Last time, on Crown Games: Bella and Rosalie had a talk after Mrs. Stanley's funeral, and Bella refused to believe that Edward was in love with her… and what about all that kissing?

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Chapter 20 – Stirring

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EPOV

As I watched them from afar, I knew I had made the right choice in asking for Rosalie to stay a while for Bella's sake. Whatever Rosalie was saying seemed to give a bit of distraction, and I was grateful to see Bella genuinely smile once again, even if it was only a little bit. It had been such a struggle, watching her wallow in guilt and confusion at this loss. Not that I understood it either.

I had never particularly spoken with Mrs. Stanley, but she seemed to be a caring and concerned person, despite Bella's insistence over the years that she was more of a snitch than a servant. Nor did I know anything about the girl they had found beside her, Carmen. How could someone do this to innocent people? Neither of us would wish such a brutal murder on anyone. Whoever had brought this on deserved the most severe of punishments.

This was the information I sought out from the King, but he did not seem as angry as I, nor as concerned about finding those who were responsible. Too many possibilities, he had said. Whoever it was could have simply wanted to lash out. I suppose it made sense to a point, but still… How can he not be concerned? Especially with the idea that his daughter could have been the one who… Anyway, it was clear that they did not care for class or station as Mrs. Stanley was wearing the royal servant's colors.

The whole affair did not make sense in the slightest. Something…was strange here. Perhaps the King thought there were higher priorities, but I did not agree. I wanted to find the culprits, make an example of them so that no one would even attempt such a foolish act ever again.

Yet, I knew better than to attempt anything on my own. So the issue would just have to be dealt with at another time. Bella was my first priority.

She seemed to be better when we were finally able to retire for the evening, though still a bit skittish.

The past few days had turned cold and Bella was shivering while I held her in my arms as we sat in front of the fireplace in her chamber. "Did you have a nice time with Rosalie today?"

She nodded, but it was an absent motion. Thoughts occupied her attention as she stared into the flames, watching them sway and flicker.

"Are you tired, love?"

Her attention snapped to me suddenly. "What?" She seemed…suspicious?

"I…was just asking if you wanted to sleep now."

She bit her lip as she watched me for a moment, before nodding.

I stood, helping her up off of the rug while she continued to watch me. "Edward? You would tell me if… I mean, you're not…?"

"What?"

"Never mind. I am sorry. Just forget I said anything—"

"No, Bella. Tell me; what's troubling you?"

She bit her lip, again, nervously staring at the floor. "Nothing, really. It is just that… Well, Rosalie said something earlier, and it made me wonder about…us."

Rosalie? "What did she say?"

"Never mind it. It does not matter anyhow."

"Clearly, that is not true if it bothers you, Bella. Please tell me."

She could tell now that I was not going to let this go. Especially if it bothered her so much.

"She simply thought that you…cared for me. I mean, more than you should."

Oh. I let out the breath that I did not realize I was holding. "And you are worried she might have guessed something about us?"

"…Yes."

"I am sorry. Rosalie does seem to be perceptive. Perhaps I should have been more careful while she was here. But I have just been so worried about you. I hate to see you in any kind of pain. It was not my intention to let my guard down so carelessly."

"I know. I am not sure why it troubled me. Let's just forget it. Please."

"If you are sure, then all right."

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The next few months brought healing and acceptance to Bella and everyday she acted more and more like herself. It was the first instance where I was thankful for time passing. Yet, there was still a…peculiarity in her behavior. There were times when she seemed anxious around me. But I could not figure out the cause for it. Nor would she tell me; the one time I had broached the subject with her, she denied my claims and said that I was the one who had been acting strangely.

My guess was that her behavior had much to do with being stir crazy in the palace for so long without anywhere to truly be herself. Since the King had confined Bella to the palace, she was not permitted to attend any sort of social gathering outside of its walls—much to the horror of her mother. Bella did not seem to mind at first, but within a few weeks, she was quite frustrated with the idea of not even being allowed to walk in the gardens alone.

Her fifteenth birthday was only a few days from now, and I planned to change that.

Right now my focus was on the soldier in front of me. Watching for the moment I could take him down and win the match. I had advanced in my training with Jasper quite a bit, and was now working in the training circles with the King's soldiers. It was peculiar how well I did against each opponent. These men were the best in the land, and yet they seemed weak, slow, and even clumsy on occasion. I could pick out their weaknesses with only a cursory glance, anticipate their moves before they made them.

I had yet to be bested. Which made me the envy of some and the rival of others.

I took down my opponent in only a few minutes, and was surprised to see the number of others who were standing about the circle, watching, paying out bets, and staring me down.

Jasper was quite smug in my abilities. Of course, he had yet to challenge me himself.

I cleaned up and made my way back to the palace. There was still light out and I was thankful for getting the chance to get back before Bella was troubled by the darkness. Ever since the loss of Mrs. Stanley, Bella did not like to be alone in the dark. She often sat at in the window seat of her room where the moonlight soothed her unease. There were times she sat in front of the fireplace, but only the rare nights when clouds covered the moon. It was only when I was with her that she would be able to move from the light and feel safe enough to lie in bed. Even the secret passageway was almost too much for her now.

This was another reason I pleaded with the King to allow a short horse ride for her through the countryside. Eventually he allowed it when the Queen spoke up, saying that their daughter should have some reprieve from this imposed isolation.

Everything was set, I just had to take care of one more detail: getting Bella to agree without giving anything away.

She was not particularly fond of riding, though she did like the idea of seeing the sun. Fortunately for us, the near constant cloud cover dissipated that morning, leaving a clear, bright blue sky for us to enjoy as we set out in the early hours.

I led Bella toward the country road before turning off of it and making my way into the encroaching forest.

"What are you doing?" She asked. "You do see that the road is this way?"

"Yes."

"Well?"

"I said we were taking a ride, but not that we were going that way. So, come on."

Bella hesitated a moment, before slowly following me into the trees. It was slow trot through the forest, but I could already see the way it affected Bella as she watched the sunlight stream through the branches, letting her fingers glide along the bark of a nearby tree now and then. She barely noticed when we had stopped moving, until I began to dismount and tie Masen to a nearby sapling before doing the same with Síla.

"We are stopping here?" She looked around at the crowd of trees that surrounded us in confusion, but I smiled.

"Not exactly." I said, helping her to the ground and watching as she became even more perplexed. I reached for the blanket and satchel from Masen, and then took Bella's hand as we walked forward, stepping through the trees into the meadow—our meadow—where the grass grew tall and the wild flowers were in full bloom, where we used to sneak off to and play for hours. We had never come from this backward direction before, which is why I knew she would not realize where we were too soon. Her face lit up as she took in the scenery, and I could not remember the last time she had smiled so brightly. "Happy Birthday."

"Edward, this is…" Her voice caught as her eyes drank in the view.

"I know. Come on." I took her hand and led her over to the shade where I laid the blanket out and set the satchel down before taking my shoes and socks off. Bella did the same with her shoes and stockings as we sat side by side on the blanket.

"I cannot believe how long it has been since we've both come here."

I hummed in agreement, wrapping an arm around her and placing a kiss on her forehead. My hand went to her hair, pulling the pin away and letting the chocolate locks spill out across my hand. We sat there for a moment, taking in the beauty of the scenery. Then, I reached for her face, flicking the tip of her nose.

"Hey! What was that for?"

I shrugged and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "You're it." I stood then, watching as understanding dawned on her face, and ran for cover in the trees as she chased after me, smiling and laughing.

.

.

.

The day was perfect. Running through the trees, feeling the earth beneath our feet, watching the wind flutter through Bella's hair. We must have spent hours that way before stopping to rest on the blanket and eat the sandwiches that Cook had made. Laughing and talking like we used to, before things were so complicated. I realized then that there was a small smear of dirt across her cheek. "What?" Bella asked as I began to inspect our clothing. There were grass stains covering her wrinkled skirts and my trousers were striped in dirt. I gestured to our messy attire and drew my hand across her cheek, clearing the dirt away and lifting my hand to show her.

I sighed. "You're mother is going to murder me."

Bella did not seem as troubled as I was. She simply laughed, shaking her head before taking a handful of the grass beside her and throwing it in my face. "Oh well," she said, shrugging and laughing more vigorously than before.

"Oh well? That's all you have to say for my life?"

"This was your idea. You stupid, silly boy."

"You followed me, and I am the stupid one?" She nodded and tried to get away then, as soon as she realized I was preparing to pounce, but I caught her before she could get too far. We were rolling in the grass now, no doubt adding to the many discolorations on our clothing. But if Bella did not care, then neither did I. She continued to struggle against me as I captured her beneath my body, though I could tell it was half hearted, what with the giggling and all. Her eyes were so bright, happy and shining. So beautiful. Her laughter quieted after a moment as we continued to gaze at each other. The sun had crossed the sky and was casting a warm glow around her angelic face. The earth around us seemed to shimmer and I could feel my breathing accelerate as her fingers reached up to trace the outline of my jaw, moving into my hair. Her nails trailed along my scalp before twisting and pulling me closer. There was no hesitation as I let my lips capture her own. This was the first I had truly kissed her in a long time, and I did not understand the amount of relief I felt in the comfort of her embrace.

But what began as soft and sweet rapidly became more and more urgent as Bella began to run her hands along my throat to my chest, making me gasp and tremble as our lips met over and over again. More. She took my top lip into her mouth then, moaning as she supped the flesh while her tongue tasted me, causing more shudders and groans. We had never been this close, this intimate. I could barely stand it as she repeated the motion with my lower lip. My fingers clutched the fabric of her dress, feeling the soft silk and making me wonder if the skin beneath it was just as supple. Kissing, touching, tasting… It was becoming too much already. Like at any moment I could shatter.

I turned away, letting us both breathe—and allowing me a moment to collect myself—until Bella impatiently drew my lips back to hers. So good. Her mouth was warm and sweet and wanting. But then suddenly, she pushed against me, shaking her head. "Stop. No…" She gasped.

"Bella?"

I sat back, letting her move away from me. She looked…anxious. Her eyes were wide and scrutinized everywhere but where I sat.

"Bella? Are you all right?"

"I… Yes. It…is getting late. We should be on our way, should we not?" She said, still looking away from me.

"…Of course."

She nodded, heading into the trees where we had left the horses. I gathered up the blanket and satchel then so I could refasten them to Masen, trying to understand what had happened.

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We rode all the way back in silence. It was probably good that we had left when we did, as the clouds were now rolling in, blotting out the rest of the early afternoon sunshine.

Bella wasted no time in dismounting at the stables and striding to the side entrance.

"Your Highness?" She kept walking. "My Lady." No response. Finally I caught up with her, snatching her arm. "Princess. May I have a word?"

She turned automatically at that, though still reluctant. "Yes?"

I leaned in. "Listen, I am not sure what just happened, but if I have done anything to displease you—"

"No," she said quickly, pulling her arm back. "No, I… I mean, it was not you—"

She stopped abruptly as others passed by with decorations for the ballroom.

"I should go and dress."

I was not letting her get away again. "Your Highness."

"Later, all right?"

"…Are you sure?" A nod. "As you wish, then." I could be patient and wait for her to tell me. Or at least pretend to.

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She did not dance with me. Not once. I could only watch as she spoke with various people. The guests paraded around in formals and ate and drank with merriment. They all seemed to be enjoying the now rare glimpse of the troubled Princess and how she is faring against the latest scandal attached to her actions.

I attempted to speak with her, but she was dismissive and distant. So I walked about the room, watching and waiting. Every so often she would sense my eyes and look in my direction, but then quickly turn away again.

There was a tap on my shoulder. "Pardon me," a meek voice said. I turned to see a young woman, tall and blond, with far too much rouge on her lips. The color was smeared on her wine glass. "Forgive my forwardness, but are you not the man who rescued Isabella?" She held out her hand.

Ugh. Why now?

"Um… Yes," I said, taking her hand with a bow. "Miss…?"

"Oh, of course, how rude of me. Mallory. But please, call me Lauren. And your name is?" Her eyes roamed my form, and I attempted to hide the sickening feeling I felt welling up.

"Edward."

"What an attractive name," she purred. "Do you not dance, Edward?"

Uncomfortable. This was not the first time I had been looked over by one of Bella's court acquaintances, but it still made me uneasy, to say the least. "I do, but unfortunately I am at the Princess' disposal this evening."

"Oh. Well, I shall keep you company then."

I cannot be sure how long she had been standing beside me, droning on and on about her family's wealth and status with the royal family. It was only mildly annoying until she began to lean on my arm, clearly uninhibited now by the amount of beverages she's had in the past hour or so. It would have been quite comical, if I were not annoyed beyond belief.

"You know, Edward, I must tell you that I have never seen anyone with such deep, green eyes as yours," she slurred before leaning in to speak in my ear. "A girl could lose proper judgment staring into them."

It was at that moment the glass in her hand shattered, causing red wine to spill down the front of her pale blue dress. She gasped in horror, but I barely heard it as my eyes snapped to where Bella was standing on the other side of the room, her every feature livid as she stared at the girl beside me. The next second she turned, heading straight for the balcony doors.

I barely muttered and 'excuse me' before going after her as calmly as I could.

I had just enough time to see her disappear down the stairs and into the garden paths that run along side the Palace's stone walls.

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A/N: So… what do you think is going on with our princess?

Special thanks to siren of titan for keeping on me about updates :) Thanks for the pushes friend! You rock!

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