Author: enjoy! I now have to start packing for when I leave for my new job! ugh…packing!

" Oh Ai-chan!" Rouge said grinning happily at the blunette. " You are looking absolutely adorable today!"

" Um…thank you, Your Grace?" Ai said nervously. She had been at the Gol Castle for a few weeks now and she still had not gotten used to the queen's cheery and friendly behavior. After all the chaos that had occurred within the past few weeks she couldn't understand why she was being so kind to her.

" Now, now!" Rouge said dismissively. " None of that Your Grace nonsense! I get enough of that from the commanders and servants. It's actually very awkward."

Rouge smiled lovingly at the blunette who began to fiddle with her hands uncomfortably. Rouge linked her arm, leading her into a beautifully illuminated garden, filled with many beautiful and exotic flowers and trees. Intricately designed stone benches and golden chairs littered the gardens. " Much like you being in the castle of your father's most talented rival."

Ai shifted uncomfortably at the freckled woman's intuition. Why did she have to be so reasonable? If the queen could be one of those evil controlling hags, like the one's that hated the innocent captive princess, like the one's in all the fairytales, it would make hating being here a lot easier.

In truth the people here had been very kind to her…well, oddly respectful to her. She could tell that a lot of the women here did not like her…hated her, actually. She had pretty much figured out that most of them had been with or wanted to be with Ace. And now she was to be his Bride…something all female vampires in their right mind wanted to be…and to make matters worse she had refuted his attempts to make her his.

" It is a little uncomfortable…"

Rouge smiled comfortingly at the blunette beside her. " Ai, sweetie, do you know that most, if not all female vampires at Turned." Curiosity and uncertainty flowed into the young girl's face. " In fact…it is a very rare occurrence for one to be born…and when they do, their lifespans aren't often long. In fact, many don't survive childhood."

" Why is that?"

" No one really knows why…"

Ai was silent for a long while before. " Your Majesty…" She paused as the Queen raised a well manicured eyebrow. " I…mean Miss Rouge." She noticed an eager and happy smile appeared on the Queen's face at the use of her name by the blunette.

" Yes, my dear?"

" By telling me about female vampires and how important they are to the species…are you by chance trying to guilt me into accepting the Change?"

" You are a very clever young lady to come up with that hypothesis." Rouge said, snuggling closer to the girl and resting her head on her shoulder gently. " But thankfully that isn't what I'm trying to do here. I would never try to guilt you into something so life altering as the Change. Never something that you could never come back from."

" Then what are you trying to do?"

" I'm trying to share something personal with you."

" Personal?" Ai looked curiously over at the freckled woman. " What kind of personal?"

" The few born females that survived childhood were often kept as words by some great vampire lord, guarded like some secret treasure. It didn't help matters that most of them grew into some of the most beautiful women ever created. Which could sometimes be a blessing and a curse for the girl and her family. Her family escaped the almost certain death sentence that had been placed on their child's head but now that she was approaching marrying age a great lord would come to claim her as his ward, stealing her away from her home and family that had been there for her her entire life. Taking her to somewhere unknown, often times being sold to some great lord or his son or his brother…"

" That's horrible!"

" Some were lucky enough to find their Groom's to be the lord that they were sold to…others, once their Three Moon Courtship period was done, were made to watch as their owner had their Groom slaughtered before them…" Rouge said sadly, leading Ai over to a small stone bench and had them both sit. " Very few found themselves in the care of a lord who cared nothing of personal gain and would let them live freely in his care."

Ai saw the Queen begin to awkwardly fiddle with the soft fluff that lined her winter cloak sadly. " And I was one of those lucky ones…myself and another girl. Her name was Elia, she was my best friend and we both ended up in Edward's care, where we met several if not all of your brothers. Elia even met and fell in-love with her Groom there…, surprisingly he was one of Edward's son…his human son that was named Alduin.

" He was the Second Division Commander." Ai stated calmly. " He died about fifteen years ago."

" I know…it hurt me so much when I learned about his death. He was a good man, loved by so many people." Rouge said sadly. " The Order killed him for working with Edward and for loving Elia."

" That's horrible."

" It was…" Rouge said. " I miss both of them so very much even to this day."

Ai reached out and squeezed her hand sympathetically. " My father and brothers miss Alduin as well."

" It was because Elia and Alduin that I met Roger."

" It was?" Ai said curiously.

" Yes." Rouge said wistfully. " Many male vampires had come to see the female vampires, to see if they were to be our Grooms and to Court us…but then when they found out that Elia was already claimed they lost interest."

" But what about you?" Ai asked in confusion. " You were there as well." Rouge smiled calmly.

" Their faces instantly fell once they saw me. Elia was the great beauty, not me."

" But you are beautiful too!" Ai said hurriedly. Rouge squeezed the girl's hand gently.

" Thank you, dear." Rouge said calmly. " You remind me so much of Elia. She would often say that to me when I became saddened by my appearance. I'm very plain looking…and with my freckles…they were considered unappealing to many, but Elia always told me that I was beautiful. She had been my best friend ever since we were children. We had grown up as farmers, on the lands that Edward owned, just a few miles apart."

Ai listened eagerly. She was enjoying the fact that the Queen felt comfortable enough with her to share her story with her. Ai listened to the Queen's soft voice as she continued her tale and found herself relaxing against her.

" Edward was very kind to us while we were in his care. He never forced us to come and stay in his. He allowed us to stay with our families and would come to visit us once or twice a month to see how we were doing." A small smile appeared on the Queen's face as she recalled the memories returned to her.

" We were so lucky to have him as our lord. He cares about his people very much and we felt very safe their. Both the humans and the vampires…" Ai watched as a sudden sadness descended over the freckled woman's face. " But then Raiders from the Order came. Elia and I weren't at our homes at the time. Alduin had asked Elia if she would like to attend a party that was being held at Edward's home and she told him that she would come only if I was allowed to attend as well, the which he gladly accepted. Alduin was always so kind to me, he cared a lot for both of us and didn't want me to be lonely while he and Elia had fun…but that night…changed everything."

Ai watched as a deep sadness descended upon the Queen. Pain descended on Ai at seeing the Queen so sad. " While we were at the party, Raiders from the Order came to our homes and killed our families. Marco and the First were on patrol when they came across the raiding party…he brought the one's responsible for the attack to the castle, to face Edward's judgement."

Rouge winced at the memories of the night assaulted her. " That night changed our lives forever. Elia had Alduin to comfort her and even though she had made every attempt possible to comfort me, it couldn't alleviate the pain that I felt.

" Edward offered us a home in his castle and everyone there was so kind to us, but it wasn't the same. It wasn't home.

" After a long while Elia and Alduin were married and built a small house out on Edward's land. That was how I met Roger, actually. I was on my way to visit them, to help Elia decorate their home when a young Roger appeared and kidnapped me."

" He kidnapped you?!"

" Yep!" Rouge said smiling calmly. " He was starting to conquer more and more lands and he wanted to make a big show of force…and stealing Whitebeard's word was definitely a big show!"

" I can't believe he did that!"

" Roger was very ambitious in his youth. If he wanted something, he'd do whatever it took to get it." Rouge said smiling. " He had heard that Edward had a female vampire for his ward and he had wanted to see me for himself.

" He had no intention of trying to force me to be his Bride, he had no desire to have one. He also wasn't the kind of man to force himself on a woman."

" No, he would just kidnap one."

Rouge found herself laughing. " Yes, well there was that after. So there I was, Roger's guest at this castle, along with him and his commanders. I had permission to go wherever I wanted to here, I just wasn't allowed to leave…and trust me, I tried a few times and he brought me back everytime."

" But when did the two of you realize that you were Bride and Groom?"

" Almost instantly." Rouge said smiling lovingly. " The minute he saw me he kissed me and I felt this powerful blow to my heart that almost knocked me out."

Ai knew that feeling all to well. She had felt the same thing the exact moment Ace had kissed her, even though he had knocked her out.

" We found our attraction to each other though." Rouge said. " We were both so stubborn about being together, but we would always argue about the littlest of things. So much so that we'd avoid each other for days at a time…but at one point we argued about something so much that he actually left and went to a neighboring town and stayed there for a few weeks."

" Wait, wait, wait!" Ai said eagerly, her eyes wide. " He's the King of All Vampires and you kicked him out of his own castle!"

" Well, it wasn't exactly like that." Rouge said smiling. " He basically stormed out."

" What was the fight about?"

" Oh I don't even remember." Rouge said sadly. " But the thing was that a Bride and Groom cannot be away for prolonged periods of time within the first Three Moons before they…consulate their relationship…they can get very sick and it can even be life threatening."

" I had heard rumors about it but I had never met anyone that it had actually happened to."

" Well trust me, my dear. It is true. That's why we didn't want to separate you and Ace that night. Edward and I did not want you both to have that happen to you." Rouge said calmly. " Roger had been gone for about a week and a half when I came down with a very bad fever and difficulty breathing." Rouge watched as her words sank in on the young blunette. " I had actually passed out and Inuarashi had carried me to my bed. Makino and Crocus took care of me while Shanks was sent to notify Roger. But he already knew that I was sick, because he was as well."

" But why didn't he get sick?" Ai asked.

" Because Roger is the most stubbornest man I have ever met." Rouge said. " He was sick but he refused to let it overcome him. Most Couples would have been equally sick, but not him. He was already on his way back to me when he met up with Shanks.

" Roger had rode all day and night to get back here. When I awoke he as by my bedside, his head resting on the bed, sound asleep. His commanders had badgered him to go get some rest but he refused to leave my side and nursed me back to health. he was so kind, loving and gentle with me that we both let our guard down. That was when I knew I loved him."

" That's good…I guess."

" But we still had the slight problem of Edward." Roue said. " Roger had insulted him by taking me away and had blocked his every attempt to get me back. I thought that if I could just convince him that I Roger then everything would be fine. But alas…men and their egos."

" What happened?"

" A long drawn out battle that lasted for many, many days and cost the lives of many on both sides. But then Roger and I found something out that caused both men to stop being pig-headed idiots."

" And that was?"

" I found out that I was pregnant with Ace."

" And that stopped the fighting?"

" Yes…Edward has a soft spot for family. He didn't want to leave Ace without a father and Roger was tired of the fighting and wanted to be with me and our baby. So a truce was struck, the fighting ended and hasn't resumed since."

" So Ace stopped the fighting?"

" Yep! He was our little miracle baby!" Rouge said smiling. " Even though tensions have been high throughout the years but no fighting had broken out since."

" Until now."

" Oh don't worry about that, dear!" Rouge said wrapping an arm comfortingly around Ai, giving her a light squeeze. " That wasn't your fault! Fate doesn't often consult with us on who she chooses for us."

" Why did you tell me all this, Your Grace?" Rouge raised an eyebrow at the blunette. " I mean, Miss Rouge."

" I'm telling you this because I want you to know that you aren't alone. If you're feeling lonely I just want you to know that you will always have someone who understands what you're going through."

Ai looked down at her hands awkwardly. She was relieved to know that the Queen understood how uncomfortable it was and that she was there for her. " This garden is beautiful."

" It is, isn't it!" Rouge said smiling as she looked around. " It was a wedding present from Roger."

" What I don't understand is how it could be in full blood in the middle of winter with snow outside the castle."

" It's an enchantment actually." Rouge said. " Roger has many contacts in many communities. One being the Fae and they gifted us with this garden. He knew that I loved the outdoors, being able to work with the earth and he wanted me to feel at home here."

" It's beautiful."

" Thank you. I come here often when I need time to myself and think." Rouge said leaning forward, delivering a soft motherly kiss onto Ai's forehead. " Feel free to come here whenever you feel the same."

" Thank you, Your-I mean, Miss Rouge."

" You're welcome!" Rouge said adjusting Ai's coat and hair in a motherly fashion, before standing up. " Well dear, I must be going! Lots of duties to attend to while Roger is away. Remember dear, if you need anything, anything at all, just let me know!"

" Of course, Miss Rouge."

With that Rouge walked into the castle calmly, pulling her furs closer around her.

" It's been a while since I thought about those events." Rouge paused at the sound of a familiar voice. Glancing over at a nearby staircase she saw Thatch sitting there, listening to their conversation.

" I'm reminded of the every single night." Rouge replied sadly. " Especially since Ai's the spitting image of Elia."

" I know, the only that reminds me of Alduin is her attitude. She has so much of his sass."

" It is still hard to believe that they are gone. It's been fifteen years and the sting is still as bad today as it was the day I found out about it."

" It's almost destroyed Pops when he heard." Thatch said. " He destroyed about Three Fourths of the Order."

" How was it he kept their daughter safe for all these years? And how is it she doesn't have any vampire like traits? She's half after all!"

" He kept her safe through intimidation mostly." Thatch said. " And we don't know why she isn't showing any vampire traits. For the past sixteen years she's been completely human…which is for the best. The Order more then likely knows about her, not that she is their daughter, but that Pops adopted her. If they do, then they must have wanted to know whether she is a vampire or not and they will have found out that that she isn't."

" That doesn't mean that they wouldn't want to snatch her and use her against us."

" Us?"

" Edward and your family and our family." Rouge said. " Roger's enemies might try to snatch her away and use her against us, she's human and will try to hurt her."

" Pops refuses to have Ai die the same way her parents did."

" Me as well."

" I just hope that when word reaches the Order about her and your boy, we will be able to continue keep her safe."