Betrothed to Trouble

Chapter 1 - Return to Ansodria (edited)

The princess drew in an excited gasp as her much-missed home loomed into view. The sight of the majestic, rustic palace built out of creamy stone set her heart racing in anticipation. She has been away from home for too long. Two and a half years it has been, since she last set her eyes on her country. The soothing view of the old willow trees dotting the lake glittering under the morning sun brought tears to her eyes. She didn’t realize how much she missed home until this moment.

“Are you alright, Milady?” asked the middle-aged matron accompanying her.

“Oh, I am alright,” she replied with a shaky laugh. “I am simply glad to be home,”

The young girl continued drinking in the beautiful scenery, inhaling the scents of home. After years of living in luxury amongst the French aristocrats, even the grandeur of the famed Versailles could never compare to the serene nature of her home country. Here the birds still sing in the morning, dotting the ethereal blue skies with their slim silhouettes, diving and swooping as if celebrating her return. She daringly slid off her gloves and without sparing a single glance to the scandalized matron beside her, thrust her hand out of the carriage window. She giggled quietly as the morning sun kissed her bare skin, the shadows of the trees above them casting intricate patterns on her upturned palms. Even the sun feels differently here at home.

The carriage came to a rumbling stop outside the palace gates. She smiled back at the astonished guards as they saw her practically leaning out of the window, but her infectious excitement soon had them saluting her with smiles. As the carriage trundled towards the palace’s main court, the familiar stately figure of King Frederick IV could be seen descending down the palace steps, to be followed by the ministers of his court. A wide toothy smile immediately tugged on the princess’s pink-tinted lips. Without waiting for the footmen’s assistance, she wrenched open the carriage door and launched herself at the figure, nearly toppling over the gold band which rested majestically upon his brow.

“Father!” she greeted him enthusiastically, wrapping her arms around his strong, muscular built.

The man’s regal façade immediately crumbled before his only daughter’s ill-concealed excitement and without realizing it, his hands had encircled themselves around her tiny waist. Warmth filled his heart as he held his little darling in his arms. Their separation has caused him more pain than what he had shown.

“Giselle!” he scolded, trying to retain propriety as he was reminded of the eyes of the entire court watching their happy reunion.

Giggling at his obvious discomfort, she finally released him and made her rounds of greeting the members of her father’s court. When the required formalities were done, the king ushered his beloved daughter into his private study, anxious to catch up on the years the two and a half years they have been apart.

Princess Giselle:

I took in father’s appearance and frowned slightly. His thick dark mane of hair had started prematurely greying, and he looked old beyond his years. The moment we entered his study, the strong, confident façade he portrayed faded and he looked haggard and tired as he sank into his favorite armchair.

“Come over here,” he called fondly, jerking me out of my thoughts. A genuine smile graced my lips as I walked over to him and took the seat next to him.

 “I missed you, child,” he said softly as he stroked my cheek with his warm, callused hand, taking in my appearance.

I had grown a few more inches while I was away, and my face has lost the slightly round quality it once had. My long brown locks were no longer in the messy braids I used to wear in my younger years; they were pinned up in an elegant bun decorated with jewels and pearls. The dress I wore was in France’s newest fashion; made of elegant rose pink silk and trimmed with exquisite lace, with panniers so wide I almost had trouble fitting into the chair. Father must have noticed these changes, for I saw a tinge of sadness in his smile.