Not a Love Story

Spirit P.O.V

I watched my mother's mouth move but I couldn't hear anything she was saying. She started with, "I found you a husband," but I tuned her all the way out. I was not going to be somebody's business deal to unite the countries. If there was no love, I didn't want it. My dad and she married for the good of our country. I wanted to marry for love. "You will meet your husband in the garden in three hours." she continued. I know she did not just say.

"I will not meet anybody. I am perfectly fine in finding my own husband and right now me, says no."

"It is almost your time to take the throne, Spirit." my mother says.

"Maybe I don't want to mother." I throw back. "I hate it here. Its fun and games when your young but I hate no friends, just people that hates me."

"They don't hate you."

"Mom, they hate the way we run the country. I want to be different."

"Your royalty, that is different."

"I want to know what its like to be one of them. How are we suppose to help our people if we don't take what they say into consideration? I want to rule differently."

"You know--"

"The woman of the thrown doesn't get a say so in politics or anything." I quote to her. "But see I have ideas and--"

"Spirit ENOUGH." my father screamed at me from the door way of my room.

"Now James." my mother started.

"Stay out of it Kim. Spirit despite how you feel, you are still in line for the throne and you have to marry someone at 24 years old. It is best to start now so that you will know and get to know your husband and that he can start accompany me to meetings." my father said not moving from his spot by the doorway.

"Why can't I just chose who I want to be with? Isn't it my decision on who I want to marry? I will be with this person for a lifetime, and sleeping in the same room as them. Can it be someone I at least love and see myself with? Not someone who was picked for me."

"What words are you not getting..."

"Father I get what your saying but I am almost 18 years old. I have studied and finished high school. I want to go to college for anything that satisfy me or at least get the chance too. I want to know how it feels to be out there on my own or at least experience someone of the stuff the people in the Netherlands talk about."

"Why when you don't have too?"

"Yeah but when a ruler understands his or her people, they are able to run a country. I already don't want to marry as any body you guys pick will just have money or some type of power. Love is power." I stated putting my legs under me and looking down at the gates that are never open.

"Love is weakness. People hurt what you love just to control you."

"Love makes you stronger." I argued back. "You get strength from it if you choose, it doesn't always have to be a bad thing."

"Who idea was it to allow you to watch disney movies? This isn't one of those movies. It is the real world. Join us or renounce your claim to the throne."

"Then I'm renouncing my title."

Father squinted his eyes at me. Staring at me, doing what he always did to make me squirm or back down but I return the eyes with one of my own. I will not back down from this, I will not back down from him.

After 10 whole minutes of staring at each other, blinking but keeping our eyes pierced, we was called for dinner.

I sat in silence at the dinner table. Eating salmon, my favorite meal.

Mother just played with her food probably scared out of her mind to speak first and my father stared a whole in my face. I no longer was his little girl so his mind was probably all over the place. The only time I ever gone against him was when married and throne was brought up but me challenging his stare and sitting down eating like he wasn't in the room, I know I had him backed up into a corner.

His headstrong daughter as he always called me but really I was just a female verison of him. He hates that above anything but I know he loves me. He had been my bestfriend all my life but letting me grow up was the hardest of them all for him, and thats when my mother always stepped in. But now she was silent not wanting to get into the middle of it. I don't blame her. This will probably not end well for me but right now I didn't care. I wanted my freedom from these walls whether I get it or run away by all means, so be it.

"Okay Spirit." my father finally called out. My mother jumped at his voice but I just looked at him with a bored expression.

"Okay what?"

"I'll give you 5 years. In 5 years time, you must come back and take the throne with a husband of our choosing if you can't find anybody that you "love"."

I gasped and so did my mother.

"What?"

"You won. I will set you up with a year worth of stuff an apartment, money and everything you need for your first year but after you are cut off. Defending for yourself. if you come back before then, then the deal is off of course. But if you succeed, you and your chosen husband will take our place AND I will change that particular rule for you and future generations." he finished.

"Are you serious?"

"I'm serious. But you must give tabs after every year of everything your doing because your safety comes first and you will have your personal maid with you at all times as I am not comfortable with sending you to the United States by yourself."

"This must be a joke. Where are the cameras?"

"Spirit." he said my name. "I'm not kidding but you have until your 23 birthday to find someone worthy of the throne. If you take any longer, don't bother coming back home."

"Marshall." my mom started.

"What if I don't come back at all?" I challenged.

"Then you will no longer be my daughter." he said and everything at the table went silent after that.