Chapter 13 STAND UP

• The trumpet sounds again.
• I turn to Prince Jeffery.
• “Jeffery…”
• “It’s fine Princess Iris. Our discussion can wait,” Prince Jeffery says interrupting me.
• “Maybe after the inheritance, we can talk more or dance,” I say.
• “I would love that,” Prince Jeffery says.
• He quickly takes a bow and leaves. I watch him walk away and reunite with his group.
• “What’s gotten into him,” I say to myself.
• I feel like someone is staring at me. I look around the ball and I find Prince Leonard looking at me. He is with Prince Frederick. I can’t help but perceive pity from his stare. He turns his eyes away and looks at Prince Frederick.
• “Iris, what are you doing standing there?”
• I turn to Ri.
• “Come on, father and mother are waiting,” Ri says dragging me along with her to the podium.
• Ri and I hurry up to the podium and turn to face the crowd, father and mother join us. When the trumpets sound again, Mother, Ri and I curtsey while father bows. The crowd does the same. The trumpet starts playing.
• “Are you going to be fine?” Ri asks.
• “Honestly, I don’t know. Today is starting to get overwhelming and I don’t like it,” I say.
• “Tell me about it. Octavia told me her father finally agreed to Prince Diego’s offer,” Ri says.
• “Prince Diego? You mean the Italian Royals?”
• “Yes. If negotiation goes well, the four kingdoms especially Cerphila will never have to worry about silver again,” Ri says.
• “What of Prince Nathaniel? I thought she liked him,” I say.
• “There is a chance Prince Nathaniel will not be coming back here. Besides he is soon to become King,” Ri says.
• “So?” I ask.
• “I don’t think his people will accept that he takes a foreign bride, worse an English Princess,” Ri says.
• Just then a thought comes to my head.
• “What of you?” I ask.
• “What about me?” Ri asks.
• I look at Ri but she has her head straight forward.
• “Don’t you think you should start thinking about someone new, you know someone you…”
• “Iris, you are beginning to sound like mother,” Ri says.
• “I am sorry Ri, it’s just that ever since Prince Cameron died, you haven’t…”
• The trumpet stops and we both keep quiet not to get mother angry. I hold Ri’s hand as she reciprocates.
• “We are gathered today to celebrate the 16th birthday of my daughters, Princess Adrianna and Princess Iris”, Father begins.
• For the first time, I notice King Archer standing close to the podium.
• “What is he doing standing there,” I say to myself.
• “On their 16th birthday, they each have reached the age to inherit Filamonda treasures passed down from generation to generation, and of course, you all will be privileged to watch the famous Filamonda shower of fireworks that will be displayed later tonight,” Father says as exciting murmurs accompany afterward.
• He raises his hand and the end of the whisper.
• “Tonight things are going to be done a little differently because I have an announcement to make.”
• Father turns to King Archer and nods at him. King Archer walks to father and they both shake hands. They whisper to themselves and turn in the direction of Ri and I. At that moment my heart skips a beat. Mother walks to them as they converse between themselves.
• “What are they discussing?” I ask.
• “I don’t know Iris but I am having a bad feeling about all of this,” Ri says.
• “Really? What does it…”
• “Princess Adrianna would you please step forward”, Father says.
• Ri looks at me worried and I nod at her. I release her hand as steps forward toward father. Father pecks her cheeks and continues facing the crowd.
• “For a decade now the four powerful kingdoms have been at war with pirates. The kingdoms have been fighting off these pirates making sure they don’t invade our territory. Our military forces have done so well in keeping them off our shores, but the pirates keep coming back with increasing numbers and Filamonda military forces will soon be overwhelmed. With long deliberation with King Archer and our advisers, we have decided to join forces to fight this menace,” Father says.
• The hall erupts into claps and cheers.
• King Archer steps up.
• “To celebrate the union of our military forces, there will also be another union,” King Archer says.
• The hall goes silent and he continues.
• “Another union? What is father talking about?” I say to myself.
• “My son, Prince Jeffery will be getting married to Princess Adrianna on her 22nd birthday,” King Archer says.
• As the hall erupts in cheers, I feel like I am being dragged into a dark room. My body feels like it is drenched in sweat. I watch the crowd rejoicing, I look at my friends within the crowd and they are all looking at me. Just then I watch as Prince Jeffery walks up the podium with his face lowered, he takes Ri’s hand and kisses it. I can’t take my eyes off Prince Jeffery when he turns and looks at me. I could read the plea in his eyes as he turns to the crowd. I feel tears struggling to come out but I refuse to cry. It was then I understood what he was trying to tell me earlier. It's probably the reason why he fought. with Prince Leonard.
• It slowly starts making sense. King Archer’s frequent visits to the palace, Father’s absence at breakfast, no gifts this year, and mother’s distance.
• I gasp.
• “She knew,” I say to myself turning to look at mother. “That’s why she kept her distance from Ri and I, especially me. She couldn’t live up to the fact that she was about betrayed one of her daughters.”
• I notice Ri walking back to me, I look at her as she stops a few feet from me. I notice the tears dropping from her eyes.
• “Iris I, Iris I,” she snuffles her nose. “Iris I am…”
• “Adrianna, get back in line your father is still talking,” Mother says.
• Ri’s eye is still on me as she nods at mother and stands beside me. As Father continues talking, I could feel Ri’s gaze but I don’t turn to look at her. The last thing I want to do at moment is to look at Ri.
• “Could today not get any worse,” I say to myself.
• “Just before the fireworks are displayed, we will be passing down Filamonda’s treasure to my daughters Princess Adrianna and Princess Iris as their inheritance right on their 16th birthday,” Father says.
• Father turns to Constantine nodding at him. Constantine claps his hands and the servants start trooping in with treasures of all kinds. Father equally distributes the treasures between Ri and I as the crowd cheers.
• “Finally,” Father says, “The Crystal Harp of Filamonda, in its beauty, is passed down from generation to generation to the born females of each generation. The best memory I have had of the harp was my mother playing it. She could play it all day and my father including myself was never tired of hearing her play.”
• Hearing Father talks about Nana made me miss her. Nana was always cheerful, especially around the harp.
• “With that being said, I have the privilege of presenting the Crystal Harp of Filamonda to my daughter who I know with no doubt will play the harp as my mother did and as the queens, before my mother did, Princess Adrianna,” Father says.
• A heavy thunder sounds again as the rain pours heavily.
• I stand there shocked looking at Father. I slowly turn and look at Ri and she is frozen on the spot. I feel a growing hatred for Ri as anger crosses through me. Just then I remember what Nana told me once “Sometimes Iris, you need a little rebellion to change your fate.”
• “No,” I shout.
• The hall quiets down.
• Father turns to me.
• “What was that Princess Iris?” Father asks.
• “I said no.”
• I start walking toward my father. Mother talks towards me.
• “Iris don’t…”
• I don’t wait for her to talk as I push her hand away.
• “You have no right to call my name. You lost that right when you chose to protect one daughter and leave the other,” I say shouting.
• Mother looks at me surprised.
• “I hate you, don’t you ever touch me or come close to me,” I say to her.
• “IRIS,” father yells.
• I turn to father
• “What did I ever do to deserve this? On every turn you constantly try to break me,” I say.
• My father looks at me, but there is no expression on his face.
• “Answer me! Is it because I am not like Ri or is it because I don’t behave like a Princess? ANSWER ME,” I scream.
• “You will get back to your stand now!” Father scolds.
• “I am done taking orders from you,” I say standing face-to-face with father.
• “I am sixteen now, which means when you talk, I talk. All my life I have had to fight for your approval. I have done and said a lot just so you could notice me. But you never acknowledge I existed. You and Mother always find a way to try to put me down. You and mother never smile or laugh with me, you both don’t care if I go into the woods and come back. You knew I liked Prince Jeffery but you gave him to Ri, you knew that harp is rightfully mine. Nana always wanted…”
• ‘PRINCESS! Father yells.
• I keep shut. We stare at each other and he finally says
• “I will not be disrespected or questioned in my kingdom.”
• “You and your kingdom should go to hell,” I say.
• Just then I felt a hot sting pain across my face. I start to feel another pain right under my lips. I take my hand to touch my lips and it stings badly.
• “He slapped me, my father slapped me,” I say to myself.
• “Matthew, what have you done? You went too far,” Mother says.
• I turn and look at him with my red face and cut lips. I watch him look at me surprised. The whispers in the crowd start to get loud.
• “Constantine will you be so kind as to escort my daughter back to her chamber, the ball is over for her,” Father says.
• “Father please don’t do this”. Ri says walking toward me.
• I turn to Ri, she walks to me and gives me her handkerchief, and takes hold of my hand. She looks up at father.
• “I don’t love Prince Jeffery, Iris does and you know that. She talks about him every breakfast. Iris knows of all Filamonda’s military strategy, she knows all about Filamonda’s secrets and territory, and she is the best for this union. While I do know how to play the harp, I am not as good as Iris. What Nana always talked about was Iris inheriting the Crystal Harp. I refuse to let you make Iris and I drift apart. Please, father, do what is right,” Ri says.
• I look at father as he looks from me to Ri.
• “I am the King and your father, and just because you both like or do not like my decision changes nothing. My words are final and that is the law.”
• Thunder sounds loud as the rain continues to pour out heavily. Tears roll down my eyes and I turn to Mother who is avoiding my gaze.
• “You might be the king but you will never be my king or my father,” I say.
• I hear gasps coming from everywhere.
• “IRIS NO,” Ri says turning me to her.
• “You are royalty and a princess…”
• “Not anymore, I will rather be a commoner than be related to this family,” I say pushing Ri away as she falls to the floor.
• I look at Ri and turn to Mother who is crying. I run down the podium, out of the ballroom, and not minding the rain I run out of the castle and make my way to the stables to look for Grenade. I find her in one of the stalls. When she sees me she neighs. I find a stable boy in a corner.
• “You, saddle her up now,” I say.
• “Yes Your Highness,” the stable boy says.
• The rain gets heavy as heavy thunder is heard. I take the tiara on my head and throw it away. I remove the pins on my hair and toss them away. I let my hair down.
• “I am leaving this place and never returning. Father and mother can have their way, and Ri can have the castle if she wants. I am done trying to fit in,” I say to myself.
• I stop for a while. I take in all that has happened for a moment. I break down and start crying. I fall to my knee and continue crying.
• “What did I just do? What just happened? What am I doing? I just told mother that I hated her. I screamed at father and I pushed Ri away. “What is wrong with me?” I say to myself crying.
• “Princess Iris, Princess Iris.”
• I turn to the voice and Prince Jeffery enters the stable.
• Just then I remember our conservation from earlier. He knew about this all along.
• “Stay away from me,” I yell.
• “Iris, please hear me out,” Prince Jeffery says walking towards me.
• “I said you should stay away from me. You are just like them. You stayed away from me. You never replied to my letters, you didn’t think I was worth knowing what was going on,” I say.
• “No Princess Iris, my father…”
• “I don’t want to hear it,” I scream crying as I can’t help my emotions.
• “Your Highness, she is ready,” the stable boy says.
• I hurry to Grenade and climb her.
• “Princess Iris please you can’t ride in this rain. It’s dark out there and the rain is too heavy for you to see in it,” Prince Jeffery says.
• I consider what he said as I look into the rain, just then heavy thunder sounds following a bolt of lightning. I spot the old abandoned bell building.
• “Princess…”
• “You have Adrianna,” I snap.
• I see the hurt on his face but I don’t care as I ride off with Grenade to the old abandoned bell building.
• When I get to the building, I take Grenade inside and tie her to an old post. I start shriving from the rain. I look around the building, spotting some old dry wood I gather them together and light them up. I seat close to the fire so that it could warm me up. I recall the event that happened today and I break down crying again.
• “Nana, I miss you. I miss you so much,” I say to myself.
• I lay on the floor and slowly I drift off to sleep.