Princess Yasmin

I was good at hiding my feelings, but the news of father's illness had hit me like a ton of bricks. It became more and more difficult to keep smiling and pretending that I was still the happy, peppy Princess that everyone adored. The fact that we had to keep it a secret for the outside world made it even more problematic. Only the palace doctor, our family and dad's personal guards and butlers knew of the severity of his illness. The advisors and council knew that their King wasn't feel well, because that was something he just couldn't hide, but they didn't know that he was actually dying. Not yet at least. Dad didn't trust them enough to tell them yet. He was afraid that they might attempt a coup, or devise some kind of plot to take the throne now that the King was weak. Weakness and a King didn't mesh together. So dad had to keep a brave face, a strong façade, until the moment that his appearance would betray the way he was feeling. I admired him immensely for his braveness. I couldn't have kept ruling the country. I would have ran away from the palace, to spend my last days with my family in seclusion. But a King can't afford something like that.

I looked at the blank canvas before me. I had been hiding in the studio more often than usual. Killian had been busy with his Princely duties and the preparations for his Selection, and mom was helping him. No one noticed that I was more absent. They didn't have time to notice. Usually, when I was feeling down like today, I would go to Killian to vent, but I didn't want to bother him with my problems. Not now that his head was almost overflowing with all the different things that were going on. And dad.. The last thing I wanted to do was give dad more to worry about.

I was a real daddy's girl. Always was, always will. The fact that he would leave us, leave me, was slowly tearing my heart into little pieces. The more I tried to hide it, the more the heartache overwhelmed me when I was alone. Every time I felt this way, I put it into my art.

My art had always been influenced by my emotions. It was a way for me to express my feelings. And that was what I had been doing for the past week. I was painting more than usual, and the critics loved every piece. They sensed the tinges of melancholy, anguish and sorrow, but they didn't connect the dots.

I picked up my brush and started with one long, dark stroke. I kept this going for hours, until a knock came at the door. It was him. I recognized the way he knocked. I could recognize it out of a thousand.

''Come in,'' I said, not realizing for how long I had confined myself to my studio.

The door slowly creaked open, and I turned around to look at him. There he was. Tall, handsome and strong, with dreamy, deep, sapphire blue eyes with a hint of grey, like mist formed in his orbs. His dark brown hair was messy like always, and he had his usual scruff. Tristan was one of Killian's personal guards, which meant we knew each other very well. He wasn't just a personal guard to Killian, he was his best friend. They clicked the moment Tristan arrived at the palace, and had been inseparable ever since. Unless Tristan wasn't on Killian's service, like now.

''You've been in here for hours. When was the last time you ate?'' He asked, clear concern etched on his face.

I turned my back on him, getting back to my painting. ''I'm not hungry.''

I heard him moving behind me, dragging a small table next to my chair and setting down a plate. I looked at the plate and couldn't hold back a smile. It was my favorite dish, which was sushi. My stomach startled growling which made Tristan laugh. I guess I was hungry after all.

''I had the cooks prepare this for you. It's easy to eat while painting, plus, you love it. I've seen you consume plates of sushi in one sitting. You can be a real glutton. I don't know how you stay so slim,'' Tristan said, a charming grin on his face.

He was right. I loved food. I looked up at him and smiled appreciatively. We never needed much words to communicate, which was good because I really didn't feel like talking right now. We stayed like this for a few minutes, just looking at each other. To be honest, I was waiting for him to leave and he sensed that.

''I'm not leaving until you've taken at least a bite.''

I sighed, and picked up the ornate porcelain chopsticks. I swallowed a maki roll, and opened up my mouth to show him that I had consumed the sushi. ''See, not starving myself, so you can stop babying me.''

He looked as if he was going to say something, but decided not to. ''I'll come back in an hour, and I expect that plate to be completely empty. Unless you want me to force feed you.'' He looked like he wasn't kidding.

''Yes, dad. Now go. I can't concentrate while you're here.''

He saluted me in a joking manner and then bowed and turned, leaving the room. When the door slammed shut behind him, I felt all the tension leave my body.
I had always had a crush on him when I was younger, but I thought it was just puppy love. Unfortunately for me, it had been getting worse over the years. His face haunted me, the men in my paintings even resembled him. He consumed me, my heart was filled with longing for him. And sometimes, I could sense more coming from his side too. I couldn't deny the stolen glances or the lingering touches. It was true that we were good friends, but I got the feeling that there was more between us, and not just coming from me. But it was useless. I was a princess, and he was merely a guard. I would be married off to the Crown Prince of The German Federation and fulfill my duty. We weren't fated to be together. We were doomed. And that was why I had to keep my distance.

Hi guyss. So this is just a quick chapter about Yasmin, because I really wanted to give you all an insight on what's going on with her and how she's dealing with everything, before the Selection starts. And of course, Tristan! Yasmin will play a big part in the story so I hope you liked this little chapter about her. Tell me what you think, and what do you think of Tristan? I really want to hear from you guys. :)

SO NO ONE HAS GUESSED MY AGE YET! One more chanceeee. This shouldn't be difficult, haha.

I'll try to update tomorrow, so hopefully I can keep that promise!

As always, thanks for reading and keep reviewing!

~wolfofstark