Following Hearts

The Arrangement

The room laid silent. His hands unknowingly fidgeted in his lap and his feet pressed into the plush, carpeted floor. The ticking of the clock grew louder and louder by the second; every passing instant felt like hours. His stomach filled with nerves as he gazed across the table. Fear struck him as the woman before him stared into his eyes, unblinking. The corners of her eyes tightened and he swore he could see her emerald irises darken. Across her freckled face, he could only see spite. Her jaw clenched as she leered at him. His eyes began to water and he could no longer stand to look upon her; he blinked.

"Damnit!"

"Yes!" Rose Lovelle pumped her fists into the air triumphantly. "I told you: I always win staring contests."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Ferdinand Lovelle rolled his eyes and slumped further into his chair. She extended her hand across the table and looked at Ferdinand expectantly. "Do I have to?"

"You made the bet, I'm simply honoring it."

Sighing, he lowered his head and kissed the jeweled ring on her finger. He turned to face the clock as it struck two.

"Where the hell is Amelia? She's the one who called this meeting."

Rose glanced at the clock and rolled her eyes. "For a future Queen, she's not particularly great at being on time."

Ferdinand laughed. "Yeah, remember when she spent all month planning her fifteenth birthday party, and then the day of, she spent so long getting ready that she was an hour late to her own party?"

"And then she was like,' What are you all doing here?' and we were like, 'The party started an hour ago, you're late-'"

"Oh my god, and then she said-" Rose and Ferdinand began in unison. "A queen is never late, everyone else is simply early!"

They laughed hysterically, unaware of the tall, statuesque redhead standing in the doorway.

"I still stand by that saying to this day." Rose and Ferdinand turned to see their sister saunter into the room and stifled their laughter. The sound of her clicking heels echoed around the now silent room. Amelia's violet gown swept the floor as she made her way to the head of the table and sat down, placing her bag beside her. "We need to discuss a few things."

The two younger siblings exchanged glances and looked up expectantly at their future majesty and current older sister.

"Mainly, before my coronation, we need to mend Adaia's relations with Nevani."

Adaia was a vast, beautiful country that had been ruled by the Lovelle family for close to three hundred years. The siblings' father, King Ramses Lovelle, had ruled benevolently for thirty-two years, and Amelia, as the eldest heir to the throne, was set to become Queen when she turned twenty-five: in two months time. Even if Amelia was not the eldest, she still would be the clearest choice for Adaia's ruler. She was level-headed, strong-willed, and the epitome of grace and elegance in all royal affairs. Even as a child, Amelia was an expert delegator and leader. Her intellect could only be matched by Valentine, her youngest sister, and her kindness could only be paralleled by that of her father.

Amongst the four Lovelle children, Amelia was the most like King Ramses despite the fact that physically, she was the mirror image of her mother. With her sleek, waist length red locks, slender physique, and pale, freckled complexion, Amelia perfectly matched the photos hung in the palace's halls that depicted her mother and former Queen, Elizabeth Lovelle.

Elizabeth had grown up a common school teacher in Adaia, and when she reached the age of eighteen, she became a lady-in-waiting in the Queen's court. There, she met Ramses, who was a prince at the time, and they immediately fell for each other. In five short months, they were married, and only four months after that, Elizabeth became Queen. In the sixteen years that followed, Elizabeth had four children and helped Ramses rule Adaia with grace and generosity.