<span style="font-family:Handlee">Ever since she was a child, she had been sheltered from the royal city and the rest of the world. She had been sickly as a child and had almost lost her life, if not for the efforts of her parents. When the doctors gave up on her, they didn't. They reached out and found a medicinal magical plant that would cure her of her illness and strengthen her immune system. As soon as it had been found, it had prepared and the little princess had drunk the herbal mixture. The effects were almost immediate and the color had returned to her pale cheeks. In time, it became clear that the plant had worked and her immune system had gotten stronger. She no longer had to fear most illnesses. It was a blessing.<br/>
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And yet, the king and queen still kept her sheltered, refusing to take the risk of anything happening to her. This was, of course, due to the fact that the queen was unable to produce another heir. The king loved his wife and refused to take another woman to try for more heirs. This made Alexandria ever the more precious to them. It wasn't fair to the girl, though. Because she was sheltered, she was often left alone as she grew older. At first, her parents had been with her almost all of the time but then the king had to return to his duties and the queen eventually followed suit. She was assigned a nursemaid to tend to her but when she outgrew that, she was left to her own sources.<br/>
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Sometimes the servants' children would play with her but eventually, even that stopped happening. Alexandria had no choice but to lose herself in books and her own imagination. After a while, it stopped bothering the fair princess. She began to explore the castle during the night when most were asleep. The castle was old and full of secrets and hidden rooms. The princess was determined to explore every inch, even if it took her years to do so. <br/>
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She was now twenty-two and almost of age. Soon her parents would finally find the perfect suitor for her and marry her off. Because she was their only child, whoever she married would become the next king. That meant that a lot of men sought to be the one chosen to marry her. The jousting tournament was to help aid in the search for the perfect match for their darling princess. <br/>
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However, Alexandria had no interest in marrying and becoming queen. No, she wanted to be free to live her own life and go on adventures. However, she was unable to do because of who she was and it saddened her greatly. It didn't stop her from losing herself in her stories or keep her from exploring the castle just like she was currently doing. Yes, the princess had slipped out of bed and took to the halls to explore further. <br/>
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Her bare feet didn't make a sound as she crept down the halls, the skirts of her nightgown and robe held up in the front so that she didn't trip over them. There was a smile on her lips, a gleam of mirth and mischief dancing in her green eyes. She avoided anyone who might still be awake. She reached the servant's end of the castle and moved to stand on one of the numerous balconies in the castle. She glanced up at the moon and star-filled sky, sighing softly. She didn't want to get married and be further caged in. It simply wasn't fair. </span>