I was born into a life of duty

The prince could not help but laugh at her comment. She was so innocent. It was completely delicious. 

“My lady, one is always being tested in the presence of the king” He winked at her. It was true. Even the prince himself was constantly being tested by the king. All in the name of making Milo a better future king, he was sure. 

Yes, he did believe the horse would complement her very well. She looked as though she was born to sit on horseback. Not that that was what she most likely was speaking about. 

Andy smiled sweetly back at her sister. She was, quite honestly, confused at her sisters presence. As far as she knew, her sister still hated hunting with a passion. For crying out loud, she even refused to eat meat! But here she was, saddled and ready to go. Andy silently prayed that her sister would not end up saying something she would regret. If she were to insult the king or the prince, it was Andy’s head that their father would take. She could already imagine his harsh words now: “Why did you allow your sister to embarrass us? She was your responsibility and as per usual, you have let the family down!” 

The lady Andy was no fool either. She could see the king’s eyes wandering over her sister. Was that really how little she herself was worth to him? Was Andy that easily replaceable? Andy leaned over to her sisters ear. Luckily she was close enough so that only her sister would hear her.

“Be careful, Evie. You are playing in dangerous leagues now.” She whispered and kissed her sister’s cheek gently before riding on forward to where the king’s horse was. Her sister was clever enough to know not to say anything stupid, but Andy was nervous nonetheless.

“I am grateful that you wanted to come, my lady” Smiled the prince and glanced around. It was a somewhat odd party… Then again, what was more odd was probably the fact that both the king and his son were pursuing two ladies who happened to be sisters…

“Your majesty” Andy greeted sweetly, to which the king finally looked away from Evie. His eyes settled on Andy’s very exposed bosom and he chuckled before taking her hand and kissing it.

“I am glad you could join us, Andy” He smiled at her, making Andy blush slightly. Even the king would call her by her preferred name, yet her own father refused. Perhaps he thought himself grander than the king, in which case it would be high treason.

 “I am honoured to be here, my king” She said honestly, and the king chuckled once more, before riding on, making the party move after him. 

The queen could tell that she had caught him off guard with her question and it made her somewhat amused. People typically thought of her as a silent, obedient queen, which of course she was, but she was also curious and clever and caring. Although no one realised this until they spoke to her, it would seem. 

“I see…” The queen frowned slightly. “And… Is that a particularly easy goal?” She said, curiously. “Only, the king has mentioned your father and… well…” She blushed slightly but did not feel the need to explain herself. Lord Lucian was not exactly known for being accepting or pleased with anything. 

She giggled at his words. That did sound like the Lucian her husband would speak of.

“I think, If I were a lady, I should want to live on a farm. Far away from the city. And I should have animals surrounding me, everywhere I looked” She smiled at this confession. She dared not dream of such a thing, not properly. But there was no harm in speculating about it. “And I should marry a handsome, loving man, and spend my days reading books, surrounded by our children and the animals” A twinkle came into her eye as she spoke of the wonderful, alternative, reality she dreamt off. Oh what a dream. But her reality was vastly different and her dream would never come to be. The smile faded from her lips and the twinkle disappeared once more from her eyes. 

"Alas, I was born into a life of duty. To the king and to Eriden." She said quietly. She did not know what had possessed her to speak so openly and freely with the lord, but she feared she might regret it. Hopefully, the lord would not convey her dreams to someone who would wish to hurt her.