december 2004.
Bella had never been to America before.
She had always wanted to go, always heard lots of stories about it, but had yet to visit. Why would she have? At eighteen and one month she still wasn't even fully legal over there which had almost been enough to stop her from coming. Almost.
She was over there to take part in a charity showjumping competition. But she had managed to wangle it so that her and her friends flew out on the Wednesday, the event was on the Friday and then they flew back late Monday night. A nice long weekend which probably wasn't high on the suggested list for a 9 hour flight to Florida.
Still, there wasn't much else they could do. And so on the Wednesday Bella picked up her friends and then they were all driven to Heathrow. Accompanied of course by two protection officers (one more than normal) which had been the compromise she had made with her father for being allowed to go.
They got on the flight last so they wouldn't be seen and spent the 9 hours sleeping, chatting, eating, watching films. It was all working wonderfully until they were in the queue for passport control. Bella was taken to the diplomat entrance, and naturally, her friends followed. However, they couldn't go through there so they then had to go all the way back to the other queue for the normal passport control and wait there. It all caused quite a commotion, with some airport staff not being quite as discreet as Bella had hoped or her PO's had asked.
Thankfully, they all managed to get through, not without someone taking a picture of Bella waiting for her friends though. No, that immediately got sent off to a newspaper and by the time they were settled in their rooms, the hotel was swarmed with paparazzi.
"Bloody paps." Bella scowled as she lent on the windowsill, watching as they tried to push their way further into the hotel. She mentally thanked whoever had put them in these rooms though. Despite how much they tried, the paparazzi couldn't get any closer than the front gates of the hotel. A sight that definitely made Bella smile.
"Sorry." She frowned as she threw herself onto the bed, messing up the pile of clothing that Rose had started to form from her suitcase.
"Don't worry about the paps." Rose quickly replied, tutting as she pushed Bella onto her side to reach the clothes she had trapped underneath her, "you can worry about all my clothes you just trampled though."
"Oh." Bella sighed, rolling over further so she was laid on her front, propped up on her elbows, "I'm afraid I still don't know how to iron though."
"Well that makes two of us." Rose replied, giggling as she called out to Harriet and Millie who were in the adjoining room, "please tell me you two know how to iron?"
♔♕
wednesday
They spent Wednesday battling the jet lag.
Harriet had it the worse having never flown long-haul before. She ended up laying in bed with all the pillows over her head so she could try to sleep.
Rose was okay in comparison but took full advantage of being able to lounge around in bed, leaving just Bella and Millie the only ones up and about.
They ended up on the balcony playing cards. Spice Girls was playing in the background from the TV, whilst the two of them chatted about the event on Friday.
Millie had been riding as long as Bella and, if the girls hadn't been such good friends, would have been a fierce competitor for her. As it was, they worked together, sharing tips and helping each other out.
The event was just a little showjumping competition, designed to raise as much money as possible for charity. Bella knew that this was a moment she had been asked because of who she was related too, not because she was a good rider. But, it was for charity. And she wasn't naive. If having her there would make them more money then she was happy to do it. Even if it did mean riding a strangers horse in an unknown arena filled with thousands of people. It was for a good cause.
♔♕
thursday
By Thursday some of the paparazzi had dispersed, obviously bored of just being stood watching a door with absolutely no sign of them.
The four of them managed to sneak out the back of the hotel without being seen with Bella wearing huge sunglasses and a baseball cap, the latter much to her dismay.
They just wandered around for a bit, popping into some shops and a restaurant for lunch before walking down to the beach. Thankfully, they got away with it. Although Bella did receive a few funny looks when she spoke and the waiter also looked at her for just a moment too long when serving them.
♔♕
friday
Friday was the day of the charity showjumping event. It went well, really well in fact.
The horse she was given was a champion showjumper, finding everything that was put in front of him easy. It did take her a bit to get used to the horses more sensitive nature with her being much more used to slightly more robust event horses. But once she did, it was wonderful.
She did feel a bit bad at some points though. The crowd was very enthusiastic to say the least, particularly around her. Much to her disappointment, the commentator insisted on introducing her as 'Her Royal Highness Princess Isabella of Wales' rather than the 'Isabella Wales' she normally goes by when riding. He also never once failed to mention her royal connections when talking about or to her. This of course had the required effect of making the crowd more excited but as the event wore on, it just became more and more embarrassing to her.
Still, it was for charity she kept reminding herself. You're raising money, you're helping people, if dropping the fact that you are the granddaughter of 'Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth' every time you're mentioned helps, then so be it. Thankfully, it went well and they raised lots of money.
So, to celebrate, the girls decided to go out for dinner and actually enjoy themselves, that was what they had come on the trip for anyway, the paparazzi could whistle.
"There you go, 'your majesty'!" Rose said with a grin and a wink in Bella's direction as she placed their drinks down on the table, putting on her best American accent to try and replicate a rather embarrassing moment when the commentator had referred to her as just that.
"Oh shut up." Bella replied with a smirk, "he tried his best bless him."
"Not that bloody difficult is it though." Millie added through a mouthful of crisps.
"No..." Bella sighed, "I did say they could just call me Isabella as well because I was riding, but I suppose Isabella doesn't make as much money as Her Royal Highness Princess Isabella of Wales."
The three other girls just shook their head in response, each mumbling something that sounded like a no.
They had a lovely diner. It was so nice to be out with her best mates, just enjoying herself like any normal person would, like how just Isabella Wales would.
By the time they had finished it was getting dark. According to her PO's a crowd had gathered by the front entrance so instead they were to go out by one of the side doors.
This wasn't unusual. It happened quite a lot really. It wasn't enough to make her nervous or uncomfortable, it was normal.
What wasn't normal was what happened next.
"What do you want to do tomorrow then?" Harriet asked as she walked through the door that was being held open for them.
"I don't know." Bella replied, following her through the door.
"What about the beach?" Rose prompted as she shut the door behind Millie and Bella's two PO's.
"Yeah could do...or-"
Millie didn't get a chance to continue.
"THERE SHE IS!"
The sound of someone shouting made them all turn their heads with the sight that met them making Bella shrink against her two PO's. What looked like hundreds of men were running round the corner of the restaurant towards them, all with their cameras at the ready.
Both of her PO's grabbed her, turning her back round to the door they had just walked out of, "open it!" Mark, the slightly more experienced of the two, instructed to Rose who was already frantically trying to find the handle.
"I think it's one way! I can't find it!"
Ignoring the paparazzi who were getting closer and closer to them, Mark moved forwards, trying himself to find the handle. "She's right." He said under his breath to Bella's other PO, Jamie, who then swore under his breath.
"Right, Your Royal Highness, hold on to us, we'll just have to try and get to the car as fast as possible." Mark began, replacing his grip onto a thankful Bella before nodding towards her friends, "girls, you stay close to us, hopefully they've got some sense about them and keep a bit of a distance...we've got to stick together."
Famous last words if ever there was.
Rose and Millie each grabbed a handful of Mark and Jamie's suits, with Harriet linked in between them. Together, the six of them moved off, all trying their best to protect Bella.
It must have only been seconds before the paparazzi swarmed onto them, each of them shouting at them all and taking pictures with unbelievably rapid succession. They were like bees to honey, enveloping the six of them and surrounding them on all sides.
As much as they tried to move towards the car, there were too many people in front of them to actually go anywhere. So, with a quick nod of Mark's head, they all moved to the left, trying their best to find a gap in the mob that surrounded them.
It ended up just making things worse.
Bella was just trying to keep her eyes focused on the floor, the flashes of the cameras making it hard for her to actually see where she was going. Also coupled with the fact there didn't seem to be a way out. They were surrounded. And they were all trying to get to her.
The group was only two or three men deep but every time Bella looked up, all she could see was someone putting a camera in her face, shouting at her questions or telling her to do something. The panic was beginning to rise as her PO's tried to push through, desperately looking for a gap.
The paps just pushed back. Trying even harder to get close to her. It was as one guy came up even closer, practically pushing the camera in her face that she heard Rose swear at someone. Glancing back, Bella saw that she and Harriet had gone, engulfed in what felt like the endless tide of large men with cameras.
"You're okay, Your Royal Highness." Mark said in what she assumed was supposed to be a reassuring voice.
She was not okay. She felt like she was being swallowed up. There was no where to move. She couldn't see anything but the flashes that resonated in her eyes. This is what it must have been like. This is how her mum must have felt.
Bella tried to swallow the panic down to no avail. They were still moving in what she assumed was the right direction. The constant sound of Mark and Jamie trying to get them all to back off had dissipated in her ears, instead the sound of the men shouting at her increased.
Glancing back quickly, she was met with the wide eyes of Millie who, probably through sheer will, was still somehow clinging on to Jamie. Somewhere in the distance she could here sirens which made her feel a little better, help was on its way.
Somehow, the paparazzi still hadn't realised what they were doing. The guys on the outside pressed harder, pushing everyone closer together. When one guy knocked into Jamie, that was it.
Giving him a hard shove in retaliation, Jamie stepped forwards into the gap left by the guy who was stumbling backwards. Bella looked up at the sound, the slightest bit of relief washing through her as she caught a brief glimpse of the car too. But then suddenly someone pushed forwards even more, forcing Jamie backwards.
At the sudden release of her arm, Bella faltered, shrinking further against Mark as the free space was fought to be occupied.
The car was getting closer, she could see Rose and Harriet pressed against it, the car door open, waiting for them to finally break free of the pack.
Flinching as another camera was shoved in her face, Bella lost her balance. First she fell to the side, into Mark who quickly helped to push her back up. Then, almost as though she was riding a wave, she fell forwards, propelled by the movement of the men behind her who jostling around, trying to get the picture of her falling.
Her first thought was freedom. Finally, she could breathe. Finally, there was some space.
Her second thought was that suddenly there seemed to be an awful lot of space in front of her, space that ended with the car. That was good, that meant they were nearly there.
Her third and final thought was pain. Pain of her head hitting the open door of the car. Pain of her then falling further down to the ground and hitting the concrete. The bright, sting of pain as she laid on the ground, watching as suddenly all the movement stopped and then an awful lot of feet came running towards her.
That was the last thing Bella saw before finally giving in to the pain that was ricocheting down her head and into her body.
♔♕
𝗔/𝗡: 𝗼𝗼𝗽𝘀 🙈
𝗶'𝗺 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁?