The chosen day had come. Two Statues walked in, with their items in hand. The King and his daughter would be the judges for this contest. The two placed their shawls on the table laid before the throne. The Golden Princess walked forward and looked down, her expression changing instantly as she regarded the two. "...Mr. Gold, what is the meaning of this?" she asked it, looking up at it. The Golden Statue tilted it's head slightly, not comprehending her question. "...this is rather unexpected, isn't it?" The King mused, rubbing his beard in contemplation.
The Princess looked down, her lips tugging slightly downwards in a slight frown as she reached out and picked up the Golden Statue's shawl. It was hard and uncomfortable, truly made completely from gold, through and through. It's appearance was magnificently gaudy, but surprisingly...plain. It boasted only a rather simplistic runic pattern adorned within its golden threads. But aside from that, it had nothing notable about it. "But, I..." The Golden Statue shrugged. "Were you expecting something else, your majesty?" It asked. Statues could not speak. But their intentions could be communicated well enough through gestures and telepathy, and the Royal Family and Metallurgists could understand them in any situation. "Yes. Why is it not more fanciful?"
"Because I am perfect. To fashion something above me in terms of appearance is just not possible. There is nothing greater than I. You do not need anything but me." The Golden Statue asserted its point, placing a hand upon it's chest.
"That's...not the point, Mr. Gold." The Princess murmured softly, staring at him. "Winter is coming, and I need something new to demonstrate my power to the nobles. They all know about you already, but I need more than just you. I was counting on you to deliver something truly splendid to me..." During the winter time, there was an annual meeting between all the nobles. A formal meet up of sorts, it allowed the nobles the chance to showcase the newest fashion or trends they had discovered, or to show off their wealth and power. Despite being the heiress, the Golden Princess, and her sisters, were not exempt from such a social gathering. The Golden Statue held out a hand, and she gave the shawl to it. "This does not please you, truly?" The Golden Statue asked. "I am perfection, your majesty. I refuse to even have a hand in anything that could possibly have more splendor than me."
"Do you care not for my wish, Mr. Gold?" The Princess asked, for the first time irritation showing in her voice. "You swore fealty to me."
"My allegiance is to you, yes. But it is my wish to preserve my beautiful presence as the most important item in the Castle. That wish supersedes yours by a great margin. This is the best way to show your power." The Golden Statue could not understand why the Princess was upset. This was the most logical course of action. It was perfection. The Statue loved itself more than anything else, and thus it naturally assumed everyone else would as well.
It knew nothing of the ever changing trends in the nobility, or the constant need to showcase one's power in increasingly innovative ways. The Princess took a deep, ragged breath, her calm appearance beginning to crack. The displeasure grew even more on her face when she inspected the Bronze Statue's shawl. It was a deeper, softer looking golden color, adorned with a shimmer, an almost mystical damascus-like style pattern, and boasted an outstretched griffin's claw holding an ingot. It was the Royal Family Crest. A textbook decoration, but one that showed thoughtfulness and loyalty. She picked it up, unable to restrain a gasp from escaping her mouth. It was soft, clearly not entirely gold, but maintaining the illusion of being as such. It was silk interwoven with threads of gold on a level so tiny only a skilled craftsman could achieve.
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"...was this really you?" The Princess asked softly, her eyes slowly widening. As a practitioner of the arts, she could understand a masterpiece when she saw it. For two weeks, the Statue had relentlessly studied and practiced under the tired eyes of the most skilled artisans in the kingdom. Statues did not need to sleep, eat, or anything else. If one could focus their attention on an art all day, and all night, with no fatigue and the endless ability to learn, their proficiency could grow tremendously, even in such a short time.
When it had finally finished this piece, everyone in the room wept in awe. It was a product of determination, of power. A product of a Statue's love. The Golden Statue thought it was perfect, and did nothing to improve itself. But the Bronze Statue tirelessly worked to ensure it would never embarass the Princess. To attain an image and appearance that wouldn't just allow it to stand on equal ground against the Pure Metal Statues, but surpass them entirely. Between the two shawls, it was clear which one was the most superior. The Princess looked back, panicked. "Um, uh, Mr. Gold's is..."
"You know that isn't true." The King's voice rumbled as he got up, also running a hand along the shawl. "This Bronze Statue has achieved work even the Alloyed statues could not accomplish. A mere peasant statue has achieved a quality they could never hope to beat. I declare the Bronze Statue the winner of this contest!" The Princess slumped in defeat, while the Golden Statue stepped backward in shock. A mere peasant statue beat it? There was no way. "Father, you can't expect me to kick Mr. Gold out!" The Princess said. The King regarded her with a stony gaze. "You gave your word that this was the punishment for the loser. You have until tomorrow to enact this." With those words, he left. The Princess clutched the Bronze Statue's shawl in her hand.
She wanted to throw it aside, but dared not too, knowing its value. "I HATE YOU!" She shouted at the Bronze Statue, and stormed off. The Golden Statue moved to follow, but for the first time ever, it was denied. "GO SOMEWHERE ELSE, MR. GOLD!" With those thundered words, she exited the throne room. The Golden Statue and Bronze Statue exchanged looks. For a split second, the Bronze Statue felt menaced as Mr. Gold approached it.
The two could not have been any more different. One a brilliant, shining beacon of golden power, and the other a no less shiny, but ugly, metallic brown pillar of solidarity. The Golden Statue was taller, and looked down at the Bronze Statue. "You are nothing compared to me. The Princess does not understand her position. I am perfection." The Golden Statue placed a hand on the Bronze Statue's shoulder, its grip tightening slightly. "The King does not understand either. I am better than them all. And I will remember this, even if they should forget." With those words, the Golden Statue left. The Bronze Statue slowly sat down, struggling to comprehend what had just happened.
The word was announced later that day, that a peasant statue had surpassed a pure metal statue. This was unprecedented, and caused quite a stir. The Princess was bedridden and unwell, facing shock at the truth of knowing that the statue she loved oh so much had no love, let alone the capacity to care beyond Its natural orders, for her. This fact was not unnoticed, and in the darkness, shadowy figures advanced within the Castle.
The princess no longer had her statues, having sent them all away. In this moment, she was all alone.
And also at her most vulnerable.