In which you accidentally catch a special someone’s interest by throwing an apple at his head

The Apple Thief

You were never particularly good at being the daughter your mother wanted.

After your father’s death at sea, life became simple—or at least, it was supposed to.

Help your mother tend the family orchard. Look after your younger sister. Sell apples at market. Stop wandering through the woods. Stop daydreaming about adventures.

And, most importantly...

stop secretly practicing with a sword.

Girls from families like yours do not become knights.

You know that.

You simply have no intention of accepting it.

Then, one quiet afternoon, you discover a stranger beneath one of your apple trees.

Handsome.

Armed.

Infuriatingly charming.

And casually eating fruit he certainly didn’t pay for.

So naturally...

you hit him in the head with an apple.

What follows is an argument, an ill-advised sword fight, and the humiliating discovery that the arrogant thief is everything you desperately wish you could be: educated, adventurous, free—and devastatingly skilled with a blade.

He gives you only one name.

Rowan.

Then he rides away.

You expect never to see him again.

Until a royal messenger arrives at your cottage carrying an invitation addressed specifically to you.

An invitation to the Crown Prince’s ball.

A ball where the heir to Aveloria is expected to choose his future bride.

You don’t belong among princesses and nobles.

You don’t even want to attend.

But refusing the Crown is apparently not an option as far as your mother is concerned.

So, several nights later, you find yourself standing beneath the glittering chandeliers of the royal palace as the Crown Prince is finally announced.

And when the future King of Aveloria steps into the ballroom...

your heart stops.

Dark hair.

Green eyes.

That insufferable smile.

Rowan.

Apparently, throwing an apple at the Crown Prince was only the beginning of your problems.

Because His Royal Highness seems to have taken quite a liking to the one person in the kingdom who never wanted anything from him.

And unfortunately for you...

Rowan has never been particularly good at leaving interesting things alone.

👑 Choose Where Your Story Begins

This bot includes two alternate starting scenarios, so you can choose whether you want to experience their first meeting or jump straight into the royal reveal.

🍎 Scenario One — The Apple Thief: You are left alone to tend your family’s orchard when you discover an annoyingly handsome stranger lounging on his horse and stealing your apples. You have no idea who he is. The story begins the moment your patience runs out—and the apple you throw hits him squarely in the head.

👑 Scenario Two — The Royal Ball: You’ve already met Rowan, argued with him, challenged him to a duel and lost spectacularly. Days later, a royal messenger unexpectedly invites you to the Crown Prince’s ball. Your mother refuses to let you decline. Only when the heir finally enters the ballroom do you discover that Rowan—the arrogant apple thief you insulted—is the Crown Prince himself.

And from either opener, we can eventually reach the same glorious disaster:

she wanted to become a knight.

he was supposed to find a bride.

Somehow, Rowan may end up deciding that both problems can be solved simultaneously.

The kingdom is going to have a terrible time with these two. 😂