Author's Note: Well, this was an exciting, yet challenging chapter to write. I really wanted to show the different sides to the royal siblings, without taking them out of character...you'll see as you read it. Enjoy. 3

All Fable content belongs to Lionhead. All Panic! at the Disco album titles/song titles/lyrics belong to the band and thier record label. I do not own any of these, I just wrote the storyline for this fanfic. Violet, out. xx

3. Lying is the Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off

"Then I think of what you did, and how I hope to God it was worth it. When the lights are dim and your heart is racing as your fingers touch your skin."

A silent moment passed as the siblings stared into each other's eyes. Vanessa had no idea what to say, simply because she did not understand what he meant. She was a human, not a material object, so what did he mean? Logan shed a single tear that dripped down his pale skin.

"I…I'm not quite sure I understand," Vanessa spoke softly.

Logan took his eyes off of her, looking around the room. Finally, he spoke.

"Sister…he gave me the money in return for you. You will be turned over to him. It seems…it seems…he wants you as his mistress…and possibly…his wife."

Without a second's hesitation, Vanessa had sprung from her seat and had pushed Logan against a wall, her sword drawn and pressed to his neck. Her face was hot, her skin beginning to burn as it became red. Her blood boiled, her eyes narrowed, and she felt nothing but pure rage. Logan was not fighting back, he still had the same sorrowful expression on his face, this time with fear as well. A few tears pooled in his eyes, but he was strong, and fought to suppress them.

"HOW COULD YOU? LOGAN, HOW DARE YOU DO SUCH A THING! I SHOULD KILL YOU RIGHT NOW! YOU'RE A TRAITOR TO ALBION!" Vanessa shouted as loud as her voice would allow, making her throat hurt. She didn't care if anyone were to hear, she had never felt so angry, so betrayed, in all her life.

"I know. Dear Avo, I know. I deserve for you to kill me right now. If you were to slit my throat, I would surely support your decision. The ghosts of Mother and Father would forgive you…what I've done is too despicable. I do not deserve to live while I've traded away your life."

"You traded away my life, my freedom, and possibly the crown, to Reaver? All of Albion knows he is the most vile man in the country! I would rather die than be near him! Logan, you know very well what he wants, and you easily gave that away to him? YOU'RE NO BROTHER OF MINE!" Vanessa had tears streaming down her face, her hands still steadily holding her shining sword. The blade was pressed to Logan's neck, but she was careful to not draw blood, not yet. Her anger was strong, and in this moment she felt no love or connection to her brother. He had betrayed her.

"Vanessa, please, let me explain. I-I know what I did was wrong, why else would this pain me so much to tell you? But I did not do it without good reason. Please, sister. For betraying you this way, I do deserve to die by your sword, but not without an explanation," Logan's dark eyes pierced hers, begging her to listen to him. He was strong, and rarely showed his emotions. Vanessa knew he must be dead serious to be acting this way.

The Queen's hand trembled slightly, and she lowered her sword, backing away from her brother. She could no longer look him in the eye, and she turned away from him. She shot a small ball of electric fire from her hand toward a vase across the room. Her power of Will was extraordinary, and she used her magic to let out some of her rage. After a moment of heavy breathing, Vanessa rubbed her forehead, and spoke to her brother without looking up.

"Speak."

"Vanessa, my sister, if you think this decision was easy for me, you are gravely mistaken. I refused him, and threatened his life, but the man reminded me that without him, all of Albion would perish. That thought crippled me. I had been king for only a handful of weeks, and all my people would die because I refused his offer."

Logan paused, allowing Vanessa a moment to let out any protests, but none came. Although he could not see her face, he could tell she was listening intently. She was a kind Queen, and not one to stifle one's words. She would listen, but after that, Logan had no idea what she might do.

"I tried to weigh the choices in my head," he continued. "Would your temporary freedom be worth your ultimate death, not including the deaths of the six million Albion citizens? Sister, it tortured me to have to make that decision, but I saved your life."

"If I'm to be with Reaver, I might as well be dead." Vanessa's voice was low, but strong. She was not as good at hiding her feelings as her brother was, but she was trying hard.

"My Queen, Sister, please try to see it from my point of view. I was young, trying to protect you as best I could. I couldn't let you die. To look at the faces of Jasper, Walter, and every helpless citizen and know they would surely die…it was unbearable. When you visited Aurora and saw The Darkness for the first time, didn't you decide to use all means to save Albion?

"That's what I was doing. I was willing to do anything to save my Albion, and it seemed every decision I made was wrong…except that one. Indeed it will take you away from me, but you're strong. You're a Hero, after all. I know you will not allow any advances from Reaver, but to be honest, that is not the part I'm worried about."

Vanessa thought for a moment. Perhaps her brother had made the right decision after all. He saved her life, as well as the lives of her people.

"Vanessa, when I signed the contract with Reaver, I was King. I never thought I would give up the crown to you. I had no idea what you were capable of, so when he demanded your hand in marriage, I thought it was simply his way of being able to say he had rights to the Princess of Albion, his way of showing you off as a trophy. But I see it now, and it terrifies me. He knew you would become Queen. Somehow, he knew it all along. The look in his eyes that day when he asked for you, he knew you would take the throne. He wants the throne. He wants the power. Of course he has intimate interest in you, he is Reaver after all, but I believe he is more obsessed with the thought of having near equal control over all of Albion."

The Queen understood now. Her brother was young and foolish at the time, but he managed to save Albion. For that she was grateful. But the thought of not only being forced to be Reaver's mistress, but also his wife and sharing part of the crown with him…it terrified her. She couldn't speak as her lips trembled, so she let Logan continue to talk.

"I know he will not technically be King…but its close enough. With the power he holds already, he could manage to change Albion drastically anyway. And just…the thought of him touching you in any way…I swear I'll-"

Vanessa slammed into her brother. She had tears streaming down her face as she held tight to his chest, burying her face into his clothing. She was a tender soul, but also extremely tough when the time called for it, but she felt destroyed. She felt as if she were now a slave, an object with no name. She no longer felt like Vanessa, Queen of Albion. She didn't bother to stifle her tears. Just a moment before she had nearly killed her brother, and be assured she would have if he had not allowed her time to calm down from her rage. But now that her anger had died down, fear took hold. She had never been so terrified in all her life.

Logan was startled for a moment, but then he wrapped his arms around his sister, embracing her tightly. He had always been her closest confidante, and the two had such a strong bond. The thought he had possibly jeopardized that relationship pained Logan. The siblings stood for a moment, holding each other. As Vanessa cried, Logan rested his head on hers, rubbing her hair the way he had when she was little. It always calmed her when he did that. The former King fought back his tears for his sister's sake, but he hated nothing more than watching her cry.

"I am so sorry, Vanessa."

The Queen looked up at her brother, her cheeks bright pink and tear-stained. His eyes were sincere, and she suddenly felt horrible for threatening his life when he did everything he could to save her.

"Logan…I-I understand. It was difficult to hear such news at first, but I now see why you did it. I forgive you," Vanessa backed away slightly to wipe her face and compose herself. "If I had been in your place, I would have done the same thing. I'm sure of it. I would gladly give up my own happiness to save the lives of my people. I was being childish to become so angered."

"No you weren't. It's understandable. I just want you to know I wish I could have done anything else."

"Be assured, Logan, I will not conform to the woman Reaver wants. He shall get nothing from me, other than the marriage, but be sure I will keep Albion in check. He will not destroy my country. But, there's one thing that breaks my heart."

Vanessa wiped a tear from her eye, and took a deep breath.

"I am in love, Logan."

Her brother was caught off guard. His sister had never even showed a sign of being in a committed relationship. To him, she was still a little girl. He had to come to terms with the fact that she had now become a woman, and was naturally searching for love. But it was hard for him to grasp. His eyes widened and he felt a mix of happiness and confusion.

"Pray tell, Sister, with whom?"

Vanessa bit her lip slightly and a small smile crept onto her lips. Just the thought of her lover cheered her up from the dark conversation. After a moment's pause, she spoke.

"Lieutenant Ben Finn."

Vanessa watched Logan's expression carefully. He was clearly trying to comprehend the statement. Vanessa had only been in one previous relationship, with a childhood friend, Elliot. During her teen years, the two acted as lovers, but when Logan presented her with the decision to either kill Elliot or a large group of protesters, Vanessa sentenced her lover to death. The choice drove her apart from her brother for a while, and her decision haunted her for months. Elliot had begged her to execute him rather than the dozens of innocent citizens, but she never quite forgave herself. As time went by, she allowed herself to let him go, though she still missed him dearly.

Logan's expression looked stern, almost as if he disapproved. Vanessa knew her brother and Ben had never been too fond of one another. Then he began to smile, and a light laugh escaped his mouth.

"Dear sister, out of all the fine men in Albion, you prefer the poor, unkempt, soldier?" Logan joked, and even Vanessa giggled a little. The two most important men in her life sure loved to pick at one another. "I must admit, even if I do not quite…favour him, he is a respectable man when he is around you. Why have you kept this secret?"

"It was no person's concern. Why bother stirring up a fuss in Albion when we were fine keeping it between us. I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Logan."

The light tone the conversation had taken when the two began speaking of Ben was fading away. It was sinking in to the both of them that Vanessa's romance was going to cause a problem. How could she go through with Reaver's deal if she had another love?

"How serious are the two of you, Vanessa?"

Logan, a concern in his voice, watched the smile fade form his sister's face, and she looked toward the floor.

"Sister, were you planning on marrying Ben Finn?"

Vanessa wiped her eyes, and looked to Logan, a bittersweet smile creeping onto her lips. "We were…we were talking about it. We wanted to, but we wanted to wait until the time was right…but it seems that now…"

Logan rubbed his forehead, sighing. "Sister…I, I had no idea."

"No, Logan, its fine. I didn't tell you, so it came as an utter shock to you. I've heard enough horrid news today and this is just part of that. It's just painful to know that I have to give up someone I truly do love, to fake a relationship with a man I despise."

Vanessa turned to sit back down on the bench. She rested her head in her palms, deep in thought.

"I did try to make this as least-damaging as possible for you," Logan spoke, and his sister looked toward him. "When we struck the deal, he demanded you that day. He would not hear of ay waiting. But I couldn't do that. I couldn't give away my 15-year-old sister to such a man. You were not yet strong, or skilled in any fighting tactics. You surely would have been abused in ways I cannot bare to fathom. I finally convinced him to wait until your twenty-first birthday. "

Vanessa shook her head as her mind imagined what her life would have been like if she had been traded off to Reaver six years ago. Would she still have been a Hero? Would Logan still be King? Would she even still be living?

Logan walked to his sister, laying a firm hand on her back as she rested. After some minutes, she rose, wiping her face. She managed to look as if nothing had happened. She masked her pain, forced a smile, and spoke to Logan.

"Well, it's time we return to the ball. There's a certain tycoon I very much need to speak with."

Author's Note: INTENSE, right? Let me know what you guys think! I really appreciate all of your reviews and PM's, and I try to reply to all of them! The massive amount of feedback I've received is incrdible, and I'm glad you guys are liking it! see, this is my first fanfic, so I might do more when this comes to a close. But i've had people say they liked how I'm handling the characters, and I thank you all for that. I really try to keep them in character while also showing different sides. You surely wouldn't see a crying Logan in the game, but I felt with his relationship with his sister, it would be natural. I just hope you guys agree that I can handle them okay. xD Also, the ones I've talked to know this, but the plot is not what you think. Sorta. Be prepared for twists and such. I don't want it to be just another Fable fanfic...I want to keep you on your toes, not sure what might happen. Its not predictable. I hope, at least. I've also been told I write like a British kid. Cool, I like that compliment. ;3

Soooo, please give me feedback. And let me know what you wanna see! If you have any ideas, please tell me, because I'd love to hear them and if you're cool with it, incorporate them in! Thanks, guys. And I'm sorry this note was awful long.