Dream

Princess Eleanor looked at the side with a smile on her face.

"Everything ready?" Princess Eleanor asked as she looked at Nia with a soft gaze.

"I hope we have packed everything. The journey is going to be long."

Nia nodded her head as she looked at the luggage she and the other maids had packed. "Everything is packed. We will not need anything."

Princess Eleanor walked towards the window and she looked outside. The sky was dark as the moon shined, illuminating and creating a beautiful image.

"Who will be escorting us from the Angevin Kingdom?" Princess Eleanor's face did not look down but her eyes had turned sharp. "According to the customs they should be sending someone with us."

Nia was silent. She could not find a better explanation of what she had heard. She knew that Princess Eleanor will be sad when she hears it but Nia also knew that she had to tell the princess now.

'What if Princess Eleanor learns the truth tomorrow morning when we are about to leave? Won't she be sadder then? It is better if she learns the truth now so that she has time to accept it.' Nia thought as she took a step forward.

"Princess Eleanor …." Nia said in a trembling voice. Her hands were unable to stay still as she started to wiggle around. "The King ha... Have …"

"Are only one or two escorts assigned to me?" Princess Eleanor asked in a dull tone. There was a sense of predictability in her tone as if she had predicted this prior. That she knew what her Uncle, the King, would do next.

Nia was shocked. She did not know how Princess Eleanor would know these things. She knew it because she accidentally heard it while she was bringing the soaps she had made.

The guards' voices were low, almost whispering but when she heard the words, 'Princess Eleanor' and 'Roulux Empire' Nia stood there like a statue, hiding herself and listening to their conversation.

The knights were not very happy that they had to escort the Princess to the Empire but they knew that it was the order of the King and cannot be taken lightly.

"Yes, but I heard something more." Nia bit her lips. Although she was confused about whether to tell Princess Eleanor or not she finally had decided to tell the Princess. "I do not know if the information is legit or not but I heard that the King had ordered the Knights to come back to the Angevin Kingdom after the Royal ball event. They are asked to go back alone."

Nia waited for Princess Eleanor's reaction but she had none. Nia knew then that she had to go and leave the Princess alone.

Princess Eleanor closed her eyes once she heard the door close. Many thoughts were going on in her mind. She did not know where to start but soon the tears rolled down her cheeks.

Although Princess Eleanor showed a strong front when facing everyone, she was an emotional young lady who had suffered a lot. Someone who is struggling to live here in the palace and yet trying to get revenge.

"Mother, Father, Brother, This is the palace and relative that you loved. And look at the way they are treating your daughter. They all have abandoned me. I have no one." Princess Eleanor's voice was trembling as she rubbed her eyes. "But it's okay. I will destroy everything that turns their backs on me."

Princess Eleanor looked up at the sky as she murmured, "I will never let anyone look down on me again just because I have lost my parents. Just because I am a Princess and not a Prince."

Princess Eleanor's lips curled up but that was not a happy smile. She shook her head as she walked back inside as she rested on her bed.

"Let's hope everything turns out well."

With the words, Princess Eleanor closed her eyes as she slept.

—--------

Princess Eleanor's eyes looked around as her head was dizzy. She did not know where she was. But soon she saw her younger self running towards a distance.

There was a fog that created a barrier but soon she walked past that. She could see herself pricking flowers.

"What are you doing here alone?" Princess Eleanor saw her younger self getting a fright as she looked back to see the person who was there.

"Brother! Why did you scare me?"

The man had black hair that was fluttering in the air. He smiled as he rubbed young Eleanor's head. "Who upset you?"

"No one."

"How can it be? You come to the garden when you are upset. Won't you tell me what happened?"

Young Eleanor was silent as she looked up but soon her brother sat on his knees as he held her hands, "You can tell me anything."

"They were talking…" Young Eleanor's eyes teared up, "They said you all will marry me off. A Princess is a bargaining chip used for the betterment of their Kingdom."

"Don't worry Eleanor. None of us see you as one. You are the Princess of the Angevin Kingdom. Not a bargaining chip."

"But brother…"

"No, but Eleanor." He ran his hand over her cheeks as he rubbed her tears. "When I become a King, I will make a rule that the Princess will have a right to the throne as well."

"But we still have it." Young Eleanor complained.

"Yes, we do. But only if the Princess is married. But then again the power will be with the King. I want you to possess the power, not the man you marry."

"But you will be the King, brother. Your daughter could be the …"

"No one knows the future." The man smiled as he cut through her words, "I just want you to know. You are the Princess of this Kingdom and my beloved sister. Don't let anyone look down on you. Ever again."

Princess Eleanor's eyes were filled with tears. She was standing at the corner but when she wanted to take a step forward to touch her brother once even if it was in a dream, the fog covered her completely.

Her heart was beating faster as she ran through the fog only to find that she could not find anything. Princess Eleanor was afraid as she shouted "NO!!"

Her eyes opened as she sat on the bed. Her forehead was filled with sweat and her breathing was messed up. She looked around only to realize that it was morning.

"Just a dream…." Princess Eleanor took deep breaths, "Just a dream."