Fall Into You

Prologue

growing up is chaotic

If you were to ask Nicollette Terilow if she believed in love, she would say she didn't know. She knew that love was a thing, but she didn't know if romantic love was real. Real for everyone, at least. She knew that her parents loved each other dearly, her mother even making the sacrifice of being high rank to be with someone as low rank as her father. She wasn't sure whether it was real for everyone, all she knew was that the only two people she ever met who were utterly in love were her mother and father. She didn't know whether love was something that was meant to happen for her, but if it was it was very unlikely to happen anytime soon. 

If you were to ask Matthias Sutcliffe whether or not he believed in love, he'd say no. He'd say it was a waste of time. He'd seen so many marriages and courtships that were forced as the families just wanted to grow and gain more riches. Nothing about any of the marriages he's seen has involved love, not the love he always heard about in the fairytales when he was younger. Anytime anyone showed any interest, there was more to it. Whether it be the looks, the genetics, or the money, it was something that had nothing to do with money. He didn't think it was real, and he was convinced nothing could change his mind. His friends called him out on his bullshit, but he knew they only said something to push his buttons.

Nicollette and Matthias hate each other. They dislike each other for different reasons, Nicollette thinks Matthias is an egotistical asshole that needs to be humbled as he doesn't care about anyone but himself, and Matthias thinks Nicollette is just another money-hungry servant that wants to work her way to the top so she's no longer considered a normal person and is considered to be royalty.

They've known each other since they were young, simply due to the fact that Merlin Terilow is extremely loyal to his king, King Gerald Sutcliffe. They live on the same land, go to the same classes together in school, and even attend the same church. None of this is their decision - as if they both had it their way they'd stay far away from the other.

Now that Nicollette is at the age of eighteen, she begins to get more and more involved in things around the kingdom. These things consist of balls, galas, fancy dinners, and even helping her mother with duties around the palace. It's as if she's a mixture of a royal and a servant, living both worlds. If she had it her way, she'd do neither. She'd live off on a farm somewhere in a secluded area, keeping her friends and family close.

No eyes on her, nobody expecting things from her that shouldn't be her job. She'd be free, she'd be able to be herself with no worries. She'd help the helpless more than she does now, and make friends with people who genuinely want to be her friend.

Sometimes, when she thinks about it for long enough, she even thinks about the possibility of adding a special someone in there. She thinks about the fact that if she lived a life like that - she'd be more likely to find someone to love her for her, and she'd know that they'd be loving her despite her background.

Things begin to get messy as their two worlds collide more than ever before, much to both of their dismay. Their opinions begin to change along with their feelings, realizing things they never had to think about before.

Nicollette begins to leave a mark on the kingdom, more specifically on the cocky prince who never believed in love. But does he leave his mark on her? Or will this end in chaos, just as Matthias has always believed it did?

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Struggled a bit with this, but hope you enjoyed <3