A.N. OOOOOOKAYYYY! LOL Uhmm yeah this is kinda a random chapter... but I thought it was cute! XD If you're wondering, the POV's go from Bella to Edward and back to Bella again... :) Please R && R ;) ^.^
"Carlisle... I want a swing!" I said.
"Certainly Princess…Wait, a swing? What?"
"Yes, you heard me correctly… a swing." Carlisle looked at me, stunned.
"Of course, Princess, right away." He bowed and then practically sprinted off to the castle.
The cool breeze and fresh air soothed me. I was sitting on a white chair in the garden, drinking tea and listening to the sounds that came with the spring. Sipping my tea, I heard a nest full of robins chirping in a branch close by and some bees buzzing around, coming together in harmony. Around the yard I saw a couple workers trimming the hedges and adding more fish into the pond. None of them dared come near me. Why would they? It wasn't as if they cared about me. To them, I was just a Princess. That's the only reason they wanted to make me happy, because I was a Princess.
I heard footsteps approaching. Carlisle was back.
"Princess?" Carlisle said.
"Carlisle," I answered without looking at him.
"There seems to be a problem with the swing…" he said.
I groaned, "What is it now Carlisle?"
"You see Princess, we can't make a swing right now. A proper swing will take at least a day to make and a few hours to bring to the castle. Even if we made it in the castle, it would take just as long to hire workers to build it... That will not be a problem, will it? Surely, it will not matter when the swing is built, as long as it's built. Tomorrow morning is a great time as any, is it not? We couldn't just make one here without experts, it would be unheard of. We would never make one if it were not good enough for you."
"I. Want. It. Now." I demanded.
"But Princess-"
"No. I will not stand for it, Carlisle. I want a swing, and I want it now!"
"What's the big deal? It's just a swing?" a new voice interrupted our conversation.
"Edward!" Carlisle hissed. I turned around to see Edward standing beside Carlisle. He wasn't covered in dirt like the last time I saw him. Instead, he was dressed in servant clothes and was staring at another direction. Annoyance was clear on his face. I was surprised that I hadn't noticed him there.
"Edward, we've gone through this already. Princess, please forgive him. He hasn't become accustomed to living here yet. There's still so much for him to learn," Carlisle said. He was right. Only a week had passed by since Edward started living here. Since then, Carlisle had been showing him the ways of the castle.
"I don't see the point. Not only is she a girl, she is younger than I am too, and all she ever does is run around the castle, ordering people around. Why should I show any signs of respect towards her, when she doesn't respect anyone?"
"Edward, please-" Carlisle tried to reason with him.
"Let him speak, Carlisle." Turning to Edward, I said, "What did you ask me boy?"
"Edward," he said, pronouncing his name slowly. Finally looking at me, he mumbled, "What is the big deal about this swing of yours? Why is it so important? It's just a swing. You are a Princess, you can have anything you want and yet, you ask for a swing? What makes it so important that you need to boss people around to get it?"
'Why?' I thought to myself. No one has ever spoken to me like that. Most of them were afraid that I would tell Father and they would get fired, so no matter how I badly acted, none of them ever dared to talk back to me. 'He's right. Why is it so important?'
I spent most of the afternoon 'with' Father on our carriages, riding through town. Father told me that he had some business and invited me to come along. Thinking that I would get to spend some time with him, I decided to go. For the most part, it bored me.
That's when I saw them. As we were strolling down the road through some town houses, we came across a house with a swing. It was a long plank of wood that was tied to a tree with some rope. Three little girls and who I assumed where their parents were pushing each other on the swing with a smile pasted on their faces and their laughter echoing in the air. Whenever we passed through a town, most people stopped and bowed to us, or waved at us. But not these people. They were the only ones who didn't notice us passing by. They were caught in their own little world. That was why. Those girls were filled with so much happiness, all from a swing. Maybe a part of me was hoping that I could gain some of that happiness one day.
"Why, you ask? You said so yourself, Edward. I am a Princess. What ever I want goes. Now tell me, what gives you the right to speak to me, ROYALTY, like that? Know your place," I sneered. Edward glared at me. He looked at Carlisle, eyes pleading, wanting to cuss back at me. Carlisle just shook his head.
As soon as I realized what I just said, I wanted to take it back. What would it matter though? Why did I care so much if Edward was hurt? It was true. I am a Princess and he is only a servant boy.
"Princess," Carlisle said, "It's time for your piano lesson." I looked up at the sky. He was right, the sun was nearly setting. Standing up from my chair, I walked right past them without saying a word and headed straight to take my class.
This castle had too many rules. For the past couple days, I was flooded with things to say or do in front of Royalty. It wasn't that they were hard to remember, since Carlisle was able to list all of them. It was that there were too many.
"You must follow me until you fully understand what you're doing."
"Servants are not meant to be seen or heard unless called."
"When the King and Queen or Princess calls, you must answer immediately."
"When you are called, you must respond with a polite, 'You Highness or Your Majesty' "
"Since you are in placed to watch the Princess, you must be near her at all times."
"The Princess is your main priority so you must do as she asks you."
"Eat before attending any duties, unless you are called."
"Never speak directly to the Princess or any other Royalty unless spoken to first."
"Bow when you are leaving Royalty."
"Never call Royalty by their names, only by Princess, Your majesty or Your Highness"
"Never show your feelings or loose your temper in front of them."
"The Princess is ill-tempered, but you must set that aside. What she wants must be given to her. And if there is one thing to remember, you must never, ever talk back to the Princess. You will follow me around until you fully understand what you're doing."
It was a very long week, but still... "This is where you will be sleeping Edward. Welcome to your new room." Carlisle said.
He smiled, "You may sleep when you wish to but, you must wake up at exactly 6 a.m. sharp, have a change of clothes, and head to the Kitchen.. There, one of the other servants will give you some food. Please be timely. At exactly 12:30, you must report back to the Kitchen to have lunch. Diner will be at six."
I sat on my bed and looked at my new room. It was small and slightly dusty, but I didn't mind. I could have shared a room with five other people, and it would be heaven. 'I have my own room again and my own bed. Not only that, I get to eat again,' I thought. I fell asleep that night with a feeling of ease. I was home.
She didn't even turn around to look at Carlisle as she demanded for a swing. I didn't understand her. She was a Princess for Heaven's sake. She could have anything and she asked for a swing? Doesn't she understand how some people in the world are begging for food right now, while here she is, begging for a swing? This brat was spoiled to the core.
"What's the big deal? It's just a swing," I said.
"Edward!" Carlisle hissed. She finally turned around, looking at me in disbelief. "Edward, we've gone through this already. Princess, please forgive him. He hasn't become accustomed to living here yet. There's still so much for him to learn," Carlisle said.
"I don't see the point. Not only is she a girl, she is younger than I am too, and all she ever does is run around the castle, ordering people around. Why should I show any signs of respect towards her, when she doesn't respect anyone?" I said.
"Edward, please-" Carlisle tried to reason with me.
"Let him speak, Carlisle." She said. Turning to me, she asked, "What did you ask me boy?"
"Edward," I said, pronouncing my name slowly. It bothered me the way she called me 'boy' when I obviously have a name. Looking at her I muttered, "What is the big deal about this swing of yours? Why is it so important? It's just a swing. You are a Princess, you can have anything you want and yet, you ask for a swing? What makes it so important that you need to boss people around to get it?"
She looked shocked that I was speaking to her. As she pondered on my words, her face grew troubled.
"Why, you ask? You said so yourself, Edward. I am a Princess. What ever I want goes. Now tell me, Edward, what gives you the right to speak to me, ROYALTY, like that? Know your place," she jeered. I scowled at her, then looked at Carlisle, wanting to cuss back at her. Carlisle just shook his head. Why did what she say hurt me so much? It's not like I should care about what she thought of me. She was right, though I am just a servant boy, and she is a bratty little Princess.
"Princess," Carlisle said, "It's time for your piano lesson." She looked up at the sky. The sun was nearly setting. Standing up from her chair, she walked right past us without saying a word and headed straight inside the castle.
Once she left, Carlisle frowned. "Edward," he groaned.
"I'm sorry Carlisle. I won't do it again." I said, and I walked away. She wanted a swing? Then it was my duty to give it to her.
My piano lesson was finally over and I had an hour or two before diner was served. I decided to walk around for a bit. I hummed to myself as I roamed around the empty halls. You'd think that in a castle, there'd be a ton of people walking around. Not true. That's when I looked out the window and saw him. It was Edward and he was in a tree, tying a rope to the tree branch.
'Is he out of his mind?' I thought as I rushed outside to the garden. By the time I got to him, I was out of breath, and he was finished tying the knot.
"Edward!" I yelled. He immediately came down the tree and dusted himself off.
"Yes Princess?" he asked in a mock tone.
"What-what's the meaning of this? Why in the world were you sitting atop a tree?"
"You asked for a swing, Your Majesty," he said. I looked at the rope, and followed it all the way down to the wooden plank. It was a swing; he made a swing with his own two hands. He went all through that trouble, because of me? There was a difference when a stranger was paid to make one, but when someone goes out of there way to make one for me… Not even Carlisle went through all this trouble...
"Let's get this straight," Edward said, breaking my train of thought. "I didn't make this swing because you are a Princess. I made it because I owe you one for saving me from the dungeon. Consider us almost even."
Tears started forming in my eyes. He didn't care that I was a Princess, he did this to say thank you. I took another good look at the swing. It looked exactly like the one I saw that family playing with, their happiness overflowing as they played. That's when I realized that I too, was happy.
"Hey," Edward looked at me, concerned, "Are you crying?" I shook my head.
"Oh, ok. Well then, why are you just standing there? Aren't you going to try it out?" Nodding, I ran up to Edward and hugged him. "Thank-you," I whispered.
His tone soften when he said,
"Just get on. Here, I'll push you." I smiled. I was filled with so much happiness… all from a swing.