Royal Renegade

Chapter 8: Pressure

I don't remember much from my youth. My father tells me that I spent most of my free time with my mother, but aside from that he claims I didn't enjoy playing with the other kids raised in the castle. Apparently, I never even had a best friend which is why I suppose I'm not so close with the other Princesses of the region either. 

When the mothers return carrying baskets and gowns full of crops, I am compelled to help them set up in the main kitchen of the building. As I unload a basket of vegetables, some of the women swarm around me.

"When do you think there will be another raid?" one woman asks another.

"Princess, is it true the rebuilt homes will be given for soldiers to reside in?" the other addresses me.

"The vampires of Rerimas are out of control. Their Queen must not be respected, or she lies about wanting peace," a woman washing fruit speaks up. 

Two other woman slam vegetables down on a wooden counter causing me to jump.

"She thinks Cadomia and Rerimas will make amends," a woman picking grapes grumbles as she speaks of Queen Ida. "I bet that Prince Leonidas is eager for a fight. He is young, reckless, and clearly a leader of destruction."

"A leader of death," another agrees.

I frown as my feelings on the subject begin to conflict. Usually, I would be quick to agree with them, but lately it's been difficult to think so harsh of Leonidas. 

"Princess? You should marry that Prince Herakles. I hear he would be the best competitor against Leonidas on a battlefield," the first woman who spoke turns to me. 

A silence dances through the room as the women ponder the idea, then the room erupts into a frenzy of questions directed at me.

"Are you planning to marry soon?"

"Has Prince Herakles asked to court you?"

"He was here the other evening. Was his stay at the castle to spend time with you?"

"You're not getting any younger Princess, you should make advances towards him."

"You two would have the most adorable children!"

My heart begins to race so fast I start to feel light-headed. Their voices fuse together in a chorus making my ears ring. I almost feel like I'm going to panic again like I did last night at the lake. Just the thought of hyperventilating is enough to shorten my breaths. 

I quickly dash from the room, knocking over a basket of vegetables along the way, and burst through a wooden door that leads outside. The cool air smacks my sweaty skin making me gasp, and the guards are the first to notice as they drop arm-fills of wood to rush to me.

"Aries!" I cry out.

The sound of his hooves pounding against the stone fills me with relief as he rounds the building and nearly pushes the guards into a pile of hay when he passes by them. He only has to slow enough for me to grab his reins for me to swing up into the saddle before he bolts to the castle.

~~~~~

An hour later, the women's questions haunt me like a nightmare making it almost impossible for me to focus on my etiquette meeting. I usually find a way to avoid these sessions, but with the ball being in two days, my father sent council members to monitor my attendance.

My tutor is Miss Isidora, whose only passion is teaching young girls to blossom into sophisticated women on their way to becoming wives and mothers. Unfortunately, she is not very fond of me and does nothing to hide that fact.

She stands as tall as a tree and is as thick as one, too. Her figure is perfect in the eyes of many and her elaborate style of long gowns, high heels, and strong perfumes leaves men in awe. As much as I don't care for her, I can't deny that she is an expert at her craft. My father absolutely adores the woman and pays her more than some of the council.