A/N: Maybe the ending to the last chapter wasn't as confusing as I thought? Be Rose could tell why the curse didn't break, lol. But I do want to point out that the title and the responsibilities that come exclusively with the title are important to both Andrei and Isabel, and it is effectively what they're fighting over. Because whoever maintains sovereignty, the other will still have the chance to be very involved with ruling the kingdom. So, it was fair to assume that "giving up being king" should have been enough to break the curse, but as we know, the curse got messed up, so it doesn't work predictably. In this chapter, Andrei tries to figure out why it didn't break.

Chapter 13

Andrei was angry. It should have worked. He had signed the contract. He had given up his dream of being king for her. The curse should have broken.

Now he rode through the Forest, looking for Delphine.

The past few days had been difficult for him. His mind had been in major conflict. Isabel had asked him directly if she could retain her sovereignty. He had been dreading this moment since the day she came to sit with them in the library, but he had convinced himself it wouldn't happen. But now that she really had asked, he found himself unable to say no. How could he say no, and expect her to love him like he had come to hope she would? He had seen her show time again that she truly cared about her kingdom and her people, and if he was honest with himself, no matter how seriously he took his duties as ruler, he would never be able to care in the same way she did. She deserved to be ruler, and he had taken it from her.

But he deserved to be king. He had worked for this his entire life. Would he have set his sights on Jardinia had he known Isabel truly wanted to be ruler? Andrei could not be sure. But now that he had successfully secured his life's ambition, he didn't want to give it up.

But he had tricked Isabel into a marriage she did not want and doomed her to live with a hideous appearance and uncontrollable anger. He wanted to break the curse, but he didn't want to lose his chance to be king.

While Andrei tried to gather his thoughts, she started to pull away. Andrei could not bear it. She was spending more time in the garden, and his mind had started to twist in jealousy. It had been very evident to him that her gardener was in love with her, but she had never showed any signs of reciprocation, so it had never bothered him. But the day he observed them from the windows, he saw that she had removed her veil in front of him. She had not shown her face to anyone save Lady Miel, her handmaiden, and her father before the day on the frozen pond. When she removed her veil for him, they had shared something special. Why would she do the same for her gardener? And he had overheard Isabel's handmaiden tell her that the gardener's love may be strong enough to break the curse! Only he had the power to break her curse – though his ambition wouldn't let him give up the power had worked hard to obtain – and it made him angry that such a notion was even suggested to her. In a fit of jealousy he found a way to send away the gardener, but he realized this would do nothing to endear him to Isabel. He only hurt her again and again and the guilt was driving him insane.

He finally went to Prince Henri and explained what Isabel had asked of him.

"What put this idea back to her head?" cried the regent.

"She has made tremendous progress over the past few weeks," Andrei calmly explained though his mind was a tangle of emotions. "I believe it has made her reconsider whether she is able to be ruler."

"What did you tell her?"

"I said I would speak with you. I didn't know what to tell her. I had married her only so I could become king, but-" Andrei didn't know how to finish the sentence.

Henri sighed. "I thought perhaps she had acclimatized herself to the marriage, but she is so stubborn. You married her despite her beastly appearance because you wanted the responsibility of ruling Jardinia. And she asks you to give that up?" He shook his head.

Andrei resisted the urge to shout at him. How could he speak about his own daughter in this way? He never bothered to see her for who she really was. But how was Andrei any better? Henri was clearly going to be no help in discussing the matter. Andrei couldn't be frank with him because Henri would never understand. Isabel was the only person in all of Jardinia around whom he felt comfortable being himself and speaking his mind instead of maintaining the exterior that everyone wanted from him. Even if he wore a mask in front of her, she would see through it anyway. She understood him in a way no one else did.

But she didn't know the secret he was keeping from her. And if she ever found out she would never forgive him. He had to break the curse, so they could put it past them and spend their lives together. He did not care what she looked like, but that didn't mean he liked that she was covered in fur. And he hated the claws. Many times, he would stare at her portrait longingly, desperately wishing he had never met Delphine. He wanted badly to kiss her, to touch her; but he couldn't bring himself to do it; and he had only himself to blame.

Would she have ever married him though if she hadn't been cursed? Andrei didn't think so. Even if she had hated the marriage at first, now she cared for him, he was sure of that. But unless he gave her back her kingdom, would she accept him as her husband?

So what if he wasn't king? As the queen's husband he would still wield plenty of power; and she needed him. She needed his counsel and guidance. He would be involved with everything. He could make sure of that in a new contract. And things could go on as they were. She could go on taking responsibility of the court and he knew she would rely on him heavily. He loved how much she valued his opinion, and how important his counsel was to her. He loved hearing her perspectives on his ideas. She always thought of the interests of the people whereas he thought of the interest of the kingdom. They needed each other; and they formed an effective partnership, a partnership that had started to extend beyond Jardinia. Isabel was even willing to discuss his duties towards Fier. He had been quite neglectful of them, which had made his brothers unhappy, but with Isabel's encouragement, Andrei had started to fulfill his obligations towards his homeland. She cared about his duties even if they had nothing to do with her own interests. How could he have ever thought she was unfeeling and selfish? He wished he could be as supportive of her as she was of him, but that meant giving everything up. Then again he knew he was truly happy when he was with her, and he would surely lose that unless he was willing to do this for her.

With no one else to talk to, he rushed to Lavigne. Ioan had never seen his brother so upset; and he couldn't understand why Andrei was so uncharacteristically overcome with this much guilt and self-loathing. But he could see that Andrei had all but made up his mind to give his wife what she wanted. Ioan hadn't thought he would ever see his brother so much in love, but since he had finally come to care for someone above himself, he should encourage him to think of her first. So he gave him the final nudge and helped him write the new contract.

Even as he showed the contract to Prince Henri, Andrei was unsure of himself. How could he give up everything he had worked for? But then he witnessed how much pain the curse caused his beloved and he hated himself for it. He hated to see her so unhappy, and he hated even more the fact that he was the cause of it. When he finally took her in his arms and felt her relax against him, he was sure that this was what he wanted. He wanted a life with her, even if it meant giving up everything he had worked for, especially since he had wrongly snatched it from her. Somewhere along the way, Isabel had become more important than his ambitions.

But it did not work. He signed the contract. He gave up Jardinia. But she remained cursed. He needed to know why, and he needed to know now.

When Delphine finally appeared before him, he did not waste a moment on pleasantries. He demanded answers.

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe you truly did not give up your heart's desire," she suggested. "Perhaps you truly need to give up Jardinia and not hope to rule by her side. Or perhaps your heart's desire has changed. I am sorry. It was so long ago at this point, I cannot recall the specifics of my thought when I cast the spell."

Andrei screamed in frustration and kicked at the log on which Delphine sat. Could she have made things any worse for him? It had been a huge mistake to trust her. He may have convinced himself to give up the notion of being king, but he would not give up the right to rule by his queen's side; and he could not begin to even entertain the thought of giving up Isabel.

Delphine watched him gloomily, but then she grew alert.

"Why have you let her come into the Forest by herself? I warned you not to!"

"What do you mean?" demanded Andrei.

"She is in the Forest," she said slowly, her eyes looking into the distance. "I can sense her. But it is dangerous for her to be here. The Forest's magic might take over her mind."

Andrei stared at her, horrified. It suddenly occurred to him that she had been acting strange ever since the day they rode by the edge of the Forest. Without wasting another moment, mounted his horse and set off to find her. What was she doing in the Forest? Had he followed him? Did she discover his secret? But search and search as he might, he could not find her. Eventually, he found her filly, abandoned, and his panic began to rise. He cried out to Delphine for help, and was relieved to see her come to him.

"I can help you find your princess," she informed him. "But if I do, will you consider my debt repaid?"

"Yes, fine, please, just help me find her." Andrei was desperate.

Delphine turned back into her fairy form and zoomed into the forest. Andrei followed as best as he could.

It was at the crack of dawn that they finally saw a figure lying on the ground underneath a giant tree root.

Andrei ran to her immediately. "Isabel," he called, taking her unconscious body in his arms, and shaking her in panic. "Isabel, my love, please wake up."

Delphine was once again in her human form and she knelt beside Isabel. She touched the vein at the base of her throat.

"She's alright," she said in surprise. "She must have quite the strength of mind to have resisted the Forest, but it has taken a huge toll on her."

"Please make it stop," Andrei begged, looking over the scratches and bruises on her bare arms.

"There is nothing I can do anymore." Delphine shook her head. "You must never let her come near the Forest. I don't know that she can resist it another time. Andrei, I am truly sorry."

"I wish I had never set you free from that trap," he lamented as he picked up Isabel and carried her back to his horse. He never looked back at the fairy.

Isabel regained some of her consciousness when he tried to lift her up onto his horse. She mostly whimpered incoherently and called out his name. He did his best to hold her against him with one hand while holding the reins with the other. He tried to assure her that he was here now and he would keep her safe.

"Why were you angry with me?" she cried in her still mostly unconscious state.

"I wasn't angry with you, dearest," he tried to console her, not sure if she could hear him. "Why did you come into the Forest alone at night? You've told me how much this place frightens you and who knows what could have-"

"I love you."

The jolt from her words almost made Andrei fall off his horse. He had hoped to hear them so badly, but now they made him hate himself. He surely didn't deserve it. He did this to her. He had tried to take everything from her. He put her in danger.

Yet despite it all, he had fallen more deeply in love with her than he ever could have imagined.

"I will set things right," he promised, holding her tightly to him.