Just by looking at her, no one could’ve guessed that Diana Isabel was a princess. She wore bold clothing, rarely being seen in dresses or skirts. She was the youngest of seven girls, each blessed with a gift of their own. Juliette was blessed with the elegance of dance. Victoria had a beautiful singing voice like no other in the land. Charlotte was gifted at art, painting landscapes and portraits of the kingdom. Margaret was a prodigy of academic criteria, blessed also with photographic memory. Caroline was a brilliant poet. Grace could design any outfit at any time. And Diana–sweet, little, 19-year-old Diana–had the grace and beauty of a thousand midnights. She had many suitors, and her parents–King William and Queen Alexandra–were always pressuring her to say yes, for she had to get married. Diana never told anyone, but she secretly liked the barnboy, Gregory. One evening, at supper, the family spoke of Victoria’s recent engagement to Prince Vincent. “Oh, Mother. Enough about me. Have you chosen a suitor yet, Diana?” Victoria asked, scooping fruit into her mouth. “Not yet,” Diana said quietly, slinking down in her seat. “Diana, sit up straight and speak up.” Queen Alexandra snapped at her daughter. “And you must find someone soon. We need more queens in this world.” “What if I don’t want to get married to any of my suitors? Ever think about what I want?” Diana said a little too loudly. Her parents looked shocked. “Do not talk back to your mother, child.” Her father said firmly. “Fine.” Diana ran up the stairs, sobbing. “I don’t want to talk to any of you anyways, and I don’t care if I never see you again!” Diana slammed her door shut and lay on her bed, crying. Until she heard a voice from her balcony. “What’s wrong, pretty one?” Gregory appeared in the moonlight, dashing as ever. Diana sat up, quickly wiping away her tears. “My parents are pressuring me to get married. Mother wants all of her daughters to rule a kingdom.” “Come,” Gregory stepped into the princess’s room. “Run away with me. We’ll be free from rules and stress forever.” He held out his hand, and Diana took it in hers and smiled. They traveled to the stables and quietly snuck two horses out, Veronique and Damsel. Then they hopped on and ventured deep into the woods, soon out of the kingdom’s sight. They traveled for hours, until the sun hid behind the mountains in the distance “We should set up a camp area,” Gregory suggested, tying Veronique to a nearby tree, then helped Diana get off of Damsel, whom he also tied to a tree. “I have blankets and a tent.” Diana motioned to her sack that she brought. As Gregory smiled, his cute dimples appeared, and they almost made Diana faint. They set up the tent and put lanterns in and outside of it. Then they fed apples to the horses and helped themselves to the selection of berries Gregory brought, soon lying down to get a good night’s rest. The next morning, as Diana and Gregory packed up, dark clouds appeared in the sky, darkening the trees and all space around them. Gregory stared at the sky, thinking. “Oh, no. This one’s gonna be big.” He took a breath shakily and looked at Diana. “We must go now.” They got on the horses and started to ride to the East. “Where do you plan on going, exactly?” Diana snapped. “Sorry, that was my bitter side.” “That’s alright.” Gregory pursed his lips. “There’s a kingdom where we’re headed. They can let us in and care for us as the storm resides.” “How do you know that?” Diana asked, but Gregory didn’t answer, only looking ahead in silence. They traveled until they were at the foot of a large village with a palace not too far away. Gregory knocked on the large silver doors and gulped. A knight answered. “Who must you be?” He asked, glaring at the two. “I am Princess Diana Isabel of Jade Kingdom, the seventh daughter of King William and Queen Alexandra.” Diana sat up tall on Damsel. The knight bowed solemnly. “Your Majesty,” he said, then turned to Gregory. “And who is this?” Gregory took a deep breath. “I am Prince Gregory Daughtry of this kingdom, the only son and heir to the throne for King Samuel and Queen Marissa.”
