An unexpected surprise

After Joel left me to settle in, I was still arranging the room when I heard a knock on the door. Assuming it was Joel, I went to answer it quickly but was stunned when I saw the prince instead.

The prince chuckled. "Aren't you going to welcome me in?"

I immediately bowed. "Your Highness, I wouldn't dare."

"So, can I come in now?" he asked while already stepping inside.

"Yes, of course. What brings you here, Your Highness?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"Mostly curiosity. Has Joel briefed you on your duties?" he inquired.

"Yes, he has my prince ."

"There's a change of plans," he announced with a devilish smirk. "You're now to follow me everywhere. Oh and for convenience, you'll be moving into the room right next to mine." I struggled to keep my composure.

"I don't think that's appropriate, Your Highness. I'm not even the head guard. There are far more talented archers than me," I began, but he cut me off.

"Stop. I make the decisions here. You have an hour," he commanded, looking furious, before leaving without another word.

"Arrrgh!" I screamed in frustration. "Does he really not know anything? Why does he want me so close to him? No matter, I'm still close to my target. Once I get the perfect chance, I'll end the king."

I packed quickly, as there wasn't much to move. Joel waited by the door to lead me to my new quarters. When we arrived, he turned and left. I noticed there were few guards around.

"Isn't this where the prince stays?" I wondered aloud, realizing my new room was right next to his.

Entering my new room, I was startled to find the prince on my bed.

"Why are you in here?" I demanded, carrying my things inside.

"Because I can," he replied nonchalantly, pushing my patience to its limit.

"I'm certain I was selected to be your elite guard, not to endure this invasion of privacy. I've always treated you with respect, but today you've been exceedingly rude. I know you're the prince and your wishes are commands, but we're still of opposite genders. What will people think? No, that's not even the issue right now…" I took deep breaths to calm myself. "I'm sorry for my sudden outburst."

"Do you hate me that much? You don't even want to be close to me?" he asked, his face expressionless.

"You're confusing me, Your Highness. I really hope it's not what I'm thinking," I said.

"Nia," he called me by my real name. How did he know it?

"No, you're mistaken. My name is Bella, everyone knows that Your Highness," I stammered, determined to deny it.

"Really? Then maybe I'm mistaken. I'm sorry," he said, leaving the room.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I needed to act fast before anyone found out. I hadn't even done anything yet.

"Flashback" 

"Nia, Nia, don't run! You might hurt yourself!"

"Jesse, hurry up and come see what I buried here!"

"What is it? Come here first, hurry!"

"Okay, okay, I'm here. What is it?"

She digs into the sand with her hand, revealing nothing.

"Did you prank me?"

"Yeah, what are you going to do about it?" she says, then runs off.

"Just wait till I catch you!"

 "Present time"

Why did he remember me? Those memories weren't even significant. Breaking down in tears, I whispered, "They weren't real. Everything was fake. You were part of your father's plan, so why? Why did you look at me with those eyes?" I wiped my tears and stood up. "No, I won't be weak now. They must all pay."

I woke up as early as possible and headed to the training grounds Joel had shown me. Four men were already there. Not long after, Joel arrived with the prince.

"I want to introduce someone new," the prince announced, standing nobly at the front. After a brief pause, he continued, "Come in."

"Annie!" I exclaimed in shock. How could this be? I was the only one chosen yesterday, and I was supposed to be the last. But despite my confusion, I was happy for her.

Annie looked at the prince first, then scanned the crowd, searching for someone. Was it me? I waved slightly. She saw me, smiled, then frowned. I couldn't understand her reaction. Had something happened that I didn't know about?

Training began immediately. It wasn't as complex as I had imagined; we just had to hit a thousand targets daily without missing the bullseye. It was a breeze for me. Once I finished the first segment of training, I quickly ran to Annie's side. She was still shooting arrows.

"Annie," I called out, "how are you here?"

Without looking at me, she replied, "If you can be here, then why can't I?"

"Annie, you've got it wrong. Of course, you can be here. I'm really, really happy that you're here," I reassured her.

But Annie called Joel over and complained, "She's disturbing my training."

Joel immediately asked me to wait elsewhere for the next segment, which I did, but was unhappy about it.

What's going through Annie's mind? Why is she being so mean? I consoled myself, "It's okay, I just need to finish my mission quickly and find my sister."

After the day's training ended, I felt exhausted. The prince had left before the first segment ended. "Why do I even care?" I thought as I entered my room, only to be greeted by a hug. Startled, I tried to push the man away.