This story took maybe four months to write, since I'm too lazy to sometime finish stuff. Anyway, I hope you P-P-P readers like it. This isn't really Demena heavy, but its cute none the less. Enjoy. Its completely done, just placed in chapters just incase some people didn't want to read all the way through at one time.

The darkened sky lit up in flames just outside the gates of the Costa Luna royal palace. Screams echoed through the night sky as the blazes burnt through the trees, the embers crackling through the wind, carrying the horrid sound across the land. Queen Sophia broke away from her husband in the foyer to race to the nursery. Her young daughter, princess Rosalinda, was asleep in her bed. At the age of two, she was next in line for the crown if anything should happen to her father. What a young queen she would be. Young indeed.

"Your majesty please, we must get you to the escape chamber." A young dress maker and palace guards surround the queen as the king's voice broke through the halls. The enemy was approaching, their mission, to eliminate the entire royal family, and replace them with a new one. Sophia bypassed her guards, her heart racing as she flung open the large white doors to the nursery. Her young daughter's bed was near a window, outside of it, flames and smoke covered the sky.

"Rosalinda darling," Sophia lowered herself to grab her young daughter, but to her fright, her daughter was gone. "Rosalinda?" She turned on her heels to gaze around the bedroom. "Rosalinda? Darling please don't hide from mommy." Sophia's heart was racing. "Please Rosalinda, please." Tears finally kissed her cheek as her guards tugged on her arm. A gun shot broke through the halls as the King's last scream faded away. How could a two year old just disappear? She was too young to open the great doors, and she never left her bed at night before.

"Seize them!" A voice called out as the guards tried to protect their queen. They fired their guns, dodged things as best as they could, but they were no match for the thirty men before the seven of them.

"Tisk, tisk, tisk," a short man, dressed in an army uniform called to the queen. "We mustn't run from the future King of Costa Luna. Now where is that daughter of yours?" The man was known as Clatin Cooper. He belonged to no one, no city, no island, and to no people, but for the past seven years, he wanted Costa Luna. When the birth of the princess was announced two years earlier he knew that a girl could never run an entire nation. Clatin walked into the small bedroom, looking around for the princess, but she was gone.

"WHERE IS SHE?" He yelled, demanding to know.

"I don't know." Sophia broke into tears as Clatin bit down on his teeth, hard.

"FIND HER!" He ordered. "Until then, keep the queen alive, and soon she and her daughter will meet the same fate as her husband." And with those words the men trailed off into the hallway once more as Sophia began to scream. Not only was her daughter missing, her gut told her that her husband was no longer alive.

Just rooms away young Rosalinda was asleep in the arms of a stranger. He was watching the windows with great attention, as he studied the soldiers below. The gentle breathing of the princess reminded the man of his own daughter back home, he had to get back to her, he just had to. Mason gripped a curtain between one arm, holding onto Rosalinda with the other just before he kicked open the window. The smoke outside was so high that no one noticed him, nor the sound since screams were still in the air. Mason didn't want to leave the queen, but after he witnessed the death of the king with his own eyes, he had to save the future of the Nation.

"Sleep hard young queen," he pressed his lips against the girl's ear, humming as he jumped from the window. It wasn't as hard as it seemed to hold up his own weight with that of a child, he was a professional.

"ROSLINDA!" The queen cried out. She was clueless on her husband's plan for their daughter if a takeover ever happened. Mason landed against the ground with a thud as the young girl coughed in his arms. He continued to hum before darting into the burning forest, the trees seemed to cry in pain. What a sight to see if the princess was awake, what a sight indeed. Mason could hear his feet cracking the few living branches of trees left. He wished he didn't have to step over them, but they too would be burned soon. Once out into the open, where the soldiers didn't step foot into yet, there was a panic going on. The locals were crying, screaming, and gathering things up before pushing their children into homes.

"The princess!" One man pointed. He was a commoner, he was scared and shaking. "They..they're looking for the princess." He limped forward as Mason shook his head. The people were turning against their royal family. Maybe not all people, but this man was one of many. Mason shifted through the people with ease before pressing a button on his pants buckle. A beeping noise broke through the air slightly before a submarine peeked through the upcoming water.

"Sleep well princess." Mason whispered to the young girl as they boarded the sub, and left the island, leaving its people in a panic.

Sixteen Years Later

"Rosie its your turn to do the dishes." Mason called to the girl from his truck outside. Rosalinda, or Rosie since she was moved from Costa Luna, was on the verge of turning eighteen, and she didn't know how important her life was for her Nation. She had never heard of Costa Luna, she hadn't even read about it in books until recently.

"Did you hear my dad?" Carter was just a few months older then Rosie. They had the same color of dark brown hair, and brownish eyes, but that's all that tied them together. "Rosie!"

"I heard him Carter." The brunette was reading up on a few history facts for her upcoming test as Carter slid next to her, by the sofa. It was strange, although Rosie was Carter's cousin, she felt really bad pains in her stomach recently whenever she became too close to the girl. But in a way, Carter enjoyed the feeling, but of course it was wrong in her mind, so she kept her thoughts to herself, even her feelings were hard to control.

"How about you stop studying and clean your side of the room." Carter placed her fingers between Rosie's book, as the girls locked eyes. It hurt Carter to want this connection, it hurt her because in some way it seemed so wrong to her, but it felt right somehow.

"Carter, remove your hand please."

"But."

"Please." Rosie didn't want to look away just as much as Carter, but she had to. Her eyes fell back on her book as Carter stood.

"Fine. But it's your day to do the dishes."

"I know." The girl mumbled from under her book.

"O-kay then." And with that Carter left the room, wishing she could of lingered in Rosie's eyes just a bit more. The book in the brunette's hand was filled with facts about smaller countries. Nations unknown to the world, as the book called it. Rosie loved history, it was one of her many joys that she indulged in now more then ever.

"Knock knock." Mason called to the girl from the window, as she looked up to him. The sun was beaming against his brown hair, letting it shine almost a blondish color.

"Yes?" Rosie spoke up, placing a book mark in-between her pages as she made it over to the man.

"I have a little business to take care of for tonight, so if you don't mind I'd like you to watch the house. You know how Carter gets when I leave her in charge."

"I know. I'll make sure she keeps everything in place."

"Thanks. I'll bring dinner before I leave." Mason turned away from the girl as she nodded. Her books were filled with names of different countries she wanted to know more about. Costa Aries, Costa Han, Costa Luna, Costa Copa, and her favorite at the time, Costa Kline. It was weird how none of the history books in school spoke of the countries, except by calling it the five coasts, whatever that was suppose to mean. Carter was in the nearby room pacing back and forth. She was trying to forget the feeling of being close to Rosie out of her head. She thought about watching television, or going for a walk, or anything remotely normal. Mason stepped into the house in his uniform.

"Dad, are you leaving again?" Carter's mind was cleared for now, as her heart raced in sadness.

"I have to pal. I help families, you know that."

"And what about our family? You're all Rosie and I have left."

"I promise to come home to you." Mason took a few steps into his daughter, running his fingers through her hair as she sighed, looking away into the distance. Rosie was watching them. She couldn't remember her parents, not even one moment with them, but at least she felt them near her. Mason told Rosie of the time her mother and father died in a terrible fire when she was just two years old. Her only family was him and Carter, who just months earlier lost Amanda, Carter's mother, and Mason's wife.

"I'll take care of her." Rosie smiled, telling Mason as he faced her. Carter was in no mood to be taken care of by a girl just months younger then she was.

"Dad, don't go." Carter pleaded as Mason kissed her forehead.

"I'll come home. I promise you." He waved Rosie over as she ran, hugging him tight before he pulled away. He saluted to both girls as Rosie did the same. Carter stood stiffly in place before turning towards her bedroom as her father left. Rosie joined the girl just moments later.

"I'm sorry that your dad has to leave again." Rosie's eyes were focused on the girl laying in her bed.

"Whatever. He likes doing his job to save other families but he couldn't save my mom…or your parents."

"Don't you think that's a little harsh?" Rosie asked, walking over to the brunette before sitting next to her. "I bet your father is very brave. He is brave. He wants to make sure that no one has to go through what we've been through."

"Yeah. But the thing is, he's the only family we have. I can't remember my mom. Not one memory of her sits in my head." Carter sat up, her eyes glued to Rosie's. "And I bet its even worse for you. Neither one of your parents left a memory that you can actually grasp onto."

"Stop it Carter. I'm very sorry about your mom, but I can't be sorry about my parents. They did what they had to in order to save me. And I am very proud of them."

"They pushed you out of a window."

"Into your fathers arms."

"But…"

"Carter." Rosie placed her fingers against the brunette's cheek. Their eyes never moving from the others. "Your heart needs to heal. You need to let it." Rosie's words were gentle, nurturing in a way. The brunette smiled, rubbing Carter's cheek gently as they both sighed.

"I just wish he'd stay home for good." Carter rose her fingers to Rosie's, cupping them before closing her eyes. She let the feel of the girl's skin against hers let her heart beat wildly.

"Um, Carter.." Rosie began as the brunette opened her eyes. "I have to finish my homework now." No other words were said as Carter nodded, letting the girl move back over to her bed to work. There seemed to be a cool breeze in the air. It trickled in from the lake nearby causing chills to run down Rosie's arm. The brunette did her best to focus on her homework, but it became difficult. Costa Copa was just a few miles off shore from Costa Luna, or so the book read. It had a royal family that once ruled for more then seven hundred years before it was legally bonded to Costa Luna by the attack on the small country, taking power over both islands was the new King of Costa Luna for over sixteen years, Clatin Cooper.

"What a normal name." Rosie spoke aloud, as Carter looked over to the girl from her bed.

"What name?"

"Clatin Cooper, he's the king of both Costa Luna, and Costa Copa."

"You know their both just called the new and old Costa Luna's right?" Carter informed the girl as Rosie read on. Her library book was more detailed then that of the school's.

"How could this Clatin guy come from nowhere and become king of two places in just sixteen years? What happened to the royal families?" Both Rosie and Carter were working on the same history project for school, a few others as well, but their assignments weren't as small country generalized then the girls. Carter stumbled over to Rosie, catching her balance before sitting side by side.

"You see," Carter began, "Although Costa Copa had the Duke and Duchess of…," the brunette flipped through Rosie's book trying to find the royal family names. "Here," she pointed to a photo. "The Grand Duke Jacobi, and Duchess Jasmine Thorns, ruled the land until this guy," Carter flipped through the book again, "you see this guy had taken over their land by force."

"I know, but what about Costa Luna? Who was their Royal family?" Rosie's eyes were wide as her cousin shrugged.

"No one knows. Its not even in the history books. They say the locals don't talk about it, if they do, they'll be beheaded."

"Beheaded?" Rosie's eyes grew wide as Carter traced a line across the brunette's neck. It was hard for them to look away from each other, but they were stepping into dangerous territory and they both knew it. Carter's eyes dropped to Rosie's lips as both girls took a deep breath. It was hard not to see that they were taken by the other, their body language was hard to miss.

"I-I guess I should study a bit more before tomorrow." Rosie spoke up as Carter gently nodded. It should have ended there, but it didn't. Carter let her body take over her actions. She leaned into the brunette in front of her, taking Rosie off guard and capturing her lips between hers. It was a feeling of pleasure, remorse, and ecstasy all at once. Rosie didn't kiss back, her eyes stayed on Carter's closed ones as she tried to focus on breathing. Carter was pushing herself into the girl more, and Rosie couldn't help but try to move her back. Both their hearts were racing, leaving them to their thoughts as Carter's fingers grazed Rosie's books, and then her thigh. A deep breath was taken by the girl as she gasped.

"Carter please…" body movement froze, and eyes connected. Both girls parted before Carter pressed her fingers against her own lips, studying Rosie. Her heart now burned. She felt as if she lost Rosie's trust over her stupid yearning. She left Rosie's side, stepping into her bed, before she began her own work again. The night would go on as being quiet and awkward. Even when Mason officially left for business, they were silent.

The next morning Rosie stood in a tanned sundress, her hair curled, with a small piece pinned in the back. Carter was dressed in her jeans and a top, and both girls seemed to contrast the other. The school bus was soon on its way, they were the last stop on the route and they didn't want to be late. Rosie made herself a bowl of cereal, eating it slowly at the table as Carter stepped into the kitchen. They exchanged glances before Carter walked over to the counter for a donut.

"Rosie I'm sorry about last night."

"Its okay." The brunette whispered.

"I shouldn't of done that."

"I said it was fine."

"If it was fine then why won't you look at me?" Carter was hurt. Although she felt she caused the most damage, she still loved Rosie. She loved her as a cousin, and she loved her as a friend, and even if her heart and mind were on different patterns, she'd wanted that small connection between the two of them. She craved it. Rosie gazed at the brunette across the table.

"My dad doesn't have to know." Carter said as the school bus's horn broke through the air.

"Like I'd tell him." The girl said, smiling as Carter nodded.

"Okay then. So we're good."

"We're good." They both left out the house, boarding the school bus, and making their way to school. Everyone loved Rosie, it was a skill of hers to be nice to everyone, and she mastered it perfectly. She could also thank Mason for that. He'd made it a mission of his somehow for Rosie to take etiquette classes every weekend, Spanish and French classes every Monday and Thursday, and she even had to take a few extra classes during random times in the week, all while being a full time high school student.

But speaking of Mason, he was on a mission.

Thanks for reading chapter one, please continue.