The Playboy Prince and His Princess

It was a beautiful day in the kingdom of Gavaria. The sun was out, the sky was blue, the birds were singing, everything was perfect, like a scene straight out of a fairytale. A fairytale however, isn't complete without a princess and it's a good thing ours included Princess Alexa, the fairest of them all. Princess Alexandra Matilda Juniper Winchester was the second child of the King and Queen of Gavaria. She had just turned 21 and she was the apple of everyone's eyes. Her parents were very proud of her, her older brother was very protective of her and the citizens of Gavaria adored her. Wherever she went, Alexa was loved by all she came in contact with and that was to be expected considering she was the nicest person you'd ever come across. She was also very beautiful and that had earned her the nickname, Fairest of them all. She was a little on the short side, around 5'5, she had smooth tan skin that was covered with freckles. When she was younger, her mother had tried to prevent them by making her stay indoors but the queen had quickly learned that her daughter was a lover of sunshine and the outdoors and that it would be impossible to keep her in on a bright and sunny day. Alexa had a mane of curly jet black hair and the bluest eyes you'd ever seen although they were often hidden behind her glasses. There was one word that came to mind when you laid eyes on her, beautiful. Alexa flipped the page of the book she was reading. Reading was her favorite pastime, she was always somewhere with her nose stuck in a book. If she wasn't in the palace library, she was out here in the garden. Her phone dinged then, temporarily bringing her out of the make-believe world she had sunk into. She beamed when she saw who had texted her. It was her best friend and future sister in law, Courtney. Courtney was the daughter of the Grand Duke and as children, they had basically hung out a lot. It wasn't a surprise to anyone that they grew up really close to each other. She had dirty blonde hair with hazel eyes, and standing at 5'8, she was three inches taller than her friend, the princess. When Courtney started dating Alexandra's older brother, Max, they had kept it a secret from her because they didn't know how she would react to it. They probably would have still kept it a secret if Alexa hadn't caught them making out in the gardens. To say she was shocked was an understatement. The two of them together wasn't something she had seen coming. At first she was pissed that they didn't tell her but she learnt to let go of it in the end and now she was very happy for the two of them. She saw that they loved each other and that they made each other happy and that was good enough for her. “You at the palace?", her text from Courtney read. “Yeah", she replied. “Cool. See you soon". Alexa put down her phone and went back to her book. She didn't realize how much time had passed until she felt a tap on her shoulder. “Court!" she beamed excitedly, standing up to hug her. “Hey Alexa, what's up?" Courtney replied. “Oh you know, the usual". Courtney smirked, folding her arms over her chest. “The usual being you once again so lost in a book that you don't notice your surroundings. I've been here watching for five minutes". Alexa scoffed. “If you actually took the time to read, you'd understand the joys of being lost in a book". “Nah, I think I'll stick to watching movies". “Your loss". They both sat down afterwards. “So what are you doing here?", Alexa asked. Courtney chuckled nervously. “You say that like I can't just come visit you". Alexa raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. “When was the last time you came to visit me? You're always here to see Max and he's out on official palace business". “Ouch. You hurt me", Courtney replied, placing a hand on her heart and making her best sad face. Alexa's eyes widened like she just got a brain blast. “Wait, that's why you're here isn't it? Because Max is away". “What? No", Courtney replied in a very unconvincing way. As much as Alexa was happy for her brother and her best friend, she had kind of been feeling neglected by them. They spent all their time together and even when they invited her, she always felt like a third wheel. And she could never invite her boyfriend along because her brother didn't like him. In fact that was an understatement, Max couldn't stand him. He didn't trust him and he often wondered what his sister saw in him. So, Alexa pretty much turned down their invites and spent the majority of her days with her books. Alexa gave Courtney a look that told her she wasn't buying into her story. “Ugh fine. You caught me but I actually am here to see you". Alexa gave her a look that told her to continue. “When I was at home all day, bored and missing Max, I realized how long it has been since we hung out together, just the two of us and did something fun and then it made me feel bad because I realized that I had been ignoring my best friend for my boyfriend and that is not cool and I'm sorry". Sometime during her speech, she had taken Alexa's hand. Alexa looked at her friend from behind her horn-rimmed glasses. “To be fair, Max is your fiance, not your boyfriend", she said. Courtney giggled. “Either way, it's sisters before misters and from now on, that's how it's going to be". She opened her arms for a hug and Alexa fell into them, smiling. “I love you Court" “I love you too Lexi". Later, the two friends decided that they would go horseback together. It was something they both had always enjoyed and something they were both good at. They went in to the castle to change into attire that was suitable for riding. They walked to the stables together. The people they met bowed as they passed but they had become used to that kind of treatment by now. After all, they had been getting it their whole lives. “Hey Matteo", Alexa greeted as they got to the stables. Matteo was a stable hand and a friend of theirs. His dad used to be the chief stable hand there at the palace and so he had practically grown up there. He was also her brother's best friend so they were pretty close. He was the only member of staff that was close enough to them to call them without adding titles to their names. “Hey Alexa. Hey Courtney. You both haven't been here together in a while", he mentioned. Courtney rolled her eyes. “Way to remind me Teo", she said as she walked to the shed of her horse. Matteo looked confused at her reaction and he turned to Alexa for help. “What was that about?" “Don't mind her, it's just Courtney being her usual Courtney self", she replied waving her hand in a dismissive manner. Matteo nodded his head in understanding. “She always does get antsy whenever Max isn't home". They both shared a laugh at that statement. “Let's go get you saddled up", he added as he lead the way to her favorite horse. “Hey Sugar", Alexa greeted petting the mane of the horse. She had named her Sugar because the horse was obsessed with it. She'd pick sugar cubes over carrots and apples any day which is why they always make sure to hide it from her. Sugar neighed in delight at seeing the princess. Max got her saddled up and Alexa got on top, like a pro. Courtney rode out then. She had already mounted Peony, her horse. “Shall we race?", she asked her friend. “Oh you're on", Alexa answered. They both rode out of the stables and on to the field. Matteo stood on the ground beside them. “Ladies, are you ready?" he asked. “Ready", both girls answered together. “Get ready...Go". And they were off. At first, Courtney was in the lead but it didn't take long for Alexandra to overtake her. In the end, both girls finished at a tie. After their race, they spent time out just enjoying their ride. They even took a small trip to town so they get some stuff for a makeshift picnic. It was a beautiful day out and they decided not to waste it. When the sun had started going down, they decided that they had spent enough time outside and made their way back to the stables. When they got back, Matteo took the horses. “How was the ride?" he asked. “It was nice", Alexa answered. “We definitely need to do that more often", Courtney added. “Oops, I almost forgot. Alexa, your parents requested for your presence while you were out", Matteo said. Alexa mulled over that. “Did they say why?" He shrugged. “Nope". “Okay, I'll go change and see them now". They left the stables after that and went to get changed. After, they went to the throne room where her parents were. They both curtsied on seeing them. “Mom, dad", Alexa greeted. “Your majesties", Courtney greeted. “Hi girls", the queen greeted, “Alexa, we were wondering when you'd show up". Alexa looked confused. The looks on the faces of both her parents were very serious and she wondered what could be so important. “Courtney and I just got back from our ride and Matteo told me you requested my presence". “We have something very important we need to talk about. You're getting married soon". Author's note: Hey guys, welcome to the first chapter of The Royal Arrangement, this chapter basically gives us an insight into our princess's life. Thank you to everyone that followed this book even before I posted anything. Y'all are the best. I hope to see you in the next chapter.