1 Chapter One: The Treaty

A star shines only for a brief moment. Once it has faded it must return to the skies from which it first descended.

The Princess ran her fingers through her brown silken hair, as her handmaiden chose a dress for her to wear. Lost in thought, she did not hear her name being called until a hand firmly landed on her hand.

Letting out a small sound of surprise, she stopped what she was doing to look at her handmaiden who was looking at her as if she'd sprouted wings. "You are very distracted today Anne, are you alright?"

Princess Anne stood up and smiled lightly at her friend. "I am sorry, I was thinking about—" She paused and it her lower lip slightly in embarrassment. This only caused her normally pale pink lips to appear slightly redder, emphasizing the delicate beauty she was known for.

Princess Anne was the firstborn, and only living child, of King Roland of Arcadia. She was also the one who had drafted the peace treaty which had perked interest not only in her own kingdom, but in dozens of others.

The handmaiden giggled a little as she went to get the yellow gown and begin helping the Princess into it. "He is handsome, according to the rumors. Not a bad match, to marry a Crown Prince."

The Princess's face turned bright red. "When I drafted the treaty I did it to help both kingdoms, but my idea was for us to participate in trade. To help both kingdoms which are still damaged from the war. I thought that since trade routes completely broke down with other kingdoms, it might've good to repair the holes in each other's economies—-" her speech stopped when the laces on the back of the dress were pulled tightly. Arcadia had extremely strict policies of female modesty. Even though it was the middle of their summer, she still had to wear a full dress, a corset, an underdress, and it was all very warm.

Now that she was finished dressing it was time to go meet her guests; the royal family of Vastrul. Whom, until merely days ago were their sworn enemies.