The Crown

Chapter One

His eyes shot open, his breathing hitched. 

Tobias looked down as a shiver swept through. The bedsheets were on the floor, and his blanket was thrown across due to the nightmare. Some would call it a terrible nightmare, but Tobias knew better; this was frustration. He was frustrated because he couldn't see her. He didn't know her. But, all he wanted was to hold her, and to finally meet the girl who had been haunting his dreams.

The bedroom door opened as Tobias quickly covered himself, which turned out to be useless. King Marcus, his father, walked in. They did not necessarily share a good relationship, mainly because there was always deception in his cold eyes when looking upon his only son, his only child.

"Son," he looked his son up and down before he leaned against the wall. "Did you sleep well?"

Tobias nodded, too tired to make a sound.

"Good. I have arranged a meeting with a princess," he sneered as a servant walked past him. The young servant reached for the drapes in the bedroom and pulled them to the side, letting the morning sunlight cast onto the royal son and father. Another servant followed suit and placed the prince's morning tray at his bedside. They both bowed and exited the bedroom as quickly as they came. "I do not think I need to remind you of your duty to find a princess to marry. I will not allow you to remain a bachelor forever."

Tobias reached for the water from the tray. "I'm only twenty, and I have only just come home, father."

"I am not sure what sort of fairytale you have been fed, son, but a princess will not come knocking on the castle doors, requesting your name, and claiming she's the one you're destined for," Marcus laughed at the image. "Yes, you're twenty, and it's time you begin courting. Now, get dressed and head to the garden; a princess has now been waiting."

Tobias pressed his feet onto the cold hardwood floor, tossing a breakfast biscuit in his mouth. He watched as his father looked at him with no love in his eyes, scoffing away in disappointment. 

"Do not embarrass me," the king spat before he marched away, slamming the door behind him. 

Their relationship was complicated, and no matter how hard Tobias tried, his father was too stubborn to see the son he had become. 

In Marcus' eyes, he only saw disappointment for a boy who happened to be from his bloodline. In his eyes, it was too late to have another child without a guarantee it was going to be another son. And, all he wanted was to get rid of his reign as king and pass it down to his son – against his wishes. 

Although a man who constantly craved and sought power through any means necessary, the current king cowered behind the mistakes of his kingship. 

The slammed door echoed in Tobias' ears. He looked around his room and wondered if this was the life he had momentarily thought was worth coming back to. He had just returned from four years of boarding school. The program was only two years, but he'd requested two more. All in the goal of spending as much time as possible away from his father and this life he'd been born into.

This life he .... resented. A life with no choice.

Tobias combed his hair and walked out, fixing his outfit as he hurried to the garden. When he reached the tables, a young woman was sitting and waiting. 

She spotted him and scurried to stand, bowing and lifting her head to meet his eyes.

"P-Prince Tob-bias, it's an honor to meet you. I'm Princess Lauren," the young woman rushed out. She laughed nervously and sat back down. Her hair was tied into a tight bun, and she was wearing an elegant long pink lace dress. A ribbon was tied around her waist accenting her figure.