A/N: This is an AU fic in which James and Lily are both royal and are betrothed to be married. I just really felt like writing this, so I hope you all enjoy it!

Blue Bloods

Part 1 – The First Meeting

James paced around his room anxiously, waiting to hear word that the moment he'd been waiting for had finally arrived. He had been looking forward to this day for over a year, and it had finally come. He was more nervous than he had ever been before, and why shouldn't he be? Anyone would be nervous when they were meeting their future wife for the first time, would they not?

Shortly after his fifteenth birthday, James' parents had announced that they had finally decided on a wife for him. He had been betrothed to a girl named Lily, a princess who came from a kingdom far away. She was to come and live with them starting in May of the following year. Now it was time for Lily to arrive, and James had been sixteen for two months. The plan was for the new girl to live with them for the next year or so, and the wedding would be in April, just after James' seventeenth birthday. It was somewhat unusual for them to be getting married so late; James' older brother, Philip, had been married before he turned fifteen. His younger brother, Alexander, was only twelve and had already been betrothed.

James was hoping the wait would be worth it. He wasn't stupid. He knew that many times, these arranged marriages never resulted in love. They were simply agreements between countries, to gain themselves allies. Yet he couldn't stop himself from hoping that maybe he would fall in love with his wife. It was at least possible, if not probable. He had not received a portrait of her likeness, as Philip had with Elizabeth, but that didn't bother him. He had heard rumors that this girl was as beautiful as the flower she had been named for, but even if she wasn't pretty, James hoped they would still be able to connect. He didn't want to spend his life in a loveless, pointless marriage.

As the middle child, it was unlikely that James would ever inherit the throne. At the age of twenty-two, it was likely that Philip would live a long life. If he and Elizabeth had any sons, those children would push James back in the line of inheritance. Philip and Elizabeth already had a daughter, called Maggie (short for Margaret), and Elizabeth was pregnant with her second child. Then, there was Lily. She was the youngest of four daughters, and there were no boys in her family. This meant that when her father died, her oldest sister's husband would inherit that throne. The two of them were not destined to rule, which made James want a loving marriage all the more. Why should he spend his life with a girl whom he didn't like when she wasn't even going to lead beside him some day?

James let out a sigh as he continued to pace up and down his room. His manservant, Gregory, had teased him, saying that he was going to wear a rut in the stone floor from all his pacing. James had simply ignored him. He was glad for the friendship he had found in Greg, but he was too caught up in his own thoughts to be friendly right now. The door to his room burst open, hitting the stone wall with a loud crack, and one of his father's servants dashed in. "The princess is on her way!" he cried excitedly, his hat askew on his head. "Your father, His Royal Highness King Charles, has ordered that an escort ride out and meet her. You are to go with them."

Numerous emotions overtook James at once. He was excited to finally meet this girl, but nervous and anxious about how they would get along. He was suddenly reluctant to go meet her, because he didn't want to meet disappointment. At the same time, he was impatient to lay his eyes on her at least. James promised himself that no matter what she looked like or how she acted, he would do his best to charm her and win her over. He hoped that they could at least be friends, if romance wasn't an option.

As quickly as he could, James changed into the appropriate riding gear and hurried after King Charles' servant. Greg, who had been standing beside the door in case James had needed him to do anything, followed. Downstairs, in one of the grand halls, James was met by a cluster of people.

James led the way outside, where his and many other horses were tacked up, ready and waiting for them. His horse, a chocolate brown mare named Catalina, seemed pleased to see him. It had been a while since James had had the time to ride her. This meant that she wouldn't mind a long ride, though James didn't know how far they would have to ride to meet up with the princess and her entourage. He hoped it wouldn't take long. They had to be close, if his father was sending him out to meet her. He climbed into the saddle, and followed after the men his father was sending along with him.

After about an hour of riding, just as James was beginning to think they would never find the princess and her entourage, they spotted a group of dots in the distance. "Look!" one of James' servants called, pointing. The shout startled him out of his thoughts, and without thinking he spurred his horse forward. His attendants urged their horses forward in order to keep pace with him. It was still about twenty minutes before they met up with the princess's court. James skidded to a halt about thirty feet from them, and waited for them to reach him.

While he waited, James scanned the sea of faces for the girl that might be Lily. His hopes were dashed when he noticed a litter towards the center of the group. She must be inside, resting after a long journey. He wanted her to get out so he could meet her, but he decided not to say anything. They had been traveling for almost two weeks, and she must have been exhausted. However, when he slid from Catalina's back, he saw one of her attendants knock on the door of her litter. "Princess?" she called through the thin wooden panel. "Prince James is here. Perhaps you would like to come out and see him?"

The thick, silk curtains that covered the window twitched, and James suspected she was looking at him through a tiny opening in the curtains, but he couldn't see her. A few seconds later the curtains fell back into place, but although everyone waited, she did not make an appearance. Another of the attendants, who James figured was in charge, gave him an apologetic smile. James shrugged. He would see her later, at dinner. He felt the need to pretend he wasn't bothered by the princess's rejection, though he was somewhat offended that she didn't want to come out and meet him.

They decided to rest for a while before continuing on to the castle, so James led Catalina over to stand under the shade of a tree. He sat down in the grass near her, picking at strands of the green turf while his horse grazed. After a while, Catalina wandered over to him and nuzzled his hair. Absentmindedly, James stroked her muzzle while he stared at the litter. Lily still hadn't come out, and James was beginning to feel frustrated. Why didn't she want to meet him? He hadn't done anything to offend her, had he? He couldn't possibly have, they had never even met before. He wondered what made her want to stay in the confines of her litter.

After another hour of sitting in the grass, James climbed to his feet and brushed the strands of grass from his pants. He grabbed Catalina's reigns and led her over to where everyone else was sitting. Normally, he tried not to boss his attendants around and was willing to go along with what everyone else wanted to do, but today he was too impatient. "Let's get going," he announced in a loud voice. "The king is waiting for us."

Without waiting for anyone to respond, he swung into Catalina's saddle and tapped her with his ankles. He didn't have to look back to know that both groups of servants were following him. He might not be the king, or even next in line for the throne, but he still had the power to command. Moving at a slower pace, it took them another two hours to get back to the castle. It was nearly time for dinner when they arrived. James jumped from Catalina's back and led her into the stable. He had planned to untack and brush her himself, but Greg came after him and told him he was wanted inside immediately.

James handed Catalina's reigns over to a stable boy and followed Greg. His manservant led the way up the hill and into the castle. To his surprise, he was met in the hallway by his father.

"Where is she?" Charles boomed, his hands curled into fists, resting on his hips. He had a smile on his face as he looked around the hall.

"I'm not sure," James admitted, glancing over his shoulder.

"Well, go find her!" Charles said, gesturing wildly in the air. "Bring her to the dining hall when you find her."

"Yes, Your Highness," James said, bowing. Sometimes he hated that his father insisted that everyone bow when leaving his presence, and call him by a number of royal titles. James was his son, why couldn't he just call him 'Father', like every other child? But even Philip, and their mother, Elaine, had to call Charles by whatever titles he decided on and bow as they left. With a sigh, he left the hall and went back outside. Most of Lily's attendants were still milling around in the courtyard.

James went up to the manservant from before, the one who had seemed to be in charge of Lily's court. "Do you know where the princess is?" James asked. "My father, King Charles, wants to see her in the dining hall. He wants her to join us for dinner. We're having a feast to celebrate her arrival."

The man nodded, and gave a slight bow. "I'll get her," he said. "My name is Thomas," he added.

"Nice to meet you," James said to his retreating back. After a few seconds, James decided to follow him. He wanted to escort Lily to the feast, to finally have a chance to see her and talk to her. Besides, his father did tell him to bring her to the hall, didn't he? Thomas was heading towards the litter, which surprised James. She couldn't still be in there, could she? James knew that traveling in a litter was uncomfortable. He knew from traveling with his mother and Elizabeth that every opportunity to get out and stretch your legs was taken. They hated being cooped up in the litter, while the men got to ride their horses out in the open. So why would Lily want to stay inside?

Thomas knocked sharply on her door. "It's time for dinner, Princess. King Charles has specifically requested your presence."

She must have responded, though James couldn't hear what she said, because Thomas gave a frustrated sigh and looked angry. "Princess, you can't refuse this time. You must do what they tell you. Now come out of there this instant."

James was surprised that Thomas was able to talk to her that way. His tone was almost fatherly, suggesting that Thomas had been around her since she was very little. He waited in silence for a full minute before the door creaked open and the princess stepped out slowly. The first thing he noticed about her was her flaming red hair. She was turned away from him, so all he could see of her was her waist-length fiery hair and her dark green gown. He hurried forward, eager to help her, but she stepped down on her own. Pushing her hair away from her face, she turned so he could finally see her.

He wasn't prepared for the look of hostility she flashed him, her green eyes full of anger. They were beautiful, the color of emeralds, but she was obviously not happy to see him. He took a step back, startled, but he forced himself to go up to her and offer his arm. She had turned her head away and was ignoring his presence. He expected her to walk away, or deliver a harsh rejection, but instead she slipped her arm through his without so much as a glance at him. Her hand curled around his forearm, gripping it tightly. He couldn't decide if it was from fear, anger, or both.

As he led her away from her servants, towards the castle and the dining hall, she dug her nails into his sleeve. "I don't like you," she said out of the side of her mouth.

Startled, James looked at her. Her face was like a mask, smooth and unemotional, but he could still see the glimmer of anger in her green eyes. She needn't have said anything. To James, it was already quite clear that she didn't like him any bit. The only part he didn't understand was why she didn't like him. She didn't even know him! But then again, maybe that was exactly why she didn't like him. Being engaged to someone you had never met before was no one's dream. Philip had been a nervous wreck, he remembered that now. Luckily, he and Elizabeth got along well. He had to admit, it was scary to be forced to marry a person that you might end up hating for the rest of your life.

James was willing to work to be her friend, though. He didn't want them to have a bad relationship. It didn't seem like Lily was willing to be his friend. It seemed like she was determined to hate him before she even gave him a chance. This seemed silly to James. They were going to be together for the rest of their lives. The least she could do was give him a chance, before she decided he was an awful person that she would never be able to like. He would try to make her like him anyways, even if she wasn't interested. Tonight, however, probably wasn't the night to make that happen.

The feast turned out to be a success, at least in King Charles' eyes. James and Lily were not seated next to each other, but across from each other. Lily was quiet at first, but once Elaine and Charles got her talking she was absolutely charming. It was impossible not to like her, even after her earlier behavior. In James' mind, he could not have gotten luckier with an arranged marriage. She might even be a girl that James would have picked for himself, if she could possibly have liked him back. Maybe if she had gotten to know him, without knowing she would be forced to marry him, she would have liked him.

I'll win her over, James thought. He wouldn't let himself give up until she stopped hating him, at the very least.

When dinner was over, Elaine ordered one of her servant girls to lead Lily to her chamber suite, where she would be living for the remainder of her time with them. She and several of her handmaids left, and James got up shortly afterward to return to his own chambers when his father called him over. "I want you to go and take tea with the princess," he said, looking stern. "Make her feel welcome here."

"Yes, Your Highness," James agreed, eager to comply. He bowed and left the dining hall quickly, calling for Greg and another of his manservants, Howard. Howard delivered an order for tea to the kitchens, then joined them outside the princess' chambers. One of her handmaids went inside to announce him. For a moment, James thought she would refuse to see him, but she obviously wasn't sure of her position there. Maybe she thought refusing to see him would even result in her death. He had heard of such harshness before, though he himself would never put someone to death because they didn't want to see him. He couldn't kill a person for not liking him, though he knew plenty of his ancestors had done it.

"Send him in," he heard her say with a sigh.

The handmaid returned, and held the door open wide so James and his manservants could enter her receiving room. James sat down on the cushion across from her, with a table separating them. Greg and Howard stood quietly in the corner, while Lily's maids milled around the room, unpacking her things.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked in an icy voice. Her eyes were equally as cold, and she folded her arms across her chest. It was clear that she didn't want him there, but knew she couldn't send him away.

"I came to have tea," James answered lamely.

"Tea," Lily said, staring at him.

"Tea," James repeated. He faltered, looking down at his lap, before adding, "And to tell you that I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Lily asked, her eyebrows raised in surprise. "For what?"

"For what our parents are doing to us," James said quietly. "I'm sorry you have to marry someone you don't even know. But I'm not sorry I got this chance to meet you. Besides, you have a whole year to get to know me."

"I doubt I'll like you any more in a year than I do right now," Lily sniffed, crossing her arms even tighter.

"Can't you just give me a chance?" James pleaded. "I think you might like me if you did."

"No." The answer was simple, but James wouldn't accept it.

"Why not?" he pressed.

"I promised myself when I left that I would never like you," Lily said harshly. "I don't want to like you. I want to go home and be with my family."

Without warning, she burst into tears.

Unsure of what to do, James sat on his cushion and watched her cry. He guessed she wouldn't take kindly to him trying to comfort her with a hug or even a hand on the shoulder. Instead, he tried to calm her down by talking. "We could be your new family, if you'll let us," he said awkwardly. "My parents already love you, and I know my brothers will as soon as they meet you. Elizabeth and Maggie, too."

Lily didn't answer. If anything, his words made her cry harder. "I'm not going to replace your family with mine," she said between sobs.

"I'm not asking you to," James said gently. "Just give us a chance. Give me a chance."

"Go away," Lily begged, her face in her hands. "Please, just leave me alone."

James didn't want to leave. He wanted to do something to make her feel better, but it seemed as though everything that came out of his mouth just made her more and more upset. Without a word, he got to his feet and motioned for Greg and Howard to follow him. He paused at the door and glanced back at her. She was still crying, but quietly now. "Good night, Princess."

She didn't even look up as he left.