She was born Princess Gwenwyn Helena Anannet Egger, first-born child of the Great King Heralf, ruler of the Militant Kingdom of Rramnon. Shortly after her sixteenth birthday, Gwenwyn's father sent her to the Trade Kingdom, Terrafeuw, with a very spe...
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Chapter 11 _ Unwanted Feelings
Cheers and shouts of triumphs erupted from the large crowd of Terrafeins when King Griggory entered the fairgrounds riding comfortably in his exquisite carriage. Gwenwyn watched with a placid stare, but when his eyes found her own, she forced herself to return a smile. It felt fake, and wrong, but she held it in place until the Terrafein King turned to greet his subjects along the other side of his carriage.
She felt ill.
Sweat moistened the back of her neck, and her heart seemed to beat wildly.
"Breath." She instructed herself. "Nothing has changed."
But the overwhelming presence of the guard behind her refused to be ignored.
"Breath." Gwenwyn repeated, but she couldn't figure out how. How was she supposed to breath when the air itself was stifling?The desire to run fought through her, clawed at her, demanded to be released.
Gwenwyn fought it. She fought it the way she fought nearly every other desire she ever had. Doing what she wanted had brought consequences into her life, consequences that she had no plausible way of dealing with. Her fingers dug fiercely into her palms while her face carried its familiar mask of restrain.
"Breath." She forced herself to repeat the word over and over again until eventually she felt her grip lessen. "You are helping to unite two countries." She reminded herself. "You must stay focused on that."
When King Griggory eventually reached the platform where she was standing, Princess Gwenwyn was composed enough to send the large rotund King a seemingly genuine smile. He beamed back at her, reached for her hand, and kissed it lightly. Gwenwyn was instantly grateful that she had worn gloves.
"I do hope you find today's festivities diverting." He told her extravagantly. "I'm sure that even the Militant Princess, will be impressed by my people's competitive spirit.
She sent him an aloof expression, "What will they be competing for?" Gwen had over heard rumors when she use to sneak in and out of the castle, but as a Princess, she had not been informed.
King Griggory smiled proudly towards her and then turned towards the crowd. "They compete for the right to attend the Champions' Ball. It is the highest honor a Terrafein commoner can achieve. Though very rarely does a commoner win the right." His smile morphed into a satisfied grin that made her skin feel too small.
"Stop it." She told herself.
Gwenwyn's appearance remained ridged, but her mind raced with confusion and doubt. Before that morning she had come to accept King Griggory's attention. The large rotund King had an obvious growing interest in her. He sent her gifts that were more extravagant than anything she had been accustomed to in Rramnon. It was a struggle to remain impressed by his lavishness.
