Her Royal Secret

Chapter 1: Part 1

'Happy the backstabbing murderer got what he deserved. You can't even trust your head of security #FML'

I hit tweet and then waited for the migraine inducing sound of Rachel's heels clicking towards me. I had to give it to the woman, Mum had trained her well. She was annoyingly persistent if nothing else. Her beady eyes stayed on me, eyeing the phone in my hand like she wanted it to burst into flames in my hand.

I checked my Twitter account and lo and behold, my tweet now read. "I thank you all for your love and kind support at this tragic hour for our family. #Peace #Forgiveness."

I rolled my eyes. By this point I should have gotten used to Rachel's control over my social media accounts but I'd hoped that one of these days she would finally decide to not dedicate so much of her time to such a ridiculous activity.

"Your Highness, if I may politely suggest so, it would be wonderful if you stopped your very violent and aggressively phrased tweets. We do not want to incite the people, who are obviously feeling very emotionally charged."

The way she put and gritted her teeth in obvious aggravation said a lot about how she would very much like to not have phrased the request quite as politely. But you really cannot attack the Princess, much as you'd like too. We had too much of that going around already, people we relied on, people we trusted with our lives ending up stabbing us to death and what not.

Was it too soon to make that joke? Probably.

I ran a hand through my messed up hair. My fingers got stuck in the knots and I realized that last night's curls had turned into a vicious bird's nest this morning. Regardless of my appearance, I leaned back on the ottoman and made myself look comfortable because you should never give the staff the impression that they intimidate or affect you.

"Rachel, I think you forget that your job is to be my social media advisor and not my Twitter nanny. Besides, Ted's already locked up tight in prison. It's not like they could actually kill him." I thought about it for a second, the idea seemed increasingly appealing.

"Or can they?"

She rolled her eyes, "We will not be killing anyone today, Princess."

"Why? Did my mother already hit the body count for today? Or was it Cyrus? Or maybe both?"

"You know Eleanor, if I were a softer person I'd be hurt by the fact that you think I go about killing people on a regular basis."

Mum walked into the room and much like her little sidekick before, gave me a judgmental once-over. I knew I wasn't in great shape as I hadn't managed to make it back to my bedroom after coming back last night. A casual night out had turned into a full-blown anxiety attack before I realized what was happening to me. Recently I had begun experiencing the sense of loss with an almost crippling strength. One look at my phone and yet another text message from that person and I had lost it in the middle of a club.

I checked my current state in my phone and found that not only was my hair a nightmare but I had a serious case of raccoon eyes, courtesy a spontaneous outburst of tears, and lipstick smudged to the extent that it looked like I'd feasted on a blood bag. Lovely. Because I hadn't managed to even reach my bedroom the night before, I smelled rank and covered in grime.

As if on cue, Mum sniffed, "The room smells like a late night and sweat. Good work Eleanor, at least we can always count on you to be consistent. I presume the subject of your latest salacious tryst has already managed to escape?"

"What tryst?"

Liam walked in the room, closely followed by his security detail and the bane of my existence, Jasper Frost. There's nothing quite like a family reunion even before you've had your morning tea. I assumed the two men had picked up Mum's last couple of words and the expression on Jasper's face was, for the lack of a better word, frosty.

His eyes locked on to me and I realized that he was looking for signs that I'd participated in some kind of debauchery the night before. It would be sad for me to let him know that I was a good girl and came home after some harmless dancing and a somewhat major panic attack. But I don't plan on sharing that information with him, at least not yet.

"There was no salacious tryst, at least not in this very room." I lied for Jasper's benefit. "Your Majesty, your furniture remains unsoiled." I did however reek of sweat as she had insinuated and desperately need a shower. I attempted to get up and walk away but stumbled on my heels, the vestiges of sleep still clung to my mind. Efficient as ever, my new favorite bodyguard James stepped in to assist me.

"Honestly, get a hold on yourself Eleanor, you look like a fool. Mr. Fox could you please escort my daughter to her room safely and make sure she doesn't break her neck while on her way?"

Times like this made me miss the one person who would always take my side. I had the misfortune of being robbed of both my father and my elder brother, two men who didn't look at me with contempt in their eyes. Robert especially was my shield and he had never made me feel ashamed of who I was. I had been drowning in a pit of self-despair since he'd been gone. Somehow along the way, my connection with my twin seemed to be getting weaker. Liam was the chosen one now, and Mum was putting all her efforts into making him King, which made me feel like an absolute outsider. What a spectacular joke. I was a princess and had the world at my feet but I could never have the one thing, the one person I truly wanted.

"Ah yes, another death in the family would be so melodramatic." I sniped and made my way out. Any morning that started out with Mum breathing down my neck would never be a good one.

*****

My love for all things royal began with your average Prince Charming. As I grew older however, I realized that royalty is just a lot more fun when it's slightly naughtier. And you guys know, I may or may not have a thing for the bad boys. Who needs Charming when you have a family that's downright sinful and not afraid of stirring up some trouble, or maybe a lot of it. When I was commissioned by E! Network to write this story about The Royals, I pretty much screamed my house down. I think the show is the perfect blend of everything that's seductive about royalty and memorable, wonderfully flawed characters who will stay with you even after you've binge watched all two seasons (I may or may not have done that). I'm so proud to bring you my very own fan-fiction because season three is nearly here and I'm beyond excited for what's to come and to enter the world of The Royals all over again! Since the beginning of the show, the heir to the throne, Robert has fascinated me. I especially love the bond he's said to have shared with Eleanor and how his loss tears her apart. This story is wishful thinking that perhaps the broken princess just might get her heart pieced together by the one person who truly understands her and England will finally have the rightful King on the throne.