Chapter 2

Princess Courtney

Thump. Thump! Her heart wouldn't stop hammering, and it was hard to breathe; she'd read in a book sometime in her life about anxiety. A rapidly beating heart and shortness of breath. She wasn't a psychologist, but she did believe she had come down with her case of anxiety and nervousness.

Her first reason for being anxious had to do with her meeting her new husband to be, that would be enough of a reason to be nervous, but for her, it wasn't. Having grown up as a princess, she always assumed she'd marry someone her father picked for her. The only one of her sisters thus far to have escaped an arranged marriage was her younger sister, Genevieve.

She supposed she should have been grateful for whom her father picked for her; prince Levi was the son of her father's dear friend. She'd even met him once, perhaps even twice, though if she had met him twice, the first time was back when she was too young to remember. Of course, the last time she traveled to Thraas was when her mother had still been alive. It was soon after she gave birth to the twins. She was eight; Prince Levi was almost ten. At the time, he'd seemed sweet, but she never considered him as a possible husband. Prince Levi was a family friend, and her father had never been wrong arranging a marriage before.

But that's really what frightened her. All her sisters had been married off to their perfect matches, their soul mates. What if she was the only one who couldn't fall in love with her prince? What if she lived the rest of her life unfulfilled? Her father had already chosen the wrong match for her once, back when King Edmond had fallen for Delia.

She didn't know if she could handle another repeat of that. Back then, she'd been happy for her sister and cheered at her wedding along with everyone else, but deep down, it hurt.

Ashlyn, Blair, and Delia couldn't come to Glidonia to meet Prince Levi. Genevieve and Derek were there beside her, and behind her was the rest of the unmarried sisters, Edaline (twenty-one), Fallon (twenty), the twins, Hadley, Isla (both sixteen), and her three youngest sisters, the triplets, Janessa, Kathleen, and Lacey (all eight years old). Genevieve offered her an encouraging smile. Edaline and Fallon nudged her gently, and she looked forward as her husband-to-be entered the room.

Prince Levi was certainly handsome. He looked like the sort of prince who came straight from her stories. Fallon didn't hide her gasp of pleasure very well when she saw the prince. He was tall, athletically built, with lovely grey-blue eyes and blonde curls that fell perfectly around his head. He was clean-shaven and had a face full of boyish youth, even though he was in his twenties. The more Courtney looked at him, the more her throat went dry, and she wished she had a book in her hands to ease her tension.

"Your Grace," said Prince Levi moving closer to meet his fiancé.

"I hope your ride was pleasant. Please, make yourself at home. Someone will take yours and your attendant's belongings to your rooms." Said, King Randolph.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Prince Levi said, sweeping into a bow. "My father wished he could have come, but he needed to stay in Thraas. He's disappointed, of course." Said, prince Levi.

"Ah, yes, I knew deep down he wouldn't be able to come, but I hoped he could," King Randolph said, bowing his head. "Is your father doing well? It's been far too long since I've seen him." Added Randolph.

"Far too long indeed, but you'll see him at the wedding, and he's doing well, Your Majesty." Prince Levi said.

"I'm glad." King Randolph smiled gently at the prince and then clapped his hands. "Allow me to introduce my daughter Genevieve and her husband, future king of Glidonia, Derek." The King gestured at the couple, who bowed.

Prince Levi bowed back. "An honor to meet you, highnesses," Prince Levi said.

"The honor is mine, your grace," Derek said. Courtney couldn't help but be slightly impressed with how he held himself. The lessons had been doing him good. King Randolph beamed at them.

"And now I shall introduce you to the one I'm sure you're most eager to meet," her father said. "Prince Levi, may I present my third eldest daughter, Princess Courtney." At the mention of her name, Courtney stepped forward.

Even though it was just a step forward, she still stumbled over her own feet. Her cheeks heated up automatically, but Prince Levi didn't seem to notice, to her relief. She curtsied before him and bit her lip but caught herself and stopped. She came back up.

"The pleasure is mine, your grace," she said. Her voice was shaking. She could both hear and feel it. She didn't dare look him in the face. I wish I were brave, like my sisters Genevieve and Blair would be handling this whole thing much better than I could. And Ashlyn… She'd be much more graceful.

"My lady," Prince Levi said and bowed low before her.

"A pleasure." A sudden surge of bravery caused her to lift her head. He smiled gently at her, flashing a mouth full of brilliantly straight, white teeth. Any jeweler would mistake them for pearls had they been anywhere but his mouth. He is so handsome she found herself a little lost. Courtney held in a gasp when the prince reached out and kissed her hand. Genevieve watched from the sidelines, still grinning encouragingly.

"Princess," the prince began. "If I could ask a favor so early on in our meeting…" he said. "What is it?" her voice squeaked.

"If you could call me by name," he breathed, looking in her eyes. "I'd be appreciative." Fallon didn't even hide her gasp of excitement from the group, but she was silenced quickly by Edaline. Isla whispered something in Hadley's ear that Courtney couldn't make out. The triplets said nothing, but she knew they were watching intently. Her head was swimming. She needed to pull herself together.

"Dear," her father's voice cut across to her.

"Yes!" She gasped. "My apologies, your –err, Levi. I'm afraid I've been distracted." She spoke.

He laughed good-naturedly, she noticed. He turned to her father and said: "If you don't have any objections, I'd like to spend some time with my bride-to-be." He asked.

"Only if she has any objections," said her father, and he looked at her expectantly.

"Not at all," Courtney said. "I'd be honored to spend time with my future husband." Said Courtney as her heartbeat sped up again when Prince Levi wrapped his arm in hers. He said his farewells to her sisters, and the two started to leave the room.

Genevieve placed a hand on her shoulder as Courtney went and offered her one more smile. It was incredible how such simple gestures could empower a person. Levi took her out to the castle's pavilion. Her heart ached with memories upon reaching it. In this place, her sisters and she spent their time dancing, back when they all lived together in the castle before her sisters had gone away and married. She recalled when she and her sisters were sent to a magical world left to them by their mother.

This was the only time she'd ever been a part of anything magical, and since she hardly read anything in her books about magic being honest, she was afraid to discuss it with the prince. He'd think she was crazy for sure.