The Not So Royal Life

My eyes snap open as I vigorously toss in my cot and wake up from my another horrible night. I squint to see the time on my watch. It's only five am so no one in camp will be up for a good three hours. I soundlessly get out of my cot and walk towards the front window. Crossing my arms to warm my self, i gaze up at the bright moon.

The light casts down upon the guard towers and dead grass. I can't help but think of my family and how they are doing. Ever since I was taken away from them the only thought I've had is how much I wanted to go back to them. In another six months i will see them again. i will be able to come home on the weekends but, it still doesn't seem fair I have to live this way for receiving something i couldn't control the fate of. Just three months ago I was laying in my bed watching tv and holding hands with the most amazing guy in the world.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

"Ahem" Proclaims my nanny, Josephine, while raising an eyebrow, taping her right foot, and angrily crossing her arms at me.

"Yes?" I answer.

"I don't know what you think you are doing, Julie, because you know your father does not approve of any men besides family and servants in the house"

"But he is not here."

"You know that is not the point-"

"What are you going to do about it? Run and tell him hoping that maybe, just maybe, he will see how much you do for him and finally give you that raise you have been wanting for the last 5 years?"

She didn't say a word.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. It's never going to happen and you know it so stop wasting your time sucking up to him and telling on me for irrelevant things and bring us some food and drinks. We're starving over here."

"Yes Ma'am. As you wish."

She scurried away with her jaw clenched and her fists balled up in anger.

"Julie, I appreciate you defending me but that was harsh..." Said James

"It had to be done. My father will be the only one bossing people around. Not her."

James sighed and looked away, but I knew he understood. It's just the way things were run here. I put my hand on his face and he turned back to look at me. I stared into to his eyes for awhile then gave him a tight hug and a on kiss his cheek.

"Hey, I'll make it up to you for being mean to Josephine. Lets go find her and I'll apologize then we can get out of here and get some fresh air. Alright?" I said with a smile.

"That sounds great." He returned the smile and drew me in for a long breath-taking kiss.

After my forced apology, I took James to the garden.

"I don't know how to say this but... We have to have a baby." James blurted as we sat down on the fountain edge.

"James, I'm 16 and you are 17. What makes you think we need a child now? We are not even married yet." I said shocked.

"If you do not have a child now there will not be an heir to the throne and if there is no heir, your father will be forced to leave the throne to your uncle, Henry."

I had no words for him. I knew he was right but it felt so wrong. I should be able to enjoy my life and not be responsible for the future of Spain. Is the only reason I was born was to keep my family in power? My face felt hot and I could felt tears welling up in my blue eyes. I ran to my car and started the engine. I could hear James in the background shouting for me to come back and talk to him. I looked back towards him and a single salty tear rolled down my cheek. I shifted my mint-green bug to drive and hit the gas.

I drove all through the night. At first, I didn't know where I was heading. The car was driving itself, plowing through the long hours, willing my foot to become a lead block, weighing down upon the hard pedal.

As I drove, firetrucks and ambulances zoomed past me with their blaring sirens to save the damsel

in distress. However, contrary to common belief, I was not the one that needed saving. I needed a new family, a new life, an ordinary life without palaces, kings, balls, and crowns, I needed meaningless high school drama and an awful jerky boyfriend.

As my head cleared and the fog of anger melted away I began to recognize my surroundings. The little white church, old country store, and rundown farms and neighborhoods sparked distant memories from road trips of my childhood. My Aunt Jennifer, Aunt Jenny for short, used to drag me along when she went to confession. She would tell me to sit in the pews and pray for my horrid royal snobby family. I never understood why she had to drive eight hours to tell the priest her sins. I mean, there were priests in her town.

Since I was there, I decided to go to the church and see if anyone remembered me being there. I parked behind the church and shut off the engine. I took in my surrounds and realized the church was different then I remembered. As a child I looked up at the tall cross and the pristine white siding. The church had long since grayed and weathered. It seemed strange to me that no one had kept up the maintenance. I debated turning around and heading towards- well pretty much any place else. I knew something had compelled me to come here so I had to stay.