Being Ordinary: Chapter One It was a night like any other, following an average day. Charlotte of Meylan, a small country on the outskirts of Europe, sat on a small swing, overlooking the well-maintained grounds of the palace. This was her home--always had been; always would be. The air was crisp and cool, just the way she liked it. Looking over, she could almost imagine running; running away from rules and dresses--not to mention all the so-called "suitors". Charlotte chuckled at the thought. It would never happen; she was too used to her world. And, besides, who else would run the country someday? Her mother was desperate to get her married, especially now the threats had started. She was told that they were nothing to worry about--at least, not when she had a man by her side. It didn't worry her; Meylan had the best soldiers there were, and the palace was the safest place on Earth--or so she was told. She heard something to her left, and she snapped we head in that direction, her heart suddenly beating faster. "Are you all right, Miss Charlotte?" Came a voice. She was delighted to find that it was just Mary, her maid. Mary was a slight thing, with long, curling blond hair. Her small frame made most people want to protect her. Her bold personality made most people back off. Charlotte loved it. It meant that she had Mary all to herself, and she could speak to her friend privately and without worries of gossiping. "I'm fine, Mary." She replied, "Most likely just paranoid, is all." Mary curtsied, "Yes, of course. Her Majesty would very much like to speak to you about these...upsets, shall we say. And His Majesty has some very interesting ideas." "That doesn't sound too good," Charlotte deadpanned. But, nevertheless, she followed Mary back towards the back doors. The small girl thrust the heavy double doors open with authority, and Charlotte couldn't help but smile at her maid's confidence. They weaves flawlessly through the labyrinth of corridors and rooms to make it to a place with a magnificent table, letters and pens of all kinds strewn across it. Classical music played softly in the background. Charlotte and Mary both curtsied at the sight of the King and Queen. When they stood, only Charlotte dared look them in the eyes, whilst Mary stood in the corner of the room, eyes downcast. "You sent for me?" Her mother sighed, "Yes. This morning, we received a very disturbing letter. It regards you." Her Majesty's mannerisms mirrored her daughter's, as did her physical features--thick, black hair, contrasting with unusually pale skin and dark lips. Both of theirs highlighted with makeup, along with their eyes. Her father was the direct opposite, and it was clear in his hand gestures when he spoke, "It says that you will be the main target for..." He trailed off. Her Majesty picked up the pieces, "We are sending you away to a safe location." Charlotte backed up, and almost crashed into Mary. She apologised, and stepped to the side. "Where?" She all but whispered. "Speak up," Her mother demanded. She gathered up her courage, "WHERE?" The Queen smiled sweetly, but Charlotte felt her world crashing around her. "We have concluded that the safest place for you is England." She was horrified, "But, England...That's--" "A long way. Yes. That way, you're along way away from those threatening you, and they're much less likely to find you." Mary's hand went up timidly, "Miss, if I may," She cast a wary glance at the Queen, and bounced right into her speech when she received a nod of approval, "Going to England will teach you about how other countries work, and will give you a helpful insight into the outside world, which will be useful for when you run the country." His Majesty took the opportunity to expand on the maid's point, "They're not so different over there. Their customs and culture are very similar to our own, and the schooling system is mostly the same." Charlotte was stunned into silence. When she regained her words, the first thing she said was: "Schooling system?" The two monarchs nodded, "Yes. We wouldn't want to draw attention to ourself, would we?" She picked up on the unintentional use of The Royal We, and thought that it wasn't the right time to use it, considering that she would be becoming an ordinary citizen for God knew how long. "No, Ma'am." Her father chose this moment to tell her the worst news, "You will be going into Year 11, and you will need to study for your compulsory GCSE's. That means, you will return home straight from your school day and study. We don't mind which subjects you decide to take, but you must pass." "GCSE's?" She repeated, "General Certificate of Secondary Education? I haven't received a Secondary education. Surely it is not possible to pass." "You may not have studied to exact syllabus as they have, but you have been given the best education any one could have. It will be no difficulty to succeed in History, or excel in Geography." The Queen's creased up in a smile, "But, of course, which subjects you study is entirely up to you." "So I can choose every subject?" "Not exactly. There are some that are mandatory, such as English, Mathematics, Science, and Physical Education." She grimaced at the last two words. Charlotte had the sudden urge to storm out of the room, but stopped herself. It was clear that Mary noticed her twitch. "Miss Charlotte, having taken the GCSE's myself, I wholeheartedly believe that, with the amount of tutoring you have received, you will not find them as challenging as you fear they are." The Princess sighed, knowing that Mary's word was final. She agreed, and was sent away to pack her bags. It was decided that two maids would be coming with her: one of her choosing (Mary), and the other she had no choice on (Georgia). When walking down the corridor to her rooms with her friend, Charlotte turned to the maid, "Your speech about the tests not being as challenging as I fear...Was it all a lie?" Mary fidgeted uncomfortably, "Well, Miss...What I said wasn't exactly truthful. I do believe that your education will most certainly help, but..." She trailed off, and Charlotte got the message. She suddenly had a worrying thought, "Mary?" She asked, and continued when the other girl asked her what the matter was, "You were raised in England, no?" "I was, Miss. I'm unsure of where this is going." "How do English teenagers behave?" Mary stopped walking, her jaw slack, "Are you asking me to teach you how to be an average English teenager?" "Indeed. We are equals now." Charlotte had paused, too, and turned to look at Mary. "Equals," The maid seemed to enjoy the taste of the word. Suddenly, she dropped her perfectly straight posture, and walked forwards with swinging hips. She turned back, still walking. "We're equals. Now, I get to teach you how to live. I am going to love this." She cast her arms out wide, "Welcome to the wonderful world that is the common English language." "But I do speak English," Charlotte protested. Mary ignored the comment, "First rule of real English: Sarcasm--love it or hate it, it will be everywhere. Sarcastic jokes will be aimed at you, and it is your job not to take it personally." She was stunned. Sarcasm was all but forbidden in her household. It was said to be rude and disrespectful. "Second: If you can fuse two words together, do it. Never say 'do not', it's always 'don't'. 'Will not' is 'won't'." Mary had never spoken like this, and it both confused and intrigued Charlotte. She wanted to hear more, but was unsure of how this girl she had known for a year and grown to trust had a whole other #life; this girl was completely different to the one Charlotte had come to know. "One major thing: People will try to use 'text speak'. This is basically shortened versions of real words, or acronyms. Such as: 'you' will become the letter 'u'. But, don't worry, the kinds of people we will want to hang out with wont use it." Charlotte felt as though her head would explode if Mary wouldn't slow down, or stop using a very informal way of speaking. She needed a moment to collect her thoughts, but she wouldn't get one. "We leave tomorrow, so I'll need to give you a five-hour crash-course on all things England. Contrary to popular belief, no real English person lives on tea and scones, and nobody talks about the 'govna'. Also, we don't speak posh. I'm English; I use actual words." They had reached her rooms, and Mary threw open the doors. The girls made their way over to the massive bed, and the Princess and the maid talked all night on how to blend in with English crowds. *** A/N: This is my first story on Opuss. I think it's most likely scrappy and riddled with mistakes and comma splices, but I've never written this much on an iPhone before, and I'm not really sure about it. I hope this was a decent sized chapter, but, again, I'm not sure. I'll hopefully be updating soon, but who knows. Perry Xx