Runaways

Chapter One

July 12th 1640
Young Palace

Theresa Young sat quietly with a book in hand, carefully reading the infamous pages of A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. A play she had become to adore since watching it in the Globe Theatre for her sixteenth birthday. Her love for literature was the premise of herself. She adored words in any form, in a book, a play, a poem or song. She often found herself - quill in hand - cursively jotting down the desires of her heart. Her young heart that was full of so much love. Love she declared to her secret. Hardin Scott. A rough around the edges stablehand. She was so captivated by his love for literature. The young souls could converse over words for days on end. However, their visits had to be short and sweet owing to the fact Theresa's dictatorial mother would call her in from the stables to rehearse etiquette. Carol Young was a wretched woman who's only ever made her daughter's life difficult. Carol's oppressiveness is the sole reason why her daughter runs away to the stable boy. She's not rebellious. If anything she's too afraid to rebel. Her mother was never shy of striking her daughter as punishment or locking Theresa inside the chambers of her bedroom for the day. Carol's lack of compassion came from her parents who forced her to marry someone she didn't like. But when she fell pregnant she had to stay with him so shame were not spread over the monarchy. Theresa was their only heir. So the pressure for her to marry and produce children was crushing her slowly.

As she closed the play in her dainty hands a certain line is lamented in her brain. The course of true love never did run smoothly. A line from the first scene, spoke by Lysander. A man who is in love Hermia. His love is true. But Demetrius wants Hermia for the wrong reasons. His love is fickle. Puck puts Lysander under a spell so he falls in love with Helena, giving Demetrius a chance to court Hermia, although once the spell is reversed Hermia and Lysander marry. That modicum is so poetic but this is a Shakespeare play after all.
Theresa padded towards her dressing table, her silk robe tightly wrapped around her waist, her long blonde locks of hair fall beside her shoulders in thick curls. Her complexion so fair and beautiful. She truly is a marvel. Some may say the fairest in the land. She picks up her hair brush, starting from the bottom she smooths out the kinks in her hair before tying her hair up out of the way. She heads towards her wardrobe and reaches for her horse riding clothes. She would ride her horse Felicita everyday just to see her love. He helps her tack up and after her ride he helps her clean the horse. She treasured every moment they had together.

Theresa walked out of the palace grounds and towards the stables where she could see Hardin mucking out a stool, she started to run towards him. He met her by lifting her off the ground and spinning her around. Once her feet met the floor again she leaned in to peck the boy on the lips. Those irresistible lips that were so tantalising. Theresa takes a moment to gaze into Hardin's sage eyes, full of love for his princess. He smiles down at her and kisses her once more before helping her tack Felicita.
"We ought to tighten the stirrups, yesterday I almost stumbled into the fence when dismounting." Theresa orders gently. Her stable boy tightens them for her before helping her mount the chestnut thoroughbred in front of her. He holds the reigns while she trots slowly out of the stables. Hardin releases the reigns and they're off. Trotting to the meadows. Once in the paddock, Theresa is met with her riding teacher, Mrs Soto. A rather strict riding teacher she is but has taught the young girl well. They work on jumping for the following two hours, until it's time for afternoon tea. Theresa bids her goodbye to the stable boy with a sweet lip lock that sends oxytocin throughout her veins. The princess walked back to the expansive palace with a smile on her face and flushed cheeks.  The rest of her day will be better now. He always brings joy to her day. Even if Carol were to pester her daughter afterwards at least she was happy for that short amount of time.

Theresa is met at the door by her ladies in waiting. They all go to her bedroom to chatter about Hardin. Nora leads the conversation by asking a trillion questions, one after the other. Nora pounds Theresa with questions until Theresa is ordered to bath and get dressed into her royal attire. Her maid helps her into her corset and then proceeded to get her into a dress. The green number was so elegant and modern for the time. The material was so rich and smooth, fitting to her curves and adulations. The clothes she got to wear were gorgeous. The princess got to wear the most beautiful gowns, with diamond adornments, pretty little hair pieces too. She definitely felt like a princess, she just wishes her prince charming wasn't the stable boy.
Once her dress was on and her hair was up she put her shoes on and followed the maid  downstairs to the dining room. She sat beside opposite her mother. A spread of cheese, grapes, meat and crackers lay on the table. The princess was not fond of meat so she plucked a few grapes and began to eat them.
"Theresa you must eat more than that." Carol demands sternly, eyeing her daughters plate which is empty. Theresa swallowed her chewed up grapes, she took a hold of her glass chalice and sipped some water.
"I don't like meat mother, however, if it pleases you I shall have the cheese on a cracker." Theresa explains. Her mother controlled everything that girl did. Even more so now that she's growing up to be an adult and Carol needs to find her a prince to marry. They both finish eating. Theresa is ordered to go to her room, she's always in her room. But it's where she feels most safe from her mother's evil tongue. She would constantly call her daughter names, each one being more detrimental than the last.  She wished she could run far away and never see her mother again but of course that would never happen. Theresa sat in a chair on her balcony. She looked at the stables in the distance to see her lover working hard.  She really adored him and wished their relationship could develop more than stealing kisses before her riding lessons.
In two weeks time Carol was set to start her quest to find Theresa a husband, meaning the palace would be virtually empty apart from the princess inhabiting it with a few maids and servants. Theresa started to devise her plan to get him in the grounds without people seeing, it should be easy. She was sure her ladies in waiting would provide help and they would love to meet him. She kept gazing out towards those stables and thought of her plan.