The Princess Choice

Chapter 3

The years flew by for Annalise, and before she realized it, she was eighteen and it had been three years since she had met Frankie at her birthday ball. She felt love for him even if she could never speak about her feelings to anyone because of the never-ending war and hatred from his father. She knew things had to change because time was moving on and they were no longer the young teenagers meeting in their secret clubhouse to complain about life and dream together. They were now of the age of wagers and mergers and marriage, and she feared not being with him. 

"Francis, I cannot continue to come to this hiding spot... our fathers hate each other, and our kingdoms are at war." Annalise let out her frustration one day as she gathered her books to head out and back to her side of the wall. 

"But here at this moment in this place Izzie we are at peace, and there is no hatred... in this place, I am your whole world, and you are mine..." he smiled at her. "When I become king, I swear I will marry you, and this feud I swear I will end it. I promise you this, Annalise you are my life." He smiled at her from the ground where he was sitting on a sack.

"Promise me?" Annalise smiled at him.

"Yes, my princess... a king's honor." He smiled at her "I would bow down to you if it meant I could love you freely and end this worthless war." He looked at her, and she felt the butterflies she always felt when she looked at him.

"Francis, I have to go the sun is setting, and the available bachelor's ball is tonight, and I have to be ready on time... I wish you could go tonight..." she said sadly, tears filling her eyes. 

"You know your father is going to continue to push King Richard he wants you to marry him..." Francis said sadly. 

"Oh, please, Francis, he knows how I feel about you... we are just friends, and besides Frankie, I only have eyes for you..." she kissed his cheek and smiled at him as she walked out and towards her home. 

"and I for you, my princess..." he whispered after her smiling, watching her leave. He felt determined he would marry her he loved her with all her heart no one would take her away, not even his fathers' hatred because she was everything, and a life without her was not worth living.

....

"Are you ready, princess?' Ana smiled as Ester and Ruby stood by the door.

"As I will ever be..." she looked in the mirror at her black ball gown that went around her shoulders and her rubies that adorned her neck, fingers, wrist, and hair.

"You never know. Maybe prince Francis will show up, princess." Ruby smiled sadly at her. 

Annalise laughed. "No, but at least King Richard will be there..."

"Princess, do you love Prince Francis?" Ester smiled up at Annalise.

"Honestly, I do... I do more than my own life." She blushed.

"Have you ever thought about King Richard and how it would make your parents eternally happy for you to marry him?"

"Richard sees me as a girl I accepted that a long time ago, but Francis loves me just as much as I do, and we will be together and happy one day, I know it. Richard could never feel for me the was one day I had wished he would, and now Frankie is here."

...

"Another dance?" King Richard laughed, holding onto her hands, feeling like the luckiest man in the world holding the most beautiful woman in the world, at least for a few minutes at a time; he could pretend she loved him as he did her.

"Richard, it is supposed to be me dancing with all the available bachelors, but so far, I have just been dancing with you." Annalise laughed.

"Am I not available..." he laughed, teasing her, but the love shown in his eyes if only she could look past what she thought were facts.

"Yes, you are, but you are not the only one around..." she laughed out loud.

"Yet princess... for the fifth dance in a row, you stand here holding my hand." Richard laughed.

"Well, better than the piranhas..." she laughed as they spun into another dance.

Little did Annalise know that standing in the dark by one of the doors was Francis watching her dance and laugh in Richards's arms. He watched as the king walked up with a huge smile. He turned and walked away, feeling pain and fury going thru his body. This is the way it should be. That is why his father made him come look because no matter what happened, she was light, and she deserved to live in the light, and he would always be the darkness his father created. He would never be able to dance and hold her freely as Richard does, and that filled him with white blinding rage.

"Alright, Richard, I am done... I have had so much fun, but I am done... I need to dance around with everyone." She laughed, curtsying to Richard and turning to the next guy, but as the shots rang out, Richard lunged and covered her completely with his body while whispering in her ear that she would be okay. All Annalise could think was as long as she did not lose her parents or best friends she would be okay.