When No One Was Watching.

Chapter 2

The months after my birthday dragged on at an agonizing pace. Six prominent kingdoms had sent suitors to try and win my hand. Three of them were sent off within a month. The three that remained were Joseph Lin from the kingdom of Xilani to the far East, He was the oldest. Twenty-Seven years old and the finest sailor in his kingdom, handsome and friendly. I liked him the most, but that's because he had no interest in asking for my hand. He had revealed that he only came to please his father. We developed a friendship, he even taught me how to sail. Felix Rey Valentino the south kingdom of Madra. 23, intelligent, strong, handsome even, but vain and faker than fools gold. Last, there was Oliver Holloway, Prince of Northern Aprelan.  20 years old and My father's personal favorite. Handsome, respectful, and extremely smart, all I could have asked for really.

I tried to fall in love with him, believe me, I really did. We went for walks in the gardens, I even held his arm. We danced at every ball that was held in our castle and even still- I just couldn't feel anything for him but companionship.

Someone who adored him though- was my sister Alia Lynn. She was one of the twins. She and Everet are just under a year younger than me, but we are thick as thieves. We used to drive our mother crazy, running through the halls, screaming in laughter, and talking about old tales of talking animals and enchanted forests.

Now that we are older, I can't help but notice things that a child wouldn't. Like the wildfire across her cheeks when he stood too close, the gimmer of jealousy that burned in her eyes as we danced, that she was by Holloway's side every chance she got. I noticed the tear stains on her face after my father talked about the possibility of our union. I also noticed with her, that his voice was just a little softer, with her his eyes never traveled anywhere else, with her his words were messy, terribly uncoordinated, and with her he was happy. I knew it, as did the entire castle.

So on April 1st when my father announced that he had chosen who I was going to marry, I knew it wasn't just my world that was crashing down. The night before I begged and begged him not to make his choice, that I wasn't in love. That I didn't want to be married to someone that I could never love. He ignored my cries until I asked him what kind of father he was, to do this to me. In a fury, he struck me across the face.

"This world isn't going to give you the fairytale ending you keep imagining. Grow up, and stop reading all those stupid books." He roared. "For someone at least three stones heavier than she ought to be, you sure are hard to please!"

I saw the twinge of regret but it was too late. I knew he had made up his mind. I ran to my chambers and cried, sure that this was the end of my happiness. I ripped all my favorite books off the shelves that night, strewing them across my room, their pages now crumpled and casings almost bruised.

"Next week," he announced at morning light, standing over our kingdom. "There will be a wedding! My eldest daughter Wren will be marrying Prince Holloway!" The crowd burst down in cheers as a fake smile plastered across my face, and his.

I cried in my mother's arms that night. She held me and stroked my hair as she hummed lullabies. We stayed like that for hours, her warmth trying to glue my heart back together. I remember just as she was leaving she spoke quietly-

"You always have a choice, my love, it may be a hard one to make- but if you never jump off the cliff, you'll never be caught by the ocean below."

I pondered her words. I knew she was right, but what choice did I have? My father would never change his mind. What if this cliff didn't have an ocean below it? What if it was just sharp rocks and thorns?

That night it struck me, a plan. If I failed to pull it off there would be hell to pay.

The next week was a torturous drag, every minute, every hour, my stomach twisted bit by bit. A fake smile was plastered on my face as I made choices about colors and my wedding dress. Things that I couldn't care less about.