“Caryn, slow down,” Lana, the blonde haired and fair skinned beauty, shouted to her older half-sister.

Caryn ignored her and kept moving at her same speed of running through the castle corridor. She was determined and very upset at the news she had received that very morn. Caryn Dimmock was the eldest girl of the royal family of Cartanin, almost at 18 years of age she was still unmarried and without a betrothal. Her older brother, King Marcus, saw it was time for her to be married.

“Marcus must know how angry I am when he hears me coming,” Caryn said back to a chasing Lana.

Lana looked behind her with a sigh; she realized there was no changing her stubborn sister’s mind now. Caryn’s ladies in waiting were walking calmly behind the girls as they ran. With every step the ladies got further behind Caryn and Lana. The ladies would never act out of order, for their positions were not yet sealed until they married a courtier with a bit of money in his pocket.

The guards and courtiers looked on and chattered curiously about themselves as they watched the young princess run through the corridor with the former King’s basterd daughter chasing behind. At the end of the stone hallway stood two large wooden doors they had ornate carvings in them, the former King of Cartanin, Henry Dimmock had had them installed for his planning room many years ago. They were a gift from the family of his wife Helena; behind those doors stood Caryn’s biggest challenge and enemy at the moment, her older brother Marcus.

“Let me in there, now,” Caryn said to the guards who stood in her way.

Lana stopped running and stood behind Caryn watching to see what they would say and what was going to happen. The guards looked at each other and then back to the Princess.

“Your grace, the King is in a meeting with a Duke,” the guard on the right replied to Caryn’s demand.

“I do not care, I need to speak with him immediately,” Caryn said loudly as if to make sure that Marcus heard her from the other side of the doors.

“What Duke is he meeting with?” Lana interjected.

“Duke Saber,” the guard on the left replied quickly in a low voice.

The two sisters looked at each other with surprise, they thought they would never see that man back at Garhanna’s shores again.

“Is the Princess Harmony here with him?” Caryn asked in a more sincere tone now.

The doors began to open now and the guards moved out to the sides quickly, King Marcus had opened them himself.

“That is enough, I have very important business to attend to and I do not need you two birds chattering outside while I do it,” He said angrily.

“Marcus, I want to speak with you about my marriage, Father had plans for me and marrying a Logan was not one of them,” Caryn insisted.

Lana looked around, seeing who was hearing this, “can we take this inside, there are many ears out here.”

“No, we will discuss this later,” Marcus said promptly, closing the doors afterwards.

Caryn sighed and almost came to tears from that more than embarrassing encounter with her older brother; it was just another reminder to her that nothing was ever going to be the same after the death of her poor Father. Lana put her arms around Caryn and turned her around.

“We should go, Caryn,” Lana said in a whisper.

Caryn nodded and followed along with Lana back to her chambers, her ladies in waiting came as well. When they reached Caryn’s chambers, Lana insisted for time alone with her sister. They went inside and immediately Caryn threw herself on her bed and began to cry.

“Caryn, you should be happy, at least you get to be married to a Duke,” Lana tried to reason with her sister.

“He’s not a Duke yet,” Caryn cried.

“Is that really your worry, that he isn’t a Duke yet?”

“No, it is much bigger than that.”

“Tell me Caryn, why can’t you marry Immanuel Logan?”

“You cannot tell anyone Lana,” Caryn’s voice diminished to a small whisper.

Lana nodded and came closer to Caryn, “tell me.”

“I’m in love with Orion Winston.”

“In love, are you certain?”

“Yes Lana, of course I am certain, would I say this if I wasn’t certain?”

“I understand Caryn, maybe you can ask Marcus to arrange a marriage with Orion, is he betrothed to anyone?”

“Neither him or his older brother is betrothed,” Caryn explained, a light returned to her eyes as she realized there might be hope for her situation yet.

“Well then, when Marcus agrees to speak with you surely you can bring this up to him,” Lana suggested.

“Oh Lana, you are an angel, thank you for making me feel better!”

Lana smiled and nodded, she was happy to help cheer up her older half-sister, even though exactly what Caryn was getting was what Lana wanted for herself. All she ever wanted was to get married and have a family of her own, but as a basterd such a life was unlikely.

Before much more could be said or even thought, Marcus barged into Caryn’s room slamming the door behind him.

“Is it your will in life to forever be unhappy and make me so as well?” Marcus asked Caryn angrily.

Caryn got off her bed and walked over to Marcus and looked up at him with disgust on her pretty face, “how dare you charge me with bringing unhappiness in your life, when it really is you that wishes to make me unhappy.”

“How so, I offer you a new life in Zar as a rich Duchess,” Marcus replied with a hint of confusion in his tone.

“Father was going to let me pick my own marriage, you should let me do the same, Jamison would have if he were King and Jasper would too,” Caryn explained herself, her voice was laced with disdain for her older brother.

Marcus grabbed Caryn’s long blonde hair at the base of her neck causing her to shriek from discomfort and pain.

“Marcus, what are you doing?” Lana shouted at her half-brother stepping towards them.

“Stay out of this Lana,” Marcus said pushing her away.

“Let me go!” Caryn whimpered with tears in her eyes.

“I am your King, our Father is dead, and Jamison is dead. You best remember that, you are betrothed to the Logan boy and that is final,” Marcus said sternly, he let go of her and then walked out.

Caryn sunk to the stone floor in a heap and started to sob uncontrollably.