Chapter 1 - Most Stories Begin With "Once Upon A Time"

A "Shaman King" fan fiction by the ultimate "Shaman King" guru. I've made a few twists, but not so many it insults the author. I adore Hiroyuki Takei.
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Disclaimer: I do not own the manga and/or anime "Shaman King" or any traits reffering to it in any way, for I am not Hiroyuki Takei and I did not sit in a studio for thirteen hours a day surrounded only by pen, paper, and a few assistant mangakas. Not yet, at least (lol). However, any Ladies-In-Waiting you may find I own, as well as any Knights, villagers, Princesses, ect. The two main characters I really wish to put highlights on are Finn and Ryce, the two main female characters. It takes a while to get used to personalities such as these characters, and I'm fairly proud of them.
Also!:
Some of you may notice that the first chapter is based on a scenerio from the Junior Highschool Musical, "Once Upon A Matress." I do not rightfully own this scene, and I swear that it will be the only scene I use from "Once Upon A Matress." However, I must admit, the title was inspired by the title of the play. Deal with it! ^.~
One last thing!: (I swear!)
You may see Ren's name come up as "Prince Ren" or Jun's name come up as "Princess Jun". Believe me, I am in no way confused about their social status. Simply put, it is a way of informing the Knights and Ladies-In-Waiting that the family they serve is superior.
All done!
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Once Upon A Grey Day
Prologue
"Throughout the land, no one may wed 'till Ren Tao to the altar's led."
This is the law that so many people lived by for many years. An appaulling law that nobody could seem to cope with. Oridinarily, this sort of law would not be a problem with the people of the Ghiouze Province. However, the "Prince" refused to accept any of the Princesses interviewed as his bride, even the daughter of the Great Emporer of China. And whenever he thought he had found a decent match, his twin sister, Ryce, would always plot up a test that was impossible to pass. I hated this law for the longest time, for until the Prince were married, no one throughout the Ghiouze Province could bewed.
My name is Lady Finn. At that time, I was the Lady-In-Waiting for the only daughter of the ruler's family. Well respected among my fellow Ladies-In-Waiting, I served as sort of a ro-model, some say. However, I'm not saying this to brag. The title is not an easy one to keep up with. No, no. Every day, I tried my hardest not to bawl in the face of fear. Believe you me, this was no ordinary family we served.
However, despite all of the feuds we all faced, almost every Lady-In-Waiting had a special knight she adored; myself included. The knight I admired most was well known as Sir Kenric. Many years from then, I'm starting to question why I was so incredibly blind towards what I really wanted. Who could blame a girl, though? Sir Kenric could have been mistaken for an angel if not for his cold stare.
"Lady Finn," he used to say. "If not for the wretched law, and the Prince's stubborn nature, I'd have you already."
And I would always reply, "As far as I'm concerned, we're already eternally tied."
I couldn't stand the thought of not marrying.
I suppose that's the reason that my thoughts were so clouded. As far as I knew, Sir Kenric would be my eternal love once the Prince were married.
I was entirely wrong.
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Chapter One
Some Stories Start With "Once Upon A Time"
Finn's heart was beating loudly in her head, like the sound of war drums. Could this Princess finally be the one?
Finn stood there, the other Ladies-In-Waiting crowding behind her. Excited whispers were escaping the girls' lips as the Prince scrutinized the Princess thouroughly. The tension was rising in both the hearts of the Ladies-In-Waiting and the Princess. Princess No. Twelve stood there, still as a tree, her gentle hands clasped behind her back and her head held high. The Prince seemed to admire how she stood proudly, but there was an unsure expression on his face.

Finn couldn't understand why he wouldn't want a girl such as this Princess. She was everything that the others had lacked.

This young lady did not wear something revealing; Instead, a simple, yellow summer dress that reached her knees and flip-flop shoes. Her hair was light brown-- almost golden in the right light-- and her eyes were a gorgeous oceanic blue. She knew when to speak and when to hold her tongue, and she seemed so comfortable near the Prince. Princess No. Twelve did not fear him at all, and clearly wasn't concerned with the wealth that would come along with it. Simple and clean. That's what this girl was.

"Maybe," the Prince said, quietly, his eyes still scanning the Princess like a computer. "Maybe..."

Princess Ryce stood from her chair. "Ren!" She cried, making her way down towards her brother.

Finn raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes. Everybody knew what was coming.

"I refuse to allow my brother to bewed a Princess if she is not properly educated!" Ryce said, her voice growing shrill and impatient. "And because I knew you would be so blind as to look past this feature, I've prepared a well plotted out test for the occasion."

Nobody had ever passed one of Princess Ryce's tests. Not ever. The questions always began quite easy; Things like the color of the sky, the name of a mythological creature with scales and the wings of the devil. However, soon after, the questions became a bit challenging; The name of a mythological creature with the body of a horse and the head of a man, the reason the sky is blue, and the name of the wife's second husband whom gave birth to the child whom grew into a man commonly known as King Arthur.

Finn had completely lost hope by now. Why was Ryce so cruel?

"Now," Ryce began. "Please answer the questions as follows. One: What was the name of a man commonly known as 'The Knight of the Red Cross'? Two: What beast did he slay? And three: What was the middle name of the daughter in law of the blacksmith whom forged the sword which slain the beast?"

Princess No. Twelve looked confident at first. "One," she began, "King Ethelred. Two, the dragon. And three..." She paused for a moment. "Er... u-uhm..."

"What? Don't you know?" Ryce's voice was mocking and cold, as it always was. She put an arm around her twin brother's shoulder. "You've got ten seconds."

Finn gulped.

Princess No. Twelve suddenly lost her cool. She began fidgeting and twirling strands of hair between her fingers while digging deep into her mind to find the answer that she did not know. "Uh...uhm..."

"I'm terribly sorry," Ryce said, a sinsiter smile creeping across her pale lips. "Your time is up."

"No!" Princess No. Twelve exhaled, softly. She stomped her foot on the floor in a way that proved her frustration.
Prince Ren made a sour face and brushed his sister's arm off.

"Thank you so much for the amusement!" Ryce said, bitterly mocking the Princess. "Remember, blood will tell, and yours just didn't tell enough. Goodbye! Good luck! Get out."

Princess No. Twelve turned in a huff and left the room with a flourish. Many groans and grumbles emerged from the mouths of the Ladies-In-Waiting and the Knights.

Finn folded her arms over her chest and exhaled, loudly. What a drag her job was turning out to be. She didn't mind being Princess Jun's Lady-In-Waiting, however she despised the tension of awaiting for the Prince to finally marry so that she may be with Sir Kenric.

Ryce led her brother up the stairs and away from the Great Hall rather quickly when she saw the glares she was receiving from the spectators. "I don't like this," she had said to her brother in a low whisper. "I'll cut their eyes out later." With that, she hooked arms with Prince Ren and swept away gracefully, as if she had never been there.

Why is Ryce so cruel? Finn always thought. She should be happy for her brother if he decides to be-wed another. It only means that she may marry someone herself one day.

"Alright girls," Finn said, cracking her knuckles. "Back to work."
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That's all for now!
What will the future bring for our beloved Prince?
Will Finn ever marry Sir Kenric?
Just what is with Ryce?
Find out NEXT TIME!
Just the beginning chapter. Please R&R!
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