The Labyrinth Heiress

Chapter 2

Andreas (Ch 1)~

My clothes cling onto me like a second skin, perfectly tailored to my body. The rich fabric is adorned with medals and sashes—the typical custom attire of the prince of Solaria. On most days, it doesn't bother me. I've been ignoring the fact that I'm nothing but a placeholder to the royal family. To my dearest mother. But it consumes me when I fail to maintain the image that has burrowed under my skin for the past 19 years. Restless nights, my head racing with thoughts of who I will become after my older brother, Rory, takes his place as the faithful king of his country. What will I have amounted to?

Nothing.

Those nights reminded me of the deadline approaching. 2 Months, 12 days, and 18 hours until my brother became the man my kingdom has always needed. 2,052 hours till I become nothing more than an afterthought to the royal family, the Solarian citizens, and my mother. For instance, currently, she has invited me and my brother- because of course, she did- for a stroll around the city. Seeing the vibrant life makes me yearn for a chance to become ordinary, insignificant. However, a part of my heart beats for something completely different. It beats for the love I have for my people. Every Solarian. Part of me wishes that I could become king. That I could serve them, lead them. But I'm fated to stay where I am. To stay as the spare. The second option. The placeholder, and I must make peace with that.

I find myself surrounded by mounds of solarians, all eager to sell, buy, and catch a glimpse of the coveted reigning queen. I am not authorized to come to the city market frequently, but when I am, members of our royal guard insist that I stay undetected at all times. In and out. Unrecognizable. They hand me a thick dark cloak, as well as giving me a strict curfew that I must obey, no matter the situation. However, this time around was different. This time I was purposely making an appearance, purposely parading myself like the royal family's own show pony. My brother and I both, but he took it in stride unlike me. It's uncomfortable standing in the middle of the market in this shiny new leather coat, my usual attire hiding beneath it and my slightly too-tight shoes, feeling like a gauche bastard with no awareness of the poverty surrounding him. My mother and brother decided to stay near the better-looking part of the market, however, I decided to stray near where most of the life and culture reside. Yes, it may not be the most dazzling part of town to most, but it was where I felt the most at peace.

I triple-check the small sack of solaras I had placed in the right pocket of my coat earlier this morning. As much as I adored my people, I wasn't oblivious to the fact that thieves and crooks lurked in many of the dark corners of the city, especially the city market where goods were constantly exchanged. I run my fingers through my hair, pensively growing at the thought of the poverty and desperate measures many citizens had to take to ensure their survival. As much as I knew it was wrong, the reason for their situation was also just as flawed. Not many citizens had the opportunity to find a job that could sustain them, some without the proper training, resources, or education necessary. I've brought up this issue to my mother, Rory, and to all the lord-forsaken members of Parliament but nothing has been done. Nothing in this country has been done for our citizens and it enrages me. I breathe out an irritated breath while standing in front of one of the hundreds of rickety stalls lined up against the many towering buildings located in the heart of the city. I quietly inspect a Mango, dwarfing its beautiful array of yellows and red in my hand. I glance down at the young merchant who has wordlessly stared at me for the past four minutes. As my eyes meet his own, he quickly lowers them and stares at the stall, slightly trembling.

"I hope y-you like my fruits Y-Your Highness..." he stuttered breathlessly. He couldn't be more than 12 years old. He was quite frail for his age, but with the amount of poverty plaguing the city, I wasn't surprised. A pang of guilt shot through my ribs. My eyes roamed the boy's small figure. I blame myself for my lack of trying to help kids like him. Citizens like him. My presence only causes them anxiety about what I may think of them. Judge them. Hurt them. The idea of it makes my stomach twist in knots.

I don't think I could live with myself if I turned a blind eye before Rory was even king.

Before I could make a difference, to become something to someone else.

I brightly smile at the boy through his creaky stall adorned with tens of different types of fruits. "This mango looks splendid, I would love-" But before I could finish my sentence, a young girl stumbled into my chest. Her intense auburn hair splayed across my shoulder. I brushed it away as I held onto her shoulders.

"Whoa, miss! Watch your step, you never know who you could run into," I breathe.

My eyes find hers, a pair of desolate bright blue eyes. Feeling the heat of her gaze, her eyes bore into mine. I find myself peering further into hers, searching for answers, searching for a speck of life in the pair of endlessly vast sapphires staring right back at me. My eyes roamed the tiny figure, standing flush against me. Her eyes are round with a button nose. Her skin is pale and covered in hundreds of light tan freckles. I look down at her torn clothes. A dark shirt thinly covered her, with a pair of worn-in pants and boots. She was thin like the young boy attending me, but completely disparate. She seemed older and hardened, experienced. A breath caught in my throat, a juxtaposition of feelings rising in me. She was endlessly, dazzlingly beautiful though her hardened eyes told a different story. A story of survival and hunger, longing for peace and security. Her eyes reminded me a whole lot of my own life. As contrasting as our lives seemed, hers in the slums and mine in the high nobility, a glimmer of loneliness gleamed in her eyes like it would gleam in mine if it weren't for the years of training I've taken advantage of to bury it alive. For a moment, I found solace in them.

"Yes, I'm sure the prince of Solaria is strolling around town today," She quickly responds, a lopsided grin tugging on her face.

Funny, she doesn't know who I am.

"And what if I was a crook, what would happen then, darling?" I drawl. She looks me up and down, assessing her response.

"Well I would've managed just fine, darling." she mimics me, her grin widening causing my heart to stutter. Her lopsided smile might just be one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

"Why does a pretty girl like you wound me so easily?" I whisper in her ear, leaning in further, trying to get a rise out of her.

"You tell me," she urges, holding my gaze.

She begins stepping around me against the flow of traffic as I watch her hurry away. Something about that girl had enchanted me like no other before. Like a bee to honey, an undeniable attraction. Something caught my eye when I glanced down to where she had just been standing. A gold hairpin glittered on the floor, its gold metallic surface playing in the light. I bent down to pick it up, holding it in my hand, I thumbed the initials engraved on the end,

"E.H".

I tucked it into the right pocket of my coat where my Solaras resided and turned to call after her, hoping to return it. "Wait, miss! You..." I started but as I peered into the crowd she simply vanished. If it wasn't for the pin tucked into my jacket and my rapidly beating heart, I would have assumed I imagined the whole interaction. As my thoughts finally settled, I turned to the young merchant who was staring off into the crowd.

"How much for the mango?" I asked. The boy looked up at me with a wary expression touching his features.

"3 Solaras" he blurted out. A little expensive for a piece of fruit, but I knew he was nothing but driven by hunger.

"Alright," I nodded. I reached over to where my solaras resided and pulled the bag open to find a pile of little river stones instead.

As I shut my eyes, my mind going back to my encounter with the inexplicable stranger. She had fooled me. I should feel upset, but instead it left me reeling.Was I stupid to think she was something worth thinking about, with her big blue eyes peering into mine to only distract me from the fact that she was robbing me blind? There was something about her that made me think twice about reporting her to the Solarian guard. She stole from a prince, a punishable crime worth mentioning, but some things should rather be left to the unknown, then become discovered.

And I still wasn't sure if she fell into the category of the former or the latter.