A/N: Thank you for the reviews/PMs! I appreciate that you take your time to give me feedback! Last chapter was an introduction and here comes chapter 2. I hope you will like it.

ANYTHING FITS A QUEEN

Chapter II

Sun was streaming inside the grand bedroom chamber through the grandiose windows. Victoria was standing by them and viewed the valley of Madrid. She was so far from Los Angeles she ever had been. On the other side of the world.

She found it hard to breath in the dress she wore. A tight black-and-white gown which pushed her bosom a bit too much of her own approval. The court ladies had urged her to carry it even though she clearly disapproved of the attire. A white diadem had been neatly placed in her black hair to help revealing the diamond earrings hanging in her earlobes.

"How about this one, My Lady?"

Victoria spun around to face one of her court ladies. The woman was standing with a matching black and white wide hat in her hands.

After Victoria nodded, the woman placed it on top of her head. "Stunning," she curtsied.

Victoria let out a smile. "Thank you." She turned to reflect herself in the mirror. Truly, she did not appear like the old Victoria she knew. The one who owned the tavern and would hurry between tables to serve and gain orders. She would not bother too much if she had a spot or two on the dress at the end of the evening.

"May I ask you if you have heard of the new bodyguard the prince has sought after?" the court lady asked politely. "He is very handsome! If I may say so..."

Victoria chuckled. "No."

Someone knocked on the door.

"Yes?"

A servant stood in the doorway. Rather well dressed with back slick, swishy. "The prince has summoned you."

She nodded once before swiftly glancing to the knife laying on the tray she had received for lunch. Unnoticed she snatched it to place in her sleeve. She smiled as she approached the servant and followed his side down the broad stair to the grand entrance room. A crystal chandelier hung in the ceiling and lit this reception kind of room.

The prince was standing there in company of a few men. It was first when Victoria almost had reached the last step that she stopped tracks as if she had been shot. Her nails dug into the marble fence of the stair and her heart began racing. When he turned around her knees must have weakened further as she had to tighten her hold on the fence to regain the balance. Diego?

"Ah, Victoria!" Bernard the prince greeted upon her arrival. He wandered over to her and held out his arm to assist her the last steps. Whilst never tearing the locked eyes she had with Diego, she walked reluctantly towards him. She grabbed a glass of champagne from a servant's tray in distraction as she approached him. She would definitely need that.

"Lady Victoria, this is Don Diego De La Vega," Bernard spoke. Victoria swallowed but said nothing. She gulped the champagne down her throat. "And Don Diego De La Vega, this is Lady Victoria, my fiancée."

It was first when Bernard said the following that Victoria began coughing. "He is your personal bodyguard. The best."

She stared first at Diego and then at Bernard, hoping none of them took a note of her shock. What in the world was Diego doing there? He was certainly not supposed to be there, ruining everything. Yet, she could not tear her eyes from his. His blue eyes causing her belly to flip inside. She could feel her tingly legs, her weak legs.

Whilst keeping her eyes locked in his, Diego reached for her hand and kissed it as he bowed. "Lady Victoria."

She snatched the hand back and gave him a warning look.

"Now, if you excuse us. I have some rules and expectations to discuss," Bernard confirmed and nodded to the garden, gesturing for Diego to join him.

Victoria curtsied and very slowly stood straight. She looked after Diego's figure walking out of the palace to the royal garden. Diego? Diego De La Vega? It was true he had studied several years in Madrid, and it was partly his home. Yet she could not grasp the thought of him in fact being there.

When Diego stepped outside he looked over his shoulder. He just had to. Victoria had looked so different. He had never seen her before in such a royal dress. She really did look like a royal.

Not so surprisingly he met her eyes. There was something between confusion, anger and... love in them? He had to turn back around and take a deep breath.

"Naturally since you are a well-known nobleman, good friend of our family, I believe you will serve us well," Bernard spoke.

Diego nodded seriously. "Indeed, I will."

Bernard smiled. "Good. Since I want higher security around us I demand you to watch my fiancée very carefully. I want nothing to happen to her."

Again, Diego nodded. "Yes, I understand."

"And," Bernard continued as the two strolled slowly between the hedges. "She will after all give birth to my heir, and therefore this is very important for me."

Upon hearing that, Diego had force out the words. "I understand." He wanted to vomit. What in the world did Victoria think? Marrying this prince. He was still hurt but at the same time he could not bare the thought of losing her.

"Your Highness," the advisor hurried towards them. They stopped tracks and awaited the man to approach them. "The Duke of Valencia has arrived."

"Already?" Bernard wondered surprised.

The advisor nodded. "Yes, Your Highness. In the ballroom."

"Well then," Bernard turned to Diego and the two nodded once before Bernard departed, leaving Diego alone in the grand garden.

The words made Diego upset. Having an heir. He was the one who was supposed to marry Victoria and have an heir. But even so, much time had passed since last time they saw each other. And after all, she had chosen to leave. But never in a million years that he would have believed she would travel to Spain to marry somebody else. Let alone the Crown Prince himself.

"A bodyguard, " Victoria stated.

Diego almost jumped in surprise. She walked past him as if she had not seen him. He let himself examine her for a moment before he caught up to her slow strolling pace.

Her eyes narrowed when she turned her head to look at him. "What are you up to?"

Hearing her voice again... Music to his ears.

He swallowed and tried not to sound too irritated or accusatory bitter. "A change of career."

Suddenly Victoria stopped tracks and so did Diego. "From what?" she inquired to know. "A nobleman?"

Diego kept his silence.

"An outlaw?" she went on. "Tell me... Zorro."

Again, Diego swallowed. He cleared his throat. "Still, I am serving you," he spoke and added a bit sarcastically, "My Queen." He could not just stand the phrase.

She gave him her eye. "You really should not be here, Diego." She lifted her gown slightly to ease her walking. She walked promptly back to the palace - without tuning around this time.

When she headed upstairs she noticed the shadow by her side.

"I am your bodyguard."

Oh Diego, Diego. She rolled her eyes. Whatever he said.

"I think I can handle myself. Certainly in my own home," she said without looking at him.

The last word stroke Diego harder than he wanted. Even harder than how harshly Victoria closed the bedroom door in front of his face. He winced by the bang.

If anybody was allowed to get irritated, it was him by now. He understood Victoria's anger. But should it not be over by then? She was after all the one who had went off to Madrid.

He had to storm out of the infernal palace. He had after all a job to get executed. Finish off the tyrant of a prince. The garden seemed to help him breath fresh air. The wind blew airily in the day. He needed that. He brought out his sword and let his eyes rest on it for a while. But in what way he would execute his job was still a big question mark for him. He had to get it done. The dirty fingertips were brought to his forehead to rub it thoughtfully. Then he moved his gaze upwards to the balcony he knew belonged to Victoria. She was standing there and watched him. When she noticed he had seen her, she backed inside and pulled the thin silky curtains to block the view into her chamber.

"The bath is ready, Lady Victoria," a court lady informed.

"Thank you, Maria," Victoria said with a warm smile. The court lady assisted her in loosing the corset. She let out a satisfied moan when it fell to the floor along with her dress. It had been quite an eventful day, to say the least.

She stepped inside the bathtub and sunk into the hot water. She never ever wanted to get out it. The thought of Diego seemed to not want to leave her mind. His body, his lips, his deep eyes... Victoria sat up and opened her eyes. She could not permit herself of thinking such. She was now devoted to something else in life, which should keep her focus. Not Diego's body.

Two court ladies joined her in the bathroom and helped her wash her hair. Not that she actually wanted the help, or needed it. But she had to accept it and pretend it was her ordinary day.

"Do you know anything of this new bodyguard?" she wondered thoughtfully.

"He is handsome, if I dare say so," one of the ladies spoke. There was a wave of irritation that hit her when hearing another woman saying so.

"Well... yes," she gave as response. "I suppose."

"He is supposedly from New England," the other court lady added as she washed the shampoo out of Victoria's hair. "And from what I have heard he must be an excellent swordfighter."

Victoria chuckled. "That is a new reputation. At least of Diego."

The court ladies silenced. Quickly, Victoria cleared her throat and stood up. She stepped outside and got help with drying her hair. Carefully, she closed the bedroom doors after saying goodnight to the court ladies. The bed had never appeared more tempting as by then.

It was a mere second after falling asleep that Diego had sneaked inside. At first he had just closed the door silently behind him and watched her from distance. Then he smoothly approached her sleeping figure. For once she appeared so peaceful. Her hair so soft across the pillows, her head deeply buried in those big white pillows. Her hand resting on her waist and that soft breathing. So beautiful.

That was a new sight for him. And how he had wished to face that sight every single night.

She stirred in her sleep and he did not manage to escape before she had seen him.

"What are you doing here?" her voice was soft. She sat up at met his eyes.

Diego wore a foolish smile. "Safety issues," he tried. He cleared his throat. "There... was an... intruder. Best for me to remain here if the person returns."

Victoria did not buy it but she seemed amused by the apparent lie. She watched how Diego sat down in an armchair further away that was turned towards her bed.

"Goodnight, then," she spoke softly and laid back down in bed with her body towards him, "accidentally" poking her bare leg out from the covers to place it in good sight for him. Letting it rest on the cover instead.

His finger's dug into the armrests and he hoped the armchair would not break. She was definitely teasing him. He had to change position in the armchair several times until he could be comfortable. The view he had was not something he wanted to miss. Yet he tried to tear his eyes away. He was a gentleman. But seeing her leg on the covers shine by the moonlight made him feel the urge to join her. He took a deep breath, and hoped Victoria would not notice his quickened breathing.

She had to force her smile to not appear, or Diego would know she could hear his clear discomfort. His frequent moving, his fast breathing and the cracking sound from the armchair which his tight grasp almost broke.

Two could play that game.

A/N: That was chapter 2! What did you think of it? :)