Formally and Publicly Engaged As The Crown Princess

Four years have passed, and I am now at the age of twelve. I have grown taller and stronger. I have lean muscle everywhere and the climb up and down the ladder on my balcony that used to wear me out is nothing now. I could probably do it with another kid on my back now. Maybe. I might be getting too full of myself and my progress. Hector has taught me martial arts during these four years while my father keeps making me meet the crown prince. The moment we first met and my parents made us take a walk privately. I told him on that walk that I do not like boys. He seemed to be upset but he didn't push me away either back then. I think over the years he has been trying to get me to fall in love with him by trying to spoil me with gifts. Mainly flowers, but he will also send clothing, and other really girly gifts as if to say something. I HATE IT. I like him but only as a friend and he is obviously listening too much to my father. We go horseback riding together and he even does archery with me in secret. He knows my father is overbearing and knows I want to be able to protect myself. Since he talks to my father a lot I figured it might be best to not tell him about my swordsmanship training since it might come to a halt if he spills the secret. 

 It is night and I go out to the garden and meet Hector and today he has wooden swords. We walk together to our training grounds and we get started. He starts off by saying, "A swordsman is only as good as their footwork and basics. If you do not know those, you will never succeed." I follow every instruction he gives soaking up the knowledge. I am a very quick study and I learn very quickly. Once he sees I have the motions down he then says, "Now let's put those basics to practice. Do the same move and I will go in to strike your sword. Remember to have good form in your stance." I replied while tightening my grip on my wooden sword, "Yes, Teacher." We work on applying the basics in a controlled way not in a mock battle. So I can get used to hitting something with my sword and focus on good form. 

When we wrap up the end of our lesson Hector says wiping his sweat away, "After you learn the basics well, I will teach you how to parry. For someone of smaller stature like yourself being able to parry well can get larger/stronger opponents off balance just like with your bare hands like I previously taught you. I can teach you a few tips from when I was a mercenary as well. I am not a knight so I don't have any code in fighting. I fight to survive and that is what I will teach you. By the time you are grown your mother wants you to be able to handle any kind of opponent you might face no matter how big or strong." I reply using the collar of my shirt to wipe my own sweat away, "Thank you for helping me so much, Hector. I really appreciate everything you have done and continue to do." He replied while gathering the little bit of supplies we used today, "Do not worry, Miss Ariela. I am only doing as my Mistress commands. I swore an oath of loyalty to her long ago when she rescued me after the war. She reached out to me when no one else did. I want to help you in any way for my mistress." He reaches out to give me a head pat. 

 The next morning is what seems to be a normal day I get ready and throw on my the torture garments aka my dress and go about my normal routine. I get to the table for breakfast and I eloquently do my meal routine. May as she usually does gets food and has made a place on the cart near her for Sky to eat his breakfast with us. Mother then says, "The crown prince will be coming by later for tea after your lessons." I deeply sigh and say while keeping a neutral elegant expression like they drilled into me, "Ok." Father then replies with that usual scowl of his, "Is that the way to talk about your future husband?!" Mother responded, trying to de-escalate, "At least she said 'ok' instead of just running away like she used to." Father then sighs and puts his hand on his head in frustration, "Yes, I suppose that is better. I remember that like it was yesterday and it was very infuriating! Do you know how hard it was to explain to the royal family when he came back in tears after you ran away from him time and time again?!" Not this AGAIN. He is like a broken record with this. I blankly continue to eat my breakfast while continuing to hear my father yell at me about how I need to do better when it comes to the prince. 

 Lessons go by without a hitch and then it is time for the time I have been dreading. It isn't that I hate the crown prince, I just hate how they are forcing us together. I do, however, find him very annoying. I actually don't mind him as a friend, but since he likes me romantically I can't trust him fully with my plans. He knows I can talk to Sky and I have healed him many times when he would get hurt when we would play. I think that is one of the main reasons they wanted me to be married to him so he would basically have a walking emergency healer next to him at all times. It is very logical but I can be a healer by his side without being married to him.

 I get to the garden where we normally meet for tea and I see the crown prince already waiting for me. I approach and since it looks to be just us and May. I greet him casually since we are friends, "Good afternoon, Tristan. I hope all is well." He sips his tea, "All is well whenever you appear before me." I audibly gag with an elegant flair and instantly reply without hesitation, "Gross. Save those honeyed words for a girl who actually likes boys. They are wasted on a girl like me." He smiles as he sips his tea, "You know I already told you that you could have women to be your concubines since you like them." I sigh, feeling a vein starting to pop on my forehead from being tired of repeating myself about this topic, "You know that isn't the issue. The issue is that I don't want to marry you, Tristan. I am sorry. I know I have said this countless times already but I feel I need to say it again. I know I am a 'good' candidate for your wife, if you don't take my preferences into account. If I marry you, I can't do what I want with my magic. I would be strictly your personal healer and I couldn't do what I want." 

He puts his tea cup down and looks at me with a determined expression, "What is it you want?" I don't want to tell him exactly how I want to use my magic but I don't want to lie either so I just won't say everything, "I want to help everyone with my powers. Not just you. I feel like I would be doing you more good if I were to use my powers like that since your power comes from the people you serve with your position." He takes another sip of tea and takes a small bite of a cookie and swallows it before replying, "I see."

 He takes another sip of tea and looks as if he is thinking. We sit in silence while enjoying our snacks and tea. Sky is flying around enjoying the good weather and I watch him with a smile as he has fun. I feel eyes on me after a while, and then I realize that Tristan was staring at me. His cheeks are a little flushed red and I have read one romance novel not too long ago and have an idea of what is going on in his head. I say sharply since I know the next words out of his mouth are going to be annoying honeyed nonsense, "Do I have something on my face, Tristan? I have felt your gaze for a while." He replies, raising an eyebrow like he is trying to flirt and smirking, "There is nothing more beautiful than you in this garden. Why should I not gaze upon something that is beautiful?" 

I roll my eyes and snap back with an elegant attitude, "You can look but staring is quite uncomfortable. You might want to work on that before you start courting other ladies, Tristan. You don't want them to think you are a creep or anything." He smirks, "I will take that into account in the future, but I can't make any promises." This boy really wears me out. I am more tired after talking with him than doing swordsmanship training. Sadly though he is my best 'person' friend I have that is my age. More accurately the only person around my age my parents currently allow me to associate with. More like a forced friend. If I had a choice in friends, I would not have chosen someone so annoying. Obviously my actual best friend is Sky, but we are talking humans at the moment. 

I sigh and continue to sip my tea with a neutral elegant expression. May is off to the side being a good silent supporter. Before long our time was up and he went to get up, "It is time for me to return to the palace. You know how my mother wants me back before dark." He approaches me and goes to kiss my hand, "Until we meet again my future wife." I roll my eyes, "Again with this nonsense, Tristan? If you said something like this to one of the girls who fawn over you, they would probably melt into a puddle before your feet. Like I have already told you COUNTLESS times, they are wasted on me. I like you only as a friend. I will never grow to have any romantic feelings for you. Please try to find another girl you like. You deserve to have a wife who will love you romantically, not just as a friend." I say friend here to soften the blow of the repeated rejection.

He lifts his head from kissing my hand, "But there is no woman in this kingdom that has me infatuated like you." I give an exasperated sigh while remaining completely elegantly composed in my posture, "Just get out of here, Tristan. Didn't you say her highness wanted you back before sunset? You don't want to be late." He sighs, "Fine ok. I will get out of your hair, Ariela. Give my regards to Sky when he comes back down. Oh, before I forget, in two weeks we will be holding our official engagement ball. I will be sending you a dress and heels to wear to match my outfit." "I will give him your regards. Safe travels back to the castle, Tristan. Don't pick any bright pink or purple colors. You know I prefer a darker color palette." I say as I wave him off with a genuine smile since I am happy he is leaving.

 I whistle to alert Sky and he immediately returns and lands on my shoulder. I tell him, "That idiot sends his regards to you, Sky." May to the side holds in a laugh and all I hear is "PFFT" She says, "Everytime you are with him it is hard to control myself. It takes every fiber of my being not to show any emotions when you are with his highness. Especially when you were calling him a creep and talking to him like he is a peon. I knew if I even let out the slightest laugh it might have been my head rolling because a prince doesn't need a good reason to kill the help." I replied keeping my elegant poise as a little lady of the duke, "Well you don't have to worry. Even if you did, I would fight tooth and nail for you. I might still be a kid, but my position can be your shield, May. I really love you. You are a precious employee to house Romo." She replies back, "I love you too, Lady Ariela." Though this love is most probably bought by me. I don't care. I am just happy to hear those words.

 On the day of the ball immediately after a rushed breakfast, May started pampering me and getting me ready for the ball. This included a massage, bath, moisturizing my skin from head to toe, applying perfume delicately, doing my hair in an elegant up-do, doing my makeup and lastly getting dressed in the torture contraption of a dress that Tristan sent. He sent me a beautiful blood red dress with black roses on it. It seemed like the perfect dress for a villainess like in the book I read and I love it. Though I am personally far from a villainess I do love their color scheme. Those colors look great on my tan skin. The bright side about these big puffy dresses is that I can hide a sword under it and nobody can tell. You never know when you might need to defend yourself. I want to wield a sword now, but I am not that proficient with them yet since I am still training. So I will leave the sword off for now. Though a part of me really wants to bring it so I can bonk the prince with my wooden sword. Father would probably die from shock if I did something like that.

She doesn't squeeze the corset too tight because she 'loves' me and we put the dress on. More specifically she loves the extra silver I give her to not tie it too tight. After getting the dress on she sits me down and puts my heels on for me. Once they are on I stand up and she takes a step back and admires her handy work, "Miss Ariela, you have grown into a fine young woman. You will be the most beautiful one at the ball tonight." I take a look at my reflection and I do look really quite lovely now. Though I already am looking forward to taking this dress off even though it looks so great on me. Before I leave the room to go out we hear a knock which pulls me away from my reflection, "Miss Ariela, whenever you are ready the crown prince is in the drawing room." 

I then say, "I guess that's my cue. Thank you for getting me ready today. I would not look this good if not for your efforts." I say as I pay her some silvers. May replies with a beaming smile, "It is my pleasure. I love treating you like a doll and dressing you up. Now try not to reject him in public and pretend to like him for appearances sake. Otherwise your father will be furious." I groan, "I know. I know. Put on a fake smile and just get through it." Sky then says before I leave, "You look really pretty, Ariela. Good luck!" "Thanks, Sky. I will need all of that luck." I say as I stroke his feathers since he just flew up and rested temporarily on my hand in front of my face. Sky says, "I will follow you and keep watch over you like always." As he nuzzles into the hand petting him I respond, "Ok Sky. I will count on you then. At some point during the ball I will grab some food you like and take it to the balcony so you can enjoy some too. How does that sound?" He adorably perks up and does his happy wiggle, "That sounds AMAZING! I just knew I hit the jackpot when we became friends!" I giggle, giving him an elegant smile, "I hit the jackpot, too." I pet him some more and he flies away towards the open window and I leave my room. 

 We get to the ballroom and they announce our entrance. We descend a big staircase and all eyes are on us. King Victor Orea and Queen Gloria Orea announce our engagement officially and then open the floor to me and Tristan for the first dance of the ball. He bows his head while grabbing my hand, "May I have this dance, Ariela?" I nod and just like I was taught in my lessons I gracefully took the floor with Tristan and we danced a beautiful dance. All we heard were murmurs all saying, "They look so perfect together. They dance so well they have great chemistry." Blegh. Ew gross. I continue wearing my fake elegant smile while ignoring all the comments. There are some young girls around my age giving me hateful glares which I am guessing are jealous in nature. After some meet and greets I am already exhausted and I get some food items that I know Sky will love that I also enjoy so we can share on the balcony. 

Before I could call Sky to join me some of those girls followed me out here. We are now alone out here. The queen-bee has a wolf pin on the lapel of her dress which means she is from the Ruiz household. Judging by her age she must be Bella. I greeted her with elegance, "You must be Lady Bella Ruiz? A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." She looks at me with that hateful glare and responds, "Hmmmph! Obviously, you would know who I am. I am a better fit for his highness than you. I can't believe you were chosen to be crown princess when I am obviously the better choice!" Her minions back her up. I say immediately without hesitation with the same elegance in my greeting, "Then please by all means take him." 

She snaps back with an attitude as black and dark purple tentacles start emerging from the ground by her feet while she scowls at me, "Are you wanting to fight?" I put my hands up in a 'stop' non-confrontational manner and back away, "Not at all. I genuinely mean it. If you want to be the crown princess please do your best and do your lessons and try to earn his affections. I have been trying to get him to leave me alone for years but my father is forcing me into this marriage. Please do not tell my father I told you this because he would be furious if he knew I told someone outside the family." I am so glad I put the food down on the balcony stone railing because I would have been wearing food from that sharp movement just now. She scoffs, releasing the dark tentacles as they disappear in the air, "Why would you not want to be the crown princess? That is like every girl's dream to be queen." I avert my gaze, maintaining my elegant posture, and respond, "Well, I am not like every girl. I don't want to marry any man. Not just the crown prince. I also for sure do not want to be queen either. What is wrong with that?" I look back at Bella and continue, "In all seriousness, I am cheering you on. Please earn his affection so I can be free, Lady Bella." She chuckles, amused by our interaction, "You know, I came out here to throw juice on your dress and bully you, but this has been quite the development. I still don't like you, but I will do as you ask and do my best. For now at least." I reach out my hand for a polite shake, "Friends?" She pushes my hand aside like I am a pest, "Don't push your luck, princess." She takes her leave and then I whistle and Sky comes down to eat some of the food and I join him. The rest of the ball goes off without a hitch, and I finally go home to keep up my training and lesson regimen.