Bound To You

Chapter 4: Beneath Your Beautiful

Behind every mask there is a face and behind that face a story...

As an innocent child I did not understand why everyone was calling my name. Why everyone wanted that perfect picture of my family and I. I learned quickly to smile and wave in return that was my first glimpse of duty that was ingrained into me as a young child.

As the years went by I was guided along a path that many before me had walked, but with walking on that uneasy road I stumbled, tripped over my own faults and bruised my own self confidence trying to be the daughter, the princess, that everyone wanted me to be; the person they thought I should be.

Along that path, I bore a multitude of masks in order to please everyone, but in return I found myself suffocating in those masks that hid who I really was. I truly believed that they were my protectors, that by a flip of a switch I could be who they wanted me to be, but that was far from the truth.

One day, I could no longer conform to the manipulated versions of mixed lies and truths that shaped me into an image of what a princess should be. I found courage to take those masks off and show the world who I was, who I wanted to be and not be the traditional princess they all hoped I was.

I broke protocol, I hugged people who desperately needed it, I showed emotion and empathy for others and I spoke my mind freely on issues that mattered to me. Through the back lash of finding my own way, of removing those masks I learned that the greatest act of bravery in this world is to be all that you are and own it. Own it without apology, without excuses, without masks to hide beneath. Do not question yourself or satisfy others opinion of you for they are living blindly under false masks of their own life, begging to rip them off.

Find the beauty beneath those masks and step into the light and shine.

You can't blend in when you were born to stand out.

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Harry's distracted eyes searched the crowd for Emilia desperately wanting to talk with her after the revelation that Edward had indeed set them up without his knowledge. The guilt that was tugging at his heart kept him diverted from his duties at the Invictus Games. Impatiently shifting in his seat he leaned towards his press secretary Edward.

"Ed. You should have consulted with me first before putting a foreign princess in a photo op she never agreed to." He spoke in a low whisper. "I had her come to me this morning accusing me of setting her up... and she was right, I did without my knowledge."

"But Harry it was a perfect opportunity for the g-" Ed was trying to defend himself.

"No." His tone grew hard. "Not at the expense of her Edward. Anything and I mean anything is to be ran through me first from now on."

"Yes sir." Edward looked away avoiding the prince's hard gaze.

The press down below started to scramble picking up their cameras pointing them above the prince as the commotion in the stands grew. Harry's eyes followed them up the crowds falling upon Emilia holding on to the railing stepping down towards the prince accompanied by her two protection officers.

"Princess Emilia!"

"Emilia over here!"

Emilia glanced up from the steps as a sea of blinding cameras clicked away. Averting her gaze, her ice blue eyes fell upon Prince Harry watching her intently. His jaw was clenched tightly as he watched her endure the unwanted attention Emilia was receiving from the unruly press.

Forcing a small smile to appear on her lips she greeted the spectators along the aisle that welcomed her to the event. Arriving at Harry's row, Emilia locked eyes with the prince before stepping towards the empty seat beside him in the third row.