Just Your Average Girl | Choni

Prologue

"Mummy, enough! You've made your point!" Cheryl screams at her mother, who is ordering a couple of royal staff members to pack some of her things.
     The queen shakes her head. "Don't fight this, Cheryl. You're just wasting your breath."
"Besides," her father chimes in. "We've already called and made all of the arrangements."
The king and queen are over their daughter's behavior, especially after last night. Cheryl saw no harm in telling Prince Forsythe that he was an 'insufferable smurf' after their date last night. To be fair, he had been wearing a crowned beanie and rambled on about useless nonsense. How was she supposed to hold a comment back in his presence? Her parents weren't pleased with the choice of words that caused the prince to storm out and announce he didn't want anything to do with the princess, adding onto the list of princes who opted out from trying to receive her hand in marriage.
Marriage.
Cheryl hates the word. Why on earth would she want to get married when she has everything she could ever want in the palm of her hand. She receives a well-rounded education from some of the best teachers around, has five-star dinners made for her every night, and hardly any expectations. Though, the expectations that people do have for her make her upset. They just assume she's going to get married to a handsome prince and bare all of his royal babies. No one asked if she wanted that, the whole idea of it all was just forced onto her since she was a kid.
"It was just one little comment! You both are overreacting," she scoffs and rolls her eyes.
The king looks to his daughter with a stern look. "This isn't the first time it was 'just one little comment', Cheryl. All the things you do and say reflect badly on you."
"No, you mean they reflect badly on you. You both are just trying to get me away from you guys so I'm not your problem."
The youngest Blossom isn't wrong, but her parents aren't planning on admitting it to her. They have the key to the lavish lifestyle she loves and is accustomed to, whereas she holds the key to opportunity and the future of the country. No matter which prince she marries, the union will bring forth great ties between another country that will lead to advancements in trade, technology, food production, etc. She would also get to stand beside the new king, living her typical lifestyle while producing children for the royal family. That's how the cycle goes, and Cheryl's turn is nearing close. She resents because she hates that things are changing without her say, and she just wants to live out her days the way she's been living them.
"We just want what's best for you and the future of the country. Now pack any extra things you'd like to take and meet us in the dining hall at 7:00. The remaining suitors are coming over," her mother explains.
Cheryl's eyes roll as her parents leave the room before her body falls back onto her bed. She didn't want to leave Riverdale and go to California. She loves Riverdale—it's the home she's known since birth. Aside from the predicament she's in, it's a peaceful place to live, and she lives the life many little girls dream about, but she knows she doesn't have a choice. Sighing, she sits up and slides off her bed, her red heels clicking against the wooden floor. Her closet door swings open and she grabs an array of dresses from the rack, placing them in her large suitcase. She then picks out some of her silk pajamas and fancy undergarments to throw in, getting more bags to carry the clothing when needed. After 30 minutes she had finished packing 4 suitcases full of all her best clothing. Her eyes glance to her clock and she sighs, wondering what she'll do for 15 minutes until she had to be in the dining room. The girl's thoughts halt at the sound of knocking behind her, making her turn to see her best friend.
"Heather," she smiles.
The blonde offers a little smile back as she crosses the room, wrapping her arms around the redhead. "Your parents said you were leaving tomorrow," she mumbles. "What happened?"
Cheryl pulls away with a sigh, leading Heather to the little sofa in the lounge area of her massive bedroom. "I pissed off another suitor last night. My parents said that they've had enough of all this, and they're sooooo overreacting."
Heather shakes her head a bit. "I don't know, Cher. I know you don't wanna hear it but you have been kind of a bitch to the suitors. You have a duty to do and it's irresponsible of you to act this way."
"Aw c'mon, you can't tell me that you don't feel uncomfortable with the arranged marriage thing," Cheryl argues.
"I wouldn't necessarily call it an arranged marriage. The only requirement is that they are a prince. Other than that, we have options and a choice in who we want to marry. I got to choose my fiancé, and you have that option too, but you won't have a choice if you keep pissing all of them off."
Cheryl stands up, beginning to pace back and forth. "It's not a choice if I don't love the guy. I don't love any of them, Heather. I hardly know them. If I had a choice I wouldn't be getting married at all. I have no desire to have a husband, and I certainly don't want children."
"You watched Brave too much as a kid. You may be a redheaded princess with a archery hobby, but you can't rebel against this. Rise up and do what you need to do," the fellow princess says in an attempt to provide some tough love. She sees Cheryl's head drop and sighs. "Get to know them. You'll like one of them if you give them a chance. Then when you fall in love everything else that's supposed to happen will fall into place like other princess movies. In a year from now you'll be a queen and married to one of those handsome fellas, probably with a baby on the way," Heather explains with a dreamy sigh.
Cheryl scoffs and thinks to herself, Is she really comparing our real lives to Disney movies? She wants to keep arguing but takes her seat again instead. "If I'm even allowed to come back to Riverdale."
"Just shape up and you'll be fine. You can't be a teenager forever," Heather says. "How long until you return?"
"My 18th birthday. So I have almost 9 months to be the perfect princess."
Heather's eyes roll playfully. "That's not hard to do. Besdies, do you really want to give all this up for good? If you don't fix your behavior then you can't be a princess at all anymore."
"I know."
"Where are they sending you anyway?"
"To America to live with my crazy Aunt Alice."
Heather gasps. "The one who ran off to California to live like the poor?!"
"That's the one," Cheryl nods.
"I can't believe someone would willingly give up the royal life."
A laugh escapes Cheryl's lips as she looks at her best friend. "At least we can agree on that."
Both of the princesses chuckle as they hear a knock at the door, followed by a servant popping into the room.
"Your Highness," the servant bows to the redhead. "The king and queen requested for you and Princess Heather to make your way to the dining room."
"Alright, thank you for the message," Cheryl nods at the woman as she heads out. She then stands up, smooths out her dress, and adjusts her tiara before leading the way to her last dinner in the castle—for 9 months anyways.