Sometimes the princess surprised Renna. Seran was usually so proper and in control, but there were moments when her serenity slipped, and she seemed almost like a regular girl. Today was one of those days.
Usually, Renna didn’t know what to say to Seran. They were so different. Renna was free-spirited and out of control—most of the time, anyway—while Seran was calm and composed. Compared to Seran, Renna often felt immature, even though Seran was only a year and a half older. Plus, Seran was a princess. A gorgeous princess.
Not that I’m ugly. Renna caught a reflection of herself in the window, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. She liked her blonde wavy hair that refused to lay straight, her sun-kissed complexion from hours spent at the beach, and her green eyes. Her father always said they were the greenest eyes he’d ever seen, but he’d also said she was the most beautiful girl in the world, so how could she really trust him? Especially when the most beautiful girl in the world currently sat across from Renna, wearing an expensive, purple pleated dress. Though, it wasn’t the elaborate dress that made Seran look exquisite. No, she would look equally beautiful in a neutral, working-class dress.
Seran’s beauty was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of beauty. She was thin, with natural curves in all the right places. Her endless lashes complemented her dark eyes and flawlessly curved eyebrows; she wore her black tresses swept back in a classic, restrained up-do, accentuating her high cheekbones. She was exotic, sweet, and wise for her twenty years. Her fashion choices were bold in color, yet still tasteful. Seran was the ideal combination of everything proper, lovely, and royal.
The prince of Albion is going to love her.
Seran was definitely worth the wait of a ten-year betrothal, and probably the best thing the prince, and Albion, would gain out of the marriage alliance.
The surrounding small towns started to feel familiar as they neared Wellenbreck Farm. Renna soaked it all in, feeling as though the lost pieces of her heart were finally clicking back into place. Fourteen years of memories flooded her mind as she thought back to a life different than the one she lived now. The happy memories centered around her father—working the alfalfa fields, dancing in the kitchen, climbing the grassy hill behind the house, swimming at Wellenbreck Pond.
The pond had been her favorite place of all. On weekend nights, her father would load Renna on his shoulders and trek up the hill, singing songs she was sure he had made up. They spent warm summer evenings swimming together in the pond, tucked into the lush meadow surrounded by thick trees, hidden from the world. They even devoted an entire summer to building a wooden dock to fish from. Renna had been too young to help, but she’d tried to be his assistant anyway, bringing whatever tools and measuring boards he’d needed. Most days, she’d skipped rocks while her father hammered away, but he’d given her all the credit in the end. Back then, it had been just the two of them and their laughter.
Renna’s heart raced when she saw the small stone cottage Nellie and Preetis lived in next to Wellenbreck Farm. They had been there since before Renna was born, keeping the farm running, helping with the house. When Renna and her mother moved to the Government Center, Nellie and Preetis stayed behind to take care of everything.
The alfalfa fields stretched from the roadside to the tree-lined hill where Wellenbreck Pond waited. The crops were full and green, and Renna breathed a sigh of relief; Preetis had done an excellent job maintaining them.
She strained her neck, trying to get a view of the farmhouse. The two-story home wasn’t large or elegantly adorned. It was shaped more like a rectangular box with a triangular, pitched roof. Three gabled windows jutted out from the roof, matching the windows below. In a few places, the cream plaster had peeled off from the house and the stone wall surrounding the front yard had crumbled away. She wished her father was alive to fix things. The years of absence and neglect had obviously taken their toll, despite Nellie and Preetis’s best efforts.
Renna blinked back a tear, refusing to be sad. Her mother had gifted her a few short hours at Wellenbreck Farm, and she needed to use that time wisely. She wanted to explore everything, but she would need to escape the caravan first. Otherwise, her mother would rope her into some random assignment, like showing Seran’s friends around. Seran’s friends were the last people Renna wanted to spend time with while at Wellenbreck. She scanned the area for the best escape route.
The transporter’s rubber tires crunched over small pebbles as the vehicle rolled to a stop. A few moments later, the door flung open, and a guard’s outstretched arm helped her mother and Seran out of the vehicle. The arm reached for Renna as well, but she bounced past it, twirling around to get a better look at the place. Two other large transporters parked behind them, carrying Seran’s friends, a few royal advisors, and their three maids. A dozen guards on personal transporters dismounted and started unloading bags from the backs of the vehicles. Her mother’s maid, Cypress, shouted orders to the rest of the staff.
It was time to get lost.
Becoming invisible in the mayhem of guards and maids was easy. No one in the royal caravan was worried about the queen’s tag-along daughter.
Dodging several guards with luggage in their hands, Renna ran into the small, wood stable along the side of the main house. Her head popped into a few stalls, looking for her old horse, Canyon Ann, but none of the horses were there. The stable was empty. Preetis must have them in the fields; they would have to reunite later. Renna scanned the stable, finding what she was looking for on a rusted hook next to some rakes.
Thank you, Preetis. Renna unfastened her pink travel dress and pulled the farmhand’s work pants on, throwing his gray shirt over her head. The best part of moving to the Government Center had been the upgrade to vibrantly colored clothing. One minute at Wellenbreck Farm, and she was already back to wearing muted colors. She turned her head as she ran out the stable’s back door, giving the bustling front yard one last look. Nobody seemed to notice her sprinting for the hill.
Renna smirked. Dressing as a man had likely helped her cause.
The mile-long path to the water was overgrown with abandonment, but as Renna approached the pond, everything else around the water remained the same. In a way, it was comforting how time had left this place behind, yet it was still here when Renna needed it.
She walked across the splintered dock, knowing from memory which boards to avoid stubbing her toes on. The smell of aspen trees filled her nose as she breathed in. She thought about testing the water’s temperature first, but her father’s voice sounded in her thoughts. “Don’t think. Just jump.”
So she did—letting out a scream as she plugged her nose.
The chilly water covered her, reviving her senses. She let out another yelp when she came up for air—not because of the cold, but because she was elated to be home. She drifted on her back, letting the water lap around her.
The cold pond tugged at her memories, bringing them to the front of her mind. She could picture her father with her, see flashes of his facial expressions, his silvery beard, his broad shoulders, his playful eyes. It felt so real. Vivid memories had been hard to come by as time passed, but memories were effortless at the pond.
The buzz of a personal transporter scattered Renna’s thoughts away. She groaned, lifting her head. It had to be Mangum, her mother’s guard, coming to take her back to Wellenbreck Farm. Was she missed already? She slapped the water in front of her.