Finding a Princess (Seven Sisters Book 1)

by Amy Richie

  I felt older, somehow. The events of the last few days had aged me. In just a few minutes, I would be the leader of an entire Planet, and the wife of a moody Prince.

  How did things like this happen?

  In an attempt to calm my racing nerves, I took a deep breath and let it back out slowly. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

  The door opened with a low squeak. A young woman wearing the light blue color of the maids here walked in. "I've come to take you to the tower, Princess," she informed me in a voice that squeaked just as much as the door had.

  "Already?" I really hoped she couldn't hear my panic.

  "It's time," she confirmed with a nod.

  With one final deep breath and a glance in the mirror, I followed her out.

  My feet felt heavy, the floor was too cold. "Do you feel that?" I asked the woman in blue in front of me. A cold breeze had just brushed over me, making me wish I was wearing a heavier dress.

  She didn't say anything. Her pace wasn't as quick as Lady Beatrice's had been and for that, I was grateful.

  This was so unreal, every part of it. Here I was - a thief from the wrong side of the tracks - making my way to meet my Prince husband. It was too hard to believe.

  The only thing I could manage was putting one foot in front of the other. My feet continued to work even when my mind was shutting down. I couldn't break down; not now - I couldn't break down.

  We passed through a narrow doorway that led to an equally narrow staircase. The stairs winded upwards just the way I imagined castle stairways to go.

  A princess would be at the top, being guarded by a dragon. That princess was me, I realized with a sinking heart. The dragon could have been the Prince, Leo, or Lady Beatrice.

  The lady in blue left me when we reached a heavy black curtain. "Just through there," she pointed.

  I pushed the heavy black curtain aside. My hands weren't shaking anymore; as I'd always been, I was able to harness my nerves when it came time for action.

  Prince Aiden was the first person I saw on the small tower top. Next to him was a young man - the only other person up there. He was holding an extremely thick book in his hands. Neither man was smiling.

  My eyes shifted to Prince Aiden.

  He wasn't frowning as if he were unhappy, he was just serious. The gravity of our forced marriage weighed down his lips, making it hard to smile. I could understand that; I was able to relax slightly.

  The Prince held his hand out to me, inviting me to join him out on the tower. Momentarily perplexed, I stared at that hand.

  In a symbolic gesture, at least to me, I put my hand in his and let him lead me further out onto the tower. His hand felt warm in mine and when he squeezed mine, that warmth spread throughout my arm.

  We walked together to the very edge of the tower and stopped to look down. Prince Aiden rose our joined hands high in the air. I looked to the ground below us.

  My breath caught in my throat at the sight that met my eyes over that tower. Thousands of people were gathered at the base of the castle, all looking back up at us.

  "Oh my goodness," I breathed out. "Why are there so many people here? This is unreal."

  "They're all here for you," Prince Aiden said softly, his warm breath against my temple.

  "Unreal," I said again. I was having a hard time getting my mouth to work properly. Was this what a mental breakdown felt like?

  "What do they expect from me?" I didn't take my eyes away from the crowd.

  "They want to see you get married." He moved away from the ledge and knelt in front of the man who was evidently there to marry us.

  Copying the Prince, I dropped to my knees in front of the man. Kneeling down, the only thing I could think of was how hard the ground was.

  Once again, I found myself wishing I had a heavier dress on. My knees were going to be all scratched up at this rate. They could have at least laid pillows down for us. Was the Prince uncomfortable too? Or was he more concerned with what was being said?

  My breath sounded loud in my ears, echoing inside my head and blocking out everything else. In and out slowly - willing myself to stay calm.

  Don't run out of this, I told myself. Just keep breathing.

  Someone started singing in a very deep voice. The sound wormed its way into my chest and sped up my heart.

  My mind traveled back to when this all started for me. I had been driving along the highway with my friends after an armed robbery spree.

  Kris showed up out of nowhere and told me I was a princess. He brought me to the Zar galaxy where I was kidnapped and met two girls who were my sisters.

  And now this.

  Just when my thoughts were getting too much and I felt like jumping up to stop the ceremony, I felt a comforting pressure against my hand. Moving only my eyes, I looked over at Prince Aiden.

  His eyes weren't moving away from the man in front of us. The man was droning on and on about responsibilities we had as leaders of Tontine. I didn't feel that nervous though, I wasn't entirely sure how I felt anymore.

  As our preacher guy raised his hands up, Prince Aiden pulled me to my feet. I faltered over the end of the dress, but was kept upright by the Prince's steady presence.

  "Do you understand all that is expected of you to the people of Tontine, the Zar galaxy, and to each other?"

  My eyes widened.

  "I do," Prince Aiden affirmed.

  "I do," I managed to say with confidence.

  "And now the two of you will share a kiss with the people of Tontine as your witness."

  Kiss? Did he say kiss? No one ever said we had to kiss.

  I turned to look at Prince Aiden, hoping he would know what to do. In several sure movements, his lips pressed against mine.

  It wasn't the first time I had kissed a boy, but it was the first time my heart reacted like it was running a marathon.

  The kiss ended slowly. Prince Aiden pulled away from me, but kept his face very close to mine even after the kiss was over.

  Around me, I was vaguely aware of the crowd going crazy.

  "Your people are waiting," he whispered.

  "My people?" I mouthed the words. As I expected, no sound would come out of my throat. Maybe I would never be able to speak clearly again.

  Without waiting for me to gather my senses, Prince Aiden led me back to the tower's ledge. "People of Tontine." The Prince's voice boomed out over the people. "I present to you, the fourth Princess of the Zar Galaxy."

  The applause was deafening, making me want to take a step back. Prince Aiden's hand against the small of my back stopped me.

  "Kalliope - your Princess," he shouted over the roar.

  Chapter Thirty

  "That was..."

  "Successful," Prince Aiden finished for me when I couldn't find the right words to describe it.

  "Not the word I was looking for."

  He pulled off the heavy cloak he had worn for the wedding. It didn't seem fair that he got a heavy coat and I got a nightie.

  "So what do we do now?" I inquired.

  "There is an issue in Southern Tontine," he sniffed haughtily, "that requires my immediate attention."

  "What's going on?" My eyebrows lowered to form a bunch in the middle of my head.

  "It doesn't concern you."

  "I'm the Princess here," I reminded him. "Shouldn't I know what's going on?"

  "It's an ongoing issue..."

  "Which is?"

  "Which I will handle."

  "I don't think that's the way it works."

  He took a deep breath and let it out heavily. "We're married now."

  I knew that.

  "In name only," he unexpectedly finished.

  "What does that mean?"

  "Obviously, there is no love between us," he chuckled with no humor.

  "I never said there was." My face felt too warm.

  "Just because I was forced to marry you doesn't mean I need to explain myself to you every time I turn around."

  I flinched ba
ck, the warm feelings that had been starting for my new husband vanished as quickly as they had appeared. "Do you think this is my fault?" I asked, incredulous.

  He pursed his lips.

  "I didn't ask to be brought here." I didn't want to marry him either. How could he be such a jerk?

  "I was chosen by the Queen." There was an odd mixture of pride and tragedy in his voice. "She chose me to be the Prince of Tontine."

  Not trusting myself to say something nice, I pressed my lips tighter together.

  "You came along with that responsibility."

  My eyes bulged.

  "This wedding might not have been your fault, but the things you choose to say and do from this point on will be."

  The door opened with a brief warning knock. Prince Aiden and I were still glaring at each other. I jumped back at the intrusion, dropping my crossed arms.

  "That went well," Lady Beatrice announced, ignoring the obvious tension.

  "Well?" I huffed, resisting my urge to hit something or start screaming what I really thought of the Prince who thought so much of himself and so little of me.

  Leo came in to stand next to me.

  "You'll have to tighten the security here at the palace," Prince Aiden told Leo briskly, as if I weren't standing right there.

  "Of course," Leo immediately replied.

  "The Princess will take over the master bedroom suite," he continued. "Make sure you station several men outside the doors when the Princess is in there."

  "Yes," Leo bowed again.

  "Another outside the window would probably be best, even if it is several stories up."

  "I'll be fine," I barked out, my temper flaring back to life in a moment.

  "Of course you will," Leo agreed. Was that all he knew how to say? "You'll be guarded around the clock."

  "I can take care of myself. I've been doing just fine for nineteen years."

  "Just because Kris failed you, doesn't mean I will." Leo bowed stiffly.

  "I never..." I stuttered. "He wasn't..."

  "I'll leave my Princess to you, then," Prince Aiden spoke directly to Leo, turning away from me to cut me out of the conversation completely.

  His princess? Wasn't that meant to be a term of endearment - of love even? After everything he'd said to me, he had no right to say that about me.

  "She will be safe."

  He nodded curtly. "I'll leave now then so I can get there before dark."

  "Yes, Prince Aiden."

  "I'll see you later," he bowed at the doorway. "I wish you luck in settling here on Tontine."

  "I don't need luck."

  His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "I'm sure you will become a strong Princess."

  Even without his stupid luck, I would show him how strong I would become. Princess indeed.

  With a nod to Lady Beatrice, he left.

  "Princess," Leo bowed to me, which was weird and didn't make me feel all that important. "Lady Beatrice," he bowed again. She took the formality better than I did. "I'll be back soon." His gaze lingered briefly on me.

  "Where are you going?" My eyes narrowed, bringing my eyebrows closer to my nose.

  "I'll see about your security."

  "I already told you I'll be fine."

  "Even so." He followed the Prince's departing steps.

  "I don't know who they think they are," I mumbled, pacing the short space I was in. "I've been taking care of myself since I was like eight years old."

  I scowled at the empty room, feeling my face flush with my temper. Did Lady Beatrice leave too? Figures, I grumbled again, scrunching my face up in an ugly scowl. "Everyone just leave me here."

  "Kalliope," Lady Beatrice gently cut into my one person conversation.

  "Yes?" I spun around to face her.

  "It's time to change out of your wedding gown."

  "What?"

  She held out a small pile of fresh clothes. "Turn around," she ordered curtly.

  Obediently, I turned my back to her. I felt the cool air on my skin as the zipper was released and the dress fell away from my shoulders.

  "Where did you get this scar?" She asked sharply, poking at a place on my back.

  "I don't remember," I muttered, still irritated.

  Lady Beatrice helped me into a long gown made of soft pink material. It felt like velvet but I didn't know much about fabrics.

  "Tomorrow is when the real work begins," Lady Beatrice said, her expression stony.

  "Work?" They weren't going to go all Cinderella on me now, were they? Make me clean the castle?

  "You need to train."

  I turned back to her with a scowl still marring my face. "Train for what?"

  "Train to become a Princess."

  "Wasn't I just born a Princess?"

  Lady Beatrice smiled tightly. "Wait here for a few minutes," she ordered. "A lady in blue will be in to show you to your room shortly."

  Lady in blue, I inwardly snorted. It was still weird that they called them that.

  Lady Beatrice's eyes moved slowly up and down my body, as if she were sizing me up for the princess training she had promised. Without telling me her conclusions, she left me alone again.

  A maid to help me find my room, I inwardly fumed. What did she think I was, a baby? Prince Aiden and Leo obviously thought I was unable to take care of myself too. It was ridiculous.

  I would show them all just what I was made of and it wasn't sugar and spice either. Did they really think I could just be pushed around however they pleased?

  Angry, I shoved the black curtain out of my way and stomped back out onto the now empty tower. Although it didn't feel like much time had passed, the sun was already almost completely down.

  The strange reddish glow that the sun had cast onto the planet was gone, replaced by a serene purple. The crowd was gone too. Walking to the ledge, I learned heavily on the cool stone.

  The cool air felt good on my flaming skin. My time so far on the Zar Galaxy had been rough - to say the least. Kidnapped. Kidnapped again. Forced to get married to a jerk with a handsome face and incredibly kissable lips.

  I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. Despite all that, I couldn't deny the sense of home the planet held over me. Prince Aiden leaving wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

  Below me, a lone Rove was rising steadily in the air. I watched it zoom away with a growing sense of peace. I didn't care what training Lady Beatrice was going to throw at me, it didn't matter at all.

  As I stood there on the tower over looking Tontine, the truth hit me full force. This was the home I had been searching for my entire life.

  This was where I belonged.

  The End

  About the Author

  Amy Richie has lived in a small town her entire life. She lives with her three kids and their cat, Phantom. She began writing in high school but never took it seriously until a few years ago. She enjoys writing because it takes her out of her everyday life and gives life to the people in her head. “When I was little I wanted to be a mermaid, then when I was in high school I wanted to be a vampire; now as an adult I’m a writer, which is better because now I get to be both.”

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