Fifty-Eight

"Miss Rose, you don't have to do this everyday..." I was sitting against a pillar and my guard looked at me warily and I rolled my eyes before turning to the book I was reading. I then ignored him and he finally went off to train. It was spring now, and normally this was a time when the training grounds would be filled to the brim with knights training. However now this was no the case and wouldn't be for a long while.

Because of the war, all heavily proficient knights were training new soldiers at our soldiers compounds, or leading platoons to war. We had originally only meant to help with supplies but over the last month we joined physically too. Because of this fact my bodyguard was hesitant to be here alone, because it was a little creepy honestly. I was so used to hearing so much noise, it was odd to say the least to not hear anything from anyone here. Only my 'knight in shining armor' as the King called him, getting more and more irritating that man is, and has been attempting to get me to call him sir knight. I had bitten his hand when he said that and started to attempt to convince me of it, while my guard stood thunderstruck by the interaction. I had proceeded to kick him and call him a hopeless king, and that I felt bad for the Queen, and he had sat in a corner, drawing circles with his finger. Needless to say I gave no sympathy and simply walked off and left him, leaving the Queen in a fit of hysterical giggles. I have slowly stopped caring about ranks, after all it's not much of a difference anymore, I was directly under the king and queen and their sons, but they were the only ones above me. I also didn't like that. I don't like being so far 'above' others as the instructor I had been forced to see had said. I still remember that day vividly.

***

"Your highness Rosela Melody Morgan, I am pleased to be your tutor. I am Fiona" An older lady knelt and I did the appropriate small curtsy a princess has to when addressing a lower aristocrat. I hated it.

"I am pleased to be under your care Madame Fiona. You may rise." I recited the words with an artful flair, I had always been good with acting, but I didn't like suddenly being forced to act as a princess, even if it was only for one person. Apparently I will be announced as one of the Princesses of the kingdom (although there is only one as of now) when I turn Thirteen, like it or not. I was being forced to interact like this because of that irritating fact.