"So?" My best friend and cousin, Jessica bounced on my bed, her brown curls bouncing on her shoulders as she awaited my news the following day. "How were they?"

"The Mikaelsons?" I muttered, looking through my clothes. "They were fine." I was so distracted; my room was a mess. I was flipping through the useless clothing choices my parents had picked for me trying to find where my mother had hidden my normal teenage girl clothes. All I wanted was a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"Fine?" Jessica grabbed the book on my bed and began flipping through it. "That's all I get?"

"I don't know Jess," I sighed in exasperation jogging over to my walk-in closet. I raised my voice as I looked at my things inside. "They acted like normal people. They were all annoyingly good looking though, I'll tell you that much." I decided to grab a light, low v-neck cut, blue t-shirt that would go past my hips. This paired with tights would go well enough for me. I walked out of the closet, removing my top. "The pictures in the books are like, from the 1400s or something." I slipped off my pajama bottoms and went over to my drawer, taking out my tights. "They all look a thousand times better now."

"Are they single?" she said excitedly.

I laughed lightly, getting dressed. "All married, except the eldest, Elijah, who, even without the immortality, he's too old for you, so don't even try."

"How old is too old."

"Jess, you're sixteen for crying out loud." I pulled my thick hair into a fluffy ponytail and perched my aviator glasses on my head, before tying a slim brown belt just under my breasts, adding a little bit of style to the simple shirt. "Shoes." I pointed at my shoe closet.

Jessica slid off my grand bed and went over to my closet, looking through it until she found my combats. She chucked them at me. "How old is he?"

"I don't know," I mumbled. "Late twenties?" I shrugged, putting on my boots. I went over to the chair next to my makeup area and grabbed my purse flinging it over my head, letting it rest on my shoulder and lay across my body. "You coming?"

"You know," she followed me out of my room. "You're awfully disinterested in them."

"Well what else do you expect?" we began trotting down the stairs; my mission was to make it out of the palace before my parents could catch me. "Hurry up." I snapped at her.

"I don't know if this is a good idea." Jessica hurried to catch up, nearly tripping down the stairs. "Your parents will freak!"

"Oh come on," I put on my sunglasses, lowering my voice as we reached the main entrance. "They won't even notice I'm gone. Besides, we're in disguise." Which was technically true—with my sunglasses on and myself being dressed in normal clothes as opposed to the gowns I was usually entitled to wear, quite a number of people would pass me by without noticing a thing.

By some miracle, we made it out the front door of the palace, Jessica putting on her sunglasses as well as we sprinted towards the golden gates, making sure to stop every so often to hide behind a bush or a large tree. I would not have my downfall come to the hands of a palace guard, if I was going to be caught, I rather be caught by my parents.

Jessica panted, pushing her hair out of her face. "The things I do for you."

The feeling of rebelling is quite unlike anything. See, if I was a normal teenager, me sneaking out wouldn't be so much of a problem. The worst that would happen is I would be punished. However, when one is a princess, family problems become public problems, so if I was caught sneaking out of the palace, it could become a public mess.

However, Jessica and I had it all planned out. My parents were out for the day doing god knows what and would only be back in time for a late dinner. So, as long as I was home for about six I would be okay. How to sneak back in? Easy; all I had to do was bribe whoever was guarding the gates. Theoretically, it sounded easy, because if I could convince them, as their future queen to not tell my parents, after that I would just have to climb the vein in back of the palace that led to my window.

I would deal with it later, right now; I was enjoying my time out on the town with Jessica. I walked through the streets of London, enjoying the fact that no one was paying attention to me. Everyone was out and about, doing their own things, shopping, going to work or going out for lunch.

Two hours had passed of pure bliss, Jessica going on a shopping craze while I walked along the stores, simply enjoying the time amongst the hustle and bustle of London. We sat on the steps of Trafalgar square, each opening our sandwiches we had purchased from Subways. It felt good to have something not quite as fashionable as I always ate. I moved my sunglasses up my head when Jessica took out her phone, taking a picture of the two of us.

I laughed loudly; keeping my sunglasses perched on my forehead while I ate.

"You know," Jessica sighed. "It's too bad we're royal." She murmured. "We would be amazing teenage girls."

"We would," I agreed, taking a bite. "I'm surprised no one noticed us."

"This is London," she waved her hand. "No one notices anything in London. I bet you someone will trip over us and not even apologize."

I laughed. "Thanks for coming with me today."

"No problem cousin," she nudged me with her shoulder.

"What time do you have to be home by?" I asked, taking a sip of my Cola. She lived in Clarence House. Thankfully, both our homes were about a fifteen minute walk from where we were, and about two minutes apart from each other. In all honesty, it worked out perfectly. At this time of day anyway, the guards were more concerned with the tourists walking through our homes than us leaving them.

"Miss Tessa?"

I froze, closing my eyes as I turned, opening them slowly to face my prosecutor. Standing behind me, wearing black pants, a slightly unbuttoned white top with a nice sports blazer on top, was Elijah Mikaelson.

I scampered up, my food and drink left on the floor. "Lord Elijah," I hissed, looking around me. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sure I should be asking you that Princess," he took the sunglasses off my head and placed them over my eyes gently, his fingertips brushing behind my ears. He smiled softly. "From the astonished look from you and your companion, neither of you were expecting my arrival."

Jessica stood up and grinned stupidly at Elijah—she obviously thought he was gorgeous. Which, in all honesty, he was; I however, was just better at hiding my feelings. "Jessica," she shook his hand. "Cousin."

I rolled my eyes.

"Pleasure," he nodded with a small smile. "I take it from the way you're dressed that no one knows you're here." he seemed to be in disapproval, as if he himself was a guard. There was however, a tiny, nearly untraceable hint of an arrogant smile at the corner of his lips. For a mere moment, I saw in him, his younger brother Kol.

"I'd like it to stay that way." I hissed.

Jessica shrugged. "Well it doesn't matter that I'm here, I'm always in London."

Elijah stared at me. "Should I take you home princess?"

"Stop calling me that," I snapped.

Jessica bit her lip. "Tessa, maybe he should. I mean if your parents do find out, and they find out Elijah saw you, that'll get you both in trouble."

I turned around at her, looking at her, mouth open. "Are you kidding me? You're taking his side?"

"I'm just saying that—ow!" she staggered, Elijah catching her arm as a man bumped into her. Her arm hit my back, making me stumble forward, my glasses falling to the floor and crashing. I moaned, leaning down to look at the broken pieces of my favorite aviator glasses.

"Perfect." I muttered. I sighed and got back up, realizing that nothing in a day could stay as well as I wanted. I raised my hands in defeat, to Elijah, to Jessica and to the unfair universe. "Fine, fine, I'll go."

"Sorry cousin," she kissed my cheek. "I'll call you later."

"Hey," I grabbed her arm before she could leave. "Where are you going?"

"To meet with my friends," she looked at me. "Oh come on, you know I don't have to go home." she released herself from me and blew me a kiss before scampering down the stairs.

I titled my neck back and looked at the sky, a few strands of my auburn hair coming undone from my ponytail. "This day can't possibly get worse." I moaned.

Elijah chuckled. "You'd be surprised," he offered me his arm, just as he had the day before.

I sighed and went back to the floor, putting my half-eaten sandwich in the bag, curling it on my left arm which would also hold my soda, before twisting my other arm with Elijah. We began to make our way up the stairs, I was being careful not to show my face too much towards the crowd, resulting in me staying particularly close to Elijah.

"Why are you here?" I asked again. "Bagshot Park isn't exactly nearby."

"I fancied a walk." He said majestically.

"You walked here?" I asked in disbelief.

"I have a lot of free time." He smiled. "You on the other hand, I did not expect this."

"In a thousand years you've never seen some teenage rebellion?" I teased, taking some more of my coke.

"Oh Tess, you could not imagine the amount of teenage rebellion I have seen. You, however, are not a teenager."

I smiled but didn't look at him; the fact that he called me Tess pleased me much more than it should. No one had ever called me that before. "You caught me," I continued. "My teenage years are behind me, but I'm still entitled to some rebellion."

"I'd rather you be safe inside the many walls of your palace." He looked ahead. "Humans are not gentle by nature, not since the beginning of time. I would know, I was there, what could stop someone from attacking you?"

"I'm the princess of England." I said in defense.

"All the more reason."

I grinned up at him and saw him smiling lightly, the little pinch of arrogance showing. "How do I know you won't attack me?"

Elijah placed a hand on his chest. "I am a man of honor," he chuckled, putting his hands in his pockets. I still kept my arm wound through his; it was loose, like we had done this so many times before—casual. "I would never attack a beautiful woman such as yourself."

I laughed. "Oh, Lord Elijah you do have a way with words. How many times over the years have charmed a girl with these lines?"

Elijah's smile faltered. "Only once princess Tessa," he was suddenly back to formalities. "At the beginning of my very existence."

"Oh," I said uncomfortably. "A thousand years without loving a soul? That is not a happy life."

"You care little for the feelings of others I see." He looked at me out from the corner of his eye, but I was relieved to find him smiling.

"Oh, I just mean—"

Elijah put his hand up, "Do not worry," he murmured as we walked up to the golden gates of my palace. "It is another story, for a very rainy day."

I nodded. "Well thank you." I mumbled, pointing to my palace. "I should be okay from here." which was true, there were enough tourists for my plan to be executed well enough.

Elijah nodded and opened his jacket, going inside it. He pulled out a pair of sunglasses and handed them to me with a small smile. "So the guards don't see you."

I grinned and put them on my forehead before saying goodbye. "You couldn't have told me that before?"

Elijah took my hand and lifted it to his mouth, kissing it softly—keeping our eyes together the whole time. He straightened them and gave me back my hand. "You have beautiful eyes Tess, I do not wish to see them covered up." Again, he took the sunglasses off my head and put them on for me before bowing his head and disappearing down the road.