Aisling

Where was he? I had woken early, and sat out on my balcony as the sun rose and warmed my skin. Being alone I left my scars bare, watching as the sun shone off them, silver flickering from the four pale reminders on my arms. I ran my finger over the last one which had finally begun to fade, memories flooding my mind. For one of the first times in my life my skin was free of bruises, free of angry cuts and I felt a sort of liberty in it.

When the sun was barely winking at me over the treetops I walked back inside my room and dressed in one of the only plain light green dresses my maids had left in my room. Every other dress was extravagant and far too attention grabbing for me to ever consider wearing. I pulled my hair back from my face and just looked at the girl staring back at me. Who was she?

I stared at my green eyes, my blonde hair and my small frame. Everything had been gifted to me by my mother. A mother I had never spent time with and until recently I had no idea who she was. Was I like her or was I like my father? A coward? Scrutinising my outer appearance I tried to see if he had cursed me with any of his flaws but if he did it was nothing you could see just by looking at the surface.

Maybe I wasn't like either of my parents. Maybe I was what Malvolia always told me I was. Did I have any value or was I simply a burden on everyone around me? Was I now Adam's burden?

I was still staring at myself when I heard movement outside my door. It had to be him.

I nervously ran my hands down the front of my dress and turned to face the door, waiting for him to come in but he never did. Instead I heard voices outside my door and then nothing. Did he leave?

Gingerly, I crossed to my room and grasped the door handle. Opening it slowly I poked my head out, expecting to find him there waiting, but instead I found an empty corridor slowly filling with the morning light. I felt my heart drop as disappointment flooded my body. I realised I had been looking forward to this more than I wanted to admit.

Shutting my door, I turned back to my room and sat heavily on my bed, deep in thought. Maybe he hadn't come yet, it was still early, I thought hopefully. Maybe the voices were just the palace guards on their rounds.

However, an hour later when my maids arrived and started fussing around the room I had already cleaned I knew he wasn't coming. Was this part of a game? Did he want to see how I would react if he stood me up? Did he change his mind?

Fine, if he was going to play that way, that was how we could play it. I wasn't going to let him win. I wouldn't break my promise to give him a chance but from where I was sitting he had already ruined his first one.

I marched determinedly for the dining room. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had unsettled me.

When I arrived there was only a few girls and none of the royal family had arrived yet. I walked with my head held high over to my seat between Piper and Alice who were already deep in conversation when I arrived.

'Good morning Aisling,' Alice said brightly as I sat in between the two of them.

'Where's Adam?' I asked, immediately as more girls started to filter into the room.

'No idea, none of the royal family has come in yet. I heard my maids talking and I think the king and queen have left on a trip,' Piper said glancing at the door.

'Oh,' I answered stupidly. Maybe he was just busy this morning. He was the prince after all. When had I become so self centred?

'So, what did the prince have to say after your display last night?' Alice asked with a knowing smile. I was certain no one had heard our conversation but I wasn't sure about the kiss. I was too wrapped up in it to notice if anyone had seen us.

'He um…just told me I needed to be less…' I trailed off. I had always been a terrible liar.

'Brutal?' Alice offered, amusement lighting her eyes.

'Something like that,' I muttered.

'I don't get you,' Piper said and I cast a look up to see her looking at me appraisingly. 'You have all the prince's attention but you act as if you can't stand him.'

'It's complicated.'

'Do you not want to be here? Is there someone you love back home in Likely?' She prodded.

'There's nothing back in Likely,' I answered harshly.

'What do you mean?' Piper asked a little less demanding. I noticed Melody, Aurora and Tiana were all trying to discretely listen in to our conversation as well and I shifted uncomfortably.

'There's no one, I don't have a secret love, I don't have parents or siblings or even a home,' I answered glaring up at her, a sudden anger filling my veins. Who was she to demand to know about me?

However, her questions triggered thoughts in my head I had never considered since arriving at the palace. Was I really alone? Here I was surrounded by people and I still claimed isolation. No one had forced me to shut out the people in the palace. That was my choice.

'Oh, I'm sorry Aisling, I didn't know,' Piper muttered, losing her tough exterior.

'No, you didn't,' I shot back as my anger quickly began to fade.

'I know what its like to be alone. I was raised by my grandmother. Both of my parents were in the army. Both were on an assignment when riots broke out. They were first to the scene,' she explained sadly and I just nodded my head for her loss. I knew there was nothing you could say when you lost someone.

'I never chose to enter the selection because of Prince Adam,' she admitted. 'I went to the ball that night because I wanted to make a difference in our nation. I didn't want to see people die like my parents had. I want the disparity between the people to end.'

'Do you even like Adam?' I asked, sad that his marriage might not be for love at all.

'I haven't spent enough time with him to know whether I like him or not,' she answered as servers started to bring out the food.

'What about you Alice? Do you like Adam?' I questioned turning to her as she built a waffle fort on her plate, complete with fruit soldiers.

'You already know my stance on Adam,' she winked. 'Its like my mother always says, there is only one person out there for everyone and they will fit each other perfectly. Unfortunately, the prince isn't the right size for me.' She shrugged drowning her fort and soldiers with syrup.

'You know, I think she may have said something profound there,' Tiana said flatly before we all focused on our breakfast, lost in our own thoughts.

The royal family never showed up for breakfast, so when it ended I followed the other girls to the women's room where it seemed Anne had planned another lesson for us. This time it was history and thankfully I didn't need to sit there numbly staring at the swirling words. I may not have understood everything but I was able to get the general idea of the text and actually found I liked history. It was more interesting than numbers and etiquette and I was almost sad when Anne told us our lessons were over for the day.

I resolved to simply hang out in the women's room for the rest of the day and decipher all the words in the history book, remembering the ones I didn't understand to ask Michael later.

'Don't work too hard Aisling,' Alice warned and I looked up at her in surprise.

'Why are you always hanging around me?' I asked, confused.

'I'm your friend silly, that's what friends do,' she laughed sitting in the chair beside me.

'Really?'

'Have you never had a friend before?' Alice asked, looking at me quizzically.

'Well, only one,' I muttered.

'That explains a lot,' Alice said tapping her chin.

'Like what?' I asked defensively, letting my book fall shut.

'Nothing,' she answered sweetly, pulling out a pack of cards from one of the many pockets of her dress, it was almost as if it were made of a collection of odd pockets and on anyone else it would have looked insane, but on Alice it worked perfect. And of course she was wearing her signature brown cowboy boots and a chain with a pocket watch attached, hanging from her neck.

'How about a game of hearts?' She asked shaking the cards playfully.

'I don't know how to play,' I answered, smiling at her.

'I'll teach you. It'll be fun. I promise.' She assured me calling over Aurora and Piper. Then the games began.

Adam

'How do we know that this alliance has been signed?' One of the advisors asked over the top of another.

'We've been monitoring New Asia's naval fleet as well and we have come to the same conclusion as England, they are preparing for an attack,' another retorted glaring at the other man.

'We don't have the capacity to fight a war against New Asia and Russia,' a woman announced worriedly looking down at the statistics in front of her.

'How do we know they will attack us at all? What if they just attack other European nations?' A portly man with round spectacles accused.

'Your highness?' I startled slightly at being called upon and felt my heart beat stutter in my chest.

'Umm…' I stalled as all eyes turned expectantly to me. I knew some held contempt behind their gazes, many thought I would never be a fit king whilst others had hope shinning back at me. What if I disappointed everyone?

Ever since the phone call from King Frederick my day had been a whorl of activity, my mind racing with all the possibilities and my father wasn't here to act on any of it. 'I think no matter who they attack we need to be ready to either defend our own borders or that of our allies. We need to show unity against this threat because if it is us who is attacked we will need our allies to repay the favour.' I answered confidently and watched in relief as many of the advisors heads nodded in agreement.

'Our army is too small to withstand an attack,' one advisor shot back. 'If we send any troops to our allies we will leave ourselves vulnerable.'

'It's a risk we need to take. Many of our allies don't trust us and believe we will cowardly abandon them at the first sign of conflict. We need to show them we are an ally that can be trusted. We also need to trust that people will want to defend this nation when we call for them. If there is a war we need to hope that our army's numbers will grow as a result.'

'Why are they attacking now?' One of the women advisors asked voicing the question that had been rolling around my head since I ended the call with Frederick. Why were they attacking now? It had been twenty years since they brought war to our nation's borders, why were they returning to violence now?

'We can't worry about the why, for now we need to react to the problem at hand. We have no information coming out of New Asia so we need to be on alert for anything they might throw at us.' I answered, feeling tired from all the arguments. How had my father done this for so long? These people were relentless.

Hours later I left my office feeling completely exhausted. After numerous meetings I had returned to my office to assess our assets in a war. Unfortunately, we had few to offer ourselves let alone our allies. We were still a country in transition. We were still rebuilding ourselves after years of misguided leadership and a war would only set us bak again, further discouraging the people of our nation.

I felt like I had run a marathon when all I had done was sit in a chair all day. My head was pounding with all the advisors questions and the troubling ones of my own. All I wanted to do was collapse in my bed and keep my mind blank when I remembered my date with Aisling. I looked down at my watch in alarm and realised it was well passed dinner and most of the girls were probably already in bed. Maybe I should just leave her and speak to her tomorrow, but thinking about her I knew I wanted to see her tonight. I couldn't believe I had completely forgot about her.

My feet picked up their pace until I found myself standing in the deserted selected corridor, staring at her door. Was she going to be mad with me? I could never predict Aisling's reactions.

Hesitantly, I knocked on her door and waited for one of her maids to answer. When the minutes ticked by and no one came I knocked again thinking they might not have heard me. Seconds later a rumpled Aisling came to the door with one arm in her robe and the other rubbing at her sleepy eyes. She was a mess and I had obviously woken her, but I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. She was adorable.

'Adam?' She croaked, her voice heavy with sleep.

'Hello, I believe I am late for our date,' I greeted as she stood there still half in her robe, looking up at me in confusion.

'Very late,' she scoffed, stifling a yawn.

'Where are your maids?' I asked looking over her shoulder into the darkened room.

'Sleeping, I guess,' she shrugged.

'One is meant to be with you at all times,' I answered a little alarmed.

'Why, so they can watch me sleep? That sounds creepy,' she answered, finally pulling the robe over her exposed arm and tying it around her waist.

'Can I come in?' I asked, stepping past her without waiting for her reply.

'By all means, I had nothing pressing I was doing,' she grumbled, shutting the door as I fell into one of the chairs in the corner of her room. I rested my forehead in my hands and let the stress of the day run out of my body, feeling a little calmer with her around.

'Adam?' She asked hesitantly walking over to stand in front of me. 'Are you okay?'

'How about you just sit with me for a minute, no questions?' I asked tiredly. She looked at me for a long time before finally deciding to sit beside me on the seat. Thankfully, she didn't ask me any questions or press me for conversation. She just sat silently beside me as I let the stress roll away.

We sat for a long time and when I finally turned to look at her I realised she was dozing lightly beside me, curled on her side. I chuckled quietly and she stirred at the noise, lifting her head to look at me.

'Sorry, did you say something?' She asked, sitting up to look at me.

'No, how about you tell me a little about your day,' I smiled, wanting to keep myself distracted.

'Well, after you stood me up,' she said shooting me a look before continuing. 'I went to Anne's history lesson and then I played cards with Alice, Piper and Aurora.' She yawned her eyes drooping again. I ran the names of the girls through my head trying to remember them. Alice of course I remembered. Not only was she always with Aisling but she was very…individual. Piper was very serious, I had only spent moments with her but I knew there was nothing that could ever blossom between us. I'd send her home but if she was a friend of Aisling's I wanted her to stay. Aurora was harder to place. I think she had blonde hair and if she was the girl I thought she was she had endless supplies of energy. It was tiring just watching her.

'Really, did you win?' I asked, brushing some of her hair back from her cheeks, forgetting all the other girls when I looked into her eyes.

'No, I'm terrible.' She laughed.

'Luckily you're good at so many other things,' I smiled.

'Adam, why are you here?' She asked and I turned from her and rested both my hands in my lap, looking down at my toes.

'I just had a lot on my mind and I wanted to see you because I couldn't do it this morning.'

'What's wrong?' She pressed.

'A lot of things,' I sighed.

'Did you want to talk about them?' I turned to look at her, considering her question. Should I tell her? Could I tell her?

'My parents left today,' I started and she sat beside me silently waiting for me to continue. 'They left me in charge and I've never done that before. Truthfully, I'm a little terrified. I mean how can I run the country? I'm still a teenager. I don't have my father's wisdom or my mother's conviction.' I sighed, my shoulders slumping slightly. 'Do you think I can do it?' I asked but she was silent. When she didn't reply I turned to face her, wondering what she was thinking.

'Maybe I should talk to you about this when you're coherent or at least conscious?' I chuckled quietly, seeing she had drifted off to sleep again. I watched her for a moment before standing and gently picking her up in my arms.

'You're hopeless,' I murmured as she unconsciously curled into me. I carried her back to her bed and gently rested her against the sheets, pulling the covers over her.

'Goodnight Aisling,' I whispered, placing a soft kiss on her forehead, looking down at her sleeping face before turning and leaving her room, a lightness in my chest and clarity in my mind.

Anthony

'That's it, we're taking a break,' I announced, standing up from my chair and stretching before taking the papers out of Amberly's hands. We had been looking over budgets all morning and my mind was frazzled.

'No, I'm so close,' she protested, trying to snatch the papers back from me.

'No, we've been at this for hours. We need a rest before my brain turns into liquid.'

'You have a brain?' She asked skeptically, sitting back in the chair across from me, her arms folded.

'Surprising as it may be, yes I do,' I smirked, walking around the desk and pulling her out of the chair.

'Where are we going?' She whined, reluctantly following after me.

'I have a score to settle with Jared,' I smiled, looking over my shoulder at her. 'And you're going to help me.'

'Oh no I'm not,' she answered adamantly.

'We'll see,' I smirked, dragging her down the corridor.

'Anthony,' she hissed from my brothers doorway glancing out at the corridor. 'This is ridiculous. I don't want to do this.'

'Come on love I'm nearly done,' I smiled to myself, setting the tripwire in place near his door.

'I hate this,' she whined, looking down at me.

'Done,' I announced standing up and dusting myself off.

'Good, now lets get out of here.'

'Wait, don't you want to watch, he'll be back soon?' I asked as she tried to pull me from the room, unfortunately she was half my size and I had no intention of going anywhere.

'No, I don't want to watch. I want to be as far away from here as possible.' She answered, glaring up at me.

'This is his own fault, he shouldn't have pulled that prank on me when your grandfather arrived,' I said, bitterly, remembering the awkward conversation I shared with him yesterday. 'He thinks I dress like that all the time.'

'He thinks you need to be committed,' she grumbled and I groaned in frustration.

'See, my brother needs to pay,' I pointed out, looking back at my masterpiece.

'Or maybe, you need to grow up and learn to be the bigger person?' She suggested as I finally allowed her to pull me from the room but only as far as the little alcove. I wanted to see my brother's reaction after he enter the bedroom of doom.

'I am the bigger person and I'm older which means I need to remind my brother of my superiority.'

'You are such a child,' she grumbled trying to walk away but I pulled her back, wrapping my arm around her waist.

'Stay, you may as well watch it now,' I whispered as my brother came strolling down the corridor reading a book. I felt Amberly tense beside me when he opened the door and entered his room. Before he had a chance to shut the door I heard his horrified shouts and a triumphant smile spread across my face. He had no idea what he was getting into when he teamed up with my father.

'What the-' but he didn't get to finish his question before the next phase of the plan hit him. Then there was a moments silence before,

'Anthony!' He shouted, running out of his room covered in black sludge and brightly coloured feathers.

'What happened Jared?' I asked innocently coming out from my hiding place, keeping Amberly bedside me. I felt her body shaking beside me and I knew she was enjoying this even if she didn't want to admit it.

'What did you do to me?' He demanded, trying to wipe some of the mysterious sludge off him.

'Payback little brother,' I smiled.

'Amberly, were you a part of this?' He asked accusingly, looking at Amberly who didn't seem to be able to get her words out around her crippling laughter. 'I can't believe this, he's finally done it. He corrupted the incorruptible.'

'It's a special talent of mine,' I smiled.

'Hey, I'm not corrupted,' Amberly protested, trying to step out of my hold.

'Oh really Amberly? Did you help my brother with his prank?' My brother asked smugly.

'Well, I-'

'Did you stop him from pulling the prank?'

'I didn't-'

'Did you laugh at his stunt?' He asked, raising his eyebrows at her. Which, in itself was comical, the whites of his eyes standing out against the blackness smeared across his skin.

'That's not the point,' she answered, her brow furrowing in confusion.

'That's exactly the point Amberly,' he laughed, turning back to his room to wash off the mess.

'Hey, wait,' she shouted after my brother's retreating back. 'We're not finished here.'

'I think he's finished love,' I laughed pulling her down the corridor.

'Well, aren't you smug?' She snapped at me and I tried to hold my laughter in. 'You think you've won? Well, you haven't.'

'All right love,' I agreed, giving her waist a squeeze.

'I mean it Anthony,' she glared up at me, her blue eyes blazing.

'I believe you.'

'Say it,' she demanded.

'Say what?' I asked, amused at her reaction.

'Say you haven't won.'

'I can't do that,' I smirked, stopping in the middle of the corridor and wrapping my other arm around her so she was held firmly against me, her hands resting on my chest.

'You haven't won,' she whispered, losing some of her resolve.

'I wasn't aware this was a competition,' I mumbled, leaning down so my face was inches from hers.

'I-I…' She stuttered as I inched closer.

'Do you forgive me love?' I asked against her lips, revelling in the feeling of having her close to me.

'For what?' She asked, dazed.

'The other night?' I asked, trying to keep my head.

'I forgive you,' she whispered, her eyes never leaving mine.

'Wonderful,' I murmured brushing my lips along hers and her response was immediate. Her arms left my chest and wound around my neck and I tightened my hold backing her up until she was pressed between the wall and me.

'Ahem,' someone cleared their throat beside us and Amberly jumped away from me as if I had scolded her with boiling water.

'Grandfather?' She said in shock, her face flooding with heat. I was still trying to catch my breath and my senses when the man rounded on me. My heart almost stopped in my chest under his hateful gaze. At least this time I had clothes on, although the circumstances were only slightly less embarrassing.

'Sir,' I muttered, dropping my eyes to the floor too afraid to look up at him.

'Prince Anthony,' he said coldly and I was certain the temperature in the castle had dropped several degrees.

'I'm sorry,' I apologised, not even knowing what I was sorry for. I felt his steady, piercing gaze stay on me for long minutes. He didn't say anything and I was afraid I was never going to get out of there.

Amberly's grandfather was the most intimidating man I had ever encountered and he had just caught me kissing his granddaughter, I was a dead man.

'Why don't we go for a walk?' His voice finally broke through the impenetrable silence that had descended around the three of us and Amberly jumped at the chance to get away.

'Of course grandfather, let's go,' she said eagerly taking his hand in hers.

'No Amberly, I would like to spend some time with Prince Anthony,' he said, glaring down at me and I felt a lump lodge itself in my throat preventing me from answering. I tried to swallow it but it was immovable and all I could do was stand there, mute, as Amberly looked worriedly between the two of us.

'Anthony's pretty busy grandfather, maybe another time would be better?' She suggested and I prayed that he would agree.

'No, now is the perfect time. I'm not sure I approve of how he spends his time,' he answered, leaving no room for argument and I felt my blood run cold. I did not want to be alone with this man, under any circumstances.

'All right,' I agreed, not that I truly had a choice and I saw Amberly's eyes go wide as she held her grandfather's hand with both of her own.

'Grandfather,' she hissed.

'Amberly, I just want to talk to him,' he said, looking down at her warmly. How did he do that? One minute he's glaring down at me and then the next he is looking down at her as if she's the only thing in the world that matters.

'Okay, but just…go easy on him,' she said sending me an uncertain look.

'Of course,' he smiled dropping a kiss on her forehead before turning his glare back on me.

'Prince Anthony,' he motioned for me to start walking down the corridor and I jumped into action. I needed to win this man over and if doing everything he asked was the way to do it then that was what I needed to do.

Amberly

This was bad, really bad. I thought I wanted to see Anthony suffer under my grandfather but I was wrong. That poor boy wasn't going to last two minutes with him. I watched the two nervously as they walked down the corridor side by side.

Grandfather was slightly taller than Anthony but I knew my grandfather was an intimidating man and everything I had told him about Anthony was only going to make Anthony's life even harder, not to mention the display yesterday or what he just walked in on.

'I'm going to miss him,' I jumped at the sudden intrusion on my worrying and looked up to find Jared, his hair still damp from his shower.

'Why? Where's he going?' I asked in alarm.

'My brother is never going to survive,' he said gravely as I looked back to find the two men had disappeared into the corridors of the castle.

'He'll be fine,' I said with hardly any conviction.

'You and I both know you grandfather is going to tear my brother apart until there is nothing but an empty shell,' he chuckled.

'I see you have faith that Anthony can win him over,' I answered flatly turning away from him.

'I have faith that your grandfather is a very intimidating man. So intimidating that even my brother is afraid of him. Anthony doesn't do fear. He grew up under the tutelage of my father. We Glaystone men know how to be cool under pressure.' He said to my back.

'He'll be fine Jared,' I answered hearing the lie in my own words. I'd be lucky if my grandfather returned him in one piece let alone with his sanity. Although, I never was certain he had that in the first place. Suddenly, I was regretting inviting my grandfather to England. Anthony was one of the world's greatest pests but he grew on you. Apparently, he could do it without you even realising.

I believe Anthony has his work cut out for him. What a horrible time for your future grandfather-in-law to find you. Almost as horrible as meeting him as a hanging cupid, almost :) We should probably feel bad for his misfortune, or we could simply laugh at him. I'm choosing to laugh.

Miss you, ta da I updated so much quicker this time. I hope you like it :) I intend on visiting northern America in the winter this year. My family and I really want to see New York at christmas time. It's usually well over 40 degrees Celsius at christmas over here. However we did have one christmas a few years back when the weather was crazy and we basically had a white christmas because it hail stormed really bad. It was amazing. Definitely come visit for summer, just for the beaches :)

Theoneforever, glad you liked it and I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter too. Thank you for reading and reviewing, you're amazing :)

Thank you to everyone who waited patiently (maybe some were less patient than others ;) ) for my previous chapter and obviously this one. Thank you for being the wonderful people that you are by continuing to read and review the story. Happy reading my beautiful readers.