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You laid in a sea of tall grass.
The green-yellow blades bent back and forth around you as the gentle afternoon breeze swept across your face. Taking a deep inhale, you enjoyed the mixed sweet and savory scents of the purple, white, and yellow flowers that spotted the meadow and the wild rosemary that grew freely across the field.
Slowly opening your eyes, you were greeted by a pastel blue sky speckled by translucent white clouds. You smiled as the rays of the high sun kissed your skin, blessing it with the sensation of warmth. Looking to your side, you watched as your fingers swept across the soft grass giggling gently as the feeling tickled your skin.
Continuing to lay in the quiet field, you embraced your solitude among nature.
It was peaceful. It was calm. You loved peace and calm.
Unfortunately, these aspects rarely fit into your life, but you cherished them for whatever little time you could.
"Princess!" a loud call echoed across the prairie, breaking you from your reverie all too soon.
With an exasperated sigh you sat up, face barely cresting the tall grass as you peaked over the barrier. Sure enough, there was your head maid and caretaker waving you over in front of the large, grey-stoned castle.
Although disgruntled, you had no choice but to go back inside the rock building you considered a prison. The walls were massive and strong with cylindrical towers topped with dark shingled cones on top that sat at each corner for the structure.
Standing sluggishly, you brushed off the bits of weeds and dust from your thin, pale pink gown. Then you took your hands through your loose auburn hair to do the same, running your fingers through the long and soft, dark red ringlets. You took care to avoid the garland of tiny white daisies you had braided into a section of your mane.
Picking up your floor-length dress you sifted through the prairie to reach your caretaker. She held a disgruntled look on her hard, ageing features, which let you know you were in for a scolding.
"I knew you were out here," she spoke firmly as you finally arrive in front of her while you kept your face to the ground, "why can your highness never stay put and stop disappearing?"
"I am sorry, Lady Foy," you begrudgingly replied while fiddling with your fingers.
She let out a frustrated sigh as she turned back to the castle, you following behind.
Lady Foy has been your head maid and has taken care of you since you were a young child. Although she was connected to you because of her position and was thankful to be part of the French court and technically in service to the land's sovereign, she truly did not like you. You were a thorn in her side and caused her stress from her first day.
You were independent, smart, sharp tongued, and craved adventure, which in her opinion were poor qualities in a woman. Much poorer in her eyes since you were a princess. She tried her hardest as she raised you to suppress these qualities, but to her displeasure you were also strongly defiant. Instead, you spent your life running away from your studies in 'royal womanhood' she forced upon you to adventure where you were not allowed, both literally and figuratively.
When you reached the large wooden door of the castle, the knights present opened the entrance to the dark, stale smelling building. You blatantly scrunched your nose in displeasure as you followed the disgruntled woman inside.
The interior was dim as the thick walls blocked out all natural light other than a minimal number of windows that dotted the structure. All other light was provided by candles and torches that lined the several chambers and corridors of the castle.
The building was extensive, but it still felt like the smallest of bird cages. Pinching your anxious wings and foreboding you from flying.
And that, in short, was the life of a princess.
She led you to the main dining hall, stopping beside a chair as she waited for you to sit down. You stomped over to the chair and threw yourself down while crossing your arms across your chest like a child.
Lady Foy scoffed at your behavior, casting a look of judgement upon you that you have become all too accustomed to, "When will you give up your dreaming mind and begin to act as a proper princess?"
"I am a princess so however I act is the way a princess acts," you sassed while glaring forward at the stone wall across the table.
You could feel the heat of irritation wafting off her as she fumed at your retort, so you changed the subject quickly as you were not in the mood for a reprimand.
"So what shall we do now? More on dining etiquette or drilling obedience I should practice for my future husband? You know, useful topics for a proper princess," you sighed sarcastically.
She resisted the urge to grit her teeth as she looked down on your smug grin, "Although I see these as perfect areas of study for you, we will be focusing on gathering things for our travels back to Paris."
You shot up in your seat to look at her, "Paris? Why?"
"The King has requested your presence. Apparently your uncle, Duke Audric, has returned from his travels in the far East and your father would like you there before he leaves again," Lady Foy said disinterestedly as she walked away from you, "We leave in one hour."
You hopped out of your chair and rushed past the woman, making her jump. Heading quickly to your rooms, you ignored her angry yells about your behavior.
There were several maids in your chamber already packing your things as you tore through the doorway, startling them as well. You ignored their looks as you helped pull your things from storage to be put in the traveling trunk.
You were overjoyed to be headed back to your father. You have been at his country palace located in Versailles for the past several months. Although it is still an oppressive building, it was far less so than the palace your father resides in Paris. This castle was surrounded by woods, prairies, and fresh air while the Parisian castle was surrounded by an overrun, cramped city. So you come here whenever possible, regardless of how you missed your father.
As a King he is firm, as a man your father is loving and kind. Especially to you.
You were his prized child. His youngest offspring and only daughter.
He loved you with his entire heart. Unlike Lady Foy, he adored your untraditional personality along with your, as he calls it, 'unique beauty,' which he tells you reminds him of your mother.
You never knew you mother, she died due to illness when you were an infant, but according to your father you are the spitting image of her. She was his last wife and he had no interest in remarrying after her passing as she was his true love.
Although princesses are normally made as a bargaining chip from a young age, your father has refused to use you as such. He refuses all men that come begging for your hand and performed international dealings through other means, saying he will only give blessing to a union that you have personally asked for.
Since he was lucky enough to experience love himself, that was all he wanted for you. Love and happiness.
You were truly the luckiest princess you had ever heard of.
Other than constantly having to be locked away in stone castles. You father insisted it was for your own protection.
Once your things were packed, you scurried outside to climb into the waiting carriage that would take you back to your doting father. Soon after the gruff as ever Lady Foy entered the carriage lurched forward to begin your journey.
Your leaned out the window waving at the servants who live at and maintain the estate full-time as your entourage took off through the guard gate. A small fleet of knights surrounded the carriage as you exited. The daughter of the king cannot go unprotected.
The closer you to Paris, the giddier you became about seeing your father and also your uncle. Your uncle was a Duke, but he was a voluntary emissary for your father and France due to his love of adventure. He always brought back the most amazing stories of his travels, painting visions of vivid lands and diverse people that he has encountered across your mind as he regaled his ventures always in a dramatic fashion.
Hearing these tales also brought you a vast desire to do as he did. You wanted to travel, to see the world.
"I cannot wait to hear Uncle Audric's stories from the far East," you said excitedly while gazing out the window of the carriage at the forest full of trees passing you by, "It seems like such a majestic and mysterious place."
This was the first time your uncle had ventured so far East from France. The farthest he has traveled in general.
From what you remembered, he left over a year ago to travel along the Silk Road to the country of China. Similar to the path of the explorer Marco Polo, but he was going farther East and South to the independent peninsula country called Goryeo.
He was there to secure new trade deals and alliances between France and this country with the Emperor of Goryeo. Politics were all well and good and you were adequately versed in the subject matter, but you were far more interested in hearing about the land and people from your uncle.
Although your comment was said out loud, you were merely talking to yourself... but of course Lay Foy had to get in her snide reply to your daydreaming.
"If only you cared as much about marrying and producing viable children as you do fantasizing about heathen countries," she snipped.
Your eyes immediately snapped to her with a deep scowl directed at the aging woman, "Just because they are not Francedoes not make them heathen. You should give more respect to a people who have created their own empires."
Her lips slightly pursed at your verbal lashing. She detested when you sassed her, associating it with belittling her pride. She had limits on how much she could battle with you because although she was your senior, you were the princess. Not to mention you had the king wrapped around your delicate finger.
But she that only led her to hold back on her reprisal merely a little.
"Keep using that much too extensive brain of yours, your highness," she hissed as a wicked smirk crossed her face.
It set a cold felling in your blood.
"Because soon, dearprincess..." she leaned forward as she sneered, "That is all you'll have. You will be old, barren, and of no use to anyone.... but at least you will be intelligent."
The woman's bold words caused your eyes widened in shock, but no retaliation came from you. You were hit with surprise, but she also had struck a nerve.
Although you were not interested in a husband you did not truly desire with your heart, you knew you were growing in age and men would soon stop desiring you.
In all honesty, you did not want to be alone for the rest of your life. You wanted a man to love and cherish you.
You sat in irritation the rest of the ride as the old woman sitting across from you looked rather pleased with herself. Which only made you angrier while you attempted to avoid her by staring out the carriage window.
As you stewed in your ire, gazing at the trees and meadows that passed by as the horses pulled your royal cart, the grey-brown dot of a city scape caught your eye among the sea of green.
Your eyes brightened. It's Paris.
Within minutes your reached the city gates, which were immediately opened. As you peeked your head impatiently out the window you were greeted with the view of bustling streets between rows of tutor style buildings.
The pace of horses' trotting slowed, allowing you to view the guards who respectfully knelt as you passed by.
"The Princess! The Princess is here!"
You heard the chant alerting the city of your arrival.
It took only a second before a crowd had gathered.
Rows of citizens lined the sides of the road your carriage was following. They cheered and waved as you passed by, you smiled and waved back to them. The hordes lined your entire journey from the gates to the bridge that crossed over the Seine River to the Ile de la Cite where your father's castle sat.
Your heart sputtered as you crossed the river and saw the royal castle. It was not excitement to see the familiar royal prison, made of darker stone and had much taller towers than the one in countryside you had just left, but because of man waiting for you inside.
Once your carriage was let into the second gate that specifically surrounded the castle, it stopped outside the main door that was already open for you. Several maids scurried out of the castle to help you into the building.
You were ready to head directly to your father, but Lady Foy smelled your urge to run before you even picked up a foot.
"Princess you will go to your rooms and wash before seeing the king," she ordered.
You huffed, but had not time to complain before the maids were whisking you away to your private rooms to change.
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I am so excited about this story!!!!
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