A Royal Arrangement

Chapter 3

Rey had watched her father's boat depart and she sighed accepting her new reality. This is it. This is my new life. Rey thought to herself.

"You'll see them in a week." Ben said standing behind Rey, making her jump.

Rey turned, facing Ben as he was eyeing her, not knowing what he was thinking about. "Right." Rey mumbled and nodded.

"You act as though you lost them forever." Ben responded and raised an eyebrow at her.

"I will miss them... that is all." Rey whispered and looked down at the ground.

"Hmm." Ben chuckled and shook his head. "You are weaker than I thought." Ben said coldly.

"What?" Rey gasped in shock and horror at Ben's cold response.

"Am I supposed to be nice to you?" Ben snorted.

"We are to be married next week, I thought we'd share some amount of respect." Rey said, looking back at him.

"You thought wrong."

"But why?"

"You are so right in a certain way," Ben chuckled. "There is some amount of respect we should share. However, we will be married because it was part of the plan, so Ireland and England make peace. Do you not know that or do you purposely waste my time?"

"Waste your time? Your time?" Rey responded still in shock but angry. She tried holding back tears from the anger growing inside of her.

"Yes, my time." Ben answered.

"You started this conversation, sir. Not me." Rey spat.

"Have you always been such a headache?"

"I apologize for bothering you then." Rey replied and walked away tearing up.

One of the maids, Olivia was helping Rey get ready for supper. Olivia had curly, red hair and her face was covered in freckles. She had big, dark brown eyes. She was in her mid-twenties.

"Ready to meet up with the king for supper?" Olivia asked.

"I'm dreading it, honestly." Rey sighed in defeat staring at the mirror.

"I'm sorry, princess." Olivia sighed as she stared at Rey in the mirror.

"Was he always so cruel?"

"This is one of his best days, princess." Olivia responded with a light laugh and shrugged lazily.

"What? Really? His best days? I hate to catch him on a bad day then." Rey giggled.

"He has not been the same after the accident." Olivia sighed.

"What accident?" Rey asked.

A guard entered the bedroom and said, "Dinner is ready."

Great. Rey thought and was still chewing at what Olivia had said. "Tell the king I need more time to get ready, maybe an hour or so?" Rey requested, not looking at the guard. Rey was stalling.

"Of course." Rey heard him say and heard footsteps. Rey assumed he had left.