Ryan figured his whole life that he would be stuck in an arranged marriage. He wasn’t told anything about the princess. His parents were distant from him, and he wasn’t even sure if they knew much about the princess. Ryan wished his parents were better with communication. He didn’t know if they were just busy or if they actually didn’t want to talk to him. Maybe the princess wouldn’t be too unkind and would be nice company.
Ryan’s mother stepped into the room, making the young man jump. He wasn’t expecting his mother to walk in. “The princess should be close. Be polite, my dear.” She said. Ryan nodded and smiled at his mom. “I’ll be kind. I promise.” He said. He was about to say something else when his mother left again. Ryan hated to see her go. Every second one of his parents were near, he was willing to really get to know them. He wished he knew why they pushed him away. The prince finished getting ready for their meeting and started walking out.
Ryan was nervous already. He was no extrovert, but he really wanted to put his best side forward. Something about being married off so soon didn’t add up to him. Why were they so eager to find someone for him? He was just nineteen. What if him and the princess didn’t click like they were supposed to? Ryan was just getting more and more stressed the more he thought about it. Something was too suspicious about all of this.
Once outside, his parents were talking and looked at Ryan when he joined. His father smiled at him and motioned him over. “Ryan, come stand next to your mother. Hands behind your back and stand straight.” His father told him. Ryan nodded and with hesitation, he joined his family. He stayed quiet and listened to his parents as they told him about what to do when the princess got there. Ryan was looking at the ground as he waited. He swayed in his shoes until he was nudged by his mother to stop. The prince looked up and realized a carriage was pulling in. Everything suddenly became real. He became stressed all over again. Seeing the princess step out made Ryan smile. She was absolutely pretty, but of course he wanted to get to know her. His father stepped up to the carriage with the queen and Ryan following. “It’s nice to meet you.” The king greeted and bowed in front of the princess. Whenever the other set of rulers stepped out of the carriage, Ryan’s father shifted his attention to them. He greeted them with a smile and bowed to them both. Ryan stuck with his mom as they focused on the princess. “Princess Courtney, this is Prince Ryan.” She introduced. Ryan smiled at Courtney and took her hand, gently kissing it. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Ryan said. The king stepped back and looked at everyone. “Shall we get inside and settle the details while the future king and queen get to know each other?” He suggested.