"Isablee,"

"Yes father?"

"Come here now."

I glided across the white marble floor to where my father was standing next to his throne. He was quite a tall man, nearly towering over me with his nearly 6'3" (2 meters) nearly crushing my 5'10" (1.78 meters).

"Why is your dress torn." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Demanding an answer.

"I was-" But the hand coming across my face interrupted my answer. My head turned with the force of the hand, but nothing else happened. Years ago it would have sent me to my knees, but this didn't bother me anymore. I'm sad to say that I'm used to this.

"Get changed." He demanded, pointing to the grand stair case. I didn't even nod, just turned and left. "They will be here in one hours time. I refuse to present my daughter like that." I continued up the stairs. "Disgusting."

I finished the stairs, and traveled through the castle, running into a bunch of servants. About half way, I stopped the slow, elegant, precise, calculated, and careful steps that I had been taught, and took up my regular style of walking. Fast, light steps.

I took my crown off, only slightly messing up my hair, and kept walking. Up another flight of steps, down one, and up another. Down a hall way, turn left, turn left, turn right, up the steps, through a door, and keep walking. Through a door, through a door, and I'm there.

My space.

My real home.

My bedroom.

The space where I was safe.

The only space where I could not be the heir to Orantulle.

My best friends were here.

"Stevie," I called softly into the room after closing the heavy doors behind me. The little 14 year old girl came out of my closet, and ran up to me. She had a dirty blonde ponytail, swinging so that it swept the bottom of her shoulder blades.

"Isa!" She hugged me tightly.

"Hey doll." I replied, hugging her back. She looked up at me, and must've seen the red mark on my face.

"Come 'ere." She insisted, dragging me to my vanity. She started to work with the mark on my face, but soon realized she had to take my current make up off first. After she did that, she started helping me get ready to met the guests tonight.

Eventually, the mark was covered up, and I was ready to go, wearing this dress. 

The sun was about to touch the top of the trees outside one of my windows, which meant it was almost time for the people to get here.

I hadn't met the people coming yet.

It was the royal family from Emerislan.

My name is Isablee Ashlyne Jannessia Evenlyn CoCoral.  And I have been engaged to the prince of Emerislan since birth.