The Chosen Prince

Riding In The Fields

Four months into the selection and everyone has begun wondering whom will Catherine choose for a husband "I wonder if it'll be the baron," said a maid "I think it'll be that Indian prince. He's a nice and friendly man. I engaged in a conversation with him the other day," said a butler. Meanwhile, in the palace courtyard, Soma and Catherine were preparing to leave for Shere Woodlands to ride their horses. Lady Preston handed Catherine a picnic basket filled with what they need to eat. Their horse was already there waiting for them to arrive. They arrived at Surrey Hills by carriage and mounted their horses as soon as they prepared the horses. Catherine turned, looked at Soma, and said, "Follow me," and she sped off into the distance"Hey! Wait for me!" shouted Soma as he followed Catherine from behind.

Meanwhile back in the palace the king and queen were having lunch with their guests. Sitting next to Edward was Kalpen "So, Soma, how is your family? Hope you're keeping in touch with them," asked Edward "They're all fine. I've told them everything about your wonderful country and they can't to come and visit someday," answered Kalpen "Well I hope to meet them one day. They're more than welcome to come," said Edward"So, Soma, how many brothers and sister do you have?" asked Mary"I have seven brothers and six sisters," answered Kalpen "You have thirteen siblings," said Mary "Yes, my older brother Gian, is first in line. We all think of him as the most gracious one. My older sister Anaisha and I all think of her as our version of Florence Nightingale as she takes care of us when we're sick. My second older sister Navya is a fearless girl, never afraid to try new things. My second older brother Anant is a bit clumsy sometimes but learns fast. My third older brother Rishit, he's the helpful type of person. My fourth older brother Sadhil is the golden child. My fifth older brother Taarush once had a fear of heights, but then one day both he and I climbed up a really tall tree and once we reached the top I can see on his face a smile, and from that moment I instantly knew that he conquered his fear of heights. And now he loves climbing up tall things and places. My sixth older brother Zubair is a pure one as he attends prayers every day. My third older sister Harsha is the happiest person you'd ever meet and loves to have fun. I came shortly after her and I take after Anaisha, Navya, Rishit, and Harsha as I brought sunshine into their lives. My first younger brother Vedant is wise beyond his years. My first younger sister Monisha is the most intellectual in our family. If you can't find her she's most likely to be in our palace library. My second younger sister Shaleena is the most modest one out of all of us. And finally, we have my third younger Eshana and we nicknamed her 'curious cat' because she's always searching for something. All in all, I have over the year gotten along really well with my siblings. Both my siblings and I love to play pranks on each other," answered Kalpen "You and your siblings have the most interesting names," said Mary. Edward looked and smiled at Mary and said to Kalpen "We gave Catherine six siblings. That's three brothers and three sisters "Wow, seven children you two had," said Kalpen "Our eldest daughter's full name is Catherine Elizabeth Florence Jane. We named her after four out of six wives of Henry VIII, Florence Nightingale, and Queen Elizabeth II. Our eldest son George was named after the four kings of England. Our second son Albert was named after my father and he's the brightest one of our children. Our third son Alexander was named after Alexander the Great. Our second eldest daughter is called Maud. She became the strength of our family. Our third eldest daughter is called Victoria. We named her after my mother. And finally, our youngest daughter is called Louise. We were hoping for a boy at the time. But when Louise was born we decided to call her that name. You and everyone here will soon meet them," said Edward. Baron Williamson keeps looking around him for Catherine and thought, "Where is the princess?"

Back at Shere Woodlands, Catherine and Soma rode to the silent pool and settled down for a picnic lunch. "This is my first time here," said Soma "Really?" asked Catherine "Well my family has never been to England before. We normally stay at home," answered Soma"Tell me about your family. What are they like?" asked Catherine "Pretty much both my parents are kind and compassionate. My siblings are fun to be around. We always play pranks on each other and have a good laugh all the time," answered Soma before going on describing what each of his siblings are like "They all sound like incredible siblings," said Catherine "You'll get bored with them being around," said Soma "I bet you miss them, don't you," said Catherine "I do miss them. But I do hope to see them soon. And hopefully introduce you to them," said Soma "I hope so too," said Catherine "But anyways enough about my family. Tell me about your family. What are they like?" asked Soma "Pretty much like yours. My parents decided to name me after five previous queens of England and Florence Nightingale. So my full name is Catherine Elizabeth Florence Jane. My six brothers' names are George, Albert, and Alexander and my three sisters' names are Maud, Victoria, and Louise. Whilst learning my royal duties both me and my brothers and sisters loved to play pranks on each other. I love every member of my family. They raised me well. I do hope that one day when I have children of my own I'll raise them to be kind, caring, and compassionate," said Catherine. Soma looked at the silent pool and asked Catherine "Why is it called "the silent pool"?" "It's because it has an eerie stillness. Legend has it that a nobleman on a horse surprised a woodcutter's daughter as she bathed in this very pool. He failed to lure her into the bank and rode his horse into the water and causing the girl to move out to deeper water and drowned. When the woodcutter returned he found his daughter's body and the nobleman's hat that bore the crest of none other than Prince John floating on the water. According to the legend the woodcutter's daughter can be seen at midnight," answered Catherine "Sounded like a tragic love story or something," said Soma "Yes. I guess it does," said Catherine. Hours later they rode back to the palace. Waiting for them was Lady Preston; Soma helped Catherine dismount her horse before saying "I must return to my master. I hope to see you again soon," and hurried off. "Catherine, your parents have asked to see you right away. They're in the drawing room," said Lady Preston. Catherine made her way to the drawing room. The drawing room had a huge fireplace with a large gold framed mirror, a chair, and a desk by a window, the walls were painted green, and sat in a corner was a wooden oak piano. Mary was sitting on a high-raised crushed red velvet sofa and Edward was sitting in a chair. "What have you been up to today, Catherine?" asked Edward"I've been out riding at Shere Woodlands, father. Why do you ask?" asked Catherine "We didn't know where you were that's all," answered Marcy "Your mother and I are a bit concern on who you might have chosen to be your husband," said Edward "There are few men I have in mind. I just need to be sure whoever I choose is the right husband for me," said Catherine "You do know what will happen if you haven't chosen a husband?" asked Mary "I have to marry the man of your choosing. I know mother. But I feel that my heart is conflicted at the moment," answered Catherine "We understand, daughter. Both your mother and I know what it was like when we were your age. There were loads of men and women who we both matched up with. But it was your mother who stood out from everyone," said Edward "We hope that you make a perfect choice," said Mary.

Later that day Catherine told Lady Preston about her talk with her mother and father "What I think about this whole selection is that half of those married the person of their parents choice. Don't I have the freedom to fall in love in my own time?" asked Catherine "You do. But you know that if you don't choose any of those men to marry you'll have to marry the man that your have parents have chosen," answered Lady Preston "I do love every single one of them. Except for the baron. But I am not sure which one outshines them all," said Catherine "You'll know when you least expect it," said Lady Preston "Anyway enough about that, how was your ride with Kalpen today?" asked Lady Preston "It was amazing. He really loved Shere Woodland. He looked liked he belonged there," answeredCatherine "Did you two have anything to talk about?" asked Lady Preston"We talked about our families and how similar our families members are.And I explained to him about the silent pool and its legend" answeredCatherine "The one with the woodcutter daughter," said Lady Preston. Meanwhile, in the guest chamber, Kalpen asked Soma about his riding trip with Catherine "How was it?" "It was an adventure that I'll never forget. Catherine is a great rider. I love the way her hair flows in the wind. We settled down for a picnic by a lake called the silent pool. I asked her all about it. And she told about why it's silent and the legend about the woodcutter's daughter," answered Soma "Sounded like you had a good time today. Don't forget what I told you the other day," said Kalpen "What was it you said the other day?" asked Soma "That you can't deny your feelings for Catherine for long," answered Kalpen "Yes I remember. How did your lunch with the king and queen go?" asked Soma "It went well. I told them about your family and they told me about Catherine's siblings. They're hoping to meet your family in the future," said Kalpen "That's if things go well," said Soma "When do you think you're going to tell Catherine who you really are?" asked Kalpen "I'm not sure," answered Soma "Well I hope it's soon. We can't keep this up any longer. We got two months left. You're running out of time," said Kalpen "I know. But I promise you that I will tell her soon," said Soma "The sooner you tell her, the sooner we explain to the king and queen," said Kalpen.