? "I haven't been in Aregano for too long, but I already love the country. It's, uh, very beautiful. I'm very grateful to Queen Klara for giving me the opportunity to be Queen Maiden." A chorus of light, polite clapping ensued.

"Thank you, Miss Carmichael," Queen Klara beamed. "Now, onto the banquet!" She clicked the microphone off, and told me, "Now go down, grab some food, and talk to people!"

I nodded silently, and exited the stage from the opposite side towards one of the canopies with food on it. To my surprise, the first person to approach me was Prince Nikolas.