Guard of my Heart ✅

1. Betrothed

Another day, another etiquette class. I swear my head might explode if I get told which order to use my silverware in one more time. When Miss Daisy dismisses me I practically sprint down the hall.

"Princesses do not run" a voice interjects and though I'd usually get angry at this type of lecturing, the mimicking way the phrase is said lets me know that it's not an adult trying to make me act proper. It's my best friend poking fun at me.

"They do if they just left etiquette class" I chuckle, waltzing over to my best friend, Riley Matthews. Her official title was that of my lady in waiting but she was nothing more to me than my best friend and partner in crime.

Her family worked among the palace, her mother was a cook and her father one of the personal tutors for me and my brother William. Her little brother August attended school with my brother and I, hoping to one day be married off to a woman of high caliber.

Among Riley, August, William and I there was Lucas. My mother, the queen, was married previously and before his untimely death, my father, King Kermit, had a mistress who conceived a child not long before my mother fell pregnant with me. The mistress was brought to live in the palace during her pregnancy and when Lucas was born she was set to live among us.

Unfortunately when my father died of a heart attack, the woman couldn't stand to live in a palace without him and she left, leaving Lucas under the care of my mother.

Lucas had taken well to palace life and the two of us had become close, though not nearly as close as my half-brother had become with my best friend. The two were madly in love though neither would admit it.

"Miss" I hear from a woman rushing up behind me. "Your parents would like to see you before dinner this evening" she tells me.

"When?" I ask politely, folding my hands in front of myself.

"As soon as you can make it to their chambers" she explains. I nod and she curtsies and walks away. I turn back to Riley and sigh.

"Sounds like you're in trouble. Again" she adds with a giggle making me roll my eyes while I straighten out the wrinkles in my dress.

"So it appears" I reply. "I shall see you at dinner. Don't get too caught up in the stables" I tease, knowing my brother spent most of his time there throughout the day. "Oh and do take a guard out there with you" I add concerned.

With my potential ascension to the crown there was uproar among the country about whether I could handle such a position and some threats had been made against the palace.

"If you insist" she curtsies, knowing it drives me insane before walking away. I fix my appearance as best as I can before picking up my dress and heading down to my parent's chambers. One of the guards, Marcus stands outside their door. "Marcus" I smile politely.

"Princess" he bows before opening the door and allowing me to step inside. I stand at the threshold as the door shuts behind me. I'm met with my step-father sitting at his desk in the corner and my mother doing her makeup with the help of her lady, Melanie at her vanity.

"Melanie you may go" my mother says politely as she rises from her seat. Melanie smiles and curtsies before leaving the room. "Thank you for coming so soon" my mother says as she walks over to me and kisses my cheek.

"Of course. It seemed urgent. What is it?"

"The country is worried about the potential of you taking the throne without a husband" my step-father explains as he turns his chair to look at me. "With our foreign relations the way they are at the moment we cannot afford to cause anymore uproar. If we go to war we would have little to rely on outside the walls of this country."