Kara knew that Philip had cleared his entire schedule to spend the day with Geneva - or Grace - whichever name she went by. She was ecstatic for her brother, but she could see it was taking a toll on him, trying to win her over every time she reappeared in his life. Fortunately, it seemed like he was making progress, which renewed his hope for their relationship to blossom. She was confident that everything would work out between them, and she was determined to support them both, as a friend and a sibling.She didn’t have entirely selfless reasons to help their relationship, try as she might. She was rooting for Phillip to win her over again because the focus of the last few years has been on rescuing Geneva, which has hindered her advances with Rowan. But now that Geneva was back, Rowan was far less tense and much more open to casual conversation than before. Rowan had burdened himself to search for Geneva relentlessly because he felt responsible for losing her, even though there was
Grace was walking in one of the corridors. She was still smiling as she kept thinking about Philip. It was strange, being in his company. She kept thinking back about her boyfriend. And how in one morning, Philip had gone well and beyond with his efforts.She stopped for a second, giving it a good thought. It was odd, how Philip even brushed a branch away from her face came to her as a surprise. However, he seemed to do it so automatically, as if he didn’t even have to second guess his actions.All she knew was that Philip and Tim were worlds different. Perhaps it made sense as she was in an entirely different world. Or perhaps she realized now, that the way Tim was treating her all along, was perhaps not the right way at all.Thinking about it, Gwen might have had a very valid point. She sighed as she kept on walking. She did not want to think about it too much, and yet that did not stop her mind from going over and over about her interaction and time with Philip that morning. She wa
Phillip made sure to clasp Geneva’s hand tightly with his own, as they walked down the cobblestoned steps. It felt surreal to be able to smile at her in front of his subjects without fear anymore. He stopped short,” Are you sure you have to go? I mean, you could stay a little while longer-” he asked. “And do what, Your Majesty?” Geneva raised her brows, an amused smile playing on her lips. “I don’t mind anyone else calling me by my title, but for some reason when you use it, it sounds condescending – like you know better,” Phillip sighed and scratched his head. He adjusted his shirt and the hilt of his sword. “I hate to see you go, that’s all.” “I’ll be gone for two weeks, or a month at most,” Geneva squeezed his hand. He drew it into a kiss. Geneva smil
Grace walked into the office. She took a sip of her cup of coffee before throwing the plaid skirt over Dennis’ Desk. “What’s wrong with this?” Dennis took the skirt and stared at it. “Is it the wrong size?” Grace grimaced and looked him up and down. “How long have you been studying fashion?” “One year…” “And in the one year, who taught you that skirt only has one hole?” Denise snatched the skirt, realizing he had sown up the bottom. “I will fix this, I swear.” “You know, perhaps you should stash away the extra whisky while doing your tasks at home,” “Sorry, Miss Dupont,” Grace walked past everyone else, watching as they were all sowing in a hurry. After all, they had been assigned to make all the clothes for a recent play. She had been behind all the designs. Now she was fixing all the messes as well. She might as well be running a bloody school class, not a team group. Grace sat down in front of her desk, starting to check the schedules of everyone. The majority have complete
Philip was leaning against the wall, staring out of the window, with the sun shining on his face. He could picture her, walking out of the stables, dirt coating her dress, ash on her face, and mud on her boots. He had watched her from this window every day since that fateful night at the ball. One day, he was not content watching her anymore, and he decided to see what she was up to. It was strange to see her standing next to his white stallion. His horse had a temper with most people. She gently stroked the horse's face and whispered something to it with a smile. It shook its head and snorted, which made her laugh. “Ashes doesn’t like people very much.” Geneva jumped back, startled, “Your Highness…” “I wondered why my horse is always in the best of shape – brushed and cleaned…” Philip took a step forward towards Ashes. “He is my pride and joy.”
Grace had a bounce in her step as she headed toward Gwen’s house. She checked the time on her phone. She was told to come strictly at five. She increased the volume on her headphones as she dodged the pole in the middle of the sidewalk. She came to stop as she spotted an apartment that had its door wide open. It was a very unusual sight in the middle of a busy city/suburb. The entryway was pitch-black. To her own surprise, she took a step forward instinctively, but thought better of it and kept walking. Another trick of the light.She slung her bag over her shoulder and walked for a few five minutes before she reached Gwen’s place. It was quaint, with a master bedroom on the second floor, a spacious living room, and a tiny kitchen. There was also a picturesque garden outside, with a pool and red rose bushes lining the walls.Grace took off her headphones and knocked on Gwen’s door. She stuffed her phone back into her bag when she heard Gwen’s footsteps.
“Be careful your majesty.”“Rowan, you should know by now, that caution isn’t my thing,” Philip slid off his horse, staring into the dark cave ahead of them. He turned to look at his men, he could tell they were nervous.It was only natural because this cave happened to harbor a wizard. “Be brave lads, if your king can do it, then so can you.”Windsor sighed and shook his head, following Phillip’s lead. “Your majesty, may I just remind you that entering a cave is begging to get yourself injured, or worse...?”“I made a promise to Geneva, I intend on keeping it. I will find her,” Philip said as he took a step forward. He was about to take another into the cave.“Your majesty.”“What is it now!?”“How do you expect to see in the cave without a torch?” Rowan pulled out the wooden sticksand walked towards him.“I knew that,” Philip said. “I was just waiting for you to catch up.”“Of course, you were,” Rowan took a step forward with a flint. He scraped it against the rock a few times, all
Grace scooped a big chunk of mint ice-cream as she sat outside with Gwen. They had walked to the convenience store and back. Tim was nowhere to be found when they returned. Grace teared up, “I can’t believe it… He’s actually gone…he didn’t care.” “Maybe it’s for the better,” said Gwen. “Come on, let’s finish our ice cream.” Grace pulled a face; the cold made her brain ache. Even ice cream had a limit for happiness.She was so miserable right now. Her day had gone amazingly well, only for her to lose the one relationship she had hoped would last. “What happened to the prince charmings we always talked about when we are young?” Grace muttered. She shoved her spoon back into the container. “I keep thinking of the play that we’re supporting, about happily ever after, and I wonder if I will ever have that...” “Wait, you didn’t seriously think that you and Tim were meant to be?”
Grace was walking in one of the corridors. She was still smiling as she kept thinking about Philip. It was strange, being in his company. She kept thinking back about her boyfriend. And how in one morning, Philip had gone well and beyond with his efforts.She stopped for a second, giving it a good thought. It was odd, how Philip even brushed a branch away from her face came to her as a surprise. However, he seemed to do it so automatically, as if he didn’t even have to second guess his actions.All she knew was that Philip and Tim were worlds different. Perhaps it made sense as she was in an entirely different world. Or perhaps she realized now, that the way Tim was treating her all along, was perhaps not the right way at all.Thinking about it, Gwen might have had a very valid point. She sighed as she kept on walking. She did not want to think about it too much, and yet that did not stop her mind from going over and over about her interaction and time with Philip that morning. She wa
Kara knew that Philip had cleared his entire schedule to spend the day with Geneva - or Grace - whichever name she went by. She was ecstatic for her brother, but she could see it was taking a toll on him, trying to win her over every time she reappeared in his life. Fortunately, it seemed like he was making progress, which renewed his hope for their relationship to blossom. She was confident that everything would work out between them, and she was determined to support them both, as a friend and a sibling.She didn’t have entirely selfless reasons to help their relationship, try as she might. She was rooting for Phillip to win her over again because the focus of the last few years has been on rescuing Geneva, which has hindered her advances with Rowan. But now that Geneva was back, Rowan was far less tense and much more open to casual conversation than before. Rowan had burdened himself to search for Geneva relentlessly because he felt responsible for losing her, even though there was
As they continued their stroll along the pebbled path, Grace’s foot struck a stone and the momentum propelled her forward. She nearly fell but she balanced herself with her arms just in time. When she looked to the side, Phillip was wide-eyed with his arm out ready to catch her. It was hard not to laugh at his surprised expression, but she was internally cringing at her clumsiness once again. “Do you have a pair of wooden legs on you?” “No…no, I was just…I walk funny sometimes.” “Oh, really? So that wasn’t you tripping? That was just you, walking funny?” Philip asked raising his brows.
Grace refused to leave her room. She was trying to save face from the embarrassment of her actions last night. She knew it was petty to blame Rowan, because he was only trying to protect her, but her pride was severely bruised and his bad attitude made it easier to continue being stubborn.Grace walked to the large framed windows when there was a knock on the door. She frowned. “Leave me be... please.” The door opened regardless of her protest, and Grace straightened as she saw Philip through the gap. He was looking away when he asked, “Are you decent?” “Yes, but still…”Philip walked through the door, and she noticed he had a rose in his hand. “For you,” he offered the flower.
Grace knew what she was doing wasn’t the best idea, but curiosity and panic were building up inside of her, and she needed an outlet. She couldn’t stay in her room anymore, it felt like the walls were closing in on her after that dinner. It was relatively easy to sneak out of the castle unnoticed. No one was expecting her to be awake after their journey. She knew she would be able to make her way back, and she hoped she would not get into too much trouble if she was caught.When she reached the city market, bells started ringing in the distance. Some soldiers rushed past her to find out what the emergency was at the palace, while the remaining soldiers became more vigilant for any suspicious behavior.Grace became distressed by the business of the streets, the shouts of the soldiers, and her spiraling thoughts. Was there a sure way home that didn’t involve taking a gamble with the petals in the garden? Or should she risk touching them? What if it didn’t work? What if leaving the palac
“Look at the time,” Kara stared at the sky. “Dinner should be served soon, and I heard you had an express invitation from the king.” “Alone?” Grace asked. “No, I will be there, the guards will join us, Rowan, as well, and Windsor I’m afraid.” “That’s a relief,” Grace said. “He’s a perfect gentleman if that is what you are concerned about,” Kara said. Grace nodded and followed her through the castle. Every room was unique in some way, but they all blended together seamlessly. The high ceilings and detailed embellishments on the walls and furniture did justice to the exterior of the palace. There were also many more statues, plated with gold, positio
Grace was stunned by the sight of the city from afar, but it only continued to exceed her expectations as the buildings got closer. This is what a person would describe as paradise, she thought. The sound of the horses’ hooves clattering against the roads drew many spectators' attention, as they watched from their windows or came out of their homes to see their knights return. A group of children also waved at her, and she smiled, waving back.As they left the outskirts of the city and approached the central streets in the marketplace, they saw large crowds of people from every age, gender and race, conducting their daily business. The soldiers stationed there, cleared a path for their party to pass through, and it felt like she was starring in a movie. However, none of the movies could quite compare to this, everything seemed brighter and better here – even the vast blue sky.Grace watched as Philip led the way to the palace at the top of the hill. There were great golden statues of
Grace’s stiff legs made her more painfully aware of the possibility that this world was actually real. She was trying to hide her growing panic by shifting on the horse and keeping her face hidden with her hair. Her mouth became dry as her thoughts started to spin. What if there was no way back? What if she was trapped here forever? What would have happened if the minotaur or the troll had gotten to her faster? Would she really have drowned in that lake?Her heartbeat picked up and she tried to control her breathing before it could get out of hand. Now was not the time for a panic attack. She looked down at the necklace, trying to focus on something else. The tooth had a different likeness than any animal’ on earth. It looked like a crystal that had been shaved down, with fine white lines running from the top to the end. She wondered how it had come into the King’s possession. There were many things she wondered about the King.He seemed to be infatuated with her, believing she is Gen
“Your Highness-” “Please don’t call me that,” Philip glanced at Geneva. “Please,” he pleaded. Geneva took a deep breath. “It’s never going to happen. You and I both know that we are not destined to be together. You will marry some princess from far away land, for the sake of the kingdom.” “No, we can work this out,” Philip slammed the bars of the jail. Geneva had been locked inside, she had been charged with theft and treason. He knew that none of it was true, but his father used every means necessary to end their relationship. “I swear to you, I will find you a way out.” “It’s okay…it’s really okay,” Geneva took a step cl