THE HEIRESS

Katherine paced back and forth on the hallway of the palace, waiting for the outcome of the meeting her father was having with the head of the army General Sebastian. Their country, valdoria, was under attack by the Tharaconians and it looked like they were on the loosing side. the tharaconian soldiers has successfully breached the main gates and the only thing standing between them and their enemies were the palace gates which was being guarded by General Sebastian . Katherine was so restless, she was pacing back and forth at the palace hallway, she was so troubled that sweat beads began to form at her forehead. She was quivering, and it was almost like you could hear her heart racing. Her handmaid sofie, who was also her best friend, and had been with her for the longest time, was also with her at the moment and was worried because of how the princess was acting. She had never seen the princess so worried about anything before. Although, their country had never been under such attacks before, but still she was worried for the princesses safety because at this rate if the princess does not stop pacing back and forth she may faint due to how fragile she was. So she suggested that they go to the throne room where the king was having a conversation with the General, and eavesdrop a little bit on their conversation. The moment sofie suggested it, Katherine immediately jumped on the offer because she knew she could always trust sofie, and partly because she was almost dying of suspense where she was. So immediately, she and sofie started walking to the throne room, and on getting there, they reduced their pace and tiptoed to the door. luckily for them, the door was opened a bit, so they could Hear a little bit of what was being said there. Katherine could hear her father talking about how much of the city the tharaconian soldiers had taken, and also what was left of the city. She also heard her father talking about war strategies and how to counter the attacks from their enemies. everything seemed to be going fine, until she heard the General suggest a marriage proposal between her and the prince of Carthage. this alliance would help them win back their city and defeat the Tharaconian army because carthage was a city known for its great military strength. she knew all this, but still felt so bitter and broken hearing it come from the General, the General whom she was secretly in love with. Katherine could not bear the thought of it, the thought of getting married to a complete stranger, the thought of letting go of her crush Sebastian. Just the sound of his name on her lips gives her butterflies, God... she had to snap out of this and focus on her reality. She was a princess, and her kingdom was on the verge of being destroyed by their enemies. An alliance with the Carthage people would really help their country but still, she couldn't bear the thought of losing Sebastian. She feared losing him more than Getting married to a total stranger. Her mind was everywhere at the moment, she didn't know if she should be scared or angry at the fact that she didn't have a say in the matter because she was a princess, but not just any princess she was also the heir to the throne. So duty demands that she does whatever is best for her country. sophie her handmaid, who was in the room with her and has watched her think for over 30 minutes straight, thought to interrupt her as though she knew what she was thinking. she asked what she thought about the proposal, sofie, who was unaware of the crush she had on the General, just thought that Katherine was bothered about Getting married to a total stranger. little did she know, that Katherine was more bothered about being separated from Sebastian her long time crush, than Getting married. so sofie began consoling her by telling her all about the romantic stories she had heard about carthage men. she told her of how handsome and manly they were, and how they took Good care of their women. But, all Katherine could think of was Sebastian. she attributed all those traits to Sebastian and imagined herself in his arms. God... it was heaven the thought of it made her cheeks red, and her body became rigid. she felt a tingling sensation, her heart was racing so much that she thought she would faint. Sofie on the other hand thought the princess was blushing thinking about her future husband, until a knock on the door brought both of them back to reality. a soldier called out from outside the room that she was been summoned by her father the king, katherine knew in her heart that this moment would mark a very dramatic beginning in her life.