Riley

When I was a kid, I used to believe in fairytales. I used to believe that the world was fair and just, that the good would prevail, and that there would always be a happily ever after. Now that I'm older, I know that's a lie. The world can often be a cold, cruel, and unforgiving place. Heroes don't always receive the glory that they deserve for their bravery, and, sometimes, the monsters in the closet are the demons that we're all secretly battling in our minds.

I was late. Again.

My father, King Janus, was currently traveling on business to the sand kingdom of Windsorhowl, and my mother, Queen Olivia, was running the affairs of Valdor until he returned. I was seriously hoping that nobody would realize that I showed up late for my shift at the Timecrest merchant's shop for the third time this week. Even though my sister and I were royalty, we still had to complete various internships during school hours in order to graduate, and to become productive members of society. Sure, I was a bit naïve and everything, but even I knew that this was all for show. I practically had the world at my fingertips, and though I hated to admit it, even to myself, I was privileged in many ways that others were, or ever would be. This was supposedly to build trust and a sense of camaraderie with the common people of Alyncia, but this was a glorified lie, and everyone knew it.

"You're late, my Princess," said the merchant. "If your beautiful wings were too tired to fly you to work today, you could've called me for a ride, you know. Ah, I could be your angel, Princess. I might not be able to fly, but I have some amazing hand gliders in the back that I've been wanting to try out lately. If you're not busy after work today, maybe we could spend some time together? My treat. I'll be a gentleman, I promise. Only on my best behavior. Scout's honor."

Seriously, I thought to myself. What was wrong with this guy? He was crazy, absolutely crazy. No way did I want to take a ride with him. Not now. Not ever. I shuttered.

"I know. I'm sorry. Terribly sorry. I was helping Ash to find Morty," I said, letting out an awkward little laugh. "He thought it was a good idea to play hide and seek in my mom's flower garden. Again."

I shook my head before I said anything else. I had a nasty little habit of babbling whenever I was nervous, and I was definitely nervous at this moment. To be honest, the merchant kind of scared me. He was a bunarf. I wasn't entirely sure of his age, but I thought it was pretty disgusting that he was trying to hit on a teenager, for crying out loud. He was constantly giving me compliments, attempting to smell my hair, and coming up with creative ways to touch my arm, or to put his hand on my shoulder. Currently, he was reaching up to rest his hand on my arm. I quickly stepped away, pretending to adjust some Dragonberry Elixirs from toppling to the floor. I could totally see the hurt in his eyes, but I didn't care. I was so over people trying to use me for their own sick twisted games. This year, I was going to start fresh. I was going to be selfish and put me first, as much as I was able to.

"As it regards your offer, I'll have to decline. I don't think my mother would approve," I said coldly, pushing his hand away. "It is quite evident that you take pride in your shop, so perhaps your time is best spent coming up with a name for yourself? You have the right to do so now without any repercussions." I finished sweetly. He cleared his throat before looking away. "Yeah, I'll do that," he said sheepishly before scurrying back to his office and closing the door firmly behind him. I grinned in satisfaction, and turned on the radio.

Riley Valdor was about to reinvent herself, and she was going to be selfish. Totally, massively, unflinchingly, devilishly, and daringly, selfish selfish, selfish, selfish. Selfish without a care in the world, selfish without remorse, regret, or apology.

Right now, though, I had customers to attend to.

I had just finished stacking a shelf with some aura potions, which were still a hot commodity in Alyncia, when Ash Timecrest entered the shop.

I caught my breath.

"Hi, Riley. I'm here to pick up some teleport orbs for Luthor. Do you have any available?" they asked.

"Sure," I said, smiling sweetly. "I'll get them for you. They are in the back. Which ones do you need?"

"The preset ones. Oh, and a Dispel Ring too, please?" they replied, blushing slightly.

Preset teleport orbs were a fairly new invention in Alyncia. These were primarily sold in packs of 12. They were mainly used by children, the elderly, or by people who had trouble concentrating when trying to get from one destination to another. These teleport orbs were customizable and programmed by the individuals purchasing them with their Previous location, as well as there arrival destination. You could also choose to include basic information such as name, address, or medical information for the person using it. The high end models even had a tracking chip implanted in them for even more safety and security.

I hurried to the back of the shop. I took my time collecting the items, taking a moment to gather my composure. Were these items for Ash, or Luthor? I was curious to know, but it wasn't my business to know. We weren't that close for me to ask, much less wonder about it. I had lost that privilege ages ago.

Returning to the front of the store, I handed Ash the items with a smile.

"Don't worry about the payment. It's on me. It's the least I could do after . . . everything." I said. Seeing the question in their eyes, I quickly added, "Seriously, it's fine. Really, I save my goal. It's expensive, I know, but my boss is giving me a discount since it's my last day working here. Besides, I want to do this. Please let me do this."

Ash blushed again.

Sweet Alyncia, I missed that blush.

Ash carefully placed the products into their infinity pouch.

"I miss you, Riley," Ash said shyly, glancing up at me through their lashes.

Those violet eyes. Those pretty violet eyes. I really love those violet eyes.

"Luthor misses you, princess. He'll never admit it, but I know that he does. And before you dismiss me as just some dumb little kid, I want to say that you should make amends before it's too late to do so. You should come visit us soon. You didn't only leave my brother behind, you also left my parents as well. And, me. You also left me as well, even though you promised me that you would always be there for me. He didn't tell me to give you this message, But you need to hear it all the same."

I lowered my eyes in shame. I didn't answer. I couldn't answer. I felt as if there was a lump stuck in my throat, slowly choking me to death.

I turned away from Ash. I was going to cry. I couldn't look at their face anymore.

"I'm sorry, Riley. Please don't cry. I know that you think that you're the reason we lost everything, but that's not true. The only thing we lost was you. My family and I never, not once, ever blamed you for the events of the past. We're doing quite well, and our home on Unity is amazing. Thank you for finding Morty for me. Take care of yourself, Princess. Please come visit soon."

I kept my face turned to the wall until I heard Ash's footsteps softly fading away, and the door closing behind them.

Glancing around, I saw that Ash had left me a bouquet of lilies in a pretty blue reusable planter on the counter. I gasped and stepped away from it as if it was a poisonous snake that was trying to bite me. I didn't want this gift. I couldn't let myself want this gift. When I was 12, my mom had given me a single lily when I first discovered my passion for gardening. I loved this flower like a pet. In my mind, she was a female, and I had named her Liliana. I sang to her. I danced with her. I played games, talked, and laughed with her. I read stories to her, and took her places with me whenever I had the opportunity to do so. On one particular day, though, I was in a hurry to meet up with Luthor, and I had forgotten to water my baby. She died. After my visit with Luthor, my family and I had gone directly to the Crystalline Falls for a week of self reflection and meditation. When I got back and realized what had happened, I was devastated. My girl was on her final stretch, and I slept outside to keep her company so that she wouldn't be alone in the end. I cried bitterly for weeks. I mean, how could this have happened? Even if I had forgotten to water my plant, the automatic feeder should have dispensed her water and food in my absence. But, for some reason, it didn't. Sure, I was totally forgetful sometimes, but I wouldn't have forgotten about this. Not this. Never this. This was important to me. This was a friend, a dear friend to me. I was heartbroken. When I had told Luthor about the death of my plant later on that day, he had given me a bunch of lilies in an attempt to cheer me up, and we had purchased a balloon in the shape of a lily, and let the wind carry it away to simulate a funeral for my precious flower.

I briefly contemplated calling a recycle drone for it, and quickly dismissed the thought. I was horrified. How could I even think such a thing? I felt dirty, sick to my stomach, even. Grabbing a piece of paper from under a desk, I scribbled a note, and slipped it under the planter for my boss. This would be my parting gift to him, and this shop. Goodbye, and good riddance.

Riley: Thank you for all the opportunities that you have given to me. As a token of my gratitude, please accept this sincere gift on my behalf. Wish you all the best in the future, and may life bring you all the riches that you deserve, and more.

Angel, no? He's the devil in disguise, rebel, the devil, a manipulator in disguise . I am a carrier, a warrior, tremble on your knees. I'm the monster in your dreams.

The radio was currently blasting Lilia Mason's latest single, monster, and I was singing along. I was shimmying my shoulders while my long brown hair swished around me. I loved her. Like, I, literally, loved her. She was my idol. I was quite possibly the biggest fan in the kingdom. I mean, she was literally perfect, or, at least, she gave off the illusion that she was perfect. I bet girls like her never had a bad hair day, or ever wondered if people actually liked them. Unlike me, of course. I was totally awkward. Like, seriously, what must it be like to have all that confidence at your disposal? I was a princess, but I was struggling. For the most part, I was a regular teenager, but ever since I started attending public school four years ago, there were still students who were determined to put my mistakes on display for the world to see, especially if money was involved. The tabloids were completely ruthless after all.

Was the merchant secretly watching me? Oh, yeah, baby. Let me give you a show before I leave. I giggled happily.

"Ugh, turn that racket off, will you? I thought that this was supposed to be a respectable business place, not some kind of party girl dance studio. Nice moves, though. I can't believe you still listen to this nonsense," came a voice from behind me. "She's so fake. Then again, maybe that's why girls like you actually like her. You're all the same, honestly."

I froze.

I knew that voice. I totally wish I didn't know that voice. We were close. At one point. Not anymore. Never again.

Conner Stone.

"What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here," I said. I resisted the urge to cross my arms over my chest. I was secretly trembling inside, but I was done cowering over this fool. He had taken too much from me already, and I wasn't going to put up with it anymore. After the incident last year, and months of working with an empath to regulate my emotions, I was never going to be that broken girl again. Not for him. Not for anybody. No, no, no. Never again.

He stepped around me and turned the music down to a moderate level where we could actually have a conversation without yelling to each other.

"You forgot your lunch, again," he said, tossing me a brown paper sack. "Your lovely mother was on her way out of the palace when I saw her, so I told her that I would deliver it to you. The gentleman that I am, you know." He finished with an annoying little smirk on his face. I really wanted to slap that smirk off his face. I hated him. I hated his stupid, stupid smug face. And I totally hated myself for hating him.

I hated the fact that he could still evoke such strong emotions in me even now. Even after everything. Dang it, I was not going to cry.

Not . . . gonna . . . cry!

Get it together, Riley. I silently scolded myself. Keep it classy, princess. You are so much better than this idiot.

"thanks, I guess," I muttered savagely. "You can leave now." I pointed to the door, flipping the sign to close, in case he totally didn't get the message.

Conner opened his dirty little mouth to say something.

I cut him off before he could get his words out. I didn't want to lose it. If he did, I would totally slap him for sure. Today was my last day in this dump, and I needed a good recommendation from my employer in order to be eligible for another job placement. I was massively sick and tired of rude customers who constantly chewed me out when the mail Muffies were late delivering their specialized orders, or the ones who threatened to harm me when their goods were damaged, and they had to wait for a replacement from the company.

I never wanted a guard to shadow me. I was able to fly, and I also had an emergency panic button if I ever felt as if I was in danger. That was a last resort for me. I was never going to let anyone push me back into the palace like a scared little rabbit who was always afraid of breathing wrong. I deserved to be a part of this beautiful world, not hidden away like some priceless porcelain doll who was constantly afraid of her own shadow.

Conner cleared his throat loudly, and shifted from foot to foot.

"Listen, Riles, i'm sorry about what happened between us last year. I didn't know how much my actions that night were going to hurt you. If I could, I would take it back in a heartbeat. If I had known, I would have done things differently, I promise. Seriously, it was a joke. I was just messing around with you. I was kidding. You're always so serious about everything. You really need to lighten up, ya feel me? If you laugh more, you live more."

He took a deep breath before adding, "can we talk? It's important. It's about Doctor Fulgur. I think that he's going to try to hurt you."

I scoffed. Typical Conner, I thought, always trying to change the subject and never owning up to his actions. While I certainly didn't trust the creepy Doctor, he would never dare hurt me. My parents would totally kill him.

Was he seriously for real right now? He wasn't sorry for his actions. Like, at all. He was only sorry that he got caught. I rolled my eyes.

Real cool, Conner.

I didn't answer. I simply walked into my boss's office, collected my job recommendation and my paycheck, along with a chocolate pie that he gave me for my outstanding service, and politely shook his hand. When he held on to my hand for a beat too long to be considered proper, I purposefully knocked over a bowl of disgusting worm soup that was on his desk, and left. It was time for a change. I was done with this place. Done, done, done. When I slammed the door to the store for the last time, I heard a loud crash behind me, but it wasn't my problem anymore. I was out up here. My real life was about to begin today.

I could hear Conner's footsteps behind me, but I would never give him the satisfaction of turning around for him to see my face. He could talk to my back for all I cared. I was going home to refill my milk feeder for the muffies in the palace. They were gentle creatures. They didn't deserve to be slaves to the people of Alyncia. According to my father, though, they were citizens in the land, and they needed to work to earn their keep, just like everyone else did. Yay for capitalism, I guess.

When I was ten, I had the royal architects construct a drinking fountain in the courtyard of the palace for the muffies. The MuffieMail Drone featured a sleek, bioluminescent design that merged organic and technological elements that mirrored the appearance of the Muffies themselves. Its lightweight yet durable exoskeleton provided protection during atmospheric flight. These drones also had specially designed compartments called Muffie Aviaries, where the Muffies could rest on their journeys. They were climate-controlled and equipped with automated food dispensers and comfortable resting areas. The muffies were at the core of the drone's mail delivery system. They navigated using natural instincts and GPS-like technology embedded in their harnesses.

My father insured that they had the best of everything in order to provide an exceptional delivery service for the customers. As a treat, I took it up on myself to purchase sapphire dwarfgon milk for the muffies. For me, this was freedom. For me, this was independence.

I was a powerful Princess, and I was not afraid to fight for my crown, or the right to be treated with respect and dignity.

I was able to spend my gold the way I wanted to, and it was beyond rewarding watching their cute little faces as they pranced happily around the fountain. Honestly, it made the palace feel more inviting. Not so cold, not so harsh, not so sterile.

Lost in thought, I jumped when Conner touched my shoulder. "Get your hands off me," I snarled. "Stay away from me, Conner. I hope you get eaten by a chomperjocky! You're a scum, a snake, a gutter skunk, and a massive disgrace to society." I cursed him in my head with all the words I could never say out loud as a dignified Princess of the realm.

I was shocked. He was shocked. I didn't know that I was capable of being so vicious.

"you're a fool, Riley. You deserve everything coming to you, and more. Also, the food I gave you was probably poisoned. I made it myself, you know? Hope you don't need to use the bathroom later on, because it's going to be major embarrassing for you. If you're nice to me, I might bring you some scented candles later on. Trust me, you're gonna need them." He laughed.

Stupid, I thought. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I know better than to take food from strangers, especially my enemies. I felt like I was going to be sick.

Before I could blink, he grabbed my lunch sack that I was still carrying, and threw the laughing Pumpkin pie at me. He started muttering angrily to himself. He tossed me a glance filled with so much hatred that I unintentionally took a step back. He started walking away from me.

"I'm sorry," he mouthed silently. "I wish I could be better for you."

I slapped him. The sound of my palm cracking across his face was perversely satisfying. If it wasn't for the fact that I was a princess, I would have totally finished him off by spitting in his face, but I still had to uphold some semblance of decorum even though I was raging mad.

"Just remember, rat. I am a princess. You're a popper. Without my father, you wouldn't even be in school right now." I didn't need to say anything else. The threat was already implied. If he crossed me, I could make his life miserable.

Ignoring the shame twisting my stomach, I opened up my wings, and headed off for home. It was a hollow victory, to say the least. Even though I had gotten the last word, in some ways, I was still the pathetic girl who ended up with pie on her face over a boy who didn't even care about her.

Give me the rings back, Allison."

A.C. and Allison Day were arguing below me. I landed on a branch of a cael tree to listen

"Why? I know they're for us. I found them beside my desk. Awww, Ali bear, you shouldn't be shy to talk to me. I would love to go on a date with you." Allison had beautiful waist length sky blue hair and attractive amber eyes that twinkle when she laughed, courtesy of the latest cosmetics procedures in Alyncia.

"I told you," said A.C., jabbing the Breakfast in her direction, "I dropped them when I was running. I didn't want to be late for breakfast with my brother. The rings are for Olliver, and his girlfriend, Iris. Not that it's any of your business, but I think they might be getting engaged soon."

"That's super sweet of you?, sugar. I didn't know that you were this thoughtful," she murmured, stepping close to him. "I'll give them back but on one condition. You have to go on a date with me, like, a real date, and it has to be in a public place. Please say yes? If you don't, I'm keeping the rings. Maybe i'll sell them for a good price? They look expensive." She gleefully tossed the rings into the air before catching them, and slowly repeated the process.

"Gross! You're nasty, Allison. I paid 2000 Gold for those. You're a thief. You stole my property."

She smirked, and licked her lips seductively.

"I didn't steal them. You were careless. That's on you, not me. I'm just taking advantage of the situation. That's all." Allison pranced around him happily.

A.C. huffed indignantly, and glared furiously at her.

Feeling amused, I smiled to myself. I shouldn't be watching this though, I thought. Not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, I silently flew off and headed in the direction of the palace.