Jade stormed through the grand doors which lead to her father's court. She was decked out in her royal robes which she had come to loathe: a long, sweeping, crimson-red dress with a matching velvet cape which fell from her shoulders and dragged along on the ground, accompanied by her tiara and diamond jewelry.

Yes, she looked just as a princess should, if one were to disregard the permanent scowl etched onto her face. And her desire for rebellion, to run off and spend her time with her arm forever linked with that of the prince of her enemy kingdom.

But if one overlooked all that, she was the perfect princess.

She hated that.

Beck would have told her she looked breathtaking, but she could not forget that these clothes were what kept her apart from him. And so every time she looked in the mirror, all she saw was a nightmare.

She'd thrown the looking-glass in her bedroom out her window, and it filled her with satisfaction when it shattered into a thousand pieces on the ground below, some tumbling into the moat, the glass shards reflecting the light of the sun, trying to recapture the beauty it used to hold.

Jade wondered if her heart looked like that right about now. Broken.

She'd tried to escape. Over and over again, she'd tried to leave, to cross her country and run to Beck, but the plot was hopeless.

She was guarded constantly. Her father tried to make it subtle, but it was hard not to notice that her father's buff bodyguards were always lurking in her shadow, their eyes flitting away whenever she turned toward them. And she knew they stood outside her bedroom door at night. Even her window was watched. It was hard to tell, though, what her father's intentions were. Was he trying to keep Jade in, or keep Beck out?

If he was smart, he knew he probably didn't have to concern himself over Beck. Jade guessed he was being watched just as carefully, back in his own country. Beck and his battalion which had held Rowana's city had been called back to Topaz, much to King Edmund's delight and King Joshua's anguish (though he had given the order himself).

"What do you want?" she snarled at her father.

King Edmund sat upon his throne in his grand courtroom, her mother occupying the throne beside him. Jade's own throne was, of course, empty, as it had been since her return. The knight Beck wounded-what was his name? Sir Blacklock?-stood attentively beside the king.

He scowled. "Is that any way to address your father?"

Jade shrugged. "I'm not taking it back."

Her father sighed and rolled his eyes. "Jade," he said, his expression growing somber. "Recent, um, events have brought to my attention that you are no longer a child anymore... and I will not live forever. The war rages more violently than ever... and we need a strong family in command. You were right in one aspect of your thoughts... you need a husband." Jade opened her mouth to protest, but King Edmund swept on. "Which is why I have arranged for you to be wed to Sir Blacklock next month. We need someone like him to be prepared to take the throne should anything happen to me."

Sir Blacklock waved tentatively to her, a small smile on his face.

Jade glared daggers at him, effectively murdering his smile, before turning back to her father. "I refuse to marry... that!"

King Edmund crossed his arms. "You don't have a choice in the matter. I am the king, and your father, and ancient law says that I choose your husband. I have chosen."

"You can't force me to do anything!" Jade shouted. Sir Blacklock flinched.

Her father sighed again in exasperation. "Jade, why must you be so difficult? I've found you a more than acceptable husband! Sir Blacklock is a kind and clever man and a very brave knight! He is certainly deserving of being the king!"

"Then he can be king with another queen," Jade retorted. "I don't even like him. Do what you want, but I won't marry him."

"You don't like anyone!" King Edmund protested.

Jade narrowed her eyes. "Yes, I do. You're just so stubborn that-"

"He does not count!" her father snapped. "You cannot marry Prince Beck! You can't have any contact with him!"

Jade seethed, but managed to contain her anger. "I don't care," she hissed, all her venom contained in the quiet words. "I won't marry Sir Blacklock."

Without waiting to be dismissed, she turned and left the courtroom.

/

For the next few days, Jade refused to speak to her father and avoided Sir Blacklock at all costs, though she was forced to sit with him at meals-on the rare occasion when she attended. King Edmund still planned for the wedding, but Jade continued to deny that she was engaged. She was certain that she would not, could not, marry him (although, admittedly, she still wasn't sure how to avoid it).

Every once in awhile, she would join her father's court to see if there was any news of Beck. She didn't hear much, except that he was patrolling his own country, closely guarded by none other than his own father.

Sir Blacklock wondered if this would be a good time to attack their castle, since neither ruler was present. King Edmund reminded him that the castle was in the mountains, and he had no desire to visit those peaks of death again. He refused to send an army into the great stone hills, still certain that they wouldn't come out alive.

It was an entire week before Sir Blacklock approached her. He didn't say it, but Jade knew that he, like most others, was terrified of her.

She was sitting outside in the sunshine-which she still hated, especially now since the moon had lit her meetings with Beck-letting her feet dangle in the glittering water of the moat. Fish nipped at her toes, the same way they had ages ago with Beck, back when he thought he was going to die, before they had fallen in love. The experience was far less enjoyable without him.

"Princess Jade," a quiet voice sounded behind her.

She whipped around to find her "fiance." "What do you want?" she snapped.

"May I join you?" he asked politely.

Jade blinked. "No."

The knight hesitated. "Then I shall stand," he said. "I just thought... I wanted to get to know you better."

"I have no desire to get to know you."

"Cat likes me," he offered, probably thinking Jade would listen to the judgement of her only friend.

Jade snorted. "Why don't you marry Cat, then?"

"I don't think Robbie would like that very much."

Jade rolled her eyes, remembering that Cat had recently started seeing the curly-haired messenger boy. "I wasn't serious."

There was a long silence.

"Will you go now, Sir Blacklock?" the princess asked finally.

"You can call me by my first name, if you like, Jade," the knight offered.

"How generous of you," Jade said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "but I don't want to. I don't even want to know your name. And I don't remember saying that you could call me 'Jade.' 'Princess' or 'My Lady' will do just fine."

Sir Blacklock was losing his cool. He made a point of sitting beside her-way too close for comfort-and he frowned. "Look, Jade," he hissed through gritted teeth. "We're to be married. I'm to be your husband, and you are to be my wife. Like it or not, I'm in charge now, and I will call you by your first name and I will sit beside you."

"Big mistake," Jade growled, shoving him into the moat.

He emerged sopping wet, looking bewildered.

"Jade," he gasped as he crawled out. "Princess Jade. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so aggressive like that. I just want our marriage to be a nice one, alright? Could we start over?"

Jade considered this for a moment. "If I could replay this conversation again, I'd stab you instead of pushing you in the moat." She grazed her fingers over the hilt of her sword. She still kept it with her whenever her father wasn't looking.

The knight looked unsure of whether to take her seriously or not. "I got you something," he said finally.

"What?" Jade said, vaguely interested.

"A ring," he told her. "I wanted to make our engagement proper."

"Give it to me," the princess demanded, holding out her hand.

Sir Blacklock stepped forward and placed the little loop of metal in her palm. She snatched it from him and inspected it as he sat beside her again-this time at a safe distance.

The ring was made of gleaming gold, the sunlight enhancing its brightness. It had one large diamond-one of the largest Jade had ever seen-with another smaller diamond beside it. Smaller diamonds lined the rest of the ring. In short, it was beautiful. She doubted there was a more magnificent piece of jewelry in the kingdom.

"This must have cost you a fortune," Jade said, inspecting it closer.

"It did," the knight admitted with a shrug. "But you're worth it. I really like you."

Jade held the ring between her thumb and forefinger. "It's very beautiful."

"Then it fits," the knight said. Jade heard the hope in his voice. "So are you."

"Well." Jade stood and looked at the ring, then the blank third finger on her left finger.

The diamonds gleamed like the jewels in Beck's sword. Topaz, eleven rubies, jade, and a hole for an emerald. She still remembered.

"Let me put the ring on for you," Sir Blacklock offered, moving toward her.

Jade snatched her hand away. "Do you think I'm so helpless I can't do it myself?"

"I'm sorry," the knight said. "Go ahead."

But Jade did not place the ring on her finger. Did he really think she'd accept the engagement that easily? "Do you think," she said slowly. "That you can buy my love with expensive jewelry?"

Sir Blacklock faltered. "You... you said you liked it."

"No," Jade said. "I said it was pretty. I never expressed like or dislike. The point is that I do not love you. I never will. And I will die before I marry you." Without waiting for a response, she flung the ring far into the moat, where it sunk like a rock to the muddy bottom. "That is what I think of your love."

She turned and marched away.

/

"What news do you have?" King Edmund demanded, sizing up the knight who'd entered the courtroom.

Jade sat at the mahogany table, looking broadly at the long claw marks she'd put in it a few weeks ago. She ran her nails through them again.

The knight bowed to the king and greeted each of the family in turn, including Sir Blacklock.

"The attack did not go well," the knight reported ruefully. "My party barely made it across the border before we were confronted by a Topazian army. It was lead by King Joshua and Prince Beck themselves."

Jade snapped her head up, suddenly fully attentive. Beck? Is he okay?

The king raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Tell me about it."

The knight began recounting the events of the battle-how they were outnumbered, how bravely this knight or that one fought, who was lost, how the prince had held his own against this many enemies at once, how many Topazians fell, blah, blah, blah.

"...Though we lost most of our men, one blessing did come of the battle," the knight finished.

"Please tell me you've done us justice and brought down that devil of a prince once and for all," King Edmund said, looking hopeful.

"Ah... no," the knight admitted, though he still smiled. "Sadly, the young king escaped without a scratch."

King Edmund straightened. "The young king?"

"Yes," the knight confirmed. "King Joshua Oliver is dead. Topaz bows to King Beck."

/

Three weeks since she'd seen Beck. Two and a half weeks since she'd been engaged. Two weeks since he'd become king. A week since his crowning ceremony. One week until her wedding.

She missed Beck more than ever.

It was big news when Robbie Shapiro arrived back at the castle, fresh from Topaz. Cat gave him a big hug and a kiss, and he had turned beet red. But everyone who was not Cat wanted to hear his news. As soon as they learned that King Joshua was dead, Robbie was sent away to witness the crowning ceremony.

By ancient law, each new king was required to have an ambassador from the other kingdom at their ceremony-just to make it official. Robbie had arrived a few days early and stayed a few days late in order to bring the latest Topazian news back to Rowana. Though they were at war, each kingdom liked to be kept up-to-date on the status of the other.

Upon his arrival, and after being ambushed by his girlfriend, Robbie was surrounded by maids, cooks, servants, guards, nobles, and knights, each one wanting to hear every last detail. But before he could say a word, Robbie was corralled by the king into the courtroom.

Only the most important got to hear the news first. The entire royal family-including Sir Blacklock-was present, and some of the most honored knights also attended.

"Well," King Edmund said impatiently. "Tell us all about your journey!"

Robbie looked nervous. "Um... yes, sir.

"When I arrived, King Beck wasn't in very good condition. He was ill and wouldn't leave his room. Topaz was concerned that their new king wouldn't make it to his own crowning ceremony, and this was especially troubling with there being no heir to the throne.

I talked to the castle's healer personally-she told me that there was no reason to fret. She figured the king's sickness just came from stress and depression. I suppose it's not surprising, considering all that's happened. I mean, he did lose his father at a young age, then the responsibility of the entire kingdom fell on his shoulders-you know that he's the youngest king to take the throne in both kingdoms for at least four generations?-and then there was the whole fiasco with..." the messenger looked at Jade and trailed off.

"Well, anyway," he continued. "The healer was right. Beck was better within a few days and ready to be crowned just in time. The ceremony went flawlessly, and I hate to report that their kingdom may be stronger than ever. I wasn't privileged enough to attend one of the king's speeches personally, but he's been making a ton of them since he was crowned."

"What are the speeches about?" King Edmund prompted.

Robbie shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know, Your Majesty. What's weird is that he said nothing at the ceremony."

"Really?" The king looked intrigued. Most kings gave a long speech at their crowing ceremony. "What happened between that and his first speech?"

Robbie thought for a long time. "Well, I talked to him."

"What did he say?"

"Not a lot," Robbie said with a frown. "But I did tell him about the princess's engagement."

King Edmund raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yes..." Robbie furrowed his brow, trying to remember. "He wasn't happy about that. Then he called the new right-hand man-Lord Andre Harris-into his throne room. No one was allowed in, and they didn't emerge until late that night. The speeches began the next day."

"He's up to something," King Edmund growled, eyeing Jade suspiciously. "What else?"

"Well, like I said, I didn't attend any speeches," Robbie continued. "But I did talk to some people who did. I keep hearing the same things; King Beck is already predicted to be the best so far, for one. Next, older nobles who attended didn't seem very happy with him. Everyone else was talking about great changes. He's sweeping revolution through his nation. And... this last one troubles me... everyone predicts that the war will end very soon."

King Edmund gritted his teeth. "I don't trust that boy, and I'm not liking what I hear."

"One more important thing to tell you, Your Greatness," the messenger added, wringing his hands nervously. "He asked me for an audience with you, as soon as possible."

"And what did you tell him?"

"I... I said that would be fine," Robbie stuttered. "He promised he only wanted to meet peacefully... so I brought him back here. King Beck and a party of six is just outside the castle, waiting to see you."

So... yeah. A lot of big events in that chapter. I was originally going to cut off when King Joshua died, but I wanted to jump straight into the meeting next chapter, so I gave you the extra tidbit of Robbie's report.

As always, thank you to my wonderful reviewers! Special thanks to AriRedVelvetBow, Victoriousjadefan, Nutella Cupcakes, jhenybadefan, Drizzy J, bsblchick82, IAmJadeWest, imafanpire, AcrossTheRiverNotDown, flawful, BhindGreenEyes, alice-jasper-love 4 ever, asian fusion-tike, Jeremy Shane, owlgirl949, roadworrior, JathanSeddie Fanatic, Sucker 4 Romance, and two guests for reviewing.

I'd also like to thank XxDramaPrincessxX, who hasn't actually reviewed, but mentioned this story in her author's note in her story, "You and Me."

I'd also like to take some time to say that I recently looked at the stats of my story (which I don't do a lot), where I found that this story currently has 54 favorites and 102 followers. I can't list all of you-I don't even know who you are-but I wanted to say that even though some of you haven't reviewed, your support is still greatly appreciated. Thank you everyone!