Third Person
"Philipe?" Aru asked.
"Yes, ma'am?" he responded.
"First, call me Aru and just Aru. Not Princess Aru or Arundhati. If someone has an issue, bring them to me."
"I shouldn't, ma'am," the older gentleman replied.
"Can you deny orders from me?"
"No, ma- Aru. It's nice to meet you."
"I'm sure it's a great honor to meet you too, Philipe! Now, is there a nice meadow I can go to lay down in? I used to love to do that back down in the city," Aru sighed.
"Yes. Let me get one of the boys to show you while I go set up your room to your preferences. What color comforter?"
"A sage green would be perfect, sir!"
Philipe nodded and walked away to find a boy to bring Aru to the nearest meadow.
A jet black horse neighed and it startled Aru. She walked over to its stall where it was bucking. Aru looked at the other stalls and noticed every horse had a name except the one she was in front of.
"Hey there, girl. Calm down," Aru coaxed. The horse backed up in its unusually large stall. Aru carefully climbed over the stall door, having no idea how to open it. "We should name you. How about Coco?" Aru tried.
The horse stomped its hoof and Aru jumped back in fear. "Ok, you're not a Coco. Uh, Pepper?"
The horse seemed to calm down a bit. "Pepper is a good name. I'll call you that from now on. I'm Aru!" she said peppily.
Pepper bucked up her front hooves and hit Aru in the shoulder. She was thrown against the door from the force. "Ow!"
She rolled up her sleeve and realized it was just going to end up being a bruise. "Nothing I haven't been through before," Aru mumbled. Pepper backed up and laid down with her head inches from Aru.
"Stop looking so proud of yourself," Aru muttered.
"Shah?" a voice called. "Where'd you go?"
"Of course Philipe chose him," Aru whispered to Pepper.
Pepper huffed and nudged her shoulder with her muzzle. "Ow!" Aru yelped.
The door that Aru was leaning against opened, and she fell to the floor with a loud plunk. She opened her eyes to see Aiden looking down at her. "What the heck are you doing in here?! This horse is wild, and no one can get her to calm down!" Aiden yelled, dragging Aru out by her arm.
"Some manners you have."
"I have plenty, just not towards you. This horse could've hurt you, but no. You must not think things through before doing them!"
"I'm fine, Acharya!" Aru yelled, getting up off of the hay-covered floor. "You don't know anything about me, so I don't think that you should be able to speak about how I think."
"I know enough to know that you must be dim-witted!"
"What did you just call me?"
"Dim. Witted," Aiden emphasized.
"I'm the dim-witted one?!" Aru scoffed.
"Yeah!"
"You can go sit your royal, arrogant, obnoxious, cocky, immature butt back down in whatever country you are originally from because I personally don't appreciate your huge ego," Aru scoffed.
"Did you just call me obnoxious?"
"You bet I did, Acharya. I didn't tell a single lie there."
"And to think that I was going to try to be nice to you and bring you to the meadow."
"You're still bringing me, don't try to get out of that. Now that I just snapped at you, I really need to be somewhere big and relaxing," Aru sighed.
"Have you tried your room, Shah? I don't want to be somewhere where I am not appreciated."
"When are you packing your stuff, then?" Aru asked.
"I know for a fact that your town friends happen to love me. I rode by earlier while you were walking home, and you were talking about Rudy and me. That wasn't us in the field, so you know," Aiden smiled, crossing his arms.
"You eavesdropped?!"
"No! It was more of spying, really, because none of you noticed me. That part made it even more fun. I had to leave when Fischer and Sebastian came around."
"You-" Aru stopped. "You know what? I'm ending this. Just bring me to the meadow."
"Fine," Aiden said, leaving the stable. He was much taller than Aru, which allowed him to make longer strides than her.
"Please, slow down!" Aru called, trying to catch up with the prince. He was about three yards in front of her.
"Aiden whatever-your-middle-name-is Acharya! Slow down, please!" Aru yelled.
Aiden stopped in front of a white fence, his mouth twisted in irritation.
"You somewhat offer to help then, you abandon me," Aru huffed, tired from running to catch up to him.
"Country girls are slow-moving, vexing creatures," he said.
"You're the vexatious one. Running off and leaving me like that."
They stood glaring at each other, his arms crossed over his chest, her trying to catch her breath. Aru's heart slowed, and her brow rested.
Aru walked away and jumped over the white wooden fence. She jogged up to the top of the hill. She looked out over the town and let out a deep sigh. It was beautiful. Aru spun around with her arms out next to her.
She knew in the back of her mind that she would now need to act more lady-like, but she couldn't help the overwhelming urge to sprint down the grassy hill, so she did. She quickly tied her free-flowing hair back into a ponytail and ran down the hill as fast as her legs would carry her.
Aiden could hear her unrestrained laugh, and he smiled. He leaned against the fence and watched a girl, which he could use many words to describe, run down a hill like it was the best thing in the world. He suddenly felt a warmth fill him, and he shook the smile off his face so he could focus on the scenery instead of some town peasant.
Aru could feel the early spring air flowing through her fingertips as she slowed down. She stopped at the very bottom and looked up to Aiden.
"Daydreaming much, Acharya?" Aru teased when she saw Aiden staring out into space.
"Shut up, Shah," he smiled, not looking in her direction.
She let out a deep huff from running and calmly walked back up the hill. Aru let her hair back down when she got to the top, and Aiden focused his gaze on her again.
"Whatcha looking at?"
"You," he said. He immediately realized what he had said, and his eyes widened.
"What?" she asked. Was he really looking at her? Was it possible Aiden Acharya actually might have a crush?
"I meant, your hair is a mess, so I was just admiring your afro," he fixed.
No, apparently, he didn't have a crush. Did it affect Aru? Nope, not one bit. She still meant every word that she had said earlier about him.
She ran a hand through her hair. "Is that any better?"
"Yup. Now, are you ready to go?"
"I mean, we weren't here very long, but sure," Aru shrugged.
"I would say that we could stay longer, but I have to brush Bree. Philipe said that you needed to be home before dinner so he could show you to your room."
"Ugh, Philipe to the rescue," Aru said sarcastically. "I guess we should get going then." Aiden nodded in agreement.
He led her a different way than before. "Acharya, where are we going? This seems different than before," Aru asked worriedly.
"Maybe because it is a different way, Sherlock Holmes," Aiden snarked. "We're just taking a shortcut. Cool your beans."
Aru rolled her eyes at him but continued to follow him. He led her to a treehouse. "Climb in," Aiden gestured.
"Nuh-uh. I don't trust you. I just met you today, and I can see the castle in the distance. For all I know, you could be trying to trap me here so I will never make it back to the castle," Aru said.
"I wouldn't be able to come up with that elaborate of a plan, and the castle is only a five-minute walk from here," Aiden laughed. "I'll climb in first if it makes you feel better."
Aru raised an eyebrow at him. "Ok, but if some clown pops out of there, I'm leaving here."
Aiden laughed at her thought and opened a large porthole covered in fake grass. He slid into the ground and put up a ladder for Aru to climb down on.
"But- I- what?" Aru stumbled. "The treehouse is up the tree, not in the ground, smart one."
"I know, but this leads to my room in the castle. Milly, the castle's architect, opened this back up for me when she caught me sneaking out to ride Bree."
"Bree is your horse?" Aru asked as she climbed down.
"Yup. Who else would it be?"
"I dunno. Maybe a magic carpet."
"Who do you think I am, Aladdin?" Aiden asked, grabbing her hand to help her.
"I mean you could be. I don't know you that well," Aru said, pulling her hand away.
"You seem kind of fiesty. Fiesty is a good quality in a woman, I would like to believe," Aiden said, walking through the abandoned tunnel. Aru quickly followed.
"You don't get to judge my character. I barely know you," Aru scoffed.
"Add rude to that list of qualities," he said to himself.
"I'm not rude! I just don't like you in particular. Like, I'm nice to Fischer."
"Fischer is an easy person to like, though. He has a flirty personality, and all the girls swoon over him."
Aru bent over laughing but quickly fixed her posture and continued to walk. "I definitely did not swoon for Fischer. If anything, we will end up being acquaintances."
"Acquaintances? Wow, you're using big-girl words."
Aru rolled her eyes but kept quiet. They made their way to the end of the tunnel, and Aiden opened a little trap door, which led to what looked like his closet.
"Welcome to the royal closet of Prince Aiden Acharya!" Aiden announced as he crawled through the small door.
"Get your butt out of my face, Acharya," Aru complained.
"My fine-looking butt?" he teasingly asked.
"No, your obnoxious, self-centered one." Aru fit through the small hole and stood up, just to bang her head off of someone else's. "Ouch!"
"I should've warned you not to stand up while I was. This side of my closet is rather small in size."
The closet doors suddenly flew open, and there was the King and Queen of Byburn.
"Princess Arundhati!" Hanumans voice bellowed.
"Yes, sir?" she cowered behind Aiden when she spoke.
"You are late! Would you two mind explaining?" he asked.
"It's my fault, sir," Aiden and Aru both said at the same time. Aru looked into his unusually dark eyes. She bit her lip, but it didn't hold her back from saying what she did next.
"He's right. It was his fault," Aru said.
"What?!" Aiden's voice hit a very high pitch. "I have no idea how you country girls deal with getting in trouble, but you don't sell each other out!" he yelled.
"So you admit it was your fault?" Aru asked.
"I didn't necessarily say that."
"Enough!" Hanuman yelled. His voice echoed off of the closet walls. "I do not care who's at fault here! All I care about is that Princess Arundhati Shah reports to her room immediately!" Urvashi nodded in agreement behind her husband.
Aru nodded and started to walk out. A hand grasped her arm and pulled her back. Aiden's taller figure towered over Aru as she spun around from the force.
"I'm sorry for getting you in trouble, Shah," Aiden whispered in her ear, then he let go of her arm. He stood up straight and rubbed the back of his neck. He obviously wasn't used to getting in trouble.
Aru roamed the halls until she found Philipe. "Philipe! Would you mind guiding me to my room, please? I have ended up in the cellar, the kitchen, and the main gardens," Aru laughed.
He looked around and quickly called over two girls with a flash of a smile. "I would, Aru, but I am terribly busy. Mini and Brynne can show you, though!"
Aru studied the two girls who stood before her.
One was extremely tall, had hazel eyes, and her hair was long and brown. Her expression made her look angry, and that kind of scared Aru. She thought princesses were supposed to be peppy? She wore a navy blue jumpsuit, which Aru wished she one day would be able to pull off.
The other was much shorter in height. Her bangs were held back by a barrette, and it was maintained at a neck length. She wore a black smock dress that made it past her knees. Light from a chandelier bounced off of her glasses. Aru knew that she had to be Princess Mini.
"Stop staring, you weirdo," the first girl snarked. "Who are you? The new maid?"
"Brynne," Mini nudged her sister. "I'm sorry for my sister's naturally rude personality. I'm Princess Yamini, but you can call me Princess Mini. What part of the castle do you work at?"
Aru stifled a laugh. "I don't work here," she said simply.
Brynne tackled Aru to the floor. "Intruder!" she yelled, pinning Aru's arms to each side of her head. Mini tried to pull her sister off, but she failed.
Fischer walked around the corner and saw Brynne on top of Aru. "Brynne! Get off of Princess Aru!" he said, pulling Brynne off.
"Princess?" Mini and Brynne both asked. The tallest sister glared at Aru as if saying, 'HA! HER? A PRINCESS?!'
Aru stood up and dusted off her sweatpants. "Yeah, as of like 4 hours ago."
"Oh my gosh. I am so terribly sorry for my sister's actions. She is quick to jump to a conclusion," Mini said, offering Aru a tissue to dust herself off more.
Aru shook her head politely at the offer. "It's fine. But, would someone mind showing me to my room? I've gotten lost about three times."
"Of course!" Brynne said sarcastically. "Not."
She sniffed Aru's hair. "You smell like a town girl. Fischer, are you sure she's not some phony?"
"Brynne," Fischer said through gritted teeth. "Be nice," he scowled. "Aru, I will show you to your room because of the unwilling Princess Brynne over there."
"Thank you, Prince Fischer," Aru smiled.
AN: How do I manage to write so much? It actually astonishes me. I hope you like this chapter!