Chapter 1 The Sunlight

• Ariana's POV
• I hated the thick dark curtains that hung in my bedroom window. They blocked out the early morning rays of sunlight and hid the beauty of the stain glass windows themselves. I groaned as I rolled out of bed and drew them apart and as if saying 'Thank You', the rays of light hit the glass and casted a colorful spectrum throughout my bedroom.
• Mornings were my favorite time of the day and I was happy my bedroom was located in the direction of the sunrise and the open fields. I walked to the balcony and took in the fresh air. Chilled yet welcoming.
• A knock came to my bedroom door.
• "Princess Ariana, are you up?" It was my Lady-in-waiting, Sue-Allen.
• "Yes, You may enter," I called. She pushed the doors in and entered. She bowed before speaking again.
• "Good morning, Princess."
• "Good morning, how are you?"
• "I'm well. Thank you for asking," she answered and I wondered if her tone carried any dismissal for the small talks I would try to have with her. She had only been my Lady-in-waiting for all of two weeks and I would hate to make her uncomfortable within such a short space of time.
• "Am I making you uneasy?" I asked her.
• "Of course not, Princess. Now, shall we get you ready for breakfast?"
• "Of course."
• She prepared my bath and assisted me with my washing and getting into clean clothing. Then she guestered for me to sit in front of my mirror and began styling my hair.
• I took in her reflection as she focused on styling the perfect bun. She was pretty. Her dark brown bob hair was neat without her even trying. Her honey skin seemed to be basking in the colors around us and her green eyes would flash lighter when the light caught them.
• "I've never asked your age," I spoke.
• "I'm twenty, Princess," she answered.
• "You're not going to ask my age?" I asked her.
• "You're twenty. It is one of my duties to be knowlegeable of the princess I was serving."
• I nodded in approval of her as she finished my hair. I stood, straightened my posture and Sue-Allen escorted me down to the breakfast room where my father was awaiting my presence.
• "Ah! Finally, there she is," he greeted at the head of the table. Victor, his bodyguard, stood next to him with his usual frown and displeased expression on his smug face.
• "Good morning, Father," I greeted in response as I sat down at the other head of the table.
• Within a minute, breakfast was served and I ate in silence while Victor now took a seat next to my father and began eating. They chatted in low voices and something Victor had said made my father upset and caused a loss of his appetite. I watched as my father pushed his plate aside and signaled for one of the knights at the doors. The knight nodded in understanding, drew the double doors open and two soliders dragged a beaten and shirtless man into the room. They threw him across the floor like a rug.
• "How dare you! How dare you steal food from my own castle walls! State your reason!" my father's voice boomed and filled the entire room with fear. I had stop my eating and was looking on at what was unfolding in front of me.
• "Your Majesty, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to steal. My children haven't eaten in days and there were several left over loaves in the kitchen so I helped myself to them," the terrified man answered. I recognised him as one of the kitchen staff. A baker to be exact.
• "And what does the law says about stealing?" Victor directed at the baker and stood up slowly, his eyes not leaving the baker's for a blink. He stalked over, "What say you the punishment, Your Majesty?" he asked my father who then looked at me and I dreaded being in the room even more. A nasty smirk came upon his lips and I knew that look all too well.
• "Ariana is soon to be crowned as the queen and to take her reign after my throne. The decision is hers today. What say you, Princess?" my father asked me.
• Every pair of eyes landed on me and every ear was listening for my voice.
• "Give him bread for his family," I answered and my father stared daggers at me while Victor scoffed loudly.
• "Are you insane. We're talking punishment and you're talking reward. We don't reward theives, Ariana!" Father yelled.
• "He's a baker who took some bread home to his family because they haven't eaten a decent meal in several days. Why would you add to their suffering by punishing the head of their home?"
• "Twenty stokes in the court yard!" Father commanded to his soliders. They nodded and dragged the baker outside and all the way to the coutyard where he was tied up and whipped mercilessly on his shoulders, arms and back area.
• _______
• "I'm ashamed of you, Ariana! You are not ready to be the queen of my kingdom by passing such a facile judgment to the commoners!" Father roared when the room was cleared and only him and I were facing each other.
• "And you can learn to be a little more compassionate towards your people. His children were hungry. I'm certain the loaves were the ones he baked. How could you punish the man for that?"
• "He stole! STEALING IS AGAINST THE LAW! MY LAWS! Nobody is going to be pardon from it and the sooner you learn that, the more confident I'll become and guide you into my throne myself!"
• "Hostile or compassion, you will have to relinquish your crown to me. I'll soon be twenty-one, Father," I answered calmly.
• "Oh, my dear daughter, see, that's where you're wrong. I can keep you waiting for as long as I'm alive."
• "You cannot do that."
• "I can and I damn show will if you don't rule this kingdom like I do and follow in my exact footsteps. You can kiss the throne goodbye right this mere moment! Now, get out! Victor and I have some matter to discuss."
• I turned on my heel and sure, Victor was in the room standing quietly in the corner. I huffed and walked out the doors that shut with a loud clang after my exit. Joshua was waiting and hiding behind one of the tall ceiling pillars.
• "Hi Ariana," he said softly.
• "Hi Joshua," I answered. He was my best friend from since childhood. His mom worked as a laundry maid in the castle and would allow Joshua to tag along with her each and everyday. We would roam the castle walls and got into all sort of troubles but as soon as I became a young lady, my father ceased our friendship but Joshua and I had a bond that was inseparable and I was beginning to see him for the handsome man he was becoming right before my eyes.