“He’s not going to like this,” King Anthony mumbled as he put his head in his hand.

“He’s had plenty of chances,” Queen Sara stated. “If you would leave it up to me, I would have arranged one already.”

The king and queen looked towards the door to the throne room as it crept open. Prince Raylan poked his head inside. He quickly realized that his parents had noticed him opening the door. With a sheepish grin, he stepped inside.

“Thought you could sneak up on us, did ya,” Anthony chuckled. “Come. We need to talk.”

Ray cautiously made his way towards his parents. He had a sneaking suspicion that he knew what they needed to talk about. It had been a couple weeks since his parents had last sent him out to “build bridges” with other royals. And by build bridges, they really meant find a spouse. Ray knew he needed to find a spouse soon, but it was so hard! He wanted a companion, a partner. He didn’t want to marry someone who just wanted to become queen. He wanted to marry someone who cared about him whether he held a title or not.

“Don’t be shy, sweetheart,” Sara said with a soft smile. “You know that this is important.”

“I know,” Ray sighed. “I really am trying!”

“We know that you are trying, but you’re 23 now,” the king said. “You’ve had five years dedicated to finding a wife and yet you’re no closer now than you were at 18.”

Ray looked down at his feet as he shifted his weight. He really wasn’t that old, but this was one of the burdens of the crown. Marry young and marry smart.

“Your mother wants me to arrange a marriage for you,” Anthony stated. Ray looked up, startled. “You know that I am opposed to that idea. I have never wanted to use my children as political tools, but we’re starting to get desperate. The council won’t let you start to take over duties until you’ve been declared crown prince, and we want to retire before we die!”

“I know, Dad,” Ray sighed. “But you said you never wanted to do to us what your parents did to your sister! You said you didn’t want me in a loveless marriage!”

“And that hasn’t changed. But you need to start moving ahead with your duties. Your mother and I have come to a compromise. We will have one last ball. It will be the biggest ball to date. If you do not find a spouse at this ball, we will start the process of arranging a marriage.”

Ray looked from his father to his mother with wide eyes.

“Mother! Are you really going to force me to do this?”

“Yes,” Sara said coolly. “Ray, you know we love you more than anything, but this is a burden that comes with the throne. You are our eldest child. As much as we would love for you to have a normal life and fall in love the normal way, that’s just not an option. This law is in place to try and guarantee an heir, so that there will be no confusion over the throne. You have a responsibility to your people to ensure stability. So stop being so picky and find a wife.”

The king looked at his wife with an exasperated expression. She was a wonderful mother, and he loved her to death, but she did not understand Ray, as hard as she tried. Her parents had raised her to be a queen, and she fulfilled that duty better than he could possibly hope to fulfill his role as king. He only wished that she could soften her words a bit when it came to their oldest son.

Ray decided that he had heard enough. Spinning on his heels, he stormed out of the room. He wasn’t being picky. He turned a sharp corner, startling the guards. He just wanted to have some semblance of a happy marriage. He threw the door into the fairy garden open. He just wanted one person to care more about him than his title. He threw himself onto the soft patch of grass that was his favorite spot in the elaborate gardens. He would settle just for that. Just for someone who saw him and not an opportunity to be queen. Ray let out a sigh.

A twinkling light circled around Ray. It was hard to notice in the bright sun, but Ray had been expecting it. The light picked a spot to the side of Ray, and in a flash, a beautiful woman was sitting next to him sporting an excited grin.

“Hi, Lara,” Ray muttered.

Lara tilted her head. She blinked her large green eyes. Her pointed ears twitched. She scanned Ray’s face with great intensity. After a quick shudder of her iridescent wings, she nodded.

“You are scared you won’t find someone who cares for you,” Lara stated. “You are worried that you’re running out of time.”

“I’m not just running out of time,” Ray cried, throwing his arms over his face. “I’m out of time. I have one more of those stupid balls and then my marriage will be arranged. How is this ball going to be different than any of the others?”

“Did your dad say how it was going to be different?”

“He just said it will be the biggest… I couldn’t handle my mother, so I left before I got any more details.”

“Then maybe you’re more worried than you should be.” Lara picked at her bright blue nails. “You should always get all of the information before you lose your cool.”

“Maybe, when I’m old enough to lose track of my age, I’ll be as calm as you,” Ray muttered.

Lara giggled. She fluffed her skirt with a sly grin on her face. Suddenly, Ray gasped and turned to look straight at Lara.

“You can help me,” he exclaimed. “You can help me find someone who will care about me!”

“And why would I do that,” Lara inquired.

“Because you want me to be happy.”

“You can have happiness as long as you look for it. You’ll need to try harder than that.” Lara smirked.

“Okay, how about because you care for this kingdom and you want a good queen to rule by my side. I have yet to meet someone that hasn’t idolized the title. Can I really expect someone who just sees all the ‘glitz and glamour,’ as they say, and not the weight of the responsibility to be able to handle being queen?”

Lara tapped her finger against her chin. She smirked as she feigned deep thought. With an exaggerated sigh, she shrugged her shoulders.

“You’ve convinced me. I’ll make sure that there is someone at this ball who will be perfect for you.”

“Thank you!” Ray jumped up and tackled Lara with a hug. “You’re a lifesaver!”

Ray quickly dashed out of the garden.

“I guess he’ll figure out who I find on his own,” Lara giggled to herself. With a shrug, she jumped up and, in a flash, once again became a flittering light.