Unfair Treatment

As Michael rushed to the palace dining room, not even knowing how his parents would react. He didn't even know if his brother had told his parents about his findings, and how'd they react.

He wished for the best, as he walked through the dining room doors.

His parents stared at him as he entered.

"I'm so sorry for taking so long. I had issues to attend to," Prince Michael admitted, facing his parents as he spoke.

What he didn't know was that his brother had told their parents everything. They knew about Emma, and were highly intrigued at how one girl could catch both of their two son's attention. There had to be something special about her. There just had to be.

King William raised his eyebrow.

"And what part of meeting with a girl 'issues to attend to'? Honestly son, I expected better from you. Especially on me and your mother's anniversary," he told his son.

Michael shot his brother a glare.

That snitch of a brother.

His brother smirked in return, reveling in the moment.

For once, it was him in trouble. The tables had finally turned.

Michael looked at the floor, wondering what to say.

"Mother, father, I'm terribly sorry, but I had made a promise that I'd meet her, it won't happen again. I sincerely apologize; it won't happen again," he said, apologizing sincerely, even though he didn't regret one second of the walk he had with Emma in the palace gardens.

Something about her was special, he thought.

Maybe it was the fact that she wasn't like the other girls, or maybe this was the good luck that was to be returned after the selfless deed she had done as the past princess of Zenovia.

But that was something the two current monarchs of Zenovia didn't, and wouldn't ever know.

Dinners with the royals were always quite...different than that of a regular family. While they have heart-to-heart talks, chat about their current circumstances, this family dinner was quiet, and if they ever were chatting, it'd probably be King William and Queen Isabelle conversing, or ordering the royal help.

The two brothers, Michael and Adam, were never quite on good terms.

Their constant fighting for their parent's affection was never-ending, not to mention now that Emma had entered the picture.

King William answered his son's apology, his tone halved in disappointment and amusement.

"Well, you're excused, but this best not happen again,"

Michael nodded before returning to his seat.

Adam was outraged. If he had done the same thing, he would've been lectured severely.

He thought this wasn't fair, how he and his brother were always treated differently, reason being that he was the elder child, and needed to be the role model, or the perfect example in front of his younger brother.

He was raised in his younger brother's shadow, both of the two princes raised under a canopy of strict rules regarding their appearance, manners, and their daily routines.

Michael was almost everything the King and Queen had hoped for.

He was a charming, handsome, intelligent, protective, and compassionate person. He cared for others, even the less significant, and treated those hired to help as people that were to be respected. He was handsome of face, strong of body, and brave of heart. He was the model and the image of the perfect prince.

Even though Adam had always wanted the throne, his wits and intelligence came short when compared to that of Michael's. Adam was cunning, charming, his looks made girls swoon for him, but it was his attitude that prevented him from getting anything he wanted.

Adam had tried for years to match his younger brother's accomplishments, but he never prevailed.

He knew that Michael would always be number one, and he'd always be, well, number two.

His train of thought was cut off as his father and mother got up to leave, cueing, or allowing the two bored princes to leave the dining room after what seemed like an eternity of a celebration.

Michael had already left for his quarters, and Adam was the only person left in the dining room, other than the help in charge of cleaning.

Adam retreated back to his quarters for the day, exhausted by the past activities he had done.

He fell asleep, exhaustion filling his entire body as soon as he laid down on his massive bed.

Meanwhile, Emma was turning and tossing in her sleep, witnessing quite the odd dream, a glimpse of her childhood when she was still Madison, one of the past princesses of Zenovia. She witnessed the whole dream in Madison's point of view.

The dream started when a 17-year-old Madison was in the palace dining room, having dinner with the rest of her family, when one of the royal guards came clambering in.

"Your majesty! We have visitors that are here to see the princess!" He exclaimed, panting from having to run up the palace stairs.

"And for what reason do they have to interrupt our lunch?" King Arthur asked, fists clenched as his eyes were filled with rage and fury.

"Your majesty, they've come to request the princess' hand in marriage," the guard replied.

King Arthur gaped, and a moment of pure silence filled the palace dining room. He flung himself from his seat, Madison and Queen Anabella being quite close behind, rushing to follow.

When they had reached the front door, everyone in the palace had already gathered to see the commotion, and there it was, a young man, around the age of eighteen or nineteen years of age, holding a bouquet of forget-me-knots, lilies, roses and other blossoms. Once he saw Madison, he got down on one knee.

He was still panting, having to climb the palace by foot due to being one of the Zenovia commoners.

"Princess, will you...marry me? He asked, making everyone gawk at the princess right after he had proposed.

The young princess didn't know what to do. She had never been properly educated in these types of things, and there was no book in the 1800s teaching princesses on what to do if a commoner asked for their hand in marriage.

The King raised his fork.

"Do you know this boy, daughter?" He asked.

She shook her head. She had never seen this boy in her entire life.

She hadn't even been allowed to leave the palace so often.

As the young man opened his mouth to speak, the king raised his hand, silencing the exhausted man.

"See here young man, my daughter's not accepting proposals at this time, as she is much too young to get married, and if she was to get married, she is to be married to someone of royal status-"

He was interrupted from his explanation when another man went up the steps, he was out of breath, but fell to one knee as he pleaded, "Princess Madison, will you marry me?"

At this, Emma was suddenly jerked from her past memories as Princess Madison, a blinding white light filling her vision as she woke up in the middle of the night, her face full of sweat, and the dream she had just witnessed slowly fading away, leaving nothing but a shadow of a dream.