Crushed Dreams - Love and Hate (Paused)

Chapter 3 - Love and Hate

I groaned as Parker, the guard, knocked again a couple hours later saying, "Dinner is in a half hour and their Majesties have requested that you attend." I shut the door a frown on my face. A request from my parents was an order, if I didn't show up I would get punished for it, although I don't think they could have a worse punishment put on me.

I quickly put all the papers I was writing on underneath my mattress, knowing that the maids would probably come in here during dinner to clean. I went into my closet to get ready. I put on a pretty light blue dress with capped sleeves and a tight fit. It flowed to the ground, looking like sparkling water. I quickly brushed out my hair and straightened it as I tried to get rid of the ponytail indent. I had just finished applying my makeup when Parker opened the door. I glared at him and he looked confused for a moment before he realized that he hadn't knocked. He looked embarrassed but at the same time relieved that I was completely ready. If I was half dressed he probably would've been thrown in the dungeons or something.

"Dinner starts in two minutes so we better get going." he said. I rolled my eyes, and kept a groan inside, already dreading this as a daily occurrence. I walked out of my bedroom with my head held high deciding that if I was going to be constantly guarded I might as well make it look good. I thought about all the things I could do to prove myself to my parents but sadly nothing came to mind. I guessed that I would just have to behave my very best, that or I could just make the guards duty a living hell.

"So, Parker. I don't believe that I have seen you around before. Are you new to this whole guarding thing?" I asked innocently in my high fake princessy voice. Parker moved over to my side before he said, "Yes actually, although I have been training to become a guard for a few years." I smiled, knowing that if he was new it would be so much easier to tell him things and get him to believe me. He also wouldn't know about the passageways yet or some of the rules.

"Well, I assume you know everything there is to know about me then." I stated. He looked away so clearly thinking that I was stuck up. "You know Parker, it is very rude to turn your face away from royalty. Especially when I am talking to you." I said sounding offended. He opened his mouth to speak but I simply interjected.

"You can go back to the comfortable distance of twenty feet now. I am done talking to you." He looked at me, surprised at my sass, before he stopped, waiting until I was twenty feet in front of him. I smirked, I had just started a war and had just won the first battle. One point princess, zero points Parker.

I came to a stop at the entrance to the dining hall. I nodded for the guards standing at the doors to open them. They glided open and I strode through before they closed a moment later. I smiled because they had definitely just closed the doors on Parker and he would feel awkward walking through them right after me. I took a quick glance around the massive room and noticed a few visitors in our midst. I went to sit at the head table beside Nicholas when I spotted Darian at the table as well. I instead tried to sit beside Darian almost at the other end of the table but my father said my name and I turned to face him. His light brown hair was pressed down by his crown and his green eyes were piercing into mine. He gestured to the seat beside my mom and I sat down in it dreading the next hour of miserable time.

I quietly sat there staring down at the table with my hands folded in my lap. I didn't want to talk to my parents tonight, in fact I was still very angry with them. I instead chose to look at literally anything else in the room. I caught Darian's eyes on me a few times but when I looked at him he quickly glanced somewhere else. I wasn't sure if it was because he was embarrassed that I caught him staring or if it was because he was told not to look at me.

"So darling, have you finished your classes for the day." my mother asked sweetly. I didn't want to respond but after a moment in the awkward silence I could feel my mother's gaze on me intensify. "No. I completely forgot, actually." I said, as I wished that I could just disappear. There was a few whispers between my parents, words that I couldn't catch. I could understand a few even though they were speaking in the Old Language of our people, something that was very uncommon today. I heard my name and something about needing to do something but that was about it. The Old Language was an elegant tongue which allowed people to speak quicker than the common tongue. I had just started learning the Old Language so it wasn't a surprise that I didn't catch much. I thought it a little rude for them to talk about me right in front of me in a language they knew I didn't understand.