C4 Charms to Charming

My head is throbbing for some unknown reason. Why does it hurt?

Suddenly I felt the wind brushing past my skin. It was cool and relaxing. I took a deep breath and was welcomed by the scent of lavenders and roses. I moved my fingers and was surprised when I touched something spiky... It feels like grass.

"Who is this girl?" I can hear a voice somewhere above me. From its tone, I can tell that it's a male. Am I dreaming?

"I have no idea. Maybe she's the girl that the queen was talking about?" Another voice said.

"Awe, how cute. But the way she dresses is pretty weird." And another. I wanted to open my eyes to see what was happening, but I didn't. I'm guessing that they still think I'm unconscious. Would they leave me if they think that I'm dead?

As if voicing it out, another male said, "Is she dead?"

Great. There are more of them.

Whatever, as long as they think that I'm dead, maybe they'll leave me alone. I held my breath to make it look like my heart had stopped beating. I've never been good at acting, but I guess that’ll have to do.

"Oi. She stopped breathing!"

"What do we do?!"

"Leave her. She is not of our concern." A new voice said. This one has a hard edge on it. Oh, joy! More of them.

"Cut it out, Prince Ace. If you continue that kind of attitude, you're not going to find a wife." Argued the other.

"Stop it. Both of you. This isn't the time to argue! This girl is in trouble, and you would rather kill each other than help her?"

Yeah! I'm going to die here, and you two would rather argue? Shame on you!

"Sorry, Fred," said the other. I felt something soft brush my nose. I fought the urge to scratch where it once had been.

"Prince Ren, what are you doing to the poor girl? Or are you Dan?"

"It's Dan, you idiot. Get your facts straight. I'm just tickling her nose with this feather, trying to get a reaction from her."

"You really are stupid."

My nose is itching...

"Hey, did you just call my brother stupid?" A new voice said. And he didn't seem happy about the way that the other boy had called his brother stupid.

I wrinkled my nose since it began to tingle. I was frustrated that I couldn't even reach up and grab it - not when strangers still surrounded me.

Let's just hope that the worst thing they'll do is tickle my nose with a feather.

"Whatever, Prince Ren." the same man who called the boy named Dan said.

"Actually, I'm Prince Dan."

I want to sneeze now.....

"What?! But I thought that he said he was Dan!"

"Fooled ya!" The man beside me said.

"So you're Prince Dan, and you're Prince Ren?"

"Why don't you take a guess?" both the boys said at the same time. I heard the other men laughing.

I really want to sneeze now...

"I hate twins!"

My nose began to tingle more, and I fought the urge to sneeze. Just keep it in, Rose. Come on.

"Don't worry, Nate. We hate you too." said the twins at the same time.

"ACHO!" I couldn't stop the sneeze that was coming. It was too much for me.

Whipping my nose after sneezing, I opened my eyes and was met by five gorgeous strangers who made me hold my breath. Two of them had the same faces - I assume that they're twins. Both have chocolate brown hair, which is combed sideward. Their eyes are also a pretty shade of brown, only slightly lighter, like chestnut. Their skin was tanned in a somewhat golden color. They smiled and tilted their head to the side.

One of the princes offered me a sweet grin that reassured me amid all the glances. He has blonde hair that has been combed backward. A few strands of hair obscured his ice-blue eyes. He was rather tall.

Then my eyes darted to one with a cold stare, but despite that, he was good-looking. His hair was black and messy, his eyes were the color of midnight blue, which is currently giving me goosebumps.

The last one I couldn't describe. He was looking at me without any emotion at all. Just a blank stare. But I can tell that he was curious. His hair was a nice crimson red that I was pretty sure wasn't dyed like the other boys at my school. It was neatly combed and some of his hair is covering his eyes, which are the colors of the forest - a rare shade of green. A moment later, he gave me a wink.

'Kay.

They all look good, but what really caught my attention was their attire. All of them were wearing.... let’s just say, some fancy and expensive coats. Did they come from a costume party?

This must be a dream for sure.

I brought a hand up and slapped myself.

It hurts. It is not a dream.

"Must have gone crazy." My eyes landed on the black-haired guy. His mouth pulled into a thin line.

"Crazy? Looked in the mirror lately? Yeah, sure, you look good in a costume, but white doesn't suit you at all." I rubbed my chin as if thinking, "Maybe black will do. Yeah, that's right. Do you watch Sleeping Beauty? You could be the male version of Maleficent. You know, the evil witch."

The boy was caught off guard. Probably not expecting me to talk back at him.

"I have no idea what half of the things she said were, but it was damn funny and insulting. Did she just call you an evil witch?" One of the twins teased, and they started laughing, followed by red, and blondie, who covered his mouth with his fist.

"Shut up." was all Ace said before giving me a cold glare that made me shiver. "I'm not a witch, you ignorant plebeian."

"Prince Ace. That is not what a proper gentleman would do. Here." the blonde one offered me his hand. I took it and let him pull me up.

"Thanks," I muttered. In response, he made a small curtsy that surprised me. This guy is either a gentleman or just a dedicated cosplayer.

The blonde boy smiled. "I'm Prince Frederick Star from the kingdom of Hazel. What about you?"

Well, a dedicated cosplayer indeed.

"M-my name is Rosalie Amber Stan. Somewhere in Georgia." Did I just stutter? I'm probably nervous since this is the first time that I'm talking to a guy. A hot one at that. Or maybe, because I am still confused as to how I got myself into this situation.

"Lovely name." With that, he brought my hand to his lips. The gesture made me whimper and feel a little embarrassed - for them, that is. But did he just say kingdom? Wow, these guys are taking their cosplaying seriously.

"Allow me to introduce you to my companions, Lady Rose-"

"Please just call me Rose," I said. I'm not comfortable with the 'lady' part since I hardly resemble a lady at all.

"As you wish, Rose." He said, then he gestured at the redhead, who took a step forward. "He is Prince Nathaniel Denver, from the kingdom of Vertez." Prince Nathaniel bowed. "Please call me Nate if you wish."

"Nice to meet you."

"And the-" he gestured to the twins but was stopped by them.

"Fred," said one of the twins. "We want to be introduced last." continued the other.

These guys are embarrassing.

"Very well," Fred nodded and gestured to the prince, who I already started to dislike. "This here is Prince Ace Feradin from the Kingdom of Tordis. Please forgive him for his rudeness earlier." Instead of bowing, prince Ace nodded his head once. "By the way, that's PRINCE Ace for YOU."

"Of course, your highness." I forced a smile and couldn't help but add. "Royal pain."

"Pardon?"

"Nothing"

"And finally," Prince Frederick continued and gestured to the twins. "The twins. Um....gentlemen, will you please introduce yourselves since I couldn't distinguish you from one another." Prince Frederick gave an apologetic smile to them.

The twins faced me and offered me a smile. "My name is Renevier Rutledge, this here-" he gestured to his twin "-is my brother Daniel Rutledge." His brother, Daniel, continued for him, "We are from the Kingdom of Sanver."

I clapped my hands after. Wow, these guys are good. Solid performances. I should ask them for their skincare routine since they all have flawless skin. "Nice to meet you."

"By the way, Rose. Are you acquainted with Queen Elizabeth?"

"Queen who?" After I said that, we heard a galloping sound from a horse. A back stallion appeared, and its rider was surprisingly a female. Her eyes had immediately found mine, and she grinned brightly. She got off of the horse and hugged me. I was slightly taken aback. When she stopped hugging me, that's when I saw it. Blonde hair, blue eyes.

My jaw dropped, and I pointed an accusing finger at her. She's the weird lady I saw before passing out! "HEY!--"

She covered my mouth with her palm. "No need for that, dear. Okay?"

"Your highness." From behind her, the five princes were on one of their knees.

What is happening?