All he had wanted to do was play. 

Joel sat on the floor of his bedroom, expensive toys and trinkets splayed across the floor. He was there amongst them, throwing figures in the air and making sound effects of explosions and adventure. He always liked the idea of adventure. Of course, being a prince, Joel knew that he wouldn’t get the excitement he yearned for. Even at such a young age.

Still, in the privacy of his chamber, he could be more than a prince. Joel could be a knight. Or a wizard. Or even a dragon. 

But when the sound of a knocking disrupted his perfect scene, he let out a very unprincely sigh. 

“Yeah?” Joel called out, hoping the servant would speak through the door.

Misty stepped inside, deflating Joel’s hopes instantly. She was the antsiest servant. The teenage daughter of his mother’s handmaid. Of course, that was before his mother had passed. Misty’s mother had held her hand as she lost her life in the delivery room. Joel’s dad had said she was trying to give him a brother. But neither of them made it.

Still, Misty and her mother had solidified their way into the kingdom’s employment. 

Her brown curls were tied into braids, framing her tanned and freckled face. She wore a basic dress, not of high fashion but still probably tailored by the royal seamstress. Her hands fidgeted in front of her, never finding rest. Joel was reminded of a small dog he had seen in the arms of one of the ladies in another house. Always shaking.

“Your royal highness.” Misty curtsied out of respect. “Her highness of Keresoul is here. She requests an audience.”

Another sigh escaped his mouth. There was no way he was letting that girl into his room.

“I’m busy.” Joel turned from the door and picked up a knight figurine.

“You’re making that up!” A tiny girl’s voice yelled from behind the door. Joel’s head whipped to the source, his dark and unruly curls bounced around. 

That, of course, made Misty’s fidgeting even worse.

“I’m afraid I have to insist, your highness. On the order of his majesty.” Her voice shook and her eyes darted nervously to the side, as if the small princess would overtake her at any moment to get through the door.

Joel felt his hope deflate. He couldn’t argue with his father’s orders. He looked at the toy in his hand and back up at the servant girl. His father would be disappointed if he refused to see his betrothed, Iarath. The first time he had met the princess, it had been a big conversation. They had to get along because they would eventually be married.

Apparently, Iarath thought this meant they should spend time with each other.

“Let her in.” He relented, pouting as he absent-mindedly kept moving his knight toy around. It had lost its fun with the promise of a girl’s presence.

Misty sighed in relief. “Thank you, Prince Shiran.”

Rolling his eyes at his official title, he turned back around and refused to look at the girl as she walked through the door. He remained facing away from her even as he heard Misty make her leave. His solitude ruined, Joel chose to ignore the source of his disappointment.

“Shiran?” Iarath spoke, not realizing his plan. Or ignoring it entirely. “I thought your name was Joel.”

He contemplated ignoring her question. But his father’s worried face flashed in his head. They had to get along.

“It is. Shiran is my given name, after my father. But he wanted me to have my own identity, so I go by Joel. It’s my middle name.” He recited the reason he has had to recite for his entire six years of life.

“Oh. What are you playing?” Iarath stepped forward. He could now see her pale legs out of the corner of his eyes. Her lacey white dress stopping just below her knees.

“A game.”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Can I play?” She asked, taking another step toward him. He could now see her long white hair cascading down her back, held in place by a red silk headband. Out of his peripheral, he realized it had a huge ugly bow on it. 

His nose scrunched up. “I don’t want you to.”

Expecting her to be offended, maybe even cry and make her leave, Joel was disappointed when she sat down. Iarath crossed her legs, apparently unconcerned about the rules of a lady in a dress. She was directly to the side of him, and he spared her a glance, not wanting to give her too much attention.

Iarath was pale and frail. The only thing that made her look like a princess was the beautiful clothes and the small tiara that was barely noticeable in front of the audacious headband. Even still, she looked more like a porcelain doll, maybe even a paper one. Fragile.

“That’s okay,” she whispered, “I can just watch then.”

Joel’s head turned to her without his permission.

“You just wanna watch me play?”

“Sure. I just wanted to be here with you.” Iarath nodded. He could see the pink in her cheeks, making her look more alive than before.

His eyes narrowed. “That’s weird.”

Iarath heaved a large sigh. She had kept such composure since entering the room. “Would you please just play your dumb game? It was either be up here with you or sit in father’s boring meeting.”

So he was a step up from boredom?

“I can’t play it while you’re watching,” Joel argued back, lowering his knight.

“Then you’ll make us sit here doing nothing? I was better off in the meeting then.” Iarath huffed, crossing her arms. Still, Joel noticed, she made no move to exit. They had only met once before, and she had been too shy to speak to him. He wasn’t sure how he felt about this attitude she was now comfortable sharing.

Joel wanted to yell. But he knew his father would be mad. Yelling was not princely. Especially yelling at your betrothed. And, more than anything, Joel wanted to be a good prince.

“Fine. I’ll play with you.” He groaned. 

“No.” Iarath glared at him, emphasizing the words with her lips. “I don’t want to play with you anymore.”

The shock hit his six-year-old body like a lightning bolt finding purchase with a tree.

“What do you mean you don’t want to play with me?” Had she not literately just begged him moments before? 

“You’re mean and I don’t want to play your stupid game.” 

“But, we’re betrothed,” Joel argued, “we have to get along. For our kingdoms.”

Iarath shook her head, turning it away from him.

“I’d rather die than be married to a jerk like you.”

“I’m not a jerk!” Joel yelled, forgetting his princely reservations.

“Oh yeah?” Iarath pointed a small bony finger at him. Her nails were painted red to match her gaudy bow. “Then you would play hide and seek with me.”

He was taken aback. Who even mentioned hide and seek? Joel thought she wanted to play his game. “I don’t want to play hide and seek!”

The girl retracted her finger and shoved her fist back under her armpit angrily. Her upturned button nose tilted to the sky as if she was disgusted to be near him now. Were all girls so unpredictable? He hadn’t met many his own age. But all of them were quiet and nice, like Iarath was on their first meeting. Maybe they were all secretly evil.

“Then I guess you’re a jerk,” she pouted, “and I thought you were nice.”

“I am nice,” Joel said, more to reassure himself than to convince her.

Her slate eyes stabbed holes into his chest.

“Then. Prove. It.” Iarath punctuated every word with a tilt of her head.

Having never been challenged before, Joel could feel himself imploding. How could she suggest that he was anything but nice? He had let her into his chamber, hadn’t he?

“Fine. I want to play hide and seek with you!” He graciously decided. Joel found a way to be even nicer, “and you go first!”

Getting to his feet, he almost missed the smirk that crept on the pale child’s lips. Iarath sat up, folding her legs beneath her, and covered her eyes with her manicured hands. She had begun counting, only giving him twenty seconds! Who was the real jerk?

Joel ran out of his door and to the library, positive he could shove his tiny body behind a row of books on the huge shelves. There he stayed, waiting for Iarath to find him. He had to stop his giggles of joy as he waited for her to give in and cry to the servants that she lost him. Admit that she couldn’t handle playing with the prince. 

Minutes passed by.

It was a large castle, he had to give her enough time to scout the accessible areas.

An hour passed. 

Joel peeked out over the tops of the books every time the door opened. He was disappointed to see servants, guards, and librarians. Never the little girl with the huge red bow.

It was another hour before he shimmied himself out of his spot. Surely she had given up. Joel had expected the guards to be relieved to find him, positive the princess would have set off the alarms when she failed to find his amazing hiding spot. But as he made his way back to his room, the passersby did nothing but give him a courteous nod. 

Entering his own bedroom, he gasped in shock as he saw Iarath on the floor. She had his toys in her hands, playing with them on her own. 

When she saw him, she lit up.

“Joel! Thank you for letting me play with your toys. It was so nice of you.”

He went to argue. To yell or protest. But before he could scream, Iarath was already on her feet and rushing towards him. She kissed him on the cheek as she ran by, escaping out of the door.

“I gotta go now! Daddy called for me. Bye, Joel!” She called back as she flew down the hall. 

For a minute, he almost chased her down. He would pummel her in front of both kings. Surely he could hit his betrothed for something such as this. Joel let his realization sink in, hitting him in the stomach. He had been outsmarted, admitting that to both kings by throwing fists would be mortifying. No, this would be a secret. And next time he would be ready for her evilness.

His face flushed. Joel could still feel her lips on his cheek. Surely it was the rage. 

Surely.