Prologue Part I: The Clover

I still couldn't process what was happening to me. Two months ago, I started my transfer at Charles University, in Charles Kingdom. I was just a normal American girl from Kansas, of all states! (And I better not here any joke references from the Wizard of Oz, or else I swear...)

Anyways! My name is Adele Phoenix Hendrickson, but you can just call me Phoenix. I turned 21 before I came to Charles. I am a very tall girl at 6' 1'', with plenty of curves. I have long dark brown hair with hints of red, and golden eyes with brown specks in them. My complexion is better than average though I have quite a few freckles, and I have a nice tan from the summer sun.

I grew up on a farm in Kansas, and now as I stand before the King of Noreric, I hear I am the heir to his throne! He's gotta be kidding me! But the longer I stare into his serious gray eyes and wait for him to say he's joking the more I am starting to believe him.

~)~~~~

It all started a few days ago. I had just finished my classes on Thursday and was walking home through the park. I saw an old man doubled over in a coughing fit.

"Are you alright?" I asked him as I approached.

"I'm fine." The old man said between coughs.

"How about we go have a seat over there?" I ask as I lead him to the bench. He's stopped coughing, and is smiling at me.

" Thank you, Miss. I hope I'm not bothering you?" He asked as he looked at me.

"No, I wanted to make sure you were alright." I told him with a smile.

His eyes narrowed in at my neck. "Where did you get that necklace?" He asked sounding somewhat amazed.

"Oh, it's a family heirloom. I received it on my sixteenth birthday from my parents. Why do you..." Although, what I really wanted to do was ask why he cared about my necklace.

He started coughing again so I rubbed his back. I remember when my grandfather was still alive, he liked it when I would rub his back when he coughed. Once his coughing fit subsided, he started talking again.

"What is your name Miss?" He asked.

I was confused by this sudden question, but before I could try to answer him a man in a black suit came running up to us. "Sir! Are you alright!"

"I'm fine." He then turned his attention back to me, "Miss, your name?" He asked with more authority.

I was so dumbstruck I answered, "Adele Hendrickson."

"Adele it was pleasure to meet you. Here is my phone number, call if you ever need anything." He said motioning to his subordinate, who then handed me a card with a number on it.

"Really you don't have to do this..." I told him, trying to give it back to him.

"Nonsense! You're the girl who saved my life!" He said with a smile, looking better than before.

"But-" I tried again.

"No buts! Just take it." He said gently and patted my head. "Good-bye! I hope to see you again soon, Adele!" He said as he and his subordinate walked to the entrance of the park where I saw a black limo waiting.

"Weird. Oh well." I said as I placed the card in my pocket.

I continued home to my apartment, with no other odd occurrences that day.

~)~~~~

Friday. No classes, no homework. The perfect day, right? Or so I thought.

I had some shopping to do and as soon as I left my apartment I couldn't shake the feeling I was being followed. I would glance around every once in a while, but nothing out of the ordinary. Until, I noticed two nicely dressed men across the street looking in at the store I was in.

They looked like identical twins. Platinum blonde spiky hair, pale, and tall. One was dressed in gray and the other in black, both with splashes of orange, and black sunglasses on. The glasses wouldn't seem so odd if it weren't for the fact that it was so cloudy out.

I finished my shopping and continued toward the park where I met the old man yesterday. Now I could tell they were following me. As soon as I rounded the entrance I ran.

Unfortunately, I am a total klutz! Running, with a lot of bags, and possibly my life depending on it; yeah, not good when you're a klutz. That's when the klutziness is more likely to come out.

I made it to the halfway point when I tripped. I hit my head pretty good, and blacked out. When I regained consciousness, I was looking up at the two guys who were tailing me. They were no longer wearing their sunglasses, so I could see their ice blue eyes. One looked worried, the other amused.

"Are you alright?" The worried one asked. He had an odd yet familiar accent. Where is he from?

"I guess we aren't very good at our job. You noticed us pretty quickly." The amused one said in the same accent and handed me a handkerchief.

"Huh?" I asked looking dumbly at it.

"Your head. It's bleeding." When he said that I put my hand to my forehead, and had blood on my fingertips when I pulled away and looked. I took the handkerchief and pressed it to the wound.

"Who are you guys?" I asked.

"The better question is...Are you Adele Hendrickson?" The amused one asked, and my eyes narrowed when he said my name. How do they know who I am?

"Idiot! It's obvious this is Adele. She's wearing the necklace and the mark is on her ankle!" The serious one smacked his brother. My necklace and birthmark?

"No need for violence! He's already going to be pissed that she was hurt on our watch." The amused one answered somewhat calmly.

"Who's he?" I asked.

"Well it couldn't be helped! She's the one running away!" The serious one retorted.

"Oh? But it'll still beour fault!" The amused one was angry now.

"Hey!" I yelled at them, but they ignored me and kept going back and forth. "Stop arguing!" Still nothing. Alright. my head already hurt, and now I was getting even more pissed off by the second.

I got up and walked up to the quibbling brothers, put a hand behind each one's head, and smacked their heads.

They turned and looked at me. "OW!" They said in unison rubbing their foreheads, which already had red marks.

"What was that for?!" The amused one asked.

"For ignoring me!" I retorted loudly.

"Sorry, Princess." The amused one bowed. What?

"Huh?!" I could feel the shock on my face.

"IDIOT! She wasn't supposed to know that yet!"

"She'll find out sooner or later anyways. Just act surprised when you find out from him, okay?" The amused one turned back to me and looked at me with puppy-dog eyes.

"Would you just tell me what's going on?" I asked looking away from him.

"Just come with us so he can explain. Please? It's better if you come willingly. Because we were told to bring you by force if necessary." He gave me a serious look and tone at the end.

"Who are you?" I asked again, dodging the question to get my bearings.

"Oh! We completely forgot to introduce ourselves! I'm Tarmo, and this is my brother Onni." Tarmo said taking my hand and shaking it.

"We can become better acquainted on the plane. Please come with us the easy way?" Onni asked.

"I guess that's the only way to get answers. Plus, I already hurt myself trying to get away." I looked down at the ground. This wasn't a very hard choice, but it was definitely the weird one.

"Good girl." Onni smiled and ruffled my hair.

"Hey!" I smacked his hand away.

"Let's go, Adele." Tarmo took my arm, put it in his, and escorted me to a limo.

"You said plane? Shouldn't I get some of my things?" I asked looking back in the direction of my apartment.

"You'll have everything you could need at our destination." Onni told me matter-o-factly.

"O-okay." I said as I got in the limo.

~)~~~~

During the plane ride I slept, because the brothers wouldn't answer any of my questions. Though while drifting in and out of consciousness, I could hear Onni talking to someone on the phone. I thought I heard the words 'His Majesty.' They already called me a princess, so that shouldn't be all too surprising.

What was surprising was the view of Noreric Castle on the drive to the front doors. Why am I here?

I stood dumbstruck in front of the door, frozen to the spot. What should I do? Before I could come to a conclusion the twins came up on either side of me and each took an arm walking into the castle.

"What are you guys doing? Let me go!" I said as I struggled.

They ignored my struggles and continued walking until they entered through some thick, ornate double doors. I looked forward and saw a man, close to 40 getting up from his throne. My eyes widened.

"Phoenix?" The king asked as he moved towards me. How did he know my nickname?

I just stood there looking at him. Why does he look so familiar?

"You boys can let her go." He said to the twins.

"No can do, Your Majesty. She's a runner." Tarmo told him. The king made a motion with his hand.

I heard the doors closing behind me with a resounding thud. I knew with that sound there was no more running away from what was about to happen.

The king nodded to the twins who then released me, and took some steps back. Once they had distanced themselves from me, the king hugged me.

"Phoenix! It's been too long! You've become quite the beauty!" He said looking me in the face. My golden eyes met his gray ones. He had light brown hair with no traces of gray, and a strong, regal face. He looked like a king. The king seemed ecstatic to see me.

"Do I know you?" I finally spoke.

"Well, I guess you were pretty young the last time I saw you. Though, I did want to see you more these past few years. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be." He said sadly. "I'm King Erik Makinen, but you can call me Uncle." The king told me with a smile.

"EH?" I was confused.

"You are the princess of Noreric, Phoenix." He told me seriously.

"What?!" I was completely confused now.

"Because I never married and had an heir of my own, our laws dictate that the one from the royal bloodline bearing the mark shall be the heir." He looked me in the eyes. Mark?

"What are you talking about?" I asked him.

"Now don't play dumb, Phoenix. You have a small birthmark of a three-leaf clover on your right ankle. Nonetheless, it's there, and that's the sign of the worthy heir." He said solemnly.

"That's such a stupid law!" I finally said. To know who is right to be next in line by a birthmark? This is crazy.

"Also, it's why you have the Eye of Odin." He said looking at my neck.

"Then take it back! I don't need it!" I said taking it off and tried giving it to him.

He shook his head and put his hands up in front of him.

"I can't! It's yours to wear and have." He looked slightly frightened.

"I don't want it! Here!" I thrust it into his hands.

"AHH!" He cried in pain and dropped the necklace.

"What happened?" I asked. I could see the twins coming closer in case their lord was hurt.

"It burnt me. Only the heir or the one put in charge of its possession can safely touch it." He looked down at it, and I followed his gaze. It didn't look right; it looked like a burnt ball on a chain. I bent down and retrieved it off the ground. As soon as I touched it, it changed its appearance back to being that of a clear marble-like pendant.

"AH!" I tossed it up in the air, but caught it on the way down.

"SEE?" He asked. So maybe there was more to this than I originally thought. I put the necklace back on.

"Okay, so maybe it's not all that crazy." I said looking down at the ground.

"Phoenix?" He put his hand under my chin and made me look him in the eyes. "You are the princess of this kingdom. I need you to understand that. You have obligations and training to do. It's going to be tough, but I know you can do it." The king told me with a smile.

"Why now?" I asked him.

"You're 21, right? You had your birthday this summer. Your parents made a promise. To allow them to raise you, then once you turned 21, I could have you and make you into a princess."

"But I have college!" I said.

"You could go here. It's simple enough to transfer."

"But Charles is the best for art." I told him.

"You're not going to be an easy one are you? You haven't changed at all." He said with a warm smile and a twinkle in his eyes.

"You really came and saw me when I was younger?" I asked.

"Yes. You would constantly disappear to your elderly neighbor's home and worry your mother to death. Also, there was the bird incident…"

"Okay I believe you…Uncle." I said tentatively.

He gave me another hug and smile. "I'm so happy to hear you call me that. I haven't had any relatives to spend time with." Uncle looked like a sad puppy.

"So, how are we going to go about training because I'll have to go back tomorrow if I want to be able to do homework, and go to class Monday?"

"Alright. How about during your school breaks you come here to study, and you'll come whenever there is an event. Like next Saturday there is a ball, you will attend, but no one can know you are a princess. I just want you to go to get used to these sorts of events. How does that sound?" Uncle asked me.

"Next week?!" That's too soon!

"Well, you're at your best when you're thrown into them." Uncle knows me too well.

I nodded numbly.

"Boys, take her to her room." Uncle told the twins, and started back towards his throne. He stopped and turned before they reached me, "By the way, these are your butlers, I'm sure you already know their names. They will also keep an eye on you from now on." He said and went to his throne.

Onni pulled me by the arm out of the room and took me somewhere else in the castle with Tarmo following behind to make sure I didn't get away.

"Here you are, Princess." Onni opened the door to a room.

Inside was a white sheeted, queen sized bed with a canopy of sheer red material. The room was bigger than my whole apartment. It had a red window seat, and plenty of big windows with red sheer curtain like my canopy. There was a black desk with a matching black chair with red cushioning. There was a black bookcase that took up the whole wall parallel to my bed. The room was feminine, yet full of reds, oranges, blacks, and whites.

"WOW!" It definitely suited me. "Is this mine?"

"Yes His Majesty decorated it with you in mind. He was quite pleased with it too." Tarmo said with a smile.

"Really?" The king must really care about me.

"The closet is this door, and the on-suite bathroom is that other door." Tarmo, pulled me over to the closet door, and opened it.

"OH MY GOSH!" I thought I was in heaven. My closet was the size of a normal office. The clothes were organized by season and color, and there was a wall of just shoes. There was even a vanity in there which after being shown, had a drawer that held make-up. It even beat Mia's closet from Princess Diaries 2. That's saying something.

"Which gown do you want to wear next week?" Onni asked from the door.

"I completely forgot about that." I said looking at the dresses. They were all my size. Figures. After looking at each dress, I kept coming back to the red A-line dress with red beading on the bodice and orange godets in the skirt. It reminded me of fire. It was perfect.