Hey guys! I had a little bit of time in between studying for finals so I wanted to give you a preview of a story that I'll be doing once I'm home for the summer. I wanted to take a break from writing Puck and Rachel as adults and put them back in high school, despite the little bit of fantasy involved so I came up with this. I hope you all enjoy! Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

Plot: Rachel Berry knew nothing but the life of a princess. She had no room for a life outside of learning to be queen. Until her country goes to war. For her safety, she is sent to the states where she must live with the Puckerman family. While pretending to be a normal American teenager, is it possible that she might find love with the son of her host family?

Chapter 1: A Princess in Danger

Rachel looked at herself in the mirror as she prepared for her lessons for the day. She hated to admit it but she felt like she was starting to get tired of the same princess routine. Every day she woke up, completed her lessons, went to meetings and events with her parents, then by the time all of it was done, she only had an hour to herself before it was time to go to sleep. It was exhausting but it's been her life for the past sixteen years.

The country of Mercier was a small country but to Rachel it was home. She knew that she would soon be queen of the kingdom and she took it very seriously. But there was another part of her that was still a teenage girl. She wanted to have fun and experience things that normal girls her age do. Because of being a princess, she didn't have the luxury of having a large group of friends to spend time with. And in all the books that she has read over the years, she yearned for the epic romance that she's read about. Nothing thrilled her more than the belief that there was someone out there for her. Even though she was supposed to choose from the eligible princes in other kingdoms when she turned twenty-one, she still hoped that she would find some way to get out of it and fall in love in her own way.

"Rachel, darling!" she heard her mother call. "Are you up?"

"Yes mother," she replied. Her mother, Shelby, appeared in the doorway and shook her head in disapproval.

"Rachel I do not understand why you do not just have the servants help you get prepared for the day."

"I am at the age where I am capable of dressing myself. I do not need their help to do something so simple."

This was a constant thing between her and her parents. They believed that she should use the servants for everything while she would rather do things herself. It didn't make sense to use the servants for things that she could easily do herself.

Shelby sighed at her daughter. "Well finish getting prepared and come to common room for your lessons. Today you will learn how to handle issues of the country."

"Fun," Rachel mumbled. It was getting to a point where Rachel was beginning to hate learning to be queen. She wanted to see a world outside of these castle walls but the only time that happens is when her and her parents go to another country to solve an issue.

While she was finishing getting ready, her father, Hiram, appeared next to Shelby. He looked at his daughter and chuckled. "Still refusing to use the help, I see."

"This daughter of yours is very stubborn." Shelby replied.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "While your conversation may be important, I do not appreciate the two of you talking as if I am not here."

"Well if you would hurry and finish getting prepared, we wouldn't have to stand here, waiting for you," Shelby shook her head as she started walking away. "I will be in the common room, waiting."

While her mother was leaving, Rachel turned to her father. "Father, I know I have my lessons today but I was wondering, is it possible that I could take a walk around town?"

Hiram shook her head. "Rachel, you know the rules. You are not to go anywhere without the guards."

"But our kingdom is very safe, nothing could possibly happen to me. I always do everything you or Mother ask of me. Can I please do this one thing?"

"No. You will attend your lessons, come to the meeting with the country of Grendelon with your mother and me, and come back here. End of discussion."

Rachel sighed to herself as her father walked away. Hiram and Shelby Berry were the king and queen of the country. Whatever they said was the law of the land. They had control over everything including their daughter, much to her dismay. They controlled Rachel's schedule, who she spent her time with, what clothes she wore. While everyone in the kingdom would love to be Rachel, she would much rather be them. She would love to know what it's like to be a regular teenager who had a choice over what they did. But unfortunately, that couldn't happen with her. Once she is done being a princess, she must be the queen and then for the rest of her life she will be controlled.

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After her lessons were completed, Rachel went to the meeting with her parents. However, the royal family of Grendelon hadn't shown up yet. An hour went by and the family still hadn't arrived.

Shelby looked at her husband. "Hiram, are you sure the meeting is today?"

"Yes, I'm positive. I checked the schedule just this morning and it was still there."

Rachel stayed silent while her parents tried to figure out why their guests haven't arrived yet. While they were discussing it, Joe, the head of the guards, came running in. He stopped and looked at the royal family.

"My king the soldiers of Grendelon have attacked," he said, breathlessly. "They are upon us and ready to approach the castle."

Hiram stood from his chair. "What is it they want?"

"They told me that the king, Bernard, has sent a message: they want more land and control over Mercier. And they want it immediately."

"Well they can't have it." Hiram shook his head. "We had a deal, they could only have Grendelon. Anything pass the bridge is Mercier."

"That is not enough for them. They want all of it and they will do anything to get it. Including attacking us."

"And what do they plan on doing with us? They must know that we will not give up the throne so easily."

"King Bernard wants a marriage between the princess and their prince, Jesse. That way, the people of Mercier won't see it as a complete takeover."

"Rachel has not even reached the age to pick an eligible suitor." Shelby shook her head in disbelief. "She is only sixteen."

"That may be true but ultimately, they want to take over Mercier. They assume that by having the princess and their prince marry, that will help make that happen. If you refuse, they will not hesitate to kill any of you. Especially the princess."

Rachel felt her heart stop. She didn't want to be forced into marriage but she also didn't want to be killed just because a country was greedy. She gripped her mother's arm. "Mother, please do not make me do this. I love my country more than anything but I want to at least have the freedom to pick my suitor."

Shelby tried to ease her daughter's fears. "Relax my darling, you will not be forced into marriage."

"Yes, the last thing we are going to do is give into that tyrant's demands." Hiram rubbed his forehead to think. "But we can't afford to have you stay here."

Everyone snapped their heads towards the king. Shelby went over to him. "Hiram what are you talking about?"

"It is not safe for Rachel to stay here. She is the heir to the throne, if they kill her there is no one left in our line to run the kingdom. The power would immediately go to King Bernard and his line."

"So what are you saying?"

Hiram sighed. "We must send Rachel into hiding. We must put her someplace where they will never find her."

Rachel's eyes widened in fear. "Father, please do not send me away. I promise I will stay away from them, I will go someplace in the castle where they will never find me. Just please do not make me leave you and Mother."

"I wish there was another option but there isn't. These people will kill you if you refuse to marry their prince. Unless you want to be married to that prince, we have no other choice but to send you far away from here. We will bring you back once we defeat Bernard's army and run him out of the country."

Rachel looked to her mother, hoping that she would protest but Shelby stayed silent. "Mother?"

Shelby looked between Hiram and Rachel, feeling tears develop in her eyes. "I am sorry, my darling. But we need to listen your father."

Rachel felt like her whole world was crashing down. Not only was her home being invaded, but she was being forced to leave or else she will be killed or forced to marry the pompous Prince Jesse. At the end of the day, she would rather die than be forced to marry someone she truly didn't love.

Hiram turned to Joe. "Send out the troops. If Bernard wants a war, then that is exactly what he'll get." Joe nodded and ran out to follow orders while Hiram turned to his queen and daughter. "As for you, we will need to get you out of here as soon as possible."

The royal family called upon their good family friend, Daniel, to help get Rachel out of the kingdom. An hour later, Daniel arrived in Rachel's bedroom ready to help.

He bowed before the family. "My king, queen, and princess."

"Daniel we must get Rachel out of the kingdom as soon as possible." Hiram urged. "Do you know where we can send her without anyone being suspicious?"

"Well after some quick research, I learned that international students participate in something called Foreign Exchange programs. It is where students from other countries are allowed to travel to a country to study there and live with another family."

"Yes we have heard of them but those take months to clear," Shelby pointed out.

"That it is why we have already created a visa for the princess to use so she will not have to go through that process. All she has to do is get to the country and the family will be there to get her," he explained. One of the reasons Hiram and Shelby love Daniel so much is because he is always quick and ready to take care of any situation.

"So where am I going?" Rachel asked, getting frightened by the idea of going to a different country.

"America. You will be living in a place called Lima, Ohio and staying with the Puckerman family." Daniel noticed the terrified look on Rachel's face and sighed. "I'm sorry, Princess, but this is how it has to be. Now while you are there, you are to keep your identity as a princess a secret. Now the only one who knows your true identity will be the mother, Mrs. Puckerman. Other than her, no one must know. To them, you are a regular teenager in America. And I'm afraid that while you are in America, you will not be allowed to contact anyone here. Including your mother and father."

Rachel felt tears in her eyes as she looked at her parents. They looked as distressed as she did. She turned back to Daniel. "So I will not know if they are safe?"

"I'm afraid not, my princess. But I promise you that we will do everything in our power to keep them safe. Now we must hurry and get you out of here before the Grendelon soldiers make it to the castle. We will pack your belongings while you say your goodbyes."

While Daniel enlisted the servants' help to pack her things, Rachel and her parents walked off to another room. The walk was silent, as no one wanted any part of this task. But they knew that the safety of their princess depended on it. When they got to the room, Hiram and Shelby turned to their daughter.

"Mother, Father." Rachel began to sob. Shelby took her into her arms to try to calm her.

"It will be alright, my love." She soothed. "We will be together again, I promise."

"I do not want to leave. Please, I am sure that you can keep me safe here."

Hiram shook his head. "You know that is not true, Rachel. We do not want to take the chance of the soldiers ransacking the castle and finding you. This is for the best." Rachel began crying harder from her father's words so Hiram pulled her into a hug. "You will be alright, my princess. We will be right here waiting for you to return. But we need you to be strong during this. Can you do that for us? Can you wipe those tears and put on a brave face for your mother and me?"

Rachel wiped her tears and tried to keep them back to do what her father was asking of her. She did not want to disappoint him. "I love you both."

Hiram opened his arm for Shelby to join in the hug. "We love you too. That will never change, no matter how long you are away for."

The family stayed like that until someone came to announce that Rachel's plane was ready. Together, the royal family made their way to where the plane was sitting. Daniel announced that he would accompany Rachel to America and see that she met with Mrs. Puckerman. Once everyone understood, the king, queen and princess exchanged one last hug before Rachel boarded the plane. Once she was on, she waved to her parents as the plane began to take off. As she got further and further away from the place she has always called home, she forced herself to hold back her tears and try to remember what her father said. She had to be strong. Not only for herself but for her parents as well. It was the only way that they could ever survive this ordeal.

So tell me what you think! Like I said, this is a preview so if you love it, I'll continue after my finals are done. I might have time to update A Forever Kind of Love and Too Little Too Late this weekend but we'll see. Don't forget to review. Bye for now :)