Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters in it. I am making no profit off of this.
"That will look so pretty on you!" The squeals of the energetic girls around me hurt my ears slightly; I tolerated it with a patronizing smile, inclining my head in thanks towards them. They were all staring at my wedding dress which had been sent to my room earlier today. Along with the dress, I had been introduced to my ladies in waiting. As hard as I tried to be pleasant, and as hard as they tried to impress me, I found myself to be rather annoyed by them. They loved gossip far too much.
"His majesty is a lucky man," Angela told me, a sweet smile upon her face. I smiled; I knew that she meant what she said, and it was not done to impress me.
"Thank you, Mistress Weber," I replied, my voice soft as I continued to stare at the dress. Truly, it was beautiful, and there was no doubt in my mind that Princess Mary Alice knew about fashion. Regardless, I was a bit bitter. I didn't like planning things, or anything of that sort. But shouldn't I at least have the right to choose my own wedding dress?
I exhaled.
"My lady," one of the girls started up, glancing at another girl as she did so. I couldn't recall her name, unfortunately.
"Yes, Mistress...?" I trailed off, making it abundantly clear I was unsure of her name.
"Stanley," she told me. "Jessica Stanley. I was wondering, my lady, if you had any fashion trends in mind. Usually, we just wear what Princess Mary tells us to wear, especially considering she chooses the prettiest outfits, but you are soon to be queen and we are your ladies. It is your choice."
I smiled grimly. "For how long, however?"
They were completely silent, exchanging glances with one another, their expressions ranging from smug to amusement to even, the worst of all, pity. The only one who stared at me without any of those expressions was Angela, whose face was blank.
I exhaled in annoyance. "Oh, go," I ordered, waving them away with my hand.
"But... but we're suppose to help you!" This came from a red haired girl. I couldn't remember her name, either. "His majesty ordered for us to help you dress so that you could meet him downstairs soon. I'm afraid we got a bit distracted by your dress." She flickered a glance towards the bed where said dress was spread out. I glanced down at my attire; I did need to change, if I was to meet him, for I was in 'comfort clothes' so to speak.
"Mistress Weber can stay and help me," I said tiredly. "The rest of you, go."
"It would be much quicker if we stayed," another girl interjected.
"Go," Angela stepped forward, ushering them away before I snapped. They all grumbled incoherent things but obediently curtsied before turning and leaving. I sighed in relief, sitting down upon the bed, abruptly weary. It sounded childish, but I wanted to go home. I wanted to see my mother and father and have them hold me in their arms and comfort me. I wanted to see all of my old friends and just go home and sleep in my old bed, not this foreign one.
"I hate this," I muttered, more to myself then Angela.
"Hate what, my lady?" she inquired, but I could hear the hesitance in her voice at her prying. She wasn't sure if that was what I intended for her to do. I smiled.
"Everything about this place, Mistress Weber. The ladies here stare at me as if I am some sort of disease and as if I am not worthy of their presence, never mind the fact I am about to be their queen. His majesty is every bit as cruel as I had feared and you seem to be the only tolerable person I have met." I managed a weak smile. "I even hate this bed."
She bit her lip, and I silently hoped I hadn't made her feel awkward.
"We... well, my lady, you have been here but two days. Perhaps you should give it some more time. When I arrived here at court, I had some trouble adjusting, as well. The ladies treated me like that, too, and they still do occasionally. They're often jealous, and very bitter girls. And his majesty... he is a very kind, good person," she hurried to add on. I nodded my head, knowing from her expression she did not think it was so. However, it was treason to say otherwise.
"Of course," I murmured patronizingly.
"And I've heard his majesty's bed is plenty comfortable, so if you find that bed too hard, you'll be switching by tomorrow anyway," she hurried to interject, desperate to make me feel better. I let out a short, hard, bleak laugh. I wasn't saying I hated the bed because it was uncomfortable, for it was very comfortable. It was just not my bed.
"And how would people other then his majesty know?" I questioned, my tone soft.
Shock crossed her features along with a mixture of horror at her mistake. "I... I... I know not, my lady," she lied.
I let that pass, knowing she was trying to spare my feelings.
"Help me prepare for whatever it is that I must be prepared for, Mistress Weber." I stood from the bed, and I couldn't help but feel bland. As if all of the life had already been drained from me. I was doing what most girls would give both of their arms for; marrying a king, and he was even good looking. And yet, I felt disconsolate. He treated me terribly. Perhaps tonight would be better. The very thought made me feel quite a bit more jubilant.
"Dinner with his majesty," she explained.
"Inside of my biggest bag, I believe I should have a white gown. Fetch that for me, please." White was always a good color to wear; it symbolized virginity, innocence. She did as ordered and I allowed her to help me dress, silent the entire time. What if Edward was as dreadful to me as the last time we had talked? What if he was truly as bad as I recalled? I often tried to convince myself I had exaggerated in my mind at how terrible he had been.
"You look very pretty, my lady," Angela told me as she clasped a necklace around my neck.
"Thank you," I murmured. "I appreciate that." I hesitated, before asking, "What is the king like?"
She stiffened. "Have you... have you not met him, my lady?"
I chuckled. "I have, actually, but I was looking for someone else's honest opinion."
"Well," she began, biting her lip. I raised my right hand.
"Anything said in confidence here shall not be repeated," I swore. She nodded her head slowly.
"He mostly keeps to himself," she confessed. "The men see him get excited, when he goes hunting for the fun of it, but they say that's about it. In my experience, he seems rather like he's bored of everything that has to do with his life. He's never really that happy, but he's never sad, either. He's angry a lot, actually, and he mostly keeps to himself. If another kingdom chooses to do something bad, he won't question it unless it involves him. He minds his own business."
I nodded my head slowly, focusing my gaze on her face. "Well... that is an admirable trait," I slowly stated. "Anything else?"
"He... he looses his temper, sometimes. It's scary. My I advise you, my lady, not to test his limits?"
I chuckled shortly. "I shall not test his limits so as long as he does not test mine."
She frowned. "But he will push his limits with you. He always does." Right after the words were out of her mouth she gave a little horrified gasp, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. "I am sorry, my lady. I don't... I mean... I didn't mean what I just said. It was purely accidental."
I let out a short, hard laugh. "No worries, Mistress Weber. I won't repeat what you just said."
She gave a little sigh of relief. "Thank you, my lady."
I chuckled. "By the way, I agree with you. Now, will you be so kind as to lead the way to where his majesty awaits?"
When I arrived downstairs, he was already sitting down at the table, eating. I gave a little sigh of annoyance at the sight. Was he not patient enough to wait just a few minutes for me to dress? He turned at my arrival, having heard me descend the stairs. His eyes swept over me briefly before he turned back towards his food.
"You're late," he accused.
"You stared eating without me," I retaliated, seating myself across from him seeing as how he did not rise to pull my chair out for me.
"I have the right to eat before you arrived," he stated, pursing his lips together. Obviously, we were once again not off to a good start. "To start with, I am your king, and I may do as I please. Second off, you were ridiculously late to arrive, and I was not about to sit here and wait for you. Next time, be on time and perhaps I will wait for you."
I gritted my teeth, bridling at his absurd explanation. I was not that late. "I was hardly late," I sharply replied. "Merely by a few minutes, and that was because the honorable ladies you chose for me happened to forget to mention this." My tone was drenched in sarcasm, and I could see his jaw harden with an audible snap.
"They are not to your liking." It was not a question.
"Mistress Weber is rather kind. The rest, not so much."
He nodded his head knowingly, cutting up a bit of his meat as he did so. "Pity."
I instantly fumed, my hands clenching together into fists. "Excuse me?"
He looked up at me, baffled. "What?
"Don't you care that I dislike the majority of my ladies in waiting? Don't you want to know who I don't like? Or why I don't like them?" I hissed, my knuckles going white as I continued to fist my hands. He stared at me for one long moment before shrugging his fairly muscular shoulders.
"Not particularly. Tell me, if you wish, but I'm not going to change your ladies." He chuckled bleakly. I gaped.
"These are my ladies!" I shrieked. "You took away the right to choose my wedding dress, you took away the right to choose my ladies, and now I cannot even send the ones I dislike away?"
"They are honorable ladies." His tone was low, dark. "And their parents would be offended if I sent them away. We wouldn't want that now, would we?"
I glowered. "But you are the king, as you have told me so many times. What do you care?"
"I don't, really. But I want those ladies here."
I let out a short, hard laugh. "Are you trying to make me hate you?"
He laughed as well, but he did not sound amused, either. "You can't hate me. I am your king."
Did he truly believe because he was the king, he was untouchable? It appeared that way to me. I could scarcely believe it. I had never met a more arrogant man. I breathed in deeply, struggling to calm my nerves. He was very much pushing his limits here. I let that breath out, reminding myself to keep calm with him.
"Of course," I muttered sourly. "Silly me."
He grinned, apparently pleased at my agreement. I couldn't believe I was marrying this man tomorrow. I was starting to feel a bit sick at the thought.
"May I be excused, your majesty?"
He had better say yes.
"No."
"Why?" I demanded, pushing my plate away from me. I was no longer hungry. I felt ill, most likely due to the fact the realization of how close our wedding was had just hit me. There had to be some way out of this. This man was a terrible, cruel person and I wished to have nothing to due with him. "Why can't I leave? We are doing nothing but fighting."
"I want some company," he insisted. "You made me start eating alone, and so I shall not finish eating this alone."
"I made you?" I exclaimed, instantly outraged. "You chose to!"
"Hold your tongue."
I shook my head. "Dear God, this is ridiculous."
He placed a bit of food in his mouth and gestured towards my plate, signaling I should drag it back towards me. With a sigh I pulled it back, stabbing at the food that had already been placed upon it. I wondered who did that. I wasn't particularly hungry so I simply moved it around my plate, my eyes flickering about in search of some excuse to leave.
With a resigned sigh, I turned back to face him. "Will I be meeting the Princess Mary?"
He nodded his head. "She prefers to be called Princess Alice, and if you can't manage that, Princess Mary Alice." He sent me a dry look, as if he expected that I would not be able to remember to call her by her middle name. I instantly felt a stab of anger but I withheld my temper, nodding my head complacently.
"I see. When shall I be meeting her?"
"How should I know? Whenever she decides to come out and meet you."
I closed my eyes briefly, trying not to snap at him. "Should I go greet her, then?" My voice was a bit sharp.
He chuckled under his breath. "If you want. I don't particularly care."
"And what shall I do to entertain myself?" I asked him, pushing my plate away from me once more. What was there to do here? Perhaps walk in the garden. Sew his shirts and make some dresses. Things that the average lady did, but I knew, with no friends here and gossip obsessed girls as ladies in waiting, doing such things would bore me senseless.
"Make yourself some pretty dresses. I'll provide you with the material."
I bit back an instant retort I felt coming. His tone was condescending. If I wanted to get my way, I couldn't snap at him.
"In time, that shall bore me," I explained. "Will you show me the library, so I may read?"
His eyebrows knit together, crashing down like two dark clouds. "Read?"
I blushed. Surely my habit wasn't that absurd. "Yes... your majesty," I added on, figuring that might help my case.
He stared at me, as if he was honestly confused. "But you're a female. Why would you want to read?"
"I happen to enjoy it."
He stared at me for one long moment before he shrugged, obviously not caring enough to continue with his baffled protest. "If you want to read, you may read, but there are only limited books you are allowed to read. I will show you which ones you may read and which ones are off limits for you." He popped another piece of food into his mouth.
"Off limits? Why?"
"Some books have information in them, mostly political, that a girl of your class does not and should not know."
I very nearly sighed in annoyance.
"Of course," I responded as politely as I could, although I was sure my voice wavered slightly.
He chuckled, as if he could read the irritation in my face. Then again, he probably could. I had never been a good liar, or a good actress.
"We should probably discuss your duty here." It wasn't a suggestion.
I frowned. "What about it, your majesty? I'm aware of my duty. I think the entire world is aware of the duty of a queen."
It wasn't until I put it that way that I recalled something; I was going to be queen. Of course I had realized that as soon as I learned of my marriage to Edward, but I hadn't really thought about that. An entire country was depending upon me. Not only did I have to get pregnant and produce a healthy baby that had to live to adult hood, but it had to be a boy. I nearly groaned out loud at the thought. I had no control over this, but I would be blamed if anything went wrong.
He laughed bleakly once more. "I suppose," he relented. "But you are aware of how important this is, yes? You cannot fail like your cousin."
I instantly bristled, although I wasn't sure why. She had been the one to get me into this mess to start with. "She is not only my kin, but she is also my queen until tomorrow when we are wed. I would appreciate if you would treat her with the respect she deserves." She really didn't deserve my passionate defense, or respect, after what she had done to me. But I had been raised to defend my family regardless.
The corner of his mouth lifted in what could be considered a mocking smile. "How sweet. You defend your cousin still."
"Of course I do," I retaliated. "Any good family member would. And any good servant would for their queen."
"She is a despicable woman," he hissed.
"And still my queen and cousin," I snapped. I no longer cared for defending her so much as winning this argument.
"And I suppose you would defend her husband, too, if given the chance?"
I nodded my head. "He is my king. I respect him."
His eyebrows narrowed. "Not for long. And besides, I've heard he sleeps with any and every woman, given the chance." His eyes scrutinized my form, as if he highly suspected me of sleeping with him myself. Instantly, I flared; where did he get off thinking he could talk to me like this? I was soon to be his wife. I was not a whore.
There was tension in the air from our words; it was unbearably thick.
"But of course," I began quietly once more, my voice sweet. "I think it would be rather hypocritical for you to criticize him, from what I've heard about you."
His mouth fell open, the shock evident on his features before outrage abruptly took it's place. I swallowed quietly, feeling a twinge of fear at his expression. "Just where the--"
"Edward!"
A small girl in elegant gowns came prancing into the room, her head covered in short black hair. I was surprised that she would have the hairstyle a male more often carried, but I didn't question it. She was dainty and petite, but there was something beautiful and elegant about the way she carried herself. I had never seen anyone like her before.
Wait. Had she just called the king by his first name?
"You're being nice, Edward, right?" She pursed her full lips. "Right?"
He made the sign of the cross, almost as if he feared he was about to die. I couldn't imagine such a tiny creature capable of inflicting pain. "Of course, Alice," he responded smoothly, but there was something different about his voice. It no longer contained the disrespect and outrage it did when he spoke to me, but instead there was unfamiliar warmth to it. It was like velvet; soft, smooth and tempting.
Wait. Alice, as in Princess Mary?
I let out a little gasp. "Oh!" I exclaimed, rising from the table so I could curtsey.
She laughed, using her hand to wave for me to sit. "Sit, sit! We're soon to be sisters, aren't we? We don't need that formality."
I sat back down hesitantly and she came around the table, sitting herself next to me.
Edward shifted uncomfortably, his eyes flickering from me to Alice, and slowly, but surely, he pushed his plate of food away from him. "Why don't I leave you two alone to get acquainted?" he suggested, a small smile on his face. That was obviously directed towards his sister. Speaking of her, she was nodding her head, taking his old cup of wine and bringing it to her lips.
"That sounds like a good idea. Shoo, brother," she teased him, taking a small sip from his cup. He chuckled and swept her a deep bow before turning to me. Hesitantly, he swept me a curt, short bow, before turning on his heel and sourly stalking away. I very nearly flinched. As soon as he was out of our line of hearing, the princess spoke.
"Oh," she muttered. "Oh, dear."
I grimaced. She turned towards me.
"Bad start?" she asked.
I hesitated, before replying. "Yes, your majesty."
She waved her hand carelessly again. "None of that, now. Just Alice. And I'm sorry my brother is such a prick."
My mouth must have fallen open, because she laughed. "W-what?" I stuttered out.
"Oh, come on!" she laughed. "I'm his sister. Of course I know he's a prick, and of course I'm not afraid to say it."
I hesitated, not knowing if I should be brutally honest or not. "His majesty is a... a... very, um, interesting person," I settled with. She let out a howl of laughter, tossing her small head back to do so. I giggled as well, realizing how absurd I had sounded in my stuttering.
"He's not very nice to most everyone, I'm aware," she responded. "But he's honestly not a bad person. Compare it to... oh, I don't know, some sort of food. Hard on the outside, soft on the inside. He's grown up a king, which means that he cannot trust anyone. His closest friends, and even some family, would betray him in a heartbeat if it meant they had a chance to get on the throne. I am one of the few people he trusts, for I am his sister."
I frowned. "But then why is he so bitter to me? I have done nothing."
She stared at me for one long moment. "Do you talk back to him? I think you do. I thought I heard you two fighting, which is why I came down here."
I nodded hesitantly. "Of course, but only when he's being unbearably cruel!"
"To start with, he's probably really suspicious of you. You're going to be his wife, but he does not know you and does not know whether you would turn around and kill him, given the chance. Also, he's so use to people running to the ends of the earth to please him, and you're talking back to him. He's probably a little irritated that he has to deal with you and he's probably also enjoying having heated arguments, too. He doesn't get to do them often," she told me with a chuckle.
I frowned. "How can someone like arguing?"
She shrugged her tiny shoulders. "You'll find that out when you're queen."
I nodded, before turning to face her. "May I ask a favor?"
She beamed. "Of course! However, if it's not within my power," she frowned, "sorry."
"Can you please convince your brother to postpone the wedding, for just a little while longer? I really, really want my parents to be able to attend."
She sighed. "I'm sorry, but I don't think that's in my power. He's adamant that it be tomorrow."
"But why?" I exclaimed, a frown tugging on the corner of my lips.
She shrugged. "He wants to get this all over with, and he needs an heir as soon as he can get one."
"So you can't do it?" I asked, my frown increasing.
"It wouldn't work if I tried. I already know that much. I'm sorry."
I nodded. "It's fine." I couldn't help but feel lugubrious, regardless. For one brief moment, I had allowed my hopes to go up.
"So, how do you like your dress?"
That's right. She had been the girl to design my dress. I hesitated. "It's beautiful... thank you. How did you know my size?"
She giggled. "I sent a letter to Queen Lauren, asking. She sent one of your dresses over a little while ago so I'd know exactly how to have the wedding dress tailored." That made me wonder just how long this arrangement had been made before I was informed.
"Oh." That was all I said.
"I'm sorry for planning your wedding and such, without your consent," she apologized. "Thing is, I knew you would have to marry Edward three days after you got here, and that wouldn't give you enough time to plan the wedding and find the perfect dress, so I thought I'd take some of the stress off of you and allow you those three days to adjust to everything here. Although, I suppose my reasoning was slightly selfish. You see, I'll never have a wedding like this, and I've always wanted to plan one since I was a baby girl."
I hadn't been expecting that, to be honest. I felt a rush of gratitude, although it was mixed with confusion. "Of course you'll get to plan a wedding like this," I comforted. "You're a princess, and I'm sure you'll marry some great prince who, with your money combining his, will allow you to have the wedding of a lifetime, if you wished."
She shook her head slowly, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Ever since our parents passed away, Edward has taken over their duty in trying to find me a husband. He's been debating between several other prince's and king's, and struggling to decide which one to request a betrothal from. If he doesn't send one soon, we're all fairly positive I'm going to get a marriage request soon. Which king or prince will send it, I don't know." Her lower lip quivered, and I placed my arm around her shoulders, trying to comfort her.
"It's alright," I soothed her. She shook her head.
"No, it's not. I have been prepared to marry a complete stranger for so long now. I was okay with it for so many years, because I knew it was inevitable. There would be no love. I didn't think love was all that important, anyway. Not if I could help my family by entering a loveless marriage. In fact, I wasn't even sure if love existed." She exhaled.
"I'm sure it does," I said awkwardly, not sure why she was telling me this. She closed her eyes.
"Before he married Lauren, King Michael sent a marriage proposal to me, you know," she remarked.
"He did?" My mouth fell open. I hadn't ever heard of that.
"Of course. It was Edward's choice, not mine, and he said no because he did not think I would be treated well. I was nervous, very nervous indeed, that Michael would be outraged and we'd make an enemy out of him. I told the guards to send the pageboy with his response to my refusal straight up to me. When the pageboy arrived, I couldn't help but feel attracted." She gave a little sigh.
"Oh!" I squeaked out. I was starting to see where this was going.
"I told him he'd kept me waiting a long time. He said he was sorry, and then I made him hold my hand as I opened the letter because I was a bit afraid. The letter wasn't all that bad, actually, but I started to talk to that pageboy. Unbeknownst to my brother, I started sending for him, asking him to come to my rooms to keep me company."
"You don't mean to tell me that you two, um..." I trailed off. She laughed lightly.
"We fell in love, Isabella." She let out a little sigh. "We never did anything inappropriate, but oh, I love him!"
"Bella," I corrected her. "But what shall you do once his majesty finds you a husband?"
She frowned, turning her head to meet my eyes. "Swear on your honor you shall not breathe a word of this to anyone," she begged.
"I swear," I promised automatically, but I really meant it.
The tiniest of a smile crossed her features. "A couple of months ago, he proposed. I accepted. Can you believe it? A princess and a pageboy."
"Will you be marrying him, soon?"
"Oh, probably," she muttered. "It all depends. If Edward's interest in finding me a husband increases after his wedding, which I'm fairly certain it will, I'll confess. I'll probably marry Jasper before that, though, since I can't risk Edward just sending him away and marrying me off regardless." She grimaced at the thought alone.
"Do you think he'll be happy for you?"
She shook her head. "He'll be furious, at first. He'll feel betrayed. But eventually he will forgive me and eventually he will be happy for me." Abruptly, her voice was much smaller, like a child's voice. "But he is going to be so terribly angry. I don't want him to hate me, Bella, not even temporarily."
"He won't hate you," I comforted, but sincerity rang in every word. I had seen the way he gazed at her. He could never hate his sister.
She was silent for one long moment, saying nothing, but then she spoke. "You know, Bella, I have a feeling we're going to be great friends."
"Really?"
"The greatest," she insisted.
Angela's fingers ran through my hair, taking out everything that had been placed in it. I leaned back into her touch, allowing her to run a brush through my hair. I had allowed the other ladies to help me undress and dress into my night clothes, but since they continuously tried to get me to feed them gossip, I had sent them all back to their rooms, minus Angela.
It was night now, and early tomorrow I would have to be up and ready for the wedding. I could feel the stress that clouded my features and crept into every crevice of my body.
"It will be grand," I stated. Angela momentarily paused in her brush strokes before starting up once again.
"What will, my lady?"
"The wedding... of course," I murmured. "Princess Mary is planning it, so of course it will be." I found it best to refer to Alice by her title when other's were around. It was more proper. "I have to admit I'm rather nervous."
"Why, my lady?"
I shrugged. "Many reasons. To start with, I'm probably going to trip."
She let out a quiet giggle before raising her free hand to her mouth, muffling it. "I highly doubt it, my lady. You are as graceful as a dancer."
I laughed, snickering in amusement. "Very pretty," I complimented her praise. "You don't have to lie, however. I'm not going to be offended by the truth." My cheeks burned red. "I am very ungraceful. Trust me, I'm already aware."
She hesitated before speaking this time. "Keep your eyes on your feet, my lady. I'm not very graceful, either, and I find that helps."
"I'm also worried about my life after the wedding," I confessed.
"What about it?"
I stared at my pale hands, feeling weary and emotionally drained. "What if I cannot bear a son?" I whispered, using my hands to smoothen out the creases in my dress. It was something that would occupy my hands. She stopped in her brushing completely, frozen from behind me. I could hear her open her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. It was a long moment before she said anything.
"I'm sure his majesty would be happy with a girl, too," she cautiously said. I chuckled.
"No, he wouldn't. But what if... what if I cannot have any children?" I muttered.
"God wouldn't curse you so," Angela soothed. "You are to be our queen, our savior. Why would he do that to you?"
"I don't know!" I cried out in frustration. "I just fear it so, Mistress Weber."
"I'm sure you shall have many healthy sons," she responded calmly. I let out a short, hysterical laugh. I would be lucky to just have one healthy child, and yet here she was, praising me and showing she had complete devotion and faith in me. If I failed her and her country, would she still think of me in the same light? I highly doubted it.
"And if I don't? What shall become of me?" There was a frightened edge to my voice that even I could hear.
"You will have children."
"I wish I had the same faith you have," I muttered.
"Don't be distressed, my lady," she soothed. "You are to be married tomorrow. You must be well rested, not turning and rolling around the bed because you're plagued with bad thoughts."
I groaned at the reminder of the wedding.
"Do you think there is anyway to get the wedding postponed?" I was thinking of my parents then.
"Postponed?" There was confusion in her tone. "Goodness, why?"
I smiled at the lack of formality. "I want my parents to be able to attend. They are not here."
"Oh!" I turned around, and I could see she was frowning. "How dreadful."
"Dreadful indeed," I agreed, standing from the stool to go out onto my balcony. I was quite fond of this room, even though it was temporary. It wasn't too big, but it wasn't too small, either. It was like my room back at home, which gave me a sense of security. I hoped Edward would allow me to sleep here occasionally. I would probably do it without his consent, anyway.
"What's that?" I questioned, squinting in the dark at a bunch of shapes I saw. There was some laughter that erupted from them, and I realized it was people. Angela came out upon hearing my question, gazing at where I was pointing.
"It looks like his majesty and some friends," she responded.
"What are they doing out at this time of night?" My eyebrows knit together, and I realized Angela looked rather nervous. My frown deepened.
"I... I don't know, my lady," she muttered.
I quirked an eyebrow. "Are you lying to me?" I asked with a chuckle. She blushed.
"No! I mean... no, no, of course not."
"Please tell me the truth," I responded simply.
"Well," she hesitated, chewing on her lower lip. "I think he might have gone... there," she whispered.
I raised an eyebrow. "Where?"
"To see the ladies, maybe," she muttered, her face burning crimson. "But I could be wrong!" she hurried to add on.
"Noble ladies?" I hissed. I would not hear of him taking a mistress while he was married to me.
She shook her head, and comprehension dawned on me. My own face became bright red, and I was pretty sure it was visible, even in the dark. "A whore house?" I whispered, my face becoming a darker crimson. She let out a nervous giggle, wrapping her arms around her skinny shape. She nodded her head.
"Maybe, but I could be wrong," she muttered.
I turned back to the men, gazing at their forms that were only visible due to the moonlight. They were laughing and talking amongst themselves, everyone minus the king. He was just staring at them, his face blank, but I couldn't help but think that maybe he didn't actually like those men. He sure didn't seem very friendly with them, but why would he keep their companionship otherwise?
Maybe they were going to the whore house and he thought it convenient to travel with them, was all.
I grimaced.
They never saw me but I stayed outside, staring at nothing in particular. The crickets sang their little tunes and menacing shadows flickered around, created by the moonlight. I hadn't realized Angela had gone inside until she came out a few minutes later, draping a blanket around my shoulders. I pulled it close to my shivering form, basking in the warmth it provided.
"Come inside before you catch a chill," she insisted. I just nodded mutely, following her back inside of my room before sitting down upon my bed. My eyelids were abruptly heavy, wanting to droop and embrace the familiar darkness.
"Angela," I muttered, my voice groggy with sleep.
"Yes, my lady?"
"I'm scared."
Author's Note: Things should be picking up soon. I haven't gotten to the actual plot yet, I know, I'm sorry. It won't be long from now. And yes, Edward is still mean, if you hadn't realized, haha. Don't worry, everything will get better. (And besides, if he's automatically nice, which would be extremely ooc for a king, what fun is that?)
Sorry about the late update. To answer the questions I got, no, I am not dead. I am not dead in any shape or form. My laptop crashed, and then when I got a new one it took me a week to get Internet. I will be working on my other stories as soon as possible, I promise.
Also, if there are any mistakes, I am sorry. I no longer have microsoft word. :(
I hope you enjoyed it, and please review!
xo