Today was a day just like any other day. Melanie Ashland woke up in the small house she lived in with her grandparents before getting ready for the day. After washing her face the copper hair colored woman stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her friends had mailed in an application to become the new princess. The king, who lost his queen a while back, never had a child; so he placed the chance to the citizens to become the next prince or princess. Despite her ignoring her friends, they entered her into the contest.

The first interview went well --- she guessed. She enjoyed talking to the people of the council because they recognized her name and knew her parents. While it was sad to hear about her parents, she enjoyed the bureaucrats sharing stories of their parents and some even had the time to share adventures they shared with either her mother or her father. The men and women she had the pleasure of talking to where enjoyable conversationalist and she left in a good mood. The following day she had another interview; this time with the royal advisor and soon the king and queen themselves joined the interview! Excitement filled her as she finally got to see her aunt and uncle-in-law as it was a rare occasion now-a-days. The visit was professional as she was getting interviewed to become the heir of the royals and take over the kingdom despite the fact that she was the queen’s only family member left outside of her parents, surely the king had other younger generation that could easily take over the throne. This was just a time to see her beloved aunt, whom she only wrote to most of the time while still attempting to act professional in front of the advisor. Now she was at home, staring at her reflection in the mirror wondering what was going to happen today? More coffee and tea orders at the bistro but it was a job and she was earning money.

Sighing she dressed in a simple brown dress with a white lace around her middle and a bow tied in the back, she slipped on a simple pair of shoes, pulled her copper hair back into a pony tail with a ribbon and left the house to meet up with her grandparents.

“I’m here!” She announced as she walked into the little shop and shut the door behind her.

“Oh good morning Melly.” Her grandmother called out as she popped up from behind the counter giving the young maiden a fright. Her grandmother laughed lightheartedly at her granddaughter. “You’re always so jumpy.”

“When you pop out of nowhere it’s easy to be jumpy!”

“Hey kiddo.” A voice said behind her and Melanie let out a shriek and jumped away from the noise, only to have her grandfather laugh at her as he carried in a bag. “She’s right, you are jumpy.”

“Excuse me I’m not jumpy you two show up out of nowhere!” Melanie attempted to defend herself only to find herself laughing along. And that’s how her day began.

Half the day went by and Melanie was measuring out tea leafs making a new mixture for the store before the bell went off. “Welcome to…” She began before she made eye contact with the man who walked in. “Sir Alfred?” Melanie said in confusion as the King’s advisor walked in.

“Hello Miss Melanie, I’m here to escort you to the palace.” The well-dressed Victorian man with white hair said with a small bow and gestured towards the door, the king’s carriage waiting outside. Reaching into his jacket pocket he pulled out an envelope and presented it to her grandparents who showed up after hearing Melanie’s confusion. “You’ll find everything you need in these documents.” He said with a polite nod before holding the door open for Melanie.

“Well… if it’s from the King.” Her grandfather said and took the things Melanie was working on and gestured for her to go.

“Okay…” Melanie’s voice was filled with confusion and went out the door, the footman let her into the carriage and as the door shut she looked out the window to see her grandparent’s reaction, they looked shocked as they read through the documents and began to ask Sir Alfred questions. “Wait what’s going on?” She asked in shock.

“Don’t worry about it princess,” The footman said as he climbed onto the back of the carriage, “Sir Alfred will meet us at the palace when he’s finished explaining things.”

“Oh okay.” Melanie said settling back against the comfortable seat before everything finally registered. “WAIT WHAT!?” Melanie’s face and dark blue eyes were pressed against the glass watching the bistro disappear into the distance and this was the start of her new life.

The sound of repetitive tapping filled the small bed chambers as Percival Moore drummed his fountain pen against his desk. He was seated in the corner of the room beside a narrow window overlooking a paved courtyard. It wasn’t the best view in the castle—the king and queen’s chambers were much nicer, looking out over the beautiful surrounding countryside—but as the head guard of the royal family, it suited his purposes perfectly. He had a clear vantage point of the knights stationed outside the palace as well as the main gate that separated the aristocrats from the outside world.

The gate was monstrous in size, looming high over the courtyard and casting long shadows that served as a constant reminder of its presence to anyone that stood below. It stretched upward to the top of the protective curtain wall and was impossibly heavy. At least four able-bodied men were required to operate the cranks that pulled it open whenever someone begged entrance to the castle, and when it did open, it was quite the sight to see. The giant doors yawned like the gaping maw of a dragon, poised to swallow the horse-drawn carriages and men of the cavalry that were most often granted access to the castle within.

Most of the time, the gate was consistent in its allowance of aristocrats and other peoples of importance, but today, that dragon was going to bring someone quite different into the reclusive land of the royals.

Percy lifted his pen to the corner of his mouth as he stared out the window of his chambers, his crystalline blue eyes fixed on the fateful gate that would soon change his life. Today was the day that the next princess of the country would be arriving, and the reigning king and queen had chosen him to be her personal guard, tutor, and attendant. It was an all-encompassing job that would require his full attention and utmost care, but it was also a chance for him to prove himself as a capable guardian of the future queen.

As the son of the most well-respected head guard in the country’s recent history, he had quite the large shoes to fill. Keeping the princess safe and assisting her in her training would be a fast way to demonstrate his competence, and as such, he intended to approach the duty with fervor. If all went well, he would gain favor with the aristocrats in the castle, and earn high standing with the young woman who had been chosen to succeed the throne. Just the thought of it made him sit up straighter with determination.

Turning back to the blank journal in front of him, Percy tapped his pen against the desk once more before giving a defeated sigh and setting it down beside his inkwell. His father had always encouraged him to keep a thorough diary, saying that it was important to keep a record of one’s thoughts throughout the day, but he was too distracted to focus on something so mundane at the moment. Despite his father’s advice, he had never been one to keep a consistent journal to begin with, and now that his mind was focused on the princess’s arrival, it was almost a guarantee that he wouldn’t get any writing done that morning.

He closed the diary and stood up from the desk, lacing his fingers together to push his arms forward in a long stretch. Taut muscles built from years of physical training loosened pleasantly in response. Letting his arms fall back down to his sides, he glanced out the window once more, this time seeking out the clock tower that was just visible from his chambers. The time was nearing half-past nine in the morning, and the princess was due to arrive at ten. It wouldn’t be long now before she came through the dragon-maw gate, and he was supposed to meet her at the entrance of the castle with the king and queen.

With a mere half-hour left before his summons, he stepped over to the armor that he had laid out on his bed earlier that morning, deciding that it would be best for him to spend his nervous energy on preparing to stand before the royal family properly dressed. So, giving up on the flimsy hope that he would focus well enough to write about anything in his diary that morning, he adorned himself with the protective braces and picked up his sword as he headed out of his room to meet the young woman whom he would soon be serving for what he could only guess would be the rest of his life.

--

Percy stood at the top of the marbled steps that led to the entrance of the palace. A half-hour had passed, and the gate would be opening at any minute to admit the new princess to the castle grounds. The doors had yet to even part, but he could already feel a tangle of complex emotions well up inside his chest—excitement at the prospect of taking this opportunity, nervousness at the thought of something going wrong, and above all, curiosity to find out what sort of person this woman would turn out to be.

“She’s here,” the king, who stood directly to his left, spoke up suddenly as the massive wooden doors of the gate began to rumble and groan.

Percy responded with a wordless nod, staring intently at the growing opening as he searched for the carriage that was carting his future queen. It wasn’t long before he spotted it: a well-kept vehicle drawn by two horses that belonged to the king, himself. At the sight of it, he felt his breath catch in his throat, struck with an unexpected bought of nervousness. It was finally happening. The king and queen had chosen their heir, and it was now up to him to make sure she stayed safe and would be prepared to take on the responsibilities of royalty. The importance of his duty weighed heavily on his chest.

“You’re going to love my niece,” this time the queen spoke up from beside her husband. The perceptive woman flashed him a smile, seeming to have caught his anxious expression and mistaken it for nervousness about meeting her relative. “She’s going to need some work to prepare for the throne, but she’s a sweet girl.”

“If she’s anything like her aunt, I’m sure she will be, My Lady,” Percy tipped his head to her in a courteous gesture. Even though the queen hadn’t pegged the real reason behind his unease, he still appreciated how quick she was to offer consoling words.

Soon, the carriage came to a stop at the base of the steps, and he turned towards it again with interest. The footman climbed down and made his way to the passenger door, and Percy held his breath. He was finally going to get his first glimpse of the princess they had all been waiting for.