Credits to: Read More Write Hard (theangriestpea.tumblr.com)
Summary: Two blonde princesses, two dark-haired princes, and one plotting marquess. Lily is in love with a secret admirer. Shanna doesn't want to ascend to the throne. Jughead wants to spend the day writing poetry. Sweet Pea would rather be out on his horse. And Reggie just wants to be king.
PART ONE: BETROTHED
"Shanna, Lillian, I have an announcement." The King said with a broad smile. The two blonde girls looked up from their plates. Shanna had a mouth full of food as Lily was picking up a piece of meat with her fork.
His eyes glittered with excitement, "as of a week ago, you are both of age. And you know what a princess' duty is when they become adult women."
Lily dropped her utensil as Shanna nearly spit out her food. They knew this was coming, but not this soon.
"Shanna, I have promised your hand to Prince Forsythe of the Southside Kingdom." The King said, observing the displeased look on her face with amusement. "And Lily, you will be marrying Prince Sweet Pea, also from Southside. This is to help solidify the bond between our two kingdoms. Our alliance is rocky at best and in order to prevail against any future war with Greendale, then we will need a combined army."
Lily sat back in her seat at the news. "Really daddy? Arranged marriages? Isn't that a little barbaric?" She was less than happy to be marrying the boy that she merely only saw as a friend and nothing more.
Shanna went back to eating, trying to ignore the disgust pooling in her stomach. "It is barbaric. I'm not marrying Prince Jughead. He's a weirdo."
"Shanna." He said, his voice sharpening, "it's not a negotiation. This weekend there will be a royal announcement during the annual summer ball. All of the nobilities in Riverdale will be there. Including your betrothed."
"Okay but why does Lily get the cute one? They're both princes." Shanna grumbled as she stabbed a carrot angrily.
The King tried not to roll his eyes at his oldest daughter. "Because Prince Forsythe is the heir to the throne. Since you are the first born, you will marry him. Why are you protesting this so much? You knew this was inevitable."
"I thought you'd hand me off to Reggie, not Jughead. Duke Mantle was driving a pretty hard bargain." Shanna replied. Of course she had known she wouldn't get to choose who she married, but the Mantles had been trying for the throne for years now.
The King snorted, "Please. The duke's son was never a contender for your hand. Everyone in the kingdom knows how he treats that boy. I can only imagine how he'd treat you."
Both girls let out sighs of relief. It had been rumored in the Northside Kingdom that one of them would be married out to Reginald Mantle and the thought made them both want to vomit.
A silence befell them. Shanna and Lily merely picked at their food while their father ate normally. They were both too angry to have their fate decided for them at the young age of eighteen.
Bile rose in Lily's throat as she couldn't stop thinking about the fact that she'd never find out who had been leaving her little love notes around the castle. How she'd never be able to marry someone that truly loved her and not just for her status. She quickly stood up, leaving in a rush before vomit could escape past her lips.
Worried about her sister, Lav jumped up and followed after her. The King let out a disappointed sigh, continuing to eat his meal in silence.
Shanna quickly caught up to her sister, having just emptied her stomach into one of the many potted plants in the hallway. "Lils," She said softly, pulling Lily's hair back out of her face as she leaned over the large pot. "We'll figure this out. We always do."
Lily sniffed back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. She just felt so overwhelmed from the news, not knowing how the rest of her life was going to play out. "I got another letter today."
"You did?" Shanna asked curiously, having not known that. The past few months Lily had been finding love letters addressed to her by an anonymous writer. "What did this one say?"
The younger princess sat back on her heels and took a deep breath. "That my eyes shine brighter than the emeralds in my tiara."
Lavender held back a gag. "That's so cheesy."
"It's so sweet!" Lily said, burying her face in her hands. "And now I'll never get to be with him. I'll be stuck with...with Sweet Pea the rest of my life. You know he doesn't have the capability of writing love letters. He doesn't have a romantic bone inside of his giant body!"
"Romantic? No. But sexy? Yes." Shanna said with an amused look, "can't imagine Jughead being any good in bed."
Lily shot her a frustrated look, "how would you even know what good sex is? You're a virgin."
Shanna stiffened before she shrugged, "I can imagine. And the chambermaids say that the younger prince is much more...endowed."
"Lavie, just because you want to be with a man that warms the bed of every of-age woman in the two kingdoms, doesn't mean that I want to be." Lily replied, clearly aggravated.
"I don't want to be with him!" Lav protested, "I don't want to be with anyone! I just want to be able to live my life without some man telling me how to do it."
Lily pulled her hands away from her face and sighed, "Jughead wouldn't tell you how to live your life, Lav. He'd let you rule as an equal." She seemed almost disappointed that she wouldn't be the one by his side instead.
Lav helped Lily up, grabbing her upper arm gently to get her back on her feet. "You know I don't want to rule, Lils." She said in a quiet voice. "I just want to ride Persephone off to some neutral land to just live out my days in peace with someone I love. No more corsets that are so tight that they crack my ribs. Or dresses so big that I can't even sit down comfortably. Or only being able to eat certain foods with certain utensils. If I want to use my soup spoon for ice cream, then I can because no one is hovering over me telling me that it's wrong and improper and that I'm less of a lady for doing so. And Christ, no more crowns!"
Lily offered her a sympathetic smile. Lav had always complained about becoming queen. She didn't want the load of responsibility of hundreds of lives on her shoulders. However as first born it was her fate to ascend. Lily on the other hand, wouldn't mind it so much. She had a knack for leading people. More so than her sister did.
"I know, Lav. Maybe if we find who wrote the notes, we can just run away together." Lily said with a small smile.
Lav shook her head, "That's your fantasy, Lily. Not mine. Thanks though." She let out a sigh. "Let's get some sleep. We have our fittings tomorrow for the stupid ball."
|\/\/|
"Introducing Princess Shanna Elizabeth Owens of North Riverdale and Prince Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Third of South Riverdale." The royal announcer's voice boomed over the crowd as a Lav and Jughead stood arm in arm at the top of the grand staircase. They descended slowly in time to the soft music that played. On their lips were forced smiles for appearances as photographers took their pictures.
Their engagement had just been announced. Lavender felt like she couldn't breathe under the choke hold of her corset. Jughead was just trying to keep his mind off of a certain other princess.
Once they were at the bottom, the spotlight moved back to the top. "Introducing Princess Lillian Elise Owens of North Riverdale and Prince Sweet Pea Jones of South Riverdale." They repeated the walk down the staircase. Although Sweet Pea clearly had the most difficult time of keeping a smile on his face. More than once it slipped into a look of annoyance. Settling down was not something he wanted to do any time soon.
The four took their places on the dance floor. A new song played, one upbeat enough so that they could glide around in well-timed circles. Shanna did her best to not look totally bored, using her muscle memory to keep in step with the prince. Jughead noticed how distracted she seemed, especially when she laid eyes on Duke Mantle's son. Her bright eyes seemed to darken considerably in an emotion he didn't know her well enough to discern.
Lily was looking up at the dark prince who stood over a foot taller than she did. Unlike Shanna, Sweet Pea wasn't bothering to hide his boredom. He hated dancing, he hated balls. The only thing they were good for was getting to bed a beautiful girl in an equally beautiful dress. The young princess' eyes were focused on him but he could tell her mind was elsewhere. She was smiling but it wasn't genuine. Clearly she wasn't happy about their engagement either.
In fact, none of them were.
All four of them had been lectured on the importance of this alliance. The Southside needed food for their people. They needed funds for their army and to repair damaged roads as well as old buildings that needed renovation. Jughead had a duty to his kingdom as the next ruler. The Northside had money. Money that would fix all of the Southside's problems.
The Queen of Greendale had been threatening war with the Northside for ages. The tension and strife between the two kingdoms was palpable. What the north had in money and riches, they lacked in manpower. They needed soldiers that were expertly trained in combat and soldiers that were capable of teaching their techniques to their own. The Southside offered that.
The Northern King had two daughters and the Southern King had two sons. It was an easy solution to both of their problems. The bad blood between royals was quickly drained.
The dance ended and both couples separated maybe a little too quickly. The girls both curtsied in mock appreciation for their partners. Lav made a beeline for the punch bowl that she knew to be spiked. It was Marquess Mantle's signature move at any Northside ball.
Prince Forsythe moved to Lily, a soft smile on his face. "May I have this dance, Princess Lillian?" He asked, holding out his hand to her. Lily gave him a tentative look before grabbing his hand, nodding her head. She wasn't sure why the first born prince would want to dance with her.
Deep down Lily wanted to go hide in a dark corner and try to look over the crowd to figure out who had been writing her notes. She didn't care if it was a commoner or a member of the guard. She just wanted to be with him.
Jughead took her out back onto the dance floor and grabbed hold of her hip in his free hand. He held the other hand up so they could get into position to follow the music. He led her gracefully, letting her twirl in time with him.
His eyes glanced at the glittering tiara sitting neatly on top of her fair hair. "The emeralds of your tiara are shining very brightly under this light." He said in a tone that only she could hear. She wore her green jeweled tiara in special hopes that her admirer would notice and say something. She had hoped and prayed that he'd make himself known. Suddenly it had all become clear and her swollen heart seemed to burst.
The man writing her beautiful poetry on embossed parchment was the same man set to wed her sister. She stopped dancing abruptly, pulling out of his reach. Jug watched her curiously, having wondered what her reaction might be to his compliment.
Lily picked up her dress so it was a few inches off the floor before bolting away from him, through the crowd of dancers, and out of the ballroom. Tears pricked her eyes but she willed them not to fall until she was alone and out of sight.
Meanwhile Shanna was drinking her cup of alcoholic punch. She was right in guessing that Reggie was going to spike it. He was so predictable. Her eyes moved to the towering figure next to her. His dark hard had to be gelled neatly in place to keep from getting into his eyes. Her mouth suddenly went dry.
She quickly found her nerve and quelled the butterflies in her stomach. "Poor Lily has to marry a troll." She said, loud enough for Prince Pea to overhear her. He turned, eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Too bad Jughead has to marry a dwarf." Was his reply, making her huff indignantly. Before she could say anything back, Marquess Mantle walked up to them.
"Your Highness, may I have this dance?" He asked with a petulant smile on his lips. He glanced at the prince as if to size him up. Sweet Pea let out an annoyed snort before going back to his drink.
Shanna took his outstretched hand, allowing him to guide her to the dance floor as a slow song started. She held back a groan as Reggie put his hands on her waist, pulling her close to him.
"Don't you think this is a little inappropriate, my Lord?" Shanna asked, not even hiding her disdain as her hands went to his shoulders. "I am engaged to Prince Forsythe now. Or did you forget?"
Reggie just smiled, something cruel and sinister that made her stomach drop and heart jump with anxiety. "For now, Princess, but you forget. I know your secret."
She tried pulling away from him but his grasp on her was too tight. "Reggie, you're not telling the king what we did. You're not telling anyone. You promised."
"Right, I promised." Reggie said, his tone alluding to the fact that his word had just been a joke to him. "You promised me the crown."
"Please, it's not my call." Shanna said, trying to act like she wasn't trying hard to get away from him. "My father decided that the Mantle heritage was best left out of the royal line."
The young lord didn't seem too pleased to hear that. His hands tightened around her. Shanna was sure that the only thing keeping her skin from bruising was the tough exterior of her corset. The steel boning protecting her delicate flesh from his biting touch.
At the refreshment table, Prince Sweet Pea seemed to notice the distress the princess was in. He watched carefully, his dark pupils honing in on how tense Reggie's hands seemed to be.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Reggie hissed between clenched teeth. "The King thinks some Southside trash Prince is better? A Jones?"
Sweet Pea had come behind Reggie, overhearing his insult to him and his brother. He wasn't really a Jones, not by blood. The King and Queen had taken him in at a young age. Still, the Joneses were family to him and he did not make light of someone insulting them or the kingdom in which they ruled.
"Excuse me, Lord Mantle, but I believe that trash prince is going to be King of Riverdale while the best you can ever hope for is the title of Duke." Sweet Pea said proudly as he stood to full height. He used the handful of inches in difference to his advantage.
Reggie, wanting to save face, quickly let go of his captive. "Your Highness, I didn't know you were right there." Shanna took a step back, giving Sweet Pea a look that was a mix of relief and aggravation. She was sure she could have handled it herself.
"I was going to ask the princess if she knew where her sister was." Sweet Pea said, lying. He had seen Lily run off during her dance with Jughead. He assumed Jug just confessed his feelings or something sappy like that. His romantic antics made Pea nauseous on numerous occasions.
"Lily's not here?" Shanna asked as she looked around. "I thought she was with Prince Jughead." Sweet Pea watched as she ran to the other Jones boy. He was speaking with a few other Lords, pretending to be entertained by whatever drivel they were going on about.
Sweet Pea looked at Reggie, glad that she had gone. "If I catch you speaking like that about my brother, your future king, or my kingdom again, then I'll make sure your family is stripped of their sovereignty." He said in a low, serious voice. His frame loomed over the somewhat shorter boy with a fiery look in his eyes. "And if you lay a hand on a princess like that again, I'll do something even worse."
Reggie looked flabbergasted as Sweet Pea turned around and went to find perhaps a conquest for the night. It wasn't often he was this far North. Most of the women here were new to him. He could use another notch in his bedpost.
Meanwhile Lav was interrupting Jughead, "Prince Forsythe, can I please speak with you privately?" She asked, trying to not feel too much concern. Jug nodded towards the men he was talking to before allowing Lavender to pull him away.
"Thanks for that. I was pretty sure they were about to torture me with more advice on how to keep a mistress." Jughead said, wondering what was up but also knowing it couldn't have been that serious.
She gave him a frustrated look, both at the thought of him having a mistress and him not taking her concern seriously. "Where is Lily? You were dancing with her, where did she go?"
Jughead shifted his weight in an attempt to quell his nerves. The girls were very close, if she had perceived that he hurt Lily in any way then she'd probably lash out at him. Not that Jughead couldn't take some verbal abuse, he would just rather not make a scene on the night of their announced engagement.
"She ran through the double doors halfway through our dance." Jughead stated calmly, looking off into the direction where his favorite princess had disappeared too.
Lavender's brow furrowed as she stared at him, "she ran? What did you say to her!?" Her voice raised enough to cause a few nearby nobles to give them curious looks.
The prince let out a soft sigh, "I merely said that the emeralds in her tiara were shining very brightly." He didn't know if Lily had shared his notes with her sister, but he had assumed that she had. It wasn't a secret how close they were. They weren't exactly known for having a lot of friends outside the castle.
Shanna's hazel eyes widened, "you...you?!" She stammered, trying to put together the pieces of information she was receiving. Jughead was the one writing the notes? How?
Suddenly anger overcame her and she shoved him, "do you have any idea what you've done?!" She said, her heart swollen with pain for her sister. "You can't tell my sister you want her when you have to marry me!"
Jughead didn't budge, her force not nearly strong enough to set him off balance. He frowned as he looked down at her. He hadn't realized how his admittance would affect either of them. Clearly he was wrong in outing himself. "I'll make it up to you," He said, confusing the reason for why she was so upset.
"Don't make it up to me," Shanna said in a low voice so no one else could hear her, "make it up to her."
With a twirl of her dress she was turned around and marching into the direction where her sister had gone to. She knew exactly where she was hiding.
Lav went to a cupboard in the kitchen that they used to hide in when they were young to get away from their nanny and now more often times, their father. She could hear her quiet sobs behind the door.
She opened it slowly, peeking inside to see Lily with her knees up against her chest, crying so hard that her shoulders were shaking. "Lils." Shanna said softly, crawling in with her and shutting the door back so they'd have privacy.
"It's him." She mumbled into her arms, "He's the one that's been sending me notes. I can't believe it. I found him and he's engaged to you."
Lav couldn't sit next to her because of how narrow the space was. She sat in front of her instead, in the same position with her knees up. "I know." Lav said softly, "it was cruel of him to tell you. I made sure to tell him so."
Lily was quiet for a moment, "no, I'm glad he did. It is better than guessing for the rest of my life." She sniffed back snot that had built up in her nostrils, playing with the hem of her dress to distract herself. "What are we going to do?"
"You know I don't care about Jughead, Lily." Shanna said cautiously, "I don't want to marry him any more than you want to marry Sweet Pea. He can write you all the love letters he wants, it doesn't hurt me. Sometimes...I just wish someone cared about me like that. Then again that would make this all that much harder so it's probably better that no one does."
Lily wiped her eyes, hoping to fix her running makeup in the process. It didn't help much. "Do you think...dad will reconsider?" She asked, "Maybe he'll let me marry Jughead?"
Shanna was quiet, thinking it over. "I don't think so." She said truthfully, causing more tears to fall down her sister's face. "Because I'm first born. I have to be queen. I don't want to be, you know how shit of a leader I am. But...he's a traditionalist. I don't think there's any use in even asking. He'll just get mad. Maybe even call the whole thing off, in which you'd never get to see the prince because he'd be king of an enemy state again. I'll have to marry Reggie. Please...God please, do not make me marry Reggie."
"I wouldn't do that to you. You know that." Lily replied with a frustrated sigh. "So you don't care if me and Jughead..."
She shrugged, "do what you want. It's not like I love him. I'd share anything with you. Even a husband."
A ghost of a smile made its way across Lily's lips.
|\/\/|
Shanna walked into the royal stable, letting the servant know that she'd be going out for a ride to clear her head. Her knees still hurt from being cramped into the cupboard with Lily almost all night. They spent the time hidden away from guests, giggling and talking about their future dreams that didn't include their betrothed.
All she could think about was how much her sister must be hurting. It caused her to toss and turn all night as she tried desperately to find a solution. She didn't have much success in thinking of anything.
The princess looked up, seeing the black head of a stallion peeking out from over a stall door. He snorted softly when their eyes connected. "Oh? Who are you?" She asked, the dark thoughts disappearing from her mind as she walked up to him slowly, not wanting to startle him with her excitement.
"Did daddy buy me a new horse and not tell me?" She asked, reaching out to let him sniff her hand. He leaned his head out further, and Shanna put her hand delicately on his snout to pet him. "Maybe an engagement present? What's your name, huh?"
"His name is Hades. And he's not your present. He's my personal horse." A sharp voice came from behind her. Shanna's hand didn't leave the horse as she looked over her shoulder to see the tall, dark prince. He looked strange in fitted jeans, t-shirt, and old boots. He looked the opposite of royal, in fact.
Hades made an annoyed noise when Shanna pulled her hand away from him, as if he missed the contact immediately. In contrast, Shanna was wearing full riding gear. Tight pants, jacket, a nice pair of boots, hair braided back, and even a pair of riding gloves hanging out the back of her pants.
Sweet Pea refrained from letting his eyes sweep over the skin tight pants that showed off her rear perfectly. He also didn't look at how small her waist seemed in the way the jacket was tailored to fit her form...at least he tried not to. "I'd rather you not touch him."
She gave him an offended look, "please. He wanted me to touch him, practically begged me to come over and get him a pet. Didn't you, Hades?"
Hades seemed to nod his head, much to Sweet Pea's chagrin. Shanna grinned. "You just wanted attention from a beautiful girl, huh?"
Sweet Pea forced his way between them. Hades nuzzled his back between his shoulder blades, making him to take a step forward closer to the princess. She gave him a skeptical look. "I didn't peg you for an animal guy."
"I've raised him since he was a foal. I watched his mother give birth to him. He's not just some gift my father gave me because I bitched about wanting a pony." Sweet Pea said angrily.
Shanna's eyes hardened. "Are you trying to say I don't care about my horses?"
"They're just trophies of wealth to you." Sweet Pea said hotly. "You and every other royal girl in the kingdom across the continent."
"Excuse you, but you don't know a thing about me." She snapped angrily, "you don't know my feelings towards my horses in the slightest. I may not have watched Persephone being born, but she is my everything. How dare you insinuate that I only see her as a toy and not a living creature, you stupid troll!"
She stormed over to the stall a few doors down, opening it and leading out a pure white horse. Persephone forced her head into Lav's arms in an attempt to comfort her. She wrapped her hands around the horse in a gentle hug. "Looks like Dooley got you ready for me already."
"You don't even saddle your own horse?" Sweet Pea asked condescendingly. Shanna shot him another angry look as she led the white beauty out of her stall by her reigns.
"I do. Sometimes the stable hand gets wind that I'm coming and does it for me to get in my good graces. I'm future queen. Something like that goes a long way in my kingdom." Shanna replied, her voice hotter than fire as she mounted Persephone.
Sweet Pea got the necessary tack needed to go for a ride himself. "I bet you don't even know how to ride properly."
Shanna looked down at him from on top of her horse. "What to bet?" She asked, her voice blossoming with a dark threat that was looming over Sweet Pea's head. A threat he couldn't ignore.
"A race." Sweet Pea suggested, putting the saddle blanket on first. "To Sweetwater River. Winner has to clean the loser's horse stall."
"Fine." Shanna said, having never been able to back down from a bet. "I'll be waiting outside for you. Then we can start." She guided her horse outside the stable doors, listening to the sounds of Sweet Pea mumbling incoherently to his steed as he saddled him up.
A few minutes later Sweet Pea joined her, lining Hades with Persephone. The two horses eyed each other, nickering at one another happily. The riders looked at one another, begrudging the fact that their horses seemed to be getting along a little too well.
"On the count of three." Shanna said before counting down. Once she hit one the two dug their heels into their horses, sending them into a gallop.
The two raced neck in neck. Naturally Hades had more power being male, but Persephone held her own. At least, until three quarters of the way through, she started pulling back.
Shanna knew she wasn't tired. She had raced her like this before against other horses for fun. She could easily make this trek. However, her mare insisted on slowing down despite her urging her to keep going.
Sweet Pea made it to the edge of the river, slowing down his horse and turning him around to see his opponent. The white mare trailed behind the black stallion. She shook her head and let out a whinny as she got to the river.
Displeasure ran across Lavender's face. Her eyes narrowed in frustration. "That wasn't a fair race. She wouldn't run."
"Don't be a sore loser." Sweet Pea replied in a bland tone. "Just admit that I'm the superior rider."
"I'm not admitting shit." Shanna spat back, turning Persephone around to be in line again with Hades. The horses nickered to one another once more. "Persephone, stop fraternizing with the enemy."
Sweet Pea scoffed as he motioned for Hades to start the walk back. He started at a slow place to help him cool off. Shanna followed after him to do the same. "Want me to brush him down too since I'm cleaning up his shit?" She grumbled after him.
"I'm not letting you touch my horse." Sweet Pea replied, not even turning his head to look at her. "You won't do it right."
Shanna reached over and pet Hades' rump defiantly behind Sweet Pea's back. "I know how to take care of a horse, you ass. God, I can't believe my poor sister is stuck with you."
"Yea. Too bad Jughead will never care about you." Sweet Pea said back, successful in his attempt to hurt her. No, her husband would never care about her. Not in the way he cared about her sister.
Sweet Pea heard her sniff and looked back at her, "you going to cry now?"
"Shut up!" Shanna snapped back at him, pulling Persephone away to take a different path back to the stable. "You're insufferable!"
Once alone Sweet Pea leaned over, rubbing Hades' neck affectionately. "Don't go catching feelings, boy." He warned him. "That mare is nothing but trouble."
Credits to: Read More Write Hard (theangriestpea.tumblr.com)