Summary

Aria is princess and she wants nothing more out of her life than to be able to decide what to do with it. But fate (and her mother) have another plan. What will our headstrong heroine do when she finds out she is betrothed to the prince of another land? And what happens when sparks fly between them and she finds herself falling hopelessly in love with him?

My name is Princess Arianna, Aria for short; I am the youngest Daughter of the King and Queen of Faore. I have two siblings, my elder brother & best friend Marcus, and my sister Aijia, she is perfect in every way, she is beautiful with her golden hair and purple eyes, she can ride a horse well and not to mention is a amazing warrior.

She is good at being a lady and never trips when she walks down the hall in oversized ball gowns our mother makes us wear. She has had many marriage proposals but she's in love, with Crown Prince Leuce Alakina of Orkney, and he is enamored with her.

She is perfect, as I said before, the apple of my parent's eye, no wonder I am such a disappointment to them. I am everything a young princess shouldn't be.

The only thing I inherit from my mother is her temper; I inherited nothing from my father, except his smile. I am short (and a bit stocky, not too much but it's a far cry from Aijia's slender waistline) I have hazely brown eyes and light brown hair.

I can't wield a sword for the life of me (although Marcus has tried to teach me many a time) and I can't really draw a bow without hitting something that I'm not supposed to (like a bird, much to the amusement of Marcus who decided I needed to have more self-confidence).

I love Horseback riding though, that's something I am good at, Marcus and I always go riding on Sundays, it's our time together to catch up on each other's life.

The Crown Prince (Marcus) has alot to do in learning the rule of a country, so he doesn't have that much free time, but the time he does he spends with me & and; our friends.

I think that's one of the reasons I haven't gotten many suitors (besides my unattractiveness) Marcus would beat anyone into the ground who tried to break my heart. I spend most of my time with my brothers/my friends, they don't think of me as the dorky awkward little sister of the Prince who tags along anymore, they think of me as a friend.

For that reason, I spent most of my time getting into lots of trouble. Like that time we all... no never mind not a good idea to tell you that. But no wonder my Mother is so disappointed in me, all I want to do is make her proud of me, but I inevitably disappoint her.

So I stopped trying to be Aijia, and started to just be me. I try to please her and all we do is end up getting into fights. She wants me to act like a lady, and I want to just be me.

I fight with my mother more that anyone else i know, I stopped trying to make her happy a long time ago, and start trying to make me happy. And for that she is always pissed with me, I never do anything right.

My poor father is always playing the referee between our arguments, like the time Sir Garbey, of Malta (who has a name like that anyway) asked for my hand in marriage.

Mikey, Trent, Trevor, (our friends) Marcus & me, decided to pour pigs blood on him when he walked into his bedchamber.

We thought it was funny then but boy did we pay for it later, my mother lectured us into the early hours of the morning. It also took clever negotiating skills, courtesy of my father, to convince him not to ride with our enemies to war against us.

(The fact that dad gave him a tax break might have had something to do with it.) He left the castle the next day and told my mother that if I were his daughter he would have whipped me into submission long ago.

I really thought for a second she that was going to do it. She was that mad at me! I apologized profusely, and after a month of sewing and embroidery lessons, I was allowed to do what I usually do.

What pray tell do I usually do, well I'm training to be a mage. There are different stages of Mage training just like there are Knights. Since I decided to train to be a mage four years ago I have lots of reading to do.

Mostly in the beginning, it was the historical and the scientific sides of it. (It's so I don't make the same mistakes as others, or blow anyone up accidentally.)

I also need to study people and how they interact with each other. So I can see what I can do with my magic and how I can help people with it. Not to mention I still have to master the practical side of it.

Then the theoretical side of it. Magic involves alot of study. Contrary to popular belief, you don't just pick up a stick say "Abra Cadabra" and the problems fixed.

No first, you have to find the right wand that fits your personality type. (I am a redwood, so my wands are a bit rare but all I have to do is bat my lashes and ask my daddy nicely and he'll get them for me.)

However, magic isn't simple far from it actually. It involves five years of studying from books, and practical work with the court mages.

Then at the end of the five years the International Mages Council, (or the I.M.C.) gives you a Practical test, in which the challenges range from assisting a king in difficult decisions, to encouraging the crops to grow, to fighting off a evil sorcerer, to mixing potions.

I excel at mixing potions; I think it's easier to mix ingredients than drawing magic from within my self. It's very draining, but with practice I got better at it.

(Also Sorcerers & Sorceress are evil, Mages aren't just to get that clear) After we pass the Practical test we then have to pass the Literal test, there are 100 multiple choice questions.

I'm sick at the thought of it. 1 out of 10 people die taking those test. I go to take them in one year and if I pass it I will be the one of the youngest mages in the history of the earth.

My ultimate goal is to be able help my people when my brother is king, you know like advise him on important matters, make sure his food isn't poisoned, make sure his wife isn't cheating on him, Etc.

That is if my mother ever gets off my back about finding a suitor, and I get a chance to study my books and practice with the mages my father keeps at the castle.

Which I doubt I ever will, knowing my mother she always gets what she wants. And she wants me to get married. I will be a mage or I will die trying, literally.

Here she goes calling my name again, "Aria, Aria, where are you? Aria you better not be in that study again, reading those books of yours. " "Yes I am in here mother." I call to her. She storms into my study, a little corner in the royal library. This is my sanctuary.

My favorite place in the world. "Aria" she says a little softer noticing the frown on my face, "Your father and I have someone for you to meet at lunch, it is now eleven thirty, could you please come with me to your room and we could find a nice dress for you to wear?"

She asked me in such a nice voice, that I said yes even though my brain was screaming 'Aria, you idiot no what are you doing, it's probably another suitor she is trying to push on you.

Do you want to DIE when you take that test, no, you need to stay and study!' But my conscience said otherwise and I obliged.

As we were walking to my room I asked her who it was because usually she is chattering on about how I need to start acting more like a lady, but she was unusually silent, with a frown too boot.

She took a deep breath and said "Aria do you remember I told you about Prince Danric?" I was so shocked that my mouth was somewhere around my right shoe.

Danric was a prince of Aloand one of our neighbors, he tried to seduce my mother when she was single, but she refused, he got very angry and assisted in my fathers kidnapping knowing she was in love with him.

My mother went after him and she saved the now prince Leuce, from bandits. They went to the old castle on the mourning mountain where they met Danric brother Cirrhus.

He betrayed them and turned them into Danric and the Co-conspirators. Leuce ended up saving them both from the dungeon, they went back to palace and were married, a banshee caught Danric, and she tortured and killed him.

Then she sent part of his body to his father, and my parents. After a few minutes of stunned silence I finally spoke, "Yes Mother I do, but why, I mean isn't he dead?"

She sighed and took my hands and we sat down on the windowsill. We were silent for a few more minutes then she told me.

"Aria, it seems he had a bastard son with one of the court beauties, Lady Amaria, Sir Mikaels daughter, if I'm not mistaken, his father Devoin sent her to a private estate and she delivered the baby there. When he found out Danric had died he was heartbroken, he sent for his grandson and the boys mother and made him the crown prince of Aloand. Maria named the boy Rigel; they lived with her father until her death ten years ago. He was 15 so his grandfather sent him to Devoin. Devoin trained him to rule the country, and now they are looking to make a peace treaty with Faore."

She stopped and looked at me and gave me a hug. I was surprised I stiffened up quickly, but then she told me she loved me and I couldn't be mad at her. After she let me go she had tears in her eyes. "Mother why are you crying?" I inquired.

"Aria, dear, a peace treaty with Faore, means a peace treaty with Orkney as well. This could be very good for our people. No more spitball battles between us. Do you understand that honey?"

I looked at her for a moment and she looked strange. I had never seen her like that before as if she wanted to say something but couldn't. "Aria" she started again, holding my hand this time,

"We, Your Father and I thought it would be..."And she never got to finish because right then a servant came running down the hall yelling "My Queen, My Queen"

He told her the King needed her in the hall right away. I think the phrase he used was "Your guests are here."

She smiled quickly and gave the servant their leave. She then turned to me and said" Aria sweetie go to your chambers, brush your hair and let Christina put it up, "

She said naming my dressing maid, "and put on your light green dress your Father bought for you last week, it brings out the green in your eyes."

She kissed my head then sauntered in her queenly way, down the hall to my father and our 'Guests'.

Well I humored my mother and went to my bedchamber, brushed my hair and put my green dress on like she asked. I even slipped on the flats that went with it.

Then I let Christine dress my hair. I went down to the hall to meet my parents; my brother was there as well as my sister. 'Oh no this is BIG; they never have all three of us together, unless it's something big.'

My brother walked over to me with a forced smile on his face. I knew right then something was wrong, he never forces smiles for me.

As we were walking toward the from the door I entered through he leaned over and whispered in my ear "Whatever you do Aria, please don't scream."

I was about to ask him what he meant when we reached our guests, there were two men there The oldest one was wearing a kings crown, then it hit me like a sack of potatoes, 'Oh, he must be King Devoin.'

He smiled at me, he didn't look like the evil man my mother thought he was. He way graying a bit but there was still a dusting of brown in his hair; he had chocolate brown eyes, that didn't smile when his lips did.

He was a big man with broad shoulders, he wasn't what I would call fat, I just think he was tired. He stepped forward just as I was sizing him up and cleared his throat.

"The lovely Princess Arianna, I presume, I am King Devoin, and it's a pleasure to meet you my dear."

I smiled and blushed like every good princess in supposed to do when they receive a compliment. I stepped forward and offered him my hand to kiss. He kissed it.

"Your Majesty it's a delight to meet you as well." He smiled at me and I smiled at him. He was a harmless old man right? Wrong.

He cleared his throat again, and looked at the young man next to him, and he stepped forward. The only way to describe him was, WOW, he had his Grandfathers build and dark brown hair, but what really caught my attention were his eyes.

He had the most brilliant blue eyes I had ever seen. And unlike Devoin, his smile reached them. I offered my hand to him after a minute of standing there like a complete idiot. He flashed me a handsome grin and kissed it.

When he stood up His grandfather introduced us. "Princess Arianna, this is my grandson, Rigel, I don't believe you have met before? " "No Milord I don't believe we have" I was on cloud nine.

Ohh how I wish it would have lasted. "Well Aria," My mother said, "why don't you & your siblings show Prince Rigel to the sitting room. We have things to discuss with King Devoin."

If I knew then what I know now, I would have ran as fast & as far as I could have. But I didn't and like a fool I did what I was told. The four of us sat there in the sitting room, and it was not pleasant.

One can only talk about weather for so long before it gets old. And it didn't help that Marcus who insisted that he sit next to me, was staring Rigel down.

It was like they were having a staring contest, in fact they kind of were. It was somewhat funny and I had to pretend to cough to stifle my laughter.

Aijia, for all her perfectness wasn't helping, she was sitting next to Rigel and kept throwing me nervous glances. Ok now I was getting freaked out.

It seemed that everyone else knew something that I didn't. We were sitting in that room for about five minutes, but for me it felt like five hours, when My Parents sent a servant to tell us they requested our presence in the throne room I was relived.

I think I knew it wasn't good right there, if I ever had a moment that I should have acted like a total ass that was it. But being my naive self I thought nothing of it the feeling, and brushed it away as that week old pie I had for breakfast.

Marcus took my arm and dragged me, literally, out of that room. Rigel and Aijia followed slower, seeing as Marcus was almost running to the throne room. He stopped and was sputtering out incomprehensible phrases.

As soon as we both caught our breath from our almost mad dash to the throne room Rigel and Aijia were just turning the corner. He smiled at Marcus, and Marcus scowled at him.

"Shall we" was all he said when he reached us, then the servants opened the doors. The three of them were standing there in front of my dads throne it was somewhat intimidating.

But Marcus, being the wonderful big brother he is took my arm again and led me out to where our parents and the King were waiting for us.

When we were all settled my Father started to talk, and it was mostly boring stuff all about peace and bla bla bla. Then he said my name and asked me if I understood what they were going to do. I was clueless.

I looked at Marcus and Marcus spoke up for me "Father I think less flowery speech would suffice, you're not talking to your advisers, your speaking to your children."

Father sighed; his gray eyes troubled, he closed them for a moment then when he opened then he looked straight at me and addressed me. "Aria Your Mother and I think it is high time you marry.

King Devoin has offered for you and Prince Rigel to be married in six weeks. I know it's a bit sudden but we think it would be good for you. You need a change of pace, Aria; you're getting into a rut."

I was stunned, I was sick, I knew I should have been outraged, or I should have started to throw things or scream or yell or something but the only thing that registered in my brain was 'six weeks' and 'married'.

I think I remember hearing Marcus ask if I was alright, I tried to stand up but I fell, Marcus caught me, I threw up, and the next thing I knew my whole world went black...

Please R&R I would really like your critism.