Arranged British Love

I ran down the stairs, my bare feet slapping against the cold marble. I wasn’t quite sure where I was going, but I kept running. The only thing I wanted was to get out of this.

This situation, this mess.

I’m only sixteen, well seventeen in a week. There was absolutely no way that I could be Queen. And funnily enough, that was the exact person who I collided with.

“Oh, Phoebe!” Arabella cried when I ran into her, almost knocking her down. She smoothed down her skirt and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “What is wrong darling? You look a little...flushed.”

I struggled with the right words. “I...urr...I can’t...this arrangement...” I sighed, frustrated.

She twigged on to what I was trying to say. “Come on dear, I’ll take you to Sebastian’s office.”

We walked in silence up the stairs to the top floor, took a left at the top of the stairs and down a long corridor to a door at the end. The wallpaper was blue with gold leaves sewn in and I ran my hand along it, enjoying the feeling of the different textures. When we reached the end of the corridor Arabella knocked on the door and smiled at me encouragingly, her perfect white teeth glistening and me. She squeezed my shoulder gently before returning down the corridor and out of sight.

“Come in!”

I entered, my hands trembling. Sebastian was sat behind a huge oak desk in a leather chair which looked rather comfy. The office also had two seats facing each other in front of a fireplace and the walls, which were painted a light olive green, were adorned with paintings, no doubt the originals.

When he saw me, Sebastian smiled and took off the glasses which he has been wearing while studying a mound of papers on his desk.

The King motioned to a soft chair on my side of the desk, which I then sat down in.

“What can I do for you, Phoebe?”

I clasped my hands together, staring at them intently feeling tears well up in my eyes. “I...can’t do this. I’m sorry, Sebastian, but this is all too much!” Once I started talking I couldn’t stop. “I can’t handle this responsibility, I’m only sixteen! I mean, I can’t become a Queen; I can’t even get higher than a C in Physics!”

“Phoebe, Phoebe darling, calm down. Things will all be fine.” He voice was soothing, but it did nothing to help me calm down.

I was still examining my hands intently and I shook my head. “It won’t be fine! I don’t know why I agreed to this, I really shouldn’t be here.” I sighed sadly, and felt my cheeks redden at my juvenile outburst.

Sebastian was fiddling with his glasses nervously; he obviously wasn’t comfortable with my weepiness. “If it makes you feel any better, you don’t need to be good at Physics to be a Queen!”

I smiled at him thankfully; at least he was trying to make me feel better.

“Look, Phoebe, you don’t have to worry about this just yet. Arabella and I aren’t going anywhere in a hurry. So how about we just worry about it when it gets here?”

I thought about this, picking absently at my fingernails. “Yeah,” I said, realising that I really didn’t have to worry right this moment. “Sorry about the delayed reaction.” I said apologetically.

Sebastian stood as I did, and gave a nod of the head. “Looks like you need to be somewhere.” He said, indicating to my attire of black strapless dress and bare feet.

“Where on Earth have you been?!” Juliet screeched at me when I walked back into the bedroom five minutes later.

“I...urr...I was just...”

Luckily, Ethan interrupted me. “We picked out a pair of shoes for you. Well, Juliet did.” I gave him a thankful look as the girl jumped up excitedly holding a pair of black high heels. Ethan gave me a meaningful looking which undoubtedly said that he would ask me later about my disappearance.

I put the shoes one and straightened up, holding out my arms in a what-do-you-think kind of way. It took only seconds for Juliet to shake her head and push me back into the walk in wardrobe.

“What’s wrong with it?!” I exclaimed, not wanting to have to change another two times.

“Look, Phoebe, I’m going to make you try on all three of them so there’s no point dragging this on for longer than needs be.” She told me sternly. Beside her Ethan was doubled over laughing. His sister turned to him and punched him in the arm. “Shut up! I don’t find it hilarious when you have a go at people.”

“I was laughing at your hissy fit.”

Oh the irony.