Chapter 1
You were royalty, a princess who had two older sisters and one elder brother. You were told throughout your life that you were a disappointment and your parents had hoped for another son to help your brother rule the country. The public adored your siblings, but you were always the forgotten child.
When you finally turned 18, instead of being given a celebration like your siblings, you were told who you would marry to keep alliances strong with your country’s allies. You had been betrothed for years to an old king whose wife had passed away without bearing him any heirs. Apparently, you were nothing more than a bargaining chip. Although you knew it was inevitable, you were still hurt at how your parents thought your only use was to keep a man happy by giving him children. You were so much more than that….right? Before you left to process the new information, your father had one more thing to say.
“You are leaving tomorrow. At dawn.”
And with that, you were dismissed. You curtsied and fled the room, unworthy of a goodbye from your father. As you slowly walked through the hallways back to your quarters, you took notice of all the people and places that had given you happiness during your stay and teared up at the thought of never seeing your family or your friends again.
The carriage ride to your new castle was filled with tears and anger as you watched the scenery of your hometown disappear behind you. None of your siblings had come to say goodbye, and that hurt you the most. How could they be your family but leave you alone when you needed them the most? You couldn’t do this alone, but you were alone. You knew the dangers of being a woman and the lack of free thought, and you knew that no one would be able to guide you through the journey that would await you. If you wanted to survive, you would need to keep your head down and obey orders in order to get out of this mess alive.
You tried to dry your tears as you noticed the carriage drawing to a stop. You exited the carriage with the help of a beautiful red-haired woman.
“I’ll be your handmaiden for the time being. If you follow me, I’ll show you to your room.” She accompanied you to the dwelling that seemed unfamiliar to you, but the comfort of another woman beside you seemed to make this situation less than scary. She stood in front of you, leading you down long passageways to your new quarters. When you arrived at the grand room, what you would have to call your own, you noticed your handmaiden about to leave.
“Wait, what’s your name?” you asked.
“My name is Natasha, your highness,” she replied. With that, she left the room, leaving you with your thoughts, which were all focused on Natasha. You hoped you would get to know her a lot better soon.
Hours later, Natasha returned with all of your belongings and announced the king would like to dine with you. You looked in your belongings for an appropriate dress to wear and chose a deep purple gown, asking Natasha to help you get ready to meet your fiancé.
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“King Charles, it is wonderful to see you again,” you greeted. Charles was already seated at the head of the table. You could tell he wasn’t making an effort to impress you at all as he had already started eating without waiting. You brushed your hair out of your face as you sat down.
Charles looked up from his plate. “I hope you don’t mind, my dear. The food was getting cold and I thought you hadn’t arrived yet.” It was glaringly obvious he was lying, but you reminded yourself to keep your head down. “Ah, have you made yourself comfortable yet? I cannot believe the wedding is only a week away. Time flies by fast.” You couldn’t believe it. No one had mentioned that you only had a week to get used to the idea that this fat, balding creep would be your wedded husband.
“I cannot wait,” you replied, while thinking the exact opposite.
You stared at your plate, trying to think of something that would allow you to leave the awkward situation. “So… tell me more about yourself, Y/N,” Charles asked after a long pause.
You didn’t want to answer his questions. Hoping to flee from his stares, you said, “I think it is getting a bit late and I had a long trip. If you don’t mind, I will be retiring to my room now.” He nodded and gestured for you to leave the table. As you stood, Natasha fell into line a few steps behind you and followed you to your room.
“Is there anything I can do to help, my lady?” Natasha asked. You didn’t know if she would tell the king, but you needed someone to talk to, and you really hoped it could be her.
“Actually, yes there is something,” you paused, sitting down. “Can I ask for your word that you will not breathe a word of this to anyone, including the king?”
A moment passed. “I give you my word. You can tell me anything.” As Natasha promised, she started to undo the braids in your hair.
“I don’t know if I can do this. I can’t throw away my life for a man who is more interested in his dinner than who I am.” Once you started, speaking you couldn’t stop. The words spilled from you like waves on the beach — uncontrollable. “He will expect heirs from me but I do not want to marry him, let alone have his children.” Natasha began rubbing small circles on your back, sitting down next to you and moving your head on her shoulders.
“It will all work out in the end, even if it doesn’t seem like it right now. Just breathe. I’ll help you through everything. I promise,” Natasha replied. Hearing her promise to you made you hold back tears. You couldn’t believe that a handmaiden you had known for less than a day cared more about you than your family. You turned to face her with wet eyes.
“You promise?” your voice cracked a little.
“I promise,” she repeated.