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DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING

BPOV

Bella hastily got ready for the dinner and was pleased to find King Charlie out and about, socializing with all of his guests. From the look on his face, however, it was clear that he was exhausted. Bella decided to go and put him out of his misery. She led her father back to the high table to eat and the dinner went smoothly. Although Bella had many things on her mind and she was juggling multiple tasks at once, Edward still pressed on her mind. He was already gone. One of the guards had informed her that he left just half an hour before the dinner. Bella felt a familiar anxiety seep through her body. She wanted to know if he was safe. Her stupid feminine side got into the way of everything! And she'd let him touch her! Bella wanted to slap herself at the rashness of her own actions.

At one point during the dinner, Bella felt someone tap on the back of the hand. She turned to see who it was and was surprised to see Jacob. "Yes? Can I help you?" She asked in the polite tone she reserved for formal dinners.

"Um…yes. May I speak to you after dinner? It's very important…" Jacob asked. He looked uncharacteristically nervous and serious.

Bella frowned. "Sure. Jake, is everything ok?" She placed a concerned hand on his arm.

Jacob gave her a quick smile. "Of course, I just need to talk to you." He replied.

Bella nodded her consent and watched Jacob walk away. Bella's eyes continually roamed the dining hall as the dinner proceeded. She frequently made sure her father was ok and when dance time arrived, she carefully excused herself to go talk to Jacob.

Bella strode out into the garden where she knew Jacob would be waiting. Just as she had guessed, Jacob was there. He was sitting on one of the benches with a glass of wine in his hand. He ideally sloshed it around in the glass while he waited for Bella. Bella walked toward him carefully, suddenly nervous. "Hey." She said quietly as she approached him.

Jacob looked up in surprise and smiled. "Hi, there. I thought you would be dancing for at least a while before I got to talk to you." He tilted his head to one side, curious.

Bella rolled her eyes and sat down. "There has to be some advantage to being the party planner. I claimed I had duties to do and father was exhausted already so it wasn't as if I had to dance with him. No one could stop me really." She grinned.

Jacob smiled back briefly and then stared into his cup again. "Bella…I know this is a touchy topic for you but…I need to know something." He looked back at her, his eyes sad.

Bella frowned. "What, Jacob? Just tell me." She shifted so she was facing him.

Jacob took a deep breath and started. "Bella…I know you don't love me the way our parents want to you to, but is there a chance that there might be attraction?"

Bella looked away. "Jacob…" She didn't want to talk about this with him. It just made everything awkward. She loved him like a brother; she wished everyone could understand that.

"Bella, no, listen." Jacob grabbed her hand and tried to get her to look back at him. "I want to ask because I really like your cousin Reneesme and I don't want to court her if there might be a chance with you." Jacob took a deep breath to continue but Bella cut him off.

"You like Reneesme?" Bella asked. Bella was closer to Reneesme than any of her other cousins. And she knew that Jacob and Reneesme would make a wonderful pair. Bella felt a surge of joy for Reneesme. "Jacob, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for both of you! Does she know about your feelings?" Bella flung her arms around Jacob and hugged him tightly with a large smile.

Jacob was surprised at Bella's reaction but smiled widely after he recovered. "Yes, she knows, but she didn't want to do anything because she was afraid that you might get offended. I admit, even I didn't think you would react this way." Jacob laughed as Bella pulled away.

Bella blushed; hugging Jacob had been very impulsive of her. "Sorry. But I'm very happy with how this turned out. Jacob, you know I don't have those feelings for you but if Reneesme does, that's great. You're solving so many problems for me. Dad wants an alliance with you guys and if you're marrying my cousin, than we still have an alliance. And now I don't have to worry about marrying you anymore. Thank you." Bella smiled gratefully.

Jacob ginned and kissed the back of Bella's hand. "You're welcome. And, this is the proper way of showing affection."

Bella rolled her eyes. "You expect me to kiss your hand? Grow up, Jacob."

Jacob laughed. "Ok, fine. You can address me as "my lord" from now on." Jacob puffed out his chest proudly in jest.

Bella slapped his chest with the back of her hand. "In your dreams. Now, if you excuse me, I must go and see to my dance." Bella got up.

"I will not excuse you until you address me by my rightful title." Jacob said with a smirk.

Bella snorted. "Goodbye, slave boy!" She laughed and strode away.

Bella returned to the party to make sure everything was going well. She arrived at the right time because King Charlie was just starting an argument with a servant.

"No, I am feeling very well. I will stay here." Charlie glared at the servant.

"But, your highness, the doctor said you need rest." The servant protested weakly.

King Charlie opened his mouth to respond when Bella stepped in. "Thank you." She told the servant and turned to face her father. When she saw him, she winced. Charlie's skin was very pale and a light sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead. Overall, he looked terrible. "Daddy, you need rest." She told him and put out a hand to touch his forehead. It was burning.

"I'm fine, Bella." Charlie said rolling his eyes. "You were the one that suggested I come out tonight, remember? Now let me enjoy it."

"Dad…you have a fever. You need rest. I'm sorry I suggested this, I should have been more careful. Please, come with me to your chambers." Bella squeezed Charlie's hand in both of her own. "Please."

Charlie sighed, he couldn't deny his daughter. "Fine." He huffed and let her lead him to his room.

By the time Bella returned to the Ball Room after getting her father settled with the doctor, most of the guests had already gone to bed. Only the young people were left, and even they looked tired. Bella walked in and signaled the musicians to play the last song so everyone could go to bed and the servants could finally clean up.

For the majority of the remaining time, Bella was surrounded by servants wanting orders about which things to clean up and what to rearrange for the next night. When the servants finally left Bella, she searched around for someone to entertain her for the remaining three minutes she had to be there. To her surprise, the King and Queen of Cullenada approached her.

"Princess Isabella." King Carlisle said with a small smile and nod.

"Dear." Queen Esme said with the usual warmth.

"Your highnesses." Bella curtsied, wondering what they wanted now.

"My dear, we want to thank you for letting Edward go to Aria." Esme said, cutting through the usual pleasantries.

Bella felt a wave of surprise wash over her at Esme's words. Surely the reason the king and queen wanted to talk to her wasn't just to thank her. Bella kept a pleasant expression on her face as she responded. "Of course. But my lady, it is only custom to give guests the freedom they deserve."

"Isabella, we understand how hard it is for you to respect Edward and give him the freedom and equality you give to everyone else; and we want to thank you for taking that extra step for Edward. He's wanted to visit Aria for the longest time." Carlisle explained.

Bella wanted to give Carlisle a piece of her mind and explain that making Edward happy was killing her slowly but she kept her expression civil. "I'm glad. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to make you and your family's stay here comfortable." Bella gave him a blank smile.

Carlisle returned the blank smile and he and Esme walked away. The song ended soon after and the room was cleared in record time. Bella returned to her chambers, exhausted.

Bella's maids helped her change into her nightgown and take off all her makeup. They (the maids) were exhausted too and again, everything was done in record time. Bella was just drifting off to sleep when she felt a presence in her room. "Arden." She said. She had been expecting him.

"Lady Bella." Arden replied smoothly in the dark.

Bella sat up groggily and rubbed her hands over her face. "Sit." She patted the side of the bed next to her.

Bella felt the bed bend beneath Arden's weight. "Arden, who taunted Edward this morning?" She asked, tiredly.

Arden was silent for a moment, thinking. "Laurent…I believe." He said finally.

"The new guard? How foolish is he?" Bella asked. She knew all the guards of the castle and was surprised that a new one would be so bold and rude.

"Very. And from what I've heard, he has contempt for all authority. He mocks the king behind his back, does fair impressions of me, and says that you are too beautiful to be a queen." Arden said and Bella felt her body temperature rise as she processed what Arden had just told her.

"That filthy idiot! Have him flogged 15 times!" Bella said mercilessly.

Arden's brows shot up but his face stayed the same otherwise. "15 times? Are you feeling well, my lady?" He asked quietly. Bella usually let people go with a lecture about respect. She had rarely flogged anyone, no matter how rude they were.

"Yes. I hate him." Bella growled. She was fully awake now. "Do you know what Laurent's behavior has made me do? Because of his stupidity, I was forced to let Edward go to Aria. If I hadn't given him permission, we would have no chance at forming an alliance with Cullenada. Besides, anyone who mocks my father needs a punishment."

Arden was silent again for a moment and then responded. "Of course. I'll see to it that he gets 15 lashes. But if you can forgive me for asking, why are you so anxious to form an alliance with Cullenada? We have time…" Arden got up silently and started moving towards the door.

"Cullenada is strong. And summer is almost here. All the raids and wars will flare up again and it will be good to have Cullenada on our side. Do you remember last year's reports? Our spies told us that the Creatian rebels are gaining power. If they overrun Creatia, we are in trouble." Bella sighed.

"Very good insight, your highness. I'll see to it that your punishment gets carried out. Get some rest. Tomorrow is the last ball and it's going to be extremely extravagant and exhausting. We will discuss this more later. This season's spies are supposed to report to us tomorrow night." Arden said and left.

Bella laid back down and sighed. She was so tired; it was days like these when she wished she was a simple villager who had less things to deal with. Bella finally closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Bella kneeled at the feet of a king. Her dress was deep blue and low-cut, as was the latest style. She looked up from her position and stared into deep green eyes. Guards shifted around her, restlessly palming their sword hilts. The king spoke to her then. He told her that he didn't want to make her a slave. He told her she was beautiful and she would be one of his mistresses. Bella hated that. She wanted to be the only one.

She stared at him defiantly. A deep frown took hold on her face and she turned away, hiding her features from him. He laughed. It was a deep, seducing sound. He told her that she had brought this on herself. If she hadn't tried to defend her father, she wouldn't be here. He would have happily given her, her throne back. Bella wanted to speak but she was afraid he would find a worse punishment for her. It would be difficult, not much was worse than being a mistress, but Bella was sure he would find something.

He reached out and softly stroked her cheek. He caressed her soft locks and invaded her personal space. Bella wanted to hate him. She wanted to take a knife and slide it between his ribs. But she didn't. She didn't, because she loved him.

EPOV

Edward rode hard, reaching Aria before nightfall. He had brought minimal supplies with him so that he could ride faster. As he wandered around, trying to find a place to stay for the night, he noticed that people gave him looks. Edward knew females found him attractive, but he was afraid that some of the older men would realize who he was.

Edward quickly found an inn to stay for the night. After he dropped his bags in his rooms, Edward grabbed some money and wandered out into the streets. Edward had dreamed about this for so long. Running in the streets of Aria, painting on everything he found, borrowing someone's flute and playing a tune. As Edward walked around, he was surprised to see that not much had changed. Other than the fact that Ixians wandered around with the Arian population, everything was pretty much the same. Kids still raced each other everywhere; stalls were still set up displaying all types of artistic treasures. Edward walked around and bought colorful jewelry for his sisters and mother.

While he looked around, something caught his eye. Edward walked towards it to find that is was an extremely expensive and beautiful necklace. The whole thing was made of gold with diamonds decorating the middle and onyx adorning the sides. Edward felt an attraction to it. He reached out to touch it but before he could, the shopkeeper grabbed his arm.

"This is an impressive bracelet you have on, sir." The man said, studying the bracelet on Edward's arm.

Edward curses himself internally for not taking it off. "Thank you. It was a gift from a friend." Edward responded coolly.

"An Ixian friend?" The merchant asked, intrigued by the beauty and price of the bracelet. The precious stones on the bracelet were one of Ixia's specialties.

Edward shrugged. "A friend." He responded, making it clear he wasn't going to give out any more information.

"Are you a nobleman, sir?" The shopkeeper asked, still probing for information.

"No, I am simply a fortunate man with good friends." Edward said and pulled his arm away. "How much is that necklace?" Edward pointed to the one he wanted.

The man looked at Edward in surprise and then nodded. "I must warn you, sir. It is very costly, but well worth every gold piece." He said; eyeing Edward as if he wasn't sure Edward had enough money.

Edward pulled out a pouch of gold. "How much?" He asked again.

Edward bought his necklace and shopped around some more, finding gifts for his brothers and father now. When Edward was done shopping, he dropped his items back in his rooms and changed before going out again. This time, Edward wasn't looking for gifts; he was looking for a good race.

Edward wandered around the streets, looking for people lining up for a race. It had been so long since he had been in Aria that he couldn't remember where all the races started from. Finally he gave up and settled for walking around and sightseeing instead. It seemed that a traveling crew of entertainers had come to Aria for the time being.

Edward felt a spark of childish excitement fill him. A grin appeared on his face as he looked at the attractions. There were exotic dancers, feral animals, and people who could do odd tricks like eat swords. As Edward walked by a stall that said Fortune Teller, a lady yelled out to him.

"My lord! Prince Edward!" She screamed at his back.

Edward froze, wondering how she knew who he was. Seeing the reaction of the people around him, he pretended that he was confused and was looking for "Prince Edward" himself. While he looked around, he also cautiously backed away.

"You! With the red-brown hair! I know who you are! Don't run from duty, Prince Edward!" The lady yelled and pointed straight at him.

Edward made himself look bewildered instead of horrified. Other people looked at him and started murmuring amongst themselves. Edward heard some people saying that he really did resemble the late king and could pass for Prince Edward while others said that there was no way King Charlie would let the prince into Aria.

Edward chose that moment to respond so no one got too ahead of themselves. "Lady, I'm sorry. I am not Prince Edward. I realize I resemble him but you are mistaken." He told her in a strong voice, trying to hide his fear.

"Do not lie to me, Lord Prince. I know you." She growled. "Come here." She motioned for him to come close to her.

Edward frowned. He didn't want to go to her. That would be a disaster. "I'm sorry, lady. I need to go." He said and started to walk away.

"Come here, now." She demanded.

Edward was stunned by the way she spoke her him. He opened his mouth to respond but felt a hand on his shoulder. Edward turned to see who the hand belonged to. The hand belonged to a short old man with kind eyes. "Just hear her out, boy. She can't make you do anything you don't want to do. Make the crazy, old, woman happy." The man smiled sympathetically.

Something about the man attracted Edward. So, Edward nodded and sighed. "Ok, I'm coming." He said and started walking towards her. Edward got many compassionate looks but he also got a couple chuckles and smirks.

As Edward walked towards the woman, she turned around and headed to a tent behind her stall. Clearly, she meant for him to follow. Edward sighed and followed her to the tent. When they got inside, the woman gestured for him to sit on one of the two wooden chairs. Edward sat down and waited for her to begin speaking.

"Prince Edward. It is about time you came back and took the country out of Ixian hands. The Ixians are surprisingly respectful to us and let us stay peaceful but we want an Arian on the throne. You need to be the king, Prince Edward. We will all support you." She looked at him with steely grey eyes.

Edward fought to try and keep his identity a secret. "My lady, I understand your wish but I am not-" He started but the lady cut him off.

"Do you honestly think you can fool me?!" The lady screeched. "I was one of your nurses when you were a child. I worked for your father for my whole life. I know who you are. And don't you dare try to tell me otherwise!" She pointed an accusing finger at Edward.

"What is your name?" Edward asked. His mind reeled at the fact that one of his nurses would be speaking to him at this moment. He had had no idea that any of his father's servants were even alive. He thought King Charlie had killed them all when he took over.

The lady calmed down a little. "I am Azalea. Remember me? I used to build blocks with you…" Her eyes searched Edward's face for some sign of recognition.

Edward frowned and thought hard for a moment, and then he remembered. He gasped and his eyes widened, Azalea looked so different. She looked older, more rugged. "What happened to you? You used to look so different…" Edward stood up and peered at her.

"Ah, yes. Now he remembers." Azalea laughed and patted Edward's arm affectionately. "It's ok." But then her expression turned serious. "Edward, I'm glad you now remember me but that isn't the point. You must take Aria back. Please!" She grabbed both his hands in hers.

Edward was shocked for a moment and then frowned. "Azalea, I understand what you want but I can't just wake up one morning and become king. I don't want bloodshed. I need time and I need to talk to my family. If we are going to have a war, I need an army."

"Your family? Oh, you really have become a Cullenadan prince! That's wonderful!" Azalea smiled and then she turned thoughtful. "Edward, how did you escape Ixia? And how did you come here? You aren't even in disguise…"

Edward cursed internally and decided he could trust Azalea. "The princess was very lenient with me when I was a slave and overlooked almost everything I did. Because of her carelessness, I was able to escape very easily. And, for the last few days, there has been a big ball in the Ixian castle and we attended. After talking to the princess, she gave me permission to come here." Edward explained. He tried to stick close to the truth but still didn't feel comfortable telling her all the details.

Azalea gapped. "She gave you permission!? How?!"

Edward frowned. He had just told her how. "I asked her." He responded simply.

Azalea still looked surprised, and then she shook her head and grinned. "You really are your father's son. Charming the poor girl into letting you do what you want."

Edward snorted. Bella was anything but a poor girl. "Hey, she didn't let me go until she was done explaining that I would go into jail if anything happened and she couldn't care less whether or not I was a Cullenadan prince."

Azalea laughed. "Seems like you two get along very well. Is she pretty?"

"Yes, very." Edward said, nodding.

Azalea smirked. "You like her. Have you considered asking for her hand?"

Edward nearly fell off his chair. "No! I do not like her that way. Honestly!"

Azalea laughed. "Yes, you do. I can see it in your eyes when you speak of her. You should marry her; it will be good for both of you."

Edward shook his head stubbornly. "Never. How would you know, anyway?"

Azalea shrugged and smiled. "I'm a future teller, remember?"

OK, SO THAT WAS A LITTLE SLOW BUT I THINK IT WAS SWEET. NEXT UPDATE IS WITH SPY REPORTS (IF ALL GOES WELL). TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK. DID YOU ENJOY THIS? PLEASE REVIEW.