His Highness

Cinder

To live in a royal life was any village girl's dream. From the gowns, to the jewelry and all the love from the people, however it was the prince they were after. To be loved by someone so handsome, so charming, it was a fantasy only one could hope- except for you. You almost hated it. It was annoying how people adored your older brother and sister. They were practically twins! You on the other hand, were an odd ball. You were willing to fight for the people you love, and you hated the dresses. Some days, you would sneak out of the castle and awe at the common people's lives. Sometimes you would even do some hard labor to earn a small amount of coins so that you could buy a trinket, or heck, give it to the little boys and girls who wanted a small treat. It saddened you however that people would say off things about your royal family. Some would say that they would show off their money and not give to the poor and needy, always attending and hosting balls and buying random expensive things for no apparent reason. You had to learn how to bite your tongue and not say anything, because that wasn't true. Sometimes you would see your older brother deal with some, and I say little, diplomatic things that would literally put him into shambles but would stay strong, not for the people, but for when he gets a princess. And those were the moments you would have to sigh and slap him on the shoulder.

Your sister on the other hand, was very similar to your mom, at least that is what your father said. The kinder side of your mother, where you had the feistier side, but you didn't complain, and neither did your mother. It was fun sometimes, how your mother would give you cues to sneak out so that you didn't have to listen to the lesson of 'How to get a prince.' And this was one of those moments. After putting on a simple skirt and blouse and cloak, you snuck out and hopped onto your horse and road off. You smiled as you felt the wind through your (h/c) hair as you wiped the reins and your horse went faster. Once you arrived to the village, you let your horse free into the meadow to do as he please and began your walk. You smiled as people waved at you, only recognizing your (f/c) cloak and never once asked about how you look.

As you walked around, you stumbled upon a man that seemed to be struggling with some of the chicken feed. Your eyes widened as you saw some of the chicken trying to make him fall and quickly ran to his aid, jumping over the fence in the process. "Woah!" you said as you went in front of him and held the feed.

"Oh! Thank you so much!" he said as you helped him sprinkle it on the floor and put the bag on the ground without letting the bag pop. "Thank you so much again. I swear the chickens just don't know when to stop playing these games." he said with a chuckle.

"Oh it was no trouble at all." you replied kindly and turned around. Right then and there, your breath was taken away. He was beautiful. Golden hair, beautiful blue eyes, soft facial features and a kind smile. You were glad thant you had your hood was on because your cheeks were most definitely blushing pink.

"If you dont mind me asking, why are you wearing a hooded cloak? I mean, it is such a lovely day, and I would like to meet the fair lady that helped me from getting in trouble with my stepfather." he said as he tried to look under your hood but you quickly stepped back.

"N-No!" you yelped as he tried again.

"Oh come on! If it is about your appearence then I wont judge." he said as he continued to have a sneak peak.

"O-Oi! Didn't anyone tell you that it's not nice to butt into other people's buisness!?"

"Well yes, but you stepped into my stepfather's property, isn't that butting in and tresspassing?" He said with a sly and playful smirk. Oh he was smart. Very smart. You scoffed and crossed your arms. "Well if you wanted your stepfather to scold you then I shouldn't have helped at all." you said as you hopped over the fence and began to walk away.

"Wait!" he called and you turned around. "I'm sorry for my behavior." he said as he looked at you with sincerity. "I should not have gotten involved with something that you do not feel comfortable in sharing." he explained. Wow, he's a gentleman as well. You sighed as you walked back to him.

"I press no charges against you." you said with a smile. "Anyways, you have such a lovely house. Very large as well. Why does your stepfather make you work when he could simply hire someone? Are you being punished?" you asked as you leaned on the fence.

"No, these are my morning chores." he said as he wiped the slight sweat off his forehead.

"Morning chores? That's odd coming from someone whom is the stepson of a noble." you replied. He simply shrugged.

"It's complicated. My name is Cinder." he said with a smile. "What about yours?"
You thought for a moment. Should you say your true name, or should you lie? Maybe you should tell the truth. I mean, there could be many with the name of yours. And plus, you don't have the heart to lie to a sweet man like him, and you never will. It was just not your thing.

"(Y/n)." you said.

"You were named after Princess (Y/n)? Is your mother fond of her?" he asked as he looked down at you.

"No my mother just liked the name. It's unique and I like it." you explained and he nodded. Your conversation continued about names and even playing with some of the live stock. Just then you heard a three voices all calling out for the same name; one sounded like a pompous male and another sounding like a snobby female. "That's my step-brother and step-sister. I have to leave. But it was nice talking to you. I would love it for you to come by and visit." he said kindly before rushing off to see what his step-siblings wanted. You let out a small chuckle before walking back to the field where your horse was. After whistling a high pitched whistle and your horse came running back, you hopped onto him and rode back to the castle. Once you snuck back into the castle and to your room, there you saw your mother was there sitting at your bed knitting something. "Did you have a lovely trip?" she asked as you hung your cloak.

"Yeah," you began as you grabbed your dress and went behind your changing screen. "And I met someone." you completed as you began to change your clothing.

This seemed to have intrigued your mother quite greatly. "Oh? Who was it my dear?" she asked, her full attention now on you. You walked from behind the changing screen as your mother got up to help you with the corset, in which you despised, but they weren't as bad as the fancier dresses you had. Now those, those were hell. "Well...it was man. A young man." you explained.

"Was he handsome?" she asked. You thought about it and blushed a little.

"I mean he wasn't average." you mumbled. "But he's too....oh what's the word...soft. Almost ditsy, but he is pretty witty." you explained as your mother finished tying the knot and you turned around to face her. "But besides that, he was...amusing." you finished as you crossed your arms and shrugged. Your mother chuckled as she saw the pink dusted upon you (s/c) cheeks. "Alright (Y/n), whatever you say." she said. "Now, you still are a princess, which means you have to do your studies. Come along." she said as she walked out the doors. You groaned and reluctantly followed, however, one thought came to your mind; you wanted to see him again. No not out of love or physical attraction, but to know him better. He was an interesting man....and his name was Cinder.