Twisted | Nascar AU

Chapter Twelve

The next few days seemed to match Princess Daisy's mood- unhappy. It was as if Mother Nature heard Daisy's conversation with the King and only wanted to match the mood. For the past 4 days, it had been raining nonstop. The forecast predicted it wasn't going to let up either.

Princess Daisy had been so distraught from her conversation with her father that she refused to see any of her suitors individually, so they relied on morning social time in the ballroom. The Queen, Princess, and each of the suitors had a seat in the large ballroom and took time to mingle and meet others.

Lately, though, the rainstorms replaced the warm sunny mornings, darkening the mood of social hour. On this particular morning even the boys weren't feeling up to conversing. William Byron had grown tired of the quiet ballroom and began to form an idea in his head.

"Princess Daisy? Queen Eleanor?" William stood up quickly, drawing the attention of the rest of the ballroom. "Yes, William?" The Queen replied. "May I speak with you privately? I think I have an idea."

Daisy glanced over to her mom to share a disapproving look. But when Daisy saw her mothers bright, warm eyes she knew she wouldn't have a say in the matter. "Yes," Daisy nodded. William walked over to the royal chairs which were placed a fair distance away from the suitors.

Words began to tumble out of Williams mouth. He wanted to throw a party for the kingdom in this very ballroom. It could be a change for the citizens to meet the suitors and give their opinions on each man. While this thought made William nervous he knew he had nothing to worry about.

The Queen's eyes lit up with joy. "That is the best idea I've heard in a while," she beamed. "William, you just may be my favorite!" Daisy gasped. "Mother, you can't say that." William only blushed. "I would love to see some more happiness around here. Especially for you, Princess."

Daisy's heart melted slightly when she heard the sincerity in his voice and saw the care in his eyes. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have a little fun," Daisy smiled. This could be a chance to enjoy the selection process and take her mind off of her fathers harsh words. "I'm in," she grinned.

The idea was shared to the other suitors and immediately the ballroom felt alive again. The Queen ordered supplies to be sent right away. The suitors, along with the help of Princess Daisy, would be tasked with setting up the party and planning the night's festivities. The men immediately began sharing brilliant ideas that Daisy thought would create a phenominal evening.

John Hunter suggested a questioning game where attendees could write questions for the suitors and the royal family which would be answered on live televison. Alex required that there be an excellent menu so the Queen assigned him to make the menu for the evening. Noah suggested the suitors should publicly declare their dedication to Daisy for the nation to see. Daisy appreciated this thought after the deceit Erik put her through. She appreciated Noah looking out for her feelings like that.

"Wouldn't it be cool if we invited everyone to the party?" Harrison asked. Daisy laughed. "Harrison, there are thousands of people in our kingdom. We can't invite all of them." "Well, how about a portion of the guest list is commoners, like I was?" Ryan suggests. "I think I would become invested in the selection if I was personally invited to meet the suitors and the royal family."

All the men agreed. "Okay, I think we can manage that," the Queen smiled. "I'm very proud of you all for coming together to plan such a great event. Thank you, William, for the wonderful idea."

The energy from the ballroom carried on throughout the day until dinner. Everyone seemed to be lively and excited for the future. The party had been scheduled for next Friday evening so Daisy hoped the excited from today would last through the week as well.

At dinner, everyone continued to discuss the plans for the event. Some talked about getting new suits tailored while others mentioned how excited their families would be to see them on television. Daisy was happy the boys would have something to bond over. While they are competitors Daisy still thought it was important for them to find friends in each other because she sure wished she had a friend right now.

Everyone seemed to be thriving in the electric buzz of the dining room that evening except for John Hunter. He sat quietly and at his food. His eyes focused on his fork and nothing else. Excusing herself from a conversation with Kyle about the stock market, Daisy made her way over to John Hunter. She placed her hand on his arm gently. He slowly raised his eyes to meet hers.

"Are you okay?" Daisy spoke softly. "I can't lie to you, Princess. There is something on my mind." The princess's heart dropped. She remembered how he felt when he had confided in her before. He was probably continuing to suffer alone and hadn't reached out to her.

"Come, let's chat in the hall." Daisy excused herself and John Hunter to go outside. "What's wrong?" Daisy spoke softly once they reached the hall. "My family. I miss them so much," John Hunter uttered.

A sigh escaped Daisy's body. She knew this was coming. "What can I do to help?" But John Hunter only shook his head. "Nothing, Princess. I know what I need to do." Daisy's eyes met his and they saw the hurt in each other.

"I will miss you dearly, John Hunter. I thought we had a real connection." He smiled softly. "Me too, Princess. I wish to be with you. This competition is just not the right fit for me, though. I miss my family greatly. My sister, Merida's, birthday is coming up soon and I can't imagine missing out on the festivities. Maybe if we met in another world."

Daisy smiled. "Yes. Then we could be together." A feeling of peace came over the two. Daisy knew this had to be done and she wanted nothing more than for John Hunter to end up happy.

"Hey!" John Hunter startes. "What?" "You didn't use the code!" Daisy couldn't help but giggle. They had just made a difficult decision but John Hunter was still able to bring a smile to the Princess's face. A pang of sadness hit Daisy's heart. There goes a good one.

It was decided that John Hunter would pack up tonight and take the first train out in the morning so he headed into the dining room to say his goodbyes.

The boys were sad to see him go but each one felt a small bit of relief because at the end of the day he was still competition.

As Daisy sat down to finish her dinner she felt a strong set of eyes staring at her. She looked up to see none other than Ryan Blaney. Her heart immediately leaped.

"Are you okay, Princess?" He spoke quickly and quietly. Daisy had given him permission to call her by her first name, a very big honor. This was reserved for private matters only but Daisy still wished for him to address her plainly.

"Just a little disappointed," she frowned. "Well we can't have that! How about after dinner you come by my room? We can just talk and it'll be great."

Daisy agreed.