The Princess and the Soldier

Prologue

Author’s note:

This story is a sequel to the book My Royal Best Friend. While it is recommended that you read it first before starting with this book, I cannot hold you off.

Welcome to the life of Princess Alya.

Alya POV

The past two months of harsh winter in the Royal Kingdom of Solandia had been chaotic. I knew our elderly would not last long. However, we were still not prepared to lose them.

The winter’s first casualty was our Grandpa Jeremiah, the previous king of Solandia before Dad. We have been telling him to come down from the mountains and stay with us at the palace. But he was adamant on staying put. He was always telling us that his time was near and he would die where his beloved took her last breath, too.

That was one of the many characteristics of grandpa. He may look serious and unapproachable, but he was really a softie on the inside. Or was it only me and Mom who had tapped that side of him? He was truly a romantic, being the number one fan of Mom and Dad. He was silent about it but I knew he was cheering for them on the sidelines.

Our Grandpa Jeremiah died in his sleep in the middle of January. Dad was in shock that John and I had to arrange everything – the wake and the funeral. Us, being eighteen years old. Mom had to be with Dad most of the time to assist him with running the kingdom. She had to make sure that Dad stayed focused and still got to have his breaks. Kings can’t have a day-off, can they? That was the only escape Dad could make, to delve into more work.

I was thankful to Uncle Lucas, Aunt Betty, and our best friend Leo for being with us throughout the heavy ordeal. Uncle Lucas was Dad’s assistant and Aunt Betty was my Mom’s assistant. Leo, their son, was extremely helpful with lessons and homework. He was actually on the same level as me and John even though he was a year younger. He was really smart! John and I were given a week off from school and that was where Leo’s help came in.

Grandpa Jericho came a day later and straight away met with Grandpa Jeremiah’s lawyers. Dad and Mom had to go with him, leaving us for some time at the wake, which was held at the cathedral in the city. Grandpa Jericho also had to process Grandpa Jeremiah’s unfinished businesses, whatever they could be.

In this trying time, we were grateful too for grandma Fia’s calming presence. Unfortunately, Mama Mila cannot make it. She was already bedridden for almost a year and we knew that it was only a matter of time that she would also pass on. It was only because of Grandma Fia’s care and expertise that she was able to live longer.

The whole kingdom was one with us in our sadness. The cathedral was filled with people from all walks of life. We had a few VIPs flying in and that got additional stress from Dad and Mom. Why so? Instead of resting, they had to attend to them and additional security at the venue had to be provided.

The wake lasted for five days and Grandpa Jeremiah was buried on the sixth day.

The streets were lined up with people as we went to the burial place. Not far from the palace was a cemetery where the higher royals were buried. It was like a huge garden that one would not think was a cemetery. The place, which was guarded but usually open to the public, was closed to everyone else to give our family our last private moment with Grandpa Jeremiah. Leo and his family were, of course, with us. They were our family, too.

The days that followed were still stressful for all of us. John and I had a lot of catching up to do at school. We also had to continue where we left off with the language tutorial. John and I were studying Spanish. Additional burden.

Not long after Grandpa Jeremiah’s demise, Mama Mila soon followed. It was really a big blow to Dad and Grandma Fia. And Mom, too. It was too soon for another member of the family to leave us. We were still recovering from the loss of Grandpa Jeremiah and a month later, Mama Mila followed him.

We followed the same process. John and I arranged the wake and funeral. Mom had to stay with Dad all the time. But this time, Grandpa Jericho stayed with Grandma Fia and never left her side. It was the closest they were together. We all knew about their past but did not pass any judgment. We still love them both so much. It could have been romantic if not for the reason why they were together at that moment.

Mama Mila was not a royal, but she was given the utmost respect by the people as their King’s maternal grandmother. People came to the wake. But, same as with Grandpa Jeremiah’s, we made it known that we would not be accepting flowers. All we needed were prayers.

If they still wanted to give something, people were informed to donate to Mom’s foundation instead. The Queen’s foundation raises money to provide free education for upcoming college students and also helps with the hospitalization of sick people who cannot afford to pay the dues. Health and education were the priority causes of Mom.

After three days of wake, Mama Mila was soon laid to rest. And we were back to having to recover again from our losses.

That night, I slept in John’s room without hesitation from him. He was my twin and we were each other’s first best friend. We may have fought a lot when we were kids and still argue at the present, but at the end of the day, we are still family.

Oh! May I add that John and I were so very different. I have the same blonde hair like Mom's; mine is wavy. I have also inherited Mom’s blue eyes, while John has Dad’s brown hair and dark brown eyes. John and I were both tall, making Mom the shortest in the family – to her dismay. I stood at five feet and six inches, while John was the same height as Dad – six feet and two inches.

In personalities, people say that both John and I were charming. However, I was the serious and silent type, while John would be the joker or the life of the party. In some ways, I was like Mom and John was like Dad.

It was an ordinary lazy Sunday afternoon for all of us in the palace. Spring came and, finally, we were able to have some rest. It was still weird that we were not visiting the mountain house anymore.

From what I have heard, Grandpa Jericho might stay there when he retires and he would probably invite Grandma Fia to stay with him too. Grandma Fia had retired from her hospital duties, but she was still active in being a doctor. She had joined Mom’s medical missions and had not shown any hint of slowing down.

Anyway, the four of us – Dad, Mom, John, and I - were in the pavilion enjoying our afternoon tea. John and I had gotten our acceptance letter from the University of Solandia and our parents were happy with our decision to stay in the kingdom. Grandpa Jericho had been inviting us to study in the US and was hoping that one of us would take over his business empire.

As the older sibling - yes, I am - I was the one next to the throne. I would be the Queen of Solandia one day. However, everything could change. From what I have heard, some people wanted me to abdicate and leave the ruling to my twin brother. I was feeling the pressure and if I could not pull this through, I could forego my rights.

The thing was, John was very supportive of me. We had this once in a blue moon heart-to-heart talk where he said he was thinking of taking over Grandpa Jericho’s business. That was why he would be taking a business course in college. He still chose to study at home because he could not bear the thought of leaving us after we had just lost two important people in our lives. I would be taking a public administration course with a minor in accounting and economics. That would take me five years to finish. John was telling me that he would provide for all my projects and probably shift the headquarters of Grandpa’s empire here in Solandia so he could live close to us.

We were almost done with the snacks when it was announced that Leo had arrived. I quickly stood up to meet him at the entrance of the pavilion.

Leo was the only one making me happy these days. I cherished his visits even if at times it was really John he was visiting. Most of the time they were in the gym or they were swimming or locked up in John’s room playing PlayStation. I would tag along and they would let me.

At times, Leo and I would have our moments alone together. And those were moments that I loved the most.

When I saw Leo at a distance, I squealed and ran to him. I jumped on him and, fortunately, he caught me.

“Hello, my princess.” Leo gave me a smile. ‘My princess’ was his endearment to me and he was the only one aside from Dad and Mom who called me that. “You are getting heavier. You must have eaten a lot of sandwiches this afternoon.”

“No. You are just slacking off from your workout.” John and Leo didn’t have much time to go to the gym the past two months.

“Yeah. That must be it.” He smiled again that oh-so-gorgeous smile. Leo might be younger than us, but the way he carried himself, he looked older than us.

The truth was, I had a little crush on Leo. Though I knew he treated me as his sister, I still get thrilled when he gave me a lot of attention. He was my childhood crush. Probably there were no other kids to crush on. But he was cute, smart, and very kind. At times, he acted like my personal bodyguard. I thought I would outgrow my crush on him, but it stayed until my teenage years.

“Jeraldine!” My mom called on me. She was probably thinking that jumping on Leo was inappropriate. But I wouldn’t care. I know Leo wouldn’t either.

Leo set me down gently and then I took his hand to bring him to the table. After greeting my parents and slapping my hands on my brother, I let him sit beside me and served him tea and sandwiches.

“Didn’t know you would be coming,” John said. “You could have arrived earlier. The sandwiches are almost gone. Well, you know who ate most of them.” John added with a chuckle.

“Hey!” I pretended to frown, but his joking did not do anything to dampen my happy spirits.

“I didn’t have plans on coming actually. It was that I had to share some news.” Leo started. He looked nervously at me but I got myself busy tending to his tea. “I just got my acceptance letter from the Solandia Royal Army. And I chose to go.”

I would have dropped the tea kettle, but fortunately, I was putting it down already. My head snapped towards Leo. While everyone was congratulating Leo, I could feel my eyes tear up.

“What were you saying?” My words came out as a whisper.

“I’m sorry, Alya. I know I promised that we would be at the same university. But I secretly applied for the army. It was something I wanted to do. In that way, I will be of service to the Kingdom and to you when you eventually step up as our queen.”

“But…”

He did promise! He promised that he would stay with me!

“Being in the office is not something for me,” he said quietly. He did say that he would help me run the kingdom. All along I thought he would be beside me as my counsel.

I knew it was petty, but still, I felt hurt. Tears started to run down my face, which worried Dad and Mom.

“Honey, it doesn’t mean that Leo will be far away.” Dad rubbed my arm gently as if to comfort me. “You should be proud of Leo. It was hard going to the army. Not everyone can be accepted.”

“I know, Dad. But he will be locked up in training and who knows what could happen to him there? And he promised that he would never leave my side.” I was almost shouting.

“We could visit him there,” John suggested.

How could no one understand what I was trying to say?

“No, it’s not the same.” I was feeling upset. I shook my head, stood up, and ran out of the pavilion.

Five years later…

“My princess…” I could not see the face but it was a voice that I knew. I could feel his breath against my ear. In a second, he was already nipping at my neck. His licking and sucking brought shivers throughout my body.

It seemed like we were both naked as I felt his skin against my skin. His hands were everywhere, one was already groping my breast.

“Ohhh…” I could hear myself moan.

His mouth traveled down to the valley between my breasts before moving to a nipple. He sucked it and he sucked hard while my other breast was still being squeezed in my contentment. He switched to my other nipple and gave it the same attention.

“Uhmmmmnnnn…just fuck me already!” I was desperate for a release.

However, instead of going down my pussy or aligning his cock on my entrance, he came up to whisper again in my ear.

“Soon, my princess. Soon.”

It was then I woke up from my wet dream. I scrambled to sit up and whispered the name.

“Leo.”