Due to incessant public demand to post this fic again, I'm finally bringing it back from the dead. Here you go, folks! Thanks to those who sent me their copy of this fic!
Since I enjoyed putting my own spin on Romantically Speaking, I've decided to do my own spin of 'The Prince and Me', starring Julia Stiles. Brittana style, of course. I'm just borrowing the major premise and a few details but other than that, it's my own version of the story. No Quinn in this fic for a change, btw.
I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING. ENJOY!
Turn. Step back. Pirouette. Bow.
Brittany Pierce sighs deeply after executing what must have been her hundredth time of doing the same routine. She wipes the sweat off her eyebrows and heads for her water container to drink as much as she can. Just a little more, she thinks. Only a year left and she'll finally graduate with a degree in Dance from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Brittany walks over to the nearby window overlooking Manhattan and ponder what beholds her fate. It's a rough world out there and she's in competition with thousands of hopefuls who'd want to make it into the glamorous professional dancing scene of New York. For someone who came from a small town in Georgia and raised in a farm with a low-wage income, making rent and providing for herself is at the top of her list. Don't even get her started on how she's holding a death grip on her scholarship at that. If only she had a dollar to spare, she wouldn't have to work at least two jobs around her class schedule just to make ends meet. If only she were a princess, she'd never had to worry about these things.
She takes a deep breath and watches as the people of New York hustle and bustle in the streets. She needs to practice until everything is perfect, until her ankles give in just so she'd at least stand out from the pack of hungry wolves. She just needs to maintain her high grades, get her minors done, and create world-class routines that would satisfy her demanding and perfectionist professors. All she has to do is be in control of everything then hit it out of the park with her routines and auditions and hopefully, she'll be inducted and taken in by the dance company of her dreams.
She takes one last swig from her water bottle and puts it down to prepare for one last go in perfecting her routine.
Just a little more, Britt. Just a little more, she thinks.
Push. Glide. Kick. Breathe.
The late afternoon breeze and cold waters of the lake doesn't faze Santana in the slightest bit as she goes for her tenth lap in the past hour. The only sound she could hear is the splashing of the water and the pace of her breathing. It's moments like this that she craves for, moments like this that she'd wish not to end, moments of being alone that could only be attained rarely in her life.
Upon finally reaching a huge rock that purposefully holds up a bridge, she takes a moment to catch up on her breathing just in time for the sun to fully set in her line of vision. It's her favorite time of the day, or rather, night. It signifies the nearing end of a never-ending day of fulfilling responsibilities, relentlessly doing what other people asks of her, and moreover, the end of pretending to be someone she's not. Just a little more, she thinks.
She sighs deeply at the never-ending thoughts clouding her mind when the sound of a car's roaring engine registers in her ears. She glances behind her and notices a black Rolls Royce slowly trekking the pavement leading towards the lake. Knowing exactly who it is, she hesitantly swims back to the shoreline. Briefly, she emerges from the waters dressed in a one-piece swimsuit and walks towards Prince, a black hair coat Thoroughbred horse with a brown tack, her personal horse given to her as a gift when she was only seven. She greets the horse by gleefully petting his hair then dries herself off with the towel draped by the saddle while waiting for the car to finally reach her spot.
"I was actually expecting for you to find me much earlier." Santana exclaims with a slight grin when a man, dressed formally in a suit with a Hippo brooch and his hair slicked back, emerges from the driver's seat.
"I would have if I started my adventures here, the lake two miles from the Palace, rather than the park on the other side of town and the other lake you frequent to at the farther end." He replies with a bored tone as he grabs the towel from the brunette's hands. "But then again, you wouldn't make my job easier even if you wanted to."
"Wouldn't have it any other way, Kurt." Santana retorts with a smirk, putting on loose sweatpants and an oversized gray hoodie. "So, how angry are they this time?"
"Let's see…" Kurt trails off and pretends to think about it as he holds the backseat door open. "It's already 6:45pm and the dinner party is due to start in fifteen minutes. Of course, we shouldn't disregard the fact that everyone is now dressed and situated at the waiting room while you are neither ready nor there."
"Dios mio. You make it sound more boring than it already is, Hummel. It's a bunch of boring, old people smooching off me and exaggerating their boring accomplishments. Did I mention boring?"
"Not quite enough for your taste, I think."
"I'm really glad I have you around to deliver such groundbreaking, exciting things like this to me." She replies sarcastically.
"Well, if you don't get in, there will be no one 'to have around'." Kurt flashes her a warning look by motioning to the open door, something the latter brushes off.
"What if I don't want to?" Santana teases with a smirk.
"Then let me just take off my shoes and I'll swim towards the deepest part of the lake. Probably recite a Shakespeare sonnet as I wait to drown."
Santana laughs at the statement, still ignoring Kurt's plea to enter the car. She gets on the horse's saddle instead and grab the reins to motion the horse to face the other side, throwing Kurt a huge smirk.
"Race you!" She declares with a wink before hastily going off.
Within a few minutes, Santana arrives at her destination with Kurt trailing closely behind. She doesn't even get a few seconds to bid her horse goodbye when she is quickly ushered to prepare by the tons of familiar faces she's always surrounded with in times like this.
Momentarily, Santana finally emerges from the dressing room, in a bit of a daze, dressed in a long-sleeved formal dark green laced dress that stops a few inches above the ground, dark green heels, her dark brown hair laid down but slightly curled at the ends, and light makeup to highlight her features.
"We're already 10 minutes late. Where is she, Ricardo? She's always late!" Maribel, Santana's mother, angrily whispers while pacing back and forth.
"I'm here!" Santana declares just as she enters the waiting room where her family is situated, her parents with obvious displeased faces while her younger brother is relaxing by the sofa playing with his phone.
Her father stands up from his seat and shakes his head upon seeing her. "Where have you been, Santana?"
"Around." She answers in a dismissive tone before being approached by two women who hurriedly makes sure that she's ready to go while another woman puts a necklace from behind her.
"This is getting out of hand! You should know better, Mija-" Maribel trails off with the same irate tone when Santana cuts her off.
"Please. I'm here now, Mother." She mumbles and earns a hard glare from both of her parents who promptly dismisses her by taking their positions in line.
"Santana!" Diego, her 12-year old brother with black hair and brown eyes, dressed in his formal red military guard attire comes running to the brunette and hugs her tightly.
"Diego, you look dashing! Ready to go?" Santana exclaims with a huge smile, placing a kiss on her brother's forehead. Diego nods with a grin and excitedly stands beside his sister on her left.
"Uhmm… Your-" A small woman catches Santana's attention on her right by holding up the most important piece of headgear to complete her attire. Santana doesn't speak and only motions for the woman to put it on her without any hesitation.
Santana takes another deep breath this time as she and Diego take to their assigned positions a few feet behind their parents, giving her brother a smile in the process. Within a few seconds, three banging sounds go off and the tall oak doors open to unveil a short corridor leading to a wide white staircase with presumably dozens of VIP at the bottom waiting for them to descend.
Another day of endless conversations. Another day of hiding her true self. Another day of taking on a role she sometimes wished she never had.
"His Majesty, the King. Her Majesty, the Queen. His Royal Highness, Prince Diego…" The loud voice announces.
"Her Royal Highness, the Crown Princess." The voice adds just in time for Santana to assume her role as she emerges from the room.
"Hey, Britt!" Mercedes, Brittany's roommate, greets her from the living room of their apartment in Bushwick.
"Hi." Brittany mutters with her forehead creased together as she shuts the door behind her.
"Ooh… Rough day?"
"Let's see… I was at the dance studio the whole morning to teach two classes and practice a few of my own routines. Then I went straight to the café just in time to cover the lunch crowd and do my 10-hour shift because as it turns out, we're short of two people who called in sick at the last minute." Brittany pauses. "What else? Oh, an 80-year old woman asked me to return her cappuccino thrice because apparently, scalding lava levels of heat isn't hot enough. Someone smashed a glass that I had to take care of in the middle of our rush hour. There's also that part where at least three tables with egotistical men in them kept on bugging me to come back to their table for the most mundane things and asked for my number incessantly. And oh, I was shouted at least twice tonight for reasons that were out of my control!"
Mercedes shakes her head in disbelief. "And that would be a yes."
Brittany relaxes her back against the sofa and takes a deep breath. "Argh! I'm so stressed out, Cedes. I just want classes to start already so I can go back to my work-rehearse-sleep routine. I need to let loose or maybe sleep for at least a day, you know."
"Maybe you just need to get laid?"
Brittany gives her friend a look then playfully rolls her eyes. "Maybe. But nope. I gotta make the bucks and I have to prepare for the assignment on my first day next week then-"
"Okay, okay! That's it!" Mercedes exclaims, throwing her hands up in emphasis. "We are going out tonight, okay? You will drink and we're going to take at least five shots each!"
"No, I ca-"
"It's on us and I won't take no for an answer, Britt. Now, go get ready while I call all the other girls. Scram!" Mercedes adds and pushes the blonde to her room.
"Artie proposed to me last night and I said 'yes'!" Tina exclaims while holding out her hand for everyone, earning collaborative cheers from her friends in the table.
"Oh gosh! Congratulations!" Mercedes exclaims.
"This is great! I'll get us some shots!" Sugar excitedly chimes in and scurries away.
"Yeah, that's wonderful!" Brittany declares with a wide grin followed by a subtle sigh.
She's known her friends ever since she moved to New York three years ago. They all hit it off instantly even if they're pursuing different courses in NYU and now, it's a little bittersweet that everyone's growing up and they're all almost about to graduate. Brittany found roommates in her friends with Tina only moving out a few months ago while Sugar has her own apartment. They've become her family over the years and she can't be anymore thankful for them. An engagement news like this, no matter how bittersweet, is something to celebrate indeed.
It's just that, sometimes, when Brittany's alone at night after a long, hard day, she thinks about the future and the inevitable concern that comes along with it. Maybe she's just being too obsessive about the whole thing by wanting it to be perfect and for everything to go according to her plan. Oh, and her romantic life. It has been a while since she's gotten close to someone in that way.
"Alright. I've got twenty Jello shots coming right up and a bottle of Grey Goose and Patrón to go with it. I'm paying so order anything and everything you want. We're gonna get thrashed, bitches!" Sugar exclaims much to everyone's cheers except Brittany's.
"Oh. No, no, no! I can't, guys. I have an early morning class to give tomorrow at the studio and I've got to finish up my routine for my first class next week."
"Oh, stop it! Seriously, Britt! We're going to celebrate my engagement tonight!" Tina chimes in with a hand to stop Brittany from talking.
"Hey guys!" Ken Tanaka, the owner of the college bar, comes over to bring them their orders. "I heard Tina's engaged, so first round shots are on me. Congratulations!"
"Aww! Thanks, Ken!" Sugar and Tina say in almost unison.
"Oh yeah, Brittany." He calls out and the blonde looks at him with both eyebrows raised. "Do you want back on the rotation like Tina?"
"Yes, definitely!" Brittany utters excitedly. "Can I start Wednesday next week?"
"Nope. Monday." Ken retorts instantly.
"Wednesday?"
"Monday, Brittany."
"Alright, Monday it is. Thanks, Ken!" The blonde nods with a wide grin before Ken excuses himself. "This is good! Now, I'll just have to put my energy into rehearsing and make sure I get in the dance company-"
"You'll get in!" Her friends exclaim in unison with a knowing look at her.
"I don't know, there's still that Spanish Art class I have to get and my last elective this year then-" She whispers to herself.
"Britt, really stop it now! You're talking to yourself again!" Sugar adds with an irate tone.
"Yes, one more talk about school or work and you're taking three consecutive shots!" Mercedes quips with a big smirk on her face.
"No way! I have continuous shifts at the café for the last few days-"
"Oh! That's it! Drink up, Britt!" Tina eagerly cries out, sliding over three Jello shots towards Brittany's way while the others egg her on.
"N-No, I-"
"Alright, it's four shots now! Bargain is ten shots or no dice." Sugar smirks. Brittany sighs and playfully rolls her eyes at them, finally relenting as she grabs the first shot in her hand.
"You guys are such royal pains!" Brittany exclaims in a jest while shaking her head in amusement.
"Did you read all the prepared research materials?" Ricardo speaks up as he and Santana, who's dressed elegantly in a white dress, make their way towards the royal chambers where they will be opening a Cabinet meeting with the Prime Minister of Spain and a few more members of the party.
"Si, papá."
"Santana, I hope you understand that you are Princess of Asturias. The presumptive heir and first in the line of succession to the Spanish Throne. You are the Crown Princess, Mija. Someday you will become the 25th ruler of Spain, a role that you should not be taking lightly."
"I do know that, father."
"The monarchy still requires the participation of the King or Queen in the workings and decisions of the government." Ricardo stops in his tracks to face Santana, a stance she mirrors like Kurt and the security guards behind them. "That is why when I ask you if you are prepared, it is not an insignificant question."
Santana sighs deeply and just nods in recognition. "I'm prepared, papá."
Ricardo only gives his daughter a look before continuing his way towards the chambers with the entourage behind them. The tall, wide doors of the chambers open to unveil a room filled with stacks of books from floor to ceiling, housing every book imaginable in them.
"His Majesty, the King." The loud voice that announces their presence wherever they go resonates in the room. Upon hearing it, everyone seated inside the chambers stand up and face the entrance where Ricardo walks in first.
"And Her Royal Highness, The Princess of Asturias."
Santana grits her teeth and shares a look with Kurt before walking inside herself, being welcomed by Prime Minister David Martinez, looking like a top model in his suit with the white teeth and natural good looks, himself who holds out a hand for her to shake.
"Prime Minister Martinez." She adds courteously with a forced grin while shaking his hand.
"Your Royal Highness." He echoes back and politely motions for her towards the long table with all the Cabinet members in their suits and dresses waiting for her.
"Ladies, Gentlemen." She greets with a small smile and takes her seat on her father's right, the others following her stead.
"Well then, let's get started." Ricardo exclaims with a slight nod.
"I don't see why a six percent increase in pay would be damaging at all to the corporations. That's barely making a profit for the union as well." David Martinez reasons out.
"But that's bad faith!" The Secretary of State answers back.
"Look, we'd need to agree on something here so the two sides can finally get together or there would be nothing to negotiate." Martinez adds with a shrug.
"That's blackmail! We can't…" Secretary retorts only for Santana to block out all the voices she's hearing.
This is just boring her to the point of madness. They have been on the same topic for an hour now and it's all going around in circles. This is what she hates the most, being dragged to pointless meetings of clashing egos and one-upping the other all because someone's getting the bigger money. It's stupid. It's supposed to be for the betterment of the people, not these assholes.
She sighs deeply and relaxes against her seat, turning over a new page in the notepad in front of her to start drawing something again. Perhaps a lion this time. She looks up again and watch the two men still fighting about interests and fees when upon subtly rolling her eyes, her gaze focuses on a blonde woman who must be in her early thirties seated across the table on the right side staring back at her.
Santana would usually just ignore stares like that since she's used to it by now but something about the way this blonde woman is eyeing her up suggestively stops her from looking away. The blonde subtly smirks at her which takes her aback but instead of brushing it off, she smiles back as well until she hears Kurt clearing his throat from behind her. She instantly sits up straight at the notion, done so many times by her trusted assistant as if to signal her to become aware of her surroundings. Except this time, it's the sudden awareness that's she's not out.
Being gay.
It's a foreign concept to her. She can't say it out loud for fear that other people might hear it and with her already wicked reputation in the media and press for acting recklessly as a royal with all the indiscretions, you can just imagine what could happen. Her family knows about her being gay and in a way, they've accepted her except for the little fact that she can't come out for fear that it may ruin the royal family. Her family. It keeps Santana awake at night, actually. Imagining just how big of a news and shock it would be to the world to witness the first lesbian Royal Princess come out when, and if, the time comes and even more so, she ascends to the throne and become Queen someday.
Only five people know about her being gay, including her and her assistant, Kurt. Unlike her parents who refuse to bring it up though, Kurt, however, is the only one she can talk to with these kinds of things, at least on the rare occasion that she feels like it. She can't be thankful enough for her assistant's hard work and patience even if she causes him the worst migraines.
Kurt Hummel has been her assistant for almost five years now. Santana was assigned before with a much older assistant but when that failed, Kurt came along at the right time to apply for the job when he moved to Madrid from the US for a change of scenery. One thing that made him stood out was his vibe of treating Santana like a normal person and not one of those people who'd just eat out from the palm of her hands. There's mutual respect between them. He's not afraid to call her out sometimes and he's openly gay as well. Something that makes Santana know that she's not alone in this world, something that comforts her that someone can understand what she's going through somehow.
But like Santana's parents' words, the knowledge of her being a lesbian has to be kept under wraps. Hence, Kurt's clearing his throat when he presumably witnessed the flirty gesture between the princess and the random blonde. Santana knows that she can't create even the lightest of smoke because then, that would lead to a fire. God knows what it's going to burn along the way if she let that happen.
"Santana?" Ricardo calls out and gets Santana off of her thoughts. "I was just asking you about what you think is the best remedy?"
Santana blinks repeatedly just as she feels all eyes are on her. "Uhmm… I-I'm sorry. What topic are we on right now?" She trails off with a panic-stricken face. "I-I was caught up." She adds and hastily closes the notepad in front of her before staring back at the men. The Prime Minister and Secretary of State sigh heavily and share a knowing look while her father only shakes his head.
"I don't understand why I have to go on those stupid meetings!" Santana angrily exclaims upon entering her personal recreational room in the Palace.
"Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that, how do I put it, you're going to be Queen someday?" Kurt replies with a sarcastic tone, grabbing Santana's coat from her body.
"Well, that must be it!" Santana retorts with an eye roll, taking off her heels one by one as she walks towards the sofa in front of the flat screen while Kurt goes on to pick them up and organize everything for her. "Argh! It's so frustrating, Kurt! You're very lucky you are not me. Sometimes I wish I'm not a princess."
"I'll be more than happy to switch sides with you any day or night, Your Highness."
Santana shakes her head in frustration. "I feel so stuck! And after what happened last night and today then all those false reports? Shit. I'm bound to get a speech from my parents later. Maybe I should leave Spain for a while and do something refreshing." She mutters and turns on the television just in time for a well-known US show featuring a gay lawyer to appear on screen.
"Ah. Refreshing. Let's see... We can always go to Ibiza and meet your friends for a week of endless partying. How about Paris to eat those thousands of dollars worth of salad? Or travel to Vegas and drop a few hundred thousand dollars at that newly opened casino?" Kurt rambles on, handing Santana her phone while he's at it.
"No! We've already done those before! I need something new!"
"What kind of 'new' are we particularly leaning to?"
"Somewhere that would make me feel free. A place where I don't have to pretend to be someone I'm not. Somewhere that I'll be accepted and possibly even be anonymous to everyone." She mutters with a sad tone that Kurt instantly recognizes.
"Your Highness-"
"I know. You don't have to remind me, Kurt. I'm a princess, I know." Santana snaps back. She rubs her temples and sighs deeply while focusing her eyes on the screen. She watches how the people in the show don't seem to have a care in the world about the character's sexuality and how they actually only care about him as a human being, a friend. It's a thought to behold, that's for sure.
"Hey, Kurt. Have you ever been to New York?"
"I believe once or twice before, Princess."
Her eyes glance at a fictional New York city as the backdrop of the show and thinks that the place is nothing but perfect. She'd never been there but as far as she can recall with the countless stories her friends have told her over the years, the people of New York are rude, ignorant, and just generally apathetic. But the thing is, they don't care whether you're straight or not. They don't judge you for being who you are. The city is brimming with people of different walks of life and that's the best part about it.
"Huh." Santana nods and subtly smiles to herself. Maybe that's what she needs. That's exactly what she needs.
"New York?" Maribel exclaims with a questioning look directed at Santana. "You want to stay in New York?"
"Yes!" Santana happily utters. She glances around the library where only she, Kurt, Diego, and her parents are all situated before taking a sip of her tea from the coffee table.
"And why there, Mija?" Ricardo chimes in before coughing loudly and violently, quickly motioning for a glass of water from Santana.
"Papá, are you alright?" Santana worriedly comes to her father's side in a hurry. Ricardo waves a hand in disregard after drinking enough water.
"Si. The tea must have irritated my throat. Don't worry about me." He utters with a small smile and motions for Santana to continue. The brunette hesitantly nods and goes back to her seat.
"Because I've never really spent that much time in North America and I'd rather go to the heart of the country where I can meet ordinary citizens." Santana pauses. "It's perfect. I need some time away from all the media scandals about me and New York is a place where no one would even recognize me in the slightest. People wouldn't care who I am."
"I'm going to miss you, Santana." Diego voices out from the lounge seat beside her with a slight pout.
"I'll miss you too, Diego." Santana chuckles and ruffles his hair in the process.
"And what exactly are you going to do in New York?" Ricardo chimes in with an unsure look.
"I could study again for the meantime. I heard that New York University's Tisch School of the Arts has an interesting curriculum in my field of choice and a wide variety of extracurricular activities. It's an institution and getting a double degree in exchange for not getting into trouble is a good deal any day for me."
"This is outrageous, Santana!" Maribel quips with a look of disbelief.
"Why not, Mother? I see this as an opportunity to branch out."
"Oh, Mija, please." Maribel sighs deeply, making Santana frown, as she takes out a few newspapers with Santana's face in the headlines, each and everyone showcasing a certain indiscretion. "This is just one in a series of your escapades. Have you seen these?"
Santana grits her teeth. "I-I have but-"
"You want us to let you go to New York, a trip that we will be paying for, in exchange for all these indiscretions? It's all something we finance which so far has inevitably ended up with you in some tabloid, embarrassing us then forcing you to hide in the Palace again until you convince us you have to go and find yourself yet again." Maribel pauses and holds up a few ones. "Incessant partying. Sudden absences from your responsibilities. Getting drunk to the point of unconsciousness. Womanizing ways." Maribel scoffs.
"If I'm such an embarrassment then just cut me off." Santana mutters with a hard tone, earning a glare from her mother. "I don't care if you do. I want to go and I'm going."
"You should let Santana go, Mami. I can always cover for her." Diego interjects, throwing Santana a knowing glance.
"Not now, Diego!" Maribel warns him then glares back at Santana. "What is it that you really want with your life, Santana? Dios mio, por favor! Tell us!"
"I just want to feel like a normal human being for once, Mother! I want to fall in love, not be followed by cameras every single minute of my life, and maybe have real friends who would still care for me even if I'm not a royal! I just want to be free and not hide who I truly am even for just a day in a place where I'll be embraced for being different!" Santana furiously sneers, catching everyone in the room aback. "You have no idea how hard it is to go about my life trying to live a lie like this. You and I both know that half of what the media writes isn't even true. They just want to cook up something! Do you really believe that crap about me cozying to those men in the slightest even if you know the truth about me?"
"Santana-" Ricardo trails off sympathetically but gets cut off by Santana.
"No! I'm so done with this!" Santana glares back at her Mother. "You said that you accept me for who I am but clearly you don't! All you care about is your stupid reputations and what the royal family's image is! I'm gay and it's about time you accept it!" Santana seethes and starts to walk away. "I don't need your help at all. I require neither your permission nor your money. I'm going to New York and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"
"Mija-" Maribel exclaims.
"I will do this on my own, Mother!" Santana shouts back, shutting the door behind her in the process.
"You shouldn't be too hard on her." Diego frowns at them. He gets up from his seat and follows after Santana.
Ricardo and Maribel share a guilty look, almost sighing deeply at the same time. "Let her go. Santana's right, we don't know how she feels. Maybe she needs this for herself." Ricardo voices out.
Maribel breathes deeply and shakes her head in disbelief prior to speaking up. "Kurt?" The latter hurriedly walk towards her in recognition. "Go with Santana and keep an eye on our daughter. I worry about her."
"M-Me, Your Majesty? But I don't think I'm fit to look after the Princess when there are others who-"
Maribel only sighs and gives Kurt a look, something he immediately relents to out of fear or respect for the Queen by bowing his head down in compliance.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will arrange for our departure immediately."
A/N: I'm going to write this on the fly since I wasn't intending on posting it again. So, please bear with me. I'll most likely update every Saturday too.
For questions, particularly the Guest reviewers, you can address them on my tumblr (kpgleek13*tumblr*com) so I can directly answer everything you wish to know :)