Well, I tried to start writing a fairytale. I have no idea if it's good or not. I just got the idea in the middle of the night yesterday, and decided to write it out this morning. Also, every time I write XXX, it stand for the name of a kingdom, because I was too lazy to try and come up with fake kingdom names. It should still make sense in context though. If your confused, please tell me in a review!

Princess Calista Adeline Beaulieu took a deep breath and looked down at her clasped hands. They were shaking, and her knuckles were almost as white as the dress that she wore. A veil was carefully placed on her head by a maid, and a bouquet of white roses was gently placed in her arms. It was all a blur to her, until Diana, who had been her nanny since she was a child, and later her lady's maid, grasped her hands.

"Princess," She started, and Calista drew her eyes up from her lap for the first time in hours. "Calista. You look beautiful." As she looked up into the mirror in front of her, she knew that Diana spoke the truth. Her dress was exquisite, made from the finest pearls and silks that could be found on the continent. Her hair matched her dress, and pearls were strung through her elaborate curls and braids. Her gaze traveled down to her face, and she knew that she looked radiant with the minimal makeup that the maids had applied. She looked like a princess, and a bride. But that just made it worse. It made it real. Within the hour, she would be married, and she had never met the groom.

-Two Days Before-

Calista gracefully sank down into a curtsy to her father, the King, as she arrived in the dining room for supper. He nodded to her, and she sat, her gown elegantly settling around her. As she always did, she noticed and ignored the looks of the courtiers and nobles sitting farther down the table. She knew she was beautiful, and she hated it.

All throughout the dinner, she gently laughed at the complements she received, and played the part of the perfect, sweet little princess who was approaching a marriageable age. She knew that she was the top prize that her father could give out. Two years before, her older sister had been married to a Lord who had gained her father's favor, and Calista had only seen her sister once in that time. The two princesses were expendable. They had a four year old younger brother to take the throne, so their father could marry them off to whomever struck his fancy.

So Calista laughed through the dinner, as she always did, never talking of books or politics or anything truly useful. She was just a beautiful prize to be won, and she knew exactly how to play that part. Just as her mother had been forced to, all those years ago.

Calista's mother had been a commoner, the most beautiful commoner in the land. After the King's first wife had passed giving birth to his first daughter, he remarried because he still needed a son. Calista's mother had simply been the most beautiful prize, so her parents were paid off and she became the Queen. Calista knew that she was up for the same fate.

After dining for nearly two hours, the king stood up.

"As I am sure you all know," he started, pausing for everyone to quiet down. "We have been having some… Disagreements, with the neighboring kingdom of XXX. But fear not, because peace will be made with the marriage of my daughter, Princess Calista Adeline Beaulieu, to the Crown Prince of XXX in two days time!" It was silent for a moment, and Calista's heart dropped to her stomach.

She was only seventeen! She was too young! She had thought that she had at least a few years left! The Prince of XXX… She didn't think that she had ever met him before. All she knew was that he was a few years older than her, maybe twenty four? And he had a younger brother. Oh no, she didn't think that she could handle this. She felt the tears start to prick her eyes, but she held them back with sheer force of will. She just had to get through tonight. Just tonight, only tonight. She could release her tears when she was safe in her own bed, but for now… She had to play the part of an airhead, beautiful princess who had just learned of her own engagement.

Calista didn't know how she had gotten through that night. All she was aware of was the rush of congratulations and praise, mixed with a few jealous looks. The ultimate prize had been won. But she wasn't even a prize, she was a peace offering. She didn't know which was worse. And with that thought, as her maids closed her bedroom door behind them for the nights, her barriers broke down and the tears finally started to slip out of her eyes.

oOo

Fourteen hours was how long it took for Calista's carriage to arrive at the palace of XXX. It was dark when they finally got there, and Calista had had a lot of time to think. Over the ride, she had realized that her father had to have been planning this long before he had announced it at dinner the night before. All the supplies, bags, and carriages had been ready that morning as Calista was prepared to travel, and her wedding dress had already been made.

Her wedding dress. She hated it. She hated it more than any piece of clothing she had ever seen in her life. It's not that it wasn't beautiful, because it was. It was that the dress represented her future. Her future tied to a prince that she had never met before, in a kingdom far, far away. She was trading the imprisonment of one castle for another, except this next prison would be for the rest of her life, with no hope of ever leaving.

As soon as her first foot stepped out of the carriage, she was swarmed by maids and the Queen of XXX. She was rushed to her room and told she had to get a good night's sleep before the wedding, before she was suddenly, inexplicably alone.

After hours of tossing and turning, she still couldn't sleep. Being alone, in a new room, in a new place, with new sounds just brought out all of her fears for the next day. What if the prince was horrible to her? But what if he was nice? What if… What if she could let down her act around him? But no, she reasoned. He was a prince. Her reputation preceded her, and he was expecting a prize. A pretty little airheaded princess. And that was what he was going to get. She sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to sleep for at least a few more hours. So, she decided to go explore that castle that would be her knew home.

Eventually, her wanderings led her to a pair of ornately carved double doors. They were cracked open and light was poring through, so she assumed it was okay to go in. The door creaked as she touched it, and then she gasped.

She was in a library, and it was the grandest library she had ever seen. The towering bookshelves were glowing silver the starlight and moonlight pouring in from the high windows set into one wall, and the books on them gleamed in the light. The shelves and window frames, and even the walls themselves were carved with fantastical images of flowers, animals, and mythical looking creatures. Comfortable looking chairs were scattered around the room, each with a small table next to it and a slightly larger collection around a fireplace in the corner. It was amazing.

Calista walked forward in awe, trailing a finger along the spines of the books. Then one caught her eye. It was a fairytale about a princess in a tower, one she had loved since she was a little girl. She picked it up, and decided that if she was going to do one thing before her wedding, it would be to read her favorite book in this amazing library.

She was so caught up in the book and the room that she didn't notice the dark figure sitting on a chair near her until she was well absorbed into the fantasy world of her book.

"Hello there." Calista whirled around, eyes wide. She thought she was alone. Sitting on a chair not too far from her was a young man with dark hair and even darker eyes, wearing a plain outfit and a light jacket.

"Who are you?" Calista asked breathlessly. How had he been so quiet? She thought. He chuckled.

"You can call me… Max. But the real question is, who are you?" Calista's mind whirled. She knew that she probably wasn't supposed to be out of her room at this time of night, and knew that no one was expecting the princess to be running around the palace. So it was better to lie, and way that she was someone else.

"My name is... Lisa." She inwardly groaned. She sounded so much like she was lying! But the man sitting across from her seemed to buy it.

"What are you reading, Lisa?" He asked, and she told him. That led to them talking about books in general, and she learned that this mysterious 'Max' enjoyed history, but also mythology and folklore, just like her. He talked about his family, and how he had an older brother. In return, she told him that she had an older sister and a younger brother. After hours and hours of talking, Calista started to hear footsteps in the hall and realized that the room was getting brighter.

"Oh no!" She exclaimed. "Sorry, I have to go! I really enjoyed talking to you!" Leaving the book on her chair in her hurry to get back to her room, Calista never looked back. If she had, she would have seen the mysterious MAx smiling and looking after her, and light blush coloring his cheeks.

oOo

After about three hours of sleep, Calista was woken by maids who were ready to dress her for her big day. Diana, her lady's maid, took in the dark circles under her eyes witha disapproving gaze, but didn't say anything. Calista was glad. Any thoughts she had of the boy from the previous night were overshadowed by the knowledge that by this time tomorrow, she would be the wife of a prince who she still hadn't met. And she had been told that she still wouldn't see him until she was literally walking down the aisle, because the groom wasn't allowed to see the bride before the wedding.

Calista stood before the great double doors that would open in a few short minutes, leading her to her future. She had the strange thought that they might as well be the gates of Hell, and almost laughed at the thought before she chastised herself. What was going on? This was not the time to be laughing! She was anything but amused! She must be going crazy. That was the only explanation.

She fiddled with the bouquet in her shaking hands. She could do this. She had to do this. She will do this. If not for herself, then for her kingdom. She hated her father, even though she always did as he said, but she knew that he might be right on this account. Peace with XXX might only come at the price of marriage.

Before she was ready, She doors were opened, the music started, and Calista took a step forward.

Please review! Tell me what you think!