the first chapter of my story

Spring 1501

By Claire Noles

"Our little princess shall be sent to England and marry the Prince of Wales!" stated King Richard to the men of his council and his wife, Queen Teresa of the Netherlands. "With both our country and England's alliances we shall be invincible!"

The council began to whisper to each other; some asking "Is she fit," or "Will they take her?" The only one brave enough to talk aloud was the king's wife.

"Have you told the princess this, my Lord? Let me remind you, she is not her sister, she will not take this easily," she said to her husband calmly.

The king knew she had a point; his older daughter was not ill tempered as the youngest princess was. Princess Sarah was quite and obedient, the opposite of her sister, energetic, independent, even troublesome. Princess Sarah had accepted her marriage to the prince of Spain easily; he knew it would not be the same for Princess Claire. The King called for a pageboy.

"Tell the Princess I must speak to her." He told the boy and he went running out of the room. Not too much later did the king dismiss the meeting and left to go to his daughter's rooms. When he got to her door the guard announced his presence and he walked in. She was sitting in a window seat with a few of her greatest friends talking and giggling. She did not notice his presence until her friends had gotten up and curtsied, she did the same.

"Father, it is good to see you, what is it you want to tell me?" she asked smiling happily.

"You are going to be the new Princess of Wales and future Queen of England," he tried to say happily. He looked for emotion on her face, there was none whatsoever. "Princess?" he asked. She walked from the room to her bedroom. After a few moments the king left to get ready for dinner, hoping that was the same reason his daughter left.

The princess acted the same way at dinner. She took her favorite foods and ate in silence she did not dance, she did not even laugh at the fool's jokes. Her face never wavered from her plate. The queen looked to her husband.

"What did you say to her?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing, I told her the news and she's acted the same since!" he replied.

A few hours later the princess left with her ladies to her room. Some girls stayed with the rest of the royal family in the dinning hall.

The next day went as usual, the family attended mass, broke their fast in private, then the prince and princess rode out with the hunt. When they returned they changed and went to lunch. The prince and princess had their lessons, Claire wrote to her sister in Spain. She told her sister about her arranged marriage to the Prince of Wales. She knew that when she wrote back what she'd say.

You must go thought with it, as I did, as mother did, as many other girls before us did! It is your duty as well was it mine to secure our country. You don't want to leave because of you think it will help the country to stay, but if you don't leave then it will only harm your country.

Claire tore the paper and fed it, piece by piece, into the fire. She left to go to her father's rooms. When the guard announced her she walked in.

"Father," she started without waiting for a welcome, "I will marry the English Prince. I know it's my job to help our country." Her father relaxed immensely. Moments later she walked from the room back to her rooms.

After dinner she went straight to her bedroom and fell asleep in her bed thinking, this will be one of the last few nights I have in my own bed.

Thanks for reading my story! plz comment