The Arranged Marriage

Chapter 5

Rivers complained of a headache so her mother sent her to the doctor's wing to get some quick medicine so she could return to her wedding activities. Her legs swung back and forth on the bed as she watched the door waiting for her lover. Her head did not hurt at all, but she wanted an excuse to see him. A doctor wingmaid came to walk in to stock some more supplies in the cabinets which made a frown upon her face. They don’t interact as this maid is new and doesn’t feel like she has any power to be next to her soon-to-be queen.

Nathan walks in holding a glass of flowers that needed to be crushed to extract their juices to create new medicine. He notices feet swinging on a bed and as his head looks up he sees the blonde-haired princess sitting on one of the many beds along the wall swinging her legs like a child.

“Princess Rivers?” He questions setting down the glass as he makes his way over there.

“There you are,” She smiles, starting to stand up but then notices that the maid is still there which makes her put her hand on her head and fall back on the bed. “Oh, ow. I have this terrible headache trying to murder my mind.”

His eyes widen as he rushes over to her with concern feeling up his body. He places a hand on her forehead and notices no heat to indicate a fever which sends relief in his mind.

“Jacklynn, please go get the headache cure from my father’s office,” He told the maid as she did a quick nod running out of the room.

Rivers jumps up flinging her arms quickly around Nathan to embrace. He is taken aback as he wraps an arm around her to support her.

“Now it's just you and I,” She whispers, laying her head on his shoulder.

“Do you have a headache?” He asks her in front of him.

She giggles poking his nose. “No, silly. I just wanted an excuse to see you.”

He rolls his eyes but then smiles. He couldn’t be mad at her, all he wanted was to see her too. This news of her marriage has enraged him because he knows he can’t do anything about it. He can’t battle for her or he will be kicked out of this country or killed in front of a crowd. He couldn’t do this to his father who had worked hard to become the herbalist for the castle. After his mother passed away because they couldn’t afford the medicine to make her better, his father taught himself how to make the medicine. All of his life he has been trying to make his father proud, but his falling in love with the princess is a disappointment and would create dishonor to his family.

“Rivers, we could get caught,” He frantically says remembering they are in the doctor's wing during the daylight hours not in the night where they can be covered by people.

“Give me one kiss so I can carry you with me all day,” she begs, sticking her bottom lip out which she knows is his weakness.

He sits down on the bed next to her pushing a piece of hair behind her ear and staring deeply into her eyes. Speckles of light are bright in her eyes. She is confident and owns every room she walks in which is what drew him to her. She puts her hand on his arm playing with the hem of the polo shirt he was wearing. As their face becomes closer together the tension builds with every inch they become closer. Once their lips touch, it's a soft and gentle kiss with River's hands holding onto her as Nathan’s hands are on her face controlling the kiss. They didn’t want to let go or breathe, but they knew it couldn’t be long before the maid came walking in. As their faces pulled apart, they just stared at each other smiling thinking it was just them two in the whole wide universe.

“I found them!” The maid yelled as she ran through the door which the two spread apart as fast as lightning.

Rivers and Nathan both looked at each other and then at the maid who was bent over heaving holding up the glass jar full of orange juice. As he stood up, he went over to the cabinets took out a paper cup walking over towards the worn-out maid.

“Thank you, Jacklynn. Please, go sit down. Take a rest,” he laughed lightly patting the maid on the back and taking the glass from her.

She obeyed and went over to a bed and sat down on it trying to catch her breath. Nathan sits down next to Rivers pouring the drink into a cup as Rivers watches him intimately; watching the way his eyes are very concentrated on his actions, how delicate his hands are holding the glass, his brown eyes turned copper with the sun hitting against them through the windows. This was the man of her dreams, and there was nothing she could do to prevent her fate.

“King Jonathan Reiana, there is a visitor for you and Queen Diana Reiana,” announced a guard standing in the middle of two doors in the throne room.

Jonathan and Frederick were leaning over a table discussing items that needed to be traded better such as silk, cotton, etc. Cruise, Elizabeth, and Fulton were watching with glasses of tea and biscuits. All of them stopped what they were doing and looked at the guard. Jonathan stands up proudly walking towards the middle of the motioning for the guard to let the visitors in starting to get concerned about who was going to walk through the doors. There could be a million possibilities. Another country coming to talk about trade, peasants putting in a complaint, or even an attack possibly. However, three people walked in with their wealth shown in what they were wearing huge crowns on their heads.

“King, this is King Williams Colton, Queen Josie Colton, and their son Prince Brayson Colton of Blue Islands.” Announced the guard man as they walked in.

“King Reiana,” Williams bowed as his family followed in action. “We are here to promote our son into marriage with your daughter, Princess Rivers.”

“We have great materials for your country that we can help establish in your country if we come together,” Josie says as she holds her husband's arm wanting to plead for this marriage.

“I am sorry, but Rivers is already engaged to Prince Cruise Charleston of Epheoris,” he states, putting his hand up out of sympathy.

“We did the announcement this morning,” Frederick stepped in as he stood next to Jonathan wanting to protect this engagement.

“What does he have to offer that is better than what I have to offer?” Stepped Brayson, who wants to help his country, studied for the whole boat trip about the Northern Iles materials, jobs, crops, and more, and wants to prosper his country even further.

“Prince Brayson, there is already a contract being made between us and Epheriors.” Jonathan sighed not knowing what else to say to this kingdom.

“I have been educated in every study known to man. I have brought up my country from the skirts of the dirt which in fact as I calculated this morning,” he starts to say as he brought his finger in the air continuing, “Blue Islands has more materials than you have been trading with us more than you have with Epherios. If we create an agreement then that would eliminate the cost of our exporting tax.”

Jonathan is taken aback as he just stares at this prince amazed by how much he knows. Fredrick’s veins started to pop out at the top of his head because of everything that he had been working towards for the past year. Both men look over at each other. Both men look at each other and back at this foreigner.

“Do you think we don’t have resources for them too?” Cruise said standing up from his chair starting to get annoyed with this country. “Epherios and the Northern Iles have been planning this engagement for a year now. Our materials will open up so many doors for each of us and flourish our economy. I am sure when I become king we can talk about trading further.”

“You king?” Brayson laughs. “I have heard about you. You can’t hold an engagement.”

Cruise’s face went red. When Cruise turned 19, his father had been planning an engagement with the princess from Antebellum. The engagement only lasted a month because the princess could not stand him any longer. It ruined all trade between both countries and put Epherios in a low spot for them. Their citizens were struggling to sell their crops out of the country because of how much influence on the surrounding countries. Cruise has worked hard since then to restore Epherios’s economy which finally made his father and mother proud of him.

“I have restored my country from that,” Cruise responds, crossing his arms and holding back the urge to use violence.

Richard was standing off on the side close to the wall watching everyone’s moves around his prince and was ready to take action if harm was detected. Elizabeth stood up with Fulton grabbing his arm in a sense of wanting to leave this place. She hated when anyone brought up that part of their history. She was just a newlywed and started her tour when this all happened. Not as many people were giving them a warm welcome because all they wanted to know was why their prince was ruining their way of life.

“Queen Diana, Princess Rivers, and Queen Samatha,” Annocend a guard as the three women walked in.

“May I ask what is going on?” Diana asked to walk towards her husband while looking at the strangers in her castle when she was not informed.

Rivers paid no attention to them but headed straight towards the table with the biscuits displayed grabbing herself a few. Samatha went beside her husband confused as to why his face was starting to turn red.

“Queen Diana,” said Brayson, bowing down in front of her. “I am here to ask for your daughter in marriage.”

Rivers turned slowly around with a biscuit in her mouth looking at the strange people confusedly. She knew many people wanted to marry her, but no one had ever physically come to ask for her. Over the past two years, they would receive letters and contracts for her marriage, but they never liked any of the offers.

“We are sorry, but she is already engaged,” Diana says, showing sympathy to them. “How about you stay? There is a ball tonight, and you could join. I know how awful and grueling it is to travel by sea at night.”

“A guard will show you to a room to place your things,” Jonathan smiled as he clapped which instructed a guard to come over and take their things as they followed.

Brayson looked over to Rivers as they made contact. He winks at her which sends her to cringe. She did not want to marry him.

“Definitely not,” She laughs under her breath turning back around to the biscuits and grabbing a few more.