Sorry it's taken me so long to update, I've been working on this chapter for quite a while. I hope you enjoy it :D

14. Enchanted

It was completely breath taking. Bowerstone Castle was decorated in its entirety for the coronation celebrations. Anna sat in the carriage accompanied by Reaver. She glanced out of the carriage window, her green eyes widening at the sight. She had never seen anything like it. Never had she imagined that the castle could look more amazing than it did when she first visited but tonight it did. The entranceway alone was spectacular. It was decorated with flowers and lights that guided the guests into the party.

"This is amazing," Anna said excitedly, looking over at her 'date', Reaver. Reaver gave no response to the young girl instead he stepped up the carriage. The ex-rebel followed him, being careful not to trip over her long ball gown. She felt incredibly out of her comfort zone in the dress she wore. It was a deep blue ball gown with an off the shoulder neckline, which left her chest fully exposed. The corset cinched in her already tiny waist and allowed the skirt to flow effortlessly down to the floor. How Reaver had convinced her to adorn another corset, she would never know. The corset lace had been pulled so incredibly tight that even taking small breaths seemed difficult.

"I hate this dress," the ex-rebel announced, as she smoothed out the creases in the skirt.

"Some gratitude wouldn't go a miss, my dear," Reaver responded, finally looking over in her direction. He stared for a moment, taking in her beauty in secret. The dark blue suited her ivory skin and the diamond necklace she would around her neck enticed his eyes to stare at that area alone. Her long, brown hair was left down in this instance. It was pulled back from her face and secured with silver grips that still allowed for her soft curls to cascade effortlessly down her back. The pulled back hair, revealed Anna's beautiful facial features. From her plump lips to her striking green eyes, and the natural makeup she wore only enhanced these features more. Reaver continued to take in her attractiveness and for a second, it felt like he could not look away.

Anna seemed to ignore Reaver's comment, her eyes darting from one guest to another. She couldn't hide how nervous she felt, many of the guests were her old friends but because of Page had become her enemies. And those who Reaver considered to be acquaintances were definitely not friends to Anna either. They looked down on her like she was the dirt beneath their shoes. On several occasions since she had been living at Reaver's Manor, she had met such aristocrats and none of them had been particularly friendly towards her.

"You seem nervous," Reaver stated, offering his arm to the young girl. She hesitated for a brief moment before accepting and the two began the walk up the castle stairs.

"I am," Anna admitted.

"You'll be fine after a couple of drinks, my dear," Reaver replied as they both walked into the ballroom. Anna gasped quietly; she could not believe how magical the room looked. The ballroom itself was large and spacious, with tall windows that reached from the floor to the ceiling. Each window was separated by a marble pillar. On the very far side of the room, sat an empty throne. The new King must have been off enjoying his celebration. A band stood in the corner, playing lively and upbeat music while couples danced in the centre of the room.

"Oh my god, Anna!" a voice called. The ex-rebel turned her attention away from the rest of the room to see her old friend heading over to her. Elise. The two had met while they were both living in Bowerstone Industrial. Circumstances had changed a lot for them both since then. Elise was now married to a King and Anna was playing dress-up with Reaver as a date.

"Elise, how are you?" Anna asked, a smile instantly appearing on her face as she recognised her friend.

"I'm really good! I'm happy you're here, you look amazing!" Elise responded, her voice bubbly and excitable. Anna blushed slightly at the compliment from her friend.

"Thank you," Anna said, unconsciously unlinking her arm from the businessman beside her. As the two friends began to catch up, Anna took small and quick glances at Reaver who still stood close beside her. He was watching the other guests in the room, seemingly uninterested with the conversation she was having with Elise.

"I can't believe Page did that to you, completely unfair of her," Elise said. Like Anna, Elise had found Page rather unlikeable and at times too opinionated.

"I'm still pissed off about the whole thing," Anna admitted, thinking back to her previous encounter with Page. Understandably, she could have handled the situation a lot better, but at the time the outburst of anger was far too strong. The thought of the Resistance leader still enraged Anna.

"You're not doing bad for yourself though," Elise commented, gesturing towards Reaver before raising her eyebrows at Anna. The ex-rebel knew the look that Elise was giving her, and she quickly shook her head. One time with Reaver was enough for her. Despite his good looks and his charm, she was sure she felt no real connection beyond that.

Fortunately for Anna, the conversation was cut there and then, when the new King approached the three of them.

"Your majesty," Reaver greeted him overly politely, bowing. Anna glanced at the deviant for a moment, wondering what he was really thinking of the new King.

"Your majesty," Panicked, Anna attempted a curtsy. One foot in front of the other she bent her knees, wobbling backwards slightly, causing her date to chuckle.

"Sorry," she apologised, embarrassed.

"It's fine," the King, Alec said, "Reaver, I was wondering if I could borrow your date for a dance."

"I don't..." Anna shook her head, but she was ignored. She felt Reaver's hand on her back, his skin touching hers. His touch was cold but managed to set her skin on fire as he encouraged her to step forward.

"Of course, your majesty," Reaver said. Anna could not see his face, but she knew he was smirking. Alec held his hand out to Anna who took it.

"I'm not much of a dancer, your majesty," Anna admitted as she was led towards the centre of the dance floor. The king chuckled, amused by her panicked voice.

"I'll lead," he told her.

The two of them stopped in the centre of the room, eyes were on them. The King placed his hand lightly on her waist. The ex-rebel observed the other dances before she placed her hand on the King's shoulders. Feeling completely out of her depths, the dance began.

Alec led the dance, slowly and calmly, allowing Anna to easily keep up as they span around the room.

"I'm surprised you asked me for a dance," Anna admitted, feeling shy.

"I wanted to speak with you privately," he replied, "To check on how you were doing."

Anna's eyes narrowed with suspicion. Why would the King want to check up on her? They had never been more than acquaintances, only having a handful of conversations. She had not even discovered he was a prince until the night of Reaver's masquerade party, so it was rather clear they knew little about each other.

"I'm fine," Anna said, her voice hesitant and her answer full of caution. The King quickly picked up on this as he spun her around in time with the music.

"I don't mean to pry but after what happened between Page and yourself, I just wanted to check that you were okay," he explained himself, Anna nodded in response, but she still couldn't help but feel like Alec had an ulterior motive. The ex-rebel stayed silent as the King continued, "You came with Reaver tonight? Are you still with him?"

"I was never 'with him'," she denied.

"But you live with him?" the King asked. His tone suddenly made her feel as if she were being interrogated.

"Yes. But why are you suddenly so interested in my life?" she asked.

"I'm not, it's just that I don't trust you," he admitted. Anna's eyes widened in surprise at Alec's alternative motive. Why would he not trust her? She thought for a second before coming to the conclusion. Page.

"You mean Page doesn't trust me?" She responded as the two continued to twirl effortlessly around the room.

"Page is a good friend of mine, if she has concerns about you then I won't question that," he explained.

Anna narrowed her eyes at the King's seemingly blind ignorance. Despite knowing a little about Royal protocol, she decided to keep her mouth shut and not insult the King's judgement. But Alec could see her eyes she was not happy with his comment.

"You have to see where Page is coming from," the King explained, a statement that she had already heard before.

"And you have to see where I'm coming from. I said nothing, I swore an oath to the Resistance and I stuck to it," Anna defended herself. She had not even noticed that music beginning to slow and the dance coming to an end.

"That's hard to believe when you walk in with Reaver on your arm," the King replied.

"Ah, but I didn't say I still stuck to that oath," Anna said, stepping back from the King's hold once the dance had finished. The King watched her, somewhat cautiously before giving her a sweet and charming smile.

"Thank you for the dance, Anna," he said, bowing his head respectfully and allowing her to leave his presence. Anna shot back a shy and awkward smile before quickly exiting the dance floor. Her thoughts flooded with images of Page. Despite having nothing to do with the woman, she still managed to cause problems in Anna's life. No wonder Reaver despised her so.

"Nice dance?" Elise asked. She was waiting for Anna at the corner of the dance floor with two glasses of champagne in her gloved hands. She handed one to Anna who graciously accepted, taking a small sip of the bubbling liquid.

"An interesting dance," Anna replied, looking around the crowded room, "Where's Reaver gone?"

"I'm not sure," Elise replied, "But you need to spill. What's the situation with you and him?"

As nosy as ever, Elise was. Nobody would think it when they first met her, but she loved a gossip and was always keen to know what drama was happening with who. It was no surprise to Anna, that her friend was eager to know what was really going on between Reaver and herself. But she knew Elise was bound to be disappointed with her response.

"Nothing really," Anna shrugged, feeling embarrassed at the conversation, "he lets me stay at his mansion and in return I help him out."

"'Help him out'? Is that code for something," Elise asked, giggling. Anna's face blushed dark pink as she shook her head. Usually, she would have no problem discussing intimate details of her relationships but the fact it was Reaver seemed to make her shy about the topic.

"No, no, not like that. I just do jobs for him, sometimes. Meeting people, finding things out," Anna elaborated. Elise nodded; the wide smile that had formed on her face still present.

"But what's it like living there? I've always wondered what his house is like on the inside."

"It's big, excessively big. And it feels very posh. I have my own room and my own maid..." Anna rambled on. She found it easier to discuss the building in which Reaver resided, rather than the man himself.

"Did I just hear that right? Anna Burton has a maid?" A voice from behind the two laughed. Anna turned to come face to face with Page. Her blood began to burn with anger, just by looking at the woman in front of her.

"Page," Anna said, acknowledging her. She was dressed in a gorgeous yellow ball gown which complimented her dark skin perfectly. Her dreadlocked hair had been pulled back out of face and she wore a light dusting of makeup. Anna couldn't deny that the woman did look lovely, but it didn't change the fact that her appearance infuriated the young girl to her very core.

"Look at you, Anna. I almost didn't recognise you," she said, her voice laced with criticism and disapproval. Anna smiled sweetly at her, trying not to be bothered by the way Page spoke.

"I could say the same about you, it's not very often you change out of your rags," Anna replied. Page seemed unphased by the comment, laughing softly.

"As bitter as ever," Page commented slyly, "but I am happy for you. It seemed spreading your legs for the most despicable man in Albion has worked out well for you."

Anna inhaled deeply, feeling a burning rage spread throughout her body. She knew what Page was doing, targeting Anna in her weakest points until she burst. Like poking a sleeping bear with a stick until it attacked.

"Is that really how it's going to be now? Just say it how it is," Anna asked. Her body was stiff as she tried to focus on staying calm. Of course, Anna thought, Page would want to cause a scene here. She wanted to reveal to the other guests Anna's more uncontrolled side.

"Fine. I will tell you how it is. I can't quite believe that you have the audacity to show up here, with that man. You have really lost who you were. The Anna I knew would be disgusted in who you've become," Page said, a smug expression across her face.

"Come on Page, that's not fair-" Elise attempted to resolve the heated exchange but both parties ignored her.

"Who I've become? I'm literally the same person, so if you could be so kind to drop this false narrative you've dreamed up, that would be great," Anna replied, denying the accusations, and trying hard not to raise her voice.

"The same person? Anna, just take a look at yourself," Page said. The comment was similar to the one Reaver made a few weeks prior, the night that Thomas and the other union members died. That Anna was more like Reaver than like her old friends in the Resistance. Clearly both Reaver and Page could see it, but Anna refused to believe it was really true. She felt no different on the inside.

"What is your problem? You kicked me out. You got rid of me. So please just leave me alone before I do something I regret," Anna threatened.

"What are you going to do Anna? Attack me again?"

"Something like that," Anna said through gritted teeth. Page smirked, the same smug expression plastered across her youthful face. An expression that managed to anger Anna to her very core and before she quite realised what she was about to do, the ex-rebel went to slap her former mentor.

Fortunately for Page, someone's hand grabbed Anna's wrist tightly, forcing her to stop.

"Now my dear girls, let's not bicker here," Reaver said, holding Anna's wrist tightly. The young girl glared up at him, fire and rage burning in her emerald eyes.

"Come on Page, that's enough," Elise said, her voice stern but also concerned as she encouraged Page to exit the conversation. She did, leaving Anna and Reaver alone.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Reaver whispered aggressively under his breath. He gripped Anna's wrist tightly as he glared into her eyes. The young girl sighed deeply, trying not to feel intimidated by the man that stood before her.

"I honestly don't know, she just makes me so angry. I just lose control," Anna admitted, shaking her head, disappointed in her own actions. Page knew what buttons to press, and Anna reacted exactly how she wanted her to. Anna felt ridiculous for falling into Page's trap. Reaver's grip loosened on Anna's small wrist before eventually letting go of it.

"Lose control all you like, my dear, but not here," he said, shaking his head.

Anna looked away from his direct stare, unable to shake the feeling of embarrassment. Her eyes cautiously scanned the room, it looked as if nobody had seen the exchange take place. That was a relief. And it also seemed that nobody cared about the conversation she was currently having with Reaver. Another relief. Throughout the crowds of people, she spotted countless people she knew. Old friends and acquaintances from the Bowerstone Resistance, all of whom had helped King Alec succeed to the throne and overthrow Logan. Some guest she saw, were people she once considered to be close friends but now ignored her presence like they had never even met.

Another deep sigh passed her lips as she turned to walk away from Reaver. Her thoughts seemed to swirl around her brain like a storm at the moment and the four walls of the ballroom seemed to be enclosing on her. She needed to escape.

"Where do you think you're going?" Reaver asked sternly, grabbing the top of Anna's arm. He halted her from moving anymore. She turned her head to look at him, their eyes meeting. Anna could see the emotions that swirled around Reaver's dark brown eyes, the same emotions she had seen when they spent the night together. The look in his eyes transported Anna back to that night, and she was suddenly reminded of the way his touch felt on her naked skin and how his kiss felt on her lips. Her eyes widened instinctively at the memories and her chest began to thump loudly. She could not understand why he affected her in this way.

"I need some air," she managed to say, pulling her arm from his grasp. Surprisingly, he let her, and she quickly walked out of the ballroom and towards the balcony.

Anna walked out onto the large balcony. the cold night air instantly causing her to shiver. The night sky was clear. Tiny, shining stars decorated the darkness. Anna instinctively wrapped her arms around herself, trying to stay warm against the cool breeze.

"Have you been avoiding me?" a voice from behind asked. Anna frowned slightly in confusion, she hadn't knowingly avoided anyone. Except for Page of course, but that hadn't gone well. She turned, looking over her shoulder to be greeted by the soldier, Ben Finn. He had stayed with herself and the rest of the Resistance fighters for a couple of weeks before Anna was thrown out. Over the two weeks, she had become well acquainted with the young soldier, mainly over games of cards and beers.

"No, I haven't," she replied, turning back to look out over the balcony. Ben joined her on her left side, looking out at the view also. From where they stood, they could make out the silhouettes if the Bowerstone Industrial factories. Their tall chimneys dominating the skyline. Throughout her nineteen years on this earth, she never once expected she'd look out on her old home from the balcony of Bowerstone Castle, it was a surreal experience.

"I just heard about your run in with Page, are you okay?" Ben asked, turning to look at Anna as he spoke. He watched her jaw clench at the thought of the confrontation.

"I'm fine. Page doesn't bother me anymore. What does bother me though, is that she's managed to turn all my old friends against me" Anna admitted, her eyes still glued to the horizon.

"Ah, I see that. But you have new friends now, like Reaver," Ben replied with a small but somehow disapproving smile. Anna's eyebrows furrowed together as she shook her head in disagreement. She finally turned to look at Ben before speaking.

"No. Reaver is not my friend. No one in his world is a friend."

"Then why not leave him?" Ben asked as if it were the most obvious thing ever.

"And go where? I seem to have enemies on either side. If I leave Reaver, I'm really on my own and I can't protect myself."

"I could teach you? I'm a rather good fighter, y'know," Ben suggested. Anna's eyes lit up at the idea. If she knew how to fight, she would be able to make good on her promise to Danny and Sam, the two mercenaries that worked for Reaver. She could kill them.

"Would you actually?" Anna asked, struggling to hide the excitement in her voice and in her eyes.

"Yes, of course. As long as you were only using it to protect yourself."

"Of course," Anna lied while violent and dark thoughts flooded her mind.

"Yeah… I couldn't imagine you actually hurting someone," Ben chuckled, casually running his fingers through his hair before continuing, "There's an old clearing in the woods near Bower Lake. Meet me there tomorrow at dawn."

Anna nodded in agreement, an enthusiastic smile spreading across her face. The two continued in polite and casual conversation until they heard the balcony doors reopen. Anna and Ben turned to be greeted by Reaver.

"I thought you'd gotten lost, my dear," he said. Anna's eyes widened slightly as the same heavy thumping in her chest returned. It was so loud; she was sure both men could hear it. But the heavy drumming of her heart seemed to abruptly stop when two young women followed Reaver out onto the balcony. They were both giggling excitedly, clearly, they had indulged themselves a bit too much on the free champagne.

"Come on Reaver, why have we not let yet?" One of the girls groaned. She was a short, curvy woman, with pale blonde hair that was tied back from her face. Anna briefly looked the woman over, she was rather plain with wide eyes and chubby cheeks.

"Just need to pick something up before we go, my dears," Reaver said, smirking at Anna. She rolled her eyes in response, not impressed with his comment.

She turned to Ben, a soft smile forming on her lips as she said her goodbyes to him. He took hold of her hand in an overly friendly display of affection and brought it to his lips. He kissed it lightly before saying, "I hope to see you soon."

Anna winked in response to his comment before turning away. Reaver stood with the two drunk women, looking impatient and annoyed. Anna ignored the look and headed towards them, her mind filled of thoughts of tomorrow with Ben.

The ex-rebel followed the group off the balcony and out of the castle. She took very little notice in the conversations they were having but even still, every second that past she found herself growing more and more irritated with the two women. It was going to be a long ride home, that was for sure.

The front of the castle was beaming with activity. Carriage drivers waited in the cold, accompanied by their horses as countless guests exited the stone building and began to make their way home. Reaver's carriage was parked out front. Even in the dark, Anna could see the Reaver Industries logo that was displayed across the carriage door. The gold lettering of the logo managed to glisten from the light of the moon. The two horses that pulled the carriage stood perfectly still and the driver was still sat in his seat, wrapped in a thick fur coat.

Reaver opened the carriage door, appearing to be gentlemanly to the women. They quickly clambered in, still giggling and snickering. Anna came to a halt next to Reaver, she looked into the carriage before saying, "I think I'll walk."

"Are you stupid? You'll freeze," Reaver said, looking down at the young girl beside him. He could see the goosebumps that had formed along her pale arms, a sign that the cold night was already affecting her.

"I'd rather freeze to death than spend another minute around those two. Why an earth did you pick them two?" Anna asked, looking in the direction of the two drunks.

"Why? Did you want me to pick you, my dear?" Reaver asked, a smirk reappearing on her face.

"I'm not some girl that you can just pick," Anna replied confidently but Reaver's smirk did not falter.

"But you still want me," he said, taking a step closer to her. Her eyes widened slightly, and she felt her breathing change.

"I don't know about that," Anna replied, suddenly she did not sound as confident. He lowered his head down into the crook of her neck, his breath was warm on her cold skin.

"Well can I tell you that I want you?" He whispered in her ear. The ex-rebel stood perfectly still, like a statue, as she processed the words Reaver had just spoken. Arguably the most powerful man in all of Albion wanted her. An overwhelming sense of power and control flowed through her body as she realised what that really meant. How long could she keep Reaver wanting her?

"We don't always get what we want," she replied teasingly, the confidence returning to her voice. Reaver chuckled darkly before pulling away, taking a moment to stare into her green orbs. He did not seem phased or bothered by her comment.

"I think your... uh... ladies are missing you," Anna said, quickly changing the conversation and halting any further advances by the man. She needed to keep him wanting more and more. Stopping the exchange now would allow for that. Reaver looked into the carriage before rolling his eyes.

"I suppose you're right, my dear. Sit with the driver if you must, but don't walk," Reaver instructed, climbing into the carriage and shutting the door behind him. Anna stood there for a moment, staring at the space which Reaver had previously occupied.

"Come on then, love," a voice called from above. Anna looked upwards to see the carriage driver leaning down, his hand extended to her. She gave him a small smile before reaching for his hand. He pulled her up to the driver's seat of the carriage.

The journey home was so unbelievably cold. On several occasions the driver offered his coat to the young girl and each time she had refused his generosity. "I'm fine, I'm used to it," she told him, over and over while her whole body shivered due to the cold. But the truth was, she was used to it. For the past couple of years, she had slept on the cold streets of Bowerstone Industrial. Enduring weather a lot worse than tonight's. However, throughout the ride, she thought about heading into the carriage with Reaver and the two annoying women, but each time her stubbornness outweighed her need for warmth.

"Okay, okay, I'm not going to ask if you want my coat but do you want a swig of this?" the driver asked, pulling a metal flask out from his pocket.

"What is this?" she asked, instinctively reaching for the flask.

"Whiskey, extraordinarily strong whiskey. Helps stop the cold though" he explained. She unscrewed the lid and brought the flask to her lips, taking a reasonably sized sip.

"Fucking hell," Anna gasped, her eyes wide as she tried not to cough. She could feel the liquid burn down her throat and into her stomach. She understood now why the driver said it helped with the cold.

"I did warn ya, it's strong stuff."

"Very," she agreed, passing the flask back to the man. He chuckled and slipped it into his pocket.

The rest of the journey continued uneventfully. Luckily, the whiskey had managed to warm Anna up and the cold was not affecting her as much anymore. But even so, the sight of Reaver's Manor was a pleasant one. Anna longed for her nice warm bed and to remove the restrictive dress she was wearing.

The carriage stopped in front of the main entrance to the manor. One of the horses tossed its head up in the air and whinnied as Anna jumped down from the driver's seat.

"Thank you for the ride and for the drink," she said to the driver, as Reaver exited the carriage.

"No problem, love. You take care," he replied, a smile on his face. Anna glanced at Reaver briefly. He had dropped the gentlemanly façade and was not bothering to help the two women exit the carriage. They came tumbling out, one after each other. Anna shook her head, trying to fight back a giggle as she headed inside. The moment she entered the building, she was met by a warm and inviting aura.

"Oh Anna, Miss Anna," Imogen, her maid, said as she came running down the stairs. She was ready and eager to help Anna in anyway she could. It was a daily occurrence now and Anna was slowly getting used to it.

"Imogen," Anna greeted her politely, "I think I want something warm to drink before bed, maybe hot chocolate."

"Of course," Imogen replied, hurrying away to fetch the drink as Reaver entered the entrance hall. Anna turned to look at him, a smirk appearing on her face.

"Goodnight. I hope you have… fun," she said, teasingly. Her eyes slowly moving from Reaver's face to the two women that stood behind him.

"Enjoy your hot chocolate," he replied, his eyes narrowing at her.

"I will," Anna said, smiling sweetly before turning away and making her way up the stairs, towards her bedroom. The thought of her bed and her hot chocolate the only reason her tired feet still moved. She was so ready for a lie down, but whether she got any sleep, that was a different story. All she could think about now were the event's of tonight and her meeting with Ben in the morning.