I sighed. More news of the charming Prince Malcolm. I looked down the rows of green fields leading up to the palace. Just a mile down the road was a village made of stone houses and cobblestone paths. Every year the fields lessened and lessened, eventually there would be nothing left. How did it happen? I don't know. A carriage rolled by, followed by an old wooden cart piled with hay. My older sisters Anna and Graceon ran outside, squealing like pigs. “Is it him?” Anna squeaked. “Nope, just another commoner.” Graceon sighed.

They both wore their nicest dresses Mother had made them. A red silk gown with gold sleeves and trim for Graceon, and a pink gown with lace trim for Anna. They both looked ridiculous dressed like that out in a field.

I was wearing a simple green dress with a white undershirt covered in patches, my work dress. Although completely disheveled, it was quite comfortable. “We love you sister, but change out of that hideous gown and into your blue one, it compliments your delicate skin tone,” Graecon said. Anna nodded. I glared. I was very pale and had no freckles. I never looked cute.

“Mother’s calling on you, she wishes you to go to the village and retrieve some flour and wheat, we must have fresh bread when the prince comes to visit us you know!” I sighed at the thought. The prince would be visiting every house in the village, asking what people needed. As if he cared. He’s the one who lived in a _palace. _

_ _I fetched the basket from the raspberry field, (I’d been picking them all day), emptied the berries into a barrel, then ran towards the market.

The market was bustling with activity and rumors of the Prince. “I heard Prince Malcolm always smells like fresh laundry.” “Well, _I _heard he gave a homeless man his horse.” Two girls whispered to each other, also wearing their nicest dresses. “Oh, how _noble _of him,” another girl chimed in, stepping next to them. Again, _ridiculous_. I admired a few hand-painted vases before turning to Tommy’s stand.

“Hello, how are you today Tommy?” The ten-year-old boy shook his head. “Mum’s still sick Miss.” “Give her my regards would you?” I asked, picking up the biggest piece of bread I could. It was, as usual, burnt. But I couldn’t help myself.

I was the only person who bought his bread, the poor kid’s mother was sick, she’d been for two months now. I always bought the most expensive piece. “Are you sure you want to buy this Miss? It’s twenty carúe’s.” I nodded, twenty was quite a bit, but he needed it.

I handed him a small bundle of cash. “Keep the rest, buy your mother something nice for her birthday.” His small face lit up, and he removed his cap. “Thank you, Miss, God bless.”

I continued down the road. By twilight, I’d already gotten bread, milk, fruit, wheat, flour, and molasses for a treat. (I still loved my snobby sisters). Heading down the road, I ran into trouble. Nighttime was always dangerous for women. A drunk man was bothering a young girl. “Please, I need to go inside.” The girl begged. The man's friends joined him outside.

I couldn’t just stay in plain sight. I slowly backed away and slipped into an alley. “Lost?” I heard a voice say. When I turned, I found a young man with short-cropped brown hair in a peasant’s outfit. I grabbed my loaf of bread, using it as a weapon. “What do you want?” The man stepped back and bowed. “I mean no harm, I’m simply hiding from those men,” he pointed towards the entrance. “Oh, very well then.”

The man gestured to a barrel. “You’re welcome to stay in my alley until it’s safe to go out.” He smiled, and I suddenly knew what the word charming meant. “Th- thank you.” I sat down and fixed my dress beneath me. “Would you mind my asking, who is this mysterious woman?” He asked. I fixed my posture. “Katherine, and you?”

The man smirked. “I didn’t say I’d tell you.” I felt like smacking him, but something contained me. It had gotten quiet, and the light inside the inn had turned off. “It seems the men have gone, I will return home now. Thank you.” I stood up, my brown hair falling behind my back, the tiny braid around my head falling back into place.

“Let me walk you home.” I spun around. “I’ll manage on my own thank you-” “I insist,” he said again, and this time, I knew what the answer would be.

I sighed. “Very well.” The only thing I liked about this guy was the arm gesture.

In our kingdom, it was customary for if a man and a woman were walking together, the woman would put her arm in his.

The unnamed man didn't ask me or just simply held out his arm as an indication that I should do so.

“So, Katherine, may I call you Kate?” “No,” I answered quickly.

“So, Kate, why do you live out here, not in the kingdom?”

I shrugged, trying to ignore the fact he had just called me Kate. I liked that about him for some reason. “My parents decided to live here, not me. I would preferably live in the castle.”

The man let out a soft laugh.

I raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just… the palace isn’t all that special, imagine being cooped up in that all day, nothing else to do. Torture. That’s probably why the prince left.” I stopped walking. “Where are you from, I’ve never seen you around these parts.”

For only a moment I noticed a flash of fear in the man’s eyes, but he blinked, and it was gone. “I live in Xenia, many days walk from here.”

We arrived at the gate where the path to my house begun. The sun had gone down, and the lights inside the house were warm and welcoming. I almost felt guilty leaving this stranger out here. “Thank you for the escort, I’ll be fine from here.”

“I believe you will.” The unnamed man flashed me another smile, bowed, pulled his cap back on his head, and walked down the path to the village.

For once, I wasn’t a young lady. I was a woman. I smiled, and walked back up the path. I guess we were so different, we were almost the same.