Chapter 4

"I don't want to hear it Freya", Roderick said as soon as his sister entered his chambers. The young woman sighed, not understanding why no one wanted to listen to what she had to say that morning.

"I'm not here to support mother" she said as she went over to sit with him on the bed.

"Did she really think I was going to do that?" Roderick asked his sister with his voice filled with unbelief. "She wanted me to make sure Phillip didn't return from battle? She wanted me to kill my own brother on the battlefield?!"

"Shh. Someone might hear you!"

"Well, maybe that would put an end to this madness!" Roderick said in a louder voice. "Mother is putting too much pressure on me and it's getting frustrating! And to think she's not just doing this for me, but for her selfish reasons!"

"I guess that's the pressure and expectations we get for being royalty" Freya muttered sadly. Even she had gotten her fair share of pressure.

Her older sister who happened to be the eldest child of King Baldwin has been married off to one of the Kings of the Southern Kingdoms to maintain peace. As for Freya, her father had decided to stretch his tentacles to the Northern Region by giving her off to a prince from there.

No one knew what the Prince looked like and no one had an idea of what the Northern Region was like because Northerners banned outsiders from coming into their Kingdom. That place was completely shrouded in mystery and there were rumours that the Northerners were not normal human

beings.

Of course, Baldwin didn't care about that. Being King of the whole South, he thought it wise to extend a hand of friendship to the Northerners and he wanted to seal it with a marriage.

About a year ago, when Freya came of age, the King had sent a letter to the North through the only ferry that crossed the big ocean separating the two Regions. He didn't think he would get a response but he was more than surprised when he got a letter from the North which held a favourable response.

Now, Freya was betrothed to a man she had never met. No one knew when the marriage was going to be as the Northern prince would be the one to decide that. With the rising of the sun each day and by the passing of the days, Freya waited for the day she would be joined with a complete stranger.

Roderick stared at his sister who suddenly seemed lost in thoughts. He knew what she was thinking about and he just wished he could do something about it. He knew she wasn't happy about her engagement to a total stranger but like she said, this was expected of her as she was royalty.

Even their older sister wasn't spared and now that she was married, they rarely ever saw her. It has been four years since then but they had only met her thrice since then. She visited Dexteria once every year and they hoped to see her again even this year.

"I'm going for a ride" Roderick suddenly said, rising to his feet.

"Make sure you disguise yourself and come back before nightfall" Freya told him.

"A disguise" Roderick said with a chuckle. "It's not like the commoners know who their second prince is".

"You really don't want mother hearing you call yourself that".

Roderick was a fine a young man who was a few weeks younger than Phillip. Like all the King's children, he was also a sight for sore eyes. King Baldwin had such beauties for wives and he was also a good looking man. So naturally, all his children awed the people with their looks.

Unlike Phillip, Roderick had raven black hair which he preferred to keep short. He was almost as tall as his brother and his dark eyes were beautiful, yet they seemed to hold much wisdom. Though his face was a splitting image of his father's, he had a lean frame and an appealing smile. Many knew him to be brilliant yet no one knew how cunning he could be because he always wore a smile and so far, he had been nothing but good.

Roderick set out that morning after having a light breakfast alone in his chambers. Riding on a sunny day and having the wind in his hair was a hobby he never got tired of. He liked to go to the villages and markets to see how the people lived. The simple lives of the commoners interested him and he was always ready to take down notes.

On this fateful day, he arrived at the market and was surprised to see so many people in front of a particular stand. Roderick was a curious cat so he got down from his horse and went to join the crowd. He wanted to see what was being sold that had caught the attention of so many people.

When he was able to finally push his way to the front, he was gobsmacked when he saw what had captured the attention of all the people. It was a woman! A young woman who was selling dresses with an older woman who no one seemed to be paying attention to.

The young woman was obviously a commoner judging by the way she was dressed but that face... Roderick had never seen anything like it. No one has. Who was she? Where did she come from? With a face like that, news of her would have reached the palace so how is it that he had never heard about her before? She didn't look like she was from Dexteria... Or was she?

Annalise just stood there with her mother, forcing a smile to all the people that had gathered around. She was happy that her extraordinary beauty was appreciated, but she really didn't like it that they were just staring and not buying anything.

"Would you like a dress for your wife My Lord?" She asked a man who was nicely dressed. The man was the one standing in front of her and he was beginning to make her uncomfortable with his lustful stares.

"Of course" the man answered with repeated nods.

Anna was able to sell three dresses to the man right then. Seeing that buying a dress would get the pretty lady to smile, all the men started buying. Some who didn't even have wives or daughters still got a dress. While the men bought, the women gossiped. They just couldn't believe how the gods could have bestowed such beauty on one woman.

Anna's mother was happy that her dresses were being sold out. She smiled proudly at her daughter who wasn't just a pretty face. If they continued to make sales like this every day, living in this town would be easier than she imagined.