Eva heard a knock at her door and when it opened her brother was standing there and he walked in.
"Hey," he said, sitting down beside her on the bed. "I know you're upset about this, but I've met Prince Paulo a few times through the years. You should be happy. He's a really good guy and you definitely could have done a lot worse."
"Could have done worse?" she laughed sarcastically. "You make it sound like they picked out a couch for me Kristoff. This is the man I have to spend the rest of my life with. Divorce isn't an option for us so marrying the wrong person is a HUGE deal," she said in frustration.
"Yeah well, Mom's right. This is a really good match. He's first in line to the throne of Spain and I know he had a lot of other princesses fighting to marry him. You're really lucky."
"If you think he's so great why don't you marry him then?" she grumbled, grabbing her pillow and snuggling it against her chest.
Kristoff laughed. "If I swung that way I would. But since I don't, it looks like he's stuck with you," he said with a light-hearted smile, poking her in the ribs with his finger and making her laugh.
He always had a way of cheering her up.
"But seriously Eva," her brother said softly. "I'm sure after a while you'll learn to love him just like Mom learned to love Dad."
"Sure," she said, taking a deep breath and letting it out, closing her eyes and wishing she'd wake up from this nightmare. A minute later her brother left, closing the door behind him. Eva pulled out her cell phone and called her friend Astrid.
Astrid was her closest friend in the world and she had known her since they were babies because their Moms were best friends. When her Mom Ingrid had moved to Norway from Sweden to marry King Hans, her best friend Olga moved here too so that she wouldn't be in this foreign country all alone without anybody. They had raised their daughters together and Astrid felt more like a sister to her than a friend.
"Hey Astrid," Eva said sadly with a sigh.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"No, not really," she said, taking a deep breath in and letting it out. "I just found out my Mom and Dad picked out a husband for me and the wedding's in two days."
"What!? Two days?! What the hell! Who is it? PLEASE tell me it's not that ass hat from Belgium, Prince Luke," Astrid said his name in disgust.
"No luckily it's not Luke, but I don't know anything about this guy besides his name. My brother and Mom seem to think he's a great guy but he could be even worse than Luke for all we know."
"Who is it!?"
"Prince Paulo Santiago Aragon from Spain."
"So what does he look like?"
"I have no idea. My Mom said he's handsome, but I'm afraid to even look," she sighed, flopping back on her pillow.
"You're going to marry him in two days and you haven't even looked him up yet? Are you crazy?" Astrid laughed.
"No I'm just afraid to look."
"Well I'll look for you and tell you what I think."
There were a few seconds of silence before she said, "Ummm, Eva, you really need to look him up. Trust me."
She exhaled and rolled over on her side, resting her phone on her pillow.
"No. I can't. What if I'm disgusted by him? I still have to marry him anyway."
Astrid laughed. "Trust me. You won't be disgusted. He looks like a cross between Robert Pattinson in Twilight and Zac Effron in 17 again. He's freakin' gorgeous."
"Really?"
"Yes. I'm just saying. If you want me to wear a disguise and pretend to be you and marry him instead, I would be happy to. I would gladly make that sacrifice for you as your best friend," she said laughing.
"Ha ha. Very funny Astrid," Eva laughed. "There's one major flaw in your plan. We look nothing alike. You have fire engine red hair, green eyes, freckles and you're like four inches shorter than me. I think people might notice."
"Hey, you can't blame a girl for trying," she laughed.
That made Eva laugh too and then her smile slowly faded as she laid there and thought about it.
"Astrid, can you believe I'm getting married in two days to a guy I've never even met that my parents picked out? How terrifying is that thought?" she asked, in disbelief.
"I'm really sorry Eva," Astrid said quietly. "I know I've been joking around but the truth is I wish you didn't have to go through this. I know how hard this whole thing is for you."
"Yeah," she said, exhaling deeply and rolling over on her back again, staring up at the ceiling.
"I'll be there at the parade tomorrow if you need a hug and shoulder to cry on," Astrid offered.
"Thank you,' she said with a weak smile.
The next morning was very busy and Eva's attendants came in to wake her up and help her get ready for the day very early. For a formal meeting with a King and Queen to announce an engagement, royals had to wear a fancy gown or suit, their royal robes and their crowns and jewels that were only brought out for very special occasions like this.
After Eva was ready she was escorted to the throne room where her parents sat on their thrones wearing their crowns, jewels and red royal robes and Prince Kristoff stood next to his father's throne and Princess Eva took her place, standing next to her mother's.
Eva looked even more beautiful today than normal with her brown hair fixed in a sleek french twist that was smooth and shiny. It accentuated her long neck and collarbone and made her look graceful and regal. She wore a small crystal tiara on her head and a diamond necklace and earrings to accent the beautiful light blue, figure hugging silk dress she wore.
She stood there, shaking like a leaf and she couldn't believe she was about to meet the man she was going to marry tomorrow, whether she liked it or not.
Being forced into a marriage she didn't want made her feel like an object her father owned, like a bargaining chip for a trade deal instead of like a human being with thoughts and feelings of her own. The thought of marrying a complete stranger made her feel sick to her stomach. What if he was a bad guy? What if he was abusive or an alcoholic or something? She knew nothing about this man.
As she stood there thinking, the rows of pews filled in with members of the royal court, Parliament, the Prime Minister and heads of state. Pretty soon every seat in the huge throne room was filled and everyone's eyes were on Eva. It felt like their stares were boring a hole through her and she squirmed with anxiety. She knew they were all waiting with anticipation to see how her first meeting with the prince of Spain was going to go.
Finally, the doors at the end of the long hall opened and a middle aged man and woman were standing there in long dark purple royal robes wearing crowns on their heads followed closely behind by two beautiful young women with long light brown hair.
Trumpets sounded and then a royal caller announced, "Presenting his Royal Highness King Ferdinand Aragon and her Royal Highness Queen Victoria Aragon of Spain. They are accompanied by Princess Isadora and Princess Bella."
Everyone in the room stood up as they entered slowly. King Ferdinand was a tall, handsome man with broad shoulders and a strong jawline, hazel eyes, lightly tanned skin and dark brown hair peppered with grey just on the part by his ears. He wasn't overweight like her father. He looked like he worked out and stayed in shape. He had a serious expression on his face and he stood up tall and walked with confidence, carrying a very sophisticated, regal air about him but he was a King so that was to be expected.
Queen Victoria was a short, thin woman with short, sandy blonde hair, blue eyes and pale skin and even though she was older now it was very clear that she had been a stunning beauty when she was younger. She had a smile on her face and she seemed to be very happy to be there. She remembered her Mom mentioning that she had been a princess of England before she married the King of Spain.
They approached the throne and all four bowed to the King and Queen out of respect since they were visitors in their kingdom.
"It's an honor to be your guests," King Ferdinand said in a deep voice.
"It's an honor to have you here." King Hans looked over at Eva and said, "I would like to introduce you to my daughter Eva Elise Glucksburg."
Eva bowed her head and bent her knees, saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you."
King Ferdinand smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you too. We would like to present to you our son, Prince Paulo."
The King and Queen of Spain and their daughters moved to the side and the King waved his hand and the royal caller announced, "Presenting Crown Prince Paulo Aragon of Spain."
Everyone in attendance stood again as the doors opened and the trumpets sounded. There at the entrance stood the Prince in full royal attire, a black suit jacket adorned with a sash, pendants and golden rope and a golden coronet on his head which was like a crown but smaller than the king's. As he walked towards them down the aisle Eva couldn't take her eyes off of him.
He was the most handsome man she had ever seen and she gawked at him with her mouth falling open slightly, forgetting how to breathe. Prince Paulo was tall with broad shoulders, straight brown hair that covered his forehead and grazed his eyebrows, a clear complexion with smooth, lightly tanned skin, a strong defined jawline and bright hazel eyes.
She noticed that he walked with so much confidence, with his head held high, his back straight up and his shoulders back.
He approached the throne and bowed to her parents and said, "Your Royal Highness" to the King and then "Your Majesty" to the Queen. "I'm honored to be your guest."
His voice was deep and smooth and hearing it sent a shiver across Eva's skin and she felt her heart beating faster now that he was only a few feet away, knowing this man was going to be her husband.
Her mother smiled warmly and said, "It's so good to see you again Paulo. I hope you've been well."
He nodded and said, "I have and it's good to see you too."
"We're honored to have you as our guest Paulo," King Hans said with a smile before gesturing over to Eva. "We'd like to present to you our daughter, Princess Eva Elise Glucksburg, your future wife. Your union will unite our two kingdoms and create many years of prosperity and peace between our nations."
Prince Paulo's eyes left her father's and he slowly looked over in her direction and their eyes met and her heart skipped a beat.