(A/N- The original plot master of this book is BabyKangaroo_fanfica she was kind enough to let me take inspiration off of her book "King Of New York." I highly advise you to got read it if you haven't already. It is fantastic! Also most things I will be making up, so don't be confused when I mention a 'nation' or 'country' that dosent really exist. Thanks again!)

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'Smooth your skirt. Sit up straight. Don't look him in the eyes unless spoken to. Don't speak unless directly asked to. Hold still, no Prince will want to marry a Lady who can not play her part.'

Princess Katherine Pulitzers ran her mothers words over and over again in her mind as she felt the bump of the carriage underneath her. She kept telling herself to be brave but it was hard, especially when all she had for company was her father King Joseph Pulitzer of New Times Square.

"How long before we reach the castle?" Pulitzer asked the driver up front.

"'Bout two minutes I reckon your Majesty." A stubbly guy with a strange accent said back to her father.

Two minutes. Two minutes until she would meet her future. The thought didn't exactly excite Katherine. She softly cleared her throat and smoothed out her light purple dress suddenly feeling nervous. What if her further was horrible? What if her future was ugly? What if her future was old? Katherine shook her head, he wasn't old, she had been told by her very mother that the King to be was not much older than Katherine. The thought didn't give her any more comfort as the carriage rolled to a stop into front of a towering castle. Forgetting all her proper edict Katherine opened the carriage with our waiting for the driver and hopped out looking straight up at the towering sight before her.

"Katherine Elizabeth Pulitzer." Pulitzer scolded at her behavior. She was to busy admiring the roses planted along the base of the great castle to apologize.

The castle had to be at least twice the size of her castle back home. She blinked the wonderful view suddenly turning to dust in her imagination as she relized this was now her home. She bit her lip fighting back tears, she wouldn't cry now, she'd already said her goodbyes to that place.

"You always were a stubborn child." Pulitzer muttered thanking the driver and coming to stand next to her.

They way he said it in past tense made her suddenly sad, she was only 18 for goodness sake. Surely she was still his little girl, but then again maybe she's burned that bridge when she'd refused to come here in the first place. The memory of that night two months ago burned brightly in her mind:

She'd been reading her favorite book 'Pride and Prejudice' when she had been summoned to her fathers study. With curiosity she made her way to the giant room filed with papers and books and sat down at a chair in front of the mans desk.

"My dear child, how you've grown in the last few years. Your growth has not gone unnoticed by many, including thoes in our fellow countries. Namely Central Press." The man said lacing his fingers together.

Katherine smoothed her skirt out of force of habit and gave her father a quizzical look.

"I do not understand father, what are you trying to say?" She asked. Pulitzer leaded forward in his seat.

"The Queen of Central Press has a nephew in need of a wife, she's asked if I were willing to agree to an arranged marriage for you and her nephew. I signed a pact and made the agreement with her. You are to marry the Prince and be crowned the next Queen of Central Press." Pulitzer said calmly.

Katherine felt like she'd just been pulled through a cloud of fog. He'd said it so fast she wasn't sure if it was true.

"You will leave in two months time and be married in three, be packed in one." He said reading her expression as the words began to sink in. There was something defiantly guilty in his voice as he watched her face turn from confusion to horrid realization.

"You didn't." She hissed her years of training to be a lady thrown out the window. When she wanted to say what she wanted then by goodness was she gonna say it.

"Katherine." Pulitzer warned seeing her reaction.

"You are selling me off to some guy? And for what reason?!" She asked griping the arms on her chairs fiercely.

Pulitzer stood up in his seat his eyes warning her not to do anything rash.

"I'm not just giving you away my dear, this is for the good of the people. You should be great full for what I have done. Now go to your room and leave me to my thoughts." He said pointing to the door.

"No!" Katherine said shooting to her feet. "I will not leave and I will not marry some guy from a neighboring country. I simply will not!"

"I will not hear this from you! You will do what you are told!" He ordered slamming his hand down on the desk.

"No! I won't! You can not make me!" She sounded like a spoiled kid, even to herself.

His anger was turning from red hot to icy cold, and that was always the worst kind of anger coming from Pulitzer. You knew w it got bad when the mans voice got low, and that's just what it did.

"I am willing to give up my crown to you so by marriage the two countries can be one. You do not understand how much sacrifice I am making for the sake of this country." He said his voice like an icy whisper.

"But what about the sake of me?" Katherine asked her voice breaking slightly.

"You will do what you are told. It was always to come to this, one way or another." He said slowly.

It was true, Katherine had known that eventually she would get married to some rich suitor, but she never expected it to be to a Prince. And she certainly didn't expect it to happen so soon.

"But I'm only 18, Father." She said her voice in a state of defeat.

Pulitzer sighed and straightened his tie. "Better to start sooner than later, you are an adult now. I expect you to act like one. Now go tell your mother of the words I have spoken." He said not looking her in the eye.

Katherine sniffed fighting back tears, she did not want to go tell her mother. She did not want to do anything, she wanted to lay down and cry because of her dark future. She sucked in a deep breath realizing she could never cry, if she cried she would show weakness, if she showed weakness then anyone could surely over power her. Well, that wasn't going to happen. She would never cry.

Katherine was snapped out of her flash back as a middle aged man greeted her and her father at the front gates.

"Your Majesty, my Lady." He said shaking Pulitzers hand and kissing the back of Katherine's. "The Queen and Prince await the arrival just up the steps. Follow me please."

They followed the man up a set of lavish stairs that led up to the big oak front doors. Two guards stood by the door and opened it when they reached them. Katherine nodded her thanks and felt her father hold out his elbow for her to take. She took it and arm in arm they entered the castle for the first time. This was it. Her fate was sealed.

Katherine's future awaited at the top of the marble stair case.