I peeked around the corner and looked down the stairs that night at the guests below. My mother had told me to say out of sight of the knights and royal guests before someone came to tell me otherwise. I was supposed to make a grand entrance into the hall, since I was the most important person at the dinner. I was also supposed to do the same thing at the ball in the evening. So far this running away from royalty thing was not working too well.

I looked down at the guest talking and lingering amongst the hall, waiting for my arrival. All of them dressed up fancy garments and looking bored with the talk of politics and finances. As Kyle had warned me, it would most likely be the most boring night of my life.

I never was able to attend dinners and balls in Frell because Madame Shanodad always said I was an improper lady. I was locked in my room every time a guest arrived and the only way the townspeople knew me was because their children would play with me on the streets every morning and afternoon.

So far, none of the knights and other royal figures of the city had seen me except for the select few I met when I arrived.

I hurried back to my room, because I saw the butler coming up the stairs to get me. I sat on my bed and he knocked on my door.

The butler said, whom later I found out was named Jacobs, "Princess, your guests are expecting you in the hall at this time. You my come out now and make your way to the stairs."

I opened the door of my room and walked to the stairs. I crossed my fingers in hope of not screwing anything up. I turned the corner and stood next to the wall by the stairs and the announcer saw me nod my head.

He said, "It is my pleasure to introduce," and I walked to the top of the stairs, slowly and royal-like and when I made it to the stairs he said, "Her Highness, Princess Hailena Eleanor Charmont of Frell, Kyrria," he said and then some trumpets went off from somewhere.

I started to walk gracefully down the steps, trying to be careful not to fall flat on my face. I stared at all the smiling face before me. I saw Kyle in the middle of the room. He had turned around just as they called my name. I saw him and I smiled. He smiled back. I thought, "At least I wouldn't be the only one being tortured here."

As I walked down the steps I noticed that people were whispering to others. Then I noticed that it was only the people I had seen earlier talking to others I had not met yet.

I heard one of the knights I saw before say, "Isn't that the girl that beat up Sir Jonathan in the front hall this morning?"

I also heard my father say to the gentleman behind him that had spoken, "That's her. My daughter, the best fighter I've seen in a decade."

I walked to the bottom step and I curtsied slowly and gracefully to my mother and father. My father bowed low and slowly back to me and my mother curtsied fast and I knew she was struggling not to fall over. She had always told me about her hate for curtsies. I can't blame her, but I curtsied everyday in the kingdom when they left. It was a part of my training. I also tried practicing when I was in the forest and I got better.

I saw some young knights stare at me and a couple of ladies, which were family of the knights, give me jealous looks and I didn't blame them, either. I looked the best I ever had in my life.

I had decided on wearing a blue dress. Blue was never been my favorite color, but this dress looked beautiful for me. It was a royal blue dress with white lace at the sleeves, neck, and bottom. There was also lace in the middle between the skirt and the upper body. It was a perfect dress for that evening.

I walked with my mother and father towards the dinning table as everyone else did. It was weird having everyone wait at their chair to sit until we sat. Another knight, whom was sitting next to me, pulled out my chair for me to sit. I thanked him and sat down without falling into it like I used to do by myself at dinner in my room.

I was upset of the fact that Kyle was not seated next to me, but I knew that seating order was in best to last knight. Kyle was in the middle of the table and I was at the front.

I was surprised to see Sir Jonathan seated next to my mother across from me. His eye was black from where I kicked him. I mouthed sorry to him in the middle of dinner and he mouthed back that it was okay.

Dinner went on without any impoliteness from me. I was so happy that I didn't make a fool of myself. I didn't slump once or slurp soup.

Madame Shanodad would have said I was a perfect princess and I would have said that I was a china doll that happened to not look that pretty, but all of that was in the past now. Now I was a real princess and I wasn't a scrawny little girl anymore. I stared at the chicken on the plate in front of me. I hadn't eaten a good meal in five years. I was starved, but I acted like a lady and didn't dive in, though I really wanted to.

I looked up at my father when he spoke to me. He asked, "Hailey, our guests have been dieing to know how you survived in the forest for so long."

I smiled and said, "I guess you have to believe you can survive in order to do it, but it doesn't help to read fiction books that deal with people on deserted islands, though. Seems the people who wrote the books had some ideas on how to find water in an area that didn't have any. Creating water out of thin air."

Sir Jonathan said, "You can read? You've read books before?"

I was confused at first and said, "Sir Jonathan, you say that like you assume I am some sort of airhead Princess who does nothing but curtseying and needlepoint. I am not just concerned with hair and what the latest fashions are. I assure you that you are confused between my sisters and me."

Sir Jonathan seemed interested in this, "Not many princesses can read. It seems amazing that anyone let you."

I laughed and said, "No one let me. Sometime you have to take matters into your own hands with a little help from the head cook. Mandy seems to think there is some hope for the kingdom of Kyrria with how I was so eager to learn to read. My apologies to anyone in this room that thinks an intelligent princess is a bad one, but I happen to agree with Mandy. Everyone deserves an education, no matter who they are."

Sir Jonathan said, "Women should not learn to read. Wouldn't do any good to waste a tutor on someone who wouldn't use the education anyway."

Now I was getting really mad and my mother and father seemed to think the same because my mother started to twirl he napkin like she always did when anything upset her. She looked like she was going to pop. Sir Jonathan was not expecting what came next.

My mother said in her calm voice, "Sir Jonathan, you are excused from this table. I understand how you must be angry with my daughter for giving you that black eye, but that does not excuse you from being rude to the women at this table and many of the men here as well since I think they would agree that what you just said was an embarrassment to this entire kingdom. Come back when you have learned your manners."

Sir Jonathan sat with a look of shook on his face and he said, "You cannot treat me like a child, You Highness. I am a grown man and I know when I am being rude or not. I was just stating a fact."

My mother stared at him and said, "That fact was proven false. And in your case, you should not be treated like an adult, since you obviously act like a child. Leave this table." And with that, he left. He stood up and walked away.

I thought at that moment how he deserved that black eye. I didn't know why my parents kept him as a knight. He wasn't even that good of a fighter, either. He was just a rude, pompous jerk with a bad attitude and bad sense of manners.

Father knew he couldn't put Sir Jonathan on probation for that, but he told me later that he wished he had at least punished him somehow. Mother and father both agreed that he was the worse mannered man they had ever met. And I also agreed.

The dinner went on an on. I never thought it would end. After the conversation I had with Sir Jonathan, no one talked about anything other than politics. It was really boring. I didn't know anything about the politics in this town, so nothing really made sense, so I just sat there eating the entire dinner.

I looked over at Kyle and he seemed to be doing the same thing as me. He didn't seem to pay attention. That was probably why he never got to be head knight instead of his uncle, but it could also be because he was too young. He was only seventeen at the time and the cut off for head knights was twenty. I don't think my father wanted any younger knights dieing in battle with a whole life ahead of them.

The only other time I spoke was to the knight next to me. He said, "I'm sorry about Sir Jonathan's rudeness. He doesn't get out much. He has kind of a big head. He started to act like that when he got the head knight position."

I replied, "It's okay. I'm used to people treating me as a lower species. Never bothers me."

He looked surprised and said, "But you're the princess. I didn't think anyone had the courage to contradict a princess."

I laughed and said, "You apparently don't have any clue what I lived like before I ran away. You're living in dream world if you think I have never been beaten for something I never did or been forced to never eat for a week for doing nothing but telling the truth. I had never seen a day where I was listened to when I told the truth."

He looked at me with sad eyes, "I had no idea, Princess Hailena. No one told me how corrupt the kingdom has become since we left."

I smiled and said, "That's because no one knows. I haven't told my parents that the only reason I left was because I couldn't take the torture any more. I was a frightened little kid. Now I just want to go back and get my place in Frell back and kick Madame Shanodad and my brothers and sisters out."

He laughed and said, "I've seen your moves and I doubt they could beat you. I have never seen a knight been knocked on conscious by a fourteen-year-old princess in my life. It was quiet a show. I'm happy that it was Sir Jonathan that was hit."

I laughed and replied, "Thank you. I am happy that someone liked it. And what is your name, by the way?"

He said, "My name is Sir James. I believe you know my son Kylen."

"Yes, I met him this afternoon."

"He seems to like you. He says you are good company and I have to agree, your conversations and actions are never boring. You remind me of your mother, always making people laugh. It's a good talent."

I smiled and said, "Thanks," and dinner was over then. We were dismissed to get ready for the ball in two hours.

I had never been to a ball, but mother was happy to explain how it went and it seemed to be just like the dinner, boring, but with surprises here and there.

*Hope you liked the chapter. I never thought I would finish it, but I am happy that I did. Reply please. Sir Jonathan is a jerk. Lol. Let's burn him! Lol.