"Lucy! Come down, dinner's ready!"
"I'm coming! Always the same, they can't wait."
Knock Knock
"Miss Lucy, your mother is calling for dinner, the food is gonna get cold soon."
"Ugh, is everyone deaf in this house? I said "I'm coming".
"I'm sorry, Miss Lucy."
"Miss Lucy this, Miss Lucy that. I'm tired of all those formalities." I placed my comb on the table and got up. "Let's go, then. Before my mother has a heart attack for being late to one of her delightful meals."
"Umm... It's not your mother who coo-"
"I KNOW that very well, thank you. It was sarcasm."
As soon as I left the room, I got grumpy. I hate to be pressured, it's one of the worst things someone can do to me. A lady can't be pressured to do something that she doesn't want to do, I'll get wrinkles! I hate wrinkles! I've already started noticing that on my mother, but as soon as I spot some on me, I'll go crazy! Crazy!"
"Oh, my daughter! Finally!" my father yells, "I was starting to get worried, your mother wouldn't stop screaming for you. I was afraid that we would have to assist her."
"Don't worry, mother, I'm here just as you wanted." I smiled sarcastically.
"Don't be rude, you can be sure that if you don't eat your whole meal, you'll be grounded tonight."
"What do you mean by that? Am I not grounded everyday? I don't even remember the last time that you actually let me out of this castle. Oh wait... You never did."
"When was the last time that you acted like a lady?" there was silence, "Thought so. Now, eat and stop complaining."
I did as my mother told me. It was always like this, I always have to do what she asks or I'd be locked up in my room the whole day as usual. What I said wasn't a lie, there wasn't a damn time when I could actually go outside. This castle suffocates me. I have to be in it every single day and learn all these costumes and habits of a lady, just like my mother wanted. I have to listen to the handmaidens all day reading books about the previous queens that existed in my family and how i'd have to follow their example. I hated those stories. There wasn't a single queen who'd ever stood up against all these stupid rules and went on an adventure outside. I didn't want to be like that, I wanted to be a different queen. I mean... A different princess in this case.
That's right. I'm a princess. Princess Heartfilia of the Magnolia Kingdom. Ever since I was born, I had to endure all these costumes and rules made by the royal family ages ago. I can't imagine something worse than having your whole life planned as soon as you're born. It's ridiculous, there isn't a single day where my mom authorizes me to go outside the gates of this castle, not even to visit the streets to see all the attractions or people working. Nothing. It's like a nightmare while being awake. Everyone in this castle says that the people out there are living miserably and there's nothing better than being here, but I don't agree. I mean, it seems that outside is where all the fun is. I just wanted to be there at least once.
"Why are you so interested about the streets, my daughter?" my father asked.
"Is it really that hard to figure out? Everything out there is a world to see and I'm 17, I haven't seen anything, not even half."
"It's dangerous for you out there, especially cause you don't know anything about anything. You're better off here, you need to prepare yourself to succeed us in case something bad happens."
"What can exactly happen? We're not at war, why are you so afraid of me going out there?"
"You don't know anything about the outside world and it will remain that way as long as I live. Do you understand?" my mom protested.
"Listen to your mother, please don't fight."
"As if you were ever gonna take my side. I'm so done!" I got up quickly and ran to my room. None of my parents said another word, but it would be in vain 'cause all I wanted was to get out of there.
As soon as I got to my room, I sat on my little study table next to a very big window where you can see the streets and the mountains right in front of the castle. It was my favorite spot. I could see everything from this window, it was as far as I could go in contact with the outside world. I could see tons of people dancing, blacksmiths working, women selling flowers and everything little thing there was to see there. I just wish I could see it closer... The mountains on the horizon amazed me even more. They were beautiful, I couldn't even imagine how it would feel to see them up close, or even how it would feel to touch snow. Snow... I read about it from my books, what a dream. Everything about my books was a dream, everything I read about the outside world was a dream that seemed to be non-existent for me. I was still staring outside when someone knocked on my door. It was my father.
"Can I come in?"
"You're the king of this castle, aren't you? You always have permission."
"I may be the king of this castle, but this still remains my daughter's private room and intruding was never my strong point."
"Yeah... Usually it's the other kingdoms who invade us... From what the handmaidens said."
My father laughed and sat on the bed, "Come here, I wanna speak to you." I did as he asked and sat next to him, "You seemed very sad before, do you want to tell me what's really going on?"
"What do you mean? I think I already explained everything, I feel trapped in this castle. You never authorize me to go and see what's outside for all these years."
"You know why that doesn't happen, don't you?"
"Because you both want me to be a clueless and naive successor who doesn't even know the world? If that's the case, you're doing a great job."
My father laughed again and wrapped his arm around me, "You know there are many dangers out there that we don't want you to find, it's natural for your mother to want to protect you.
"But I wouldn't be alone, I'd take some guards with me."
My father looked down, "Not even our guards would be ready for what's out there."
"Talking like that it even seems like there's a huge dragon ready to invade our kingdom."
Again, my father laughed, he always liked my sarcastic humor, "Listen Lucy, you don't need to live like a prisioner in your own house, we don't want that either. Not even your mother, believe it or not." he smiled, "But we just want you to be safe, you know what... happened to your..."
"Sister... Yeah, I know. The handmaidens told me."
"Ever since that day, we're afraid that something might happen to you too... We don't want to lose another child... Not again..." my father looked down and tried to hold the tears, "So, please, be patient. The day when you can go out there will soon arrive, just hold on a little longer and be patient with your mother... She's devastated when she sees you like that."
"Right... I'll do my best." I smiled.
After that, he hugged and went to the door. He stopped and looked at me one last time before leaving, "We love you, I hope you know that."
I didn't have the courage to continue that conversation after that. The story about my sister. Well, the sister I never got to meet. She mysteriously disappeared one day, after she went outside the castle and our kingdom was invaded by some weird creatures. My parents think she was killed by one of them or even kidnapped and killed by their master somewhere, but no one is really sure since no one saw my sister that day. She simply disappeared in the middle of the battle. My parents were devastated after that day and my mother was afraid of even thinking about having more children, worried that something could happen to them as well. A few years later, I was born.
The only thing I could do was go back to my little desk in front of the window and look outside for a few minutes. The night sky was beautiful and I could see tons of stars, it wasn't a night to be thinking about sad things, especially when the next day was coming. It was my birthday and the coronation day. I was turning 18 and I was finally receiving my official title as Princess of Magnolia and ready to succeed the throne one day. I'd spent the whole preparing myself for this, I couldn't wait to check out my suitors. I just hope they're not all old and ugly! I looked at the moon and I couldn't think about anything else. I just wished that I could look at it every night from all different places of the world one day.