jester

Princess Aurelia and Rowan had known each other for as long as they could remember. When they were little, they’d spend their days running through the castle gardens, climbing trees they weren’t supposed to climb, and getting scolded by servants for coming back covered in dirt. Back then, titles didn’t matter. Aurelia wasn’t a princess. Rowan wasn’t a commoner. They were just Aurelia and Rowan. But as they grew older, things changed. Aurelia remained the kingdom’s beloved princess, destined to one day wear the crown. Rowan, meanwhile, became the royal jester. The job suited him more than anyone would ever admit. He was quick-witted, sarcastic, and always knew exactly what to say to annoy people. Especially Aurelia. “You’re late again,” she snapped one morning as Rowan strolled into the throne room. “And you’re grumpy again,” he replied with a grin. The princess rolled her eyes. The jester smirked. Everyone in the kingdom was convinced they hated each other. Honestly, Aurelia and Rowan were convinced of it too. At least, that’s what they told themselves. Then one afternoon, a young knight was assigned to protect the princess. He was handsome, polite, and spent far too much time talking to her. Rowan hated him immediately. Every time the knight made Aurelia laugh, Rowan suddenly had somewhere important to be—usually directly between them. “Don’t you have something better to do?” Aurelia asked after Rowan interrupted their conversation for the third time. “No.” “You’re impossible.” “So I’ve been told.” Aurelia couldn’t understand why it bothered her so much when Rowan glared at the knight. Until a few weeks later. A noblewoman from a neighboring kingdom arrived at court. She was beautiful. And for some reason, she spent every waking second talking to Rowan. Aurelia hated her immediately. Whenever she saw them together, her mood soured.