A/n: A HUGE thank you to my betas: Bellabee66, Jenndur, and OnlyaDecoy. They helped tons on this chapter. Not sure if they know that, but they did! Soo THANK YOU! *love* *love* *love* Also, I'll be back to posting once a week now. My boys are out of school for the summer so I'll have more time to work on everything. But enough of me yapping. Here's chapter nine for you!

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I just wanted to see what they would do as humans and in a royal setting. :)

Chapter 9

Bella stared out the little window as her plane touched down, a tear slowly rolling down her cheek as her thoughts drifted to how empty she felt at that moment. No father and the one person her future depended on didn't want her. He had said nothing as she had explained herself, he didn't stop her from leaving. Nothing.

Nothing.

God, how that fit her right now. She lost the one man who promised to never leave her and to always be there for her—her father. He was far from perfect, but she loved him anyway. She knew that the way he raised her was harsh and unnecessary, but he was her father. She loved him regardless, and now with the abrupt change of her future, she understood why he was so harsh and demanding of her. He was preparing her for anything that came her way.

"Bella?" Kate asked as she touched Bella's shoulder. "We're here."

Bella just nodded as she stood up, wiping the tear off her cheek. Knowing full well that she needed to put her 'Princess Isabella' face on, Bella shook her head slightly and straightened her shoulders. A Princess doesn't show her emotions, her father's words rang in her head. Royalty isn't allowed to show their weaknesses according to Aro. Not when you are expected to rule and those people looked up to you, especially now. She was the soon-to-be Queen. She had a lot weighing on her shoulders now that the King had passed away. She wasn't a princess anymore. No, with her father's death, she was the next in line—Queen. She might not have been through her coronation yet, but it didn't deter from the fact that everyone knew what her role was now, and she had to play it.

Stepping onto the tarmac, Bella was immediately swarmed by two very large men, Paul and Jacob, one in the front and one in the back, leading her to the waiting car.

"It's good to have you back, Your Majesty," Jacob said as Bella stepped into the back of the car.

"Thank you, Jacob. It's good to be back. Be sure to have my luggage in the trunk before we head to the castle," Bella informed her most trusted bodyguard, shutting the door and turning to a red-eyed Kate. She patted her friend's hand and tried to give a comforting smile. "You're off duty now, hun. Sit back and relax." Kate just nodded and closed her eyes.

Bella felt the trunk shut and butterflies instantly attacked her stomach. The anxiety finally caught up with her as the car raced toward the palace. Bella took a deep breath and looked over at her friend who had fallen asleep quickly. Kathryn, better known as Kate, was Bella's bodyguard when she needed to go out into the public and not have attention drawn to her. Who would have thought that she would end up being her best friend next to her sister? Kate was good at her job, but an even better friend, especially to a lonely little girl. One of her two outlets to the real world.

Bella felt the lump in her throat harden and tears threaten to spill over, and now she was to become lonely once more. Since Edward had refused her, Kate wouldn't be needed anymore since she was only here to keep tabs on Bella for Carlisle. Bella never understood why, but bother Carlisle and Aro insisted, but now Kate would be going back to Ardania as soon as Carlisle was informed of her father's death. Bella sighed as she thought about her friend leaving. Another one to leave me because of this stupid arrangement.

Too soon, the car came to a halt and a royal guard opened the door for her and remained at attention as Bella shook Kate gently. "We're here, Kate."

~*TA*~

"She will need to be crowned as soon as possible. There's no need for a heritage search and whatnot. No one will contest it. They all love her, and they know who she is," Caius announced to the room.

A meeting of sorts had been called by Caius, Aro's right hand man, to discuss Bella's coronation. The country had been notified of the King's death, and nothing made a country more at unease than not having someone sitting on the throne.

"There is no doubt that the coronation needs to take place, but can we be sure she is ready for such a thing? We have to do the search—it's required—but what about Sir Emmett? He's older than Bella and actually understands what goes on around here since he has been Aro's shadow. There's always the option of Queen Renee," Charles suggested, turning his attention to Caius.

"No. Emmett has no ties to the throne except that he's married to Princess Rosalie," Caius refuted as he walked to his desk. He opened a drawer and pulled out an envelope with King Aro's wax seal on it.

"Gentlemen, this was given to me about two weeks ago. His Majesty, King Aro, gave it to me as a precaution and told me that it is his official decree that Princess Isabella be instated as Queen of Voltura. I don't know about you, but I refuse to disagree with a recently passed king," Caius stated as he tossed the envelope on the desk. Walking around the desk, he surveyed the men in the room. How Aro knew that these men would be against his daughter, Caius didn't know, but he'd be damned if he didn't fulfill his King's and closest friend's dying wish.

There were six men sitting in various places throughout the King's office. Each man had his own reasons for being there, some purely selfish, others because they were needed. The only thing they agreed on is that someone needed to be seated in the throne. Their country was small and finally peaceful, and no one wanted to disrupt that. They needed someone who could continue the peace.

A small-statured man stood from his perch near the window and cleared his throat. "I, for one, would like to see the Princess on the throne. I have spoken with her many times over the years, and she has a good head on her shoulders. She reminds me very much of her father. As for Queen Renee, she holds no power. She's a Queen consort. She holds nothing but the title of Queen, not any of the power that a King holds. It would be unwise to put her into a position that she's not capable of handling," Alistair said, looking at each of the men before resuming his seat near the window.

"I agree, Alistair. Renee wouldn't want that position," Caius responded, holding his hand up to stop those few men that were about to argue. "I have spoken to her when we first learned of His Majesty's condition nine months ago. She has told me that she has no desire to rule. Again, I agree with the passed King. His daughter should be crowned. He wouldn't have named her in this document if he didn't trust her with such power."

There were several minutes that passed before the other men agreed, some reluctantly, others happily. Caius dismissed them after having each man sign the agreement that Princess Isabella would be the next ruling monarch of Voltura. He remained sitting at his desk, his thoughts drifting to the many conversations he had had with His Majesty on this exact topic, about who would be able to take over the ruling of a country. How many times had he played devil's advocate (cap ?) and threw other names at his King? Caius held his head in his hands as he replayed each one of those talks and how the King's chest puffed with pride when Aro began his argument for Princess Isabella. They were flawless, and Caius knew without a doubt, he was right. A knock on his door startled him, bringing him out of his thoughts and back to his friend's office.

"Enter."

"Sir, we have received word that the King of Ardania and his son, Prince Edward, have landed at the airport and wish to speak with Princess Isabella," the messenger stated.

"Of course, he would," Caius muttered as he signed heavily. "Bring him here. The family has asked to be left alone right now so all visitors and matters of the State come here to me. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," the messenger replied with a bow before leaving. Caius watched the door shut, barely hearing it click shut before turning in his chair toward the window, watching the light dance through the trees just outside the window.

"Gotta get through this funeral first and then the coronation. God, Aro. How could you do this to your family? Why didn't you want them to know? What good did it do to keep this hidden from them?" Caius wondered out loud.

~*TA*~

Bella parted ways with Kate when she reached her mother's room. She hugged her friend and watched her disappear into one of the many guest rooms that were on this floor. The Princess slowly turned the handle to her mother's bedroom and took a deep breath, a little worried of what kind of condition she would find her mother.

Closing her eyes, Bella stepped into the room and gasped as she felt herself being lifted off the ground. Her hand immediately went to the broad shoulders to stead herself as she realized that it was Emmett.

"Emmett," Bella spoke quietly, her voice cracking with emotion as she finally let her tears fall.

"Bellsie. Thank God, you're here, little sis," Emmett whispered, the quiet of his voice still full of sadness as he set her down.

Bella opened her eyes and looked up at her brother-in-law, seeing tired, blood shot eyes and gave him a small smile as she wiped her eyes.

"Sorry. It's just.. The hug made me break," Bella murmured. She looked at the giant bed across the room from them, noticing her mother and Rose curled up with each other sleeping. Nodding at them, she asked, "How are they doing?"

"Well, they're finally sleeping and not crying. Your sister is worse than your mom, but I've caught your mom crying when she thought no one was looking. They haven't eaten anything and they kept asking me if you were coming," Emmett explained as he squeezed Bella's shoulder comfortingly.

"Rose would take it worse. She was daddy's little girl in every essence of those words, and Mom, well, you know how much she worshipped Dad. He was what she lived for, Emm," Bella explained, her voice cracking as she fought for control over her emotions. Now was not the time for her to break down, not when her family needed her to be strong. She had time later to succumb to her tears… when she was alone and locked in her room.

"I know, Bellsie. It's good that you're here. They need you. More than I think you understand."

"Bella?" Rose's little voice cut through the silence of the room.

"Yeah, Rosie. It's me. I'm here," Bella answered as she moved to the bed and crawled in next to her little sister.

"Oh, thank God. Dad… Dad's gone, Bellsie," she squeaked before busting into tears again. Bella held her sister close and just let her cry. It reminded her of when they were little, and Rose would come into Bella's room, crying because she fell and skinned her knee, or when they were teens and Rose had her first heartbreak. Hugs and soothing, comforting words were what worked to make those tears disappear, but Bella knew this time, it would take more than that. It would take something that was the only cure for such sadness that had overtaken her family.

Time.

Time healed all wounds, and Bella wished she could hit fast-forward on life so her family could be happy again. She would give anything to feel happiness right now. But now… now, she had to be there for her mother and little sister. She had to be strong and not show her own sadness. It would only make them even more sad, and she wouldn't put them through that. Her family was going through enough. They needed someone strong and that's what she would be. She would be strong and supportive for both her family and her people. Her people. They needed someone who they could feel they could depend on, and she would be that person. It was her role as future Queen. The one position her father spent countless hours grooming her for when she wasn't in school or learning about her betrothed.

No matter the cost to her.

A/n: Soo, what do you think? Do you think she's ready to rule? Also, never fear, Edward will be back next chapter. Should be fun to see what happens. Leave me some love if you want. Even if it's a :) . I enjoy those and all the reviews I get.

A Tale