Arcadia

The sound of a wagon made me look up from where I was collecting the chickens' eggs. In the distance, approaching my home, was a wooden wagon with some of the king's men. My heart began to pound in my chest as I was on the verge of panicking. I rushed to my house, setting the basket of eggs on the table.

I heard the wagon getting closer and closer, my heartbeat growing faster and louder with every passing second. Please pass by the house. I silently prayed. Please don't stop here.

But the wagon stopped outside the house and I held my breath, listening as one of the men knocked on the door that Father answered.

"How may I help you?" Father asked.

"Are there any young women here between the ages of fourteen and eighteen?" the guard asked.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Father nod. "Yes, there is. May I inquire why you are asking?"

"By the king's orders, we are to take any girls between those ages to the castle."

Father nodded and allowed two of the men to enter the house where they immediately spotted me in the kitchen, busying myself with washing the dishes. I didn't make eye contact as they walked closer to me.

"Ma'am?" the first guard asked. I looked into his green eyes. "You'll have to come with us."

I put down the cloth I was using to help wash the dishes and shook my head as I stepped back. "I don't want to go."

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice." the man said, grabbing my upper arm rather roughly. I struggled in his grip as he dragged me towards the door.

I screamed, trying to free myself. The other knight grabbed my other arm, helping in taking me outside. They threw me in the wagon alongside other girls and boys. Everyone chatted excitedly. Except one. He had auburn hair and hazel eyes. He didn't say anything. Just watched me.

I sat in silence as the wagon made its way towards the castle. The guards helped me out of the wagon once it had stopped before helping the others out. I didn't look up at the royal home. I was too angry and upset at what just happened to notice the beauty of the palace. Most people would dream of living in the castle, but not me. I was content to stay on the farm with my family. I already missed Father, Mother, Deene, and Netis. I already missed the woods, the constant clucking of the chickens, the horses, the feel of my bow in my hand, and the paper of my favorite book back at home. Instead, I stayed focused on my shoes that peeked out from under my brown skirt.

We were led into the servant's part of the castle. A woman with silver hair pulled into a bun and electric blue eyes gave each of us new clothes and introduced herself as Jasmine. We were separated and told to change. Reluctantly, I changed into the pale blue dress. The sleeves stopped at my wrists and the skirt ended at my ankles. A braided brown belt wrapped around my waist and then part of the belt reached the bottom of the dress in the front. I was given blue flats that were a size too big. I braided my hair, not wanting it down and in my face.

I didn't think it would go like this. I certainly didn't want this. I would rather have stayed with my family. But, as usual, I didn't have a choice.

I met up with the rest of the girls who had been on the wagon with me. They chatted excitedly while I looked at the ground, unknowingly playing with the necklace around my neck; a nervous habit of mine.

And then, the chatter ended and I looked up as four people entered the room. I immediately averted my gaze when I saw it was the royal family coming to inspect us and decide where we would work.

The king and his queen stayed near the door, talking to Jasmine while the other two, whom I assumed were the princes, studied us. The older brother pulled a girl out of the line. She had strawberry blonde hair and hazel eyes. The sleeves of her forest green dress ended at her elbows. She was stunningly beautiful and could have easily passed as a princess.

The other prince just walked back and forth in front of us. My heart began to beat faster the longer I stood there.

"Well, Armin?" the queen called. "You need to hurry up and choose someone as your personal maid." My heartbeat grew faster and louder. I felt like I couldn't breathe.

Please, not me. I silently prayed. Please don't pick me.

Prince Armin, as the queen had called him, stopped in front of me. I held my breath, my heart feeling like it was going to explode in my chest at any minute.

No... please. Please just keep walking. I squeezed my eyes shut, afraid of what would happen next.

"I'll take her," Armin said, and I swore my heart stopped.

No... I couldn't believe this.

This was not happening.

The king, queen, and the oldest prince with the girl he chose from the line left and Jasmine dismissed the others.

"Go to the kitchen." She ordered. "We'll assign you to a job there." The girls left in a hurry and I remained standing there, wishing more than ever that I could disappear.

"Follow me." Armin turned and began walking.

I hesitated for a moment following the tawny blonde-haired prince. His strides were long and I almost had to jog to keep up. He glanced back and noticed that I was struggling to keep up. He slowed his pace, allowing me to ease into a comfortable stride.

"What's your name?" he asked, glancing at me with his sea green eyes.

I hesitated before answering, "Arcadia."

"Arcadia..." he mused. "That's an interesting name."

"Um... thank you?" I wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not.

"I meant that as a good thing." He said, turning to look at me.

I looked down at my moving feet. I was very shy around people I didn't know. I normally didn't talk all that much, but a question nagging at the back of my mind made me ask, "Why did you pick me?"

Armin sighed. "To be honest, you made me curious. The others smiled and tried to grab my attention by paying attention to me. They do this to get out of getting less pleasant jobs. You didn't do this, and that made me curious."

We began climbing a set of stone stairs. "Glad I could pique your curiosity."

Armin chuckled. "And here I thought you were shy."

"I am," I muttered, still watching my feet.

Armin stopped outside a door and I almost ran into him. Thankfully, I stopped myself in time. He opened the wooden door and stepped inside the room, gesturing for me to follow. I nervously followed him into the room.

A giant canopied bed sat against the far wall. A dresser was against the wall next to a giant window where the golden curtains were covering it. A fireplace was across the room from the bed with two chairs in front of it. A desk and chair were near the dresser. A circular table and two chairs next to it were also present in the room. Two glass doors with curtains drawn over them led out onto a balcony.

"To be honest, I didn't want a maid. I'm perfectly capable of doing everything myself but Father and Mother don't seem to understand that. They insisted that I pick a maid out of the new group of girls coming to work here. I highly recommend that you do the chores given to you. If you don't, you might be whipped and I hate having to know someone goes through that. The simple things you'll be doing are making the bed, straightening the room, and anything else I ask you to help with. Can you do that?"

I nodded. "That doesn't sound too hard. So what do you need me to do first?"

"Mother wants me to write a paper about the history of the kingdom. She says that it's important for me to understand our kingdom. I was supposed to do research for it last week but Father thought a hunting trip was a better idea. So now I have to do the research this week. I'd like you to come with me to the library. I don't know how many books I will be carrying, and I might need your help."

"As you wish," I said with a grin.

Armin led the way out of the room and down the hall. After a long and silent walk, he finally stopped outside two wooden doors. He opened them and we stepped inside. I gasped at the sight. Thousands of books covered the shelves. A fireplace with chairs placed near it offered a place for readers to sit for hours. Armin must have noticed my astounded expression because he chuckled.

"I take it you like to read?"

I nodded. "I absolutely love books. I would often go into the woods at home and read for hours."

"Why don't you find a book you like and I'll call you when I need your help?"

"All right then." I left the prince by the door and strolled along the aisles, running my fingers along the spines of the books. I stopped when I saw the title of my favorite book sitting on the shelf. I ran my fingers along the golden letters that spelled out Free. I eagerly grabbed it off the shelf and stared at the deep red cover. This copy was a lot nicer than mine.

I walked over to the chairs by the fireplace and sat down in one, opening the book and beginning to read. My eyes scanned the text as my brain created images for the scenes in the book. I loved this book. I had read it over twenty times and knew every detail of the story and the events that take place in the adventure.

A hand touched my shoulder and I jumped. I looked to see Armin standing behind me.

"Didn't you hear me? I was calling for you," he said.

I quickly stood up. "I apologize. I didn't hear you."

"Obviously," he said, rolling his eyes. He noticed the book I had been reading. "Free? That's my favorite story."

"Mine, too," I said with a smile. I noticed the many books he held in his arms and I moved to take most of them from him. "Wow. That's a lot of books. Are all of these for your research?"

"No," he began walking out of the library. "A few of them are books that I'm interested in reading. If I spent all my time reading the books for my research, I fear I may go mad."

I laughed at his joke. We soon arrived at his room and I placed the books on his desk. "Anything else you need?"

"A glass of water, please." he requested.

I nodded, slightly surprised by the "please" part. I had always thought that those who were part of a royal family were stuck-up and arrogant. Obviously, I was wrong. I left the room and made my way down the stairs, retracing my steps from earlier this morning to find the kitchen.

Once I found it, I pushed open the wooden door. Walking in, being careful so as not to bump into anything or anyone. I found a pitcher of water and a glass. I carefully filled the cup with water and then turned, only to have someone run into me, spilling flour on my skirt. I dropped the cup of water in surprise, spilling the contents onto my shoes. Feeling embarrassed, I picked up the cup and set it on a nearby counter.

"I am so sorry." a girl said.

I turned to see the person responsible for the flour on my clothes. This girl looked to be a year or two older than me. She had copper red hair done in a waterfall braid. Her steel blue eyes looked at me apologetically. She wore a white shirt with sleeves that ended at her elbows, a gray skirt, and a white apron.

"It's alright," I assured her. "No harm down." I poured water into the now empty cup and turned to leave.

Moving quickly up the stairs but being careful that I don't spill the water, I make it to Armin's room. I knock on the door and then hear him say, "Enter."

I open the door and walk over to the desk where was seated at. I set the cup down on the desk next to the pile of books. Armin glances at me before looking back at the open book in front of him. "Thank you."

I nodded. "Anything else?"

"Not at the moment." He closed the book and rubbed his temples, sighing. "You're dismissed for now."

I curtsied, like Father had told me to do if I ever met someone from the royal family, and left. I decided to explore the castle. I wandered around for a while, eventually getting lost. I'm not sure how, but I found myself outside in a garden. I sighed; this place reminded me of the forest back home. I knelt by a flowerbed of white roses. I had only seen white roses in the forest near my house. I gently touched one of the white petals.

A sad smile grew on my face as I thought about my family, the farm, and the woods I so loved to explore and roam free in.

Armin

After an hour of trying to do research, I gave up. I stood up and stretched before pacing around the room. I decided that some fresh air was what I needed and stepped out onto the balcony. My balcony was one of my favorite places to be since it overlooked the royal gardens. I looked down at the greenery outside.

I spotted a girl-Arcadia-sitting next to a patch of white roses, looking at them wistfully. Even from up here, I could see the single tear making its way down her cheek. She brushed it away before standing up and walking back into the castle. I returned to my studies despite a headache that I was getting from reading up on the history of my kingdom.

The door to my chambers opened and I turned to see Arcadia walk in, carrying a plate of food. She gave a quick curtsy before walking over to me and setting the plate down on the circular table.

"Jasmine told me to bring this to you," Arcadia explained.

"Thank you," I said, standing up. I walked over to the table and sat down in one of the chairs. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, I looked at Arcadia. "Do you enjoy riding horses?"

Author's Note

So sorry! It's been forever! Again, this story is one that I'm trying out. I don't how I'm doing with all of this. Sorry. If you have any suggestions for the story, PM me. I'd love to hear them. Thank you for reading!