Change Your Destiny (♥☼Inularian☼♥ and Blair1216)

[♥☼Inularian☼♥]

Anna slowly opened her eyes, she stretched her arms high above her head before rolling out of her bed, she took off her night clothes and tugged on an old white shirt and a long brown skirt that had patches of dried mud, she caught a glance of herself in the mirror. She looked just the same as always, just like a servant girl.

She yawned and tied up her hair without thinking about it before plodding downstairs. She grabbed some eggs and cracked them into a bowl before stirring them and putting them into a pan, every few seconds she would run her wooden spoon through them and watch them clogg up to form scrambled eggs. Once she had finished cooking; she quickly ate her fill and put the uneaten eggs on the side. She glanced out the window to see the others working. 'How on earth do you wake up that early?' She mumbled to herself, opening the door. A cold wind from outside whipped around her face and she wrapped her arm around herself. She struggled against the cold wind. She slowly but surely made her way to the castle and its warmth to work in the kitchen. She was to help set up breakfest and then wake up the prince.

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Chase was out in the barn, he was picking up haybells and stacking them up. Once he had finnished he slipped down and walked out of the barn, opening the hen hutch and stepping back to let the crowd of 15 hens and 1 rooster flood out. He glanced into the shed where the chickens were kept and began collecting the eggs, he put them into a bucket full of hey to stop them from breaking as they rolled around. Chase then hurried to another shed, putting the fresh eggs in and taking the day old ones out.

He put the bucket of eggs onto the ground and reached for another bucket, he took it to a water pump a few feet away and filled the water to the top. He then filled up bowls in the chicken pen for them to drink, he glanced over his shoulder for he felt eyes burning into him, only to see his friend. 'Aha! Your awake sleping beauty!' He smiled and hung the bucket of eggs near the door. 'Go bring those inside please.' He said, pushing the bucket of eggs into Alaina's chest.

 

[Blair1216]

Nate was still laying in bed, the satin sheets barely coming up far enough to cover his lower body. With no shirt, his muscles were on display, tensing and relaxing with each breath. He was certainly not a morning person, always letting his mother send someone up to wake up. This was not because he was lazy, no. This was because he never slept well, always tossing and turning in the large bed. There were nights he didn't sleep at all, watching the sunrise long before his eyelids felt heavy, and there were even nights that he resulted in drinking a few glasses of liquor to calm himself. However, one thing was for sure. His sleepless nights only began when his engagement to Princess Fiona was anounced. The 18-year-old boy was now a man; no longer in control of his destiny. He was to marry the Princess, bring the kingdom together, and eventually create an heir. He had no choice in the matter, no say. This was his fate, and he was left to drown in it.

When the door opened, he groaned. Turning on his side, he reached up and ran a hand through his dark, unruly hair without even opening his eyes. He did not want it to be the beginning of another day. No, he did not want to be one step closer to being King.

Finally, after a few moments of being stubborn, Nate sat up in the bed and rubbed his eyes. His blankets pooled around at his naked waist, but he paid no attention. The Prince was not very modest, but he was also strikingly unsocial. In fact, he rarely spent time with anyone but himself, preferring isolation to the company of spoiled Dukes and Dutchesses in the castle. He only came to events if it was absolutely mandatory, and even if it was, he was rather quiet. The women in the kingdom swooned after the silent prince, wanting to be the one girl who could make him smile and laugh. Unfortunately, Nate had a harder exterior than they thought.

"What's my schedule?" he grumbled, not bothering to look up at the servant who entered the room quite yet. He often hated the way they looked at him. It was either of disgust, assuming that he was too arrogant to be pleasant. Some were of sympathy (usually from the older maids) for his complex situation.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Fiona had been up for hours, for after her hectic schedule following her public engagement with Prince Nathaniel, she quickly found out that the wee hours of the morning was the only time she could be left alone. At eighteen, she was very stubborn when it came to becoming a bride. She wanted to be young and free and choose her own path. However, she was born into this engagement and fate. Not only would she be disappointing her father if she refused to marry the Prince, she would be letting the Kingdom down. And despite daydreaming of falling in love and living the life she chose, Fiona was a sheltered girl. Even if she had the guts to break away, she would not know what to do once she did... Hope was lost in her situation.

Wind blowing her dark, wavy hair back behind her, Fiona rode her little black horse, Gwendolyn, back toward the stable. She'd been out for hours, riding around the castle grounds, going down to the creek. While she was an outdoorsy girl at heart, she enjoyed the freedom and privacy it gave her.

Upon arriving to the stable, Fiona hopped off and straightened out her lavender dress. It was important to her mother that she always looked presentable, and Fiona was not in the mood to listen to another lecture... Grey eyes darting to the right, Fiona spotted Chase gathering eggs on the far side of the barn. Her lips pressed together, watching his movements as she blindly took Gwendolyn's saddle off. She had seen him many, many times during the early morning hours, but only then. He was a handsome boy, his muscles showing the time he had put into manual labor... However, she had not the slightest idea of his name, despite the fact he had made his way into her daydreams multple times.

 

[♥☼Inularian☼♥]

This was actually her first time going to him. Normally, she was in the the dungeons taking care of the cells and rarely the prisonars. If there was a prisoner, she would normally just grab food for them and make sure that they didn't need medical attention. If they died when she was cleaning, she would probably be whipped by a guard and she wasn't looking forward to that. Being in servitude all her life, she knew the stinging pain of the whip. She may be new to the castle but she wasn't new to punishments and rules. Anna glance about the room of the prince and glared at the prince's back for a second. They didn't understand anything of the world, just politics and their role in politics. They, who are born in riches, had everything at their beck and call. It annoyed Anna to no end. She normally didn't judge people she never meant but that applied to peasants like herself. Royals like him...she met enough to discern his type easily. However, life seem to like surprising her.

Anna blinked as the prince turned away from her and spoke. Wasn't he suppose to be asleep? She didn't understand what he meant by schedule. All she was suppose to do was wake him up and direct him to the throne room for his parents wanted to speak to him. She groaned softly to herself thinking about how bad she screwed this up. She wished she never got chosen for this and that the normal servant wasn't sick in bed.

"I'm..sorry" she replied, hesitantly. "I was told to wake you up and send you to the throne room"

She gave the prince a once over in her mind. He was handsome, she'll give him that but his voice...it held a tone that made her curious about him. She shook her head quickly, hoping the prince didn't see her do that and stood still waiting his order for her to be whipped for the mistake. That had to be another thing that she hated about royals, they have servants whipped for tiny mistakes. Mostly accidental ones.


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Chase sighed as he grabbed the rest of the eggs. He knew that at some point in the day that he'd need to go into town to sell some to the villagers. The King and Queen didn't mind it thankfully as long as they were extra and that he finished his chores before that. He brushed back some of his hair that was becoming stuck to his forehead. He placed the eggs near the nests, knowing they wouldn't be touched. If they were, he'd know since only he ever got close to the rooster's nest. Chase slowly walked from the coop and back out into the rising morning sun.

He glanced at the castle. He felt a bit of jealousy for the royals and their ways to sleep in. He found it annoying and unfair. Their servants had to work more than the rulers than the land and it was unjust. He turned to head for the stables. He looked down at his shirt and found in nearly drenched in sweat. He sighed. He just started 3 hours ago and he might just have to abandon his shirt in the next few hours.

As he gotten closer to the stables, he noticed her. The princess. He bowed his head in respect before continuing on. He had to water and feed the horses still before going in and eating some food. Then it was to the town market and back to do more work on the grounds.

 

[Blair1216]

Fiona nodded to Chase, watching him give each horse water and check on each stall. She watched his body, taking in each movement of his muscles. The way his shirt stuck to him with the humidity of the morning made her blush. He was so handsome, and she was sure he wanted nothing to do with her. Why would he? She was a spoiled princess to him; the reason he was out in the stable early in the first place. Her parents were the one who assigned his job, the one who told him each and everything he was to do every day. It made her wonder what his living conditions were life. Lots of servants (or, as she was told) lived it dungeons. Some lived in shacks on the outskirts of the village, having to walk miles to get to work... Meanwhile, she lived in the castle they served. Yes, he must hate her...

And that's when it happened. She did not see the cause, but judged by the noises, it was a chicken. Gwendolyn had always been uneasy around the feathered animals, and this situation was no different. She started to whine and before Fiona could calm her, she reared back on her back legs, knocking Fiona down to the ground.

"Gwen!" Fiona cried, watching the horse thrash around in her stall, knocking over a bucket of water in the process. She looked on from where she fell in the hay covered floor, her eyes wide at the wild horse. "Gwen! Shhh! Shhh! It's okay..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nate looked over at Anna, and his face softened a little. He had not expected her, and he suddenly wondered if he had already scared her off. Navy blue eyes scanning her face, he clenched his jaw and took her presense in. The throne room... This meant only one thing. His father needed to speak with him about his upcoming duties. Whether it be a lavish ball he needed to attend or a public appearence in the village, it was to ensure his impression on the citizens in order to make his transition to King as smooth as possible. His wedding was nearing, after all, and the mandatory meetings were becoming more and more frequent.

"I see," he said, before throwing the blankets off of him. Having a servant see him in boxer shorts was not new, and he thought very little about exposing himself to her. Padding across the floor, he noticed that she had yet to fetch his robe for him. She was knew, obviously, and it made him feel a pang of sympathy for her. But, Nate had a hard exterior, and he was not quick to show his soft side. "I need my robe and my bath drawn," he said, arching an eyebrow. He noticed her nervous body language, and he sighed, looking away from her. "I've never seen you in my chambers... Where is Alice?"

Alice was the maid that tended to Nate the most throughout his childhood, and he'd grown to like the little plump woman's presence. They didn't talk much, but that's why he liked her. She didn't make him feel guilty, yet she didn't give him sad, sympathetic looks that reminded him of his betrothel. She had a warm smile, a sweet disposition... It suddenly worried him that something awful had happened to her.

 

[♥☼Inularian☼♥]

Before Anna could stop herself, she rose an eyebrow and gave a comment to his command. "I'm sorry, but I wasn't here to play nanny. You can get dressed by yourself can't you? Or are you that spoiled?" she asked, scathingly. Her eyes widened as she looked away. She was surprised with herself. She normally would wait until she was alone to say something like that. It was unlike her. She refused to take it back. She wasn't lying when she said she wasn't there to play nanny. All she was told to do was wake him up. Not dress him, not bathe him. Just wake him up. She glanced at the Prince and saw that he had turned away from her and asked a question about Alice.

It surprised her that he even knew the woman's name and didn't know whether or not to answer him. She sucked in a small intake of breath and answered him. "Alice is fine...for the most part. She seems to have a fever, nothing more, your highness" she said, slightly spatting out the word 'highness'.

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Chase was aware of the princess watching him. He snuck small glances at the petite girl. Well, petite to him and his height. She was much smaller than him and his slightly bugling muscles. He reached up to pat a pure black mare with a silvery white mane. He smiled at the sweet mare. Midnight Sun was he favourite of the royal's horses. She had such a calm temperament.

As the commotion erupt, Chase looked startled, not used to the princess' horse to be so jumpy. He quickly headed towards them. "Hey, love, calm down" he whispered, holding on to the mare's snout. He looked down at the princess and how undignified she looked. He wondered if he should walk away before anyone sees him and accuses him for the whole mess or help her up.

 

[Blair1216]

Nate's eyebrows raised at her abrupt way of spouting off, and it took him off guard. Never had he been spoken to in such a way... Never. Part of him felt irritated, wanting her to leave and not be sent to his room in the morning ever again. The last thing he needed was some young servant girl reminding him the moment he woke up in the morning that his life was an absolutely joke. Yet, part of him had to admire her nerve.

"Actually," he commented, taking a step toward her, his hands on his hips and still only clad in boxer shorts. "I didn't ask you to bathe me, nor did I ask you to nanny me, did I? I asked for you to run my water, get my robe, and leave me be. Unless you would prefer me walk around naked?"

With that, the Prince smirked and grabbed the waist band of his boxer shorts, yanking them down his legs before kicking them off his feet. Nude and displaying all of his glory, he chuckled and shook his head. One hand lifted up to run through his unruly dark hair.

"Never mind the bath water," he said, walking toward his private bath chambers. "I'll do it, considering you're new. Send Alice my wishes, will you? I miss her sunny demeanor already."

And with that, Nate disappeared into the bathroom.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Fiona glanced up at Chase, her eyes softening at the way he talked to her horse so sweetly... It made her cheeks redden as she stood up, brushing the hay from her skirt. A huff escaped her lips as she looked down to her scraped palms which apparently broke her fall. Frowning, she looked up at Chase.

"Thank you," she murmured, "I'm sorry to take you from your work. She's not fond of chickens." Shrugging, she gave him a smile and leaned over to put Gwendolyn's side. He was so handsome, and Fiona wanted nothing more than to carry on a conversation with him. Being a little sheltered during the eighteen years of her life, she had little experience with men, but something told her that she was more than attracted to him... However, the way he looked at her suggested he did not feel the same. He looked at her like all servants did, only seeing a spoiled brat who benefitted from their hard work. A girl who would live a life of luxury no matter how awful their's was fated to become.

Shifting her eyes away from him, Fiona looked at her horse instead. "I wish I could take her out more often, especially during hours other than the crack of dawn, but my father doesn't allow it. Too many things to do, too many places to be. According to him, I need to learn to be more social with people, not horses."

Why was she talking to him like he cared? She mentally slapped her forehead, wishing she could take it back. The last thing he wanted to hear was the problems if a princess.