"We are gathered here today in memory of Prince Isaac, House of the Charlettions," Spoke Father Frederick with what seemed a weary speaking voice.

Katherine had to endure nearly half an hour of tedious music sung by a soft choir for royalty was required to be first in the front when another member of royalty perishes. Royalty must always wait for everyone else to gather. To say the least, she was astonished that it took such a short amount of time for the mourners to gather in the church. It seemed as though the entire kingdom had gathered in one room. Had the church always been this large? In many ways, it seemed that she may have been in an opera house or perhaps even a theatre. Most of the souls in the room were not even close to the prince her brother. Yet, it did not matter. He was the prince and his life must be celebrated and mourned for. Not far away, laid her brother's casket in which his body could be found.

"Scripture tells us that there is a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance," the priest continued with his eyes strictly on the page of the book.

The girl could not help but think of the speaking priest Father Frederick. In all her years, the man of faith had always been of elderly age. Perhaps there was a day when he had been young, but she certainly could not remember a time. She could not fathom a time when this man would someday pass from the Earth. In her thoughts, she knew he would not be present forever. Perhaps the best way to honor this special man was to listen to what it was he had to say.

"Do you hold any plans for your daughter the princess?" queried the king's advisor to the king in a hushed tone. "She is of age? Is she not?"

Oh, how she wished she did not need to listen to the discussion these two men were going to have about her. Was it possible for her not to hold a seat next to her father? But she could take comfort in knowing that neither her father nor the advisor would be listening much to what the priest had to say. She could also take comfort in knowing that she would at least try and listen.

"Yes, she is of age. What of it?"

"Are you familiar with the kingdom of Oakwood? They are a small kingdom of the eastern lands. They are not far from our island."

"Of course, I have been to Oakwood more times than I could possibly count. It is a fine and decent land."

"The king's second son, the prince of Oakwood has recently become of age. As of late, they have begun the search for him to marry. Not long ago, they came to me and questioned if I may know a beautiful soul in our kingdom for the prince to wed. I said that I may be aware of a few good young royal virgins. I would indeed like to propose that the prince of Oakwood marry your daughter the princess."

"A small prince like him? Marry my daughter? Have you gone mad out of your mind?" The king found it tempting to raise his voice.

If Katherine's father had not spoken, those words would have been her own. Yet, she would have done more than speak. With her own heart beating like a drum, her head grew faint at the thought of marrying someone she had yet to meet. Surely, this must have been a cruel joke. Perhaps it was a dream. A nightmare? Was her father bold enough to think of her own daughter and say no to this man?

"It is not as wild as you think it may. Consider this. You are not a young king. You are reaching old age with questionable health. And take notice that we are at your son's funeral. He was the only son that you had left. Do you have any more sons to take the position of your role once your health fails you? Hardly. Not an eligible male soul sits. However, you do have a daughter who is of age. While our own kingdom is now unstably sitting on sinking sand, the kingdom of Oakwood is decently stable and sits on a fair rock. They can provide our kingdom with security. They can provide us with a good marriage."

"What of the other kingdoms?" the king sighed. "Do they not hold available royal men?"

"One would think so. The Asharanite Empire has great hold of most of the kingdoms as of late. Oakwood is one of the last few kingdoms that hold freedom from the Asharanites. With this being so, a union with Oakwood could help both our lands become stronger and face the Asharanites when that day may come."

"I suppose we may not have many other options available. Perhaps this would be the best to do. Yet, I should need a little time to think over these matters."

In her heart, Katherine knew that her father would not ponder this situation for long. He would do whatever needed to be done to protect the house and the kingdom as he usually did. He did not consider how she might have felt about it.

"Katherine, sit up straight!" nagged her father. "Company shall be arriving shortly and no daughter of mine shall look like a royal fool in front of our guests. Perhaps I should have not let you play outside this afternoon for you cannot seem to be prepared when you are supposed to."

"I am sorry father," apologized a young Katherine who found it tempting to run to her room and cry. "I will sit up straight just as you asked."

This was not enough for the king who instructed her to not play with her silverware. Everything had to be perfect. Everything. What the girl was doing was not of approval of her father the king.

"Consider your brothers and how neat and prepared they are. Even your brother Isaac spent time outside this afternoon and does not struggle with sitting the way he should."

Isaac swiftly provided her a prideful look in mockery to the attention of nobody who sat waiting at the table.

"Katherine!" her father snapped. "What is going on inside that head of yours? Have you no respect for your brother? Get up! We must stand by your brother Isaac and honor him now."

Of course, she had daydreamed of her past and let much of the funeral pass by. But now she and the royals were to stand by the departed soul and greet every mourner while they paid their respects to the man who would not be king. Could this funeral not end? Certainly not. The sight of the dead body allowed her own body to become weak. She desperately desired with all her might to snap off the head and close the casket. The only thing she could do was breathe and practice staying calm.

"It is like dogs eating another dog's vomit," she quietly murmured to herself.

Damn her brother Isaac, her father the king, and the wretched and weak kingdom. 

This concludes the third chapter! Katherine is certainly lost in her thoughts. Hope you did enjoy this chapter. Be sure to comment and vote. A new chapter returns next Saturday!

Should an alliance be formed against the Asharanites? 

Is the idea of Katherine marrying a foreign prince a good idea? 

Thoughts on the advisor?