My Segregated Dragon Lover

Excitement previous

I go about my day as usual, expect there is one thing on my mind. The event my father has organized for tomorrow. I can’t help but daydream about what these men will be like. What will they be judged upon? Looks? Skills? If so, what skills? I am sitting on the grass beside the stables, enjoying some evening tea with my best friend Yasmin. We meet on Mondays at this time to chat and hang out for a while before I go to my evening classes. Yasmin and I have been introduced to each other when I was 10. She is also a princess from a smaller kingdom.  Her duties are much more sparse than mine so she has a lot of free time. That is something I tend to envy sometimes, but I am glad that I get to build vital skills and grow my knowledge so that one day I can be the perfect queen. “So, your father wants you to marry?” she asks me after I break the news to her. I shrug. “Well, he doesn’t want to force me into it. But he wants to encourage me meeting some potential future husbands,” I explain. “How do you feel about that?” asks Yasmin. I think about it for a moment. To be honest, I don’t know how to feel. I like the idea of getting to know a man who could potentially be my future husband. I am a helpless romantic. I want to marry one day and have a family of my own. A boy and a girl preferably. But I won’t be upset if not. With that being said, I do not believe that I am ready to date yet. I have so much to learn and so much to experience. I want to explore the lands near and far. I want to develop myself as an individual before I start dealing with developing a relationship. I have always been very mature about topics like this. I don’t have a choice. Every decision I make will not only affect my life, but also the lives of the people who will rely on me in the future. When the time comes for me to be a queen.

“I am not sure. I don’t think that I will actually find someone that I will instantly click with tomorrow. I don’t believe in love at first sight,” I tell Yasmin. She nods. “I understand what you mean. It must be very difficult to try to please your fathers wishes and focus on yourself at the same time,” she states. I agree with her. I love my father. He is a great leader and a fantastic family man. I would hate to disappoint him. But at the same time, I need to keep my own needs at the top of my priorities list. My own happiness and health must be very important to me. A happy queen is a good queen. It is what my mother always tells me. She is very loving and a great mother. She has taught me a lot of what I know. She cares a lot about us. We have many fond memories together. A lot of royal families are too busy on duties. They do not have much time to spend with their kids. But my parents always made my younger sister and I a priority. Yasmin is not as fortunate as me. Her parents are very focused on their duties and spend less time with her now than they did when she was younger. This does not make them bad parents. They still love her and provide for her as they should. “I wish my father set me up with some handsome successful princes,” jokes Yasmin. I laugh. “It is any girls dream come true, just not mine,” I state. I am thankful that my father is not forcing me to marry a specific man. He refuses to organize an arranged marriage because he wants me to be happy. That is very rare to come across these days. Most fathers find men for their daughters at this stage. I am at the age where I should start considering settling down and finding a husband. But my father does not want to rush me.

“I have to go and finish up in the stables,” I say when I realize the time. I have been so caught up in the conversation with Yasmin that I had completely forgot that I still have some more duties to complete before I start getting ready for tomorrows events. I say goodbye to Yasmin, and she promises to come to the event tomorrow. I need some reassurance from my best friend. She will also be able to help me find out if any of the men present tomorrow are actually my type. We know each other for many years now and the conversation topic of men and dating has come up on multiple occasions. She knows exactly what I seek for in a man, so I trust her to make the right judgement when needed. I finish my chores as always and make sure that all the horses are locked up and secure for the night. I cannot risk having any wolves or other predators breaking into the stables. I double check everything and then run back to the castle. I am greeted by the door by some soldiers who are in charge of securing the front entrance at this time. “Good evening Princess how was your day?” asks one soldier. I give him a huge smile. “So far so good. How was your day?” I ask him. Just like my father, I like to maintain a good relationship with all the people I work with and speak to on a daily basis. This allows me to build trust and establish loyalty. It also builds personal relationships which are important to people. “My day was very good, thanks for asking,” he says and smiles. I can tell that this simple conversation has made his shift much better. I enjoy making peoples days a little easier. We all have our own struggles and small gestures can go a long way. We must be kind to each other, that way the world will be a better place. My father has taught me that.

I skip to my bedroom, saying hello to every single person I cross by. The castle is always full of people. Servants, chefs, maids, security, friends, family and even commoners who are simply visiting. I love having it that way. It makes the castle an open place. A safe place for everyone, not just royalty. “Are you prepared for tomorrow?” asks my sister as we collide in the halls. As usual, she is messy and unbothered by the fact. “What were you doing?” I ask her, looking down at her soiled clothes. “I was gardening,” she shrugs. I know she wasn’t just gardening. One does not get that dirty from regular gardening. “Oh, I was with Nick,” she adds. I nod. It all makes sense now. Nick is Dahlias best friend. They have been born in the same month and our mother is best friends with Nicks mother. Nick and Dahlia have been inseparable ever since then started to walk and talk. They are troublemakers and always end up making a mess wherever they go. “I hope you didn’t damage my lilies,” I say in concern. She rolls her eyes. Her behavior is very rude, but I am used to it at this stage. She is very cheeky, but we love her for it. “Are you ready for tomorrow?” asks Dahlia once again. I jump up in excitement. “I am just about to go wash myself and get ready for the event,” I explain. I have already picked out an outfit earlier on today. I have everything organized and ready to go, I just need to wash myself and get a good night’s sleep. “Almost,” I answer and smile. “I am so nervous,” I admit. “I don’t blame you. You’re so grown up now, soon you will have your own family,” she says. I nod. “It is so scary, but I am excited,” I tell her. “Well, good luck. I am going to go get changed and then I am out to go horse riding,” she tells me. I look out through the window to see it beginning to get dark. The sun is setting, and it is beginning to get cold outside. “At this hour?” I question. She shrugs. My sister is very careless at times. But she is also fearless. I would never ride out during this time. I fear for wolves and other predators. I do not consider myself as brave as her. It is one of my weaknesses. I need to work on that. But just like everything else, it takes time to grow my courage. I do this by stepping outside of my comfort zone as often as I can. Tomorrow’s events are an example of that. I am uncomfortable about it, but I will go ahead with it. What is the worst thing that could happen?

I hear footsteps coming towards us, making Dahlia freak out a little bit. “I have to go; I can’t let mother spot me. Otherwise, she will prevent me from going out,” she explains in a panicked tone. I chuckle. I am not going to rat her out. She can do whatever she wants as long as she is safe and healthy. She will be accompanied by her friends who will look after her. There is no question about that. “See you, wouldn’t want to be you!” she shouts and dashes past me with a giggle. I laugh. She loves saying that phrase, mainly because she is completely right about that. We are almost polar opposites. She would hate to be in my situation most of the time. But I do not mind at all. I enjoy my lifestyle. It is normal for me. I see mother coming towards me. “Was that your sister running off?” she asks me. I shrug. “What sister?” I ask innocently. My mother chuckles. “Alright. Anyways, you must go and wash off. You smell like horses,” she informs me. I agree. “You cannot show up to tomorrows events like that,” she adds. “I won’t. Don’t worry. I will wake up early to get my duties compete before the event,” I assure her. My mother sighs. “Oh darling. You do not have to complete your chores tomorrow. You need to focus on the event. I want you to take the day off and enjoy yourself. There are more important things than duties and chores,” she assures me. I nod. She is right and I am glad that I do not have to fulfill my duties tomorrow. It takes a lot of pressure off my shoulders. “Thanks mother,” I say and hug her. “Now remember. You are representing the kingdom tomorrow. You must remain professional and composed at all times. There will be many important people here tomorrow. They will all have their eyes on you, the beautiful princess. You must set a good example of what our kingdom stands for. I believe that you will do a great job. You are wise and you are gentle. It is exactly what our kingdom needs,” she tells me. I thank her for her kind words. “I promise to do my best mother. I will not let you down. I also promise to enjoy myself. It is a new experience for all of us and I look forward to it,” I say. “Go get ready and get good night’s sleep. I expect you up early tomorrow, bright eyed and bushy tailed,” she says and kisses my forehead. “Goodnight mother,” I say and walk away form her to get to my bedroom. This is the last person I speak with that day. I spend the rest of the night washing myself and getting ready for tomorrow with excitement running through my veins. I really hope that the event does not turn out to be one big disappointment.