My hands shook as I waited behind the velvet curtain. It was the only thing that was keeping me divided from the balcony I would be proclaiming my speech on. I could hear the buzzing of thousands of people below, all of them gathered in the royal courtyard to listen to me speak today. I'd pulled my straight hair back into a half ponytail and wore an orange, floral off the shoulder dress. I even put makeup on, too, which I instantly found displeasing the moment the liquid foundation touched my cheek. I'd never liked the feeling of things like that on my face. Beckham and Love were already on the balcony answering their own questions from the press. My heart pounded as Beckham spoke through the curtain.
"My love, it's time." I straightened my dress and took a deep breath. I was so nervous I nearly tripped over my heels on my way to open the curtain. Imagine if I would have done that on camera. I squinted my eyes from the bright sunbeams now shining down on me. I saw many cameras pointed up at me around the castle as I approached the podium. A quiet hush of silence spread throughout the enormous crowd of people before me and I gulped.
"Beloved citizens of Aridonya," I spoke loudly into the microphone attached to the podium just as I was told to do. "I am Princess Bliss Fontaine, soon to be the queen of Aridonya. I stand before you today to declare one of my first proclamations as your ruler." I clear my throat. I feel like I can't breathe. "For too long we have pushed away the rights of women in our kingdom. We are expected to sit back and watch, to stay at home, cook, clean, and look after our children." My eyes scan the crowd of citizens, casually grazing over a couple of cameras. "I will have you know, I believe that all men and women deserve an equal chance in this community, which is why I now proclaim all men and women to have a choice in joining the Army Guard." Many gasps rustled throughout the courtyard. Beckham and Love smiled proudly behind me. "Since I was a child my father taught me never to be afraid of something that doesn't yet exist. From a young age, I was trained in hand to hand combat and taught every region in our country in hopes that I would one day be able to help keep it safe." I spotted my father smiling up at me from one of the guard posts he was assigned to. I smiled back down and then faced the crowd again. "I had the chance of a lifetime being able to marry the love of my life, which gave me the opportunity to be a part of the military as well. Now it's my turn to give every one of you an opportunity just as great." Loud cheers erupted, causing a sigh of relief to escape my lips. Beckham appeared at my side in a matter of seconds, smiling proudly at me and kissing my forehead as we overlooked the excited sea of people below us. I waved to them before being escorted back into the castle, where I was instantly bombarded with microphones and camera flashes.
"Princess Bliss! How do you plan on maintaining the order of this new proclamation?" A middle-aged man with blond hair asked me.
"I will do whatever it takes to keep equality in Aridonya." I responded squinting my eyes from the fast bursts of light.
"Are you afraid there will be riots against your statement?" A woman asked.
"If there are they will be handled accordingly." I tried pushing past the dense formation of reporters but got cut short again by a determined news anchor.
"Will this law go out to each sector of the country?"
"I would hope so in the future, however, this is just pertained to Aridonya for now." Beckham kept pressure on my lower back to keep me walking forward. I hurried off on my own to a bathroom in a separated hall from where everyone was. When I came out, Alex was walking down the hall. He must not have seen me after I came out of the door, which I didn't mind at all. I wasn't sure if I could handle his awkwardness right now anyway. After making sure he was no longer in sight, I walked back to finish my dreaded interviews. A little later I'm asked more questions in a more civilized manner rather than being forced upon. "I'm not saying that we weren't strong enough before," I explained to a middle-aged woman with circular glasses. "I'm saying that we could use a little more... how would you say it, variety?"
YOU ARE READING
𝙱𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚃𝚘 𝚆𝚊𝚛
Romance*Mature Content* She'd been raised from the start to be different: a warrior rather than your typical maiden. Bliss had been trained by her military father in the hopes that she would one day become one of Aridonya's most elite soldiers, a protector...
