When the day of the ball came, King Edwin felt a little nervous. But at the same time, he was no stranger to balls. He looked at himself in the mirror after his handmaid had helped dress him. He looked extravagant, but not unlike how he usually looked. He thanked her and she left the room. King Edwin sighed, not really looking forward to the ball today. It would be exhausting having to see each and every maiden in the kingdom... including the peasants. Still, it was his royal duty to rule alongside a woman. The kingdom needed a queen.

He took his crown off where it was sitting on the mantle and slowly placed it on his head. He turned on his heels, walking out of his chambers, he made his way towards the grand ballroom of the castle. It was as lovely as he'd remembered it; mostly ivory and gold, with a large, beautiful orchestra playing music next to the grand staircase. He watched as his advisors were seated in their lovely, bright red velvet chairs next to his throne. The women were already starting to gather... The music and the colors of their dresses made the entire place feel lively and exciting. Those were two words he thought would never be used to describe his castle.

When the royal jester announced the king's arrival, King Edwin walked down the large staircase, watching as the women and everyone in the ballroom bowed. He rolled his eyes, not wanting to be the center of attention. He walked to his throne and sat down, waving his hand at the musicians to continue playing. It was then that the women started to approach him, each one at a time, being led by his knights to meet him personally.

The first woman he'd met seemed like a bumbling idiot. She was kind, yet, she was much too eager to meet him. The next woman was just not his type. Her hands were worn and withered, possibly from working on a loom all day. He wasn't asking for much in a new wife, just that she be beautiful and independent. As the night went on, more and more women were brought before him and he found he was losing faith in the possibility of ever finding a wife. The other nobles by his side would talk to him after each girl he'd seen and say things like, "That one seemed nice, My King." or "You can do better, My Lord." He ignored them... Thinking to himself that these people were only trying to get on his good side anyway.

The night had almost ended and just as King Edwin had given up on ever meeting someone worthy of being married, he whispered to the jester to make sure that he'd seen every single woman at the ball tonight. The jester nodded and asked the knights to seek out women that they'd missed the first time around. King Edwin sighed, this night would never end..