Chapter Two; This is Me

“I’m sorry for pushing you so much.” Xavier began as I sat down in front of his desk. He was perched on his throne, papers scattered all over his desk. I shrugged, the wrinkled piece of paper with my speech on it in front of me. 

“It’s alright.” I said, rubbing my eyes. 

“Your speech is very beautifully written. I just need to make sure I tell you not to say anything about the Destroyer prophecy. I don’t want to anger the kingdom anymore.” Xavier informed me. I nodded. 

“There’s not much to tell. I don’t know much of the prophecy, honestly.” I explained. He nodded. 

“I think it’s good to keep it that way. I don’t even know if that prophecy exists. I’ve never heard of it. But nonetheless, I don’t think the kingdom will want to hear you’re some sort of Destroyer regardless.” He explained. I agreed. 

“What do I do if I don’t know an answer?” I asked. He raised an eyebrow. 

“I don’t think that would happen, but just give me a glance and I’ll try to help you.” He affirmed. There was a knock on the door. 

“Come in.” Xavier called. A maid peeked her head inside. 

“Princess Mariah, Prince Andrew has arrived.” She informed me. I muttered a quick thanks, folding the paper back up. 

“He’s such a good kid.” Xavier pointed out, leading me out of his office. 

***

“Hey.” He said, holding a singular lavender in his hand. 

“Are you kidding me?” I laughed, taking the flower. Xavier chuckled, holding out his hand for Lucy to take. Olivia and Liam appeared shortly after, meeting us in the main doors. 

“Where is the conference being held?” I asked Xavier. 

“In the throne room. They already have it set up. You’ll stand at the podium, and we’ll be standing behind you.” He explained. I nodded. 

“And I can be wherever you need me.” Andrew told me. I nodded, rubbing my forehead. 

“It’s all going too fast. I’m not ready.” I admitted. Andrew put his hand on my shoulder. 

“It’s all going to be fine. Besides, you’re just conveying what the kingdom already knows.” He explained, easing my mind a bit. I still was nervous about the reaction I’d get from the kingdom. I mean, Xavier was so worried that I wasn’t allowed outside without the rest of the family. 

But how much worse could things get? 

*** 

We waited in the waiting office attached to the throne room, waiting for the royal announcer to do his thing. My arms were jello, and my knees were shaking. My stomach was in a knot, and I found myself unable to stay still. 

“It’s gonna be alright. Trust your gut.” Xavier assured me. I shook my head. I could hear the chatters of news reporters, photographers, writers, and citizens who came to watch my speech, and probably my downfall. I refused to let that happen. I couldn’t do that to dad. 

“Hear Ye Hear Ye,” I heard the announcer’s voice blare through the announcement speakers that played in the waiting room. My stomach instantly sank like a bottomless pit. 

“May I present King Xavier, Queen Lucy, Princess Mariah, Princess Olivia, and Prince Liam of Jamaa, along with Prince Andrew of Vandens.” Andrew held his arm out to me, which I happily accepted. As the doors swung open, I heard the familiar clicks of cameras. Flashes appeared all around the room as people snapped as many photos as they could. My grip on Andrew tightened, and he put his free hand on mine as a sign that it was okay. The chatting ceased as Xavier took the podium first. 

“People of Jamaa, and of the world, my daughter is ready to speak on behalf of the events that followed Magestia Prep’s Fall Ball, as well as her past. Respect her as such royalty as you do for me.” Xavier pressed, moving out of the way for me to take the podium. My hands shook as I slowly unfolded the paper. Andrew followed with me, putting a hand on my lower back as I stood at the podium. 

“H-hello. I’m sorry if this isn’t as professional as when my father does it. I’ve never really done this before.” I chuckled nervously looking at him for guidance. He chuckled a bit, nodding for me to begin. I quickly cleared my throat, looking down at my paper. 

“My name is Mariah. I am 13, almost 14 years old. Though I don’t know my exact birth date, we believe it’s somewhere in January. I am the daughter of King Xavier of Jamaa and Hatchi of the Phantoms. I enjoy playing soccer and sitting on my bed watching movies. I am an eighth year and attend Magestia Prep.”

“Though I wasn’t raised in a royalty setting, I’ve grown to truly accept and love my life. I have made so many amazing friends, got two incredible siblings, got to meet my father, received a proper mother figure, and I met an amazing person in my life that has completely changed the way I see the world.” 

“My mother, Hatchi, was the daughter of the infamous Phantom King. She was third in line for the throne, behind her sister and niece. My mother was sent on a mission by the Phantom King to seize the throne of Jamaa to prove herself worthy of ruling the phantom kind. I like to think that she fell in love with my father, but whether that’s actually true is anyone’s guess. After my mother’s true colors were exposed to the royal family, she fled. That’s where I grew up. Off the grid in a small cottage in the middle of nowhere.” 

“She wasn’t there a lot when I was growing up, and I had to learn to do things on my own if I wanted to survive. She was constantly trying to prove her worth, and never thought about what she had right in front of her. Looking back, I wish I could’ve somehow helped her see the light that I was shown. Unfortunately, she didn’t want that, and it led to her demise.” 

“I have powers, yes, which as a hybrid, is very rare. However, I have devoted my powers to helping Jamaa, not hurting it. I spent my entire life feeling unwanted, but I’m starting to learn what it means to be loved. I’ve been told that I can be a bit.. different from the average princess, but I’ve been told that I will do great things. Sometimes I don’t believe that I will truly be a successful princess, much less a successful ruler. But as long as you keep your light shining, you’re okay-enough. And I hope I can live up to the standards of royalty by centuries of rulers that have come before me.” I finished, out of breath. The crowd, for the most part, applauded me. There were groups of people who glared in disgust, and others that were jumping with joy. I guess you can’t please everyone. 

Andrew was still beside me, not moving as I waited for the clapping to seize. 

“This is the part where I ask for questions I think.” I said, looking at Xavier. He nodded. One of the guards held a microphone, walking towards a tiger with his hand in the air. He gladly took the microphone, clearing his throat before speaking. 

“Hi, Princess Mariah. I’m Bryan with the Jamaa Journal.  I think it was very brave of you for speaking out on such an issue. Our readers would like to know, though, what was the weird outfit you used while fighting your mother on the night of the fall ball? What happened that caused your hair’s color change?” The tiger asked. I glanced at my hair, then at Xaiver. He stared blankly at me. 

“Uh well it was a disguise that I had prior to that event, and now it’s just become sort of a habit to use it. I had it before so I wouldn’t be spotted using my powers, but obviously now I wouldn’t need to worry about that. This is my natural hair color. The brown hair was a spell. As far as what happened, I’m not really sure I-'' I looked over at Xavier for help, and he cleared his throat. 

“Mariah’s powers still hold a lot of unknowns, so she might not be able to answer them all.” Xavier explained. I thanked him quietly. I asked for another question. The guards handed the microphone to a young wolf with blonde hair. 

“Hi, Princess Mariah! Brenda here from Jamaa Gossip. Jamaa wants to know, so can we get confirmation today that you and Prince Andrew are officially a couple?” She asked, her big eyes peering into my soul as I noticed the large camera crew and photographers beside her. I stumbled for a few seconds before Andrew nudged me. I moved over to allow him to answer the question. 

“I’ll handle this one,” He laughed, still keeping me close, “but yes I can confirm that for you today, Ms. Brenda.” Andrew informed the reporter. She scribbled down on a notepad as the cameras kept flashing. I internally rolled my eyes at the giddiness of the reporters. The guards handed the microphone to a kangaroo with orange hair. 

“How do we know we can trust you? How do we know you’re not just lying to gain the throne for the phantoms?” She asked, my heart sinking with each word that fell from her mouth. My mind instantly fell blank, and I turned to Xavier with tears in my eyes. He quickly rushed to the podium. 

“Mariah is of royal blood, and has a pure heart of gold. You may choose to not believe her, but she is your princess and future queen. Just as you trust my judgment, I hope you will trust that every word she speaks is of truths.” He answered, glaring at the kangaroo before she quickly handed the microphone back to the guard. Xavier backed up again, Lucy patting his shoulder for him to relax. I asked for one final question. The guard gave the microphone to a penguin holding his phone high in the air over the crowd in front of him. I took a deep breath. 

“Hi, Princess Mariah. My name is Dan, and I’m the owner of the blog Royal Updates. Do you plan to return to Majestia Prep?” He asked me. I nodded, looking at my father for a bit of guidance. With a bit of uncertainty, I began to speak. 

“Yes, I do. I’ll be returning tomorrow, and I’ll be returning back to soccer practices tomorrow as well.” I said, looking at Xavier. He smiled, nodding. He took the podium again, and Andrew and I stood at the side. 

“Thank you for your respect and compassion for my daughter. I know this is trying times for the kingdom, and for the world, but I know Mariah will be entrusted with good hands when it comes her time to rule this land. This will end the press conference. Have a wonderful day.” Xavier said, waving as photographers flashed their cameras and reporters started scrambling to the front of the throne room to ask further questions. The guards quickly stopped them, but one lion made his way to the edge of the stand, grabbing my leg. 

“Phantoms like you don’t deserve to live such perfect lives of riches and royalty. You deserve nothing.” The lion hissed as guards quickly grabbed him. I stared at him as the guards trailed him away, Andrew trying to lead me away. I continued to watch as the lion continued to make comments until he was taken out of the room. 

“You’re a monster! You deserve to rot right next to the Phantom King. You don’t have a soul.” He screamed as Xavier ushered me out of the throne room. I walked in silence as the guards quickly shut the doors behind them.

“Are you okay?” Xavier asked me. I was blanked out, hearing the words over and over again in my head like a broken record scratching against the needle. 

“Yeah I’m okay. You know, I’m pretty tired. I think I’m going to go up to my room.” I said quickly. Andrew grabbed my arm lightly as I started to turn away. Tears filled my eyes as he pulled me into a warm embrace. Xavier followed after. 

“Don’t listen to the things uneducated people say. They don’t know you like we do, not yet at least.” Xavier explained, releasing me from the hug. I sighed, wiping away my tears. He was right. These people were angry, and they had every right to be. 

I walked into their lives without much of a reasoning, was crowned Princess of a land I never belonged in, and hid the biggest secret I could’ve hidden from the kingdom I swore to protect. I swore to protect this land from my own people. Just like Xavier said, it would take a lot of time to convince these people that I wasn’t a threat. But once they see me for who I really am, just like Olivia did, things might just turn out alright. 

I went back to my room, Andrew following close behind. 

“Mariah, if you need anything please let me know.” He shouted at me, dodging servants as I reached my door. I turned around, my puffy eyes meeting his. 

“I just need some time. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I said, turning back to the door to open it. Andrew grabbed my paw. 

“You’re amazing, you know that right? You don’t need to listen to the people who don’t understand like we do. Like I do.” He said, pulling me into a hug. I said a quick goodbye before going inside my room. I closed the door quietly, sulking down onto the floor. The bottom of my dress sprawled out on the floor with my legs peeking out from under the lavender, satin gown I was wearing. I took off the tiara that was plopped onto my head and placed it on the floor beside me.

Hey guys! I finally am back with a new chapter! I actually ended up needing that foot reconstruction surgery, so I’ve been recovering from that. Nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoy! -Cutey <33