A/N : Well, I'm keeping up the pace by posting chapter 5 today. Glad you're still enjoying it. I don't know if this chapters very interesting but I like the ending...you'll see why when you get there! Thanx to all those who reviewed chapter 4 ; swimcc, reyn, CrazyNut2002, max4cast, ndblue123, angelica358, Phoebe Darklight, Sunkisses643, sapofbks2002, Meg, princess miki, little-princess - you're the best!

Here is chapter 5...

Disclaimer : blah blah blah Phillippe is my character blah blah blah the rest aren't mine.

"I will explain it to you Phillippe, and you might not like everything you hear, but I'm going to tell you the truth now and I hope you understand by the end of my story why I never told you the truth before. It all started when I was in high school, I had a best friend called Lilly and she had a brother, Michael" Mia began and Phillippe listened intently. He was desperate to understand what had happened and why. His mother pulled a book from the trunk she had taken the photograph from before. She opened the book and showed Phillippe the page.

He realised that this book was in fact a kind of scarp book complete with photographs and notes written in his mother's handwriting and the handwriting of others too.

"That's me and that's Lilly" Mia pointed to the photographs and then Phillippe noticed another photograph on the opposite page. He pointed to it.

"Is that you and him?"

"Yes, that's me and Michael. I got to know him really well, being best friends with his sister, and I started to really like him. Lilly and Michael helped me a lot when I found out I was a princess.."

"I thought Dad helped!" Phillippe interrupted, referring to Kenny.

"He did. Kenny was a good friend to me but I never, I wasn't exactly, you see Michael was different..." Mia struggled to find the words to explain it. How could she tell her son that she never loved the man he thought was his father and that in fact she had married him out of convenience.

"Did you love my fath...I mean, Kenny?" Phillippe broke the silence that Mia had made.

"Yes, Phillippe, I did, but I was not in love with him. It wasn't his fault, he was a wonderful man and he did mean a lot to me but I was in love with Michael and nothing could change that, do you understand that?"

Phillippe thought about it and it did make sense but it still hurt to know that for one thing his mother and 'father' were not actually in love and that his 'father' was not his father at all!

"Why did you marry my father?" he wanted to know. Mia dreaded the question but knew it must be answered.

"When I got pregnant, I was so happy and Michael was too. Then my Grandmere, your Great-Grandmere Clarice, said we had to be married when you were born. Michael wasn't prepared to become a royal consort and live the way we do. It hurt me a lot that he wouldn't marry me but later I began to understand. You know yourself that our lives as royals is not always easy and Michael was still young and he had plans and dreams"

"But if he loved you he would have married you" Phillippe thought aloud.

"No darling, just because he wasn't ready to marry me doesn't mean he didn't love me - I know that. I think you have to be older to understand, I had to be older before I understood it. Anyway, I had to marry before you were born and when Kenny came back into my life and he offered to be my husband. It was a more appealing idea than an arranged marriage to someone I didn't know and I knew Kenny would be a good father to you too"

"He was" Phillippe said, remembering all the happy times he had shared with Kenny.

"Yes, he was" Mia replied, "but now I think Michael wants to be a good father to you. How do you feel about that?"

"I don't know" Phillippe said, truthfully. Even after his mothers explanation, it was still a lot to take in. Did he want to meet his real father? He really wasn't sure, but there was something else he wanted to ask first.

"Mom, why are you telling me all this now?"

Mia decided to be completely honest.

"Because you are sixteen now, your a young man and I thought you would understand better. Also, I got a letter from Michael today, it's the first contact I've had from him since, since my wedding day. You see he was there on my wedding day and..." tears overcame the queen and she sobbed uncontrollably. Phillippe put his arm around his mothers shoulders. He didn't want to upset her but he wanted to know what she was trying to say.

"Why was he there?"

"He was too late" she managed to say, "otherwise things might have been different"

Phillippe understood, he didn't need her to say anymore. If Michael had made it to the church on time, his mother would have married him instead of Kenny. When it came down to it the whole situation could not be blamed on his mother or his father, it was just one of those things, but it was still a major thing. He had grieved for his dead father only to find out that he was not his father at all. He had a father, a live father who wanted to know him.

"Do you mind if I read the letter?" Phillippe wanted to know what his real father had to say. Mia looked at her son and smiled.

"Of course you can read it," she sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes. "You want to see it now?"

Phillippe nodded, and mother and son left the room, locking the door behind them, and headed back down to Mia's room where she had left the letter. Phillippe wasn't sure yet exactly how he felt about all this but he trusted his mother and knew she if she had lied to him it was for a good reason. It was obvious to him that his real father and his mother had been very in love and it was only through unfortunate circumstances that they had not stayed together. Maybe when he had read the letter he would understand even better, but he did not get a chance.

Halfway between the 'secret' room and Mia's room, Lars came almost running up to the queen and the prince, a panicked expression on his face.

"Your highnesses," he half bowed as he approached them, "I have something important to tell you, your majesty, in reference to our earlier conversation" he continued, talking only to Mia now.

"It's okay" she assured him, "I have told Phillippe about his father"

"Then, I have something important to tell both of you" Lars continued, not sure now whether his news would be taken as good or bad. "Your highnesses, Michael Moscovitz is here"

A/N : Whew! V.long chapter - what do you think? Did I ramble on a bit? Sorry if I did. The next chapter should be much more interesting! I will post it tomorrow if I can but if ff.net goes off before I get chance you will just have to wait until it comes back! Sorry! Please REVIEW now! Thanx!