Crowned Upon

Chapter 2

James

"What's on the schedule for today, Fulton?" James asked his advisor as he spread jam on his toast.

"After breakfast, your father would like to meet with you. At 10:30 you have a fitting with Javier for your appearance on Nova Nightly friday, at noon you have a lunch scheduled with the Nova Association for Underprivileged Children. They want to discuss charity options for the orphanage, you're to suggest a charity ball. At 2 you have a riding lesson, after which you will be free until dinner. After dinner you have a weekly security briefing meeting with Mr. Lincoln." Fulton listed all of this without consulting his notes.

"Sounds good." James responded.

"Another charity ball, eh?" Kace asked from beside him. Kace hated parties of any sort.

"Think of the children, Kace." Rosalie appeared out of nowhere, wearing a flowery sundress, a much more appropriate outfit for a princess than what she had on the previous night. She sat in a chair across from them. "Surely you could force yourself to have fun for a few hours? Maybe even smile?"

"Shouldn't you still be in bed, Rosalie? I hear cocaine hangovers are the worst." Kace responded with a glare. The three of them used to be the best of friends, until puberty hit. Rosalie abandoned hide and seek for drugs and boys and Kace stopped climbing trees and started reading political biographies. She was wild and crazy and he was serious and stern. They couldn't stand each other. James had never met two more opposite people.

Despite the hostility at the table, it was a lovely early October day. They were sat outside on the patio with a stunning view of the grounds, lush and green, all around them. "I'd like to have the ball outside for a change." James suggested.

"Oh, that would be fun!" Rosalie agreed as she was served her typical breakfast: a waffle drowning in chocolate sauce and whipped cream. She smiled at Glenda, the servant who knew the exact ratio of chocolate to whipped cream she liked.

"It's not supposed to be fun, it's supposed to be philanthropic." Kace argued.

"If people are having a good time, they'll drink more. If they drink more, they give more money. I get to enjoy myself and the orphans get iPads. It's a win-win situation" Rosalie explained.

Kace scoffed. "You are-"

"Who is that?" Rosalie cut him off, looking out over the grounds.

Kate followed her gaze to see a young man around their age  guiding a horse along the paths. "That is Mr. Finn Kendall." Fulton explained. "He's the new equestrian trainer. James will have riding lessons with him this afternoon."

"He can teach me how to ride, any day." Rosalie crudely remarked. Fulton's ears turned pink.

"Palace employees are forbidden." James reminded her.

"Mhm." Rosalie responded, clearly not caring what the rules were.

They all jumped suddenly at the sound of the horse giving a loud neigh, breaking free from the trainer's hold and sprinting towards their table. James stood and raised his hands. "Hey!" He yelled. The mare ran past him, narrowly avoided crashing into him, and ran erratic circles around their table.

"Easy, girl." James said in a calming voice. The mare slowed, trotting uneasily towards him. "Easy." He repeated, reaching out and stroking her strong jaw.

"Your highness I'm so sorry." The equestrian came running up, breathing deeply. James couldn't help but be impressed by how quickly he had run such a far distance. "She was spooked by a snake." He reached out to comfort the mare, caressing her neck on the side opposite of James.

"It's quite alright. Mr. Kendall is it? It's nice to meet you." James stuck out his hand.

Mr. Kendall returned the handshake. His palm was rough from hard work, but warm. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Suddenly his sister was at his side. "Hello, I'm Rosalie." She introduced herself, doing that thing she always did with her eyes. She always used that look to get the male, and sometimes even female, servants or guards to do something they weren't supposed to do, like smuggle a pair of ripped jeans into the palace for her.

"Good to meet you, your highness." He kissed her hand politely.

Turning back to James he said, "I must be off, but I believe I'll see you later."

"Two o'clock." James confirmed.

"Looking forward to it." Mr. Kendall replied, hopping onto the mare and riding away.

"He's going to be fun." Rosalie remarked as she stared longingly after him. James's eyes followed the same path as hers, even after he was gone.

If you're reading this, I love you!! Thank you for taking enough interest in my story to make it to the end of the second chapter! Hope you all liked getting to know James a little more.

As always, comments are welcomed and encouraged. Thank you for reading!