Facade

Chapter 2

I lay on my queen sized bed, staring up at the ceiling. My velvet covers felt soft and smooth beneath my back, but my heart felt heavy. With the thought of a possible marriage nearby, I knew any bit of freedom I had would be gone.

Being a princess was incredible. I loved the luxury, the gowns, the balls, feeling important, and how beautiful everything around me was, too. My home was beautiful, I admit. It was was neat and everything from the walls to the furniture was a rich, golden colour because my dad loved gold. I did too, until I realized gold was the only colour I would ever see.

Sighing, I sat up and ran my fingers through my recently combed hair. I was trapped. Trapped in my beautiful castle. I only ever left it for princess duties, and those duties were usually dull. They consisted of conversations like the one yesterday, and I was surprised I hadn't gone insane from my life.

I got out of my bed and walked over to my enormous window that began from the ground and reached the ceiling. It was the window that had a small, flat cushion next to it, so I could sit and stare at the beautiful world I barely knew.

Past the gorgeous flowers was a long, thin path that led to town. Even though it was far away, I could see people running around outside their homes. Laughing, playing, working, and so much more. So much more than I could ever do, sitting in the castle.

My heart yearned to join them, so I quickly turned around and grabbed my cloak. Draping it around my shoulders so it covered the green gown I wore, I decided to go on a walk. Those were the few moments I felt free; walking around the town and admiring the people around who were filled with life.

*****

I stepped into town and smiled, hearing a band playing. Brown wooden houses surrounded me and I walked passed them, noticing no one was around. Intrigued, I walked to where the music was coming from, my heart light.

I walked passed the houses, my feet aching from the cobblestone ground. Ignoring that feeling, I inhaled the fresh scent of nature. It smelled pure and clear - just like the blue sky above me. Everything in the 20th century seemed to be that way outside of my castle, and I loved that.

Soon, I was smiling as I reached the centre of the town. It was a huge bare area with only a simple fountain in the centre of it. In front of the fountain was a band of old men and everywhere else were the townspeople dancing with viewers standing around the perimeter of the area.

I grinned as they all danced and laughed to the upbeat music of an accordion, piano, and violin. An odd mix that somehow sounded good.

I stood at the edge of the area along with others and smiled, watching everyone. People of all ages were dancing and I wished I could dance, wanting to join them. They looked so happy and carefree, and that was exactly what I wanted to be.

"Princess!" A middle aged man suddenly exclaimed.

He was grinning and rushing up to me, reaching for my hands. Taking them in his, he pulled me forward and surprised, I stumbled his way.

"Dance with us!" he shouted, grinning goofily.

I knew he wasn't sober and I didn't mind that. Happiness radiated off of him and that made me happy myself. My once heavy heart grew as light as a feather.

"I can't!" I shouted back, trying to make my voice heard over the loud music and people shouting.

"Oh princess, don't be so modest."

He pulled me to where everyone was dancing. The townspeople greeted me with smiles and I greeted them back, feeling good. Usually the townspeople hated their rulers; I knew from speaking to other princesses and princes. Luckily mine didn't. They seemed to adore me and that made me incredibly happy.

Suddenly stopping, the man began to spin us around. Our arms were stretched out as we faced each other and we spun around in circles together, hand in hand. Everything began to become a blur and fear filled me. But as the man began to laugh, I did too. I laughed loudly because I felt weightless and that was something I really needed.

But suddenly, the man let go of my hands. His eyes widened with fear as I flew back and stumbled. My own eyes widened as I began to fall back, but someone caught me. Their strong arms were wrapped around my waist and my back was then pressed against their chest as they held me up.

I laughed lightly, still giddy from the spinning. Standing upright, I felt the guy's arms fall away from me when I became balanced. I realized I was just standing in front of the stranger who saved me, so I turned around to face him and thank him.

To my surprise, I saw a boy around my age looking annoyed. He wore a scowl as he stared at me and his arms were crossed over his chest. The way he stood made him look defiant.

But there was no denying it, he was handsome. He had a very nice facial structure. Sharp bones, long nose, and sun kissed skin. Dark blue eyes that were hard on me, but were still lovely with the amount of emotions they held. The hair on his head was a caramel brown and tousled in a way that I could tell he had a bad habit of running his fingers through his hair. Staring at him, I knew he could be the second most handsome boy after Alexander if he didn't look so annoyed.

"What are you looking at?" he snapped suddenly.

"Oh, sorry." I flushed, breaking out of my trance. "Um, thank you for catching me."

"I shouldn't have," he muttered.

My eyes widened, surprised by his attitude. No one treated me that way. A stranger especially shouldn't be treating me that way.

"Excuse me?" I said.

"What are you doing here, princess," he said, making sure to say princess as bitterly as possible. "Shouldn't you be at home, ignoring the people you rule over?"

My eyes widened and I glanced around, hoping no one was paying attention to us. With my anger rising, I was ready to explode.

"I care about my people," I snapped defensively. "I don't even know you and you're judging me?"

"I believe in what my eyes see." His eyes hardened. "And I see poverty. I see sick people who can't afford to pay your insane medical bills. Would they exist if you cared about your people?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He laughed bitterly, causing my heart to drop. "Exactly. You're one of those princesses who are in their own little world. As long as you're happy, everything else in the world is great. You couldn't care less about your people."

I stared at him, stunned by his words. Every one of my people liked me. They never complained about me. I didn't know where he was coming from.

"You don't know me," I said, eyes narrowing at him. "I would always help my people and so far, no one has ever asked for my help. I don't know where you're getting these ideas from."

"Open your eyes, princess." He threw his hands up. "My eyes see what they see and that's just how much of a mess this town is."

"Really!" I shot back. "Look around you. Look how happy everyone is."

"Do you even know what this celebration is for?"

I shook my head. I thought it was for fun.

"You know that man you were dancing with? His son died of illness." Something in the boy softened, and he looked almost sad. "His son wished for them to celebrate instead of mourn, so here's the event."

My eyes widened and my heart dropped. I looked at the man who I'd been dancing with and seeing him stumbling around, a fake smile plastered on his face, I realized he was trying to forget. My heart began to ache.

"Ignorant," the boy spat, bringing my attention back to him. "That's what you are and I hope the town realizes that."

He turned around and stormed off, leaving me standing where I was in shock. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe I thought my town was so perfect. With a sinking heart, I wondered if I was ignorant. If the boy had every right to yell at me. My throat constricted and I suddenly ran back to my castle, feeling my heart turn heavier than it had ever been. My life seemed to going downhill.