Marks of Power

What Is Love?

I never really thought about love or my feature until last night. I was raised knowing that I would be the next queen 0f Usil. I was raised on the belief that I would be a strong and powerful force to be reckoned with. I never really thought otherwise, not until last night.
       If I couldn't even find a suitor then how could I be a productive queen? It was a shallow and childish question to even allow to cross my mind, but with it brought years of unspoken self-doubt. My mother and father were both strong, smart, and yet so sweet. But me, I was weak, foolish, and headstrong. How could I run an entire country?
       I let these thoughts consume me until my alarm went off and I knew I had to leave the comfort of my bed. I put on jeans, a white button-up blouse, a black blazer with the middle button buttoned, and tall black heels. On normal days I would have worn jeans and a t-shirt, but today we're having company for breakfast, so I knew I had to dress up a little.
       I walked down the stairs and listened to the clicking of my heels as I descended the many flights of stairs. I walked until I reached the dining room to help set up. I knew that I could have simply stayed in the comfort of my room until Maria woke me up, but that would have been too boring.
       I walked over to the end of the long table where plates and silverware were sitting, waiting to be placed. I picked up a few plates and started to carefully set the table. Once I had finished setting up the entire table I took a step back to admire my work. The table was long, so long that it reached almost the entire width of the huge pastel pink room. The table was not only covered in fine white and gold floral china, but also a perfectly white cloth. In the center of the already magnificent table was a beautiful bouquet hot pink peonies, light pink roses, white daisies, and Queen Anne's lace placed inside a simple white vase.
       I decided to go up to my room and wait until breakfast because, according to my mother, it is not acceptable for a princess to be arrive at a party before her guests. I never really liked parties, too many people. It wasn't that I was weird or a brat, I was honestly just awkward. You would think that growing up in a palace I would be used to a ton of people, but it was quite the opposite.
       Also there was the fact that I never felt like I belonged there. I honestly hated most checks. I hated them because most of them were so stuck up and rude. Almost every one of them were terrible to the staff who were only there to help. If there was any way that I could not be a princess I would do it.
       It was about an hour until Maria finally came upstairs to escort me downstairs. "Oh! Your up!" She said, surprised.
       "Yeah," I casually said getting up from the bed, " I've been up for about two hours."
       "So your the mysterious do-gooder who set the table!"
       "What can I say, I got bored," I laughed as we walked out of the room and down to the dinning room.
       When I got down there every member of the staff, except those who worked in the kitchen, were lined up on the walls ready to serve. I looked over at Sebastian and smiled as I made my way to my seat beside Father, who was at the head of the table furthest from the door; I also sat across from Mother.
       Our of the corner of my eye I saw a woman lined up with the staff who I did not recognize. She had wavy blonde hair and blue-green eyes. She wore black jeans and a white button up shirt, just like the rest of the staff. She was about the same height as me yet still shorter than the rest of the staff. I thought nothing of the unknown face though; Father must have hired her without me knowing.
"Good morning everyone!" Father announced as he stood up. Every seat at the table was full of royalty and high up military officials who all had the same blank expression. "I have a very important announcement to make in regards of daughter, Rosemary," My face immediately became as red as a tomato. "She has found a suitor! Jabari stand up!" My father smiled turning to look at Jabari.
"Thank you sir," Jabari started walking around the table to arrive next to my seat. Once he got there he got down on one knee and pulled out a little black box. "Rosemary, I know I've only known you for a short time, but would you do me the honors of becoming my wife?" He asked as he pulled out a ring with a silver band and a simple dimond.
I didn't know what to say! I didn't even know if I loved him. If my face was a tomato before then now it was a fire. I had to say yes. If I didn't then I would risk becoming a laughing stalk, an embarrassment. "Yes," I repilied trying to sound happy but sounding more nervous than anything.
The hall instantly broke into a mass of cheers and aw's as Jabari pulled me into a small and awkward kiss. Thankfully it wasn't my first kiss, that was with Sebastian on a dare when we were about nine. Not that my first kiss was any better, but at least that one was by choice. One thing was for sure, romance movies are lies.
The small breakfast soon became a party when King Antoine of Parafall and his wife, Queen Elenora got up to dance. Everyone soon joined in, including the staff, Jabari, and Me. I tried to have fun, I really did, but I was too distracted by thinking of the future.
BANG! BANG, BANG, BANG!
It all happened so fast. One moment we were dancing and the next my parents lay dead and bloody on the floor as I was rushed to safety.