Heart Of Courage

Prologue

Fairytales were my biggest let down in life. From a very young age, I was given a book fit to burst with stories of magic, daring quests and royalty- I had read it so much that I knew every story off by heart. Every child has dreamed of the day when their life would turn into a fairy tale- when they found a gingerbread house in the middle of the forest, when they discovered their cat wore boots, or when their dashing prince came and rescued them. I was one of the little girls who wished with all her might that she would be beautiful princess and that someday a handsome man would save her from whatever trouble she was in. Fortunately for me, there was a possibility that could happen.

I am a Princess, the only child of King Joseph and Queen Scarlet, rulers of the Bluewater Kingdom. From as young as I could understand language, it has been drilled into me that I was part of a royal family, that I was important, that I was superior. From as young as I could walk, it has been drilled into me that I should stand straight and proud. From as young as I could talk, it has been drilled into me that I should pronounce my words clearly and eloquently. However, despite all of this primping and faffing to make myself as perfect as can be, I always held onto one thing: it would mean that I was a fairy tale princess and that it would all pay off, because one day my prince will come and we shall rule a kingdom together.

Regardless of my growing older, I never grew out of those fairy tales. I still kept clinging on to the hope that the future would bring true love- until the day that I turned twelve. My mother and father sat me down and explained what the rest of my life would entail. It all sounded bearable, up to the part where I learned that I would not have a chance of true love and that I would eventually be married off to some noble or aristocrat. From that day on, I didn't touch that fairy tale book. I didn't so much as think of magic and sword fights, and I never dared to think of being a fairy tale princess. This was real life, and life wasn't fair.

You'd think being a princess is easy, but in all honesty, it feels like you've been cursed by an evil witch that lives in a cottage in the forest.