I know, I should be working on my Sharkboy and Lavagirl fanfic! Honestly, I've lost my muse for that one. But I promise I won't abandon it! Good news is, I got my wifi back, and was able to upload this one. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
Adgar was sitting on his bed in the dark room, his legs tucked under him and his body turned to the wall. Inbetween the heavy creaking of the wooden walls and the sloshing of the busy seas outside, a rhythmatic thump of a forehead hitting wood echoed through the corridors.
If he was any more bored, he was sure he would die right there. There was simply nothing for a seventeen-year-old to do on a rickety old ship with a bunch of old seahags, and there was no way he was gonna do any of the paperwork his parents had pelted in his face.
He stopped banging his head against the wood and turned himself sothat his back was leaning against the wall. He rested his head in his hand, clutching at his hair.
He had already been sick three times today, and he was starting to feel queasy again. He had always hated ships! They seemed like they would topple any second, and the large, empty, creepy rooms didn't exactly help anything.
It was probably midday now, and they should be arriving at their destination any second. Apparently this place was ten times colder than Corona, as he had heard, wich was definately being proven right!
Even in the rooms under the deck, he was freezing, and his breath was visible in the white puffs of air coming from his mouth. Then again, he was only wearing a thin blazer over his shirt and had decided not to wear his gloves today, though they wouldn't make much difference.
His stomach knotted and his heart leapt when a loud thump sounded through the room. The ship had hit something! He heard the crew yelling at eachother on the deck, the captain's bear-like voice barking out orders to lower the plank, secure the ship, and-so-forth.
They had arrived. He immediately stood up, his stomach in knots as he walked unstedily across the ever-moving floor.
The worst part of it all? The whole reason he was on this wreched ship was to meet a princess he was apparently betrothed to! Of course, he never had any say in it! He was simply told by his father that he was to marry some princess from another kingdom he couldn't bother to remember the name of.
The sky was cloudy outside, and he almost swore as a wave of piercingly cold air hit him, forcing the air from his lungs!
"H-holy shit!" he managed to wheeze out as he clung to himself, snowflakes already getting stuck in his hair and clothes. It was quite a sight to see the young prince with his arms wrapped around himself, teeth chattering and knees knocking together with his eyes as wide as saucers!
"Hey, Adgar! Found your coat!" He could barely make out his sister's voice over the wind blowing around his numbing ears, before having a coat slapped into his face. He yanked it off his head, putting it on in record time and stuffing his hands into the woolen pockets.
He walked down the plank, wobbling as he followed his family to the other. The king and queen invited them into the carrige quickly, claiming that they would certainly freeze outside. The princess wasn't with them, so he assumed that she would be waiting for them at the castle.
He excluded himself from the conversation, shrinking back into his seat and staring out at the frozen city outside. The wind was blowing from all directions, the circumstances appearing to be on the verge of a blizzard. He pulled the thick jacket tighter around himself as he let his thoughts wander.
The last thing he wanted was to be married off to some snobby little miss priss who had only agreed to marry him for the sake of thier kingdoms. Although her parents seemed much too friendly for the possibility, he still felt wary of meeting her.
"So, Prince Adgar," the king's voice grabbed his attention. "It has been rumored that you are quite gifted in the arts. Is this correct?"
He nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. In fact, it runs in the family." His sister was the most talented artist he had ever known, while he was more into music.
He noticed his parents feeling a bit uncomfortable with the overly-friendly monarchs, although it was well hidden. He wasn't surprised, though, as they were easily annoyed with people who weren't as stuck-up as them. He had refused to act like them since he could he remember.
"Well," the king smiled. "Must be grand to have such a wonderfully talented family. You are very fortunate, young Prince." He smiled thankfully at the king, but before he could say another word, his parents switched the topic of conversation to matters concerning the alligence.
He frowned out the window again, nearly glaring a hole through the glass. Oh yeah, lovely family. He had never truly taken after his parents, but rather his sister, who was actually the first to rebel against the way their parents wanted them to be.
The carrige rolled on towards the giant castle, puffs of white air coming from the percherons' nostrils as they cantered along the snowy path. The palace itsself was a bit bigger than theirs, with huge walls surrounding it.
The wooden gates creaked open, guards calling to eachother outside while servants and stableboys scattered about as the carrige came to a halt, untying the horses and leading them off to the warm stables as quick as possible.
The king invited them inside, motioning for the guards to open the large double-doors of the palace. The wind had died down a bit, but the bitter cold remained, once again surprising him a little as the freezing air sliced at his face. He hid his discomfort, though, following the royal couple.
They led them through the gigantic wooden doors of the castle, walking into a large, brightly lit hallway. His parents continued their conversation with the other royal couple as he nearly gaped at the amazing décor of the simple room.
Their own castle was empty, strictly formal and rarely used for celebration purposes like balls. The archway at the end of the hall led to a large, beautiful throne room with enormous stained glass windows leading out to elegantly decorated patios.
As the parents were still discussing the wedding (which irritated him even more , that they were simply planning out the rest of his life for him, as if he wasn't even there), a sudden shriek sounded through the castle, followed by an audibly angered feminine voice: "Fergus! When I get my hands on you, I swear I'll…"
A small boy, no older than seven or eight, came running out one of the corridors. He had his mother's bright red curls scruffed up on top of his head, blue eyes sparkling with mischief and a grin on his face. He trotted over to his father, hiding behind his leg.
The Queen giggled. "Fergus," He looked up at her, an adorably proud smile on his face. "What did you do?" He only pointed down the hallway he had come from, where grunts and huffs of effort could be heard.
Figuring the older monarchs didn't want to be interrupted, Adgar stepped towards the corridor. "I'll get it," he smiled, leaving them to their conversation. Ten paces into the hallway, he turned right with the corner.
He froze.
He had been confronted with murderers, thieves, having to break in some of the wildest horses himself, making decisions that would affect the entire kingdom despite not being the king and even mountains of paperwork waiting to have his time wasted upon. But in front of him was probably the biggest challenge he would ever have to face.
In front of him was a girl, her right ankle caught in a snare trap and hanging upside-down from a wooden beam. Her skirts were draped over her face, her hands struggling to reach the slipknot. He felt the heat rising to his face when he realized that underskirts and bloomers were all that was visible of her.
"Oh! Uh, hi…" she called in a chirpy voice, probably noticing him standing there through the material in her face. "Uhm, you…mind helping out a little?"
The scene before him was suddenly so ridiculous and strange that he couldn't help the laughter that suddenly burst from him. He quickly recomposed himself, though, shaking his head.
"Uhm…yeah, sure, I'm on it." He looked around him, seeing a small, sturdy table with a flower vase on it. He removed the vase and picked the little table up, putting it next to the girl. He stood up on the table, but was at a loss for what to do.
It took him a moment to compose himself, trying to ignore the fact that he was so close to a less-than-modest girl, and he kneeled down on the table to find her under the skirts. He could barely make out her figure, and made a gesture to reach for her torso.
"Er…may I?" She tried twisting herself as best she could to see what he meant.
"Oh! Uh, yeah," she replied, and he proceeded to put his arms around her, lifting her higher as he stood up on the table and smoothed down her skirts, holding her bridal style.
As the dark blue material was pulled away from her face, he nearly dropped her again from pure shock! The girl was simply stunning; her eyes were the deepest blue he has ever seen, her dark hair shining in the faint light from the windows. She had the most adorable button-nose, a smile gracing her lovely mouth and her beautiful porcelain skin faintly dusted with freckles, elegant and cute at the same time.
He suddenly realized that he had been staring, and he quickly snapped himself out of it, vaguely noticing that she had been looking at him, too. She was the first to speak as she smoothed down her ruffled hair.
"Wooh! Well, that was graceful. Guess I should really watch where I go. Uhm, thanks for the help- I mean, I'm not done yet, don't let go… I mean, not that you would, surely you're not that stupid. Of course, you're not stupid at all, but… well, I don't even know you, so how would I know if you are- not that there is anything wrong with stupid people! I mean, I'm not calling you…" He could only chuckle at her rambling, regretting that he would have to interrupt her if they were ever going to get her out of the trap.
"Hey," he said, and she stopped, blushing. "Are you okay?" She quietly nodded and returned his smile. He remembered the rope around her ankle and moved the arm under her knees down, to undo the knot.
He jumped down from the table and placed her back on her feet, somehow missing the light weight in his arms.
"Well, thanks for the help anyway." He put the table back against the wall and she put the vase of flowers on top, taking a moment to fuss over them before turning back to him.
Remembering himself, he performed a slight bow as he introduced himself. "Prince Adgar, of the kingdom of Corona." She smiled, curtsying in response.
"Princess Idun, of Arendelle. Sorry about the whole 'having to rescue me' thing, it actually happens a lot. I mean, not having to get rescued, just my brother pulling pranks on me. We have this thing going on; see who gets the last laugh, 'n stuff." He almost chuckled. Could this girl be any more random?
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard his sister calling his name. He smiled and held out his arm for the princess. "Shall we, then?"
She responded with an amused smile, looping her arm through his, and they headed back up the corridor. She was about a head shorter him, and her hand simply fit comfortably in the crook of his elbow, her right also lightly touching his arm, making heat slightly rise to his face.
Entering the throne room, both their parents smiled politely at them, and he noticed the look his sister gave him, and even the little redheaded boy's muffled giggling.
"Ah, Prince Adgar. I see you have already met my daughter," the King smiled, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Adgar frowned, confused.
"King Ronald, Queen Meredith," the King addressed his parents. "I present my lovely daughter, Princess Idun of Arendelle." The princess removed her hand from his arm for a moment, curtsying.
"Your Majesties." His parents each offered a polite nod in response, true to form not even smiling. Her hand rested back on his arm as if it was the most natural thing in the world, not going unnoticed by him, or her parents.
"Well," her father continued. "I assume neither of you have any objections about the arrangement?" The princess frowned in confusion at the same time as him, and he was the first to speak up.
"Uhm, I'm sorry, I'm confused. Which arrangement?" The king suddenly smiled widely at them. "Why, dear boy," he grinned, formalities long aside. "She is the princess, and the one you are betrothed to!"
He felt the blood draining from his face at those words, and he immediately looked down at her, her doing the same. He felt like hitting his head against a pole, or something. How could he have been so stupid?!
She was the princess! The one he was to marry! The one he was going to be living with for the rest of his life, the one he was going to see every single day of the years to come!
Oh shit.
AN: So sorry about the crappy cover pic! My computer had a virus and I had to reinstall Windows, so I lost Photoshop! I'm almost done with chapter two, so I should be uploading that soon. Hope you enjoyed it so far, I totally love this pairing!
!Watcha!