. (Chapter 1)
I was just reading in my room when a maid came in and told me that my mother wanted to see me in the downstairs sitting room. I followed the maid, named Claire, to where my mother was. When I walked in, my mom gave me a hug, and told me to sit down. "Kathryn, dear," she said in her overly excited manner, "I have the best news!" I knew at that point that something not too good was going to happen. I love my mother dearly, but when she thinks it is wonderful, it is usually not. I hesitantly asked her what was so wonderful. "Corrina has asked you to come to dinner," my mother said, meaning the Queen of Swells, "She says Jacob has said he wishes to discuss something with you." The exact thought going through my mind was, "Oh that is fantastic," but of course I did not say that. Instead I said, "Are we all going?" "No dear" she said looking a little wounded," She only invited you" I felt even worse at this news. I was sure I would not be able to stand the royal family of Swells alone. My mom gave me a small kiss on the cheek, which was her form of dismissal. I got up and left to go to my room. As soon as I got there a maid came and told me that mother had said that Queen Rupert suggested I dressed casually. That was good for me. I hated dressing up. A while later another maid came and told me that my mom wanted me down in 15 minutes. I put on the outfit I had laid out, and went downstairs. After my mom gave me the once over I was gone.
As I said before, our countries were unexpectedly close together, so it only took me about twenty minutes to get there. When I got there, a man was waiting on the steps leading up to the castle. As I got out of the high security limo my father insisted that I use, the man walked down the steps.
He came up to me, and offered me his arm, as an escort would. When we got inside, a lady that I recognized as Queen Corrina came toward me. She gave me a big hug, and as she was, said, "I see you have re-met Jacob." I was stunned! That guy was Jacob Rupert the Third?I remembered him as an ugly little eight year old. He looked so much different! I stammered a yes. When Corrina was done giving me one of the biggest hugs in my life, Jacob came over to me and offered his hand for a handshake. I obliged. The queen invited me into the dining hall for supper. As we were eating I listened to the conversation. King Andrew and Jacob were having a very educated talk about the economy. I was not surprised that he (Jacob) knew so much a about such a boring topic, because in our royal lifestyles you seemed to pick up a lot of information about things like that. After dinner, which I must say was scrumptious, Queen Corrina addressed me. "Jacob would like to talk to you out in the garden," she said," He would like to discuss your looked-forward to marriage." I nodded my consent and Jacob came to my chair and pulled it out. I followed him out to their enormous garden, which the queen was famous for, and we started walking around the winding path. For a long while we were silent, until he finally said, "So, how are you?"
"Oh, I am doing ok." Under my breath I muttered, "Except for the fact that I am being forced to marry someone I barely know." It should be a rule to not try to talk under your breath in a quiet place, because you will be heard. "I know how you feel," he said, and I instantly felt myself start to feel guilty for saying something that mean, but he continued, "Why do we have to give up our love lives to make peace?" Was he reading my mind? It was a bit weird, but it was also kind of funny. "I want peace," I agreed, "But there must be another way to achieve that." "Exactly!" he laughed.
We continued on to have a conversation about how unfair it was. At some point we found a bench and sat down. Jacob and I were having a nice conversation, but then, being a guy, he ruined it. "You want to know something?" he asked me. "Sure" I said. I was expecting something to the effect that he had a girlfriend, and was mad he was going to have to leave her for me. But of course it could not be something that simple. "I kind of actually do like you." He said looking a little guilty. I am not and was not an idiot; I knew something was wrong there from the look on his face. If he was being serious he would of looked shy. Or nervous, or maybe a little uncomfortable, but Jacob looked GUILTY!
"For some reason I do not believe that," I said calmly. My calmness was not a good sign, it was like the calm before a storm. His look became even more guilty looking, so I continued. "I am smart enough to figure out when I am being messed with, and that is one thing that I will not stand for. If you are lying, or anything of that sort, tell me now." His look was so guilt- ridden at this point that there was no denying the fact he was lying. At the same moment that these thoughts were going through my mind, two boys that also looked our age stepped out from behind a nearby bush and tree.
"Jacob man," one said, "You are such a bad liar that it's not even funny!" The other one was laughing his head off, but stopped for a second to add," You could not have gotten it past her anyway, she can see right through you." I took all this in, looked at Jacob, whose face was somewhere between smiling and looking contrite, and then his two friends, who were busy laughing. I stood up, turned on my heel and stalked out of the garden. Jacob started to follow me, but I thought I lost him.
Once I was back in the castle, I found the queen and king in their sitting room, bid them goodbye, and went out to my limo. Jacob ran up just before I got in. "I am sorry," he said," We just wanted to see your reaction." I looked at him and said," And was it good enough for you." He did not say anything, so I continued by saying, "I do not like to be lied to or messed with, ok? It is one of the quickest ways to get on to my bad side. And guess what side you are on now?" He decided to put his two cents in by saying, "It was a joke! You really need to lighten up a little." "I need to lighten up? We are going to be a king and a queen someday soon!" I was almost shouting, "We will be ruling countries! We can not be playing around like this. We have to be serious!Not play tricks on people!"
He responded with a glare, and said, "That point is not here yet, we should have our young lives while it is still possible." I was now full fledged screaming, "How much of a young life do you actually think we have had, that we need to hang on to? For example: you conversation with your father during supper. How many 'regular' 17 year old know about that kind of stuff?" He looked almost miserable when he whispered, "I want what little I have had, including playing pranks with my friends,"
"You'r lucky you had friendships at all," I said forgetting that I would probably not want him to know this bit of information, "I have been treated like a leper." He looked a bit shocked, and I realized what I had said. I blushed, and immediately got into the limo, slammed the door, and the driver pulled out.
I know that it does not seem like that big of a deal that I had told him that, but I will later explain why it was. I thought about what he had done to me on the way home, and the more I thought the more livid I became. What right did he have to do that to me? I had never done anything to him! The next day he tried calling me on the phone. I just picked up the receiver and put it back down.
I was just reading in my room when a maid came in and told me that my mother wanted to see me in the downstairs sitting room. I followed the maid, named Claire, to where my mother was. When I walked in, my mom gave me a hug, and told me to sit down. "Kathryn, dear," she said in her overly excited manner, "I have the best news!" I knew at that point that something not too good was going to happen. I love my mother dearly, but when she thinks it is wonderful, it is usually not. I hesitantly asked her what was so wonderful. "Corrina has asked you to come to dinner," my mother said, meaning the Queen of Swells, "She says Jacob has said he wishes to discuss something with you." The exact thought going through my mind was, "Oh that is fantastic," but of course I did not say that. Instead I said, "Are we all going?" "No dear" she said looking a little wounded," She only invited you" I felt even worse at this news. I was sure I would not be able to stand the royal family of Swells alone. My mom gave me a small kiss on the cheek, which was her form of dismissal. I got up and left to go to my room. As soon as I got there a maid came and told me that mother had said that Queen Rupert suggested I dressed casually. That was good for me. I hated dressing up. A while later another maid came and told me that my mom wanted me down in 15 minutes. I put on the outfit I had laid out, and went downstairs. After my mom gave me the once over I was gone.
As I said before, our countries were unexpectedly close together, so it only took me about twenty minutes to get there. When I got there, a man was waiting on the steps leading up to the castle. As I got out of the high security limo my father insisted that I use, the man walked down the steps.
He came up to me, and offered me his arm, as an escort would. When we got inside, a lady that I recognized as Queen Corrina came toward me. She gave me a big hug, and as she was, said, "I see you have re-met Jacob." I was stunned! That guy was Jacob Rupert the Third?I remembered him as an ugly little eight year old. He looked so much different! I stammered a yes. When Corrina was done giving me one of the biggest hugs in my life, Jacob came over to me and offered his hand for a handshake. I obliged. The queen invited me into the dining hall for supper. As we were eating I listened to the conversation. King Andrew and Jacob were having a very educated talk about the economy. I was not surprised that he (Jacob) knew so much a about such a boring topic, because in our royal lifestyles you seemed to pick up a lot of information about things like that. After dinner, which I must say was scrumptious, Queen Corrina addressed me. "Jacob would like to talk to you out in the garden," she said," He would like to discuss your looked-forward to marriage." I nodded my consent and Jacob came to my chair and pulled it out. I followed him out to their enormous garden, which the queen was famous for, and we started walking around the winding path. For a long while we were silent, until he finally said, "So, how are you?"
"Oh, I am doing ok." Under my breath I muttered, "Except for the fact that I am being forced to marry someone I barely know." It should be a rule to not try to talk under your breath in a quiet place, because you will be heard. "I know how you feel," he said, and I instantly felt myself start to feel guilty for saying something that mean, but he continued, "Why do we have to give up our love lives to make peace?" Was he reading my mind? It was a bit weird, but it was also kind of funny. "I want peace," I agreed, "But there must be another way to achieve that." "Exactly!" he laughed.
We continued on to have a conversation about how unfair it was. At some point we found a bench and sat down. Jacob and I were having a nice conversation, but then, being a guy, he ruined it. "You want to know something?" he asked me. "Sure" I said. I was expecting something to the effect that he had a girlfriend, and was mad he was going to have to leave her for me. But of course it could not be something that simple. "I kind of actually do like you." He said looking a little guilty. I am not and was not an idiot; I knew something was wrong there from the look on his face. If he was being serious he would of looked shy. Or nervous, or maybe a little uncomfortable, but Jacob looked GUILTY!
"For some reason I do not believe that," I said calmly. My calmness was not a good sign, it was like the calm before a storm. His look became even more guilty looking, so I continued. "I am smart enough to figure out when I am being messed with, and that is one thing that I will not stand for. If you are lying, or anything of that sort, tell me now." His look was so guilt- ridden at this point that there was no denying the fact he was lying. At the same moment that these thoughts were going through my mind, two boys that also looked our age stepped out from behind a nearby bush and tree.
"Jacob man," one said, "You are such a bad liar that it's not even funny!" The other one was laughing his head off, but stopped for a second to add," You could not have gotten it past her anyway, she can see right through you." I took all this in, looked at Jacob, whose face was somewhere between smiling and looking contrite, and then his two friends, who were busy laughing. I stood up, turned on my heel and stalked out of the garden. Jacob started to follow me, but I thought I lost him.
Once I was back in the castle, I found the queen and king in their sitting room, bid them goodbye, and went out to my limo. Jacob ran up just before I got in. "I am sorry," he said," We just wanted to see your reaction." I looked at him and said," And was it good enough for you." He did not say anything, so I continued by saying, "I do not like to be lied to or messed with, ok? It is one of the quickest ways to get on to my bad side. And guess what side you are on now?" He decided to put his two cents in by saying, "It was a joke! You really need to lighten up a little." "I need to lighten up? We are going to be a king and a queen someday soon!" I was almost shouting, "We will be ruling countries! We can not be playing around like this. We have to be serious!Not play tricks on people!"
He responded with a glare, and said, "That point is not here yet, we should have our young lives while it is still possible." I was now full fledged screaming, "How much of a young life do you actually think we have had, that we need to hang on to? For example: you conversation with your father during supper. How many 'regular' 17 year old know about that kind of stuff?" He looked almost miserable when he whispered, "I want what little I have had, including playing pranks with my friends,"
"You'r lucky you had friendships at all," I said forgetting that I would probably not want him to know this bit of information, "I have been treated like a leper." He looked a bit shocked, and I realized what I had said. I blushed, and immediately got into the limo, slammed the door, and the driver pulled out.
I know that it does not seem like that big of a deal that I had told him that, but I will later explain why it was. I thought about what he had done to me on the way home, and the more I thought the more livid I became. What right did he have to do that to me? I had never done anything to him! The next day he tried calling me on the phone. I just picked up the receiver and put it back down.