My Segregated Dragon Lover

Let the games begin

The following morning, I am woken by an unusual morning call. The maid knocks on my door loudly shouting “Wake up princess, it is your big day! Your mother doesn’t want you to be late!” I snap my eyes open and blink a few times, allowing my eyes to adjust to the light. It is still relatively dark outside. The sun is only beginning to rise, bringing light and warmth to the face of the earth. I love mornings. Especially waking up before the sun is fully awake. “I’m up! I’m up” I yell and yawn. I stretch my arms out to the heavens above and groan. I slept very well. It took me some time to finally fall asleep from nerves, but my actual dreams were filled with happy thoughts and freedom. I was riding horses bareback through the fields of nearby towns. It was incredible. “Are you out of bed yet?” asks the maid. I chuckle. “Yes!” I lie. I want to lie in bed for a moment longer and appreciate this feeling. I am excited, nervous, worried and scared at the same time. A crazy mixture of emotions. “Good! Because your mother will be here to help with your hair any minute now!” shouts the maid. Mother? I widen my eyes in surprise. Mother won’t be happy to see me still in bed in my pajamas. I swing my feet over the edge of the bed and jump out of the comfortable embrace of my bedsheets. I rush to the bathroom where I brush my teeth, wash my face and brush my hair. I leave my hair down as I rush back to my bedroom to find the clothes, I laid out the night before. The maid has left by now and my mother will be here at any moment. Why wasn’t I woken quicker? This is very unfair. I slip on my clothes. A light blue dress which trails all the way down to the tips on my toes. A white corset hugs my waist, accentuating my natural, beautiful curves by making my waist smaller. I struggle trying to tie my corset together. It is one of the skills I struggle with the most. As I lace the string through the small holes when my mother walks in.

She sees me struggling and laughs. “Come here, let me help you,” she offers. I blush and slowly walk over to her, handing the small white lace to her. My mother unties whatever mess I made with it and begins re doing it for me. “How are you feeling this morning?” she questions. She tightens the corset around my ribs, making me feel like my organs are being rearranged. “I’m nervous,” I admit. My mother smiles. “That is okay. It is perfectly normal to be nervous. When I was your age, my father first introduced me to your father,” she begins. “I was so nervous to finally meet the man my father chose for me to marry. I was scared that he would not be the type of person for me. But luckily, my father made the right choice. And now your father is making the right choice too. Not many princesses get to pick their own husband,” she adds. I nod. She is correct. I am very lucky to have such understanding and caring parents. These traits make our family stronger. The love in our family is forever growing. “What do you want to do with your hair?” asks my mother. I think for a moment. I rather keep it up and out of my face. That way I won’t be bothered by it as the day goes by. “A bun perhaps?” I suggest. My mother nods. “Good choice,” she says as she finishes up my corset. She does my hair for me and I am all set to go. “Breakfast is ready downstairs. Come down when you’re ready to eat. Take as much time as you need,” she says, and I give her a hug. “Ill be down soon,” I assure her as she leaves to room. I see my sister walk past the room. “Get the most handsome and rich one,” she says as she walks by. I thank her for her advice sarcastically.

I take a few moments alone in my bedroom to relax and calm my nerves. I am excited and am looking forward to this new experience, but it still doesn’t feel right. When I am ready to go, I walk downstairs and into the busy dining area. There has been a large table set up in the middle of the room that has been covered with all varieties of food. Bagels, bread, cereal, fruit, meat, eggs, oats, you name it, we have it. There are a few people standing by the table, gathering the foods they rather eat on this particular morning, while others are sitting at the other tables with their friends and families, chatting away about the lovely weather and what todays events will bring. Most of these people are strangers and I have never seen them here before. I decide to make my way towards the buffet table but am stopped mid way by my father’s voice. “Good morning my lovely daughter,” he greets with open arms. “Morning father,” I say and smile. He hugs me tightly as two men the same age as my father approach us. “This is James and Frank. My two best friends from my childhood. Their sons will be here today, competing for your heart and your love,” he introduces me. I blush. Those words just don’t add up. ‘Competing for your love’. I hate that. I really hope that my father and I are on the same page about things. I don’t want him to expect me to find Mr perfect today and marry him tomorrow. I need to get to know the man and learn more about him before I decide if I want to marry him or not. I am not an easy girl. I have high standards because my own standards for myself are high too. My future husband will be the King of this kingdom one day. I need to make the right decision not only for myself, but also for others. “Lovely to meet you, my name is Alice,” I introduce myself. “We already know who you are princess. Everyone here knows who you are. We are here for you. We all want our sons to impress you and score a chance of becoming your future husband,” explains James. I nod slowly. What an unusual mission statement.

“If you could please excuse me, I am going to get a bit of food before todays events begin,” I say politely and walk away from my father and towards the table. My stomach growls. The emptiness of my stomach is making me sick. Or maybe it could be the nerves. I don’t know for sure. I do know one thing though, the sooner this event begins, the better. Maybe if I get into the swing of things, I will feel better. I hate having to wait for things to happen. I am a patient woman other than that. I load up my plate with some fruit as I catch a few people glancing over at me. Every time I make eye contact with someone or I catch them looking at me, they quickly look away and pretend it never happened. I shrug it off. They are all trying to get a glance of the princess. I don’t blame them. Most of them have never met me before. I don’t mind meeting new people. I encourage it actually. I love getting to know new people, that is part of the reason why I am very excited for this. I pop a piece of fruit into my mouth then sit down across from my mother at the main table. I am introduced to a few new people and I note their names and the names of their sons. All the young males are in the fields practicing shooting, working out and socializing in preparation for the events. The events aren’t completely competitive. They are a few challenges created to create a fun day out for everyone. They are established for me to be able to see their physical and mental strength as well as see their personalities shine through in various obstacles both mental and physical. I wish I could take part, but I am meant to represent the kingdom and have to set an example as to what a princess must behave like. I suppose I shall sit back, relax and enjoy the view. Who doesn’t like watching a group of important, handsome and muscular men compete in many events?

After breakfast is finished, everyone makes their way to the fields while I go back upstairs and finish getting ready for the day. I fix my hair and out on a silver tiara to set me apart from the rest. This way others will know that I am the princess in question. This is important since I haven’t met most of these people before. I watch the crowds gather outside through the window. I watch the group of young men chatting amongst themselves happily. They don’t seem to be too nervous about the situation. They are happy to be here, enjoying the good weather, surrounded by friends and family. I like this atmosphere. When I notice how cheerful the atmosphere is and instantly relax. The event becomes less focused on me finding a husband and more focused on people spending good times together. I take a deep breath and make my way outside to the field. The sunshine is in full swing. The heat is blaring and warming up our shoulders and tops of our heads. The chatter dies down when others notice me walk over. Eventually all the talking completely stops, leaving all the focus on me. I smile awkwardly. “I would like to thank everyone for coming to our kingdom today. I hope we all have a fantastic day out and enjoy each other’s company. It is very pleasant to see so many people being surrounded with so many stories and experiences. Let today be a day of networking, fun and learning. Talk to each other. Learn more about each other. Let’s grow the connection among our communities. Grow stronger by becoming friendlier,” I say with a smile. Everyone listens closely and nods. They all agree. They are happy to be here too. I walk over to my mother and father who are standing on a small podium. There are a lot of items set up around the massive field, allowing for us to hold various challenges for those who want to compete. “Although our main mission is for Alice to find a potential husband, we do not want anyone to feel any sort of pressure. Have fun! Be goofy! Be yourself. That is who we are looking for. I know it is important for all the young men to make a good first impression on the princess but remember to have fun. That is the main point,” announces my father. A few people clap and the conversations rise into the air once again as everyone discusses their excitement in the games set for the day. “Let the games begin,” laughs my father as he turns to face me. “Go out into the field and chat with some people. They are all excited to meet you. Especially the men,” says my father and he wink. I look over to the dozen males standing in a group. They are all looking over at me which makes me anxious. I take a deep breath. My father is right. I need to go talk to them if I want to get to know them. I work up my courage and walk towards them. My anxiety growing with each step. When I reach the group of excited men, I smile. “Hi,” I greet awkwardly.