Disclaimer: I do not own The Princess Diaries.
Author's Note: This is the chapter story that I promised to write in Stubborn With Love. I will probably update once a month. I also want to change the title, so I am open to suggestions. Please read and review and give any grammar suggestions since I do not have a beta reader.
Clarisse Marie Gerard was walking down the main road in Pyrus on her way to the royal palace. It had been three weeks since her twelfth birthday. For two weeks, she had been living with her grandmother, who lived close to Genovia's capital. As she walked on, she reflected on her life, especially the main event that changed everything.
Clarisse lived with her family in the Northern part of Genovia. Her childhood had been happy until, when she was five, her mother announced that she was pregnant. Oh, Clarisse did not mind becoming a big sister; as a matter of fact, she was excited. It was her father, Lord Jacques Gerard, a member of Parliament, who changed during the pregnancy.
Clarisse was a little wild – always climbing trees and getting her dress dirty and torn. Her father did not mind his daughter acting like a tomboy, but once his wife announced the pregnancy, he minded a great deal. Clarisse demanded much attention from her mother. Unfortunately, the pregnancy took a great toll on Lady Gerard and she was bedridden. Lord Gerard, wanting to have a healthy son, began to yell at little Clarisse for disturbing her mother. Clarisse soon became frightened of her father's temper, as it was something she had never encountered before.
Finally, the time came for Lady Gerard to give birth. The labor lasted for hours. Christophe George Gerard was born two months after Clarisse's sixth birthday. Baby Christophe was very small and ill, but Lady Gerard was even worse.
One month after Christophe's birth, Lady Gerard died. Lord Gerard's temper became even worse. Though he never laid a hand on Clarisse, his yelling was enough to scare the little girl.
He soon sent Clarisse to a boarding school in England where she was taught reading, writing, and how to behave like a lady. The school did not focus on bookwork, but Clarisse taught herself history, math, and science from the books in the school library. The school was run by the strictest teachers in England, who would discipline her for taking the books, but she continued anyway. She never made friends at the school; she closed herself in a shell because of her home life.
Every summer, Clarisse would return to her home in Genovia. Christophe was a sickly toddler, but he managed to survive. Her father's temper had subsided somewhat, but only because he would bring a "lady friend" home every other day. This "friend" would always spend the night.
When Clarisse was ten, Christophe died. Even though she was not close to her brother because her father sent her away, she still was heart broken. She was away at school when he died, but her father would not bring her home so she could attend the funeral. Clarisse would never forgive herself for not being there and would forget the fact that she could have not attended unless her father had sent for her. She cried for weeks and skipped meals, which was a punishment for crying since a lady never cries. She stayed at the school for two more years.
On Clarisse's twelfth birthday, Lord Gerard had, what he thought to be wonderful and surprising, news for his daughter. He told Clarisse that she was betrothed to the Crown Prince of Genovia, Friedrich Henry Rupert Mann Renaldi known as Prince Rupert. Clarisse was shocked that her father sold her off to the royal family, especially because she knew the Crown Prince to be twenty-five years old, which meant that he was thirteen years older than her. They were to be married between Clarisse's seventeenth and eighteenth birthday. She had just turned twelve and in a little over five years, she would be married and the princess of Genovia! She knew that most girls would want to be in her shoes and frankly, she wished they were. She knew that if she became the princess, she would be set for life not having to depend on her father, but as much as she knew that her father did not want her, she never would have figured that her father would marry her off in order to get rid of her. She had always planned to leave he father after she turned eighteen and would go to a university to study biology or journalism or anything, but now, her plans were gone. She did not want to get married until her twenties, but now she was getting married in her teens. Her father told her that she was to meet with Queen Mignonette in three weeks.
That was where she was going now. She continued to walk through the streets of Pyrus. She was wearing her best dress and was carrying her suitcase because she was supposed to stay at the palace for four days. She would not have the chance to meet her future husband during this visit as he was in France, according to the newspapers. The King of Genovia would be much too busy to bother with her, so she would see the Queen of Genovia only. She decided that she needed some fresh air before meeting the Queen, so she decided to walk to the palace.
Clarisse loved Church music, so as she walked by the church, she became distracted with the lovely choral music. She did not watch where she was going, and so someone bumped into her, sending her to the ground. A hand reached out and helped her up. Clarisse muttered a "thank you" as she got her balance.
"I'm sorry," said a voice with a Spanish accent. Clarisse looked up and saw a teenaged boy dressed in a military uniform. He continued, "I was rushing to get back to the military academy and I guess I wasn't watching where I was going."
"That's quite all right. I was distracted myself because of the music," replied Clarisse grimly.
"You sound and act like you're going to a funeral."
"I guess, in a way, I am. I'm going to meet my future mother-in-law."
"Mother-in-law? You're what, ten, eleven?"
"I'm twelve and it's an arranged marriage." Clarisse paused and realized, "I beg your pardon, why am I telling you about my life?"
"I have no idea, but I do find it interesting. Well, good luck with your future in-laws and marriage." With that, the boy walked away in the opposite direction.
Clarisse had no idea why, but at the time, she was mystified with the boy. She would forget her encounter with him very quickly. She would never realize that that same boy would become the man who would guard her life with his life.