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[willa]

new story! (:

 

TW: language, death, violence

 

notes: the beginning might seem like it kind of has a slow start, but i promise once you get to chapter 4-5 and everything after, it's very fast paced   i will be posting a chapter daily, possibly excluding weekends! <3

 

cover design:

Spoiler

 

 

summary:

Spoiler

 Sara Perera is the oldest daughter of the king of Callo. In other words, the next one in line for the throne. Poised and graceful, Sara sees herself as the perfect fit for the next queen, and devotes her life to the throne and her nation.

Once her 17th birthday arrives, it is her responsibility to make a speech to the whole of Callo. The speech was intended to be about how she would make a great queen and such, but it backfires. Suddenly, it seems like the whole nation is against her when coordinated attacks are held from rebels, all of their targets on Sara. Her pride wounded, Sara is angry. With the citizens of Callo seeming to want nothing more than Sara dead, a certain assassin hidden in her closet and her father with a wholly different plan for her future, Sara isn't so sure she's as ready for the throne as she thought.

 

Chapter 1

Spoiler

A warm August breeze blew in from an open window, rustling Sara’s hair. 

 

Tired, Sara leaned back in her plush chair seated before her fancy custom-made dresser, peering back at her reflection. She looked like a picturesque queen - silky hair piled into an elaborate bun atop her head and watchful eyes gazing listlessly back at her.

When the King, Sara’s father, first informed her of the speech she would have in front of the whole of Callo on her 17th birthday, she had written it off as a problem she would worry about when the time came. That had been years ago - Years of polishing her already exceptional public speech skills, drafting and memorizing her words for the speech and even selecting a gown specific to the occasion.

Nervous wasn’t the word Sara would use to describe how she felt as the day of the speech finally arrived. Nervousness was when one was afraid of making a mistake, unable to forget about all the things that could go wrong. 

No, Sara wasn’t afraid. Not in the least. 

A more accurate word was eager. Sara surely wouldn’t enjoy doing the speech, but she was more than eager to finally get it over with, to check off her 17th birthday speech from her internal list of achievements.

Sara’s maids had left the room for a minute to get the crown she was to wear, leaving her alone and with her thoughts. Her gaze drifted from the mirror and to her gown, which lay neatly splayed out on her bed.

The dress was a deep, striking blue, embroidered with gold designs on the skirt and waist area. The sleeves were long and airy, with lace along the edges. It was absolutely gorgeous and one-of-a-kind, perfect for the occasion. Sara adored it. 

She reached out with her hand to touch its velvety fabric, and grew even more eager for her speech. Perhaps it was an odd gift for a 17th birthday. Make a speech addressing the citizens and introduce yourself as their soon-to-be leader.

It wasn’t like she had had no help, though. In fact, a good portion of it was drafted by Sara’s father and her academic tutor, Marciel.

“All of Callo is looking for its leader. For its queen. The whole point of the 17 year speech is to show them that you are that person.” Her father had urged her. “The best piece of advice I can give you is to be yourself. Show them who they will be led by for the next 40 something years, once you’re ready. If myself and too many of my grandparents to count can do well, you don’t have a thing to worry about.”

All good advice, but what he had failed to mention was the incident of Princess Leona III. She had made her speech once she turned 17, but apparently, it had been so utterly disastrous that the people had thrown riots for weeks after her speech. Once she had become queen a few years later, she was assassinated and replaced by her younger brother. Sara would have mentioned that, but her father would have told her to stop being so pessimistic. 

Future queens had no time to be pessimistic. And Sara had spent all 17 years of her life preparing to be one.

“Princess Sara!”

Sara glanced up at her name, prying her gaze from the gown on her bed. 

Sara had 3 personal maids - Diana, Louise and Carla. At that moment, all three burst into her bedroom, smiling widely.

“Hello.” Sara greeted, unable to help but smile a bit at their cheerful moods as she got to her feet. “Do you have the crown?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Carla held a small, velvet pillow with a silver crown resting atop it. Its golden jewels sparkled back at Sara, nearly radiating with perfection.

Sara nodded, satisfied, to each of her maids. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”

“Of course, ma’am.” Carla, Louise and Diana all chirped, beaming with pride. 

“A few hours until the speech, I believe. Should we get you ready, dear?” Diana asked, wringing her hands.

Diana was older, somewhere in her 40s or 50s. For some reason, no matter how many times Sara corrected her, she forgot the “ma’am” or “princess” and instead used “dear”. Sara had given up trying long ago, and now, Diana was the only one she would allow to get away with it.

Sara nodded to her. 

“Wonderful!” Louise clapped her hands together and looked at Diana. “Should I get the others to help with her makeup and hair once she gets the gown on?”

When Diana nodded, Louise darted out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

Carla and Diana then helped Sara change into the gown, which was not easy. However, Sara was used to it and didn’t mind all the poking and prodding her maids did.

After they had successfully gotten the dress on, a handful of other maids filed into the room and styled Sara’s hair, applied her makeup, dusted off the skirts of her dress and shined her crown.

When they had finished, they showered Sara in compliments as she studied herself in her mirror. She had already tried on the full outfit too many times to count, but it somehow seemed more special on the day she would finally get to wear it out. 

“Thank you all.” Sara smiled warmly at the maids, hands folded before her. “You can return to your rooms.” 

The maids smiled, murmuring their “thank you’s” and “you look lovely, princess’s” on their way out. Soon, only Louise, Carla and Diana remained.

The three maids sat Sara down and carefully placed the crown on her head. It felt like a heavy weight on her head, but she didn’t mind too much.

Afterwards, the three each took a turn to clutch Sara’s hand and wish her the best of luck with her speech, and assure her that they would be watching from the televisions inside the castle. Sara thanked them, then hurried from her bedroom and to her father’s office.

She felt her heart beating in her chest as she paused before her father’s office’s door. Perhaps she was maybe the tiniest bit nervous for the speech, now that she thought about it. She had been present during her father’s speeches before, but the most she had ever done was say a few short, practiced words.

Sara rapped with her fist on the door. After a moment, a guard from inside the room opened the door for her. Sara nodded to him before entering.

Her father sat at a chair before his desk. He glanced up as she entered, smiling in approval to see her already ready for the speech.

“Oh, Sara.” He looked at her fondly. “Your mother would have been proud.”

Edited by willa, 02 May 2022 - 07:37 AM.

[lilhams~uwu]

WILLLLAAA !! oh my god when i saw this i needed to process ,, i was like 'wait a minute is this a new story or like,,,,' aND IT WAS !! i miss your stories and i'm so excited to see what you have to offer!!! also royalty stories steal my heart gj ao g lbl slt !! sorry my responses will be actual words when my brain is!! not fried!! welcome back aAFKEOGRl !!!! i can't wait to see what happens to sara (imagine me smiling like the grinch rn) she is DOOMED <3333

[willa]

 

LILUMSSSS omg i missed u and all of ur comments on my stories so much ughhghghg   ILY also you are 100% right, sara is definitely doomed 

 

Chapter 2

Spoiler

 Sara allowed a small smile at her father's remark. Of course, she knew he had meant no harm, but truthfully, she never really liked it much when people mentioned her mother, the former queen.

Queen May - Sara's mother, had died when Sara was 15. She had been an amazing queen, and all of Callo had adored her. Flawless and kind, she was picture perfect as not only a queen, but also a mother.

When it happened, no one had seen it coming. At least, Sara hadn't. At 15, she had thought everything in the nation was going smoothly.

But they weren't. 

During an average winter night, Sara had been in the castle’s library, curled up on a chair, reading a storybook to her two younger sisters. She had been changing her voice as each character spoke in the book, making her sisters constantly erupt into giggles. However, their giggles were abruptly cut off when the comfortable quiet in the castle was broken by a loud screech and a gunshot. And then? Silence.

Sara had froze. Time seemed to have come to a stop, and she couldn't seem to think at all as guards stationed around the library and in the hall outside rushed to her and her sisters’ aide, hurrying them to a hidden bunker underneath the castle.

There, they waited for hours. Crying, dreading, and giving each other fruitless words of comfort.

5 guards waited with them, guns at the ready. But there was no use. The attacker - yes, singular - had already left long ago. After the time had finally crawled to 11:00 and Sara's sisters had fallen asleep beside her, her father finally stumbled into the room. Alone.

His clean cut beard was wet with tears, and his eyes were wide and watery. 

"Oh, no." He had whimpered, collecting his daughters into his arms. "I'm so sorry. It's okay. We'll be okay." A shadow of the confident and collected man Sara knew as her father, she had never been more fearful. If he, of all people, could end up like that, what about Sara?

The idea of her mother having been killed had been lingering in the back of her mind, like a tick attached to an arm, sucking out the blood and energy until it just couldn't be ignored anymore. Sara had actually had it confirmed that Queen May had been murdered the next morning. Her father had returned to his same self, at least, as far as Sara could tell, after a week or so. He had to, after all, with a nation to lead. But Sara had felt like a part of her had been ripped out, leaving only a hollow shell with nothing but a drive to become the queen that her mother would have wanted her to be.

It had later been revealed that the assassinator was a part of an anti-monarchist group. Her father hadn't wanted her to find out, but she had read it in the newspapers. 

When the man had been found, he was publicly executed by her father’s order. Sara remembered all too clearly how quickly he had gone from alive to a lifeless heap on the ground.

"Thank you.” Sara murmured, mentally shaking herself to stop daydreaming. "It starts in an hour, right?"

Her father glanced at his watch. "Right. You should go eat something and read over the speech a few more times. You can have Aaliya and Krisha help." He suggested.

Sara nodded. "I’ll do that." She turned on her heel, striding out of his office. She headed to the kitchen, where Aliya and Krisha, her younger sisters, were sure to be.

Just as Sara started to open the door to the kitchen, heels clacking noisily along the floor of the halls, Krisha swung the door open from inside, nearly smacking it into Sara's face.

"Krisha!" Sara yelped, regaining her balance with one hand against the wall and the other clutching her gown.

"Sorry!" Krisha gasped, slapping a hand to her mouth. "Is that your speech dress? Did you mess it up already?” She demanded, like a berating teacher. Sometimes, it was hard to remember that Krisha was only an 11 year old.

"Did I mess it up?” Sara echoed with a scoff, dusting herself off and removing the crown from her head to avoid it possibly falling. "What are you even doing, running around like that? Father’ll be furious."

"It was Aliya's fault, I promise." Krisha protested, her hands balled into fists. "She said she'd play seek and find with me, but she was only counting to 5.”

“So?”

“So, I had to run.” She sighed, using a patronizing tone. “At least you didn’t mess up your dress, right?”

“Of course not, I’m not irresponsible. Or you.”

“Whatever.” Krisha snorted, lifting her dress up before she stomped off. “Tell Aliya I don’t want to play seek and find anymore. You spoiled my mood!” She yelled over her shoulder before she disappeared around the corner.

Sara rolled her eyes, irritated. She had come too close to ripping her dress’ fabric. After allowing herself another minute to regather herself, Sara entered the kitchen.

Aliya was perched on a stool by a table, watching the cooks preparing what likely was a snack she had requested. She glanced up as Sara approached.

“You look wonderful.” She noted.

“Thank you.” Sara nodded awkwardly. While Krisha never failed to annoy Sara, she wasn’t very close to Aliya. The castle was much too big, and as the next one in line for the throne and all of the training Aliya had as a princess, Sara never really spoke to her much, especially after their mother had died.

“...Did you need something?” Aliya asked after a thick silence. She wore a purple gown, twirling a loose thread from its sleeve as she studied Sara.

Sara sighed, walking forward to push Aliya’s hand away from the stray thread. “Doing that makes it worse. Get Diana to fix it.”

Aliya shrugged. “Sure.” She hopped from the stool, starting to the door to leave.

“And weren’t you going to play seek and find with Krisha?” Sara asked, causing Aliya to pause. Truthfully, Sara didn’t really care. But if she was to become queen, solving issues between her siblings was definitely good practice.

“No. She just wouldn’t leave me alone.” Aliya informed her before slipping from the room.

Sara crossed her arms in front of her chest, staring at the door as it closed shut. In a way, Aliya was more like her than Krisha. 

With both of her sisters busy, Sara decided practicing to herself would do just as well. Besides, she had already practiced too many times to count with her father and tutors. Without a word to the chefs, she swept out of the kitchen.

[lilhams~uwu]

OJE OAK O love you too!!!!  
OOOO some more delicious lore perhaps ???? *sips nonexistent tea that i somehow manage to spill and stain my shirt*

WE GOT TO MEET THE SISTERS!!! oh m god when i was reading about when they were hiding i was just like 'sara has siSTERS??' 
anyway even though she's not much of a good sister right now i sincerely hope for some bonding sibling time (but tbf this will turn ugly soon so hm)

oh my god this anti-monarchist group,,,, don't be shy, mention this in later chapters (i will love you forEVER)
don't ruin that dress !!! i would eat numerous children for those fancy ball gowns honestly they are the dream.
great chapter as always !!! <33333
 

[willa]

Chapter 3

Spoiler

 "Princess? It's time. The King requests your presence in the Great Hall, ma’am.” 

Sara looked up at the mousy messenger maid peeking in from the hall. Sara nodded, making a dismissive motion with a flick of her wrist before the maid disappeared from view.

Getting to her feet, Sara glanced at a ticking clock on her wall, and sure enough, it was time, with around 10 minutes to spare. Dusting herself off she started towards the door of her bedroom, but paused, instead walking to her mirror.

Sara studied her reflection for a moment. She looked confident and poised. Sure of herself. Slowly, with careful hands, she nestled the crown onto the top of her head, the jewels glittering brightly. Satisfied, Sara took a final look over herself before she strode out of her bedroom and into the hallway.

She nodded to the soldiers and maids that offered their luck and compliments on her dress on her way to the Great Hall. When she arrived, her father was already there, waiting. He wore a dark, navy blue tunic with gold cuffs on the sleeves and puffed shoulders. As usual, a crown larger than Sara's perched comfortably atop his head.

"It's about time." He noted, glancing at a grandfather clock a few feet away from where they stood. Sunlight peeked in the room through the large windows, drowning the father and daughter in its warm rays.

Sara followed his gaze. 10 minutes until the speech began.

"Should we get going?" She asked, her notes for the speech held before her.

"Of course.” He patted her shoulder.

Finally, Sara thought impatiently. The speech wouldn't do itself. 

Soon, they arrived at the recording room where all live addresses to the nation were made. Fancy thrones sat before even fancier backdrops. Two sat in the center, right before the camera, while two other slightly smaller ones were slightly off to the side, but still in view. Both of the smaller ones were occupied by Aliya and Krisha.

"Come, come, Your Majesty and Princess." A butler ushered the king and Sara to the larger thrones where they sat.

Sara shifted a bit in her seat as the head butler of the recording area barked out orders. She couldn't help but feel apprehension tickle at her. While her parents made speeches plenty of times with Sara present, she had never said more than a few words, except for the few times she had been interviewed or asked for her opinion on the topic.

“20 seconds to air!” The head of the recording room shouted.

A strange sense of calm seemed to settle over Sara. Just as she had expected, the twinge of nerves had disappeared as the time of the speech finally arrived, instead being replaced by an unshakable resolve.

“10 seconds! 7 seconds! 5! 4, 3, 2 and 1 - You’re live!” The head recorder yelled, his voice lower when he got to the end. Almost instantly, the King launched into action.

Sara gave a small smile to the camera, her hands folded neatly in her lap. She assured herself everything to happen had already been planned down to the motions she was to make with her hands.

Nothing could possibly go wrong.

“Hello, citizens of Callo.” He greeted cheerfully. “It is I, King Yash. As many of you know, today is our Princess Sara's 17th birthday.” He paused to glance at Sara, who smiled in acknowledgement at the mention of her name.

“As the eldest daughter of mine, in just a few years time, Princess Sara will be taking the role of queen.” The king continued. “As a result, she will be making her 17 Year’s Speech just as so many others, including myself, have done years ago. Preparing her whole life for this occasion, she is ready to share her 17 years speech with the nation of Callo.” He finished grandly.

He turned, patting Sara’s knee, which was completely rigid. “Go ahead, dear.” He murmured. “It’s just like you practiced.”

Sara nodded, smiling tightly as the head director nudged over a bit so that the camera faced her. Staring into the camera lens, the small red light blinking back at her, Sara realized that she was, in fact, perhaps the tiniest bit nervous. Afterall, she was addressing the whole of Callo - one slip up and she would end up like Queen Leona III.

Adjusting in her seat, Ssra smoothed out her skirts before she confidently lifted her head to face the camera. Slightly wondering how she managed to look so sure of herself despite the worries running through her head, Sara began just as she had always practiced.

“Hello, people of Callo. I am Princess Sara, the next one in line for the throne, as my father mentioned.” She began, steadying her voice. The director gave her an encouraging thumbs up from where he stood behind the camera.

“Being queen is an extremely significant role, and I know that after the years of training and preparation I have undergone…” Sara hesitated for only a split second before she briskly finished her sentence. “...I am ready to take my mother’s former throne.”

Sara wanted nothing more than to run from the room as she so nonchalantly mentioned her mother. In fact, she even imagined herself doing so, sweeping away from the camera and her father and sisters without a word, retreating to her room. With the eyes of the head butler, her father, her sisters, and the glaring lens of the camera boring into her, it felt like they were judging her, just waiting to catch a glimpse of one of the cracks in her skin.

But what they didn’t know was that there weren't any. Sara had made sure of it.

 

Readjusting her smile, she continued on, seemingly unfazed. “It is surely a daunting task to complete, especially after Queen May did so well, but I can assure you that I am up to the task. Nothing could make me happier than being a queen as wonderful as she.” 

 

Sara knew that last part was very true - She had written it herself.

[willa]

Chapter 4

Spoiler

The rest of her speech seemed to pass in a blur, a jumble of smiles, quick hand motions, promises and proposals to better all of Callo. At one point, her father comfortingly took her hand in his own. She patted his hand with her thumb in response before she took it back to her lap to adjust her notes. Based on the director and her father’s expressions throughout the speech, it went well.

 

Once she had finished and touched on all the topics her father and advisors had suggested, she took a pause to let out a small exhale.

 

“I really do hope I can become a good queen for you, my people. With the help of my family, including the king, and perhaps a suitor, I’m sure I will make you and my mother all proud.” She finished smoothly.

 

“...And, cut.” The head director said. Sara watched as the light on the large camera before her dimmed, and then blinked off into a darkness to match the color of the rest of the camera, as if it hadn’t been there at all.

 

“Oh, Sara, you did great! I’m so proud.” The king praised as soon as they stood.

“Thanks.” She smiled at him. “I’m glad. When will we be getting the feedback?”

 

Her father shook a dismissive hand. “Oh, a few hours or such. By now, everyone in Callo and probably other nations as well have seen it - The papers will be out before you know it.”

 

“Mhm.” Sara agreed, her mind wandering. How had she done? Of course the king and head butler would say she had done well - if not, Sara would have their heads! Only the newspapers would really let her know. Once it was in the papers, it would be final, her fate sealed.

 

“Anyway, dear, you don’t have to think about all of that.” He assured her. 

 

Sara stood with her father by their thrones, watching the maids and butlers clean up all of the equipment, purposefully scurrying around like a crowd of mice.

 

“You are 17 now, officially only a few years from becoming queen. Most take the crown when they turn 20, so in around 3 years you could be the queen!” He cheerfully rambled on.

 

“Technically, I could take the crown now if I wanted to. Anytime after I make your speech.” Sara reminded him.

 

The king chuckled as they stepped from the carpeted platform and exited the recording room, strolling down the hallway.

 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you did. You’ve always been quite ambitious. But it doesn’t matter - You can become queen any time that seems fit, we still have to celebrate!” He exclaimed.

 

“I’m not sure I’m in the mood to celebrate.” Sara protested.

 

She was far too eager to see what the citizens of Callo had to say about her speech. Waiting multiple hours seemed nearly impossible, and partying definitely wasn’t what she wanted to spend her time doing until then.

 

Before the king could respond, Aliya popped up from nowhere at Sara’s shoulder, staring ahead.

“Celebrating would take your mind off things and make time pass by faster.” She countered, glancing at Sara from the corner of her eye.

 

“She’s correct!” The king exclaimed happily. “Come, come, the maids and butlers have already prepared a very special meal just for you. Mind you, refusing now would be rude.”

 

Sara allowed a smile. Finally getting the speech off her chest, she felt a lot… lighter. Like she could float from the ground and right into the sky. Maybe a special brunch would be enjoyable. Besides, Aliya did have a point - Doing something would be far better than moping around her quarters until the papers were out. While she was at it, she could spend some more time with Krisha and Aliya. A good queen was well associated with her family members.

 

“Well…” Sara began, her father and sister’s eyes studying her, judging for her reaction. “I suppose you give me no choice.”

 

Her father gave another hearty laugh in triumph and Aliya grinned.

 

“Where’s Krisha?” Sara asked, glancing behind them only to see the halls empty except for a few soldiers and maids.

 

“Already in the dining room, of course.” Aliya said, like it was obvious. “She said she had been sitting there during your speech for too long and had never been hungrier, so a maid took her.” She hesitated for a moment before she added, “You did really well in your speech. You’ll make a great queen.”

 

Sara blinked, unable to help but glance at Aliya, who was looking back intently.

“Oh. Thanks..” She smiled down at her.

 

It was funny. Just an hour or two before, Aliya had only been giving her attitude and glares at Sara's back. Now here she was, all sweet and complimenting her on her speech. After she had finished her speech, all of her problems seemed to be seeping away.

 

“You’re very much welcome.” Aliya returned the smile, just as they reached the dining room.

 

“Ah, it's so nice to see you two having a conversation where you aren’t at each other’s throats.” The king chuckled. “Please, after you two. Enjoy yourselves - We can all look at the paper once they come as a family.”

 

“Sounds perfect.” Sara’s smile widened, which for some reason didn’t feel so forced.

 

+ here are what a couple of the characters look like!

sara

Spoiler

 

another character... (kind of a spoiler of her name/who she is, but you'll know when u meet her in the story  )

Spoiler

 

 

arthur

Spoiler

 

 

aaliya

Spoiler

 

 

krisha

Spoiler

 

Edited by willa, 05 May 2022 - 05:09 AM.

[lilhams~uwu]

WHEN I SAW TWO NOTIFICATIONS I WAS LIKE OH mAYBE ITS JUST A REPLY TO MY RAMBLE BUT !!! NOOOOO !!! I HAVE BEEN SPOILED !!! WE'VE GOTTEN TWO CHAPTERS??? LETSSS GOOOOO ! *insert celebration music by a kazoo*

'nothing could possibly go wrong.' now THAT folks is proper, proper foreshadowing. because everything will be going wrong!!!! <3333

now i'm actually really interested in why everybody hated her speech sdfjgsjg she did mention the queen so maybe that's ??? why ???? i'll find out anyway so

'i’m not sure I’m in the mood to celebrate' knowing how everything's gonna go i think a celebration would be VERY good for you, darling

i am !! full of antipatication !!!! what have you done to me willa /!?!? >:00000

ALSO !! they are all so pretty aughhh !!!! who is that ? second girl ?? ayo ??? (insert that one eye emoji tHAT HH DOESN'T HAVE)

also who tf is arthur as well ???? i literally tried to find the name arthur to see if i was dumb or something but he hasn't been mentioned either !!!

i am thrilled to see what you do with these future characters

[willa]

WHEN I SAW TWO NOTIFICATIONS I WAS LIKE OH mAYBE ITS JUST A REPLY TO MY RAMBLE BUT !!! NOOOOO !!! I HAVE BEEN SPOILED !!! WE'VE GOTTEN TWO CHAPTERS??? LETSSS GOOOOO ! *insert celebration music by a kazoo* 

'nothing could possibly go wrong.' now THAT folks is proper, proper foreshadowing. because everything will be going wrong!!!! <3333 

now i'm actually really interested in why everybody hated her speech sdfjgsjg she did mention the queen so maybe that's ??? why ???? i'll find out anyway so

'i’m not sure I’m in the mood to celebrate' knowing how everything's gonna go i think a celebration would be VERY good for you, darling

i am !! full of antipatication !!!! what have you done to me willa /!?!? >:00000

ALSO !! they are all so pretty aughhh !!!! who is that ? second girl ?? ayo ??? (insert that one eye emoji tHAT HH DOESN'T HAVE)

also who tf is arthur as well ???? i literally tried to find the name arthur to see if i was dumb or something but he hasn't been mentioned either !!!

i am thrilled to see what you do with these future characters

YES I KNOW LMAO TWO CHAPTERS also yes that is definitely foreshadowing

yes arthur and second girl r coming very soon   

THANK U LILUMS

 

Chapter 5

Spoiler

 “1, 2, 3 - Congratulations, princess Sara!”

Sara let out an unladylike yelp at the cheers seemingly coming from the dimly lit dining room. She squinted as the room erupted into laughter and smiles before the lights were suddenly flicked on to reveal dozens of people. She caught sight of kings, queens, princesses and princes in the crowd, dotted with maids and butlers scurrying around with serving trays and soldiers by the doors. Making a guess, it looked like all of the neighboring nations of Callo had attended - Around 7 or 8 royal families.

“Oh, my!” Sara laughed a bit. She spotted Krisha in the crowd. She had known about the surprise and hadn’t let out a peep about it! Krisha grinned mischievously when she caught Sara looking.

“Oh-ho, you had no idea, did you?” The king came from behind Sara, patting her shoulder, laughing. 

“What is this?” Sara tugged on his sleeve, nodding and smiling when she caught the gaze of the royals from other nations, who were already making their way over to congratulate her.

“A celebration, of course! Do you not realize how big of an accomplishment this is? You did amazingly. After I did my speech, my father and mother planned a surprise for me, too.” He waved a hand at the crowd. “There’s still more on the way, I believe.”

“How will everyone fit inside the dining room?” Sara fretted. Sure, it was a large room, but there wasn’t nearly enough room for all of the families.

The king gave a dismissive flick of his wrist. “Oh, they’re just socializing here. We’ll be moving them to the ballroom soon.” He held out his arm, which Sara absently took, still anxious. “Come, now. They all traveled here for you, so it's only polite for you to greet them.”

He paused for a moment before lowering his voice an octave. “You deserve this, Sara. Enjoy yourself. I can assure you the speech went perfectly - You haven’t got a thing to worry about.” 

Sara nodded tensely, trailing beside her father as they went greeting all of the guests. Part of Sara’s training was memorizing the rulers of all of the other nations, so she had no trouble greeting them by name, which only seemed to impress them.

As she followed her father, she was able to get a better look at the party. Littles ran around squealing while their parents scolded them. The older princes and princesses milled around, some socializing with each other while others stood lounged with plates piled with food on the luxurious chairs. A big, silky looking banner was draped over one wall reading “Congrats Princess Sara!” and accompanied with a pair of balloons. In a corner of the room, there was a pile of gift boxes and cards. 

It wasn’t a huge party, thankfully, or Sara would have retreated to her room.

After a while, Sara released her clutch on her father’s arm as he reached for a glass of wine from a maid’s serving platter. He glanced over questioningly.

“I think I’ll go speak with Princess Flora.” Sara explained, pausing before adding, “I’ve already greeted all the kings and queens.” The king nodded with a smile before Sara strided off, scanning the crowd for her.

She spotted Flora by a table, plate balanced on a single hand as she laughed with a girl that Sara recognized as the second oldest daughter of Lvere, Kaia. Smiling in relief, she made her way over to them.

When Flora spotted her, she broke into a grin, dragging Kaia with her to meet Sara near the middle of the room.

“Oh, Sara!” Flora gushed. “Congrats, congrats.”

Kaia smiled politely. “Congrats!” 

Kaia wore a pale blue gown with a silvery white color alongside it, her dark brown hair in a pretty chignon bun. Flora wore a deep, emerald green dress with a small train and her pale blonde hair in a braid. Both looked stunning.

“Thank you, “ Sara responded with a light chuckle. Ideally, the best queen would be social, easy to talk to and courteous. Sara liked to think she was those things, but she was sure that lots of times it was obvious she would rather be in her room with her maids and a glass of tea than anywhere else.

“We watched the whole thing on the television.” Kaia said kindly. “You looked so professional! I’m so glad I won’t have to do a 17 Year’s Speech.” She joked.

As the second oldest of her family, Kaia would never have to make a 17 years speech, as she said. Flora, on the other hand, had already had hers a few months before. As expected, her whole nation was pleased. Sara could only hope her’s would spark a similar response, but based on her personal opinion and the reactions of her father, she already felt quite confident in the quality of her speech.

“Oh, it really wasn’t that bad.” Flora said, taking a bun from a tray a butler offered to her. “Honestly, it looks worse than it is. Right, Sara?”

“Definitely.” Sara agreed.

Flora giggled. “I’m not surprised you would say that.” She turned to Kaia. “Sara’s been talking about how excited she was for her speech since we were littles! Besides, she’s been looking and acting the part of a queen since forever.” She explained, resulting in a small laugh from Kaia.

“She’s exaggerating, Kaia.” Sara crossed her arms. “Of course I was nervous.”

“You didn’t look it at all.” Flora countered teasingly.

Sara turned to Kaia for help, but she was nodding along with Flora.

“You hardly showed any signs of nervousness. But that’s not a bad thing, it's amazing!” Kaia assured her.

“Oh, alright. I’m still a bit nervous to see the results in the papers, though.” Sara relented.

“Don’t you worry at all. You did fine. Anyone who says otherwise is an idiot!” Flora crowed loudly, making Kaia and Sara laugh when heads turned to stare.

Sara spoke and chatted with the girls for what felt like hours, until all the guests moved from the dining room to the ballroom. Then, they just picked off where they had left off, talking about all sorts of things, from Sara’s speech to their favorite colored gowns.

And Sara had gotten just a little bit drunk. 

Getting carried away with girls like Flora was far too easy, especially when Kaia caved and started drinking as well.

 

Chapter 6

Spoiler

“You know,” Sara drawled, one hand on Kaia’s shoulder for extra balance. “I’m not even the least bit scared to see the results of my speech.” She boasted. “I already know I did flawlessly.”

Flora hiccupped. “Oh? But you told everyone you were nervous.”

Sara giggled, though nothing was particularly amusing. “I know. It would be weird if I hadn’t, though, don’t you think?”

Kaia shrugged her shoulders. “I dunno.” She slurred. “I wouldn’t be surprised.” Kaia suddenly grabbed Flora and Sara by the hand and dragged them over to the side of the ballroom where they all slumped into comfy chairs.

“Really?” Sara asked once they all plopped down, too drunk to care she had been practically dragged.

“Me, too. Everyone knows the oldest daughter of King Yash is cold, emotionless, fierce and regal.” Flora counted each word on her fingers. “But I of course know that’s not completely true.”

Kaia nodded in agreement, before she gasped dramatically. “Oh, oh! Is it true that even the royal family of Callo learn sword fighting? Everyone talks about how Callo’s known for its skilled soldiers. That’s so unladylike, if you ask me.” 

Sara frowned. She was drunk, but not drunk enough to not notice disrespect when it stood right in front of her. “We do.” She replied carefully, feeling somewhat sobered.

Kaia put a hand to her mouth, then moved it to Sara’s knee. “Do they force you to do it? I’m sure you don’t enjoy the fighting lessons. They should be left for the commoners - It’s not like you’ll ever need to fight with all of these guards here.” 

Sara stood abruptly from the chair, wobbling a bit before she straightened. Flora had been resting her head against the back of the chair, her eyes half closed, but she looked up when Sara stood while Kaia jumped a bit in surprise.

“To be quite frank,” Sara began, letting out a long pause as she sorted through her jumbled mind to get what she wanted to say. “I actually enjoy the lessons.”

The audacity. What they say is true, the truth comes out when one is drunk. For Kaia, that meant an insensitive and boring personality.

Though drunk, Kaia seemed to notice Sara’s angrily flushed cheeks.

“Oh! Sara, I didn’t mean to be rude.” Kaia sputtered. “Please, come, sit down. I need to apologize.”

“I think I’m going to get a drink.” Sara said curtly. “Enjoy the party.”

Turning on her heel with a scowl on her face, Sara stalked from the little cluster of chairs that they had been sitting at and to a butler with a platter. Without a word, she snatched a glass of wine from him and downed it.

Of course her mood had to have been spoiled so soon. Sara padded to a lone chair beside a table smattered with different sweets. She sipped her wine, foot tapping against the floor. Coming to the party had been a mistake - She should have just waited for the papers to be released. Although, she hadn’t had much of a choice with her father and Aliya relentlessly persuading her.

Where was Aliya? She usually hung out with a group of girls around her age, but when Sara scanned the crowd for the group, she found them but with no Aliya in sight. A part of Sara wanted to go and ask them if they had seen her. However, a larger part wanted to do nothing more than sit on the chair with nothing but herself and a glass of wine.

While her gaze wandered aimlessly around the party, she caught her father watching her from where he stood with the other kings, a question in his eye. 

Are you okay? He seemed to ask. Sara gave him a thumbs up, gesturing to her wine glass to show she was drunk. The king grinned, satisfied she seemed to be enjoying herself. He lifted his own wine glass in return before he turned back to the other kings.

Sara adjusted herself on the couch into a more proper posture. She was, after all, still at a party. Her party. There was no telling how many eyes were watching.

Suddenly, Sara noticed a boy lingering beside one of the tables of food, peering curiously at her. When she got a better look at him, Sara recognized him as the eldest son of some kingdom she couldn’t quite remember in her drunken state.

He had lightly tan skin and chocolatey brown hair. Sara didn’t know him well - she had only spoken to him a few times, and those were just formal greetings or conversing.

When he saw her looking back at him, he lifted a hand, smirking. He took a step in Sara’s direction, but he stopped, instead looking at something else. Sara followed his gaze to see Kaia approaching her.

Sara narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest when Kaia came to a stop a bit away from her, looking sheepish.

“Hi, Sara.” Kaia greeted awkwardly.

“Princess Sara.” Sara corrected coldly. 

“Look, I just wanted to say I’m sorry.” Kaia blurted. She looked a bit more sober than she had before, making Sara assume she probably hadn’t had any drinks since Sara had left.

“I was being very rude to you and your kingdom. I know today is one of the most important in your life, and I can’t tell you how sorry I am for offending you when you should be celebrating.” Kaia continued, eyes downcast. “I saw you sitting here by yourself, and I wanted to ask you to come back and sit with us?” She looked hopeful.

Sara glared daggers at Kaia. Her apology seemed genuine. But Sara didn’t care. No one, especially not some second born could insult her or her nation and leave unscathed. 

“No.” She said simply.

Kaia looked distressed. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? Please. I never meant to be rude - I was drunk.”

“No.” Sara repeated.

“Sara, please just hear me out. You know that I-”

“Can you just leave me alone?” Sara hissed. “I’m a future queen - I can’t be seen with… You.” She gestured in disgust at Kaia before turning away.

Kaia blinked, hurt flashing in her eyes. She hesitated for one final moment before she mumbled another apology and quickly left, letting out a small sniffle before she disappeared.

 

two chapters!!!?!??!?!?!? yes cause i misse dthe weekends and want this to egt to the good parts    

 

 

[Lil Mushroom]

This is soooo goood! I am enjoying the more modern princess story

[willa]

 

aww thank u sm! 

 

Chapter 7

Spoiler

 Sara scowled. Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Not only was she in a horrible mood, but now she had to feel bad about making Kaia cry.

She deserved it. She called you unladylike. A voice in Sara’s head sourly reminded.

Sara gave a small scoff, dusting off her skirts and settling back into the couch. She set a neutral expression onto her face, not a hint of her anger remaining.

“You must be Princess Sara. I saw you arguing with Kaia.” 

Sara looked up to see the boy from earlier looking back at her, holding out his hand to her. It was custom, of course, for the males to kiss the hands of the ladies.

When Sara didn’t comply, already too irritated to worry about looking rude, the boy continued on, unfazed.

“I’m Arthur.” He gave a half bow, tucking his hands into his pockets. “Felicidades por tu discurso.”

Sara looked up, a brow raised, unable to mask her surprise. “You speak Spanish?”

Congratulations on your speech. Sara knew how to speak fluent Spanish, Latin and French - Her academic tutor had always told her it looked good in a queen, so she had of course complied.

Arthur chuckled.  “Of course. Lvere’s second official language is Spanish.”

Sara narrowed her eyes, annoyed at herself for forgetting.

“I see.”

There was an awkward pause, Arthur seeming to wait for her to say something. Sara, of course, did nothing but look back at him, enjoying the way he seemed unaccustomed to long silences.

“So. I saw you arguing with Kaia.” He repeated after a moment.

“So you said. What about it?”

“Nothing. I was just wondering what she had said to make you so displeased on your special day.”

“I don’t think it really concerns you.”

Arthur did that purposefully patronizing chuckle again. “She’s my sister. It kind of does concern me.”

Sara blinked, turning to look at him. “Oh?” She couldn’t hide her surprise at herself for having forgotten such common knowledge about Callo’s closest ally, which to her regret, only seemed to fuel Arthur into continuing.

He nodded. “So? What did she say?”

Sara gave a long pause, so long that Arthur even opened his mouth to speak, before Sara cut him off with a glare. She decided telling him would be the only thing to make him leave, and if she were lucky, Kaia would get yelled at.

“She said I was unladylike.” Sara said simply. “For being skilled in sword fighting. But to be fair, she was drunk.” She shrugged, not minding that it didn’t sound as horrible as it had in the moment.

Athur whistled. “That’s all? I thought she might have said something about your speech. That’s why I came.” He gave a small wave of his hand. “Damage control.”

“Mmm, well, she didn’t. Did you need anything else?”

Arthur laughed. “Do I need an excuse for wanting to talk to the young lady of the day? It’s your birthday and speech day, it's not totally unexpected for me to want to speak to you a bit.” He halted in his words, putting an exaggeratedly horrified expression on his face. “Unless… You thought I was… I might have been… Flirting? How despicable!”

Sara rubbed her temples in exasperation. “Do you really want the papers to talk about us? The focus should be on me and my speech, not a potential relationship with some random.”

Arthur scoffed. “Oh, come on. We’re just talking. It’s not like I’m on a knee proposing.”

“You know how the papers will see it.”

Arthur scratched the back of his neck, seeming maybe the tiniest bit flustered, much to Sara’s satisfaction. “Ah. You have a point.”

“Of course I do.” Sara tucked a stray strand of her hair back into place. “Now, if you want to be useful, go yell at Kaia for being horrible.”

Arthur dipped his head. “Of course, Your Future Majesty.” He gave one more grin before he turned and was off to the corner where Flora and Kaia sat, looking uncomfortable.

Sara smiled a bit as she watched him leave, her good mood somewhat relieved knowing Kaia would be getting what she deserved for the rude comments she had made.

Sara sat in the chair for a while longer, getting up to pace a bit around the room to make small talk with the guests and stretch her legs. She gave a small wave to Flora when Kaia wasn’t looking, who returned the gesture. 

Before she knew it, the afternoon had arrived and the guests were starting to leave, the party over. They would have stayed for longer, but they all wanted to give Sara and her family a chance to see the papers on her speech alone.

Sara, her sisters and the king stood by the outermost gate in the warm sunlight, smiling, waving and shaking hands with the royal families as they all exited, soldiers lined up against the gates’ fencing. 

When Arthur passed, he wiggled his eyebrows at her, then suddenly gently grabbed her hand and nudged what felt like a slip of paper into her palm. Sara flushed, a mixture of angry and surprised- How dare he touch her? 

She looked up to give Arthur a few choice words, but he was already shaking hands and smiles with Aliya and Krisha before he disappeared with Kaia and the rest of his family to their fancy car.

Worried, Sara glanced around to see if anyone had noticed, but the whole interaction had been shielded by Sara’s conveniently large gown. She knew she could have gotten rid of it, but a different part of her couldn’t help but feel intrigued to read what it said. Conflicted, Sara finally shoved the slip of paper into her sleeve.

“Well,” King Yash turned to face his daughters once the last of the royals had left and the soldiers were shutting the gates. “The papers should be out by now.” He smiled. “Excited?”

“Of course.” Sara nodded absently, still extremely curious about the note. “Would it be alright if I went to my room for a moment?”

King Yash chuckled as the family started back into the castle. “Oh, Sara dear, I know you're nervous, but seeing the results will bring you clarity. Trust me when I say you want to see it as soon as possible.”

Sara gave a tiny sigh, slightly disappointed. Of course, she still wanted to see her results. 

A good queen would choose to see what her people thought of her instead of some silly letter from Arthur.

“You’re right. Let’s go. I can hardly wait.”

 

 

Chapter 8

Spoiler

 Sara and her family soon arrived at the king’s office, where a butler stood outside the door with a basket. He perked up when he heard their steps approaching.

“Oh, Your Majesty, princesses!” The butler ducked his head for a short moment, his face flushed in excitement. “The papers are out!” He proudly held out the woven basket.

The king grinned, striding forward to take the basket. Sara hurried after him, looking over his shoulder at the basket. “Which ones?” The king asked as he picked through the stack of papers.

“Royal Rivets and the Pompous Pamphlet.” The butler held out the basket.

Both of the papers were different, but both were popular. It was no surprise that they were the first to be released.

The Royal Rivets was known for constantly being in the royals’ favor - It had been around for decades, always supporting the royals from the sidelines. The Pompous Pamphlet was quite neutral, looking at things from a fair angle and never choosing one over the other. However, it was known for occasionally having strongly opinionated people write editorials.

The king glanced at Sara. “Your aunts and uncles’ plane got delayed, so they won’t be here for another hour or so. Should we wait or-”

“I want to see it.” Sara interrupted evenly. She gently took the basket from her father’s arms, the papers inside, and strode into her father’s office. 

Sara knew he was nervous, probably as nervous as she, but she didn’t have the willpower to wait, the note from Arthur hidden in her sleeve temporarily forgotten.

“Come on, they won’t read themselves!” Sara called over her shoulder when they didn’t follow right away.

Sara settled into the office chair beside his large desk, setting the basket on the table. Aliya followed first, then Krisha and their father, who closed the door behind him after nodding to the butler. They all crowded around Sara’s chair.

Sara exhaled softly as she lifted the stack of papers from the basket and into her lap. 

It was finally time to see what they thought of her speech. Sara had worked for hours on end, editing her speech. Her hands felt clammy as she clutched the papers. Everything could go perfectly, like they had for Flora. Everyone could love her and be unable to wait for her to be queen. They could throw celebrations and parade around the cities of Callo.

If the first papers to come out said she had done well, the ideas would basically seep into the minds of the general public. Things could either go perfectly or horribly - No in between.

Sara didn’t want to think about what would happen if things took the latter.

“Read.” Aliya urged softly, her voice barely audible. “We need to know what they think.”

Sara didn’t respond, taking another moment to take a deep breath before she pulled out the newspaper on the top of the stack - The Royal Rivets.

And then she read.

Royal Rivets

The speech by Princess Sara was delivered just this morning - You can watch it at home on television now!

The nation of Callo was absolutely stunned as the regal and graceful Princess Sara Perera gave her 17 Years’ Speech. “She was so calm and collected throughout the whole thing! She didn’t seem the least bit nervous, and that’s a quality that is amazing with queens - Her mother, Queen May, had that to her, as well.” Head Judge Charles Wickman says cheerfully. 

We couldn’t agree more with Charles - It must take a lot of resolve and practice to be able to do a speech as flawlessly as Princess Sara did, and all of that practice should be appreciated by showing our support for our Princess!

You can help do so by attending the parade later this week. Floats, marching bands and so much more will be attending as well as the royal family - Princess Sara included.

“Ah, Sara!” The king grinned from ear to ear. “We can trust the Royal Rivets - They only said good things about you! I told you you did great!” 

Sara scanned over the words a few more times - It was only good things, which was a bit weird. But what had she expected? It was the Royal Rivets - It wouldn’t be caught dead saying something remotely against the royal family. How could she be blamed for feeling skeptical about whether the rest of the papers would agree with the Royal Rivets or not?

“I guess.” Sara said finally. “Let’s see the rest.” She took out the next packet from the basket - The Pompous Pamphlet.

“Oh, I’m so excited! Tell me if they said anything about me or Aliya.” Krisha chimed, peeking over Sara’s shoulder on her tiptoes.

“Of course.” Sara murmured absently, already skimming the article titled 17 Years’ Speech in large, bold font on the headline.

“Oh, look, we made the headlines.” Aliya drawled.

She was right, the speech seemed to be the Pompous Pamphlet’s main article, as it had been for the Royal Rivets. Not that she was surprised. Not in the least.

 

The Pompous Pamphlet

Princess Sara Perera made her 17 Years’ Speech just a few hours ago. All of Callo listened with pricked ears on the edge of their seats to see how the so secretive princess would make one of her few appearances where she really spoke.

Overall, the speech was quite mediocre. Nothing really stood out - The majority of the time, Princess Sara’s hands were folded before her or giving small waves, and she only smiled a few times. Although, as stated before, this was one of her first times addressing the public, so the slightly inexperienced air surrounding the entire speech is not too surprising.

Although we don’t exactly believe she will be able to match the quality of the reign of Queen May unless she’s able to show more emotion, she will still make a formidable queen.

Sara felt her father and sisters’ eyes boring into her back as she pretended to still be reading as she let her mind wander.

The part about Queen May stung, but she didn’t disagree. It was just constructive criticism, afterall, with what she expected to be good intent. 

However, the majority of the article seemed to be more good rather than bad, which Sara was grateful for. 

“Well, it’s not terrible. The good outweighs the bad.” Her father said finally, exhaling. “See, it went great. Nothing too crazy was said about you.”

Aliya was flipping through the Pompous Pamphlet, eyes scanning its words. 

“There’s an editorial on her.” She chirped a moment later, holding out the newspaper to Sara expectantly.

Sara blinked. “Oh?” She took it from Aliya and, sure enough, there was an editorial on her speech.

The Pompous Pamphlet

written by “A”

With other much more trusted people letting their thoughts be known on the speech through the Pompous Pamphlet, I don’t expect mine to gain much traction. However, I have something the other editorial writers don’t - The skill of observation.

Just 15 minutes after the speech, I was contacted by the Pompous Pamphlet and asked to write a small editorial on the 17 Years’ Speech of Princess Sara Perera. Formerly only writing for small newspapers that were hardly read by any, I was, naturally, ecstatic.

Now, with my special skill of observation, here are my thoughts.

In short? I thought it was horrible.

Princess Sara stated, and I quote, “I hope to be a queen as wonderful as Queen May once was.” One would think that while mentioning their deceased mother, she would have at the least given some indication that she was saddened, but we received none. Her face was stone still throughout every time she mentioned her mother. 

It is safe to say that Queen May was nothing short of an incredible queen. She was open and when she spoke to the citizens of Callo, it was with emotion and feeling. 

With all due respect, Sara, I don’t think your hopes will come true, judging from what we’ve seen from your speech.

Now, one could say she was just feeling nervous. After all, it is her first time formally addressing the citizens with more than just a few sentences. However, at the same time, it isn’t that hard to smile a bit just to let your citizens know they’re being led by a human and not some emotionless tyrant.

When she was talking about what she wanted to do for Callo in the future, she mentioned donating a large sum to charity. Let me ask you something, dear reader. Have you ever seen the Princess leave her castle and take a visit to the slums of Callo? Or perhaps visiting homes for the homeless? Orphanages? The answer is no. Princess Sara has done no such thing, and it is a big thing even when she leaves the castle to visit town at all. 

She says she wants to help the poor, but refuses to leave her little safe bubble. (sources from an anonymous informant).

All in all, I personally think Princess Sara would not make a good queen. She’s cold, quiet, and puts on a mask every time she is on camera. 

Let us not parade the streets. I know for a fact many already agree with me, and if not they will once they read this. The throne will not be occupied by Princess Sara.

By the time Sara finished reading, her hands were whiteknuckled and trembling as she clutched at the paper. She felt like her heart would burst from her chest as she stared at the harsh, ruthless words on the paper. It was everything she had been afraid of. 

Only a moment after Sara had finished reading, her father snatched the papers from her hands, his expression a deep scowl. He was furious. Sara had never seen him furious before.

“What… What is this?” He shouted, ripping the paper in two. “It’s outright disrespect and lies. This can’t be published.” 

Sara watched as the shredded paper fell to the ground, drifting slowly, almost lazily. Her hands sat limply in her lap, her eyes absently trailing behind the scraps of papers came to gentle stops on the ground. Dazed and unable to believe what she had just read - what was public for anyone at all to read, she was quiet. 

“Technically, the citizens have a right to publish what they want. Censoring it would only make things worse.” Aliya murmured, half to herself. Her jaw was set. “Sara, don’t worry. You can’t please everyone.”

“Mom could.” Sara whispered. She felt her eyes well up, the words in the editorial screaming at her inside her head.

“No, she didn’t.” Aliya was quiet. It was clear what she was saying. After all, Queen May had been killed by anti-monarchists.

Sara opened her mouth to lash out at Aliya, to just do something instead of sitting there just waiting for tears to pour out in front of her family before the king cut her off with a hand on her shoulder.

The king was shaking his head. “Sara, no. You did perfectly. What… What compelled this person to write something so… horrible?” He growled. “Must’ve been an anti-monarchist, trying to stir up trouble.” His expression darkened.

“I don’t understand.” Krisha was frowning. “I thought you did good.”

“She did,” The king and Aliya said at the same time.

“Dad’s right. It was some creepy anti-monarchist.” Aliya continued, turning a pitying gaze to Sara. “It can’t be helped. You did well, and all the other big newspapers said so. Just because some editorial by some anonymous guy doesn’t change that.”

“But it’s all true.” Sara mumbled. “Everything. I didn’t smile. I didn’t show enough emotion. I’ve never even visited the slums of Callo before. How did he know everything?” 

“It’s not true. The people will listen to papers like the Royal Rivets. They’ll see that this editorial is .” The king snarled, a fire glowing in his eyes. “I’ll track down the writer. Whoever it was.”

“Sure.” Sara said. She stood from the chair. “I’m going to my room. I feel tired.” She said, adjusting her dress. Pride utterly wounded, Sara fled from the office without a word, hot, angry tears already slipping down her cheeks as she shut the door behind her.

None of them tried to stop her.

 

Edited by willa, 13 May 2022 - 04:45 AM.

[Lil Mushroom]

Ooooooooo
Drama!!!!!
I live for it lol ;)

[lilhams~uwu]

i'm sorry !!! i missed the chapters !!!!!!!! i dunno if i regret it or not because i got to read 4 chapters instead of 2 but ,,,,, oh wOWWWW

it's starting to pick up ! and by that i mean things are getting,,,, cruel *pretend i'm finger gunning but also pointing at the title at the same time,,,*

 

ALSO SARA IS AN ,,, wait there's kids on this forum ahahaha a DOUCHE there we goo oh my god jesus christ sara- are you ??? okay ?????

so you,,, don't care that you were dragged away but you care SO MUCH about being 'unladylike' uhmmmm,,, can you chill ??

in all technicalities, kaia IS right. stereotypically, it isn't really ladylike as especially in this type of era, women were supposed to be seen as uh. 'submissive.'

LMAOOO i don't know but you get what i mean??? they're 'weak.' kaia definitely shouldn't have said it in such a bad way but if you look back on it,,,

it's DEFINITELY not enough to make somebody cry and then. not. feel. guilty. about it. plus she was drunk like ???? my loooooooord

alSO !! 'go yell at kaia for being horrible' ????? you are not special honey jesus christ, congrats on being queen lol i guess

yell at yourself if you're gonna act like that !!! have empathy like a NORMAL person !!!! also uhm hi arthur lmaooo

you are making me very conflicted about sara (i think you do this with one of your other main characters) ooooops

i think this time it's better though because sara,,, actually is developed really nicely !! and i immensely enjoy that ! 

when i ramble i am merely speaking on how sara is terrible, (which i think you intended LOL), and the fact that it's making me mad at sara means that it's good !!

as long as it's actually something sara herself the character would do,, which tbf this is the first few chapters so who am i to tell who sara is LOL 

but yea !!! you are doing lovely, this was such a delight !!!!

 

anyway yea i'm conflicted about sara like,,,,, yikes you are a mess but ooooouuuchhh do you really deserve this ???? i mean maybe lol who am i to judge

wait !!! i wanna know who 'a' is omg can we meet them in another chapter ????? pretty pleaaaasssseeeeeee

'the people will listen to papers like the royal rivets.' narrator's voice: so anyway they didn't 

absolutely thrilled where you are going with this !!! like shroom said (oh my god shroom is such a cute nickname, i'm gonna steal your username rq), DRAMA !!

[Lil Mushroom]

Lol you can steal it

My old username was a play on words it was AnonyMouse instead of anonymous (genius right?)

[willa]

 

STOP YOU YELLING AT SARA IS SO FUNNY

yes she definitely....... over reacts a lot and ur totally right about the unladylike thing but the negative connotation is def what really ticked sara off   

 

yes exactly, sara's supposed to be like kinda realistic and super flawed??? like yknow not really super good or wtvr since she has anger issues but also a superiority complex and a need to be perfect so   

 

i knowowowow she is such a mess honestly but hopefully that just makes it more interesting to read   

shroom is literally an adorable name. 

 

 

same tbh LMAO drama is what carries this plot

 

Chapter 9

Spoiler

Sara sat on the edge of her bed, the door to her bedroom locked. Her maids had come to visit several times, knocking gently on the door, asking to come in. Sara had said she was busy, that they should come back later. When her father came, he spoke to her through the door.

 

“It’s just an editorial, Sara. Not everyone’s going to see it. And so what if they do? It’s not like any of it is true.” He had assured her, but even he sounded doubtful.

 

Sara hadn’t responded, and after waiting for a bit, he too left.

 

Most surprising was that Aliya had come twice already, knocking at the door. One of the times, she came alone, offering Sara the loose words her father had said. Sara had given a dry, mumbled response, hoping it would satisfy her and make her leave. Which she did. However, she returned a bit later with Krisha in tow, who slipped a card under the door.

 

“Come and eat dinner when you’re ready. Or I can ask your maids to bring it to your room.” Aliya said through the door. Sara could just imagine Aliya’s expression as she stared at the door, a mixture of sadness and pity.

 

Sara felt a guilty pang. What was she doing? Those were her little sisters, worried about her, and here she was barely giving them any response at all despite their best efforts.

 

Sara had already changed out of her fancy dress and into a comfortable silk gown. After she was sure Krisha and Aliya had left, Sara went to retrieve Krisha’s letter.

 

It was a piece of paper folded in half. On the cover was a crown and picture of what looked to be a stick figure representation of their family. One of the figures had long hair thrown over her shoulder, and a large tiara on her head. Sara smiled a tiny bit as she opened the paper to see the words scrawled in what looked to be a hurry.

 

Dear Sara,

I know you are sad about the newspapers. They were very rude and none of it was true. Me and Aliya were at the whole thing in-person while whoever wrote the editorial just sees you on screen. “A” doesn’t know you like we do. No one even looks at the editorials anyway, so you shouldn’t worry. Me and Aliya know you will be a really good queen! When you aren’t sad anymore, you can come and eat dinner with us. The cooks made your favorite - filets of beef!

Truly yours,

Krisha and Aliya

 

Sara stroked the card with her thumb, turning it over to see a big, red heart on the back. Krisha was right. Moping around wouldn’t do her any good. Who knew, “A” could have been a guard or maid. If she stayed hidden in her room, as much as she wanted to, she would only confirm their beliefs.

 

Sara stood, smoothing out her rumpled dress, newfound confidence driving her out of her room and to the dining room.

 

It was quiet, Krisha’s usual chattering silenced as she instead picked at her food. They all looked up when Sara entered.

 

“There’s the future queen.” The king said proudly when he saw her. “Knowing your responsibility despite it seeming like the whole world is against you. A true skill.” 

 

Sara smiled in return as she took her spot beside him. A small part of her was nervous that they were judging her. The nosy maids and butlers eyed her - or maybe it was her imagination? - and she wondered what they thought of her. Did they agree with A? Sara knew she wasn’t the kindest to them, but surely they wouldn’t support publishing something so rude? 

 

Sara straightened her back as she took small bites of her food. She wouldn’t give them a single thing to judge, then. She would be perfect.

 

As Sara sat and ate, she noticed Krisha trying to catch her eye. She raised an eyebrow quizzically.

Did you get the note? Krisha mouthed.

 

Sara felt a smile tugging at her lips as she saw Krisha’s earnest expression. She nodded, expressing her thanks with her eyes before she turned back to her food. Krisha, satisfied, did the same.

 

Once they had all eaten a quiet dinner save for a bit of idle conversation, Sara returned to her room, where her maids were anxiously waiting, standing together beside her bed.

 

“Princess Sara, we prepared a warm bath for you.” Diana said, gesturing to the open bathroom door.

Sara blinked. She didn’t know why she was so surprised - They were her maids, after all. They prepared baths for her everyday. What made it so different now?

 

Maybe it was the idea that horrible people like A could say whatever offensive and terrible things they wanted and publish it for all the world to see, but her maids would always be there. A comforting, guiding hand quiet, but there all along.

 

“Thank you, I appreciate it. You can go, I’ll see myself to bed.” She said simply, whisking away to the bathroom.

 

She quietly shut the door behind her, and listened until she heard her maids leave the room, closing the door behind them with a small, “Have a good night, Princess.”

 

When Sara was sure they were gone, she let the gown fall from her shoulders and took off her undergarments to retreat into the warm bath, rose petals floating in the water.

 

For some reason, seeing the petals winding aimlessly through the surface of the water was what sent her over the edge. Tears seeped from her eyes, and Sara felt a flame of anger ignite in her chest.

 

“A”, whoever he was, would not get away with dishonoring Sara’s name as he did. She would track him down, and send all the guards in the castle to bring him to her. And then? He would wish he had never said a single word against her.

 

It was then, only, in the safety of the warm bath that Sara finally remembered Arthur’s note.

 

next chapter comes tmrw! <3

Edited by willa, 17 May 2022 - 07:50 AM.

[Lil Mushroom]

Awww such sweet sisters, love the way you convey real emotion into your characters, it's something I sometimes have trouble with.