The Kingdom Rivals

Prologue Part 3

Elaine:
Elaine stared at herself in the mirror. Not a hair out of place. She smiled, and proceeded to carefully place her tiara upon her head. She elegantly walked out of her room, her hands folded neatly in front of her.
“Good morning,” She said in a soft voice, curtsying to some of the maids walking by. Thinking the coast was clear, she began to accelerate her pace, heading towards the stables. Yes, she was the picture perfect princess, grace and etiquette through and through.
However, there was one thing you could not keep Elaine away from. Riding horses. 
“All clear?” She whispered, knocking on a stable that seemed empty.
“Alright,” her brother, Logan, gently opened the stable door, and ran to one of the horses, Valiant was his name, and gently took him out of the stall. 
Elaine took of her skirt, revealing the pants underneath. 
“You're free until 9:00 AM. Go!” Logan whispered, leaving her with Valiant.
“Come on, boy,” Elaine murmured. Valiant was gorgeous, the definition of a black beauty.
She hoisted herself up on him, and rode him to the paddock. 
She took a deep breath, observing the green fields. She began to canter, and once she jad a steady momentum, she started to stand, lifting one leg in the air, and raising both arms. Then she sat back down, and in a swift move, was hanging upside down. She laughed, the air hitting her face, the breeze seeming to flow through her. She lifted herself back on the saddle, and started to gallop when she heard voices. Panicked, she quickly leaped of Valiant, and brought him back to his stable. She brushed herself off, and grabbed her skirt, throwing it on. She checked in the stable mirror, flattening her hair, straightening her tiara, and once she found that she looked perfect, she waltzed out of the stable, smiling slightly. 
“Oh, there you are!” Her mother said fondly. “We're having breakfast! What were you doing here anyway?”
“I was petting the horses,” Elaine answered. “A princess must be familiar with animals, and familiarizing with them leads to kindness and gentleness, which are required to be a perfect princess.” She recited, remembering the paragraph from her etiquette textbook that she had been forced to read ever since she was little. 
“Oh, that is simply delightful! If only your siblings were more like you. Of course, you're all perfect but.. Oh I suppose you know what I mean.” 
Elaine's mother escorted her to the dining room, where they all sat, munching on their breakfast. 
“Please do not do anything rash..” King Max said worriedlt. “But both the Jeinalti and the Fementieva family will be coming soon.’ 
Elaine almost spit out her food. The Fementieva family? No, he must be joking. And the Jeinalti family? Why, he must simply not be in the right state of mind.
Elaine began to laugh, amused. Her father quite liked to joke around, so that must be it. Although she stopped when no one else started to laugh. 
“But- but they're our enemies?” She asked unsurely, her cheeks heating. 
King Max nodded. Her sisters and brothers stared at her. Elaine finished her waffles.
“Please excuse me, “ she said politely, curtsying, and gliding out as fast as she could.
“The Fementieva family is bad enough. Father just had to invite the Jeinalti family,” She frowned. “Of course they have to come.”
Upset, she entered the shower , ready to clear her thoughts.