Disclaimer: I wish I owned the HSM Franchise along with all the money it made….but I don't, I'm just borrowing the characters and making them royalty Also, I'm not an expert on the peer system, and I got most of my information on Wikipedia, so please don't be too harsh on the info and I don't mean to disrespect the monarchy by writing this.
Summary: Troy is the Prince of Wales and Lady Gabriella is the daughter of the most powerful noble, the Duke of Norfolk. Prince Troy has now turned 21 and his parents, the King and Queen, encourage and push for his marriage, even resolving to threaten him with an arranged marriage. Their sights are set on another person of noble birth. Unbeknownst to them, Gabriella is in love with Troy, who is also her very close friend. Things continue to get complicated when he falls for a mere commoner. Will it be a Cinderella Story? Or will Gabriella get her prince? Set in present day.
Royal Heartache Chapter 1
"His royal highness the Prince Troy, the Prince of Wales," at that, all everyone in the hall turned to the grand staircase and watched as the Heir Apparent to the throne made his way down the stairs to his 21st birthday celebration. Prince Troy was a work of art, from his height of 6 feet, to his sturdy, muscular, but not too extreme, upper body. His face was almost like a sculpture done by one of the masters. But his most appealing feature was his piercing, mesmerizing turquoise blue eyes. They were stunning and captured the hearts of girls, ladies, and women all over the world. Fortunately for them and to the dismay of his parents, he was still unmarried, but if the king and queen had anything to do with it; that would soon change…
He first made his way to greet his parents, King John and Queen Anne. As custom required, Troy bowed to his parents and received a few words of congratulations. Troy loved his parents and respected them but it was not considered proper for him to show much emotion at these public parties. So after exchanging a few words and encouraging smiles, Troy started his rounds of greeting all of the nobles and heads of state. A smile found a way on his face as he made his way to the most powerful of the dukes and father to one of his best friends.
"Your highness, congratulations on your birthday and may your coming years be filled with happiness and perhaps a little love!" Lord George Montez, the Duke of Norfolk was a round and jolly looking man when at public functions. But when matters of the state were in issue, he was a cutthroat, charismatic, and eloquent man who held such power over people which made him a great politician. His wife, the Duchess Maria Montez stood beside her husband nodding her head and sharing a smile.
"Thank you your grace! I will be sure to find happiness soon. As for love, I would be delighted to, but I haven't met the perfect girl yet." Troy let out a little chuckle. He cleared his throat and asked, "So where is the Countess? Hopefully she's not making trouble anywhere." The duke let out a laugh, he pointed across the room to a brunette beauty standing in the corner with a group of younger elites. "Well then, I should make my way over there and make sure she and my cousin don't ruin the night. Excuse me and please enjoy tonight, for me!" The three shared another laugh and Troy started to make his way over.
Being the guest of honor for the night, many other nobles stopped the prince to share their congratulations, but he couldn't help but internally groan and count the seconds before he could join his friends. As Lord Charles, the Duke of Beaufort was talking; Troy could not help but keep looking over to the brunette and her circle. In between their conversation, Troy's eyes met hers. He couldn't help but notice how her Chocolate eyes seemed to glisten under the chandeliers. Noticing this, Lord Charles quickly wrapped up what he was saying, "I'm sorry, I should have been more considerate, to bore a young man with such dull words was ignorant of me. I apologize. Please, our son has been dying to see you again, he would be angry to know that I've been keeping you." Troy laughed and saw the duke point his best friend.
"Well I thank you, your grace." With a final slight bow, Troy turned around and finally got to his destination.
The brunette was the first to speak, "We would all like to congratulate your royal highness in reaching the big 21." She said with a slight smirk and an over-exaggerated and overly formal curtsy.
"Why thank your Lady Gabriella, Countess of Surrey," he responded with a smirk and bow of his own. The two stared at each other for a moment before they broke out into laughter. All the others around them all joined in.
"No, but in all seriousness, happy birthday buddy! I would give you a hug, but I don't think I'm allowed," she said with a little smile.
"Thanks Gabi! I really don't think it's a big deal, I mean come on I can already drink, gamble, drive, everything I need. But I guess it's nice to see such beautiful ladies all dressed up for me. And honestly, I can't help but be a little disappointed about not getting a hug from such a gorgeous young lady…" the prince replied with a wink.
Gabriella couldn't help but blush every time he would say something like that. Who wouldn't if the person they liked complimented them?Yes it was true, the still 20 year-old noble was madly and truly deeply in love with Prince Troy. They had been acquaintances since childhood, but became great friends until only a few years ago. Some even described the two as best friends. The duo could tell each other anything, that was what was so great about their relationship. It was also a plus that both were easy on the eyes.
Gabriella, when her hair was loose, had long brown locks that reached the middle of her back. She was stood at 5 feet 5 inches without the help of heels. On her gorgeous face sat two chocolate colored orbs that seemed to pierce your soul. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Countess Gabriella was lovely.
While the two were lost in their little world, an impatient princess couldn't help but interrupt.
"Can you two stop flirting and pay attention to the rest of us?" interjected a blonde beauty.
"Oh, Princess Sharpay! How could I possibly forget about you! I'm so sorry your royal highness!" Troy replied in a somewhat sarcastic tone. She shot him a dirty look. He couldn't help but make fun of his cousin and her need to have the attention on her. Sharpay was the daughter of his father's younger brother, making her the Princess of Gloucester and her twin brother Ryan, the Prince of Gloucester. "So how are you guys all enjoying the party?"
"Man, are you serious? It's basically people coming to show off their expensive clothes and talk about boring things. Definitely not how I would want my birthday celebration to go." Troy's best friends couldn't help but say this in a voice full of pity. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll all be able to throw you a real party soon," he added while nudging the birthday boy.
Troy looked around the room before replying, "Thanks Chad, I knew you were my friend for a reason." The two were about to do their secret handshake when Chad's wife cleared her throat and elbowed her husband. Hard.
"Chad! There are people watching!" Taylor was always on the look-out and was everyone's babysitter making sure that nothing improper was done. Ever since she got married she had gotten stricter. Chad was the Marquis of Worcester which made Taylor the Marquise of Worcester.
The whole gang was all from titled, rich, full of responsibilities, noble families. They were used to the hushed jokes and their responsibility to show the least amount of affection possible. It just came with their names. But it was the worst when they were forced to come to these big galas with many old people talking about business and useless small talk almost once every two weeks. They all would have rather been at one their houses sipping wine, champagne, or beer just having fun with each other. The heavy jewelry, stifling suits, and the too elaborate dresses didn't help much either.
"How long is this even going to last?" Zeke, more formally known as the Marquis of Hartington, and also known as Princess Sharpay's soon-to-be fiancé. "Honestly, I can think of a lot of other things I would rather be doing." He said with a wink at Sharpay.
"Okay, I did not need to hear that. Sorry, but I feel like we're going to be here for a while. I still have my cake to cut. But how about we all go out as early as possible and hang out. And in the meantime we can drink some amazing champagne." Troy said while grabbing his own flute. He was dying to leave but what kind of prince would he be if he left his duty as guest of honor unfulfilled? Speaking of duty, Troy couldn't help but be overwhelmed at the thought of all his new responsibilities. Suddenly his tie felt too tight and the room was stifling. "You, know what? I need some air. You guys hang in there for a little while." With that he left leaving one brown-eyed girl worried.
Gabriella had been silently watching Troy. That's what she's been doing lately, just watching him. She couldn't help but look at his flawless face and fall in love. She had been getting lost in his eyes when she could see a streak of panic flash across. When he excused himself, she quickly followed him outside.
It was late April and the weather was a bit breezy, but not too cold. The sun had just set, but part of the sky was still a beautiful orange and red color. Staring out in the distance at the edge of the balcony was her prince. She slowly walked up next to him and put her hand on his arm.
"Are you okay?" she asked in almost a whisper. It was silent for a minute and she could hear his slow breathing.
"No." with that he turned around and his turquoise blue eyes bore into her own chocolate ones as he had a slightly pained expression on his face. She knew he had something to get off his chest, but she didn't want to push him. In time he would come to her. He always did. Whenever he was conflicted or just needed somebody, she was always there for him. It was just how their relationship was.
Troy was always grateful to have Gabriella around. She was the only person could helped him stay sane. Lately as he had gotten older and more responsibilities had been laid upon him, he couldn't help but doubt himself and his ability to handle it. Or if he was conflicted about his identities and his duties, she was always there. She could reason everything out for him. She could make everything scary and stressful amount to nothing. She was his voice of reason and the reason he was still standing where he was today.
Staring into his eyes, her heart couldn't help but beat faster. She had to try so hard to resist the urge to hug him and hug the pain out. Gabriella also couldn't help but wonder if he felt the same way, if his heart was beating as fast as hers, or if his arm tingled liked her hand did. She wished he would feel the same. She wished he would, but she had yet to figure out how to read him.
Author's Note: This is just eh first chapter. Lots and lots more to come. Tell me how you like it; I would love to hear your opinions. I know it's really strange to imagine these characters as English royalty but please give the story a shot! Thanks for reading and please review!
~ callmetrue