Two Days Later, I sat across from my grandmother. She was looking as beautiful and stern as ever. Today she had an assistant and a lawyer with her. She was expecting me to give her an answer today. Apparently, she was letting me stew the last few days. It had helped. I felt much better now that i knew where the LaCresha was and a little of my family history. This was indeed a big deal.
"When will you be ready to leave?" The Queen asked first.
"We can leave today if you want to, Granny," I said, smirking when her perfect nose wrinkled. "I'll go, but only to see what all the hype is about. I don't know if I will be staying at this point and I don't know if I wasn't to be your successor, but I'm willing to give it a trial run."
"That is not how this works." She almost yelled. "It is all or nothing, Victoria. I still have time to go and adopt someone if you won't take you rightful place."
I grit my teeth and narrowed my eyes at her. Realizing I was dealing with a classic negotiator. "What would I have to do, as a princess of LaCresha?"
Grandma crossed her legs elegantly and said haughtily, "You will attend to me. You will do as I say until the day you become Queen. There are many rules and there will be training. You attend events and parties. Charities and weddings. You will be a representation of me, when in public. When you are at home in the palace, you may do as you wish. You will have your own apartments and staff, you will have all the luxuries of royalty."
"I've never been good at following rules." I muttered.
"Said every royal teenager ever." My grandma smirked. "This is not new for me, sweetheart. Your father was something else."
Queen Beatrice looked at her assistant, who pulled out three folders. Placing them on our coffee table, right in front of me. The lawyer explained. "The first folder is for your citizenship papers. We will get them filed right away. The second will acknowledge yo as the heir to the throne and your children and so forth. The last one will acknowledge your fealty to the current queen."
I looked at my mom and then at my grandma. Each of them gave me a nod of approval. I still wasn't sure about this at all. I had a lot of questions and a lot to learn, but I was up for it. Shredding away my last shade of doubt, I signed each document and signed my life away.
*****
LaCresha was beautiful. From what I could see, there were so many trees and large buildings. This little country was off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. In the middle of Asia, Africa and Europe sat a large cluster of islands. It was a place that would be overlooked if you were not looking for it. It was simply beautiful, breathtaking even. I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face as I looked down on the land that I was born on.
I was a little afraid. I was entering unknown territory. I wasn't even sure they were ready for me. My grandma assured me that everyone would be nice and patient with me, knowing where I was coming from, but I couldn't shake the butterflies in my stomach. What if I never got with this whole princess thing.
If I couldn't, I would be on a one-way trip back to America, back to the grimy streets of St. Louis, back to my friends and my comfort zone. I missed them already, especially since I hadn't been able to say goodbye. Once the papers were signed, I was ushered onto a private plane and we were off. We always kind of looked down on the upper class. They all seemed like such snobs to us, and now I was not only upper class but royalty.
I couldn't shake the feelings that they would soon want nothing to do with me. I felt my eyes start to tingle, and I hurried and blinked my tears away. After I got settled, I would call them and see if they wanted to come visit. I smiled, suddenly thinking of all the trouble we three could get into with a whole castle. We were notoriously known for causing drama at school.
I got a tap on my shoulder and looked around to see my grandma's smiling face. She was so beautiful, so lady-like, and since I signed the paperwork, she had been way nicer. I guess I would have to watch her closely and try to be like her If I was going to make it here. It was a plus if we got along.
"Come look at your future," she said.
I went to the other side of the private jet and looked out the window, and the air left my lungs in a whoosh. This was not a castle, it was more like a mansion. It looked like a whole apartment complex. It was beautiful, all white brick, and about a thousand acres of land. on the outskirts of the palace were more tiny homes and what looked like a village, a real live village.
"Wow," I hear myself saying, "its amazing."
"this is your home now, and one day all of this will be yours. Get used to the view." She said, taking her seat once again.
Once we landed on a private landing strip, how. I looked up at the "palace" and smiled, looking around me. There were flowers everywhere, and I loved flowers. I pledged to myself that before the month was out, I was going to explore every part of this place and I was going to find all the dirty little secrets. I couldn't help but be curious about the beef between my family and the ones who would like to take over.
I looked back towards the castle and saw a bunch of people coming towards me, honestly my first instinct was to run. Then I remembered who I was and stood my ground. Plus, they were all smiling graciously. They came forward, stopping a good distance from me, and bowed.
"No, really, that's unnecessary," I said, motioning them to rise.
"But princess, it is expected," one dark-haired lady said.
"They are all eager to meet you, my dear," my grandma was saying. "Get used to the bowing, everyone will greet you like this and they will never approach you until you summon them, Just a little wave of your hand for them to come forward."
"Well, If I have people to meet, can we please go inside, my legs are like jelly after that plane ride and I really wanna sit down."
"Of course, The princess will greet everyone in the throne room, please everyone back inside." A man I was seeing for the first time said.
"Who are they?" I whispered to grandma.
"Well, They are your personal staff, ladies-in-waiting, your beautician, seamstress, advisors, planner, designer, and an etiquette teacher, also you have a Spanish, French and Italian tutor and a history of LaCresha tutor."
Just when I thought I was done with school, here she goes with this tutoring stuff. "I am fluent in Spanish and Italian, granny, and I know a little about LaCresha already. I did some research a few days ago. "
She looked surprised, but quickly hid it. "Well then, you won't be needing those, I guess. However, you must learn French also, a princess must know many languages, you will be talking with many diplomats from all across the globe."
This only made me more nervous. Politics was not my thing. Before I could comment more, I was whisked into a grand hall. It was beautiful the floors were gold, and they sparkled, almost blinding me with the sunlight coming through the huge windows in this place. The walls also shimmered and glittered in the light. I stood there with my mouth hanging open, staring at this room. It was adorned with flowers and the ceiling had beautiful paintings of what she could only guess were the past kings and queens of LaCresha.
"Oh my gosh, this is beautiful," I say in wonder.
"Come," Grandma was saying, pulling me down the hall. I was like a kid in wonderland. There was just so much to see. This was how everybody should be living. I was walking on gold for god's sake. Never in a million years would I have imagined a place like this.
"This is the throne room." She announced. This room was decorated in gold and red. down the middle of the floor was a red carpet and on either side of the carpet were dinning tables long enough to fit at least forty people at each one, the table clothes were red and the chairs were gold. At the head of the room at the end of the red runner were two chairs, both gold and royal looking and both encrusted with jewels the seat and backs of the chair were covered in red velvet seating. Fit for a queen, I thought, smiling.
"The smaller chair is yours. I had it placed there just for you," Queen Beatrice said, looking smug as if she were proud of herself.
"I don't know what to say," I stammered. I was really overwhelmed.
"Say nothing, just sit," She ordered.
We walked towards the two chairs and with every step I took, I was feeling more and more, unlike me, more and more like someone else. I whiffed my head. No matter what, I was determined to remain the same to not forget where I came from, to put on a front that they wanted me to but in my castle I will be me, just Vicki from the block.
I sat down and noticed that all the people who were outside were now standing before us. My grandma took her seat and again they all bowed. That part could get annoying quick. They seemed to have formed a line and my grandma motioned for the first lady to come forward. It was the dark-haired girl from outside. As I looked at her, I saw she had very kind green eyes and a welcoming smile.
She bowed again, "I am Sadie, Princess, your chief lady-in-waiting."
Three other women came forward and introduced themselves as ladies, also in waiting. Nevaeh, Gracie, and Alexandra. They all seemed very nice, although I did not know what they were for. Next came a very interesting looking lady. She was not so pretty, and she had on enough makeup to shut down Walmart. She was apparently my Beautician, Violet. And on and on it went and the whole time I was sitting there listening I was knew that by the end of the day I wouldn't remember anybody's name except maybe Violet and Sadie.
"Now, you will want to rest and get settled. Tomorrow is a busy day for you. Your maid and ladies will show you to your apartments and I will have dinner sent up to you." Said my grandma.
"What, no grand welcome dinner?" I asked. "I was looking forward to seeing the pig with the apple in its mouth."
"Olivia," My grandma said to my maid, ignoring my outburst. "Take princess Victoria to her rooms and see that she is fed and rested."
"Yes, your highness."
"Will I see you later?" I asked, reluctant to part with the only person I knew.
"I have a few things I need to do actually, I set aside much of my time for you today, but I must get back to work now, I have a royal ball to plan with you being home, so that everyone can meet you and your schedule will be equally busy for the next few days. The invitations for you will start coming soon, I'm sure. The people you met today are your people and if you need anything you only need say so."
"Okay," I said, taking a deep breath and fallowing Olivia out the throne room, hoping I wouldn't have to go to too many funerals.
This was all happening so fast. I wished my mama was here I felt so out of place. It seemed like I had been walking forever and my entourage followed quietly behind me. I wish they would stop looking at me like they were expecting so much. I was only one person. One very en-experienced person.
We finally arrived at a long hallway this one was so different from the rest of the house. The floors were purple, and the doors were all different colors. It was cheerful and almost immediately felt better..
"These are your rooms," Sadie said with a smile as she opened an orange door.
I entered and couldn't believe my eyes. It was almost like I was home, except the decorations were much more expensive. It was decked out in orange and yellow. The bed in the middle of the room could easily fit me and everyone behind me. there was a huge yellow writing desk and a huge king chair behind it. the vanity in the left corner was movie star quality and the floor was orange plush. I couldn't wait to sink my toes in it. There was a huge flat screen TV on the wall opposite the bed, make that a full entertainment center, with a kick as stereo, a DVD player and an x-box one series x. Man, I could just stay in this room and never come out. I soon found out that connected to this room was a private bath, with a huge green tub. Why was everything in this place huge. On down the hall was a dinning room for me and a walk-in closet that was just as big as the bathroom. I also had a sitting room, a tearoom and my ladies apparently all shared a room connected to mine, and Olivia had a room right across the hall from me.
"All this for me?" I asked, not talking to anyone in particular.
"Why yes, princess," Sadie said, smiling hugely like everything else in here. "This is all yours. Is everything to your liking?"
"I'll say, I would be crazy not to fall in love instantly."
She only bowed. I needed that to stop, when we were alone at least. "Can I have everyone come to the sitting room for a moment?" They all bowed, lord have mercy, and walked out the room, never turning their backs on me. They looked brain washed.
When they were gone, I sat on the huge bed and laid back. This place needed a little thugging out, and I was just the person to do it, I would start by setting my people straight on a few things, they were way to serious and they needed to loosen up, maybe they just didn't know how cool I was, but they were about to find out.
When I walked in they were all sitting, and they quickly jumped up, "Please sit down and just listen to me." They all sat looking a little confused.
"I know y 'all might be used to the whole here to serve only you thing but I'm used to doing my own thing. So I understand how if we were in public y'all have to call me princess this or whatever, but in my private rooms please call me Vicki."
Crickets. Damn, did I say something wrong, they looked horrified. "No, really, it's okay, just not around other people and you all have got to get nick-names. I will give them to y 'all as they come to me and I expect y'all to have fun." Again, they just looked worried as hell. time to break the ice, "now who knows how to play x-box?"
No one raised their hands. well it was time they learned. "Come on, by the end of the night, y'all gone be good. And where the hell is the liquor in this place?" For the first time since I started talking, they were smiling.