Leonor and Elisabeth are two future queens, their position is complicated, but they can both see themselves reflected in each other, and that creates a friendship that is of great help to them, especially for the youngest one.
*This is fiction, it i...
Being a princess may seem beautiful, like a fairy tale or a Disney movie, yet there was Leonor, future Queen of Spain, Princess of Asturias, Princess of Girona and a long list of other titles, sitting on the bed in her room in the General Military Academy of Zaragoza that she shared with other classmates, thinking that that was not her place. Normally, she would carry those titles with pride and happiness, but there were other times she wished that the lucky one to wear them was someone else, and that she was a mere mortal, just like her mother was until she fell in love with her father and they later got married, which made her Princess of Asturias, a title that Leonor now held as heir to the Crown and later Queen of Spain.
It had been only two days since she had taken the oath of allegiance, and as she thought about that, she couldn't resist thinking about what her father, The King, had said to her the day before she entered the academy:
-Leonor, tomorrow a new stage is going to begin for you, as well as for your mother and me. -He said with sadness for being without any of his daughters at home for the first time in more than seventeen years, but at the same time with great pride.
- I'm not gonna lie to you, it's not gonna be easy, I've been there too, and I know how it feels to see how the first few days, a lot of people leave, they can't endure the hard training and everything that that means, and I don't judge them for doing so.- Leonor looked at her father, trying to imagine what he was explaining.
The King continued, -It 's even more difficult to know that you don't have that option, but whenever you think about that, think that you are doing it for your people, for your country. Let yourself be guided by what the second or older cadets say.
-I'll try - The Princess responded, not very sure of what she was saying.
-Not everything is bad - Felipe continued - once the Oath of Flag is over, things improve and you will make unforgettable memories. - She knew that he was not lying, since she had met colleagues from her father's army and they always told her stories.
After that, the two hugged.
Leonor in her bed, thought that she wished it were like that, that her father was right. And with that thought she finally fell asleep.
Elisabeth 16th of October 2023
A few hours ago she had arrived at her small apartment at the University of Oxford, in England. The day before she had attended Prince Christian of Denmark's eigtheenth birthday celebrations in Copenhagen. That was her first time attending an engagement abroad alone, she had done it before, but always with one of her parents, The King and The Queen, even once with her aunt, Princess Astrid, but never alone.
As she took out and put away the few clothes she had taken, she thought about how proud she was of herself, and how a few years ago she wouldn't have been capable of it. She remembered how nervous and hysterical she was that day on the plane going to Kenya, where for the first time she would accompany her mother on a UNICEF mission. Her mother's words that day stuck in her head:
-Lis, calm down - The Queen said - you don't have to be nervous, you have given speeches since you were four years old, you have done a million public activities since you were a little girl, what can happen? - Elisabeth didn't know it, it was the fact that they were people from another place, from another way of doing things, plus there was much more international press.
-It's just that it's outside Belgium, I don't know... the press is going to be harder on me if I do something wrong. - She said worried.
Mathilde gave her eldest daughter a small hug - Don't worry, really, I've done this a thousand times and it's no different from what you've already done. And no matter what they say, they'll find something else to talk about us anyway - Elisabeth was reassured by that, she was right, it wasn't that big of a deal.
The phone rang, breaking her out of her thoughts. She saw that she had an incoming video call from her mother, so she hurried to answer. Her mother did't appear on the screen but rather her sister Eléonore:
-Helloo - The fifteen-year-old teenager said happily.
-Oh, hi Eléonore! I didn't know that this phone was now yours - Elisabeth answered jokingly.
-Mom asked me to call you to ask if you had arrived safely. She can't do it, since today she told the chef that she wants to make dinner - The little sister answered with a grimace, not very sure of her mother's culinary skills.
-Good luck with that! - The princess responded laughing.
-EHHHH, I'm listening to you! - Her mother was heard in the background, pretending to be angry.
-Hello mum, I arrived a few hours ago, yesterday went very well, we had a lot of fun with Amalia - referring to the fact that she entered the gala with the Dutch heiress - then they sat me down with Felix - Elisabeth added, while her little sister focused to her mother in the kitchen.
-How is Bella? - The monarch asked curiously, wanting to know how her goddaughter, Princess Isabella of Denmark, whom she affectionately called that, was doing.
-Very good! I didn't get a chance to talk much to her, but she seemed happy. - Elisabeth responded.
-Well, I have to leave you, I don't want to be late for rowing practice. I love you. - She said when she realized what time it was.
As she walked out the door, already changed into her sports clothes, she saw the photo that she had recently hanging on the wall, in which she was with her entire family, on the day of her swearing-in as an officer, just a few weeks ago. The year in military service was hard, but everything has its reward.
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