Untouchable Fruit

Mornings and Advice

Artemis' POV

I'm lounging on my couch, scrolling through instagram when I hear a knock on the door. As quick as I can, I turn my phone off and grab the book full of lessons my Mother is making me read, adjusting my posture before I answer. "Come in!" I say keeping my voice light and airy.

The door swings open and I breath a sigh of relief when I see that it's only my good friend, Chelsea. She comes into the room with a big smile and even bigger hair making me smile back as I let my body melt on to the couch.

     "Art, I can't believe you're back!" She says, rushing to me to give me a hug and I laugh, holding  her close to me, missing her adorable friendship while I was away. After I graduated high school, my Mother and Father decided that I wasn't ready enough to hold the title as Crown Princess, and sent me away to my Aunt and Uncle down south. I've been there for almost three years and only got back early this morning, away from the eyes of the paparazzi and fellow Court members.

     "I can't either." I tell her and she plops down beside me on to the couch.

      "So tell me, how was it down at the prestigious Faerie Court in Castiline?" She asks me, her voice easing to appear proper and airy as we were taught and I roll my eyes at her.

     "To be honest, it wasn't that bad. I think the worst part is my Aunt trying time make me meet every eligible boy in the city. That all made me gag with how stiff, prim and proper they all were. There was no personality only cookie cutter versions of the same guys in different font." I rant, throwing my manicured hands up in frustration and Chelsea only laughs.

     "That sounds like fun, but only if the candidates are worthy." She says, swooning until she falls over into my lap, the back of her hand on her forehead as her eyes flutter.

     "I see the boy crazy hasn't changed." I say to her in amusement. Though we had talked on the phone for at least once a week, we never got to talk about all we wanted to. Our facetime calls were limited, either one of us always getting called to attend some meeting or to greet some royal and it was all just a big headache.

     "I can feel you brooding." She tells me, tilting her head up to look at me as I sigh. I gently push her off of my lap and stand up, suddenly too anxious to sit still as I begin to pace.

      "I don't want to be here, Chels. I wear shorts and Jordan's with a tank top, not dresses and heels with my tiara like so. I don't curtesy to men, I dap them up. How many times do I have to say I don't want to be princess, before someone will listen?!" I rant and she's out of her seat, slapping her hand over my mouth with a frown, looking half scared and angry.

    "Artemis, are you crazy?! Someone could hear you. And don't say you don't care, because if someone hears  you say things like this, you won't be around for much longer. And you won't be on vacation." She scolds me and I sigh, removing her hand form my mouth lowering my head in shame. "I know this is hard, but you can't be hesitant Art right now. You need to be strong, confident, badass Artemis that shashays into a room and makes everyone's jaw drop."

     "I don't know how to tap into her anymore. I'm all out of being badass." I groan throwing myself on to the couch. She stares at me in contemplation, biting her lip in a way that has me sitting her. "Something happened that you don't want to tell me."

     She pales a little and she shakes her head, her curls twirling about her face distractingly.  "I'm not sure if I should tell you." Knowing how much she hates it, but needing the answer out of it, I straighten my back, swing one leg over the other and let my arms rest in my lap.

I let my gaze glow a light gold, piercing her with the Royal Eyes before I ask again. "What aren't you telling me, Chelsea?"

She cringes way but it only takes half a second for her to crack and fold. "There's a rumor going around the castle that if you don't measure up to the Court's standards, then your cousin is going to be next in line for the Crown. And there's also word that the Crown Mother has agreed." She tells me meekly and I stare at her, not out of anger but shock.

My own mother agreed to giving up my Crown to instead giving to the fake, conniving bitch we call Suzi.

"Susana can not take the Crown, Chelsea. She brainwashed by both the Court and her mother and all she'll do, is exactly what their corrupt asses tell her to." I say with a frown, not understanding how my Mother could be so foolish.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, Art. We need you to want this. If not for yourself than for your people. You know Jasper doesn't want the position and if you don't either it falls to her." She tells me and I can tell this has been stressing her out for a while. The whole idea was for me to come home, let my mom keep the crown and title until either Jasper and I have kids that she can pass it on to. But this put a wench in everything I've so carefully planned out for the past month. As much as I want to say fuck this and run away to an island where I don't have the full weight of my people on my shoulder, I also know I'm one of the only people in power who gives a shit about the Faeries that aren't royals.

And so, I guess plans change.

I turn my attention away from Chelsea and stand up, walking across my sitting room to look out the window that overlooks the garden. I've always hated who I was, trying my hardest to pretend to be someone else. Rejecting the status, wearing street clothes, listening to everything but classical, refusing bodyguards, all to escape this fate that can't seem to leave me alone.

"Fine." I say to the glass in front of me, resigning myself to do the one thing I've always spited. "I'll become the Crown Princess. But shit won't be the same around here, ever." I tell her without looking at her and she squeals in excitement.

"That's what we're hoping for." She tells me and I turn away from the view to give her a smile before her face blanks as she remembers something. "Oh, I don't think I ever got to tell you!" She says and I raise my brow, she signaling her to tell me now. "Remember how I've been searching for my cousin that I thought died all those years ago?"

I nod my head, remembering when we stumbled upon the records of her dead Aunt and Uncle but none of her cousin that she thought was lost as well. Once we didn't find any evidence of her death, Chelsea dove head first into the investigation two years ago, right before I left.

"Well, I found her!" She says excitedly and I raise my brows in surprise, secretly disbelieving that she found the girl that's supposed to be a ghost by now. "It took me a while but I finally found her. She doesn't seem all that enthusiastic though. I talked to her adoptive brother and he told me that he thinks she resents being a Faerie. But she was my favorite cousin and I want to reconnect with her so bad." Chelsea rants to me and I give her my undivided attention, used to others coming to me for advice on what to do, from farmers to other royals.

"I think, you should leave her alone a bit, since you no doubt have been sending her flash letters." I say with a pointed look that she avoids. "If she resents us, then she's going to need time to come around if she ever does. Leave it for a while and let her come to you." I tell her soothingly and she nods along with my words as I do.

"That makes sense." She says smiling at me and I return the look just as there's another knock in the door. We give each other a look and fix our posture, knowing we'll get scolded for being anything less than perfect.

"You may enter." I say, my code switch automatic as I address the person in the other side of the door. It quickly opens and in comes my Head Maid, Annalise. "How can I help you?" I ask her as she curtsies to me and I have to swallow down my cringe.

"Pardon the interruption, Your Highness, but your Mother says it's time to get ready for Court." She tells me, keeping her eyes lowered to the floor as I sigh and roll my eyes at Chelsea.

"I'll be on my way, Princess. I look forward to seeing you in Court." She tells me dipping low in a goodbye. I curtesy as well, though not as low and giver her a wink before she's on her way. I turn back to Annalise and give her a smile before she shuts the door and comes to me to work her magic.

~~~~~~~
I love Art. She's perfect and so selfless. I can't wait for the drama of Court and her reaction when she meets Bri. And yes, it's Sloan's Suzi.

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QOTD: What did you want to be when you were little?