Rittenhouse Royalty

Chapter Three

Chapter 3: Coming of age

She was fifteen the one and only time she saw her kingdom. She was fifteen when she learned the truth of her family and of her supposed destiny. She was fifteen when she came to the startling realization that she needed to escape at any cost. She was fifteen when she lost all semblance of freedom.

On the morning of Lucy's fifteenth birthday she and Jiya were sitting in her room coming up with plans for the day, knowing that her birthday would be ignored as it had for the past fourteen years. When suddenly her mother came strolling through the doors handing Lucy a box. A box which Lucy took and stared at confused.

"well come on Luceilia don't be rude. Open your gift" Her mother demanded prompting Lucy into quick action. Opening the box she found a riding habit, which only served to confuse her more.

"But mother, you know I don't know how to ride."

"Well then its time you learned. Jiya, Get Luceilia ready she and I are going for a ride. Luceilia, I want you in the stables in half an hour." And with that she was gone leaving a very confused Lucy and Jiya.

Half an hour later Lucy stood waiting for her mother in the stables trying not to go near the huge creatures she was supposedly going to be riding. While she was waiting, one of the groomers came in and gave her a brief lesson on how to handle the horses. It wasn't long before her mother arrived and ordered the groomer to bring out the horses. One a beautiful black stallion named midnight that Lucy recognized as her mothers horse but the other she had never seen before. It was a gorgeous white mare with startling emerald eyes.

"Happy birthday my darling, This is Anastasia and she is yours." Her mother smiled at the beautiful creature.

"Shes perfect. But must I really ride her today? The horses make me nervous."

"Honestly Luceilia! You must learn to Control these things and not let anyone or anything make you nervous or scared. You are a CAHILL now its high time you start acting like it. Come along we are going into the city."

"Really?! But you never allow me to leave the palace!" Lucy was so excited she forgot her fear of the Horses and mounted Anastasia without further delay ready to see her kingdom. Their ride through the kingdom was nothing like she had imagined. Instead of a happy and joyful ride through town it was a very somber occasion. The citizens appeared to be frightened of her mother and of her by association.

"Mom, why does it seem like everyone is scared of you? I don't understand you are their Queen shouldn't the love you?"

"Luceilia they have a respectful fear. You see one day all of his will be yours to control. I am ready to start your training for that day. You will be a very powerful ruler but you need some instruction in that first. Right now you are too soft, too kind. You need to learn to be hard not let anything effect you. You must learn what it truly means to be a Cahill. And what it means to be your grandfathers granddaughter."

"You mean Grandfather Capone?"

"Yes. He was a great man and the perfect King. Your Uncle Al is doing a wonderful job in his stead. They, along with Rittenhouse Royals of the past really knew how to control their people...."

"Control? I thought we were supposed to govern and protect our people not control their every move"

"Luceilia, my dear, you have so much to learn. It was our founder Kind David Rittenhouse who once said ' peasants are like the hands of a clock. Meaning peasants are no more capable of choosing their own path than the hands of a clock' and we my dear are the clockmakers."

"But that's Tyranny." Lucy said horrified of what her mother is telling her.

"That is life and the sooner you come around to that way of thinking the easier you life will be my dear. Now come its time to go home there is something I must show you." Lucy was silent the whole ride back to the palace just listening to her mother tell her more and more about her Rittenhouse legacy. The more she heard about her 'destiny' the more she felt as though she was drowning. Then when they made it to Palace her mother took her up to the east tower, a part of the palace that was previously restricted to her. It was there that she saw books upon books of journals from each of her ancestors. Her mother took the oldest one, belonging to David Rittenhouse himself, and handed it to her.

"Here, read this and it will help explain a lot of our ideals and our goals in this life. Then once you have finished this one you may read through the rest of them. This is your legacy my dear treat it with respect." Then she left Lucy alone in the tower to take everything in. After processing everything for about an hour and realizing she wants nothing to do with anything her family had planned for her she flees the tower in search of Jiya. She found her in her room which was next to her own.

"Jiya hurry and pack a bag, change into something to travel in we need to get out of here fast." Lusy stammered out as she started throwing clothes at her best friend then running to her own room to do the same. Knowing not to question her best friend when she got this way Jiya just did as she was told and in no time the girls and Amy were on heir way to the stables. which is when Jiya stopped Lucy wanting to know what was going on.

"Lucy! Stop! what are we doing? This isn't our usual attempt to see the world."

"Jiya, my family... they're evil and they want me to be evil and please I just need to get out and away before the succeed and I do they horrible things they want me to do because I really don't want to and I'm scared and please I don't know what else to do Iya." Lucy rambled on even reverting back to her childhood nickname for her friend. Realizing how scared her friend was and how much she needed her Jiya just nodded and they both mounted Anastasia, sans saddle since neither knew how to put it on. Amy dutifully followed along behind them. They both made it as far as the forest just past the gates before all the guards had them surrounded and were escorting them back to the palace. As they aproched the palace doors both her parents were standing there waiting for them looking very angry and disappointed.

"Luceiia! You are a disappointment to this family." Her father scolded her in an eerily calm and low voice. then to the guards "Take them to the west tower and make sure they don't get out again."

"But Father! You can't! Especially not Jiya she didn't do...."

"Silence. Jiya is just as guilty! You will both be banished to the tower until you can learn to respect you family and follow in their footsteps so perfectly placed for you. Now go." Then the guards took them to they new home. Where they would spend the next 5 years.