Blair sighed as he entered his side den, he loosened the bow tie on his tuxedo and sat down on the sofa in the middle of the large room and he started talking to himself “a night at the opera huh? How bad could it be?” He then leaned to the cabinet beside him and pulled out a bottle of Trsukain malt Hidsikun, Blairs favorite kind of alcohol. He then poured some in a glass and took a swig drinking it all the way in one shot. He then poured another glass and took a pack of Moothrood cigarettes and slit it open with his black painted thumbnail before taking a lighter sitting on the side table and lit it up and took a puff. He leaned over and investigated a nearby mirror, he took the cigarette out of his mouth and look for second at his face.  He was a middle aged Eurphite and it showed, his androgynous face was a little more wrinkled then he was at 18, his blue eyes more world weary and now all the makeup in the world could hide the bags beneath them. He looked over at the night table beside him and took a little puff and saw a small picture of 4 figures, one was him and one was a tall round man beside him along with two children, one was a new born baby in his arms, a girl and the other was standing next to him a boy clinging his mother like glue with one hand on his skirt. This was back when Blair still wore skirts and had long hair both things, he abandoned years ago in favor of practical suits and short hair. He puffed on the cigarette again and took a swig, he laughed, still the same hips though two kids will do that to you. He sighed and said to himself, “its not like the past was any better just more interesting.......    

22 years earlier...... 

Blair nervously creased the bottom of his dress, playing with the end of the simple black garment, it was nothing fancy, the dress of a commoner.  He brushed his long black hair out of his blue eyes when he heard a soft grumbling beside him. The man next to him was his father Bert, he was wearing a patchy tweed jacket over a simple dress shirt with a brown bow tie along with a brown weathered flat cap, he was reading a news paper with the large head line “Ordelian Civil War ends with Eastern Victory!” followed by smaller headline reading “Queen Victrov Congralates Ordelian Prime Minster”. Blair could hear his father say under his breath “bloody Ordelians cant agree on anything” It was then that they heard a creak in a wooden door followed by a woman and her daughter both looked sad as they were escorted out of the waiting room as another servant from the corner of the waiting room yelled “next please come into the office to meet mistress Camilla ” it was then that another similar pair of two a well-dressed parent and young adult centered the door the pair just came out of and the door clanked shut. At that Bert went back to his newspaper and Blair looked around at the many other applicants sitting and waiting in the large room flanked by guards.  

They had all come to Castle Eastwood for the same reason to become the spouse of the son of the Duke of York. Less than a year earlier a degree went out all over the district of Norksire that was posted in every newspaper, put on signs and spoken by every town crier in every small town all over Norksire. It read “On behalf of the noble house of Eastwood, Duke Thomas Eastwood and his Wife Duchess Camilla are looking for a bride for their son Earl Oliver Eastwood. Applicants must be Eurphites in the age range of 16-19. Contact your local magistrate for further Information”    

He looked up at his father again and said “oh by the way I got a letter from Jamie yesterday he is going to be in a big stage play in a few months and he thinks this will be his big break” Bert barely grunted in response. It was then that the inner door opened again and the same duo that went in earlier came out and again there was a look of disappointment on their faces. It was then that the servant in the corner of the room said “Blair Kaplin you are next” Blair and Bert got out of their chairs with Bert taking his hand and squeezing hard, perhaps too hard as he whispered into his child’s “just remember, if you do this right, you never have to see me again and I'll be set for life”