A/N: Uh oh. I'm about to be mean to Bella on her birthday. Sigh. But, like I said, I think there's much to like about this chapter.


Bella winced as her new handmaiden, Lucy, drew a comb through her hair. She was not as gentle as Alice by a long shot.

She stiffened when she heard the door to her chambers open and her husband's footfalls across the floor. She flinched when he spoke. "Leave us," he said.

Lucy curtseyed low and hurried away. Bella closed her eyes. It took all her willpower not to shrink away when James rested his hand on her shoulder. His kiss to her cheek was gentle. He had been the picture of husbandly devotion and adoration since the day he'd choked her and beaten Edward. After he was done with Edward, he had dragged her to his chambers. When he woke late that evening and saw what he had done, saw the way she trembled and cried in his arms, his horror seemed genuine.

"You have no greeting for your husband, My Lady?"

Bella opened her eyes and looked straight ahead, ignoring even his reflection in the mirror. "Good day to you, James."

"You're still angry with me." He knelt at her side and took her hand. "You must understand how you provoked me." His tone was still gentle, pleading. "My reaction was regrettable." He reached up, drawing his fingers down her neck, over the wounds he'd inflicted. "But you should not have contradicted me, in front of servants, no less. He ran his thumb over her lips. "Do you see? Do you understand?"

She wanted to bite his thumb off. "I was not thinking clearly," she said in a monotone. "Alice and Edward both have been my friends since I was a child. I know you do not approve of such friendships. I am trying to strengthen my woman's heart, but I am young. I am learning, My Lord."

"You forgive me, then."

Bella did not reply. James didn't seem to need one. He stood, brushing his knuckles down her cheek, and bent to kiss the corner of her mouth. "I've asked your uncle to stay on as an esteemed member of my council. Does that not please you?"

As though he had done it for her sake. "It will be nice to have family here, yes."

"There will be a grand banquet to announce the new knights and my new council. You will look lovely on my arm, and I will be the most envied man in Nomadia." He kissed her again and stood behind her, brushing his fingers again at her neck. "Won't you wear the necklace I gave you, sweet girl? It brings out your eyes."

Bella wondered if she had a choice. "Of course, husband. I would." She sat up straight, finally looking him in the eye in the mirror. "That is, if the marks have faded."

He grimaced but recovered his smile in the next moment. His hands rested heavy on her shoulders and as he kissed her cheek again, they began to slide downward.

Bella stood and took a few steps away from him, clutching her gown close. "I am expected. My ladies and I have promised to visit the orphanage." She was surprised she could keep her tone so steady. She wanted to scream at him not to touch her, but that would not end well.

As it was, James was glowering. Gone was the patient, tender husband of moments before. He was the cruel man she had always known him to be. He took a step forward, and Bella shrank back. They did this until she ran out of room. James rested his hands on the wall on either side of her, locking her with his gaze as his body invaded her space. "You would do well not to become cold before your time." His voice was low and steady. He let his eyes rake over her body. "After all, Queen Isabella, you have a duty to your people you have yet to fulfill." He lingered for only a heartbeat more before he turned on his heel and strode away.

When the door to the her chambers slammed, Bella whimpered and leaned heavily against the wall, her hand to her lips. She let the tears she'd kept at bay fall as she shook with relief.

Before, her duty as a wife was a chore but the thought was not unbearable. She had known since her uncle announced her betrothal what was to be expected of her in her wedding bed. She knew she could not refuse. However, when she looked at him now, all she saw was Edward's battered, bloody body limp in the corridor. Where she had felt mostly apathy toward her husband, she now felt hatred and repulsion. The thought of his bed or him in hers, only brought back the horror of that night, of James's hands on her body when she didn't know if Edward was alive.

His touch sickened her. Even then, her stomach churned with the strength of her disgust.

Bella took a deep breath and willed herself to find calm again. She had heard from Jasper that Edward was still under the watchful eye of the apothecary, slowly coming back to himself. She longed to go to him, but she could not take that risk. It would have to be enough that he was alive and safe.

She pushed herself away from the wall and made her way back to her vanity. Her hands were still shaking, but she began to pull the comb through her hair anyway. She looked at herself, her red-rimmed eyes, in the mirror and held her head high. Perhaps she was just a girl, but she was also a queen.

She would see to it that her husband got no more of her tears.

~0~

Edward was restless. Carlisle believed he was doing him a favor by making excuses, allowing him to recuperate more fully before he had to return to his duties. The problem there was that the longer he was under Carlisle's protection, the longer it would be to see Bella.

His skin itched with need. Carlisle had assured him she was safe and relatively unharmed, but he could not let the matter settle until he saw her with his own eyes.

"The King will notice my absence soon, Carlisle," Edward argued as he hobbled about the room, testing his tender legs. "Is it not better to try not to call attention to myself? If he thinks you're coddling me, it would be worse."

Carlisle looked uncomfortable with the idea. "Edward… If I said I could get you out of here, would you go?"

Edward stopped short and stared at the man, positive he must have heard wrong. "What?"

Carlisle's eyes were intent on his task of mixing and boiling and crushing. "What would you say to becoming my apprentice? You know I do not live in the castle under normal circumstances but outside the city. King Caius owed me a favor which James is honor bound to uphold. If I were to ask him-"

"No."

At that, Carlisle looked up. "Edward, if I can take you away-"

"I do not wish to leave." It must have sounded ludicrous. For a servant as he was to be offered a chance at his freedom, and beyond that, to learn a trade with which he could support himself was a fairytale. It simply didn't happen. He should have fallen to his knees in gratitude that Carlisle would even suggest it.

The other man was then understandably perplexed. "But why?" When Edward remained silent, he prompted again. "You can tell me."

Edward's heart pounded. He trusted Carlisle more than he trusted anyone else, but Bella was too important. Bad enough that the others knew about them - Emmett, Jasper, Alice and Rosalie. He trusted Carlisle with himself but not with Bella. He stared forward into the fire and didn't say a word.

After long, tense minutes, Carlisle nodded. He set down his wares and folded his hand on top of the table. Edward watched as he wrung his fingers. Finally, he stood and beckoned to Edward. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?"

Even in the light of the fire, he could tell Carlisle was paler than was typical. He saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed hard. "I'm offering you a secret. My secret. It is the only thing that can destroy me, and I want you to have it."

Edward was taken aback. What secret could a man like Carlisle harbor? "Your secret for mine?"

Carlisle looked him in the eyes. "I have my suspicions about what would keep you here when it is all but guaranteed the King will kill you before you reach old age. If I'm correct, you will see why you have nothing to fear from me. I only want to help you, Edward."

Edward scoffed. As if there was any help for him and Bella. "And if you're wrong about me?"

"Then you will have my secret, son, and you will have two lives in your hands. I will have to hope you have more care with human life than our King." Carlisle offered him a cane to steady himself on for their walk. Edward held his gaze, debating with himself, before he finally accepted the cane and fell into step beside the apothecary.

As they walked, Carlisle gestured so that Edward knew to pull his cloak up. It wasn't so much to conceal his identity as it was to slip into the background. He understood why when Carlisle led him upward, toward the main part of the castle, and then beyond. They were in a part of the castle that was little used save for when they had many guests. Carlisle pushed a door open to a small ballroom and strode to one side of it. There, he held up his torch to light a painting that hung unobtrusively in one corner. "Do you know who this is?" he asked.

"King Charles's queen."

"Yes." Carlisle stared up at her. He breathed in deep before he began his story. "When King Charles of Nomadia ruled, I had yet to give up my titles or land. I was at court, and I knew the queen intimately. She and I were… very good friends. This is how I came to know about King Charles. The way he treated Esme…" Carlisle pressed his lips together and shook his head. "I will not mince words. He beat her. Constantly. It grew worse when she was not able to produce an heir."

Edward balled his hands in fists at his side. He could imagine how easy it would be for James's behavior to escalate.

"Much was going on at the time," Carlisle continued. "Nobles in my lineage were falling ill. It was all natural, but… If you want to know the truth, Edward, it was suspicious to me. The people who died were all direct descendants to the throne. King Caius often said that God wanted him on the throne and so cleared the way. I couldn't help but wonder if God had help." He shook his head. "My suspicions only deepened after Esme fell pregnant the first time. The pregnancy had only barely been announced before she fell ill. The same illness that had killed the nobles before. I was already studying my craft, so I was able to insist on taking care of her myself. She lived. The babe died, but she lived.

"When she fell pregnant again, she begged my help. She worried for the life of her babe, and I worried for her life. She concealed her pregnancy as long as she was able."

"But not enough. She died and the babe with her. You think it was murder, then?" Edward asked, trying to piece together what Carlisle was trying to tell him.

Carlisle looked up at him. "The queen lives, Edward."

Edward took a step back. "What?"

"It was an elixir I discovered that slows the heartbeat to a degree the drinker would appear dead. When the babe was grown enough to lessen the chance of miscarriage, she took the potion. It kept her asleep for three days while the people of Nomadia mourned over her body. Then, the night before she was to be prepared for burial, I stole her away, far away to one of the properties I still own."

Edward balked, trying to understand. "She lives still?"

"Aye."

"I… I don't believe…"

Carlisle's smile was patient. He pointed again to the painting. "You see her necklace?"

"Aye."

"Our Queen Isabella wore it a few evenings ago at the announcement of the King's Council and new Knights. I left it for King Charles to find." He pointed at Queen Esme's wrist in the painting. "You see the matching bracelet?"

"Aye."

Carlisle drew that same bracelet out of his pocket and held it out for Edward to inspect. "I went home the day before last, remember? To gather more supplies. She lives a simple life now. Far too simple to wear things like this. I don't know why she kept it, but now I'm glad she did."

Edward stared at his friend as realization dawned on him. The look on Carlisle's face. The reverence with which he spoke the queen's name and the familiarity. It was beyond simple friendship. "You loved her. You love her."

"With every breath, and I would die to protect her."

Edward's head spun. He rubbed his temples. "And the babe? Does the would-be prince live?"

Carlisle's lips twitched. "Aye. He lives."

"With you and the queen?"

Carlisle's breath shuddered and his eyes closed. "Four months after the Queen's death, two months after the child's birth, King Charles died. I made my way back to court to pay my respects, of course."

"And not to arouse suspicion."

Carlisle nodded. "They said King Charles died of a broken heart at the loss of his beloved Esme." There was anger in his tone. "King Charles did not love Esme. He most certainly did not love Esme enough to crack his heart, let alone break it."

"He was murdered."

"I cannot prove it, but as Caius said, it did seem like someone wanted him on that throne." Carlisle drew another deep breath and dropped his gaze to the floor. "Esme… We always knew her remaining with me was a risk. She could be recognized at any time. But when she realized someone was still killing kings and the descendants of kings, she realized the babe could never be safe with her. To see a woman who looks like a queen who died many years ago is one thing, but to see a woman who looks like a queen with a child about the same age as the prince would have been… it was too much of a risk."

He took a step toward Edward then and clasped the hand that was not braced against the cane. His eyes were huge and sorrowful as he looked on Edward. "I… My one and only remaining home, besides the one outside Nomadia, is in Masen."

Edward's breath left him.

Carlisle continued, his cadence slow, as though he understood Edward needed the time to process his words. "I knew it had to be travelers. We could not take the chance anyone in town might have heard the babe's cry and put two and two together where he came from. So I went out to the river banks every day for two weeks. Then, one day, I happened across a beautiful family. They were strangers, obviously well-bred, and demonstrably loving both to each other and to their young children."

Edward began to shake his head. He stumbled backward, away from Carlisle.

"If I'd had any idea who they were, I would not have left you with them, Edward. I was ignorant. Painfully ignorant. They had never been to court in Nomadia. I never dreamed you would end up right back here. What I wanted for you was a life of anonymity. What I wanted was for a wealthy family to give you what you deserved. I had no idea they were the King and Queen of Forkshire when I set you in that basket near where their son played."

Dizzy, Edward fell backward right onto his ass. He leaned forward, hanging his head between his knees as he tried to understand. "You are lying."

Carlisle ignored that and continued his story as he sat at Edward's side. He touched his back, but dropped his hands to his knees when Edward recoiled away from him. "I found out only years later who they were, and you, of course, were nowhere to be seen. I had seen how Queen Renee held you and cuddled you. I doubted you were dead, but… All these years, I didn't know. Not until I saw your blanket did I know for sure."

Edward could scarcely breathe. He grabbed hold of his hair and pulled, trying to put walls around the overwhelming fear and confusion. "It's not true. It's not true."

"Come. Let us get back to my chambers. I'll make you tea."

Edward let Carlisle help him up. He even leaned against the man, lest his trembling body betray him and spill him on the floor. Carlisle's story spun around his head as they walked, and when he was settled again on his cot by the fire, Edward could think more clearly. He caught Carlisle by the wrist when the man bent forward to place hot tea on the bedside table. "Carlisle?"

"Aye?"

Edward swallowed several times before he could speak. Again he ran over the evidence. Carlisle had been in love with the queen, a woman he could not have. He loved her still. "Are you my father?"

Carlisle's eyes widened and his breath caught, but he did not move away from Edward. "I… cannot answer that definitively." He reached up, hesitantly brushing his fingers across Edward's cheek with a shaky, tender stroke. He sighed. "A generation or more ago, my family crossed lines with the King Caius's. That is why he called me cousin though I have no claim to the throne. You have my eyes, but I cannot say that is proof."

Edward was quiet, processing that. His eyes flicked up to Carlisle's. "If all the rest is true, then I choose to believe you are."

Carlisle's smile was wide at that. His eyes shone and he squeezed Edward's shoulder. "That would please me, Edward. You have no idea how that would please me."

They stared at each other for another beat. Edward had so many questions. He wanted to meet his mother. He wanted to know what this all meant for him. But he remembered how this all began. He sipped the tea Carlisle had made as he let it sink into his bones he could trust this man, his father. He had to laugh.

"What's funny?" Carlisle asked.

"History repeating itself." He shook his head. "I am in love with Queen Isabella. That is why I don't wish to leave the castle."

Carlisle exhaled in a gust, but he nodded. "I expected as much."

"What do I do?" Edward asked, once again feeling the impossibility of their situation come down on his shoulders. So he was a prince, a king. It mattered not. He was only those things by blood with no way to prove it no matter what he believed. If anything, he felt more helpless than before.

Carlisle put a hand to his shoulder. "We shall think of something."

Edward's smile was tight. Perhaps he was helpless, but he was no longer alone.


A/N: Oh, I know. James isn't dead. Buuut this isn't a bad thing, right?

Anyway. Thanks to songster and barburella and everydaybella. Kisses all around.

We'll reunite our lovers next chapter. Until then, how are we doing?