Ainsley's Outlaw

Chapter 3

Sadly though, I woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside my window. They were happy and harmonizing with each other. Today's the day I leave for the Eregal Kingdom, so I can't really relate to the birds. I got up and decided to hop in the shower. I took my sweet time before getting out. I chose to go downstairs for breakfast this morning but a little later to be certain that father wasn't eating.

When I sat down in the dining hall, Elena greeted me with a bright smile and handed me some food. Today was eggs, toast, and a few strawberries. Once I finished my food I helped her clean up and went back upstairs. The first few hours of the day went fast because I was dreading the trip but at the same time it felt like the longest few hours ever.

When I was back in my room, I picked out a comfortable, but fashionable, outfit for the way to the Eregal Kingdom. After a few accessory changes, I sat on my window seat and flipped through a few pages in a book. I got sucked into the fairytale but was quickly knocked back into reality when there was a knock on my door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me," the voice said. My father's voice.

"Sorry, father. I'm a bit preoccupied right now."

"Can I please come in?" I let out a huge sigh. I guess I couldn't ignore him forever.

"Okay. Come in." The door opened and he walked in.

"I know you're upset but there's nothing I can change. I'm sorry I mean it." No he doesn't. "We leave in a few hours. Make sure you're ready, princess."

"Okay I will. Thank you." He gave me a slight nod and walked towards the door. Before stepping out of the room he turned back around and said, "Oh, one more thing. Can you have lunch with me today?" I guess he was making an effort to try and fix things but it's not the first time he's put himself before me so I wasn't going to be quick to forgive him.

"Of course. I'll be there." I put a smile on my face and let it drop as soon as the door closed.

Lunch came around sooner than I wanted it to. I left my room and went downstairs to meet father in the dining hall. I made sure to be a little late.

"I'm glad you came," he said as I took a seat on the opposite end of the table.

"Mhm," I responded. Elena came out with our lunch and gave me a pat on the back before leaving. She must have told the chefs to make my favorite today, pasta with a salad on the side.

"Are you all packed?"

"Yes."

"Very good. When we arrive at the Eregal Kingdom we will meet King James. He'll give us a quick tour and take us to our rooms. After, we'll have dinner where you'll get to meet Prince Kai." I decided to ignore this and continue eating but his pushy attitude couldn't handle it.

"Does that sound good, Ainsley?"

"Mhm." The rest of lunch was in silence. Really loud silence. I guess I should make a little more effort if I want this to work out for myself. I'll have to show initiative when meeting King James. I'm sure Kai also wants to make this work for us. Right?

Once I finished eating, I took my plate to the kitchen myself so I could talk to Elena. I placed the dish in the sink and she came over to me.

"How did it go?"

"He just talked about the plans for when we get to Eregal and then the rest was silent."

"Oh. At least he told you what's going on."

"Only because it's important. I have to know we're meeting King James and Prince Kai so I look presentable and wear my best jewelry."

"Don't think of it that way, Ainsley. Maybe he's trying to lighten the situation. He told the chefs to make pasta for lunch after all."

"That was him?"

"Yeah. He's really making an effort." I can tend to over react sometimes, he does seem to be trying. Although nothing can fix the fact that I'm not marrying who I want, it wasn't up to him that much.

"You're right. Thanks Elena. I'll be upstairs packing up some last minute things." She smiled and picked up a plate to start drying. I left to go back up to my room but before reaching the first step, I saw this week's newspaper on the table by the front door. I picked it up and saw the headline.

Princess Ainsley's Love Letter to Prince Kai

The public already received my letter to Kai. They're quick with everything. It's impossible to have privacy around here. I started to read the text under.

"Princess Ainsley of the Athos Kingdom sent a lovely letter yesterday to Prince Kai of the Eregal Kingdom seeming excited about meeting and getting married although Prince Kai has not responded to her letter. Will this affect the peace agreement if he doesn't want to marry her?"

So what if he hasn't responded? That doesn't mean anything. He's probably busy, unlike the gossipers around town who only care about the royals' lives. I put the newspaper back down on the table and went up the stairs. When I reached my room, I checked my suitcase to see if I was missing anything but I seemed to have what I needed. I zipped it up and placed it next to the door so I was ready to leave. The wedding seemed ages away but at the same time it was so close. I passed some time by reading and then curling my hair. Over an hour passed and we were almost ready to leave. There was a strong knock at the door, father.

"Come in."

"Are you ready to leave?" he asked.

"Yes. More than ready." Not really but I'm sure it made him more relaxed if he thought I was okay. "Oh wait, I forgot something." I ran over to my dresser and opened my jewelry box. I picked up a bright, silver ring with the prettiest jewel in the center. It was an amethyst and didn't have a single scratch on it.

"Okay I'm ready."

"Wonderful," he responded. I picked up the suitcase, rejecting help from any of our housekeepers. They do so much for us and it isn't a bother for me.

We reached the front door and it opened for us. Stepping outside into the fresh air made the moment so real. I'm actually getting married. In 3 days. 

Thank you so much for reading! Chapter 4 comes out on 5/29/21

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