The wind blew my hair back in an arc behind my head, sunlight streaming through it. The sky was a bright, endless blue, with only a few puffy white clouds. My hands gripped the reins around Duke's neck tightly, as my feet nudged him into an even faster stride. The field was empty and open, leaving Duke and I to ourselves.
The evening was the only time I ever got the chance to come out here alone, and I did whenever I could. The weather had been terrible all week, so as soon as I saw the sun shining, I pulled on my hat and boots, jumped on Duke, and sped away from the farm. Being cooped up in a small house with seven other people was not my idea of fun, and riding Duke was one of the few times I actually felt free.
Duke whinnied, and I knew he needed a break. The farm was a small speck in the distance, and I realized just how far we'd gone. I eased him into a stop, and jumped off his back. I grabbed an apple from my bag, and walked in front of him.
"Hey buddy." I cooed, and held the apple out in front of him. He neighed happily, and took the apple out of my hand. He nuzzled his large, chestnut brown head into my neck, and I smiled, and stroked his nose softly.
"A few more minutes, and then we need to head back." I said, seeing the sun starting to set in the distance. He let out a snort, and stomped his hoof into the ground.
I laughed. "Sorry big guy. You know how dad gets when I come in late."
After a few more minutes, I swung myself back onto him, and he immediately burst into action. His legs seemed to fly off the ground, and his deep brown mane bounced around. Before I knew it, we were stopping in front of the farm, and I was jumping off of him again.
The chipped red paint was bright in the sunlight, and the sounds of the other animals were loud and clear. I walked up to the large red and white barn, Duke following faithfully behind me. I pushed the doors open, and the smell of straw and other horses burst through my nose. I smiled, and walked inside of the barn, my boots clicking and clacking against the wooden floor.
Duke's stall was at the far end of the barn, so I walked past all of the other horses. My father and brothers' horses were in the largest stalls in the front, while my mother and sisters' were in the back by Duke's. I unlocked the door and Duke walked in quickly, happy to be at home in his stall. I took my bags and his saddle off of him, before brushing out his shiny brown coat.
"Night boy." I kissed his nose, before giving him another apple and walking out of the barn.
The house was just a few steps from the barn, so I was there quickly. My home was moderately sized, just big enough to fit my family somewhat comfortably. My brothers still shared their room, which meant I still shared my room with my sisters. I didn't mind it since my sisters were my best friends, but I can't speak for either of them.
I opened the creaky wooden door and stepped inside, tugging off my boots. Immediately, I was bombarded by my older sister Annika, who was grinning from ear to ear.
I raised an eyebrow at her, and put my hands on my hips. "What did you do now Anna?" I said teasingly.
She rolled her eyes at me, still smiling. Annika was easily the biggest flirt in my family, and my younger sister Amber and I had nothing against her. Being honest, I'd never really spoken to a boy that wasn't related to me somehow, so both of them had me beat.
We both had blonde hair, but the similarities pretty much ended there. Her eyes were a pretty deep blue, while mine were more green. She had a multitude of friends, and a line of boys waiting to have a conversation with her. I was outgoing like her, but none of the other girls in town had ever really wanted to be friends with me.
"They're here Er! They're really here!" She started squealing, breaking me out of my thoughts.
I frowned and tilted my head. "What's here?"
"The selection forms you idiot! For Prince Derek!" She thrust a creamy white envelope into my head, a red royal crest stamped onto it.
I chuckled, not surprised that Annika was freaking out so much.
She squealed again, and held the envelope close to her heart.
She sighed happily. "He's the most dreamiest boy I've ever seen."
I snorted. "Good to see that moms teaching has payed off."
She smacked my arm. "Oh come on Erika! I know you think he's handsome, I know it!"
I laughed. "Fine Anna. He's handsome."
She smirked proudly. It was stupid that we were talking about this, but it was hard not to think he was handsome. From the pictures I'd seen of when King Maxon and Queen America were younger, Derek looked exactly like his father. The only difference were his eyes, which were his mothers.
"What's this?" My brother Kaleb said, snatching the envelope out of my hands, while my other brother Aidan did the same with Annika.
"It's nothing!" Annika said, desperately trying to grab the envelope out of Aidan's hands. Aidan, being over a foot taller than her, waved the envelope tauntingly.
I sighed, and tried to snatch the note from Kaleb, but it was already too late.
"The Selection? Oh no. Nope." Kaleb shook his head. "Neither of my sisters are entering this stupid competition for some hotheaded Prince."
"You can't stop us from entering!" Annika exclaimed, still desperately trying to get the envelope out of Aidan's hands.
"What's going on?" My younger sister Amber walked in, flipping her light brown hair behind her shoulder.
"Nothing." Aidan and Kaleb said, and Annika and I finally grabbed the envelope out of their hands.
Amber rushed over as soon as she saw the envelopes. "No way!"
Annika grinned. "Yes way! It's finally time for the princes selection."
"Where's my envelope?" Amber looked around, searching for another one.
I snorted, unable to help myself. "Amber, you're fourteen. Prince Derek is nineteen."
"So! That's only five years." She pouted and crossed her arms.
Annika laughed. "Sorry hun."
Amber sighed. "So are you going to enter? Please say yes!"
"Of course I am." Annika grinned, flashing a pearly white smile.
I shrugged. "Maybe."
If Annika was entering, I knew I stood no chance against her. If they had to choose between us, it was obvious who would be picked.
Kaleb and Aidan shook their heads. "No, you are not. You don't even know the Prince. He's probably some self absorbed, arrogant pinhead."
Annika smacked them both. "You don't know him either! And I highly doubt that Queen America and King Maxon would ever raise him to be like that."
They rolled their eyes. "Dads not going to let you."
"Of course he will." Annika flipped her hair, but even I could see through her. Kaleb and Aidan were both insanely protective, but neither of them compared to my father.
As soon as my father was mentioned, our parents walked into the room.
My parents were perfect, at least to me. For starters, they were adorable together, and I'd never seen them fight for more than five minutes. My mom was gorgeous, and petite, while my dad was handsome and tough. Mom was quietly caring, and dad was blatantly protective. They balanced each other out, and it was obvious they loved each other.
"Family meeting." Dad said quickly, worry lining his eyes as he held onto mom. That's what scared me immediately. Dad never let his emotions show in front of us, and if he wasn't hiding his worries, something was clearly wrong.
We stopped our argument quickly, and followed our parents into the small family room. After we all sat down, my parents exchanged a look before speaking.
"We're broke."
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Very first chapter! I enjoyed writing this a lot, and I'm really excited about this. I've been wanting to write this for ages, but never brought myself to write it. Not sure when chapter 2 will be out, but hopefully soon!