Rowan and her sister Quinn grew up with a fairly contented life, enjoying the riches of their castle life and the love of their adoring parents.

     Quinn, just as she had been given, quickly grew into her beauty and grace. Her hair was long and wavy, falling in perfect position down her shoulders as the blonde locks created a striking contrast to her sky blue eyes. She had perfect figure, and the mind of a princess. She never doubted her potential at leading the kingdom one day.

     Rowan, on the other hand, had shorter dark auburn hair that she always wore tucked back into a tight bun at the base of her head. She had brown eyes and a tendency to somehow get covered in dirt without even going outside. She failed miserably through all of her classes on grace and manners, but did rather well with anything to do with books. She was socially awkward, so she tended to stay in the stables with the horses and mules. They seemed better company to the younger girl than the rest of the castle, who could never stop telling her what she was doing wrong.

     When the girls were eight, their mother became horribly ill. No magic or potion could cure her. And she died shortly after.

     Their father was distraught for the longest time, his loneliness bringing in a woman known as Lady Adeline Ackee and her daughter Elena. He soon married Adeline when his own daughters were barely ten, and the Akee family moved into the castle.

     The first year, Adeline and her daughter were nice enough, but once their father began spending more time with his counselors at the oncoming prospect of war, their niceness faded quickly. Adeline didn't seem to mind Quinn in her perfection, but found Rowan to get in the way, and would give her assignments to keep her out of her way.

     Rowan and Quinn were now seventeen, and the year of the curse was drawing close. This frightened their already stressed father, who sent knights out each day in search for a cure to spare the princess her fate.

     Rowan tapped her quill tip on the desk, tuning out her tutor's voice as she instructed them with the geography of their kingdom. Quinn was taking forever to memorize it, but Rowan knew every corner like the back of her hand. Once having the map in her hands, she had memorized it within the week.

     She watched her reflection in the window that overlooked the palace gardens, and sighed. She was sick of princess lessons. If she truly was going to fall victim to a curse, she didn't want to have lived a life locked up in this place.

     She wished her father would let her leave the grounds. Quinn was always allowed to tag along with the merchants and hang around in the town as long as she had her personal body guard with her. But she wasn't cursed.

     Rowan rested her chin in her hand, watching herself blink in the window. She glanced over at Quinn, who was listening intently to their tutor. Rowan muttered something under her breath, then noticed a man outside in the gardens. She peered down at him.

     It was Mr. Hendrix, the castle gardener. He was wearing his normal floppy straw hat that covered his tanned, wrinkled face, and his overalls were coated in a thick layer of dirt. He was clipping a hedge with careful precision just below the window.

     "Miss Rowan, are you listening?" their tutor, Mrs. Springfield, demanded.

     "Yes, countries are made of rocks and dirt and sectioned up so idiots can wage war over who gets what. Now that I understand geography, can I go?" Rowan frowned up at her, crossing her arms.

     Mrs. Springfield sighed, "Rowan, I was talking about our history with the Tiberians. And explaining why we are so close to war with them."

     Rowan sighed back. She had been curious about that. "Alright," she said, leaning back into her seat, "Continue."

     "Long since the original boundaries were created for our country, the Tiberians have fought to take control of our northern boundary. They claim it holds some kind of historical value to them, but they have always been willing to hold off war with treaties and agreements. But two years ago, their leader was banished by a personal enemy and replaced by a cruel man called Kaizen Levar. Kaizen feels much less inclined to hold treaties to uphold ancient laws, so he's pushing hard for the return of the territory," Mrs. Springfield told them, pointing to a place on the map, "Your father struggles to keep him from starting an all out war between our countries. Tiberia is known for its outstanding military techniques."

     "Doesn't Kaizen already have the biggest span of territory among the four kingdoms?" Rowan asked, leaning forward with her elbows on the desk, "Why does he want more?"

     "As I said, he believes the border holds historical value."

     "He doesn't sound like the kind of guy that would care about historical value," Rowan commented, "He's probably just wanting it to start a war."

     "Why would he want to do that?" Quinn gave her sister a disapproving look, "Seems pointless to me. War weakens countries, haven't you been paying attention?"

     "It strengthens reputation," Rowan pointed out, folding her hands behind her head, "A victory over us would raise them to the most powerful of the four countries on this hunk of rock."

     "That may be true," their tutor sighed, "If that's the case, there will be no way to escape war. We can only hope that Kaizen will change his quick and aggressive ways before he starts a true battle for the border."

     Once the lesson had finally ended, Rowan instinctively headed towards the stables. She stopped in her tracks as she heard Adeline, her stepmother, say, "Rowan! Where do you think you're going?"

     "Um... outside?"

     "Take these to the servants, and tell them they need to be washed," Adeline dropped a pile of dresses and other clothing articles into her arms. She nearly stumbled with the sudden addition of weight, and she sighed as she watched her stepmother stride away. Adeline called over her shoulder, "And give my favorite horse a good washing!"

     Rowan picked up the clothes, hiding a groan in the thick silk cloth in her arms. She gathered up the fabrics together, bundling them into one large ball, then proceeded to hobble down the hallway.

     She dropped the pile down a laundry shoot that went to the servants downstairs, then ran down the steps to the front door. She burst out into the courtyard, spinning with the wind as she felt the fresh air fill her lungs, "Ah!" she cried blissfully, "Freedom at last!"

     "The way you act, people would think you were locked in a cell and not a castle," a dry voice said behind her, and she turned to see a boy standing there.

     The wind tousled his pale brown, sun-streaked hair that fell so unevenly around his pointed face. His eyes were bright and amber colored, and his skin was tan and covered in freckles from the sun. He was wearing a tattered brown shirt caked in dust, and the knees of his pants were worn and muddy. His boots were shiny with dampness, and the underside clearly coated in thick mud that was drying in the pleasantly warm sunshine.

     There was a scratch across his nose, lying horizontally as if he had once fallen onto a one-pronged rake. His tanned skin made her realize he was in the sun often and must be a servant or stableboy. Maybe a gardener, since he was so obviously in the sun so much.

     Rowan arched an eyebrow, "Who the heck are you?"

     "Me? Why the heck would you care?" he scoffed, shaking his head, "Aren't you the princess? Why aren't you inside with your servants, your luxuries, your—"

     "Bitter much?" Rowan asked him pointedly, and he broke off, trying for a stiff bow to make up for his disrespect. She waved it off, "Forget it, I'm jesting. You didn't have to bow, I'm not her Royal Perfectness, Princess Quinn."

     He lifted his eyebrows, "Now who's bitter?"

     Rowan smiled, sticking out her hand, "I'm Rowan. You're obviously new here, because everyone knows I hate being stuck inside the castle. I was heading for the stables, actually."

     The boy hesitated before giving her hand a firm shake, "I'm Kaden Hendrix, and I'm also going to the stables. I work there now, tending for the horses. And yeah, I'm new."

     "Kaden Hendrix?" Rowan repeated, "Mr. Hendrix the gardener's son?"

     "Yeah, it was his idea that I worked here anyway," Kaden shrugged his shoulders lightly, "I don't know why."

     "Your father's the best," Rowan told him, "He tells me his adventures when he was a knight, you know. He was a very good one. When I was younger, I would follow him around all day to listen to him talk."

     "He's never told me any stories," Kaden frowned, but winced as he heard someone shout at him from around the corner, "Alright, I'm going!" he shouted back, his voice rough with annoyance, "Yeesh, they never give me a break."

     "You think being a servant is hard," Rowan told him with an eye roll, "Imagine being a princess. Classes on proper form, manners, how to walk, how to talk, how to be a huge phony who can't fight but can really smile and wave! We're about to go into war, people! Smiling and waving and manners and geography... ugh!" she threw her hands into the air with exasperation, "Who cares what bloody fork I use, it's a salad and I'm hungry!"

     Kaden stepped back, "Okaaay.... I guess it's rough?"

     Rowan massaged her forehead with her hands, "Yeah. Very rough, sorry for losing it. It's just... frustrating, you know?"

     Kaden gave a small nod, then headed down towards the stables. She followed him, her feet sliding on the sandy slope to the wooden shed in the ditch.

     "Why are you following me?" Kaden frowned over his shoulder at her.

     "I have to brush one of the horses," she shrugged carelessly, "My stepmother insists she gets brushed, fed, bathed, and exercised every day. That's why Swiftie is the fastest, strongest horse in the stables."

      They reached the stables, and Rowan instantly found her favorite mare. She slipped beneath the bars of the stall, resting her hands on the horse's muzzle, stroking it gently. "Hello, Swift Wind, what a lovely day, isn't it?" her voice had softened as they horse nuzzled her. She smiled, scratching its cheek.

     Kaden gave his head a shake, unlatching the door to the stall of Red Streak, a pretty pinto horse.

     "I wouldn't do that yet if I were you- " Rowan began, but it was too late. The pinto hadn't seen Kaden open the door and bucked wildly, trying to bolt away, but there was no place to escape to.

     Rowan vaulted into the other stall with the startled horse, sliding beneath its belly to get in front of the beast as it reared up with a frightened neigh. She stood boldly at its head, raising her hands, "Easy, boy, gentle now."

It stomped its hooves as it crashed down, but she rested her hands on its shoulder, tracing her fingers through the fur coat as she always did to this horse, her finger following the red streak down the horse's flank.

     The horse, recognizing this move, paused in its panic, and Rowan whispered in a compassionate voice "There you go, see? It was just Kaden. He didn't see you were sleeping. I'm sure he is very sorry..." she rested her hand on the horse's forehead, pulling the head down gently so it could smell her familiar scent.

     "You're not bad with horses," Kaden said grudgingly, watching her lead out the ornery horse into the grassy enclosure where he would bathe her.

      "Only because I've lived with them all of my life," Rowan shrugged carelessly, "Red Streak's a bit jumpy. Swiftie's sweet, but she gets mad when you leave her inside too long. Then there's Pip over there. Sweetest horse ever. Just watch out for Stormer. Real villain."

     "I tried washing him yesterday," Kaden muttered, wincing at the memory, "It didn't go over too well with him."

     "Good luck today, then," Rowan said, not sounding as if she cared. She began singing a quiet ditty under her breath as she slid a bridle over Swiftie's head. She ruffled the black mane with a hand as the horse bowed its head, "That's my girl."

     Kaden let out a long sigh as he saw the many stalls, each with a horse inside. There were at least twelve, lined up neatly on one side of the stable with equipment on the far wall.

     He leaned on a shovel he had been holding in his hand, resting his elbow on the handle, "Can I ask you something that might seem... out of line?"

     "If you really want to," Rowan replied, flattening her palm as she offered the mare a handful of small carrots.

     "Could you help me wash these guys?" Kaden tried to sound casual, as if he didn't need help desperately. "I mean, I know you're the princess, but you seem to be good with them..."

     "Adeline only lets me wash Swiftie," Rowan looked mildly surprised by the offer, "A 'princess horse needs to be cleaned by a princess' and all that. She says I can't wash the others because that's servant's work."

     Kaden nodded, "Yeah, she's probably right. You might get a little bit of dirt on your dress and have to run inside to change before your reputation is ruined. I completely understand." He bowed low almost mockingly, "And Lord forbid you defy your stepmother!"

     Rowan gave him a dark look," You're trying to bait me."

     "Oh, never!" he gasped, sounding falsely hurt as he held a hand over his heart like he'd just been stabbed. "I just don't want you getting hurt! What if you scrape your hand on a rusty nail? You could die!"

      Rowan narrowed her eyes, and before he could register what was happening, she had upended a bucket of soapy water over his head. He froze as the cold water soaked through his clothing, spitting soap suds from his lips.

      "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she gasped with fake horror, "I thought you were a filthy horse from the way you looked! But look on the bright side— maybe you'll smell better now," the last line was delivered smugly as she ran her fingers through her horse's fur.

      Kaden slicked sopping bangs back from his eyes, "You're not very princessy, are you?"

      She smirked, but her eyes drifted to the numerous horses surrounding them, "Do you have to clean all of them by yourself?"

      "Yeah," he sighed, pulling a towel from a shelf and pulling it around himself in an attempt to dry himself off, "My Dad's watering the flowers out front of the castle, and shouldn't be done for a few hours."

     Rowan looked back and forth, checking to make sure no one was around, "Look, if you promise not to tell, I'll help you."

      His eyes lit up, "What, are you serious? But I thought you said- "

      "You can't tell anyone," she said sternly.

      "Why?"

      "Because my stepmom will kill me for doing servant work!" Rowan waved a finger in his face, "And on one condition, of course."

      "Oh no. What?"

      "When we're done, if you have time, you help me get out of the castle walls. If I'm with you and people can't see my face, they'll assume I'm a servant too," Rowan said, "I want to ride through a real forest, not a circular riding pen."

     "Sure. But if anyone asks, I didn't know you were the princess," Kaden checked, and she agreed with a nod. "Excellent," he rubbed his hands together, "Then I guess we'd better get started!"

      Rowan had more fun than she had had in a long time washing those horses. Kaden seemed to have no idea what he was doing, which made it more fun for her to laugh at him. Watching him brush Stormer nearly killed her as she struggled to breathe, but it had been his turn to laugh when Stormer suddenly decided he didn't want to walk through a mud puddle and threw her from his back.

     When they had finally finished, they flopped down in exhaustion on the floor, the horses rolling in the dirt not too far away from them. They were both wet and filthy, but exchanged grins as their gazes met.

     "That's the most fun I've had that I can recall," Rowan told him, trying to smooth back chaotic strands of hair from her eyes, "But now you owe me a ride."

      "That's the easy part," Kaden pulled himself to his feet, dusting himself off, "You want me to let out Swift?"

      "Of course. I'm supposed to exercise her anyway," Rowan batted away the dirty hand he offered her and stood up herself, "You can ride on Stormer, how does that sound?"

      "Never," he shook his head violently, "I'll take that pretty pinto. I'll give her a little ride to make up for startling her earlier."

      "Shame," Rowan smirked, "I would have loved to watch you get kicked again."

      He rolled his eyes, "Shame he only dumped you once."

     "Race you to the gates," Rowan challenged, and he sprinted for the stables, swinging onto the pinto with a cocky grin.

      "Oh, it's on!!"