Chapter 8: Confrontation with the Past
A cloaked man was riding on a horse through the forest. Nobody knew who he was, but they could tell he was heading for the palace. Yet, he didn't know what was going on there...
"Commoners are no longer allowed to attend Princess Charm School", Tessa said sharply."You're expelled, miss Blair."
Silence. It took them a moment of shock and puzzlement. Until finally, Melody broke the awkward silence.
"You can't do that", she protested."It's almost the end of the school year! Who does she hurt by being here?"
Tessa smirked. She showed Melody the piece of paper.
"The rules, Mel. Read it again. And I have the right to do this, because I am the princess of this kingdom."
To Blair, things were way worse than they seemed. The fact that she was expelled from her dream school was not the only problem to deal with. Her identity had been exposed to him. The prince of her dreams. Her soulmate, though he was betrothed to someone else. Him. Prince Nicholas.
"Blair?", she could hear his voice trembling. She closed her eyes, trying to fight back the bitter feelings that were growing inside of her. Why? Why did she lie to him in the first place?
"Is it true?"
"Yes." She had to say it. This time, she had to tell the truth.
"Then why did you lie to me?"
"Nick, we can explain.", Melody tried to improve the situation, but Nick pushed her away.
"There's nothing to explain here, sister. I don't want to listen to anymore of this nonsense.", He turned around and walked away. Paul and Damian quickly followed him.
"Don't worry, we'll talk to him.", Damian said before rushing after Nick.
Silence again. They all stood like that, not daring to look each other in the eyes.
"Well, Blair?", Tessa turned to Blair. She ran away as fast as she could.
"Blair! Wait!", Audrey and Melody ran after her. They found her in her room, already preparing to leave school.
"Blair! Listen, why don't we tell them you're the princess? After all, you are the true crown princess of Gardania. It'd be unfair to you.", Audrey stopped her from packing.
"I don't have any proof. And they won't believe Elaine anyway. I'm going home." she walked out of the room, and then out of the school, to a carriage in front of the building.
"Blair", Just as she was about to get on the carriage, she saw Melody standing right next to it. Her eyes were begging her to stay. Great, now her friends made it harder for her to leave.
"It's all right, I'm not supposed to be here in the first place", Blair hugged Melody tightly and said with the most comforting voice she had. "Thank you for the lessons, Mel."
"Goodbye, Audrey. I'll miss you." She got on the carriage and it drove away.
"Does that mean she gives up?" Audrey asked."That's not it. I'm not going to let her do this." She walked back into the school.
"Where are you going?" Melody asked.
"Where else? To Elaine. She knows how to solve this mess."
-
On the carriage, Blair looked back as the school building was getting smaller. Months ago, when she first came here, on a carriage like this, her life was full of hopes! Now all those hopes and dreams had shattered. She couldn't hold back anymore, and suddenly burst into tears.
Helen, Blair's mother, was feeding the cow in the farm. She had a feeling something wasn't right. She just knew. It was the Mother's instict. It'd been a while since they last received Blair's letter.
"Anthony, do you think Blair is all right?" She asked her husband, who was in the kitchen carving a wooden box."I feel worried."
"I think she's fine, darling." He replied, still absorbed in the work."Besides, why wouldn't she be?"
Hardly had the finished the sentence when they heard a loud noise of a horse stopping by. And they went out, only to see their daughter come back with a sad face.
"Blair, why did you come home? The holidays are in a month." Helen asked and threw a "I told you so" look to Anthony.
"I'm sorry Mother, Father... I don't want to disappoint you, but..." Blair found it hard to admit she was ousted from the school.
"Don't cry, sweetheart. Let's first go inside and rest a little bit." Helen consoled her.
After setting down, Blair told her parents about her discovering herself as the princess of Gardania and Tessa changing the rules to kick her out of the school.
"Mother, Father... Please tell me I'm not a princess. I can't take this anymore" Blair asked after finishing the story.
Anthony and Helen looked at each other and sighed. It was time to tell the truth. They knew this day would come if she attended Princess Charm School.
"Blair, you are the princess of Gardania. We're sorry we didn't tell you this. We wanted you to be old enough to understand your responsibilities. Now you are."
It wasn't your fault you were expelled, but we think you should take back the throne that belongs to your family, after all your parents have been through to keep you safe." Anthony said.
Blair sighed. Now she really didn't know what to do.
"But I can't prove myself" She answered, feeling hopeless and pressured.
Helen stood up and searched in a drawer in their bedroom. Finally, she pulled out a beautifully ornated box and carried it to Blair.
"This is something only your family members own." She explained."Queen Cassandra and her daughter don't have this. I think this will prove you're the princess."
Blair slowly opened the box. Inside, there was a crest. The king's crest."
"It's... beautiful!" She exclaimed.
"When His Majesty King Arthur entrusted you to us, he told us to give this to you when the time comes..." Helen closed the box and watched as Blair held the crest in her hands.
"I always wondered why he entrusted us, a mundane couple of peasants, with such a big secret?" Anthony smiled.
But Blair didn't notice. Holding the crest in her hands, she imagined the past of her family. And she knew, she couldn't give up like this. She made a decision.