Author's Note: This is my new story, Royal Love. I got inspired to write this when I put Shadow Life and The Sacrifices We Make on hiatus to be revamped. Please let me know what you think, follow and review. Kelli aka TVHollywoodDiva

Royal Love

Chapter 1

January 2017

Cambury, Monaco

Anastasia POV

I am sitting on the window seat looking at the ships coming into Monaco Harbor. As I watch the ships unload, I think about how someday in the future, this will all be mine.

Her Royal Highness Princess Anastasia Rose Von Steele of Cambury Monaco is what I'm known as here in Cambury, Monaco. My family has ruled Monaco for the last 350 years and I am the next in line for the throne after my mother, Queen Carla Rose Von Steele. She has ruled Cambury for the last 25 years along with my father, King Raymond Albert Von Steele.

My mother took over the throne from her father 25 years ago King Peter Albert Von Steele II, when he died of a heart attack in the spring of 1993, two years before I was born, and my parents had only been married for two years before that their wedding was the event of the decade. Under my mother's reign, Cambury has grown in leaps and bounds to be a small but robust country with a population of two million people on the edge of France.

Don't get me wrong, I love living here in Cambury with my family and I love the people, but most of the time I feel as if my life is planned out for me, which I guess it really is. I will be Queen of the small Kingdom one day, but to tell you the truth, some days I wish could be more like my younger brother, Anthony. He's seven years younger than me and the spare heir to the throne. He doesn't have the expectations or responsibilities that are placed on my shoulders, lucky him. I truly do love him to pieces, but I can't help but wish that I had as much freedom as he does.

I wouldn't trade Anthony for anything in this world as my brother because sometimes he is the only one that understands this crazy life we live.

Most times, I wish I could just be Ana Steele, the normal girl, who's to fall in love and make her own choices. Most girls would love to be royal, but for me, I just want to be a normal girl for once in my life. I would love to live a life without paparazzi following my every move, without people wondering what I'm going to be wearing next, or who I'm dating.

At the age of twenty-two, I feel as if I haven't lived my life at all without being under microscope. One of the only things that I do that I consider "normal" is going to school at Monaco University to get my degree in literature.

I love reading classic literature, it has always been my escape from the pressures of this royal life. I'm about to start my senior year; but before I graduate and take on more royal duties, I want to do a semester abroad to stretch my wings and live life before I no longer have the chance to.

I have been researching programs in the United States that have to do with Classic Literature and I found one in Washington State at the University of Washington. From the research of it, it sounds spectacular. The program dives into all the classics that I love, like Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Shakespeare and so many more. As I look deeper into the program requirements, I realize that there is a selection process and that there are only three open spots for the summer term. The deadline to apply is January 17th, and that is only a week away so I quickly get the required materials together that I need to apply and send it off to the Head of the Literature Department at UoW. I'm going to cross my fingers in hopes that I will be selected for one of the final three open spots left.

If I do end up getting accepted into the program I would start March 28th in Seattle. My next step is convincing my parents to let me go.

So, I take a deep breath and decide to just bite the bullet and go talk to my parents about what I want to do for the summer. I go in search for my mother first because I think she might be a tad resistant to the idea. Being a daddy's girl, I know my father will likely support my idea. I find my parents in the throne room talking to one of their many advisers about some banquet... I'm not sure at this moment because all I can think about is convincing them to let me spend my summer in the United States. Finally, I get up the courage to make my way forward to get them to notice me and finally my mother stops talking to the advisor and looks up and notices that I am waiting to speak with her and Dad.

"Ana, sweetie, what do you need?" Before I say anything, I look over at the advisor and roll my eyes. When mother response to my gesture without a word.

"Anastasia, one second." She tells me then looks at the advisor. "Philip, come pick us up at later date something has come up."

"Of course, your Royal Highness." With that the advisor leaves the throne room. Then, my mother finally turned me dropping her Queen persona.

"Ana, honey what is it that you need to discuss with us?" I turned to my father and take a deep breath and dive right into the why I want to speak to them.

"Mama, Daddy I want to do something for the summer. There's an Literature program that goes abroad for the summer for a three-month term in the in the United States at the University of Washington in Seattle. As a senior in the program out there, I think the exposure will help me finish up my degree, and also, I want to spread my wings before I take on more royal duties."

I take a deep breath after I finish asking my parents to let me leave. My mother looks at me in shock and then I look over at my father and see the kind eyes and love I always see there. Finally, my mother recovers from my little speech. "Ana, is this about what happened with Thomas and those girls?"

A shiver goes down my spine thinking about that situation… I was engaged to Prince Thomas Hardy from the royal family of France. It was an arranged marriage that was set up between our two families and right after we were both born. That was until about two months ago, I decided to go see Thomas when I had a week and holiday break from school. I needed to talk to him about something to do with the wedding menu since we were supposed to get married in ten weeks' time. I remember going up to his home in Paris, I didn't even think about calling first because even though we weren't married, yet I had a key to his apartment, so I decided to surprise him.

Everyone thought I was in love with Thomas, but I wasn't. Thomas and I were just friends who were arranged to marry because we didn't really have a choice by our families. I loved Thomas, but he isn't my soulmate. So, finding him naked and in bed with two women after sex when I went to discuss our wedding did leave my heart shattered. All I remember really is backing out of his bedroom and I'm running back to my car with Sawyer following and heading back home and having to tell my parents that the wedding was off and all that planning, and money had gone to waste. My mother was beside herself and my father wanted to maim him but in the end they both saw that Thomas and I would never make it as a real couple if he was willing to break my trust and cheat on me before the wedding.

"Anastasia, sweetheart?" Finally, my mother's voice brings him back to the present.

"Mama, yes and no it has a bit to do with him, but you and Dad know I never really loved him, I never really felt passion and love with him I was-" I stop myself from saying anything further. I wouldn't want to hurt my mother by tell her that I was going through the motions because it was pre-arranged. But, now that I feel free I really want to do this program please let me go.

As I knew she would be my mother is apprehensive to let me go.

"Ana, I'm not sure about this the United States is very far away from us and away from what you know."

"Mama, please. I need this I really do with the media and Thomas still trying to contact me I need a break where no one knows me, and I can just be myself I just want to be in Ana Steele I don't want to be Anastasia Rose Von Steel Princess of Cambury. I just want to be a normal girl for once in my life. Then I promise I will be back in three months' time to take my rightful place within the family."

I can see that my mother is not convinced, So I turn and look at my father pleading with him with my eyes to help me make my case.

"Carla, my love we can't hold on to her forever at some point we have to give her freedom we know she can't just live a sheltered life in the palace forever she needs to explore the world and we need to let her go."

I can see that my father's little speech is finally making some headway with her.

"Please Mama it's only 3 months and so far all I've done is apply so I don't even know if I'll get into the program but if I do get in I would like to go."

"Ana, sweetheart."

"Please Mama. I've never wanted anything as much as I want to do this and I've always toed the line when it came to what I can and cannot do."

"Fine, you've convinced me if you get in you may go to the program, but you will not go without security, Luke Sawyer. He will be going with you for my peace of mind and your safety. I will miss you my sweet girl."

"Thank you, Mama." I leave the throne room after hugging my parents and with hope in my heart that this will be the start to an adventure of a lifetime.