Heart Of Courage

Chapter 1

"Good morning, Your Highness."

I prised my eyes open to find warm sunlight hitting my face. Evangeline was stood over me, peering down with a soft smile. She was the Princess' Lady's Maid, a.k.a. my personal maid.

"Good morning, Evangeline," I yawned as I sat up. She handed me the delicate cup from the tray that she had set down at my bedside. I took it and immediately took a large sip of tea. "What's on the agenda for today?"

It was Friday. I don't know why I bothered asking, I knew what she was going to say.

"Just the usual today. Breakfast, daily studies with Miss Alcott, then the afternoon to do as you please, Ma'am," she said, taking the tea cup back from me, then allowing me to stand up. She went over to my walk-in wardrobe and picked out a plain dress with a white frilly blouse and a dark green satin skirt.

"Alright then," I sighed, heading into the bathroom where Evangeline had drawn me a bath.

After I had dressed, and Evangeline had fiddled around with my hair for a while, I headed out of my bedroom and down the long corridor. I descended the stairs and walked across the large throne room, into the dining room. My mother and father, the King and Queen, were already sat down, waiting patiently for me to arrive.

"Hello, dear," Mother said cheerily, patting the chair next to her.

Even though they were my parents, they tried too hard to be close to me. For 19 years, we had hardly been together. My father was always off doing work, and often mother was too. So I had been left with a nursemaid, and as I got older, I would be with Evangeline. Now, they tried too hard to be close to me, since they knew that once I turned 20 in a few months, I would hardly see them, since I would have jobs to do as I would be assigned a part of the Kingdom to govern. To be completely honest, I disliked them. Whenever we spoke, they would tell me what I could and could not do, they would complain at me, or they would act sickeningly sweet. They were too controlling over my life. They forced the proper princess etiquette onto me from a young age, and still do.

I continued to walk past the chair my Mother saved for me, and instead sat two seats away from her.

"Did you sleep well?" Father asked. He poured himself a glass of water.

"I did. And you?" I asked back, helping myself to the food laid out for breakfast.

"Yes, thank you."

We sat in silence, until Mother turned to look at me.

"What have you got to do today?" She asked, trying to sound interested.

"The same as every Friday," I sighed. Every meal with my parents was the same. Many awkward silences.

"Will you be seeing your friend this afternoon?"

"Yes."

"Wonderful. What will you be doing?"

"I don't know," I cringed internally. I didn't want to tell them everything I do, "we might go hunting, or perhaps just sit around and talk."

They both nodded, and we finished our breakfast in silence.

After we finished, I decided to go for a wander around the palace, until 11 o'clock came around, and my lessons with Miss Alcott would begin. I strolled through the ground floor first, past the ballroom and guard room, the three sitting rooms, the door to the servants' area below the palace, and the hallway that was coated in paintings which lead to the gallery rooms. We hardly used the ground floor, only if we ever had events and things, but they only happened once every few years. I had always wanted to go to the servants' area and see what was down there, but every time I tried, I had been caught by one of the guards on patrol.