Princess of Broken Hearts

Zaria

My mother's always said that love is no place for a princess. it's 's all one big fight, a game, and whoever falls first loses. My mothes has never lost a game, not even with her daughter. to her, love is weakness, and showing it only makes you more vulnerable. she was never one to read me stories before bed, believe me or not. instead she left me locked in my room, which is where this story starts for you.

The smell of warm tarts wafted in under my door. I sighed, that meant that mother's coming home. As a queen she has lots of duties, one of them being abandoning her daughter on her 17th birthday and riding to Rosebury to eat macaroons and play croquet. Footsteps came drifting up the stairs, bringing my maid and only friend, Mary.
"Zaria, you need to try on your dress!" came from the corridor. I love Mary, but sometimes i forget that she's my maid and she's paid to be with me.
"I will" I shouted with no intention of doing so. Mary pushed the pale brown box with a ridiculous red bow on it through the door.
"Come on Zaria, please just try on the dress"
I grabbed the box and poked my head out my door catching her gaze and smiling sarcastically.
"Looking forward to it."

I chucked the box onto my red bed, watching the dust fly off my sheets as i haven't slept in it for weeks. i took the lid off the box, preparing myself for whatever ghastly dress was inside. I sighed but as i heard Mary breathing deeply outside i lifted my shirt to my shoulders and got it over with.

I faced in my mirror, not wanting to open my eyes. I knew that if i did i would regret it.
"Mary i'm done." i shouted through my door.
"Can i see?" She said pushing my foot open and walking in.
"You look incredible."

I turned back to my mirror. The dress was a velvet red, tight at my waist with flaps pooling down from it, with straps just off my shoulders. In the center of the dress was a miniature heart, my families symbol. It was a nice enough dress but it didn't go with my skin tone nicely and it outlined my broad shoulders and it-
i looked away.

"It's nice." I said, undressing back into my jeans and shirt.

As i folded the dress back into the box i realised that i had lost track of time. Shit. I looked at my watch. 6:00 pm. I knew what i had to do, i've done it everyday for a year now.

"Ow." i muttered as i scratched my ankle on the gutter. I paused from climbing down the pipe and looked at my home. With turrets and towers you would think that i'm incredibly lucky, i am in that way but id still rather have a homely home with a libary and a fire place to huddle up to. I climbed down a bit further until a squirrel decided to pee where i put my hand. I jumped down, landing on bum, most definitely leaving a painful bruise. Graceful.

I knew where i needed to go. I looked down the path, spoons, forks and cups of tea smashed on the cobblestone. I shook my head and smiled to myself. I guess the party had already started.

"Zaria my dear! Happy birthday!" Mal, my beloved friend the dormouse squeaked up at me.
"Thank you Mal." i say smiling at the needle attached to her belt i gave her to use as a sword last christmas.
"Aren't you going to say hello to me?"
"Hatter." i said running towards him. As i ran into his arms i took a deep breath in. He smelled of peppermint and oranges.
"I've missed you."
As i pushed him away to look at him, instead my eye caught something else, someone else.

A girl with a blue and white dress and a black bow in her butter coloured hair with a bruise on her shin and a cut on her lip was staring my way. My stomach did a hundred flips as i took her features in. She had beautiful sapphire eyes that caught the sun and little black shoes that reminded me of my dolls that i had when i was little and-
"Hatter who's that?"