"Sister Hazel", Prince Roshan shouted running into Hazel's room.
"Prince Roshan, you are done with your classes?" Hazel asked standing up from her bed
"Yes sister Hazel let's go play" Roshan said dragging Hazel excitedly
"What kind of play Roshan", Hazel asked and Roshan scratched his head with his fingers before grinning widely
"Let's go play at the garden", Roshan yelled excitedly,
Hazel smiled for a minute before her smile faltered, she looked at Roshan's happy expression before saying
"I am sorry Roshan, I can't go", Roshan's eyes became misty with tears
"Why Sister Hazel did I do something wrong, why don't you want to play with me? he said and immediately began bawling his eyes out
Hazel squatted in front of him and wiped his tears anxiously
"Its nothing like that Roshan, please don't cry",
"No its exactly like that you don't want to play with me, just like Sister Klara and Sister Astrid",
"I want to play with you Roshan, but the King has ordered me to prepare for my etiquette teacher tomorrow so I can't leave my quarters", Hazel said and Roshan stopped crying for a moment
"Fine I will leave. Sorry for disturbing you Sister Hazel", Roshan said and turned his back to leave. Hazel looked at his lonely back and couldn't bear to see him leave like that
"Okay Roshan, I will play with you. The King won't find out I disobeyed his orders" Hazel said and held Roshan's hand but she missed the smirk on his face.
"Now stage one of the plan is completed", he grinned happily while bouncing out of the quarters with Hazel.
"Sister Hazel carry on I will be right back", Roshan said with a sweaty face and left Hazel at the stable. Hazel watched him leave with a smile before continuing feeding the horses, her face was smothered with mud and sweat and her whole dress was dirty which doesn't befitt the image of a princess but she didn't care she was enjoying herself.
"Grandma it's time", Roshan whispered to the Royal mother and she just nodded with a smile. Roshan smiled happily and ran away.
"YOUR MAJESTY", the Royal mother yelled into the throne hall where the King and Queen were sitting. The King and Queen looked at each other
"why does she seem so angry", "Yes your Highness" the King replied
"I know you don't like my precious but why have you turned her to your slave", the Royal mother yelled with her chest heaving up and down, King Sebastian looked at her in confusion
"Please calm down mother and explain to me clearly, what slave?".
"My precious grandaughter has been feeding and washing the palace horses since this morning and you are asking me what slave",
"I don't know what you are talking about mother, I didn't ask Hazel to wash the horses I infact asked her to stay put in her quarters", King Sebastian answered getting angry at the fact that Hazel disobeyed his orders
"Are you lying to me right now, if you didn't ask her to wash the horses how did she get the stable keys. Apart from the people in charge of the horses only you and Roshan have the stable keys".
"The people in charge are not in the palace right now and Roshan went to sleep in his room immediately he was done with his classes so who else could have given her the keys if not you" The Royal mother yelled again.
"I will give you an answer to that later mother, but I have to find out why that girl disobeyed me first", King Sebastian said angrily and left the room with the Royal mother following behind him.
"Washing and feeding horses, that girl really knows her place. I find that position more befitting of her than that of a princess", Queen Marah thought behind them and laughed mockingly.
"Beautiful is the sun
Beautiful is the moon
Beautiful are the stars
People here, people there
Birds, reptiles,
Animals like friends, those like enemies
God has created wonders in the world".
Hazel happily sang her favorite song while feeding Snow and the other horses,
"Snow is so beautiful, I wonder when I will be able to ride you".
"PRINCESS HAZEL", The King shouted standing outside the stable with his hands crossed on his back and Hazel froze immediately she spotted him.
"The King is here all of a sudden, oh no I am dead", Hazel thought and moved towards him with her head lowered.
"Yes Your Majesty", she replied in a low voice standing a few distance away from him
"How dare you disobey me, I asked you to stay in your room and prepare for your teacher tomorrow so what are you doing feeding and washing the horses here", the King asked glaring at Hazel.
"I didn't mean to disobey you your Majesty but I was getting bored doing nothing in my room and I couldn't understand anything in any of the books in the study you asked me to read", Hazel replied timidly
"So you thought you could disobey me just because you were feeling bored", The King asked his gaze turning fiercer every minute.
"I am sorry Your Majesty" Hazel flinching under the King's angry intense gaze.
"Don't apologize, you say sorry when you make mistakes you intentionally disobeyed me it was no mistake at all",
"How did you even get the stable keys, did you steal it", Queen Marah asked trying to add fuel to the fire
"What Sebastian hates the most is stealing and deceit. You will be in big trouble today", she thought evilly looking at the angry look on the King's face.
The King raised his eyebrows and looked at Hazel expectantly, he really wished she didn't steal.
"No your Majesty. I didn't steal it. I swear", Hazel said and shook her head frantically.
"Then how did you get it", The King asked breathing a sigh of relief that she didn't steal the keys
"It was...", "No I can't tell them it was Roshan or he is going to be in trouble with the King as well. I might as well take the blame alone" she thought and lowered her head refusing to answer the question.
"How did you get the keys girl", Queen Marah asked but Hazel still didn't answer
"She must have stolen it your Majesty, she just refuses to confess. I think.....", Queen Marah was saying to the King when the Royal Mother cut her off.
"Keep your thoughts to yourself Queen Marah, We don't want to hear it", The Royal Mother said glaring at her.
"I am trying to bring Sebastian and Hazel together and this idiot is trying to sabotage my plans"
"I didn't steal the keys your Majesty but I can't tell you where I got it from" Hazel replied and the King just looked at her with a deep gaze before saying
"You will be getting the punishment for disobeying me, so follow me right now", The King said and the Royal mother stood in his way to stop him but the King said to her
"Don't interfere mother please",he begged and the Royal mother moved out of his way, the King walked away gracefully with Hazel following meekly behind him. The Queen went away to her quarters leaving the Royal mother behind. After they had left Roshan walked out from a corner he was hiding in and stood beside the Royal mother.
"I am feeling guilty grandma, Sister Hazel is getting punished now. Did we do the right thing", he asked looking up at his grandmother
"Yes Roshan, we did the right thing, we have to bring Sebastian and Hazel close together at any cost. The both of them have been apart for so many years", the Royal mother comforted him while thinking to herself "And the only way I can find out the truth is for the two of them to be united".
"But are you sure we are using the right method Grandma. I don't want Sister Hazel to always get punished", Roshan said and the Royal mother patted his head
"Don't worry Roshan, Hazel won't always get punished", Roshan looked worriedly at his grandmother but soon calmed down under her comforting gaze
"Okay grandma, but Please make sure His Majesty doesn't give sister an heavy punishment",
"I will see to that Roshan, you should go back to your quarters, the King thinks you are resting", The Royal mother said and Roshan ran away to his quarters while the Royal mother made her way to the King's Quarters.