A/N: Hey! Hope you enjoy! I know I'm slacking on updating, but I was decommissioned from my computer for a week. It was getting fixed. Thank you for ya'll reviews, they were lovely!

When Edward is viewing the palace imagine something like the White House, but more opener, airier. It won't be as confusing. ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or anything you may recognize from copyrighted things, or the White House, sadly. Or the baby aging backwards idea; although that would be awesome to take credit for. ;)


Troubled Love

Chapter 9

EPOV

"Good luck, man. You're gonna need it," Quill said to me when he opened the carriage door for me.

"Thanks," I mumbled, taking everything in.

I had managed to get Seth in a cage- how I did that, I have no clue; but was thanking my lucky stars repeatedly- but with the promise to let him out immediately when possible and appropriate. He was just mainly sulking in the corner of his cage throughout the ride. It would have looked weird, if I had Seth on my shoulder while walking around the palace. I didn't want to stand out for the wrong reasons.

The palace was exactly like I first saw it coming in through the gates; just bigger.

I saw the guys in the carriages ahead of mine go up the pathway, as I walked up the said pathway to the big white porch that wrapped all along the front of the building, between the tall, thick pillars. I didn't know exactly what to do, so...I was gonna wing everything I couldn't follow the lead to someone else on.

"Hello. I'm Angela, and I'll be your guide today. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask." When we got to the door a girl -Angela, supposedly- of medium height came out and greeted us. She had light brown hair going down to mid-back in an intricate braid attached to her head thrown carelessly over her shoulder, with her hands clasped behind her back. She seemed shy upon first look and nice; she had a kind face and a small frame with hazel eyes shining in enthusiasm.

Angela turned around and added over her shoulder, "Please follow me, and I'll show to where you'll meet the princess." We followed her through hallways, down corridors, between doorposts. Along the way she explained which rooms were what and which ones we aren't and are allowed to go into; which ones to avoid like a plague. About half an hour later she was leading us out to an open garden, my guess somewhere in the back of the palace, to meet the princess -whose name I have yet to hear. "Here is where you'll meet the princess and her bodyguards." Angela turned to leave, but did a 360 and turned back to us. I had to give her points for style. "Does anybody have any questions?" She asked.

A few hands shot up and I listened closely -they probably would have some of the millions of questions I had; my first one being: who is this supposed princess I had to win over?

"You first," Angela pointed to a guy with a chubby face and blond hair. He sort of seemed like Benjamin Button: Aging backwards.

"Is it true the princess is smoking hot?" I think my jaw dropped open at his bluntness. None of the other guys had the same as my reaction, but then again, I don't know a lot about being royal and how we were supposedly supposed to act. Was this how we were supposed to act? "'Cause I've heard a lot of rumors over the years, and I wanted to know if any of them were true."

Angela sputtered for an answer, "Um, we- um... Uh. I can't really be the judge of that; but I guess she is. I've never really thought of her that way. So, um... I, uh, guess the rumors are true." I guess royals weren't supposed to act this way -that definitely saved me some future trouble -Baby Face was just being a jerk, I assumed. I felt sorry for the poor girl. When she looked at all of our faces, and when she came to mine, I gave her an apologetic smile and made the crazy sign while pointing to Baby Face, with large eyes. She gave a little giggle and looked down blushing. After a minute, she looked up and cleared her throat, "Does anybody else have any questions?"

"Angela!" Angela whipped around at the voice and blushed again, more heavily this time. The voice came from somewhere in the depths of the palace. A second later a head of brown hair popped his head out.

"Hey, Ben. What is it?" Angela looked up sometime when she was speaking to look at him.

The guy -Ben- smiled sweetly at her and answered somewhat hastily. "Esme is looking for you. She needs your help with something."

"Oh. Okay. Tell her I'll be there soon. I just have to finish up here."

"No, Angela. She needs you, now," Ben said with urgency in his voice clear.

"What happened?"

"I don't know, but she looked in a panic, trying to find you."

"Okay. I'm coming." She turned back to us and said, "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I hope you all have a nice day." Angela turned to where the Ben guy was, and started scurrying up the steps, muttering to Ben, "Where's Esme?"

I didn't get to hear what was being said at that point because Baby Face and some of the others guys started to talk really loudly, gossiping, if you will, about what was going to happen.

"-can't wait-" one was saying.

"I know!" another one cut the one before him off.

"-smoking hot, yeah!" Men can be such pigs sometimes. Are all these men really care about are looks? Wow. I mean, what if she didn't meet the rumors? What then?

Baby Face looked cocky, saying, "You guys aren't going to have a chance. The princess is going to be all over me when she sees me." He scoffed at the guys' immature acts, while I scoffed at him for his... well, everything about him really; but namely his cockiness.

He must have heard my scoff, because a second after doing so, he turned around and put a sneer on his face. I schooled my face to a blank look and raised an eyebrow at him, silently telling him to continue.

"What are you scoffing at...?"

His not-so-subtle way of getting to learn my name did not go unnoticed. I could either ignore it, or answer it. I opted for ignoring it, "You."

He looked outraged by this answer, "And why are you scoffing at me, Mr...?" Again with the name.

A smirk appeared on my face out of habit. 'I'm gonna have to control that urge.' "Because," I decided to play with him a bit. 'This is going to be fun.'

"Because what?" Yes. This is going to be lots of fun. Yes it is. Let's see how far I could push him.

"Because... You know." He looked at me expectantly to continue, but again, I acted like the ignorant one.

When he saw I wasn't going to continue, he sighed aggravated. "Obviously I don't know. So will you please enlighten me?"

"Oh. You need enlightening alright," I muttered, but loud enough for all the men to hear. I sounded bored and dejected, but inside I was laughing my butt off.

"Why you little..." I think I could see steam coming out of his ears. His face was turning red, and it looked like it was about ready to pop off. I let out a huff of breath to cover the laugh that almost escaped. This guy has a little bit of a temper.

He took a step toward me and I did the same, copying him; probably annoying him further.

A throat being cleared stopped it -whatever it was- in its tracks. 'Aw. It was just getting to the fun part.'

We all turned back the way we were facing originally -somewhere we moved to where me and Baby Face were standing off. The person that cleared their throat was of a tall stature and a male.

'Oh crap.'

This wasn't just any person. This was one of those men that chased me about two days ago in the alleyway. He was the bulky one, but not the overly bulky one. He had shaggy brown hair, running unruly on the top of his head. I think he was the first one that I took down. Was he the one I tripped? I couldn't really place him. His laugh lines were familiar on his face, but not overly-familiar. But I know for sure he was one of them.

'Of course I would run into him here. He does work for the palace, after all.' Hopefully he wouldn't recognize me. Hopefully...

The realization took about a second, long enough for him to straighten his shoulders, standing up tall, and look at all of our faces -there weren't that many faces to look at, in the first place.

He paused at mine for a second longer, seeming confused. I held my breath, waiting for him to remember me, for the inevitable to happen.

Except, it didn't; the inevitable didn't happen.

And for that I was thankful.

His brow scrunched up in confusion -obviously remembering me from somewhere, but that somewhere was out of reach in the recess of his mind- and looked on.

A second later, he shook his head from his train of thought, and must have remembered his reason to break up mine and Baby Faces pre-fight talk.

"The princess is heading out here now. I'm Emmett; one of the princess's bodyguards." Well isn't that lovely? Note sarcasm. "So I'm warning you now -don't do anything inappropriate; because I won't hesitate to step in." He flexed his muscles, as if to prove his point, and I swear, most of the men -no boys- beside me almost wet themselves at the sight. "I'll be standing next to her the whole time, too. I'm telling the princess as much."

It was hard to keep the laugh that almost escaped, in; but I managed.

He turned away, but did a half-turn, and looked at us over his shoulder, adding, "And ya'll have the pleasure of meeting Jasper -the princess's other bodyguard." It was said in a southern accent, which made it all the more funny. My lips twitched in amusement, that he was finding my neighbors' reaction to the news, as funny as me. I nearly almost laughed. He had a big grin on his face and went up the steps, calling over his shoulder in the same southern accent, "See ya'll in a bit, ladies." My guess was he was going to find the princess -whose name I have yet to learn still. I could tell this was going to be a long tiring day at the rate it was going now.

A couple minutes after Emmett disappeared inside -surprisingly Baby Face wasn't dead yet along with the other boys here; although they were close- he walked back out with a guy with semi-long honey blond hair and a female brunet. My guess was this was the other bodyguard Emmett was talking about, and the princess. I couldn't quite see the princess's face because she had it facing towards the ground, but Blondie had his shoulders squared with a calm confidence aura around him. He looked familiar, just like Emmett had.

'Looks like my past keeps coming up to haunt me. I can't escape it. Just my luck, too.'

Blondie looked so familiar because he was with Emmett and the two other men that were chasing me down that retched alleyway two days ago. I wouldn't want to run into them here, now that I thought about it.

In was in the next moment that the princess looked up, and I realized just how much luck I had on my side, and if I had any, how bad it was.

Another thing I realized was that this was not because of my supposed luck, or lack thereof of it. It wasn't just a coincidence either.

I have never felt as used and lied to at this moment in time in my life than any other.

Marcus and Caius had planned this. They must have somehow saw that I had... -what? Talked? Conversed? I didn't know- whatever... with the princess, and decided to badger me along to do it. I guess my stealthiest was just a bonus to them.

I froze and I schooled my shock into a passive look, so fast that she couldn't see it. At least I hoped it turned out that way; I wasn't so sure. It seemed her shock was just as great as mine, but she couldn't seem to control it, because it looked like she gasped a little, and Blondie -didn't Emmett say his name before? I wasn't thinking right so I couldn't come up with the name at the moment, and mostly unable by my shock to- asked her something, and she shook her a head a little, hair sweeping over her some and back over to her back, and replied absentmindedly.

Emmett stepped forward, and said, "Men. This is Princess Bella, and Jasper. As I previously mentioned, Jasper and I are her bodyguards. You will not go anywhere without either one of us by your side. Understood?" He flexed his muscles some, reminding us of his previous threat, but I was too far gone in my shock to register anything but one thing he said.

'Princess?! Bella's a -no, the princess of Aswan?! My luck just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?'

It was in that moment that I also realized something else as I was staring into Bella's shocked appearance.

I would do anything to make her believe me. I felt.. no, needed her to believe me. But I had a gut feeling it was going to be harder than it sounded.

I also realized that everything just got about a million times harder that I was going to have to do than I originally presumed.

'That's just my luck...'


A:N: I'm sorry I left it at a cliffy. But it was there, so I took it. It's just so much fun! Hope you can forgive me! Can you guess who Baby Face is? It was a lot of fun writing this chapter.

Let me know if you liked it with flowers. Flowers are reviews to me, 'cause some smell good, but some don't. So give me lots, please! I would like this story to smell good. ;)~

I have decided that I'm going to update about every two weeks, if not sooner than that. Give or take a few days.

I'm gonna stop babbling now, so you can maybe give me some flowers. I don't care if they smell bad either. I love all of them! :P

~Cynthia~