Chapter Text
The sweet smell of a burning candle wafted into the air, and the suspended tendrils of smoke created indescribable blobs and shapes before sizzling out into nothing. Ashlyn sniffed. The aroma was lavender, with maybe a hint of peppermint. Her sense of smell was not as good as her sense of hearing, but some fool thought that it was necessary to force the princess to learn a million different kinds of scents, because it would be “useful for society”. Ashlyn thought of it to be a bunch of bull, but what did her opinion matter?
Whatever the case, the candle was now almost melted all the way through, and the atmosphere was thick with its fragrance. Ashlyn couldn’t remember when it had been lit. How long has it been - three, four hours? It was impressive that the small candle could go on for that long. It was also impressive that Ashlyn had not fallen asleep yet, because she was positive that she had been sitting in the same spot for at least a billion years. Her body ached and her brain was fuzzy. She wanted to take a bath. A bath with lavender scented soap…maybe with a hint of peppermint…
She was broken out of her reverie by her tutor. “Your Highness, are you paying attention?”
Ashlyn wanted to burn the thick history book her tutor had been reading aloud to her and watch it turn to ashes, but she refrained herself and sat up straight. “To be honest, no, I’m not.”
Logan Fields, her tutor, sighed deeply and closed the book. Not many people get away with such a display of displeasure in front of the princess, but Logan had been around long enough to know that Ashlyn did not care for such mannerisms.
“Your Highness, with all due respect, this lesson is crucially important and I can guarantee that it will be useful for the upcoming days.” Logan exclaimed, pushing his glasses up.
“I understand that, Logan.” Ashlyn said, trying her best not to sound too cranky. “But I’ve learnt all this when I was younger already, and it’s been four hours since we’ve been going over the same things.”
“Three hours.”
“Well, it felt like four.”
“I’m helping you refresh your memory.” Logan said. “I only ask for your cooperation.”
Ashlyn knew Logan didn’t want to be here any more than she did, so she obliged. “Alright, test me.”
Logan picked up a piece of paper he had been scribbling on throughout the lesson and read aloud, “what is the country of York known for?”
“Precious gems, jewelry, and other expensive and valuable goods like paper. They export it worldwide, making them one of the wealthiest kingdoms in the world.” Ashlyn recited.
“Name all forty countries that York has an alliance and/or treaty with.”
Ashlyn scowled, and then immediately fixed her face. “That’s a trick question. York only has an alliance and/or treaty with thirty-nine countries, and those include…” she listed off every single one, confident with her answer.
“That is correct. But they will have forty alliances if the meeting goes well tomorrow.” Logan said. “The Kingdom of Georgia, that is, this country, will become one of York’s most powerful allies if the treaty goes through, and vice versa.”
“And we’re sure that the treaty meeting is the only reason York’s royal family is coming to our kingdom tomorrow?” Ashlyn asked drily, already knowing how Logan was going to reply.
“That’s the main reason, but many of the palace’s officials have brought forth the proposition of a marriage alliance as well, though your parents have deemed it to be unnecessary for the time being. Of course, that can change with the input of your opinion.”
“My opinion has been quite clear for a while now,” Ashlyn said, and when Logan just shrugged, she continued, “I have never met the eligible suitors from the other kingdom before. I highly doubt that something can be arranged within the short amount of time York will be here.”
“The time York’s royal family will be staying in Georgia will depend on how the treaty goes. It could be a week or a month.” Logan said. “And as for the eligible suitors…could you name them?”
Oh great, another question. “The only prince of York, Aiden. And I guess the Duke’s son, Benjamin, who is also coming tomorrow.”
Logan opened his mouth to respond when the grandfather clock’s gong sounded loudly, signalling the start of another hour. Ashlyn’s ears rang from the noise and she exchanged looks with Logan, who sighed again and said, “well, I guess that’s it for today.”
Thank God. Ashlyn internally sighed in relief. Logan cleaned up the large desk they had been working at and assigned her a few history books about York to read. Ashlyn finally had the opportunity to stand up and stretch her legs. She smoothed out the wrinkles in the dark blue dress she was wearing, and ran her fingers through her long ginger hair, trying to untangle it. She usually had it braided, but today she felt like wearing it down. That way she could fidget with it more during her tutoring session. However, it left several tangles in her hair that her fingers had no effect against. She would have to brush out later.
Together, she and Logan left the library. They had been studying deep in a corner, surrounded by towering bookshelves, so they had to walk at least two minutes to reach the main entrance. The royal library was the biggest one in the country of Georgia, and it boasted over a thousand books with varying genres. It was where Ashlyn spent a lot of her time, sifting through historical contexts and fictional novels.
When they exited, the guards stationed on either side of the big double doors bowed deeply to Ashlyn. She had felt rather uncomfortable with the high level of respect she got from others when she was younger, but she had grown to get used to it. She was the princess after all, as well as the only child of the king and queen, which made her the heir to the throne.
Logan, on the other hand, got dirty looks and fleeting glances. His position in the palace was not to be envied - rather, it was his familial connections that made him unpopular. The scandal had been resolved a long seven years ago, but he was still the topic of gossip among the servants.
Ashlyn made sure to properly demote anyone who had the audacity to speak badly about her tutor within earshot. (And since her range of hearing was insanely large, it was easy to catch people.) Sure, his lessons were kind of boring and he wasn’t the most social person, but he was still something like a friend to Ashlyn. Besides, she wasn’t exactly an extrovert either. They both found comfort in silence, which Ashlyn appreciated.
As they walked, Ashlyn gazed out the long windows that framed the corridors of the palace. The sun was already setting, painting the sky in various warm hues of orange and yellow and red. She wondered if her parents were done with their meetings and whatnot. They had been extra busy with York’s upcoming visit, so she hadn’t been able to see them for a while.
Ashlyn tried to imagine how tomorrow would go. She would be woken up extra early by her maids and be thoroughly cleaned, then she would be fitted into an uncomfortable dress with a corset that made her waist look nonexistent. She could already feel herself struggling to breathe against the extremely tight piece of clothing. Her hair would be braided - perhaps into two, if she requested it, but she had heard people say that pigtails were too ‘childish’ for her now. Which didn’t make sense, because Ashlyn was still a child. Well - ‘teenager’ would be a better word to describe her, since she was seventeen, but she was still legally underage nonetheless.
Of course, age doesn’t matter when it comes to royalty. Ashlyn thought, annoyed. I could be five and people would still have bad things to say about me. And I don’t even want to think about marriage proposals…
Marriage proposals had started coming in when she had turned ten. Ten! And some of the suitors were well in their twenties, which disgusted Ashlyn. Noblemen would do anything for a chance at becoming a part of the royal family. She had heard that the thirty-something-marquis from a nearby kingdom had married a fourteen-year-old girl, making her the stepmother of four children. The thought of it made Ashlyn sick. She did not want to end up like the poor young marchioness.
The prince of York that was coming tomorrow was the same age as her, and the Duke’s son was a year older than her. If worst comes to worst, at least the age gap isn’t that bad, Ashlyn thought. She was positive that she wasn’t going to go anywhere nearer to the boys than she had to, though.
Ashlyn focused back on her initial thoughts. What is happening tomorrow?
Georgia was a military kingdom, and they had the strongest army compared to the nearby kingdoms. Ashlyn’s parents, the king and queen, had been wanting to form an alliance with the wealthy York for a while now, and the chance had finally come. Tomorrow was going to be a momentous day - two of the most influential and powerful countries were going to meet and potentially become allies. It would also benefit their sea trades, since York was across the Atlantic Ocean. That was why Logan had called for an impromptu lesson on the history of York, so that Ashlyn could be educated for tomorrow.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Ashlyn said, bidding Logan farewell once they got near her room. He gave her a low bow and walked away. She nodded to the guards that had been walking with them as a way to dismiss them. As soon as they left, she went into her room and closed and locked the doors behind her, not wanting to have any more social interaction than needed.
“Boo!”
Ashlyn spun around and reflexively put up her hands in a defensive stance.
“Woah, you aren’t going to hit the king, are you?” Ashlyn’s father, Mike, emerged from where had been hiding behind the doors. He was a tall, handsome man with short brown hair and green eyes that Ashlyn had inherited from him.
“I don’t think the kings in other kingdoms hide behind doors and scare their daughter,” Ashlyn said, lowering her arms. “I thought you were busy today. What are you doing here?”
“Do I need a reason to see my favourite daughter?” Mike asked with a grin.
“Dad, I’m your only daughter.”
He shrugged. “Ah, well, same thing.”
Ashlyn resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her father’s antics. She was quite used to them, and she could hardly believe that this was the same man who commanded armies of thousands of soldiers. She found it annoying but rather endearing at the same time, not that she would ever admit that to him. “Where is Mom?”
“Hiding behind your potted flowers.”
“What?”
She turned around, and sure enough, the esteemed Queen of Georgia was standing up from behind a huge potted plant near the window, brushing the dirt off of her dress. Emma scowled at Mike. “Why did you give me away? I was going to scare her!”
“Oh my goodness. Just wait until I tell everyone that the queen was hiding behind the hydrangea in the princess’s bedroom.” Ashlyn muttered sarcastically.
“They would never believe you,” Emma said, coming over to join her husband and daughter. That’s true, they never will, Ashlyn thought. Who would believe that the stoic, stone-faced queen spent her free time plotting ways to surprise her daughter?
“How did your lesson with Logan go?” Emma asked, taking a seat on Ashlyn’s bed and gesturing for them to do the same. They obliged and sat next to her, with Ashlyn in the middle.
“Fine.” Ashlyn said. “What are you guys doing here?”
“To see our favourite–”
Ashlyn gave her mother a look.
“No, really. We’ve been pretty busy with preparing things for York’s visit, so we haven’t seen you in a while.” Emma said, wrapping her arms around Ashlyn.
“...and we also wanted to talk about tomorrow. What we should expect.” Mike said, also, joining in on the embrace.
Ashlyn patted her parents’ arms, a little embarrassed by the display of affection although no one was watching. “You can let me go now.”
“Don’t tell the king what to do,” Mike said jokingly, but he did let her go. He straightened and put on his ‘kingly’ face. “Ashlyn, you will be present tomorrow when York arrives, but the negotiations for the treaty will happen between the monarchs, as well as the Duke and Duchess. You will have the task of making sure that Duke Clarkson’s family is comfortable and entertained.”
“I know.” Ashlyn said. “But I kind of suck at doing that, you know.”
“You take after me, that’s for sure.” Emma said. “You know, our kingdom wouldn’t be running the way it is if we didn’t have your father’s immaculate talking skills.”
Mike rubbed his nose, trying to look humble but his voice leaked with pride. “Yes, well, that is true.”
“I do everything else, though.” Emma added.
Mike deflated. “That is also true.”
While other places had their king or queen as their prominent ruler, Georgia held both of its monarchs at the same level. It was neither a patriarchy or a matriarchy, the king and queen and both mother and father of a household had the same amount of authoritative power.
“Don’t worry, it’s not like you will need to spend every hour of the day with them. Although, the prince and the Duke’s son are around the same age as you, so you will be around them a lot.” Emma said.
“Just try your best, ok?” Mike said, patting Ashlyn’s shoulder.
Ashlyn highly doubted that she would be having an enjoyable time tomorrow (and for the rest of the week), but she just nodded. Her ears picked up the sound of marching boots and she said, “Someone’s coming.”
“Hm?” Her parents looked up just as someone knocked on the door. They all stood up and Ashlyn’s parents’ demeanor changed; Mike’s face became serious and Emma adapted an impassive expression. Mike opened the doors and was greeted by the palace advisor, who bowed and then whispered something into his ear. He exchanged a look with Emma, and they both looked back at Ashlyn.
Uh oh.
“Ashlyn, the advisor wants to talk about the potential marriage proposal that has been on the table for a while.” Mike said. Ashlyn winced. She knew this had been coming ever since Logan had mentioned it earlier.
Emma walked back to Ashlyn and held her hands gently. “Ashlyn, if you don’t want to, that is okay.”
“Er!” The advisor peeped. “Your Majesty - and Your Highness - with all due respect, the marriage proposal is a way to strengthen our relationship with York even more - Prince Aiden is the same age as Your Highness and it works out perfectly–”
The logical part of Ashlyn knew he was right. The emotional part of her wanted to jump out of the window and run away. Of course she didn’t say this, but Emma somehow picked it up and she turned to face the advisor. “Our negotiations with York will proceed as we planned it to. There is no need for talk of marriage until strictly necessary.”
“But–”
Emma glared at the advisor. “Yes?”
The advisor cleared his throat. “Of course, Madam. Please excuse me. Oh, and your presence is needed in the Great Hall.” He bowed again and scurried out of the room.
“We’ll be right there.” Mike said. “Sorry, Ash. Looks like we have to go now.”
“It’s ok.” Ashlyn mumbled. Emma kissed her forehead and made for the door.
“Hey.” Mike said softly before leaving. “Obviously we would never force you to do something you don’t want to, but I want to keep the marriage proposal in mind, ok? It doesn’t have to be anytime soon or with the prince of York, but one day, there will come a time when you won’t be able to avoid the wishes of your people.”
“I understand,” Ashlyn said, and she spared her parents a small smile before they left. As soon as the doors closed behind them and the sounds of their retreating footsteps faded, she flopped down onto her huge poster bed and groaned into her pillow. She wished to lie there forever and melt into the fluffy mattress, but her maids started to file in and got her bath ready, so she sat up and let them do their job.
After her bath (which was not lavender-scented, instead it reeked strongly of citrus), Ashlyn let her maids dry off her hair while she read over the books about the Kingdom of York Logan had assigned. There were some interesting bits, like the wars the kingdom had fought and won, but everything else just turned into a pile of mush in Ashlyn’s brain. So she tossed the books aside, hoped that Logan wouldn’t get mad, and got ready for bed.
She bid her maids goodnight and saw them out, then closed the curtains to the large windows in her room. Her room, which had initially been bathed in moonlight, was now pitch black. Ashlyn waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness and then made herself comfortable in bed. She had never once been able to go to sleep right away because her sensitive ears always picked up the slightest sounds like the wind outside or the leaves rustling, which made her toss and turn for a while. But today it wasn’t just the faint noises that kept her awake, it was also her thoughts.
I can’t even hold a decent conversation with the other noble children my age in my own kingdom, so how am I going to be able to properly host our guests tomorrow? Ashlyn covered her face with her pillows. At least the people in my kingdom are used to my ‘loner character’. They know I don’t like being socially active, and even though that raised a few rumors in the past, I’ve made it pretty clear that it’s not that I don’t care for my people, I just don’t know how to show it. But a foreign monarchs are coming, so I need to step up and play my part.
I don’t want this treaty to fail because of me.
Ashlyn already knew her parents were pulling a lot of strings behind the scenes so that she wouldn't be too pressured by the marriage requests and her responsibilities as a princess. She felt like she was being selfish by asking so much from her parents. Even when she was younger, she tried her best to make sure her parents didn’t have to do so much for her, but her ultra-sensitive ears had made just being outside a pain for Ashlyn, so she spent most of her time in quiet, isolated places like the library. She didn’t mind, since she didn’t like talking and being with others, but it did prevent her from forming the proper social skills. Now, at the age of seventeen, she had more support for her ears, but her lack of prior experience of social interactions was catching up to her. Seriously, the only people she voluntarily talked to were her parents and Logan.
So how the hell am I supposed to handle tomorrow? The king of York, the queen, the prince, the Duke and Duchess, the two children of the Duke, the other officials and informants that are also coming…
Just thinking about it made Ashlyn want to crawl into a hole and never come out.
“Just try your best,” her father had said. Well, of course Ashlyn was going to try her best. Even if she fails spectacularly, at least she was actually trying. For her kingdom. For her parents.
With that thought, Ashlyn spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, the feeling of dread crawling up her throat as she imagined how tomorrow would unfold.