Marine’s senses came alive with the sweet smell of moist mud. She opened her eyes and was greeted by the picturesque landscape of Wales. The sight of sheep grazing across the green meadows made her feel nostalgic, after all she was returning home after six months. Unlike the bustling city that London was, Wales was completely the contrary. This beautiful country was a live painting created by nature itself. With blue mountains surrounding the coastline, one could hardly get tired throughout their journey. Wales was a mountainous region, the highest peaks were clad in snow making it all the more breathtaking.

The steam engine chugged and honked every now and then when a random cattle would cross over the railway tracks that cut through the mountains. It wasn’t long before the steam engine lowered its pace and reached the station. Marine elegantly stepped down and embraced herself as the warm steam from the engine brushed her shivering body. The temperature was low, she could feel her fingers going numb as her gaze searched for their family chauffeur.

The railway station was deserted, being the only passenger to have got down with her luggage, she looked at the station master who stood at a distance and signalled the steam engine to leave. As she stood there alone blowing hot air over her hands occasionally, she wondered if her parents had forgotten to send the chauffeur until she met eyes with a familiar face.

“George! Is…Is that really you?” She gasped and widened her eyes in amazement when the stable boy, her child hood friend approached her. His mischievous grey eyes, twinkled as he greeted her with a warm smile. “Good morning, Princess…Your chauffeur is at your service,” He raised his hat and bowed before her.

“Oh my goodness! When did you get promoted to being the family chauffeur? And where’s Pheneas?” She giggled and studied his physic; George was not the same lean stable boy that he used to be. With his sleeves rolled up till the arms, his muscles screamed for attention. It had been long since she had interacted or seen him. Ever since she grew out the age of ridding ponies, she had stopped visiting the royal stable where she would often play with George who was older to her by three years.

“Well I got promoted to a lot more positions than you can think of, Princess,” he quoted and picked her luggage before guiding her out the station.

As they walked in the cold mist, Marine studied his feature from the corner of her eyes and wondered why she had never seen him before during her earlier visits, “Has it been really that long?” she wondered and noticed his strong arms.

“George, you didn’t tell me what happened to Pheneas. Is he alright? Why did father send you to receive me?” She enquired and looked at him questioningly.

George sighed and gazed back at her. “Pheneas left his lordship’s service, hence I was sent to receive you, Princess,” He replied and shocked her.

“Oh you mean he left too?” She frowned and lowered her gaze. Pheneas was the last person she’d expected, would leave the royal service ever since the Wellesley’s were faced with misfortune. Label it as a strange coincidence, but a day after the first born eloped with a imposter, the family was met with great misfortune that changed their entire lifestyle. The treasure in the royal vaults magically disappeared along with which their stature and position in the elite society fell down. As if the pain and shame that Princess Emma had caused over the Wellesley wasn’t enough, the people of Wales began disregarding them as royals. To make matters worse, the whole kingdom was drowned in poverty, no wonder the station master was least bit affected by the Princess’s presence.

All hopes were now left on Princess Marine, for the prosperity of Wales depended on her finding a royal match. Coming back to our protagonist and the stable boy, they stopped near a horse driven carriage when George requested her to step in. “What happened to our steam car?” She crunched her brows in confusion while the pair of horses neighed.

“His Lordship auctioned it, Princess,” George replied and held her hand gently as she got in.

“Sigh, what about you? Why are you still sticking around when you know we can’t pay you,” She looked at him curiously as he closed the carriage door. “The last time I visited the fortress, there were hardly any maids or butlers too,” She added and peeped through the window.

George smiled and climbed on top of the carriage. “I’m in debt to his lordship’s kindness towards me, I can’t think of leaving the estate and going elsewhere, Princess” he replied and pulled the reigns as they left the railway station.

“Is that the only reason you have?” Marine enquired casually while George remained silent.

As they drove along the bumpy road, Marine sighed and leaned out the window. “George!” she called out to him. “Yes, princess?” He replied while his gaze was fixed on the road ahead.

“Uh, never mind….By the way stop calling me princess, it sounds odd coming from a stable boy I’ve known since childhood,” she demanded and pulled back.

“As you wish, Princess,” he smiled and hit the horses before speeding.

As the minutes passed, they finally reached the Wellesley estate. Marine could hear the sea roaring at a distance below, she leaned out and let the salty sea breeze caress her face. She caught her hat as the wind tried to swirl it away. Her eyes brightened with the sight of the magnificent fortress that stood on the mountain overlooking the Irish sea. The royal flags swayed in the direction of the wind, they looked tattered and soiled since they hadn’t been changed for months.

Marine sighed at the sight and recoiled as they preceded further inside. There were only two guards at the front gate who saluted her as the carriage passed by. Marine looked at them and wondered what was left to protect when the vaults were nearly empty. The carriage halted with a jerk right at the entrance of the fortress. George jumped and opened the door on time as she stepped out. She smiled in delight on seeing her parents waiting to receive her along with Eliza her personal attendant, the chef Mrs Hawkins and her two helpers, Mr Hawkins the footman and last but not the least Clair, her mmother's personal attendant.

“Oh mamma! It feels so good to see you,” she rushed towards her mother, Lady Helen and bowed before turning towards her father, Lord Gandalf. She paused to bow before him when he remarked, “I don’t think one needs to bow before her own father, or is that what they taught you in London eh?”

Much to her mother’s disappointment, Marine gleamed in joy and immediately embraced him. “Now that’s more like a Wellesley, ha-ha,” he roared in laughter and held her tightly while Lady Helen cringed in embarrassment.

“Marine, don’t forget you’re still a princess, a royal blood always remains a royal blood though some would never understand it,” she cautioned Marine with a whisper and shifted her angry gaze on Lord Gandalf

Marine looked at her mother’s hands and noticed the fine lines that she hid under her worn out muslin gloves. Ever since the maids and housekeeping staff had left, Lady Helen along with Clair her loyal attendant maintained the pride of the fortress. Sad but true with no help around, Lady Helen kept aside her pride and did all the petty manual work that otherwise would have been done by a hundred chamber maids just like the golden days.

“Of course mamma, I’ll never forget my bloodline,” Marine clasped her mother’s nimble hands in hers and looked at her with pride. Marine respected her mother for the kind of strong headed Lady that she was, she knew that staying with dignity even in the worst of situations was only made possible because of her mother.

“You look tired, I’m sure you’ve been awake anticipating my arrival,” Marine said worriedly as the footman guided them in.

As for George, he struggled to carry the luggage. “Erm, Mr Hawkins, would you mind giving me a helping hand?” He requested the footman. who was least bit concerned about him.

“They don’t pay me for carrying luggage,” the footman retorted while George sighed in helplessness and proceeded forward when all of sudden he was ambushed by Mrs Hawkins , Clair and Eliza.

“George, get the pig from the barn quick! I’ve got to prepare a meal fit for the Princess,” Mrs. Hawkins yelled in anxiety and handed the butcher’s knife to him.

“Forget the pig, get coal to light the fireplace in the Princess’s Chamber, or the cold will kill her,” Eliza stated and handed a shovel in his hand before Clair interrupted.

“What’s more important is this hand written letter by our Lady. Rush down town and pass it on to Martha, hurry!” Eliza pushed him in the other direction while he took a spin and fell down with the luggage.

“Uhm…How clumsy, I wonder why you agreed to replace everyone when you can’t even manage the horses,” Mr. Hawkins remarked and taunted him while the horses pulled the carriage in another direction. George took his comment with a laugh and whistled at the horses before catching their reigns.

While he tried striking a balance with all the work allotted to him outside, Marine burst into an argument with her mother inside. “Not again mamma, pardon me , but this is exactly what I find disagreeable about you,” she yelled and paced acrross the parlour. “I’m not going to meet any of your guests, as far as I’ve seen they’re always old and can barely see anything!” she added and protested.

“And this is exactly what I find naïve about you. Look at you, you’re twenty five! How do you expect a princess to find a royal match at this age? Princesses your age raise kids not hunt for a groom,” Lady Helen retorted and spilled out the bitter facts.

“Oh, and that’s why you’ll marry me to a noble twice my father’s age?” Marine frowned.

“They aren’t old…why don’t you just listen to me first,” Her mother corrected her but Marine was to enraged to hear anything.

“Every time I come home, you end up forcing me meet strangers at the dinner table who are as good as being my grandfather,” she swelled her eyes.

“And yet you fail to impress them too,” Her mother added and wrinkled her nose.

Marine felt hurt hearing her mother’s bitter comments and stormed out in frustration.

“My lady, why didn’t you inform the princess, that this time our guests are two young gentlemen from Guernsey?” Claire asked the Queen curiously.

“That’s where the problem lies, she’s too judicious,” the Queen sighed and pressed her forehead before Claire offered to serve her a cup of tea.

Likewise Marine barged into her chamber and startled Eliza who was busy unpacking the trunks. “You look terribly tired. Shall I order George to fill your bathtub with warm water?” Eliza asked while Marine wiped the traces of her tears.

“I guess that should do the trick, the journey all the way from London was too tiresome for me,” Marine faked a smile and shifted her gaze over her luggage. She noticed the musical jewellery box gifted to her by Rose and pulled it out.

“What is it?” Eliza asked curiously as Marine walked towards the window and opened the lid.

No sooner she did that a lovely melody surged the chamber and amazed the attendant. Rushing towards her, Eliza watched in awe as the figures inside twirled.

“Is this the magic heart you always mentioned about?” she exclaimed in excitement and waited for her reply, but there was something else that had caught the princess’s attention.

Eliza enquired for a second time before she noticed what had distracted Marine. Standing below was none other than George himself who was dragging a sack of coal towards the shed. “He’s changed quite a lot, hasn’t he,” She said and grabbed Marine’s attention.

“Hmm…I can’t recollect when was the last time I saw him, time really does change a person…except for few,” Marine closed the box as a random thought about Prince Eric crossed her mind.