Chapter 3: Chapter 3
The day arrives that my mother will be crowned Queen. There will be a ball to commemorate the coronation. I ready in my rooms with the help of my maids. I wear a deep red gown with gold embroidery. The sleeves are to my elbows and loose fitting. I wear a diamond and garnet necklace and earrings given to me from the royal jewels. Today will not only be my mother's first appearance as Queen, but also my introduction to society. At the Autumn equinox, I will become the crown Princess. I need to gain the publics approval as much as my mother needs to.
My mother's coronation is beautiful. She is crowned with the traditional crown jewels. She is then handed the royal scepter and sphere. Once the coronation is finished my mother changes crowns and the crown jewels are moved back to the royal vault that is guarded at all times. We then get into our carriages and head back to the castle for the ball. My mother rides in an open top carriage and waves to the commoners who have lined the streets. They all want to get a glimpse of the runaway princess who has become Queen.
Upon arrival at the castle, everyone is ushered into the ballroom. Once all guests are accounted for, my mother is announced.
"All hail her Majesty the Queen!" I trumpeter announces. My mother walks in looking regal as ever. She walks down the main isle to her throne.
"Thank you all for coming to celebrate, let the festivities begin!" She says. Cheers and applause break out before the band begins to play. I make my rounds with the nobles and introduce myself. After a while I decide to take a break and rest. A few moments pass when someone approaches me. It is a fine young man with black hair and brown eyes. He smiles a crooked smile at me before bowing.
"Your highness, may I have this dance?" he asks.
"You may." I respond as he takes my hand and leads me to the dance floor. We dance for a song before he bids me farewell. I continue on my journey to meet people for most of the night. As the night nears its close, I am approached once more. This time by a man I can tell is from one of the visiting royal families, though I don't know what one. He has brown hair, a mixture of both dark and light, blue eyes, and a chiseled jaw. He is tall and muscular in build. He stops a bit in front of me and bows deeply.
"Your Highness, I am Prince Edmund. I was wondering if you would care to dance?" he asks me in a deep husky voice. It takes me a moment to respond. I curtsy in return before answering.
"Please, call me Arabella. I would love to dance." I say with a smile. One song passes and then another. Prince Edmund twirls me around the dancefloor as if he's been doing it all his life. Though I suppose he probably has. Once the final song of the night finishes, Prince Edmund bows to me once again before taking his leave. I watch him walk away for a moment before taking leave to my rooms.
The next day I meet with my mother, and grandmother in the parlor. We begin discussions on what I want to do when I become the crown Princess. Even though biologically, the throne would go to me should anything happen to my mother. There are still people out there who would try to fight it. If for no reason other than the fact that I wasn't born and raised in the castle. My first aspect of being Crown Princess will be to do a project that will favor the people. I will have to do some research and decide where I want to begin. From there we move to color scheme of the ceremony and the small party we will have after. I decide on royal blue and silver, colors that both compliment my skin and are within the royal crest. I'm ushered away to begin fittings for the dressmaking. The dress will be the most extravagant dress that I will wear in my time as Princess. The only dresses that will be grander will be my wedding, and when I become Queen.
A few hours later we are finally done with measurements and the dressmaker sends me on my way so she can begin. I am immediately summoned back to the parlor.
"My dear, I will need you to change into a dinner gown tonight. We are hosting guests from an immensely powerful kingdom. We need to make a good impression if I hope to win them over to be our ally." My mother says to me.
"Yes mother, I will have Clair pick out a gown worthy of the best." I respond with a smile. Inside I feel strained and lost. My father has been gone a few months now, but nothing seems real anymore. I feel so lost in my head all the time trying to remember everything. Part of me resents my mother. It's all natural to her. She was raised this way. I was raised free, to live, to love, to make mistakes. The only thing I can do here is follow orders.
I make my way back to my rooms and Clair is already going through my closet. She eventually comes out with a Yellow gown. A beautiful, beaded bodice embroidered with golden thread. I sit at my dressing table and Emily gets to work on my hair. She pulls and tugs, braids and pins until my hair is perfect. I have a braided bun on my head and curls falling down my back. Then both Clair and Emily help me into the dress. Once I am in it, they pull and tug some more to lace up the bodice. Finally, they help me into a pair of matching yellow and gold heels. Then I head to the dining room.
As I walk in all heads turn to me. I'm surprised to see that those on the guest side have some familiar faces. I smile as I walk to my seat. I am seated furthest from my mother. Directly across from me is Prince Edmund. Next to him the black hair, blue eyed stranger I danced with last night. Soon after I'm sitting the soup is brought out. My mother and the King from Siali. They are one of the most powerful kingdoms. We would be incredibly wise to make a good impression with them.
Dinner seems to go well for my mother. Once dinner is finished, I decide to head to the back gardens. I make my way through the gardens and head to the back towards the cliff. I stop and look out over the ocean. The view never gets old. A few minutes go by when someone approaches me.
"Well I thought I would take a stroll with you through the gardens, but it seems you had a place in mind. I couldn't catch up." Prince Edmund says with a laugh.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't realize. Sometimes I get so caught up in where I'm going that I don't realize how fast I walk." I reply with a blush.
"No need to apologize Princess Arabella. I find it quite endearing." He replies.
"Just Arabella if you don't mind. Sometime Your Highness and Princess overwhelm me." I say to him a bit worried. I'm not supposed to accept any less than people addressing me formally.
"I will call you Arabella if you call me Edmund. This can only be in private though as I'm sure our families would have a fit if they heard." He says smiling at me gently.
"Well, Edmund it is then. "I reply.
"So, tell me Arabella, why am I just meeting you now? My father and your grandfather were remarkably close allies. I have visited this kingdom many times and have never met you or your mother." He asks sounding confused.
"Well I'm sure you heard the rumors. My mother ran away with the son of a Duke. They fell in love, but their families didn't approve. They found their way to a small farming town on the outskirts of the Kingdom. There they had me. I was raised much different than your average royal. When my father died just before summer, word got back to the palace. My grandparents sent for my mother, and of course that brought me as well. I spent all summer going through extensive training to get to wear I am now." I tell him.
"Wow, I would've never known you didn't grow up the royal life. You present yourself exceptionally well! Did you recently learn to read and write?" he asks. I chuckle at his reaction.
"No, my parents made sure I could do both well. I suppose their upbringings stuck a bit. I even helped some of the other townspeople learn to read and write as well." I reply remembering some of my friends from home.
"So, this must be a whole new life for you. How are you handling it all?" he asks.
"You know Edmund, you are the first person to ask me that. I'm quite overwhelmed about everything. It's been a lot going on and a lot to learn quickly. Some major life changes for me here. In our town we shared a two-room cabin. Now I have a multi room suite here. The ball room is larger than our property. It took me awhile to figure the castle out, but my personal guard helped a lot with that." I tell him
"You are amazing. I couldn't imagine that kind of life adjustment. You will make an amazing queen some day though. You have experience as the commoners need. You will easily be the greatest ruler this kingdom has ever seen. By the time you take over, you will know exactly what the court and the commoners need. I look forward to seeing you rule this land someday." He tells me.
"Well what about you Edmund? Will you rule your kingdom? You seem incredibly wise to me." I ask him.
"Not unless my 3 older brothers all die before my father. The Crown Prince is home dealing with affairs there while we are here. My mother and father like to make sure someone is dealing with royal affairs and keeping the kingdom running smoother. Just myself and my younger brother were able to attend this time. I'm sure you will meet everyone eventually." Edmund replies.
"What made you come this time?" I ask him.
"Well, I knew that your mother had left the palace. There are also rumors spreading about a beautiful young Princess." He said watching me for a response.
"Do I live up to the rumors?" I ask giggling as I do a slow spin.
"You more than live up to them. I think beautiful isn't quite fitting. You are stunning, and quite a relief from the normal Princesses that I meet." He says seriously. I begin to blush immediately. I'm not used to compliments like that.
"Well thank you. I'm glad I am good company to keep." I reply with a smile.
"Arabella, I shouldn't keep you any longer. The hour has grown quite late. I will leave you for the night. I do look forward to getting to know you more over the coming days before we head home." Edmund says with a slight bow to me.
"Good night Edmund." I say with a small curtsy.
I look back out over the cliff for a few moments after Edmund has left. He is refreshing to talk to after all of the stiff royal training. I head inside and towards my rooms. On the way I overhear Edmund talking to his father. I stop walking and stay close to the wall to listen.
"Father, as you requested, I spoke with the princess." Edmund says shortly. There is a dark laugh that doesn't quite fit the King.
"And what did you learn?" The King replies.
"This will not be a good land to take over. They have ties with the commoners, and I know that maintain many strong allies." Edmund says sounding a bit bitter.
"Well son, what do you recommend in regard to that knowledge?" The King says.
"I believe it would be in our best interest to accept the alliance. It will prevent bloodshed that is not needed, and we will keep a good ally. They are also one of our closest partners in trade. It is smartest to not risk that." Edmund replies sounding sure of himself.
"Oh come on! Father, you cannot take his word on this! They are at the weakest now. The Queen is out of practice. She wouldn't see the soldiers coming!" someone else exclaims.
"Quiet Leo. I did not ask you for your opinion. Remember your place." The king warns before addressing Edmund.
"You are always a good read of people son. We will maintain the alliance. Thank you for looking into the matter for me." The king says to him.
"Of course, father. I shall retire for the night if I may." Edmund says. I hear his footsteps near the door. I look around in a panic not wanting to be caught. Just then Peter grabs my arm and shows me an alcove behind a tapestry. He slips into the next alcove that isn���t covered. I hear the door close and Edmund walk past. After a few moments I sigh in relief and step out of the alcove. I give Peter a thankful smile before going to my rooms for bed.
As I lay in bed trying to sleep, I can't help but feel betrayed and thankful. Edmund was only interested in me to see if they should attack my kingdom. He did convince the King that we are good allies though. I'm so confused by everything. I officially hate politics I think to myself as I fall asleep.
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