Title: Winter's Night
Author: Night_light11
Summary: A young duchess is engaged to marry the prince of the realms
against her will. What happens when she finds a hurt frog? A Frog Prince
retelling.
Disclaimer: The basic concept for the story is a well known fairytale,
however, the story around the basic plot, and the characters are all mine.
Whoohoo..anways.have fun =)
..............
(Naetalia)
The winter air was beginning to be noticed. The trees had lost most of the leaves during the past month. Birds had traveled south. The howl of wolves could be heard through the nights, preying on the creatures as they were already weakening from the cold weather. Everything was dark now, dark and cold.
I can walk through the brightened halls, rich with color, busy with people, and yet I see nothing beautiful in it. There is nothing happy, nothing warm. I'm alone, completely alone.
It has only been three months since my father passed away. The Duke of Norcastle, the largest estate in the kingdom, next to the King's, of course. He had been sick for a long time, so it wasn't something unexpected. My mother had died long ago, shortly after my birth, the birth of the Duke's only child, only heir. And what kind of heir was I? A daughter of all things, of course at the moment, one of the richest, unwed women of the land, something almost unheard of. What a prize I was. And that's what I became, a prize. Up for bids to the highest offer they seemed to think.
Although they always claim it isn't the money. They would come with sweet words, claiming my beauty to be above all else. They would long to stroke my hair, and let it down, although I wouldn't allow them the honor. When at dances, they would think I wouldn't notice as their hands would linger on my side, or curved around my back. My eyes they would describe as sapphires, jewels, the ocean wide, like stars among a winter's night.and how cold that night has become. For what woman could survive alone, without a husband in a world such as this.
The only and last thing my father asked for before he died was that I find myself a man of good honor, and of a good family, so that I would never be in want. And yet I don't think he had this in mind.
Prince Kayell could have been a good man, he still may be, but there is the matter of love. I do not love him, and I despise him simply for declaring that I was to become his wife. It was not asked, it was not suggested, it was ordered. He saw what he wanted, and took it, took me. And here I am, counting down the days. It is the only thing I can do.
The servants pawn over me like I am I doll, made to be dressed up and shown around, but I simply can't do this anymore today!
.............
Naetalia Evanshire quickly threw a warm cloak over her dark burgundy dress, pulling the hood to cover her head. She quickly searched the pockets, finding a pair of thin, but warm, fur-lined gloves. She moved easily past the doting servants as she eased them over her hands. Absently, the twenty year old pushed a stray lock of dark brown hair back behind the cloak's hood as she pushed open the doors to the cooling air of outdoors.
"My lady, you'll catch a chill if you go out in that."
The young duchess turned to servant girl, looking a little more than annoyed.
"I'll be fine out there, the snow's a while off still. If anyone asks, I'm going for a ride to clear my mind. I'll be back before supper."
She smirked slightly.
"I'm sure they can live without me here for an hour or so."
Without waiting for a response she was out the doors and heading towards the stables.
..............
(Naetalia)
The winter air was beginning to be noticed. The trees had lost most of the leaves during the past month. Birds had traveled south. The howl of wolves could be heard through the nights, preying on the creatures as they were already weakening from the cold weather. Everything was dark now, dark and cold.
I can walk through the brightened halls, rich with color, busy with people, and yet I see nothing beautiful in it. There is nothing happy, nothing warm. I'm alone, completely alone.
It has only been three months since my father passed away. The Duke of Norcastle, the largest estate in the kingdom, next to the King's, of course. He had been sick for a long time, so it wasn't something unexpected. My mother had died long ago, shortly after my birth, the birth of the Duke's only child, only heir. And what kind of heir was I? A daughter of all things, of course at the moment, one of the richest, unwed women of the land, something almost unheard of. What a prize I was. And that's what I became, a prize. Up for bids to the highest offer they seemed to think.
Although they always claim it isn't the money. They would come with sweet words, claiming my beauty to be above all else. They would long to stroke my hair, and let it down, although I wouldn't allow them the honor. When at dances, they would think I wouldn't notice as their hands would linger on my side, or curved around my back. My eyes they would describe as sapphires, jewels, the ocean wide, like stars among a winter's night.and how cold that night has become. For what woman could survive alone, without a husband in a world such as this.
The only and last thing my father asked for before he died was that I find myself a man of good honor, and of a good family, so that I would never be in want. And yet I don't think he had this in mind.
Prince Kayell could have been a good man, he still may be, but there is the matter of love. I do not love him, and I despise him simply for declaring that I was to become his wife. It was not asked, it was not suggested, it was ordered. He saw what he wanted, and took it, took me. And here I am, counting down the days. It is the only thing I can do.
The servants pawn over me like I am I doll, made to be dressed up and shown around, but I simply can't do this anymore today!
.............
Naetalia Evanshire quickly threw a warm cloak over her dark burgundy dress, pulling the hood to cover her head. She quickly searched the pockets, finding a pair of thin, but warm, fur-lined gloves. She moved easily past the doting servants as she eased them over her hands. Absently, the twenty year old pushed a stray lock of dark brown hair back behind the cloak's hood as she pushed open the doors to the cooling air of outdoors.
"My lady, you'll catch a chill if you go out in that."
The young duchess turned to servant girl, looking a little more than annoyed.
"I'll be fine out there, the snow's a while off still. If anyone asks, I'm going for a ride to clear my mind. I'll be back before supper."
She smirked slightly.
"I'm sure they can live without me here for an hour or so."
Without waiting for a response she was out the doors and heading towards the stables.