Growing up, we didn’t have faerie tales. We had warnings. Warnings of creatures in the night so powerful that they could wipe away your dreams and everything you were in a single motion. Creatures to the west that hunted even the strongest creatures and left them as nothing but a pile of bones. Creatures that hunted for sport. Just to torment you and set you free again for another hunt.

But, I was safe here. In the Western kingdom, one of the four that had been established since the days of the great war, nothing dangerous or eventful ever happened. The castle of Langdon Keep was a monstrosity of stone and mortar, towering above the surrounding village like a sentinel of boredom. Its walls were stained with the weariness of hundreds of years past and its towers seemed to sag with the weight of failed expectation. These listless towers are where I spent most of my time. Apart from the courtyard and the library there was not a single ounce of spirit in this disappointment of a building, at least not one that I recognized. My tower, The easternmost of the 4 had just as little life as any of them did. The halls were dimly lit by wavering oil lamps, casting shiftless shadows on the drab tapestries that lined the walls. The only sound that dared to trudge through was the gentle sigh of the wind, as it mubled it's mournful melody of monotony. The rooms were musty and void of purpose. Even the furnishings was uninspired.

Despite this misery, or maybe because of it, I always yearned for less than the life I lived. The life of a princess was full of luxury and opportunity but it was dull. There was no urgency in the life of a royal. No effort. If I wanted a bath, it would be drawn for me. If I needed a book, it would be purchased. I could have anything that I wanted under my fathers control except the excitement of adventure.

Growing up in the endless stone corridors I was never out of trouble. I looked for excitement at every turn, and like a moth to lamp light I always found it. I used to sneak away from my obedience classes to hide away in the garden. I would find a long stick and practice sword fighting with the statues of the gods there, and called out like a pirate as if there was a buried treasure out there that would free me from this cursed place. My mother would always scold me for doing such menial things. Obedience was important for a young lady. Being well spoken, well read, well mannered. I tried my hardest. It was no life for me, though I had rather enjoyed reading. I spent the better part of most days reading in my room. some days I would spend dawn till dusk locked up in my room tackling the works of great writers. I loved diving into the journals of old adventurers across the sea. It was a joy being pulled so far away from my life. Some days, if I was lucky, I could forget about my privilege all together and be a simple peasant in the countryside. I could spend the day alone with my cattle and draw milk, I could fall for a young handsome traveler while selling my goods at market, be married to him, and join him as he travels the world. All in time for dinner to call me away from my book and my obligations to family return into my growing list of requirements.

The castle really was a waste of potential. We were in a cozy spot right in the middle of the continent. Perfect for hosting markets for traders that passed by. They brought so much joy and color to the place, and yet our keep never once involved itself. I loved going into town on market days. The streets overflowing with life, talent, and wonder. I loved listening to the storytellers go on and on about their latest journey to another kingdom. I loved eating at the market stalls, their use of spices and textures made me float away with pleasure. I loved the sweet old lady poet that would read each week and, I even loved the dilapidated little shed in the ally by the tavern. The shed may have been messy on the outside, but the inside was full of hope and promise. Every time I went to market I would visit the seer. Even if the fortune were always the same, hearing them gave me the hope that maybe one day, somebody would get me out of that boring mass of stone atop the hill and take me to a life of brilliant action. My favorite fortune, the one that I held closest to me was "You will fly beyond your life and come to wield terrifying power." of course, one of my other frequent fortunes was "You will become a great queen, respected by her people." Perhaps she told me what she thought I wanted to hear. I paid her anyways. There was such sincerity in the way she delivered a fortune that I didn't mind if she had truly seen those things for me or not. I loved being in the village. The joy and happiness of this simple world floated high into the air like an offering to the gods. It was such a shame the castle of Langdon Keep siphoned every ounce of gaiety and wasted it on nothingness. If I had the chance, I would leave my family in a heartbeat for somewhere as bright and colorful as the little village.

It wasn't that I hated my family. I never felt that they hated me. At worst, I suppose they were as indifferent as everything else in the castle was towards me. My two older sisters Royce and Nelle had been married off years ago. They were Offerings to tie the knot on diplomatic deals for my father. Both of my sisters were in good hands. They may not have loved the men that they were with, but they were well looked after and successful mothers. My father and mother, King and Queen, had given up on giving my hand away long ago, even though they had given it their best attempts. The princes were all the same. They promised wealth, comfort, an ease of life that most women could hardly imagine. I never wanted those things. It wasn't my fault that suitors often lied to gain my interest. It wasn't my fault that their lies often disagreed with the history I had read in my books. My mother insisted that it was my fault for calling them out, that I should have accepted the flattery, however it came. I had tried many times to pallet the princes that were brought to me. They had as much adventure in their body as a werewolf had honor.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

I'd wasted 19 years of my life entombed here in the castle. I'd read every book that could be found for me, many times more than once. When I was younger, I thought that maybe a prince would sweep me away like the knight in shining armor from the books I had read. Now, I was certain that nobody would come for me. I could not stand being in the castle for another day. I considered escape. The garden was rarely patrolled, the guards that did patrol weren't the most skilled. I could slip out in the night, sneak into the village, buy a carriage to somewhere and never be seen again. I had started to consider the places I might travel, but I was called to dinner.

The dining hall was a monument to plainness. Massive oak lined windows stood floor to ceiling only to be covered by inky purple curtains. Even the food was fitting for the room I sat at the side of the long table. The heavy hardwood table bowed under the weight of food. Pigs, lamb, duck, fruits, vegetables, a gluttony of food that would soon go to waste. I always thought the was much too long. We didn't need this much food, and I shouldn't have to ask a servant to make my plate for me, not with only the 3 of us at the table. I scooted my chair in and took a deep breath in, but the temple to boredom spread the once delightful smell of a feast too thin to be satisfying.

My mother and father sat across from one another at either end of the table. These days they rarely spoke together. Today, feeling a bit more tension in the air than usual I tried to cut through the thick silence.

"I read an interesting book today..."

My father gave little more than a huff. It didn't surprise me. He couldn't be bothered to hear what I had to share. He was a fine man, he would listen if i asked him to but, it always felt like a chore for him, so I never tried to make him listen.

"A peasant girl in the southlands. She owned her own cattle, milked and fed them herself." It had been very interesting to read. It was a life I would never know.

My mother chuckled

"Sounds like a mess to me. Cows stink terribly, as do the people that keep them. The smell lingers."

I nodded, I hadn't considered that. I had no experience with the stench of cattle. I had worked with horses when I was younger. Riding horseback was feminine enough that my mother allowed it. It was only a few years, but I thought I could handle myself on horseback well enough, until I took a pretty nasty fall. My father had forbade me from riding after that. Even still, I figured that I could probably ride well enough to run away with one if I knew where exactly to run. I would look at some maps tomorrow.

I must have looked distant because My mother cleared her throat to pull me back to the room. "Aryanna" I hated the way she said my name, stretching it out and rolling the R out so long I could have taken a nap and woken up before she finished. "There will be a guest joining us tomorrow morning. A prince from the east. I expect you to be on your best behavior."

I sighed. One night was not enough to prepare an escape. With a prince around I would be lucky to have enough space to breathe. There would be no chance of scrounging together a bag of supplies to flee with.

"Yes mother, my best behavior. I swear it." I said.

I didn't bother looking to my father for support. He wouldn't be bothered to give it if I did, he felt it better for me to be married off and be eating from another man's pocket anyways. Not that he lacked the money.

"When should I be up?" I asked, hoping for a reasonable time.

"A servant will wake you and get you ready for the day."

I groaned at the idea of being held hostage at my vanity while some servant tugged my hair in to tight braids and encased my face in that heavy clay that they called makeup.

"Have some grace young lady. You are too old to be making a fuss over being taken care of."

She was right. They should send the prince the other way and let me sleep in. No need for any fussing over a man that I wouldn't have interest in marrying anyways. A week of flattery, gifts, and false promises was a complete waste of time for everybody involved. Worst of all, The end of his week visit would be a Ball. The castle sucked every ounce of joy out of those too.   Despite my beliefs I held my tongue. My protest would do little more than force a closer eye on me anyways.

For the remainder of dinner I picked at my food until I couldn’t stand looking at the half eaten plate and the gluttonous waste of food any longer. I excused myself upstairs to read. Once I was clear of their sight I bolted to the library and flopped on the big red carpet at the center of the room. I did my best thinking laying on floors oddly enough. I wondered what sort of man my parents would have found for me this time. The last prince had been much older than me. In fact, he had been closer to my mom's age at the time. He had only walked away without my hand because I faked a sickness and poisoned his morning tea to make him feel ill as well. It had been a wicked thing to do. I still thought of it from time to time. But it was not nearly as wicked as marrying me to a man with salty streaks in his beard. I didn't care how rich he was.

I examined the chandelier above me. Marked out it's shape and its features. If it fell on me, I wondered how long it would take to fall, If I could roll out of the way in time. If another old man walked through that door for me, I might not bother rolling out of the way at all. I shook my head and sighed.

"One week." I said to nobody.

That's all the time they would really have before I got the chance to say no. My father hadn't cared for my sisters opinions, though when it came to mine he usually listened. Mother said it was because I was so hard headed, that sending me somewhere I didn't want to be would nearly be an act of war. I had been offended at the time, but now, I was thankful to have such a reputation.

Still, I couldn't shake the thought of an old round man walking through the door, putting his hands on me in even peaceful ways. My throat stung for a moment at the thought, like I might spill my dinner on the library floor.

"I would rather run away with nothing than stay with a man like that, even if he had everything." I said to the room.

I hoped some spirit in the walls would hear me and find reason in my quiet plea. After an eternity of silent hoping I retired to my room, far from eager to wake up in the morning.