- Eris -

The training room was empty , no one but myself inside.

All of the other men resigned from training practice today, instead getting ready for the big event that was to be happening at our estate.

Just the thought of tonight's party made my stomach turn.

It took all of my willpower not to just gag and puke up all of my lunch on the clean floor. I could feel my emotions running rampant, most of it just anger...betrayal...bitterness.

Instead of yelling and taking it out on the room and other people , I focused on the practice dummies that was lined up in front of me.

They were tall and full of straw and stuffing , mainly designed for training with swords and bow staffs for the guards in training.

I was unaware of how many times my bow staff slammed against the dummy. I had lost track after 15, but counting was the least of my worries.

The party my father was putting on was to celebrate my arranged marriage with a prince from the land that was our ally in this war.

He had told me that it was for the good of the people and to win against the Ogres. He didn't even bother to ask me how I felt about the thing. It was because he wasn't thinking about me , he just wanted to win this war with as little bloodshed as possible.

He cares more for Belle, my sister. She was two years younger than I , and well pampered. Had it been her , he wouldn't of been so quick to find someone to send her off to.

It's because he doesn't approve of my behavior.

I spun the bow staff once and slammed the end against the dummy's head. It was very satisfying to hear the weapon make impact.

He hates that I'm participating in masculine activities.

Another strike to the dummy's torso.

It's not just about the wedding. He wants me to be a proper princess, following a man's word blindly. Sit still and look pretty.

With a yell, I forcefully rammed the bow staff through the dummy's torso, a little shocked at how much strength I had to do so.

Either it was worn out from previous activities, or I was just ridiculously strong for a girl.

Shut up , look and act pretty, and carry the next heir in line.

That was what he tried to instill into me. I wouldn't stand for it, not as long as I lived. The last thing I wanted was to be unequal to men. If anything , women should have as much say in the relationship as a man does.

No one here held that mindset. They were too much into the old way , where women were housewives and baby making machines and the men worked. It got me irritated, and frustrated , knowing that that's all they'll see in girls.

It was the society in which I was raised in. Nothing would change that , and nothing would change the way my father sees it.

I withdrew the bow staff and paused a moment to gather back the breath I had lost, pushing back my blonde hair that was now clinging to my forehead with sweat.

"I think that dummy's had enough of your torment."

Belle walked into the training room , her heels making soft clicks upon approaching me. I then turned to her, providing my attention. She was as beautiful as always , wearing a pale yellow dress with little sleeves that fell down her shoulders. A worn blue book was clutched into her hands.

She was completely opposite to me. I favored men's clothes over dresses , sparring and training over cleaning and cooking. Our appearances weren't even on the same level. She had a rosy glow to her cheeks that were just natural, and fair skin with beautiful brown curls for hair.

I was lighter skinned with hazel eyes and blonde curly hair that were a dark brown at the roots. Unlike Belle , who was kind and considerate, I was snippy and selfish.

Complete opposites.

"I'm angry and I needed an outlet that didn't involve beating our father's guards to death. Isn't that something to celebrate?"

I couldn't help the way my words held a bit of malice to them, my mood deeply reflecting in my tone of voice. This arrangement was not her fault, none of this was. She had tried everything to get me out of this marriage. I appreciated her for that.

"Well, I suppose it is," She commented shyly , pushing her beautiful brown curly hair back. I was envious of the way it just tumbled down her shoulders like a waterfall, picture-perfect.

While she stood there , I made quick haste to put away the dummies , along with the bow staff so none of the guards could complain about it being out of place.

More importantly , so they wouldn't snitch on my father about me engaging in a man's activity. There was no doubt they'd complain about the hole in the dummy.

That was my fault.

"If you're here to apologize , don't," I remarked. "Not even you can talk father out of this arrangement."

Belle sighed.

"I-I know that though I've tried talking with father already. I even pretended to have a serious illness but he didn't buy the act. He's refused to call this off."

I shrugged her off. "Don't worry about it Belle. To win the war yes?"

She didn't respond , not that I expected her to. Reaching up , I took my blonde hair down from its ponytail and scratched my roots to alleviate the pain in them. My hair always refused to be put up without it hurting.

"I'm going to get changed out of this before Father sees, okay?"

"Okay," Belle replied, stepping aside to let me through. "The prince is nice I've heard."

Without looking back, I threw both of my hands up in a shrugging position to let her know I didn't care.

Somehow I've managed to make it all the way to my room without being stopped or tattled on for being improper. I locked the gilded door to my room and started changing out of my old clothes.

I made sure to shove them into a neat pile at the bottom of my wardrobe in the corner so it wouldn't be noticeable by nosey helpers.

After many layers being thrown underneath the skirt , I secured the corset over the frilly white top, hooking it in the front and tightening it in the back with the cords. I had just decided on a baby pink dress to go over the white top and left it at that.

-; 。゚•┈┈┈┈┈୨ ୧┈┈┈┈┈•゚。

I released a pained grunt , feeling the corset that was on my torso getting tighter with each tug. The only good thing about wearing corsets was that it made my boobs look good, so I didn't complain.

"You should be so excited for tonight my lady," The old maid spoke , her tone warm and gentle while she tied off the strings to the corset. "You look absolutely beautiful."

"I should," I reply with a sigh. "But I don't. Thank you for getting me ready Maria."

I turned to face the old woman , taking her hand in mine to squeeze it with gratitude. She was always like a second mother to me , my original one dying when she gave birth to Belle.

"Now don't you worry about a thing sweetheart. Just enjoy yourself tonight okay?"

"I will."

Maria chuckled and released my hand to fluff up my little sleeves that were on my shoulders. The dress I was wearing was a pretty blue, iridescent covering the outside so it shimmered in the lighting.

The sleeves were puffy , little butterflies woven into the sleeves that covered the top half of the dress. There were about 5 layers of white skirting underneath the blue skirt, making the dress seem big.

My hair was pinned back in a half-style , curled and elegant where it fell down my shoulders. A dainty little white tiara rested among my blonde curls , tying off the look that screamed 'princess.'

"Come come , it's not nice to be late to your own engagement party," Maria scolded light-heartedly as she stepped away to open the door for me.

I bunched up the front of my dress and walked out of the room , down the hall to where the ballroom was at. I had to meet up with the prince before entering the room.

Surprisingly enough , this was the first time I had actually been able to look at him properly. The first time was merely a meeting and arrangement.

Now that I had gotten a look at him , he wasn't ugly. In fact, he was quite attractive for an older man. If I had to guess, I'd assume he was 25 at least.

He had a pretty defined jawline that was covered with the start of a beard. It was the kind of beard that wasn't unattractive. Brown doe eyes, dark eyebrows, tall with slightly long curly hair.

He was wearing a nice long sleeved white top with bell sleeves, and a dark grey buttoned up vest with dark blue detailing.

He was wearing dress pants and at his side was a sword. A grey formal jacket covered his body. Sitting on top of his head was a distinguished silver crown.

Not bad at all I must of admit. The man turned his eyes onto me and smiled warmly. He gave me a once over, chuckling afterwards.

"You look stunning tonight , princess Eris."

I couldn't handle compliments well. I grew rosy in the cheeks upon his praise and waved him off. "Thank you. You look handsome tonight as well , prince Drystan."

He smirked. "Just tonight?"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were flirting with me," I replied, nervously brushing back my hair. Drystan grinned and extended his arm , allowing me to loop mine in his.

"Well we're getting married. Is it not appropriate to flirt with my wife-to-be?"

My smile disappeared, the reality of this situation sinking back in. Right , I was to be married off to the prince , where the two kingdoms will ally against the Ogres to win the war. This was just a business arrangement per say , not because I was interested in him.

"I suppose it is."

The guards opened the door after getting the cue to do so, revealing the ballroom full of people in their finest clothes.

Half of the kingdoms showed up for this even , all parting on either side so Drystan and I could comfortably walk inside.

I clung onto his arm , the anxiety of being watched by all of these guests weighing in on me. I hated being the center of attention , having much rather just staying out of people's way and doing my own thing.

My father , Drystan's parents , and Belle were eagerly waiting to greet us on the steps leading up to the raised platform , where we would all sit.

They all smiled at us. My sister more so than the rest. I could see the way she gave a silent 'yay' and quietly clapped her hands.

I smiled. She was always the one to cheer me up, even on this dreadful evening. Once we made it up to our seat and turned to face the people , my father stood up with Drystan's parents to give their welcome speeches.

"Thank you everyone for showing up to this grand evening. Tonight is a night of celebration. It is my honor to put on this ball , to celebrate the engagement of my oldest daughter Eris , and her fiance , prince Drystan."

The ballroom all clapped in unison, making me want to roll my eyes but I stopped myself. To them , we were the perfect match.

On the outside , I seemed like a proper lady , but on the inside, I was screaming.

"We could not have picked a better woman for our son," Drystan's father spoke to the crowd. He turned to Drystan and I. "May your marriage be joyous and happy. Congratulations to the both of you."

Again , people clapped. Some gave shouts of congrats and joy, but it was all noise to me , ringing in my ear and out the other.

The clapping subsided ,and the music began. It was a beautiful mix of wind and string instruments , coming together to form the perfect music for waltzing.

Drystan turned to me. "Would you like to dance my love?"

I inwardly shuddered at the tacky pet name he had given me. Somehow it didn't sound right , and made me laugh with discomfort.

"Sure."

I took his awaiting hand and walked down the steps with him to the middle of the ballroom. It was so easy to fall into the waltz , our bodies being close together as he lead me into the steps.

I swayed to the music with him , trying my best not to fall on my face. I was practically gripping onto his jacket to avoid being the laughingstock.

"It's okay," He spoke , cutting me out of my concentration. "I would never let you fall and be humiliated in front of these people."

"How considerate of you," I replied breathlessly , too focused on staying upright. The prince spun me around , albeit clumsily with the change of pace in the music.

"I know you don't want to go through with this," He spoke. "But am I that bad that you have no wish to marry me?"

Finally I released my grip on his jacket to stare at him in confusion.

"What?"

He smirked, amused yet his eyes showed sadness. "I know you're a stubborn one , not wanting to have someone choose for you. You're unhappy about this marriage and I can't help but think I'm just a bad person."

"You're wrong," I interjected quickly. "You're not a bad person Drystan I can tell...it's just...if I fall in love with someone , I want it to be someone I willingly choose and enjoy spending my time with. This is only the second time we've met and we are to be married soon. It's a little too fast."

Drystan nodded , understanding me. "I see your point, and I agree. I cannot make you love me so soon , but I hope that when we do get married , you'll see that I really want to get to know you fully."

He twirled me around , this time being ready and fell back into his step. "Perhaps along the way you'll fall in love with me?"

I didn't want to promise anything, but I didn't want to write him off so soon either. He was genuinely a good guy from what I've come to know. It would be selfish of me to refuse him and say it's not possible.

"I don't know," I admitted. "All I can say is it's possible."

"Possible? Well I'll take that than a flat out no," He replied grinning. "Possible it is."