The Kingdoms Arrangement [H.S]

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*****Artemis' POV*****

"You sure do have your hands full with those two, huh?" Hyacinthus chuckles, grabbing his glass to take a sip of the wine I brought from our wine cellar. I haven't had a drink in quite a while, the last time was with Josephine when we were 17 and my father scolded us like never before.

"Yeah." I take a sip of the wine, I've always liked how velvety red wines are. "Percy is just easy and Harry is.."

"Not?" Hyacinthus questions, a smirk feathers his lips.

"Exactly! He makes everything difficult and I don't like it but it also makes everything more interesting with him. With Percy we don't fight, bicker, or any of that. It's just romance and fun with him."

"Sometimes easy is not always the best choice." He says, seriousness on his face.

"What are you saying?" I finish the rest of my wine with a big gulp.

"Well my father told me that before my mother, he was married to a woman who made everything easy. She cooked for him, cleaned for him, and never made a fuss about anything." Hyacinthus looks at me intently making sure I'm paying attention. "And he got bored fast, because it was the same everyday. It was not that he did not love her, he just needed more in life than the same repetitive thing everyday."

"So how did he end up with your mother?" I ask.

"Oh they hated each other. They met before he married his first wife, she was one of his options to marry but he chose the easy way first. Luckily, our kingdom believes in divorce. So he made sure his first wife would be taken care of and started pursuing my mom once it clicked that she was who he wanted to be with." Hyacinthus finishes, smiling his wide smile at me. I start to feel the effects of the alcohol, and begin feeling anger rise in me.

"Well, my father gets to choose for me. So that'll be up to him." I cross my arms over my chest breathing heavily, "you know what really sucks Hy?" he looks at me with a furrowed brow. "Your father got to choose who he married. But a woman doesn't here, why do you think that is?"

"I-I don't know." Hyacinthus stutters, obviously surprised by my anger.

"I think it is because men don't believe we can make choices like you guys can." I pour myself another glass of wine, and offer some to Hyacinthus but he shakes his head. I start mimicking my father, "Just remember Artemis, I will make the final decision on who you marry. A son of a duke is not good enough for a future queen."

"I'm sorry Artemis, I think it is just the world we live in. All we can do is work to change it when we have the power." Hyacinthus puts a comforting hand on my back, and rubs it.

"Or I could change it now." I stand up and begin walking out of Hyacinthus' bed chamber, "Thank you for dinner but I am going to handle my father now."

Hyacinthus begins to say something but I am already out the door, and begin running down the hallway to find my dad. I go to his office first, "Father! I need to speak to you!" I barge in without knocking.

My father is sitting at his desk, "Artemis, why are you-"

"It is my turn to talk for once." I lift my hand, not letting him speak. "Why can't I choose who I marry? It is my life, not yours. Didn't you get to choose who you married?" I questioned, my chest raising up and down quickly.

"Yes Artemis I did. But your mother and I had only known each other for two weeks before we married. You are being given more time than I did to get to know your mother. Luckily, we fell in love eventually."I am taken aback for a moment but I am still angry.