Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites, follows, and encouragements to continue. You all seem to like this Bella, so I thought I'd give you a peak into her mindset and background. This chapter has no action, but since this story is in third person and Bella has no one to talk to about her thoughts and feelings, we won't get much insight into her character moving forward. I have no beta, so all mistakes are my fault. Hope you enjoy, and I'll see you at the bottom!
Isabella made her way swiftly and decisively to her chambers, pleased with how the conversation had unfolded. The prince's reactions were as predictable as they were childish, though his potential for true greatness had become evident over the last three months of observation.
The adoration of his people had blinded him to his shortcomings. Courtiers and peasants alike lauded him for his prowess in the joust and the hunt, and his male friends deified him for his ability to catch women, who fawned over his ruggedly handsome countenance and impressive physique. None, however, had confronted him with his lack of depth as a leader or, truly, a person. That was one of many tasks she had set for herself in this relational war: make evident to him his flaws that he might correct them. And though there were many to be enumerated, the night's conversation laid the groundwork for his correction of one flaw in particular.
He was a fool if he thought she intended to spend the rest of her life tolerating his many trysts with other women, but her patience in the matter was essential in order to achieve the desired end. If she were to insist on his fidelity now, he would not only laugh in her face, but he would also see her desire to be his only bedmate as a way to claim some imagined power over her. Nor would she by false devotion and outpourings of doting affection try to change his ways. He has not earned such attentions from her, and she did not intend to act as his mistresses did, as though no matter how he treated her, he was the pinnacle of the male species. Mayhap his mistresses were so devoted that they truly believed such, but she was not so shallow. No, her course was far more subtle yet far more powerful than blustering demands or simpering overtures.
The vague strategy she laid out for him was indeed her goal for the general populace: earn their respect that they might receive the benefits of her kindness and wisdom. Her other goals she left unsaid. By gaining his people's respect, showing them kindness, and portraying unwavering strength to him and his kin, she planned to gain his respect as well. Only then would his actions to her turn favorably. Once he had become a man worthy of a true gentlewoman and, in doing so, earned her respect, then they could move forward as man and wife and as the future king and queen of both their peoples.
She roused from her thoughts upon entering her chambers, careful to maintain the persona she had carefully cultivated over the months. Her three handmaidens all curtsied and began helping her undress stoically and without a word, perpetuating a routine that had already been cultivated. She regarded them with the same attitude as she regarded Edward and, indeed, every Englasian she had encountered. Not with haughtiness, nor with disdain, but with polite distance. She had been removing herself from every situation the better to observe, to watch, and above all, to listen. She had been slowly but profitably building a mental catalogue of the members of the court and the issues of the day, the better to intelligently engage with the people and issues when the time was right. Respect, the key to all her plans, cannot be won with ignorance of the topics important to those from whom she is soliciting favor.
"Will that be all, ma'am?" asked the youngest of her handmaidens with an air of struggling to be remember her place. It was one of the rare moments in their routine which called for speech.
"Yes, thank you, Breanne," Isabella answered politely.
The three all curtsied and left the room and the princess to be alone for the rest of the night.
As Isabella laid down in her lavish bed, she allowed herself a rare moment to be a young woman in a strange land without a friend to call her own. She thought wistfully of her home and her people, with whom she had always enjoyed mutual adoration, much as Edward did. She even thought fondly of her parents, who, though they loved her deeply, never understood her and consistently underestimated her.
Queen Renee was always pleased with her achievements in music and art and other such pursuits fit for an educated young woman, but she was dismayed at Isabella's insatiable interest in governance, history, and other matters better suited to less delicate minds.
King Charles was merely bemused by her. He had accepted that the Lord had gifted him with a daughter and no sons and that he would have no one to whom he could pass his knowledge and experience. But as Isabella grew, she didn't seem to fit into any category. She was breathtakingly beautiful, cultured, and feminine to a fault, but she was also endlessly curious about things that only men should be concerned with. Unsure how to handle this strange phenomenon, he mostly avoided speaking to her of anything of depth and left her oddities for someone else to deal with.
When drought fell upon Arizia and the land slowly fell into destitution, King Charles did all he could to save his beloved nation. But as the starving masses started to die off, his last resort was to offer his most prized possession to his most hated rival. Isabella agreed, knowing the union would ensure that her subjects, if not her kingdom, would live on.
A tear slipped down Isabella's cheek as she recalled and reminisced. After that small concession to emotion, she then pulled herself together and rolled onto her side. Her last thoughts as she drifted off were of her husband. Tomorrow would dawn new battles, but tonight she had won her first victory on her most important front.
Let me know your thoughts, whether you loved it, hated it, have suggestions/advice for the future, or are annoyed by some aggravating grammatical error. I haven't had any questions yet, but I've anticipated a few below. If you have any more about the story or about my plans for it, feel free to ask.
How long will this story be? I'm posting by the seat of my pants right now, so I can't say for sure. I don't plan on this being incredibly long – I'll just go until I feel like my characters get where they need to be. Hopefully I'll have a better idea soon.
Do you have a posting schedule? Since I'm new to this, I don't want to commit to something and then get in over my head. I'm planning on roughly once a week with perhaps a bonus chapter thrown in when I have time. But no promises.
What era is this story set in? This story is not set in any real time period. The places are fictional, so the customs may come from many places in various eras, or they may be ones that have never been practiced anywhere.
How long will Edward will be an idiot? I don't tolerate a continuously idiotic Edward very well, so I won't inflict that on you. Remember, you've heard a lot of what Isabella thinks of Edward so far. But while she is very shrewd and intelligent, her judgment isn't infallible. Edward might just surprise her and us.