Chapter One

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Warm sun beams tickle my cheeks, as mists of water wash over me. All I can see is water in every direction. Sounds of sails flapping and waves crashing fill my ears, adding to my euphoria. I slowly close my eyes, taking in the smells of the open water.

"y/n...." Calls faintly from the distance.

"Y/N!"

"AH!" I yelp as the covers from my bed are ripped away.

"GET UP!" The agonizing voice of my aunt brings me back to full consciousness. "Why the hell aren't you awake? These hats aren't going to weave and sell themselves!" She says before storming out.

Aunt Margaret. She has been my caretaker and guardian for all 18 years of my life.

I groan loudly, rubbing my eyes. I look out the window and the sun has barely risen. My feet hit the cold floor as I rush around to get ready, before heading out of the house.

Once I exit the door,  I am surprised to see Aunt Margaret and my bitchy cousin Mabel waiting for me. Usually they are already at the market by this time.

"Girl, I am warning you that you better be on your best behavior today." My aunt remarks, pointing her finger a little too close to my face for my liking. "Rumor has it the prince will be making a trip down to the market today, and I will not allow you to make a mockery out of me or my daughter! You got that?"

"Whatever your say." I respond, rolling my eyes while pushing past them to walk to the market.

"You've got a lot of nerve, girl!" Mabel yells, before I hear footsteps following after me.


Once I finally arrive to our stall, Aunt Margaret and Mabel aren't far behind. Once we take our seats, Mabel and Aunt Margaret's chairs in the front, mine in the back, I notice that the market is already busy. After about an hour and several customers later, I notice the one and only Prince Eric approaching our stall. I watch him as his eyes scan over all of the intricately woven hats, until his eyes meet mine. His lips form a small smile as he slightly nods his head.

"Good morning! These are all absolutely beautiful!" He states.

"Feel free to pick one out that you like! No charge needed." Aunt Margaret responds, putting on that fake persona of hers.

His eyes fall on a hat. His face lights up as he grabs it, turning it in every direction to examine it.

The iconic hat in discussion👆

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The iconic hat in discussion👆

"This is amazing! The details are incredible. You guys made this?" He exclaims, eyes scanning the three of us.

"That is the lovely work of my beautiful daughter Mabel!" Aunt Margaret responds, signaling over to my cousin.

My heart drops. I have made every single hat, spending hours and hours until my fingers feel like they are about to fall off. Even though I'm forced into it, I take pride in the things I create. Especially the very hat that the prince is holding. I feel my sadness quickly turn to rage.

Prince Eric's attention is directed towards Mabel.

"Oh! Well it's-"

"Actually..." I blurt without thinking.

Eric immediately looks at me. Aunt Margaret whips her head around with a look that could kill.

"Um... I'm the one who made the hat." I finally admit. "I make all of the hats."

Eric raises his brow in confusion while glancing over at my aunt, before returning his eyes to me.

"Well, as I said before, they are absolutely amazing." He says, a reassuring look on his face.

He opens his mouth in attempt to say something else, before a man places a hand on his shoulder.

"Sire, the ships are prepped for the voyage." He states.

"Oh, wonderful! Thank you agai-" Eric tries to respond, before the man pulls him by the arm, beginning to walk away.

This catches Eric by surprise, causing the hat to slip from his grasp. 

"Hey, Grimsby hold on! I dropped something!" He shouts, but the man, who is apparently called Grimsby, keeps dragging him along.

"Sire, we must return to the castle at once to make sure everything is situated before our departure." He scolds.

"But-" Eric starts.

"No buts!" Grimsby interrupts.

I see Eric glance back at me and shrug. I giggle and wave at him. I see him smile at me before they disappear from view.

"You little brat!" The voice snaps me out of my trance and I am pulled back into the reality which is my aunt. "How dare you embarrass us like that!"

"Yeah, how dare you!" Mabel sneers, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "If you hadn't told him I didn't make that hat, he would probably be in love with me right now!"

"Ha! Have you lost your damn mind?" I blurt, so tired of the treatment from my so called family. "There is a better chance of being struck by lightning than the prince falling for you!"

"You shall not speak in that way to my daughter!" Aunt Margaret yells, pointing her long, bony finger in my face. "Know your place girl!"

"Know my place?" I question in disbelief. "You know what? I am 18 years old, so I get to decide that for myself now!"

"Ha! Where do you plan on going? You have no other family!" She shouts at me.

I think for a second before a smile creeps onto my face, thinking about living my dream.

"I want to sail on the sea." I say. "I want to go out and explore the world."

"You're even dumber than I thought." Aunt Margaret sneers. "You're gonna end up just like your mother and father!"

My parents went out on a short voyage shortly after I was born. Their goal was to trade with other islands in attempt to keep up with the world. A couple days in, a sudden hurricane blew in, causing the ship to sink, my parents unfortunately going with it. Or so I've been told. I want to finish what my parents set out to do.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" I yell.

I get up angrily from my chair, walking around to the front of the stall. I start to stomp off before pausing. I turn around and spot the hat that the prince was holding only moments ago on the ground. I walk over and pick it up, then look at my cousin and aunt one more time.

"Good luck running your little business without me."

I turn my body away from them and start walking away.

"Girl! You get back here this instant!" I hear Aunt Margaret yell behind me.

I ignore her, picking up my pace, hearing her voice fade away in the distance. I can feel a smirk form on my lips, a refreshing feeling washing over me. My fingers squeeze the rim of the hat excitedly.

I'm finally getting away from those bitches.


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Hey guys!!! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I know it probably wasn't too exciting, but I thought it was an important chapter for character development. Sorry it took so long to post, but I have been crazy busy. The next chapter should be up soon and the following chapters will not take as long as this one did! Hope you enjoy the rest of this book! Im excited to write it!!!

*I also know that using y/n is controversial, but I am really bad at coming up with names😭 Hopefully it's not too distracting for those of you who don't prefer y/n!!!

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⏰ Last updated: Jun 22, 2023 ⏰

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