Who's Kingdom?

Chapter Two

"Father, I promise, when you see her, you'll wonder why you ever questioned me. She's quite the beauty." His father looked at him skeptically. "She already takes too long, I'm not sure how amazing she could possibly be," his father said sternly. Even if Shawn ruled, he still sought approval from his father as most sons do. "She'll be out soon, I promise." The girl he saved walked out, her posture oddly elegant. "Afternoon, your highness," she said as she curtsied. His father showed no emotion, yet he was very infatuated with the girl and her beauty. "Afternoon. What is your name child?"

"I am Star," she said slowly. "Pleasure to meet you, Star. And how old would you happen to be," he asked with a stern voice. "16, your highness." Shawn smirked at her response, but overall made no comment. "You are one gorgeous young lady. I would be honored if you stayed here under the royal family's protection. It's too dangerous out there for you right now..." She smiled and curtsied once more. "Thank you, your grace." He nodded and dismissed her. "She would make a good wife. Pretty, quiet, and naïve. You better get her."

Shawn bowed. "Yes father, I will make sure she is my wife." Star was standing outside, swiftly walking away before Shawn exited the room. She went to the room she was assigned to, looking in the mirror. "Interesting he wants to marry a 16 year old when he's 22..." She sighed and slumped over, but her body immediately stiffened up again when some one knocked on her door. "Come in."

 A knight walks in, standing near the door. "Ms. Star, I was assigned as your knight." 

 She smiled at him, seeming innocent. "Just call me Star, and what might you name be. He looked at her, a bit surprised by her kindness towards him. "I'm Johnathan... the son of our leader, King Gray." Her eye twitched at the mention of the name, but luckily she had her hair covering her eyes so he couldn't see. "Ah, and you're only a knight. I thought you would be at the castle with you father doing your princely duties." He sighed and shook his head. "No, my father has this idea that he will last forever, and who am I to crush an old man's dream," he said, his voice bittersweet. "Is that a hint of resentment in your voice," she asked curiously as she took her hair down from the low bun she had put it in.

"I- no, any resentment towards the king would be treason." She chuckled. "Well he can't be a very good father if you as his son still refer to him as the king." He sighed and step further into the room, closing the door behind him. "Truth is, I know what he did to be king and he wants me to rule the same and be willing to do the same things he did, and I just can't live like that." She paused brushing her hair and finally turned to look at him. "And what is it exactly he did? When I was younger, I remember a family, yet they just disappeared one day." He started to get nervous. "Don 't worry about it, just know that my father is not the man he claims to be."

"I'll keep that in consideration," she said softly. She put on the dress that she was told to wear to dinner and headed to the dining room. She took a seat across from Shawn. She kept her voice light and her comments limited. Both men thought she was perfect. "So, Star, I need for you to know if you are to live here." She nodded, keeping that small smile on her face. "You are to do as we ask, when we ask, and if you are to become part of our family, you must learn your duties as a princess." She nodded and tried to not show any type of inner turmoil. "Yes your highness, it would be my pleasure to be the best possible addition I can be." She reached for another dessert, however felt the eyes of both the king and Shawn on her. "I would advise you to watch how much you eat, I would hate for you to gain weight," Shawn said. She clutched her hand and withdrew her hand. "Of course your highness."  She didn't seem too happy about it.

 Over the next few days, she spends her time learning the basics of a princess. Shawn, of course, took up the role of teaching her everything she needed. Although his father wanted her to become his wife, Shawn saw her as an equal and nothing like the submissive woman his father wished for his to court. Johnathan stood at the side of each session they had, as his only real job was to make sure Star was okay.

 One day, after their usual princess session, Shawn catches Star looking at a sword hanging in one of the main halls. "Isn't it beautiful," Shawn says as he walks up behind her. She seemed shocked and looked at him quickly before back at the sword. "Yes, I do believe so... always wanted to learn how to wield one." He decides to use this as an opportunity to spend even more time with her. "I'll teach you, if you'd like that is..." She smiled as she hugged him. "Thank you, that'd be great!" He was shocked and he felt his face heat up, but ultimately, he hugged her back. "We can start right now if you'd like. I have no royal duties until later this evening."

 She nodded enthusiastically as they went out to the training field. He tried showing her how to hold the sword and then get her to copy, but her left arm always seemed to give out. He walked up behind her, placing his hands on top of hers, oddly close. "All you have to do is lock your elbow, it's quite simple..." She did as told and her left arm still gave out, landing against his arm. "Maybe we should try to build up your strength first," he said teasingly, pulling away from her as he took the sword from her hand.

 He walked her back to her chambers before kissing her knuckles and heading to tend to his royal duties. She smiled and giggled until she went back into her room, sighing and frowning the second the door was closed. Unbeknown to her, Johnathan was already in there. Her soul almost seemed to have left her body when she turned around to see him standing near her bed. "Oh my- Johnathan! You can't just scare me like that," she exclaimed, clutching onto her chest tightly. "My apologies, Ms. Star. You and Prince Shawn seemed to be enjoying your afternoon together." She nodded so unnoticeably that he had to get her to do it again. 

"You look tired," she said suddenly, grabbing his hand and pulling him down onto the bed.

"Ms. Star!" She seemed to have cringed at his comment. "Please just call me Star. I'm only 16, I'm sure you're older than me." He shrugged his shoulders. "It's just 2 years," he said modestly. However, his body soon became alert as she looked at him mischievously. "If I remember correctly, your father doesn't have a wife and you don't have a mother, right?" He nodded slowly. "Yes..."

"Uh oh."

[Meanwhile]

"Father... she asked me to teach her how to use a sword," Shawn said as he sat across from his father. "Teach her. And learn as much as you can about her. Something about her reminds me of... them." Shawn nodded. He knew of everything it took to make the kingdom what it was as he was one of the people that had tied them up on the poles. But it couldn't her her, could it?

Bonus: The other knights were training and asked Johnathan to come down as he was their leader. Nothing could've prepared them to see him walked down with a full face of makeup. "Sir, what-" he cut them off quick. "Don't even ask. And no matter what they say, princesses are not easier  than princes..."