Eleanor Dandelion

Second

The princess and the mysterious guards.

Eleanor noticed the bed next to her, Arabella was sleeping, and she sighed.

Quickly, the oldest got up, walking to her dresser, from where she grabbed a pair of pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and a cloak.

She rushed while changing from her nightgown, then, tied her hair, and opened the glass door that lead to the balcony of the room.

With a quick movement, she jumped from it, falling on top of some bushes, though it didn't hurt, she had perfectly planned that spot, of course, after a lot of failed attempts with watermelons she used as testers.

Eleanor moved from the castle to the streets, having to climb over a stone wall, which wasn't easy at all.

Surprisingly, there were no guards that could catch her, she had someone on the job for that, Leonard would alert her if there were guards nearby.

He would alert her by leaving a rose on the balcony, though the flower could change, it was mostly a pink rose.

Eleanor jumped from the stone wall surrounding the castle, only to be caught by skinny solid arms catching her from the fall.

"Thank you," she hugged Leonard, quickly getting down from his arms, he smiled welcoming her to a night outside of the palace.

They walked away from Eleanor's home, or a place she had grown used to calling home, but did it feel like it?

She only felt alive whenever she was with Arabella, she was the reason why she would become queen, to change the laws, to make an impact.

A queen doesn't need a man to rule, but if having to marry someone just to become queen was her last choice, she'd take it.

Divorces weren't that unusual, if Eleanor could find a reason to break off her future marriage with a suitor, after becoming queen, she could easily become the first queen that rules by herself.

Of course, she had to get a suitor that would agree to her plan.

She thought of Leonard, but he wasn't a prince, and he was her best friend, how silly would that be?

Then again, she only had three more suitors waiting to meet her between the next week.

First of all, princess Artemis from the Windfall kingdom, a gorgeous lady who had been seen more than once in a tavern, made Eleanor laugh at how rebellious it must have been.

A princess dancing in a tavern?

Then, Eleanor had to meet prince Eugene from the Luckstorm kingdom, she had heard stories about him singing to the birds, and waltzing among the frozen lakes.

He was a charming prince, but many rumors had it that he was interested in men.

And lastly, the last suitor, an egocentric prince who was no one else than emperor Belos' nephew.

He was rumored to have many girls after him, but he rejected each, only caring about himself.

Eleanor didn't like him, she didn't even want to meet him, but as the rules were, she had to.