All for the Kingdom"

 

"

"Julia! Julia, hurry up, you have to leave soon, honey!" I heard my mother's voice.

"Princess, should I take the bags downstairs?"

"I think so..." I replied uncertainly, and glanced at my room. I think I'd packed everything.

"The stagecoach is waiting," my maid announced, bowing low.

I sighed heavily and went downstairs.

As you've probably guessed, I'm a princess. My mother is a queen, and my father is a king. My name is Julia, and I'm almost nineteen.

"Did you pack everything you need, honey?"

"Yes, Mom."

I headed for the door. I looked back.

"Mom... do I have to?" I asked pleadingly.

"Honey, you know it's necessary."

I rolled my eyes.

"Is there really no other way?"

She nodded. She took my hand and led me to the waiting stagecoach.

"Honey… you know we have to protect our kingdom. And in the alliance written by our ancestors, it's clearly written that children of…" she began, but I interrupted her in a bored tone. "

Children from the sixth generation will marry if they are of different sexes…

" "Honey… you know we only want what's best for you

." "I know. But what if this… prince turns out to be a snob?

" She didn't answer. She shrugged helplessly. I could have read that as, 'Everything for the good of the kingdom.'

"Daddy won't come?" I asked, though I knew the answer perfectly well.

"He's busy.

" "Give him a kiss from me," I replied sarcastically, but Mom ignored me. She snuggled up to me and kissed my forehead. "

Have fun, honey," she whispered.

"Goodbye, Mom ."

Trying not to pinch my enormous dress, I got into the coach and waved to Mom. My maid was with me. Sometimes I envied her the freedom of movement she had thanks to her plain clothes. Her name was Anna, and for as long as I could remember, she'd always taken care of me. But she wasn't that old.

"Princess, smile," she said cheerfully, "everything will work out

. Yes, it will for her. She's not the one marrying a strange man.

Because that's the purpose of my journey. I'm going to a neighboring kingdom. Once, a long time ago, it signed an alliance with our kingdom. And you know the rest. Children of the sixth generation... blah blah blah. For the past few days, the talk around me has been nothing but my engagement.

I'll be spending two weeks there, during which I'm supposed to get to know my future husband.

I was afraid. I was afraid he would turn out to be completely different from what I'd imagined. I was also afraid I'd be the one to mess things up. That I'd do something wrong from the very beginning. All these rules of ethics and good behavior irritated me. Sometimes I just wanted to live. Without all these rules and prohibitions.

I looked out the window. We were driving through town. I saw little girls playing with rag dolls. Boys holding sticks and pretending to be knights. I wanted to be like those children. Ordinary.

But that was impossible. I was the daughter of a king. The daughter of the most important person in the land.

"Princess, does the princess need anything?" Anna asked me.

"No. But listen, we've known each other for so many years. Maybe you should start calling me by my first name?" I suggested.

She became flustered.

"I don't know if I can, if that's appropriate..." she began to stumble over her words.

"Fine. Forget it."

We were silent the rest of the way.

We didn't arrive until evening.

I bet you've never felt as nervous as I did at that moment. Every part of my body was trembling with fear and excitement at the same time. I was about to see who the person I was going to spend my life with was! I bit my lip nervously and kept smoothing my hair. I wanted to make the best impression possible.

Suddenly, Anna placed her hand on my folded hands.

"Julia, don't worry. Everything will be alright," she smiled, and I smiled back. It helped a little. I gently peered out the window. A magnificent palace came into view. Larger than ours, but somehow less cozy. Colorful flowers and neatly trimmed grass stretched out in front of the palace.

We stopped. I took a deep breath. It began.

As usual, the driver, whom I knew well, opened the door. He winked at me and smiled, trying to cheer me up. I tried to smile back, but I was so nervous I don't know what showed on my face instead of a beautiful smile.

"Welcome, princess, to our palace," one of the servants said to me, bowing low, "we've been waiting for you. Please come this way."

I followed him and admired the interior. Although it looked inaccessible from the outside, the interior was beautiful. The paintings caught the eye, and beautiful flowers stood here and there. The walls were a cozy, light color that made me feel a little more confident.

We stopped before the large doors.

"Please enter," the servant said politely, bowing low again.

"Thank you," I replied and stepped inside.

I was surprised to see only the king and queen on the throne. Because... where is the prince? I hesitantly approached and bowed.

"Good morning, Your Royal Highness..." I began, but he immediately interrupted me.

"Hello, hello, dear child! We finally see each other!"

I looked at him. He radiated warmth and seemed like a pleasant person. He was the complete opposite of my father.

The king stepped down from his throne and kissed my hand.

"I am Charles, and this is my wife, Marta," he pointed to the queen, who also stepped down from her throne and approached me with a smiling face.

"This is our palace, Princess Julia," he continued.

The hall was very impressive. Gold and silver gleamed everywhere. And there were lots of mirrors.

"I suppose you'd like to see your room, wouldn't you?" the queen asked. "

Actually..." I began, "I wonder where..."

"Eryk? Well... he should be here soon..." she said, clearly confused.

Well, yes, he's quite a latecomer.

"It's nothing. I'd love to see my room," I said quickly.

The queen's cheerful expression returned.

"I'll take you."

Together they showed me around a certain part of the palace. I knew I still had many places to see. My mind was racing as they described every room and every painting we passed.

"Dinner will be here soon," they said when we finally reached my room. "Would you like something to eat?"

"I don't want to be rude... I don't think I'm hungry," I replied.

"Okay, child... I apologize for my son," Marta said. "He was supposed to show up, but in the meantime..."

"Oh, nothing happened. After all, we still have two whole weeks," I smiled. "Good night," I said, and went into my room.

It was beautiful. The bed had large curtains, and next to it stood a dresser. On one wall was a huge window, with a beautiful view of the nearby mountains and forests. My luggage was already inside.

I sat down on the bed. So why was I so nervous? The prince wouldn't have minded my arrival anyway. He probably wasn't that stressed. He didn't care if a fat, capricious woman or a cross-eyed bitch arrived. I looked in the mirror on the dressing table.

I wasn't ugly... that's what they always told me. But I wasn't particularly beautiful either. At least not to me. I had very long, blonde hair. They never let me cut it. My parents said it was a credit to a princess to have such well-groomed, long hair. My eyes were blue. I was slim. My parents always made sure I was fed. Sometimes I was completely blown away by them. Especially when I saw... my future in-laws. They were both so cheerful and cheerful. They even took time out of their duties just to show me around. My father would never have done such a thing. He always said the country came first. He always had a lot of things to do. That's why I have such little contact with him. We only talk once, maybe twice a month... Sometimes I miss him, even though he's in the same building. I bet my future husband definitely doesn't have such little contact with his parents.

And then I felt angry. I was furious with this prince. I was nervous, trying to look my best, and he simply didn't show up! Absolutely no manners!

I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," I shouted.

"Princess... I'm sorry. Julia, it's me. May I?" Anna asked timidly.

"Yes, come in.

" "Bath time," she announced. I sighed heavily. She still treated me like a little girl.

The next day I woke up quite early. I sat up in bed, rubbed my eyes, and looked around. I was still here. I hoped it was just a dream.

"Princess," the palace maid asked, entering the room, "would you prefer breakfast in bed, or would you like to eat with the queen, the king, and their son?"

I shuddered at the word "son." "

Are they already waiting? "

"No. Breakfast won't be ready for another hour.

" "It's me..." I began, but bit my tongue. I should make a good impression. "I'll eat with them." "Call my maid," I said haughtily, mentally adding, "Please." The girl obediently closed the door. I didn't mean to be rude. I just... wanted to make a good impression, that's all. I'd always been taught to behave this way. With a superior air. At home, however, I always added "Please" or "Excuse me." And above all, I always thanked her. I didn't know what service was like here. At my place, I was friends with almost everyone. Here, I didn't know anyone.

After a while, Anna knocked. When she entered, she asked timidly,

"Are you in a bad mood today?

" "No," I said, surprised. "Why do you ask?"

"Daria, that girl who was with you just now, said you were ordering her around and that you were rude

." I felt an unpleasant twinge.

"I... I wanted... I didn't want... actually, I don't know anymore..." I replied, resigned. "I thought I should behave this way. That's how I was taught."

"You don't behave like that in our palace.

" "Well, yes... but I already know you there. And here... strangers. I thought if I stayed like this, they'd think something..."

Anna sighed heavily.

"Julia... they learned the ropes. They taught you how to live among people poorer, worse than you."

I tried to interrupt her and deny it. I never thought that poorer people were worse than me.

"But you, fortunately, decided to have your own mind. You didn't understand how others could claim that there were worse and better people. You see... I've managed to get to know you over this long period. You've grown into a polite, cultured girl, even though no one taught you that. That's why everyone values ​​you, at our court." She smoothed my hair with a motherly, caring gesture. "That's why everyone likes you."

I remained silent. I didn't know she knew me so well.

"You don't have to pretend to be someone else for people to value you."

With her help, I dressed. I put on a tight corset and a large skirt with several petticoats.

"You must go now. The meal will surely begin soon.

" "But I don't know where?"

"I'll take you ."

We walked to the door together. She opened it for me. I stepped out into the corridor.

"Thank you. You've been a great help," I said finally. Anna only smiled and led me to the hall, where the king and queen were already waiting.

"Hello, dear child," they greeted me.

"Good morning," I said. "Am I late?"

"No, no... actually, we weren't expecting you. We thought you'd eat in bed, as the maid suggested."

"I preferred to eat with you," I smiled. I felt I wasn't as nervous as yesterday. Maybe it was because my emotions had subsided... or maybe thanks to Anna's words? I'll be myself.

"We're pleased," the king said. "Let's wait a little longer for our son, okay? He's late, as usual

." We didn't wait long. As soon as the king uttered his last word, the door opened and he entered. It wasn't as bad as I'd expected. He definitely took after my father. He was about my height. He had dark hair that fell to his shoulders and kind eyes. I felt a pleasant warmth in my heart. His face would greet me every day.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he said without any embarrassment. He slowed his pace when he saw me. Our eyes met.

"Eryk, this is Julia. The princess from the neighboring kingdom."

The boy looked at me as if enchanted. "

Hello. Sorry you had to wait for me..." he said haughtily, approaching me, and kissed my hand.

No, I didn't feel my heart racing or anything like that. I felt at ease. But I hoped that would change soon.

We ate breakfast in a pleasant atmosphere. We chatted about this and that. When we finished, the queen suggested,

"Eryk, perhaps you could take Julia on a short tour of our palace? She saw some of it yesterday, but she has a lot to catch up on," she smiled.

"I'd love to," he replied, standing up. He approached me and offered me his arm gallantly.

We strolled through the palace for a while. Truth be told, I was incredibly bored.

"Are you listening? Hello? Are you listening?" he waved his hand in front of my eyes.

"Sorry, I was staring. What were you saying? "

He looked at me intently.

"Come on. Let's get out of here," he suggested. "

Where?" I asked, surprised. "

For a walk," he smiled.

"And you won't tell your parents?"

"Why? It would take ages to find them in this palace, and besides... we're adults now, right?"

He led me through the corridors to a side exit.

I was breathless with delight. The view was fantastic. Lots of greenery and flowers. I stood speechless in the doorway for a moment.

"So what's up? Are you coming or not?" Eryk laughed. He ran forward.

I slowly walked forward. I looked around, trying to memorize every detail.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, approaching me.

I nodded. The sun was shining brightly. Birds were singing in the distance. I felt happier than ever before. "

I spend almost entire days here, as long as it's warm enough. Every day I discover a new place."

We strolled in silence for a while.

We sat on the trunk of a felled tree, right next to the forest. Suddenly, I saw a beautiful flower growing by my leg.

"Look," I said, caressing its petals. I didn't want to pick it. "Beautiful," I whispered.

I felt Eryk's curious gaze on me, but I diligently kept my eyes glued to the flower. I knelt down beside it.

"It's a daisy," he replied. His voice sounded so… different. So gentle.

“She’s free,” I said after a long silence.

“She has roots. She’s not entirely free,” he protested. “

You don’t understand… She grows as she pleases, whenever she pleases, and no one tells her what to do… She’s free .”

He knelt beside me.

“And you? You’re not free?” he asked. This time I looked at him, and he stared at the flower. I pondered my answer for a long moment.

“No… I’m the king’s daughter. I’m not free.

” “I’m the king’s child too,” he said, more to himself than to me.

“And?” I asked. He remained

silent. I didn’t know if he didn’t quite know the answer or if he didn’t want to.

We spent the rest of the day in that meadow. We talked, joked, and laughed. I'd never had more fun. When it started to get dark, we returned to the palace. I felt hungry. We hadn't come back for dinner, after all! What would his parents say?

"Don't worry," he said, smiling, as if reading my mind. "They won't say anything

." And indeed, neither the king nor the queen held any grudges against us. Quite the opposite. They were happy we spent time together.

As I lay in bed, I realized I didn't blame them at all. They certainly loved their son and wanted the best for him. They probably wanted him to marry out of love, not out of necessity. It's a pity my parents don't feel the same way. The kingdom is most important to them, then the nation, and so on... I'm somewhere at the bottom of the list.

I felt like I was starting to like it here more and more.

The next day, the maid, Daria, woke me up again.

"Good morning, princess. Shall I serve breakfast in bed?" "—she asked, just like last day. I smiled friendly.

"No, thank you. I'll eat with everyone else.

" "Fine. Should I call the princess's maid?"

"No, no need. I'll manage."

As she was leaving, I stopped her

, "I'd like to apologize for treating you so coldly yesterday..."

She looked at me in surprise, bowed low, and left, closing the door behind her.

Just like yesterday, after breakfast, Eryk took me outside again.

"I have a surprise for you," he said mysteriously, pulling me along.

I followed him, not even guessing what he might have prepared.

Only when we reached the royal stables did it dawn on me.

"Horses!" I said happily.

He led me inside.

"And how?" he asked proudly.

I didn't answer. I looked around at all the animals. Finally, I approached a white horse and gently petted it.

"Horses are very intelligent animals," Eryk said.

"Which one is yours?" I asked.

"The one you cuddle up to," he laughed.

We spent half the day at the stables. It was wonderful. I was glad to be here, with him. I think I felt a kind of relief when I noticed that I was enjoying Eryk's company more and more. I was glad that my fears were unfounded. Eryk turned out to be a wonderful man. He had good manners and loved animals.

"Can I ask you a question?" I said as we strolled through the meadow. "

You're welcome.

Why were you late the day I arrived?"

From the moment I saw him, that question had been on my mind, nagging me. But he remained silent. We reached a small stream flowing out of the forest. He stopped and crouched beside it.

"I took it as…" I started again, "as if you didn't want to know me. Back then, I… tried so hard to look good, and you… simply didn't show up. It hurt.

" "I'm sorry," he interrupted abruptly, "I'm sorry. I had a… unpleasant argument with my parents. And I was here. "

He stood up. He faced me.

"Actually, I didn't want to know you then. I was furious. We don't talk about it, but just like you, I know why you're here. I felt like I was being shackled. Remember yesterday when we talked about the daisy? I feel more or less the same way she does. I was angry that they were forcing me to marry you."

An uncomfortable silence fell. I knew I'd touched on a sensitive subject. No one had ever mentioned us getting married.

"So you felt then…" I said slowly. "What do you feel now?"

He thought for a moment, then looked me straight in the eyes. "

I feel completely the opposite." I know I've only known you for a short time, but…" he trailed off. He leaned over me. He wanted to kiss me. I ducked. I wasn't ready. Not yet.

"Let's go back to the palace," I said quietly. "It's getting dark."

As I thought about what had happened that evening, I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, I felt I'd done the right thing by not allowing the kiss. We'd only known each other for two days… I couldn't define my feelings for him after all this time. But on the other hand… maybe if it happened, it would help me determine exactly whether I could love him? But if it turned out I couldn't… it wouldn't be any easier. If…

I sighed heavily. One day, this "what if" would drive me to black despair. "

No, I'll eat with everyone," I forestalled Daria's question. She smiled brightly at me.

When I was dressed, I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," I shouted. Anna walked in.

"How are you feeling today?" she asked.

"Great," I replied with exaggerated joy. "I can't wait to see what today brings... Yesterday I saw horses, you know?" I started to tell her, even though I didn't feel like it at all. "And the day before yesterday, such a beautiful flower. I'm so curious what I'll see today."

She came up to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. The gesture disarmed me. I collapsed resignedly onto the bed and told her everything.

"You did the right thing by not letting her kiss you," Anna said matter-of-factly.

"Do you think so?" I asked in disbelief. "

I'm sure of it. I know you'll be married anyway... but you have to listen to your heart. If it told you to hold back, then you did the right thing. You can't force yourself to love someone. You'll either feel it or you won't. And you'll have to accept that, honey..."

I remained silent. I really liked Eryk. But can you fall in love with someone in just two days?

"You'd better go, they won't wait for you

." I obediently went downstairs. We ate breakfast in silence. The king and queen tried unsuccessfully to keep the conversation going. Both Erik and I remained silent.

"Erik, where are you planning to take Julia today?" the king asked politely.

"Father, you know very well that I have a lesson with the court musician today.

" "You can always reschedule it

." "No. I want to go. I have a few more things to do later. I'm sure Julia will enjoy herself just as much as she does with me."

I felt a sharp pang in my heart. I was sorry he was saying that. I hadn't done anything wrong, after all. I'd refused the kiss because I didn't want it. Not at this stage.

After finishing breakfast, I went back to my room. I went to the window and looked out. I saw Erik walking slowly toward the neighboring tower. He had such a calm walk... so regal. He looked as if he were floating on air, not walking on the ground. His hair flowed gently in the wind. I lowered my head. I had hoped we would spend time together today as well. Meanwhile, he…

"Please," I said quietly, hearing a knock on the door. I was surprised when the queen entered.

"May I?" she asked.

I nodded and moved away from the window.

"I've always liked this room, you know?" she said after a moment.

"I loved sitting by this window and thinking.

I didn't know why she told me that."

"Eryk wasn't very nice to you today. I'm sorry about him," she said contritely. "He's a good boy, but he takes after his father." She smiled, as if more to herself than to me. "

Eryk is very kind… it's a pity he can't spend the day with me.

" "My child… you know very well that he could… did something happen between you?" she asked. I was silent for a moment. I didn't know whether to tell her about yesterday's incident or not.

"No. Nothing," I replied firmly. She looked at me intently. She seemed to detect my lying, but she kept quiet.

"I hope you don't intend to sit here all day," she said cheerfully. "The entire palace and its surroundings are at your disposal. Just please don't disappear for days on end, like Eryk can do, okay?"

I laughed.

"Okay, okay. I'll be back soon."

We left together, and she headed upstairs, and I headed for the side exit Eryk had shown me. I decided to spend this time in the meadow. I walked through it, breathing in the air that had never smelled so wonderfully of sunshine. I looked toward the forest. I decided to go for a moment to that spring we'd been by yesterday.

I crouched down next to him, just as Eryk had done yesterday. I touched the water. I withdrew my hand because it was very cold. My dress got slightly wet. I didn't pay much attention to it. I stood up and slowly walked upstream. I don't know why I was going there. Something simply pulled me.

I don't know how long I followed the current. I stopped, however, when I saw a familiar silhouette. I hid behind a nearby tree so Eryk couldn't see me. I began to observe him.

Meanwhile, various forest animals approached him. I saw hares, deer… they ate from his hand, let him pet them. I felt a pleasant warmth in my heart.

I looked at his slightly smiling lips, at his delicate gestures… I knew I was slowly falling in love. And I wasn't forcing it. He had such… peace about him. Such gentleness that made me want to snuggle up to him.

Suddenly, he sighed heavily.

"You're doing just fine... you probably don't have such complicated lives," I heard him say to the animals. Eryk loved animals. I'd noticed that yesterday, at the stables.

"You've certainly never ruined such a good atmosphere..." he said.

I guessed what was going through his head. He was probably blaming himself, just like me, for my rejection yesterday. I wanted to approach him and... do something to ease his pain, but I continued to stand quietly behind the tree.

It was strange, but even after a while, I didn't get tired of watching his movements. When it finally began to get dark, Eryk petted each animal one last time and moved on. I waited a moment, and then I headed toward the stream. For a moment, I was afraid I'd get lost, but luckily, the stream guided me, and after a few minutes I found myself in a meadow.

I realized with slight dismay that it didn't look as cozy at dusk as it did during the day. I felt a shiver on the back of my neck, which later spread throughout my entire body. I kept feeling like someone was following me. I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally reached the palace.

I acted as if nothing had happened at dinner. Eryk was silent, just like he had been that morning.

The morning was much the same as before.

At breakfast, Eryk's parents still persisted and tried to strike up a conversation. After finishing their meal, Eryk approached me and, just like when we first met, extended his arm.

We walked outside in silence. When we left the palace walls, Eryk lowered his hand. We walked side by side, not saying a word.

I waited for him to speak first. I felt neither guilty nor offended.

"I'm sorry about that..." he said suddenly.

I smiled brightly.

From then on, things had been great between us. A week and a half had passed, and the day our engagement was announced was fast approaching. Those days were wonderful. Eryk took me to a new place every day. Once, we even went horseback riding. He gave me flowers, and I longed for his warmth more and more. I slowly made friends with everyone in the palace. I was starting to feel at home there.

One day, as we were walking our usual route, Eryk stopped.

"Julia... I have to ask you a question," he said.

I guessed what he wanted to ask. I knew he would have to someday. I just didn't know it would be so soon...

I looked at him expectantly.

"Do... do you, really, want to marry me?"

I remained silent. I lowered my eyes. I fought a battle with myself until the very end. "

I mean, will you... will you do it because they tell you to, or because I..." he continued, but he trailed off.

And then I felt it. It was so… sudden. I felt that if Eric were suddenly gone, a part of me would be gone too.

I felt that I loved him.

“I want to,” I said confidently. My heart filled with a pleasant warmth.

He looked at me with surprised eyes.

“I want to marry you. Not because they tell me to.

I’ve never seen happier eyes in my life.”

“And now I can…” he began shyly. He cupped my face in his hands. “Really?”

I smiled and nodded slightly.

We kissed.

We returned to the castle, all aglow with joy. We were so happy and smiling.

However, as soon as we crossed the threshold, all our happiness vanished.

“Princess Julia?” one of the guards approached us.

“Yes,” I said, my voice trembling with confusion.

“Come with us. We are forced to arrest you.”

“Excuse me?” Eryk said, covering my face.

"The king's orders," the guard said curtly, nodding to his companion, who came up behind me and roughly tugged on my arms. I couldn't pull away. I couldn't feel my legs, and I felt faint. What's going on? "

Leave her alone!" Eryk shouted, but they held him back. "What do you mean, the king's orders?! I'm the prince, and I order you to let her go!" "

We can't. The king clearly said that if she shows up at the palace, she must be sent to the palace dungeons.

" "But why?! What's happening?! Julia!" he shouted at me. "I won't leave it like this!"

They dragged me down the stairs. The last thing I saw was Eryk running towards his father's room.