Castles Galore -- Chapter 1

Ooptygoo folded her arms across her chest. "No, I am not marrying anyone." She waved off the possibility the Armed Guardsman had been about to bring in. "Take him away. He's ugly." She turned back to her book. "And he probably can't write, either."

"Yes, Your Royal Daintiness." As the miserable young man (who ranked no lower in anybody's eyes than 7 on a scale of 1 to 10) was led away, she reached for another handful of malt crackers and turned a page. Ignorant thing. She just wanted to read. Couldn't they leave her alone for once?

She slammed shut her book and stood up. A walk. That was it. She wanted to go for a walk.