When I was born, no one could believe how I looked. Both my parents stared at me in shock or so I heard. My father began to blame my mother for infidelity even though I had his eyes. Rumors spread like wildfire inside the castle and soon enough to the city. Rumors of the 'Black Princess'. I wasn't actually black just a nice golden brown that shimmered in the sun but it didn't matter. Anything dark is black. My mother suffered during that time until a famous doctor appeared when I was a 1 year old child. He determined that ancestry could affect a child's skin colour siting examples he had seen in the world. My mother's ancestry was checked and it was found that my great-grandfather had actually the same skin as me. He took me in his arms and presented me to my father showing him my eyes. His eyes. The same colour and a unique shade found in the Royal family. A lovely gold with green at the edges. A proof that stared him right in the eye. Mother was soon acquitted and so was I. I gained the title of princess and mother's castle was reinstated to her. She had always been the queen, but the difference was when I was born, father kept her in his castle in the furthest room with guards to monitor her. Her freedom was utterly restricted. Talks began of him getting a new concubine which he did 9 months later, after I was born. My mother felt betrayed and was in anguish. At that time, I was told she did not attend to me for an entire month. Even after I was recognized as his daughter, their relationship could not mend. Mother saw that she married a man who did not trust her and did not care for her feelings. Father felt it was a mistake that I was born and he felt sorry that the person he loved most in the world, once upon a time, was hurt by his actions. That's where his sympathies reached and they ended where he ensured I was treated like a princess, lacking for nothing, but didn't do much on the bullying my siblings did. Mother was the only one who took care of me or more so, taught me how to take care of myself and defend against such 'aggressors'. Mother was a busy woman. She had so much to run in the castle that I too was surprised. She did not remain queen because of father's love. She remained queen because of her unrivaled brilliant mind. She had many great supporters one being the great duke of the Kingdom, second in power to the king. He was the one who stopped the rumors from spreading any further and called 'the doctor ' from another continent. He is my mom's friend. I do wonder sometimes why mother never married him and chose the king. As far as I see, he's the only person who has ever made her smile other than me and maidservant Lorace. Their conversations are usually light and warm. He also treats me quite nicely to the point I started calling him uncle. He's just the best but this is a thought I keep in my heart. Father got 2 children from the concubine. One 2 years younger and the second 4 years younger. Both white or should I say light. A little prince and a little princess. A menace prince and a darling princess. A prince I did not like one bit and a princess who was endearing though that could be a double edged sword. I lived in that castle never quite truly fitting in. I would go to church each week, for no one there would judge me nor spend their time staring at me. I would go and ask God if he made a mistake cause no one looked like me. I felt a different kind of isolation even though I was never alone. I felt lonely even though I had maidservants waiting on me all day. I never genuinely had a friend. When I was 7 years, at a tea party the queen hosted her friends came and so did their children. They were making Merry while us kids were left to our own devices. I remember hearing them talk amongst themselves before I joined in, at the playroom. One asked why I looked so weird. The other responded that it was because I didn't bathe well enough when I was a kid and that is why I looked like that. Honestly speaking, I wanted to cry. I bathed everyday with the most expensive perfumed bath oil and luxurious soaps. This was just my skin. The same way he was white I was brown. The same was he was of light complexion I was of dark complexion. It was quite a simple notion that no one seemed to understand. My hands were in fists trying to bear down what he had said but emotion had other plans. I stormed into the room and glowered at the boy.
" If I'm dark because I don't bathe doesn't that mean you are pale because you're a walking corpse." I retorted.
" Take that back!" he said angrily
" You first have to take back what you said and apologize to me!" I answered back with the same fire.
"Why should I? You do look dirty"
"That's it you walking corpse!" I lunged at him pulling his hair and he did the same. We tumbled to the ground grunting while trying to get an upper hand on each other.
" Let me go you unruly girl" he yelled at me
" It is princess to you, you undead creature!" The kids were now screaming. His tie became loose and the decorations that adorned my hair were now scattered around the room. None of us wanted to let go. That was until mother came rushing in and so did his mother. We were pulled apart. He was then slapped by his mother and I was pinched on both cheeks by my mother. We were made to apologize to each other. That's when I knew I wouldn't like this boy.