Blistered Roses

Chapter 6: Servant vs Royal

                  

Princess Adelaide didn't have a very good way to take news that was bad to her. She paced around in her room as she bit her nail—a horrible habit she had. She realized if she didn't do something about Tara, her brother would interfere. She needed to tell Tara right away about her brother liking Tara. All though they haven't spoken in months, she knew now was the time to speak up.

She hurried through the castle holding her dress up. She went up and down stairs at different sections of the castle to find Tara. Of course the one day I try to reach out to Tara, she is nowhere to be found, the Princess thought to herself. Finally, she saw Tara sweeping at the end of a hall, but she was quickly grabbed by someone. She bit her lip and said horrible words in her mind to whoever took her aside. Once she realized it was her mother, she knew why her mother grabbed her.

"I thought you were practicing yer singing, dear?" The Queen asked curiously.

The Princess huffed and looked behind her to see if Tara had moved—she did. The Princess became agitated and looked at her mother. "That is not until noon, mother."

"It is noon, Adelaide." Her mother counterattacked.

The Princess went away from her mother to go practice her singing and Tara was no longer to be found in the direction she was walking. Her mother ruined her one chance to talk to Tara. She was eventually practicing her singing, but wasn't giving it her all. All she could think about was Tara and where they would go from the information the Princess needed to inform Tara.

Tara scrubbed away to clean the Princess's clothing that she has worn too much. She put all her effort into it becoming frustrated that she is still doing favors for the Princess yet she hasn't talked to her. Granted, Tara was the one that ran out on her, but she believed that the Princess should say something to her first.

She finished cleaning the Princess's clothing and hung it up to dry. She made her way inside the castle and wiped sweat from her forehead as the heat has been rising outside since it was already Spring.

Tara set the basket down and saw something from the corner of her eye coming towards her—It was Prince Cían. She smiled politely and looked straight in front of her to see another figure standing by—It was the Princess. The Princess looked at her brother and then Tara motioning her index finger to make Tara follow her. If I had a gold piece for every time she has done that, I'd be rich, Tara thought to herself.

She started walking towards the Princess since the Prince wasn't too close to her so it wouldn't have been rude to walk away from him. Tara followed a couple of feet behind the Princess and watched as she entered her room. She took a deep breath and entered the room, shutting the door behind her. She looked over at the Princess standing by her bed who had a worried look on her face.

"I have something to tell you..." The Princess said in a quiet tone.

"What is it you need to tell me?" Tara asked, but didn't make eye contact with the Princess.

"My father..." She sighed and swallowed hard at the thought of what she had to do tomorrow, "He demands I pick a suitor tomorrow."

Tara nodded her head, "Alright." She turned from the Princess and headed to the door. The Princess quickly grabbed a hold of her arm. Tara didn't turn, but stood there waiting to hear what else the Princess wanted to say to her.

"And...my brother has a liking for you. He wants you to be his suitor."

The Princess swallowed hard as those words came out of her mouth and she closed her eyes preparing her mind and body to what she is going to say next—what she think is right.

"Be with him..." The Princess's throat was closing up and these words hurt, "And I'll be with a suitor I choose."

Tara stood still with her mouth gapped and she couldn't believe what Princess Adelaide was saying to her. She was becoming furious and upset. Tara hated that time after time she listened to the Princess complain and whine like a baby about how she didn't want a suitor. She even dressed up like a man to scare off possible suitors and feelings were revealed. Now the Princess wants to be a coward? She wasn't having it.

She turned to the Princess with a plastered smile on her face and stared hard at the Princess, "Fine, as you wish....your highness." Tara curtsied to be disrespectful and sarcastic to the whole 'a peasant must bow or curtsy to a royalty'. She stormed out of the Princess's room leaving the Princess to be stunned. She didn't expect Tara to actually agree. She wanted Tara to fight back with her, but now she realizes she has damaged something even more.

Tara purposely walked around so she could run into the Prince and she had a plan to get the Prince to admit his feelings and she would do exactly as the Princess said. She was furious and she knew she would feel stupid and regret this later on, but she did it to get back to the Princess and all she's done to her. Her eye caught a glimpse of the Prince coming and she didn't look at him, but kept walking towards him. What she was going to do, she would feel stupid, but she purposely tripped before the Prince and the Prince caught her. She rolled her eyes and scolded herself looking away from the Prince so he couldn't see.

"Oh, Prince Cían...I am so sorry." Tara felt the Prince's body against hers and he helped her stand up right. "Please, excuse me, I was not paying attention." She kept apologizing, but of course she didn't mean it.

"That's quite alright. Don't apologize." He said with a blush appearing on his face.

Tara knew she had him right where she wanted him and she noticed the Princess off in the distance. She put her hand on the Prince's arm feeling his bicep and giggled, "Yer very strong, sir."

The Prince smiled and looked away feeling good about himself, "Yeah...well..."

Tara looked over at the Princess with a smirk on her face. The Princess rushed off feeling anger built up inside of her and she wanted to choke Tara, instead she called her bad names in her head and she was definitely going to choose a suitor tomorrow. Tara stopped smirking after the Princess left and she met eyes with the Prince realizing how he looks like Princess Adelaide—at least some features did. They had the same color eyes and the same high cheek bones that Tara admired from the Princess. Of course he was broader at the shoulders and at his jaw. He was a little taller than Tara and her eyes met at his nose.

The Prince wandered off with Tara talking to her and making sure she was okay after that fall that he thought was an accident. Tara did like the Prince, but as a friend, because he was a kind gentleman unlike his father. The Prince actually stood up for her when guards would mess around with her, but now she realizes it's because he liked her and wanted to protect her.

He wasn't very good at sweet talking, because he was a bit shy, but he knew that he had to ask Tara to be his suitor. He had no idea what she would say and he knew the time to ask her would be now.

"Tara, I have something to ask you." The Prince said as they sat on a stone bench in the garden.

Tara knew what he was going to ask her and she was prepared to give him the answer he wanted to hear. She had no idea where this was going to go and she was unsure of what others would think about a royal being with a servant from the castle.

"Will you be with me?"

-->Author's note: What do you guys think so far? Thank you for reading.
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