"Falling"

The Letter

Sitting at the desk in her room, Bella is struggling. She knows her father is expecting a letter from her with news of her short time in King Josh's Court, but she doesn't want to write anything that her father can use against the King or his Kingdom.

She is certain that her father didn't have the best of intentions when sending her to King Josh's Court, and his request made it very clear. However, she can be wrong. If only there was someone in Court that she could trust to help her sort all of this out. Still, she needs to write something.

Picking up a pen, she begins her letter.

"Dear father,

You will be pleased to hear that I have settled in quite nicely and that everyone has been incredibly welcoming. I have spent these first few days getting familiar with my new surroundings, as well as spending some time with Queen-Mother Donna and Princess Mackenzie, both of whom have made sure that I have everything I need.

I have resumed my morning rides, riding through the lands and woods that surround the Castle, places that are filled with such beauty that I sometimes lose track of time just by admiring their beauty and peacefulness.

His Majesty, King Josh, was kind enough to provide me with a room in the upper levels of the Castle, granting me a privileged view of the lake. I love spending time on its shores and just let the sun warm my skin."

"I can't write this.", she thinks, shaking her head while crumpling the piece of paper and throwing it away. As innocuous as it might sound, she knows she is giving away too much information about the Castle's surroundings, something her father can use against King Josh.

"Let's try this again.", she whispers to herself, picking up her pen and starting a new letter.

"Dear father,

You will be pleased to hear that I have already settled in. Although I have been getting myself familiar with the Castle, I have yet to see it's surroundings, having been too busy with Queen-Mother Donna and Princess Mackenzie, who have taken me under their wings and are making sure I am well taken care of.

I have been introduced to a few Ladies who call Court their home and they have been very welcoming, telling me all about the Castle and everyone that lives here. I'm hopeful that soon enough I will have met some more people and learn more about my new home.

However, all of this doesn't minimize how much I miss home and how I hope to see it soon. Until then, I will make myself at home here, in King Josh's Court.

I will write again in a week's time,

Your beloved daughter,

Arabella."

Bella lets out a sigh, as she re-reads the letter, wondering how in the world did she get here, to the point where she needs to lie to prevent a full on war between two Kingdoms. She knows that there's only so much she can do, but she will keep doing it until she can't.

She knows she could tell her father about the lake, but if she does, he can plan a covert attack from the water; she could tell him about the woods that surround part of the Castle, but then he can use them as cover for another attack; she could tell him how the soldiers train every day, but then he would ask for details on their training; or about King Josh's meetings with different Lords and foreign envoys, which her father would use as a map to find allies against King Josh.

All of this is information that Bella knows she can never tell her father, for if he knew all of this, he would be able to plan an attack against the Castle, the Kingdom and the King himself, and Bella isn't comfortable with having a role in any of that.

Bella has known that her father hated King Josh from the moment he had refused to marry Kimberly, a hatred that only increased when she died. It didn't matter that it wasn't his fault, to her father King Josh was guilty and there was nothing anyone could say against it. However, Bella didn't agree with her father. She didn't blame him at all, she knows that what happened to Kimberly was unfortunate, but, ultimately, no ones fault.

She now sees herself in a position she has never asked to be put in, and that is to spy on a man whose only crime was not wanting to marry someone just so an alliance could be forged. No one should be forced to marry someone they don't love or even know.

Bella still remembers when King Josh tried giving her father other options to forge their alliance and how her father had refused them all, simply because her sister had said she was in love with King Josh, and there was nothing her father wouldn't do to give her sister exactly what she wanted.

She shakes her head, clearing it from those memories and of what happened after, pushing back tears that were threatening to spill, and starts wondering what will her father do once he realizes she isn't sending him the information he wants.

Bella seals the letter and calls for a messenger, knowing that whatever her father decides to do, she will face it as she has done in the past. The messenger arrives and she hands him the letter. With that done, she leaves her room and makes her way to the stables, eager to feel the wind against her skin, taking with it all the emotions that were strong enough to tear her into pieces.