War of Hearts

Chapter 2: The Meeting

The next morning, Ingrid woke up with a green long sleeved dress with gold trimmings hanging near her bed. She immediately sat up in shock, staring at the dress like it was a vile object. It all then came rushing back to her: the fake marriage pact. Meeting Prince Isaac. The plot to sabotage Adehane.

She grumbled angrily and crossed her arms at the sight of it. Her father as usual wouldn't listen.

She rushed to the dining hall, still dressed in her usual shirt and pants. "Papa! I said I don't want a dress!" She exclaimed rather angrily at her father who was still eating.

"You are lovely, and please maids, remove her ponytail," he ordered nonchalantly without even looking up from his plate. The nearby maids quickly moved to untie her ponytail, revealing her shiny wavy hair.

Ingrid looked even more uncomfortable with her hair down in that way. She shook her head angrily . "I said I'd do this whole fake marriage plan, but I can't be out there wearing a dress! It's the one thing I ask!" She retorted hotly.

Hearing her tone of voice, he looked up at her with a serious face. "Fake? What are you talking about, Ingrid?" he asked her in a quizzical tone, an eyebrow raised.

Ingrid 's eyes opened wide and she put a hand over her mouth. "See? This wouldn't have happened if you just let me wear whatever else I wanted!" She whispered angrily at her father.

"Eat, and we will be leaving in a minute," he replied, shaking his head and looking away from her again. Noticing Ingrid continued to glare at him, he looked back at her. "Have you fixed everything you need?" he asked her, continuing as if they were talking about the weather.

Ingrid narrowed her eyes at him. "You're not gonna let me not wear that dress huh?" She asked him. "All I really need to bring are my swords, my bow and arrow, and my horse."

"We're not going to a war, it's for you to do your duty. You don't need any of those! Instead, bring books and some dresses, the kind that your mother always carried around," he ordered, sounding very much like a monarch dictating his law.

Ingrid looked even more annoyed. She crossed her arms and scoffed. "What happened to keeping this whole plan a secret?" she fought back. "Besides, I do not want to be like mother. If I truly must, then yes I will wear a dress. But that's the most I'd go with being like mother," she spat out the last word.

"My word is final," he simply replied, before standing up. As soon as he did, servants quickly cleared his plate, and the guards standing by with their backs against the walls stood up straight.

"You haven't heard the last of this, papa!" She shouted after him. Her stomach grumbled at the sight of the food, and she sat down and angrily ate her breakfast, shoveling it into her mouth, grumbling.

But of course, despite him being her father, a king's command was still to be followed. Ingrid's ladies in waiting arranged her things for her, and forced her into the dress and did her hair. Ingrid pouted the whole way through, and was even more upset when her request to ride alongside the knights was denied. She sighed sadly inside the royal carriage as she sat next to her father, looking bored and upset.

"Have you heard about where your mother is?" the king asked out of nowhere, breaking the silence.

She rolled her eyes. She sat with her shoulders slumped and her arms crossed against her chest. "How should I know? She hasn't spoken to me properly in weeks. Maybe you should look into your finances and bankers and see where she's last spent the kingdom's coin," she replied sarcastically.

"Ah well, you two should spend time together once in a while. You look exactly like your mother yet you are her complete opposite," he replied, bitterly remembering the times his wife, the beloved queen, was gone from morning til night as she preferred exploring the lands than being with her family.