"I think that you and I should go to the theater tomorrow night," Edmund announced the following week at dinner. "How does that sound?"

"Lovely," I murmured, picking up my glass and taking a sip of wine. "It sounds lovely."

"Good," he said, smiling. "I'm glad you think so. I can't even remember the last time the two of us actually went out together. We never get enough time alone anymore."

Across the table, the king grinned widely, looking back and forth between the two of us. He was having a good day, one of the few he'd had in the past month. I had a feeling that was part of the reason Edmund was in such a good mood.

"You two are so sweet together," the king said. "Reminds me of how the queen and I were when we first married. So young, so in love." He smiled wistfully, gazing off into space. I had a feeling that he was no longer present with us in the dining room, but somewhere very different indeed, somewhere long in the past. After a minute or two, he seemed to snap back into the present. "So when will you two lovebirds be giving me a grandchild?" he asked.

Edmund and I glanced at each other. "I don't know, Father," Edmund said. "Whenever God wills it, I suppose."

"Well I hope God hurries up and wills it soon," the king said. "I'm not going to be around forever, you know."

Edmund pressed his lips together in tight smile. "Yes, I'm well aware of that, Father. Only I wish you wouldn't talk about it so –"

"Talk about what?" the king interrupted. "The fact that I'm dying?"

Edmund cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"Come now, Edmund," his father continued. "I know I'm dying. You know I'm dying. Even little miss Ella here knows I'm dying. What's the point of ignoring it? You think that not talking about it will make it go away?"

Edmund stared down at his plate, not saying anything. He looked like he was on the verge of tears.

The king sighed and shook his head, redirecting his gaze to me. "Ella," he said softly, "you won't let me die without meeting my first grandchild, will you? Promise me that you won't."

I froze. What was one supposed to say to a question like that? How could I promise such a thing? I didn't know how much time he had left on this earth. And I certainly didn't know when I would be having my first baby.

Edmund's head shot back up. "Father!" he exclaimed. "She can't promise anything of the sort! How dare you ask her to."

"I simply don't understand what the two of you are waiting for," he said. "You've been married how long now?"

"Only about three months," Edmund replied. "Hardly a long time. Certainly not long enough to be accused of waiting too long to have children."

"Well, considering my health," the king said, "you'd think that it would at least be something the two you would consider."

Edmund let out an exasperated sigh. "We have thought about it, Father. In fact, we'd be open to having a baby at any time. It just hasn't happened yet."

The king sharply turned to look at me. "Why?" he asked. "Is there something wrong with you? Is something not working as it should?"

"Okay, that's enough," Edmund said, standing up. "This conversation is over. Goodnight, Father. Ella and I are going upstairs now."

"To make a baby, I hope," the king called after us as we exited the room.

Once we reached the door to my room, Edmund gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "Goodnight, Ella," he said, turning to leave. "Sweet dreams."

"Edmund, wait," I said, stopping him in his tracks. "Don't you want to stay with me tonight?"

He turned, a sad smile on his face. "I don't think so, darling. I'm not really in the mood. I'd rather be alone tonight."

I nodded slowly, staring down at my feet. "Oh," I said. "Of course. I understand. Goodnight, dear. I'll see you in the morning."

"Don't forget that we're going to the theater tomorrow night," he said suddenly. "That'll be fun. We'll enjoy ourselves tomorrow night, okay?"

I nodded, opening the door to my room. "Okay."

I wandered into my sitting room. My four ladies-in-waiting were all there, sewing quilts and drinking tea. I threw myself down on the divan where Sarah was sitting and sighed heavily.

"What's wrong?" she said, looking up. Her blonde hair stuck out in all directions and there was a small piece of fabric wrapped around her finger where she had stuck herself with a needle and begun to bleed. An overwhelming urge to hug her washed over me. She was such a good friend, such a lovely person. I didn't know what I would do without her and her spazzy behavior. I reached out and wrapped my arms around her.

"Aghh," she squealed. "Ella, I can't breathe!"

I let go. "Sorry," I said. "It's just that I love you."

She giggled, setting down her half-finished quilt. "I love you too, Ella."

I turned to look at Catherine. "Is it okay if I steal Sarah and Anna from you?" I said. "There's something I need to talk to them about."

She peered at me over her eyeglasses, giving me a look that reminded me a lot of the one that my mother used to give me when I did something that deserved a scolding.

"Well, I suppose these quilts can wait," she said. "They are only for the poor, after all. There's no rush."

"You're trying to make me feel guilty," I said.

"Is it working?" she asked, smiling at me fondly.

"Maybe a little," I said, standing up. "They can bring the quilts they're working on along with them. How about that?"

"That's not necessary," Catherine said. "You three go talk. They can finish their work later. Elizabeth and I have everything under control for now, don't we dear?"

Elizabeth nodded, not saying anything as usual. I felt a bit bad, leaving her out so often. She was actually the only one of my ladies who was the same age as me –twenty. Sarah was four years younger and Anna was five years older. But she had always been so quiet and the two of us had just never had a chance to grow close. So I merely smiled at her kindly. "Thank you, both of you," I said. "You're angels, really."

Once inside my bedroom, the door tightly closed behind us, Sarah and Anna threw themselves down on my bed and looked up at me expectedly.

"So," Sarah said, her eyes wide and eager, "what did you want to talk about?"

I sat down beside them. "I don't think Edmund finds me desirable anymore."

They both looked at each other, stunned expressions on their faces, and then back at me.

"What do you mean?" Anna asked.

"He hasn't come to bed with me in over a week," I said. "The last time we made love was during our short lived visit with Rosa and Alexander. He hasn't touched me since."

It was no wonder that I hadn't gotten pregnant yet. Edmund and I were spending fewer and fewer nights together as time went on. If the king was ever going to get a grandchild in his lifetime, something needed to change.

"I'm sure that's not your fault," Sarah said. "He probably just has a lot on his mind or something."

Anna shook her head. "I don't know about that," she said. "Men usually only have one thing on their minds."

"Well if that's true then why isn't Edmund coming to her at night?" Sarah asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Hmm? Answer me that, Miss Cynical."

"I think it's because he's with someone else!" I blurted out.

"What?" they asked in unison, turning to look at me.

"He's been cheating on me since the begging," I admitted to them for the first time. "I have no reason to think that's he stopped."

"But…but…" Sarah sputtered. "But he's crazy about you."

I shrugged. "Apparently not."

"Oh, Ella," she said, tears welling up in eyes. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"I'm fine, Sarah," I said. "I've known for a while now and I think that I've come to accept it. There's nothing I can do but try to be the best wife possible and hope that he stops."

"That hardly seems fair," Anna said, her brown eyes filled with disappointment as she gazed at me. "Why should you have to put all the effort into fixing your marriage while he's off sleeping with other women?"

"You don't understand, Anna," I murmured.

"You're damn right, I don't understand!" she replied angrily. "I don't understand why men are all the same. They're all cheating, lying pieces of scum and we all fall for their tricks over and over again! Why is that?"

"I don't think all men are bad," Sarah whispered, nervously chewing on one of her fingernails.

"Well, you wouldn't," Anna snapped. "You've never been in love. All you know about men is what you've read in those stupid novels of yours. But here's something you need to understand, Sarah. Men in novels are nothing like men in real life. In real life, even Prince Charming will let you down."

Sarah lowered her head. "You're right," she whispered. "I don't know anything about men or about romance. But excuse me for not giving into your cynical way of thinking. Just because you had your heart broken by a stable boy and just because Prince Edmund turned out to not be so perfect, doesn't mean that their aren't men out there who are genuinely trustworthy."

Anna rolled her eyes. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"Anna," Sarah said quietly, "you don't really think that all men are the same, do you?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, maybe."

"Because I really need to believe that they aren't," Sarah continued. "Or else I'm going to go into my marriage already believing that it's doomed from the beginning."

"Your marriage?" I asked. "What do you mean by that, Sarah?"

"She just means whenever she gets married in the future," Anna said. "She's not referring to anything specific."

"Actually, Anna," Sarah said, "that's not true. I happen to be engaged."

Our mouths both fell open. "To who?" I asked.

"To a boy named Theodore," she said. "He's from the town I was born in. I've never met him, but Father believes that the two of us will make a good match."

My forehead wrinkled in confusion. Something wasn't adding up. "Sarah," I said slowly, "if he lives in a different town, does that mean that he will be coming here to live after the two of you are married?"

She shook her head. "No," she said quietly. "No, it doesn't mean that, actually."

Beside me, Anna's eyes widened. "Sarah," she whispered her voice cracking slightly, "you don't mean…"

"I'm leaving," Sarah finished for her. "My father…he says that he's not getting any younger and he wants to spend whatever time he has left back at home. He says he's too old to enjoy court life anymore and wants to die in the same place he was born. So I'll be going with him and I'll marry Theodore and…" She trailed off, tears beginning to fall down her face. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell the two of you sooner. It's just that you're my best friends. I didn't know how to tell you that I was leaving."

I don't think I had ever seen Anna look so devastated. "You can't leave," she murmured. "Ella, tell her she can't leave."

"I can't tell her that," I said.

"Yes, you can," Anna insisted. "You're the princess. You can order her to stay."

"Anna," I said sternly. "You know I can't."

She fell silent.

Sarah had rolled over onto her stomach, her face burned in one of my pillows. I could hear her muffled sobs as I lay down beside her.

"Sarah," I said, "you're going to be okay. I'm sure this Theodore is a lovely person. You're father loves you very much. He wouldn't arrange for you marry someone unless he was absolutely sure that he could be trusted."

"It's true," Anna agreed. "I'm sure Theodore will prove to be the exception to the "all men are scum rule."

Sarah lifted her head and looked at Anna with bloodshot eyes. "You think?"

"I know," she said, hopping off the bed and placing her hands on her hips. "Now, we better get Ella ready for bed."

Sarah sat up, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "Yes," she said. "Yes, of course."

I smiled at them. "You two are my best friends. No matter what, just remember that, okay?"

The next night, I peered out of the carriage window excitedly as we pulled up to the theater. It was a beautiful old building that looked even more amazing at night, all lit up and bustling with life. People strolled by dresses in their evening finery, the men in tuxedos and the women in long gowns, draped in jewels.

The door opened and the footmen helped me out of the carriage. Edmund followed me out, holding out his arm for me to take. All around us, people had stopped to point and whisper. As we made our way to the doors, I made sure to smile graciously at everyone we passed. Just as we were about to step inside, a little girl, probably no more than five years old, came scampering over. I smiled down at her and she lowered herself into a clumsy curtsy, all the while staring up at me in awe.

"Are you the printheth?" she asked, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"Yes, I am," I said, crouching down so that I was closer to her eye level. "I'm Princess Ella. What's your name?"

"Annie," she told me. "My name ith Annie and thomday I'm going to be a printheth too!"

"Oh really?" I asked, my smile growing wider.

She nodded. "And I'll have a tiara ath pretty as that one." She pointed to the top of my head.

I removed the tiara from my head, careful not to mess up the hair that Sarah had spent hours perfecting. "Would you like to try it on?"

She nodded eagerly. I placed it gently on top of her red curls. It was much too big of course and slipped down her forehead. She grinned up at me.

"You look beautiful," I said. "Just like a real princess." I glanced up at Edmund, who was watching the two of us with an amused expression on his face. "Doesn't she, darling?"

"Indeed," he said. "She'll make some prince very happy someday."

A young woman came rushing over, looking frantic. "Annie!" she cried. "Annie what are you doing? I told you not to leave my sight!"

"The printheth was showing me her tiara," Annie said, reaching up and taking it off her head. She handed it back to me. "Thank you," she said, as I took it back and stood up.

The little girl's mother looked horrified. She looked back and forth between Edmund and me, her mouth hanging open. "Oh my goodness!" she said. "I am so, so sorry that my daughter was bothering you, your Highnesses. It won't happen again, I can assure you!" She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"It's quite alright," I said. "She wasn't bothering us at all. That's quite an adorable little girl you have."

The woman looked relieved. "Thank you so much, Your Highness. It's so kind of you to say so."

Edmund smiled at her, placing his hand in the small of my back. "Come, Ella. We don't want to miss the beginning of the play."

I followed him inside. By the time we had reached our seats, located in the royal box of course, I was lost in thought.

"Ella," Edmund said, as he leaned against the railing and stared out at the crowd of people below us. "What are you thinking about?"

"I want a baby," I murmured. "And I guess I never really realized how much until I was talking to that little girl. That entire time, all I could think was how much I want to be a mother."

Edmund smiled at me as he settled back in his seat. The lights in the theater began to dim and a hush fell over the audience. Everyone's attention was on the curtain as it opened. Everyone's attention, that was, except mine. I was still looking at Edmund.

"We'll talk about this later," he whispered in my ear, his eyes glued to the stage.

"Edmund…"

"Shhh," he murmured. "We'll talk about it tonight in bed, okay?"

It took a moment for his words to sink it, but as soon as they did, a smile spread across my face. "Okay," I whispered back, turning my attention to what was happening on stage.

It was even chillier than it had been before when Edmund and I stepped outside after the play had ended. I pulled my fur coat tighter around myself and leaned in closer to my husband. Edmund strained his neck, staring up the street at the line of carriages that sat waiting to pick up various theater attendees.

"Do you see our carriage?" he asked me.

I shook my head. "No, I don't, Edmund," I said with a shiver. "Can we wait inside, please?"

He nodded and I quickly turned around, nearly colliding into someone in my hurry to return to somewhere relatively warm.

"Sorry," I said.

"It's quite alright, Your Highness," a male voice replied. "I would expect no less from you."

I looked up. Henry Toulson was staring down at me, a small smirk on his face.

"Henry!" I exclaimed, shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"Mary loves the theater," he said, nodding at his petite fiancée who stood beside him, clinging to his arm. "I've been saving up enough money for months to get us good seats."

"Oh," I said. "How thoughtful of you. Did the two of you enjoy the play?"

"Mary loved it," Henry said, smiling down at her. "I thought it was okay. I just felt like the characters were a bit one dimensional. And the plot seemed a bit contrived, don't you think?"

"I'm going to have to side with Mary on this one," I said. "I thought it was really good. Though, I shouldn't be surprised that you're a theater snob, Henry," I teased.

Beside me, Edmund cleared his throat. "Ella, darling," he said. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

"Oh, yes, of course," I said. "Edmund, this is Henry Toulson and his fiancée Mary. Henry owns the bookshop that I work in."

Edmund's eyes narrowed as he looked Edmund up and down. "You're the bookshop owner?" he asked.

Henry nodded. "Yes, Your Highness. I am indeed."

"Hmmm," he murmured. "From what Ella told me about you, I was not picturing someone quite so…young."

Henry's eyebrows shot up. "Ella," he said, "you were describing me as an old man?"

"No," I said. "No, of course not. I suppose I just never said your age."

"Or described him at all really," Edmund added.

"I suppose that means that she failed to mention that we're old childhood friends?" Henry asked.

"Yes," Edmund replied. "Yes, she did fail to mention that."

"I'm sure that's not true," I said. "I must have mentioned it at some point. You probably just weren't listening very closely, darling."

He shrugged. "Perhaps."

"I think I see our carriage," I said, eager to end this conversation. "I'll see you on Monday, Henry. And Mary, it was lovely to see you again." I took Edmund's hand. "Come on, dear. If I don't get inside somewhere very soon, I think I might freeze."

"It was nice to meet you," Edmund called over his shoulder as we made our way over to where our carriage sat waiting for us.

Once we were both comfortably seated inside, I turned to Edmund. "Darling," I said, "I truly wasn't trying to keep anything from you. I hadn't even realized that I never mentioned who Henry was."

"It's fine," Edmund said, staring out the window.

"Are you sure?"

"Ella," he said, turning to look at me. "Can we stop talking about this?"

"What do you want to talk about?"

A small smile crept across his lips. "How about that baby you seem to want so badly?"

I smiled back. "Your father will be thrilled."

"Ella," he murmured, burying his face in my neck. "Let's not talk about my father right now, okay?"

"Okay," I whispered, tilting my head back and moaning slightly. "That definitely won't be a problem."

This was kind of a filler chapter, sorry about that. Review anyway?