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So, we've crossed 500 reviews! Thank you so so so much to everyone who's ever read, reviewed, followed or added this story as a favorite. Believe me when I say that this story would have been shelved if not for your continued support :)

Hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Quick recap:

Loha: A progressive and beautiful little country ruled by King Ibrahim Mazur. His daughter, Rose Mazur, is strongly independent and strives for equality among men and women.

Russovia: A large and strong empire with diverse population, ruled by King Dimitri Belikov who is known to be a recluse, workaholic and strait-laced with firm ideas on rights and duties.

Traasa: A fledgling militant group residing in the depth of Russovian jungles, intent on toppling the 'corrupt' monarchy of Russovia and securing freedom to restore the economic balance of the country.

Yavana: Russovia's neighbor and arch-nemesis. The country that secretly funds traasa to cripple Russovia.

Traasa

M10, the chief planner of traasa, bowed as he entered the tent where the three traasa leaders- the hefty one, the stout one and the masked one, were holding a conference among themselves.

The hefty leader growled at the interruption. "What's it?"

For all his fierce looks, M10 seemed to quiver before the leaders "I-I am sorry for disturbing, sir. I w-wanted to know if sir-" he bowed in the direction of the masked leader, "-is free is train the initiates."

The masked leader secured the scarf around his face to make sure that no part of his face other than his eyes was visible. When he was satisfied with it, he said quietly, "Train them in everything. Monitor them. Select five of the best and bring them to me soon."

M10 bowed and left quickly.

"So what's the conclusion?" The stout leader asked his companions.

"There is no way we can prevent the wedding," the masked man said carefully.

At the hefty man's glare, the masked one sighed. "Loha is strong. Maybe even stronger than Belikov's army here in Russovia. We have no hope of smuggling enough men into Loha to create a significant disruption."

"Let's bomb one of Loha's cities." The hefty man said. "That traitor of a king will know that we did it because of his marriage."

"Bombing a city isn't easy," the masked man said. "Especially when Mazur has tightened the security for Belikov's visit. Also, we don't have any experience in making and using major bombs."

"So we do nothing?" spat the hefty man.

"I didn't say that," the masked leader soothed. "Maybe we could use one of the smaller bombs, just to give them a warning."

"Lets do that," the hefty man nodded. "We don't want Belikov to think we've gone soft."

"We need more spies," the stout man said abruptly. "You can train them well, seeing as how you are the best spy there is."

The last part was addressed to the masked man who smiled behind his scarf mask.

"No one knows that you're actually fighting for our cause," the stout man continued in amusement. "A man of such high position at Belikov's court is actually one of us."

All three of them laughed.

"Not just that," the stout man continued. "Yesterday, a powerful person from the Lohan Court has also pledged support to our cause. Zmey has no idea that he has a traitor in his midst."

They laughed again, amused by the idea of the cunning Zmey being spied on. Zmey had always been the one with spies, with secrets and blackmail material.

But not now.

He was beaten at his own game.

"We need more than just spies," the hefty man said when the laughter subsided. "We need someone who knows how to manufacture bombs and how to use them effectively."

"Yes," agreed the masked man. "We'll become significantly more powerful with that knowledge. Until then, we have to stick to what we know."

"So we just let the marriage happen?" the hefty man growled. "We just stand by when Belikov gains such a powerful ally?"

The masked man smiled. "What use are allies when the problem originates from within? To fight us, he wont bring in foreign forces. He knows that this is Russovia's internal matter."

"Our ally Yavana is threatened by this alliance," the stout man noted.

"We only need Yavana to supply us with arms," the masked man said. "Once we have enough, we don't need Yavana anymore."

"True, that." the hefty man said angrily. "I don't need foreign scum helping me."

"Easy," soothed the masked one. "We do need them at present. I say we let the marriage happen. Let's send them a warning making our sentiments clear but we'll leave it at that. For now. Once the Lohan princess comes to Russovia, we can take care of both of them. Husband and wife will go down in history as the last rulers of Russovia."

"Hear, hear!" The stout man cheered as he raised his glass in a toast.

Dimitri

My initial impression of Rose had been a confusing one. I was both impressed and apprehensive.

I'd noted how so many of her qualities were in direct contrast to mine. This had, rightly so, brought along several questions about our life together. They were questions I'd not yet found an answer to.

But the sword fighting session two days ago had done us a great deal of good. I now understood what exactly Rose feared in this alliance. I was glad to have an opportunity to assuage her doubts. While our betrothal may or may not hold, I was glad to have met Rose Mazur. Once her hackles were lowered, she revealed a side of her I'd only ever heard about -her playful, mischievous nature capable of finding humor in any situation.

I found that I could talk to her the way I scarcely could with others. I could talk and she would listen. Sure, there would be dry comments, endless teasing so reminiscent of Neal and lots of sarcasm but she would listen. We were now friends...of sorts.

I didn't yet know if we'd be compatible enough to lead a life together. But moments like this made me realize we were a lot alike that I'd originally thought.

While Rose had already made it clear that she was quite devoted to serving her people, it was at this very moment that I could see the truth for myself.

"Comrade!" a voice hissed in my ear, pulling me deeper into the shadows. "Which part of 'don't reveal yourself' wasn't clear enough for you?"

I turned to look at the speaker who was clad in a long skirt and a flowery tank top with a veil covering her face. Bangles jingled in her hands which gripped the veil securely. Her long, dark hair -her identification -was bound in a bun and covered by a black hairnet. Her face was well obscured without appearing suspicious. In fact, she could easily pass as one of the tribal girls I'd seen in Loha before.

If I had not seen Rose's face before she'd donned the veil, I'd have doubted her authenticity. For, she dressed so unlike herself that no one would suspect it was their well dressed princess who they saw on the television regularly.

"I wasn't particularly doing anything," I said in reply to her accusation.

"Precisely the point," Rose grumbled, pulling my hat lower to almost cover my eyes. "Your insanely long frame is already drawing enough attention."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Rose, you've made me wear a construction worker's uniform complete with the hat. You needn't worry about my height giving me away."

"Easy for you to say," Rose pushed me against the wall under a large awning. "I'm the one who'll get into trouble if we're discovered."

"You've never been caught?" I asked curiously.

"Once or twice." Rose replied nonchalantly, scanning the streets with sharp eyes. "My mother gave me hell."

"But that's not enough to stop you," I noted.

"No." I caught a hint of smile underneath the translucent veil. "I love doing this."

But 'this', she meant sneaking away into the city while dressing up as a commoner.

"I admit that I can see the allure," I said slowly. "But it's also incredibly dangerous."

"Have you ever done it?" Rose asked unexpectedly.

I shook my head. "I visit my city often but never in disguise."

"Well, I'll show you what you've been missing." I could almost hear her mischievous smile. "Come on!"

With that, she led me away from the shadows and into the bustling streets.

Some people spared us an odd glance, perhaps because we appeared a tad strange walking together in our widely different disguises, but no one bothered us.

As we walked, I acquired a new appreciation for Devagiri and particularly its princess. Rose's tone betrayed her excitement at being among her people as she pointed out various landmarks for me. She was happy to act the part of a commoner roaming her city, I realized. She seemed to cherish the small peak into the everyday lives of her citizens.

"That is the Sayaga temple," Rose pointed out an age-old, charming stone temple. "It's quite a sight. Maybe I'll take you there next time."

Before Rose, I'd never have thought that being a commoner for a day was something I'd enjoy.

Before Rose.

She had a tendency to make me question the life I'd lived before.

"What do you do on these visits?" I asked her curiously.

"Supervise," she said primly before catching sight of my skeptical look. She threw back the veil covering her face and grinned. "No, really. That's all I do. I watch people, I talk to people and generally enjoy my freedom."

"Freedom," I repeated, finally seeing a glimpse of the way Rose's mind worked.

"That's how I see it," she said with a shrug. "It's liberating, is it not?"

Yes, it was.

Here, I didn't feel weighed down by my responsibilities or by the mannerisms that had been bred into me since childhood. There was no right and no wrong here.

No worries about our future together.

There was just us.

Perhaps reading the answer on my face, Rose continued with a smile, "There's your answer."

But I had a feeling there was more to it.

Rose looked at me again before laughing. "Okay, okay! I admit that I love to hear the latest gossip surrounding me and my family."

I laughed. Rose had a marvelous streak of honesty that was very refreshing.

"Seriously though," she said a moment later. "I try to get the general response to a particular law or any complaints they have that couldn't make to it my father's ears. Generally making sure that all's well, you know?"

I nodded, impressed that a princess would go to such lengths for the sake of her citizens.

I've truly never known anyone quite like Rose.

"What do you do when you visit your city?" Rose asked as we turned to enter a quieter street. The stillness of the residential area we were walking through was a welcome relief after the hustle and bustle of the main streets.

"Making sure all's well," I said with a smile, quoting her. "But now I see that people may not have been very honest with me about their problems."

Rose smiled understandingly. "It's difficult for them to complain when the king himself has come to meet them."

I nodded, appreciating the discussion. While my family in general and Ivan in particular would always listen if I wanted to talk about my duties, none of them understood it for what it was. But Rose did.

She understood.

"That's where disguises are useful," Rose said as we walked along a canal. "You should try it sometime."

"I don't know," I said lightly, turning to face her. "You haven't yet shown me the benefits of wearing a construction worker's uniform."

Rose laughed, her eyes twinkling in the sunlight. "Come on then."

Rose proceeded to prove her point throughout the day. As per her request, I'd made sure to clear my schedule for the day. When I'd told Abe that I would be unavailable for the day, he'd got a strange glint in his eye that suggested that he knew I'd be with Rose. Perhaps she'd told him but I doubted it. Abe was not the kind of person who needed to be explicitly informed about anything. He always seemed to know everything and everyone around him.

"Here we are," Rose said with a grin, coming to a stop beside a old structure wedged between two brick buildings.

"Where is here?" I asked apprehensively. I was slowly learning that Rose's definition of normal didn't match my own.

"Here is the where you get the best rice balls in all of Loha," Rose said with a proud gleam in her eyes.

"Here?" I repeated, unable to digest her words. Rice balls in this old building? I'd never eaten a rice ball before but weren't they quite tasteless?

Rose rolled her eyes in reply. "Is that your favorite word? Here? Yes, here, comrade! Follow me."

She led me to a rickety wooden door covered in dust. She waited for me to step up beside her before pushing open the door.

The door opened with a loud creak and rained dust on the ground. But all it revealed was darkness untouched by a single ray of light.

"Are you sure you've got the right directions?" I asked Rose who was frowning.

"Mason swore it was here," Rose grumbled, pulling her veil down on her face. "I've never been here before but Mason always gets me rice balls from this place."

Mason. The guard heading her escort. They appeared to be quite close...

"Oh, look!" Rose caught my hand, her excitement returning ten fold. "There it is!"

She pointed at a run down sign that announced the presence of "Paula's eatery" at the back of the building and then proceeded to drag me there. But all I was aware of was the warmth of her hand in mine.

Do people even notice such things the way they do in books?

Apparently yes.

Her slender fingers, calloused as my own, intertwined with mine with an ease that was unfamiliar. Unfamiliar but comforting.

Had it been mere days since we'd met?

So much had happened between us, so many arguments and misunderstandings that it seemed strange that we could be comfortable with each other. But we were.

We were more similar than either of us had imagined.

I certainly had not. Given Rose's frosty reception of me, I doubt she had either.

I doubt either of us had even imagined that we could not only carry on a healthy conversation with each but we would find out things about the other than resonated with us. Paula's eatery, good rice balls or not, certainly was a step in establishing a rapport with the woman I was engaged to.

We sat at the back of the run down but cozy shop, ordering the rice balls Rose was ever so fond of and managed to engage in a spirited conversation about anything and everything.

Rose had a natural aura of endless enthusiasm when she was in the mood and that was infectious. I'd never just sat down and talked to someone the way I was now.

"What do you think?" Rose asked me eagerly when I swallowed a piece of Paula's rice ball.

"It's surprisingly good," I admitted. "I imagined rice balls to be quite bland."

Rose laughed. "That's what I told Mason the first time he brought me these. But the flavors are delicious, aren't they?"

I nodded slowly, leaning back on my chair to look at her clearly. The morning light from the window beside us seemed to bend around Rose's figure, illuminating her form and adding a glow to her features. Her eyes seemed brighter, her lips softer. Shaking off the momentary breathlessness, I regarded her seriously.

"You and Mason seem close," I said, more of a statement than a question.

"We are," Rose confirmed, a rare gentle smile on her lips.

My fists clenched involuntarily as my stomach churned. I was uncomfortable but-why was I? Why was I troubled?

"We grew up together," Rose continued, unaware that I suddenly wanted to hear no more.

I just nodded in reply, forcing down whatever I was feeling.

"Are you-" I trailed off, not sure if I wanted to ask the question running through my mind. I wasn't sure if I'd like the answer. But I had to know. "Were you...involved?"

For a second, Rose looked confused. Then comprehension dawned on her face as she grimaced. "No! Mason's like a brother. That's just gross, comrade!"

I chuckled in spite of myself, feeling oddly light. Just then, an old lady approached our table. Rose hastily lowered her veil.

"Do you like the riceballs, my dears?" she asked with a gentle smile.

"Yes, thank you." I replied, eyeing her name tag which identified her as Paula, the owner of the shop. "It's delicious."

Paula beamed. "Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it, my dears. I was worried about the taste, honestly. The balls were made from the last of my rice stock and-"

Rose's eyes met mine as Paula continued to speak. Even with the veil covering her face, I could sense her amusement. The old lady sure liked to speak.

"-and of course, rice is so costly these days and-"

"No, it's not." Rose cut off Paula unexpectedly. "It's just 6 loharas for a kilogram."

Paula smile sadly. "That is the king's price, my dear, not the street price."

"Street price?" I repeated.

"Yes," Paula sighed, perhaps wondering why we were so unfamiliar with the term. "There's only one rice mill in the area and the price fixed for all of us is 25 loharas per kilogram."

Double-dealing. This was a fairly common problem in all countries but very difficult to catch. The price fixed by the Crown was disregarded and a new price was fixed on all essential goods to earn profit. Often, the guards themselves would be involved in such malpractices, making it's detection almost impossible.

"Thank you, Paula." Rose's voice was kind but with barely restrained anger. "Here's your money. We need to leave now."

Leaving behind a perplexed Paula, Rose and I walked out of the shop. Without a word, Rose started marching up the street. Knowing that the rice mill Paula mentioned must be her destination, I elected to follow her quietly, knowing that uttering a single word would be enough for her anger to boil over.

Soon, the large mill was in sight. Next to the mill was a lone shop which looked frightfully old. But it seemed to be in high demand, going by the long queue outside the shop.

Rose huffed and crossed her arms, glaring at the shop.

"Paula did say that it's the only rice mill in the area," I pointed out.

"More people to loot from," Rose muttered. "The longer we delay, more people get cheated."

"I agree," I tried to think of a workaround but every plan involved revealing our identities. Or breaking the rules. But there was one way-

Rose made a move to step forward but I stopped her.

"Rose," I didn't flinch when she glared at me. "I know you're itching for a confrontation but you'll risk revealing yourself."

"I can't stand-"

"I know you cannot," I said, hoping my soothing tone would calm her a title. "I have an idea."

Rose exhaled but nodded, eyebrows rising in confusion when I extracted her phone which she'd put in my pocket.

One call later, Rose, wearing a relieved smile, hurried over to the people outside the shop.

"Did you hear?" Rose asked a stranger at random, smiling hugely. "The king is giving away five kilograms of rice for just 4 loharas at the Palace entrance. I heard that it's first come, first serve."
"What-?"

"Is it true?"

"We must hurry! Come, Alfred!"
"I just got a call from my friend! It's true!"

"I heard there are only fifty packets of rice. We'd better hurry!"

"Yes. Come along now-"

"Go on!"

Like that, the store cleared in a matter of minutes.

"Mason's taking care of it," Rose said with a sly smile as we approached the entrance of the rice mill shop. "Clever idea, comrade!"
"Glad to help," I replied, opening the door for her.

Rose's smile abruptly fell when she saw a richly dressed portly man sitting behind a mahogany table. He seemed to have been counting money but had frozen in the act, a confused frown marrying his pale skin at the sudden disappearance of his customers.

"I take it that you're the owner of this mill?" I asked even though it was pretty clear.

"Yes," the man said stiffly, his eyes darting between us suspiciously. "How can I help you?"

Rose's temper couldn't be contained at longer.

"You insolent fraud! Rose's choice of words were strangely archaic but her words conveyed the depth of her anger. The owner narrowed his beady eyes as Rose approached him, almost shaking with fury. "You dare cheat the people?"

"I haven't cheated anyone!" the owner's reply was equally angry. "Who the hell are you to accuse me of such a thing?"

Rose ignored the question. "You haven't cheated? Charging more than the King's price is against the law."

"The king's price?" The man laughed nastily. "Look here, little girl. The king's price is a joke. No one follows that anymore."

I grasped Rose's wrist lightly, to remind her to restrain herself. I knew this was Rose's fight and I had to let her handle it. But losing her temper would unnecessarily escalate the situation.

"Calm down," I told her softly. "We can sort this sort peacefully-"

Before I could finish, the man laughed scornfully. For a moment, I was thrown off by the simple fact that I'd been cut off while speaking. No one had ever dared to interrupt me before, certainly not fraud mill owners. Reminding myself that I was in disguise and had no actual power, I tugged Rose towards me as she started towards the man.

"Listen to your husband, girlie." The man told Rose spitefully. "Learn your place."

"My place?" Rose stilled completely. "My place, you say? Do you have any idea who I am?"

"The king's daughter?" The man mocked, finding humor at his supposed joke.

Rose threw back her veil, smirking when the man shrieked and toppled back, onto the floor.

"Why, yes." Rose said, her tone pleasantly mocking. "The king's daughter indeed."

AN: Sooo...How was it? Liked it? Hated it? Review and let me know your thoughts :p

All I wanted to establish in this chapter was the growing attraction and how well they could complement one another and become the power couple we all know they can be. Did I manage to achieve that? :D

On a different note, given how long this story has been running, I have no clue about my audience at all! To remedy that, please do tell me which country you're from. I'd love to hear any custom or tradition that's specific to your community! Thank you :)

Oh, and which of you have been with me since the beginning? I'd love to express a heartfelt gratitude :)