Disclaimer: I don't own anything KoH related; movie rights belong to 20th Century Fox and the great Sir Ridley Scott. Although I wish I owned Balian!

Summary: What happens if Balian accepts King Baldwin's offer to marry Sibylla and to become the next king of Jerusalem? Will Balian be able to keep the peace with fanatics like Guy and Reynald plotting against him?

(Balian/Sibylla)

Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers:

Nevasaiel: I think this would make more sense too, but you can't alter history that much!

ImmortalWizardPirateElfFan: Thanks, and I looooove your story! Everyone go read it!

EruntaleofRohan: I know, isn't KoH fic exciting!

EgorFH: Your comment made me smile! I was wanting to read one too, but I got tired of waiting so I just wrote one myself.

RachelSparrow: Wasn't Orli wonderful! Not to mention gorgeous… ;) His acting skills have improved so much since LotR.

Sincerely in Blood: Oops! Thanks for catching my mistake, I fixed it. (Smacks forehead) You must have really been paying attention. (Reminds self not to post fics at

One O'clock in the morning)

Lady Terrwyn, Queen Arwen, LoverofSasuke, Samantha Lee, and Britsos1: I'll try to update as soon as I can; thanks for the encouragement!

Warning: There is a bit of sexual content, but it fits the rating. Nothing you haven't read before.

Ch. 2

(Sibylla Pov)

My feet inaudibly pounded the cool marble as I darted down the twisting passageways towards my sleeping quarters. Not wishing to awaken anyone, I removed my shoes and carried them at my side. In no time, I'd reached the door to my room. Gazing in the full length mirror, I couldn't help grinning at my reflection. My heart sang, remembering his loving proposal.

Oh Balian, you could never know how happy you've made me, I reflected as I changed into a sheer, low-cut white nightdress. I've loved you since that day I asked you for a drink of water, out in the stone courtyard. My heart leapt when adorable confusion crossed your face when I told you "if you see Balian, tell him Sibylla calls". I fell victim to haunted look in your piercing dark eyes when Guy insulted you at dinner, and knew that if I were able to love, you would be my one and only.

Time spent together at Ibelin strengthened our growing friendship. I remember watching you work the land with your tenants, knowing I wouldn't find a more compassionate and selfless man anywhere. And when you realized my purpose for visiting your fief, you did not deny me. We both needed each other on that passion-filled night; our light shone brightly and helped vanquish your demons. Afterwards, I cried and you held me tight, kissing away my tears. I'll never forget your endearing words, "I will always love you Sibylla; you are my constant, my touchstone."

I threw on my burgundy robe, touched up my make-up, and headed for Guy's chambers. As I approached my destination, I dreaded what I must do. Do it for Balian, and for Jerusalem, I thought bravely. Gathering all of my resolve, I knocked at the door.

"Who is it?" Guy roared, clearly annoyed that someone would disturb him at this hour.

"It is I, your wife. Please let me come in and see you." I tried to sound as desperate as possible – it must have worked because he opened the door. Comfortably situated in his overly large bed were two of his most beautiful concubines.

With a casual wave of his hand, he addressed them. "Leave us." It was time for me to put the plan into action. I sniffed and wiped my face with the robe, deliberately leaving it open to give him a generous glimpse of my skin.

"I have a confession to make, my lord; I have committed a terrible sin against you and God. For the past month, I've been having an affair with the Baron d'Ibelin."

Looking up at him with pleading eyes, I went on. "Please forgive me, he told me that he loved me and no other. And I b-b-believed him." (Actually this part was no lie, which made me smile inside.)

"There there, don't cry," he said as he patted my head. "I already knew – Balian was always staring at you when you weren't looking. I'm not stupid; I knew what was going on between you both. But why do you tell me this now?"

"Because," I sniffed, "I found him in bed with another woman. I just wanted to seek your forgiveness; you are my husband and I shall remain faithful to you from now on." His eyes widened at this and he licked his lips.

"Ah Sibylla, men are all the same. Your knight Balian is no different. (That's not true, I thought angrily.) They all lose interest in bedding the same woman after awhile. But don't worry, Balian will be," he paused choosing his words carefully, "taken care of soon enough."

"And how shall you do that?" I asked him eagerly. Guy frowned at me.

"That doesn't matter now, my dear wife. Shall we?" he gestured towards the bed. Darn, this was going to be harder than I thought.

Slowly sashaying towards him, I carelessly tossed my robe to the floor. I intentionally swayed my hips a bit more than usual, knowing I was tempting him with my barely there nightdress. He met me half-way across the room and without warning began to devour my mouth. I whimpered in disgust, but luckily Guy took it to be a sign that I was enjoying his 'plundering'. Wasting no time, he hurriedly pulled my nightdress over my head, leaving me completely exposed except for my clinging undergarments. His lust-filled eyes scanned my semi-nude form, and my face burned with embarrassment. I felt as respected as one of his whores; just an object which he could use to slake his desire.

"I've missed having you in my bed, Sibylla. You are so beautiful, I can't wait any longer." Pulling me with him to the bed, he straddled my hips and immediately began to kiss my lips. Repulsed by his sexual hunger, I barely contained a scream of terror. He attacked with such fervor that I had to stop myself from gagging. His beard scraped my face as he plunged his tongue in and out of my mouth. His hands were snakes that roughly roamed over my chest, squeezing my areoles until they naturally hardened. Desperate for air, I pulled away from his 'kiss'.

"Ohhhh, that feels sooo good," I moaned, hoping it sounded genuine. Remembering Balian's soft touch helped. This was getting to be too much; there was no way I was going to let him go any further. So I improvised, producing a hacking cough. Thankfully Guy rolled off me so I could sit up and 'clear my throat'.

"Sorry…cough cough."

"Well, I can have that effect on women. Sometimes they can't take all I can give. Aren't you glad you found me who knows what he's doing in bed?" Oh hell no, I thought.

"Oh yes, you're excellent," I nodded vigorously, lying through my teeth. Casually, I asked him, "Guy, what will happen when you and I are King and Queen of Jerusalem? I love my brother very much, and will be deeply saddened when he passes away, but I think it'd be rather exciting to rule." I held my breath, hoping he'd elaborate.

"Hmm, yes. There will be some changes in the way we protect the city. I shall attack the Saracen infidels and finally cleanse the holy land of their filth," he said with satisfaction, still fondling my breasts.

I pressed on. "But you will have much opposition; it will be difficult to go to war if Balian is against it. He commands so much respect from the knights, and has my brother's favor as well. I can think of only one man with the wiles and brains to depose of Balian and his pacifist ideas – Reynald de Chatillion."

"Reynald!" Guy sat up in indignation. "He will be assisting me, yes, but only I could be the mastermind behind such a plot!"

"Why Guy, I never knew you could be so…wicked," I told him sweetly.

"You have no idea, dear Sibylla," he smirked.

"Oh really?" I egged him on, with one eyebrow raised. "Try me." I had him now.

"Well, I've readied a quite simple scheme, really. You see, once I become King, I shall first free Reynald. Then I'll send some of my loyal templars to attack a defenseless settlement of Saracens near Reynald's castle. Balian," he spit the word out in disgust, "will be ordered lead them under the farce of a peace mission. Of course he would never attack voluntarily, so I'll have two of my knights knock him unconscious, steal his sword, and contain him in Reynald's dungeon while the battle is underway. An imposter will lead them, and Balian will be blamed for breaking the peace agreement. Of course Balian will deny it, making him seem even guiltier. He will lose favor with the knights, and Saladin's army, wanting revenge, will fight to reclaim the city." Smugly, he looked at me, as if daring me to find any fault in his plot.

"Oh Guy, I never knew you were so smart, what an ingenious plan!" I gushed.

"It is, isn't it! And the best part is that I shall be remembered as the hero, who will win a great victory over the Muslims by defending the city. No one will ever suspect that I started the war all along," he concluded, his statement practically oozing with arrogance.

"And what of Balian and those who believe he is innocent?" I prodded. Guy stroked his beard, contemplating this.

"I shall use him as public example, showing what happens to those who dare violate the King's orders. I must say, I rather look forward to the day when that insignificant blacksmith is hung."

"That is a clever plan indeed, husband. But not clever enough," I told him grimly. I turned towards the door and yelled, "come in!"

The door was flung open by Baldwin, and trailing closely behind him were Balian, Tiberias, the hospitaler, and the bishop who looked as if he'd received the shock of his life. I grabbed my robe to cover myself, but before I could get away from Guy, he pulled me back down with him onto the bed.

"Ouch, Guy!" Stop it!" I gave a shrill cry, for indeed his hands were tightly clenched around my wrists. I vehemently tried to writhe away from him, but the pain was too great. Furious at my betrayal, he only gripped harder, eyes bulging and teeth gnashing in Balian's general direction. Fear built at the pit of my stomach and spread through my body – he could kill me at any moment.

Baldwin strode forward and commanded, "you will release my sister, Guy de Lusignan!" I vaguely noticed Balian trying to wrestle his way out of the hospitaler's and Tiberias's grip as they were preventing him from getting involved.

"Guards, seize him!" At the King's summon, three guards separated us, but Guy gave me a hard blow to the temple before he was completely detained. Dazed, I was carefully passed into Balian's waiting arms, who whispered sweet words of reassurance. "You're safe now," he kept repeating. Droplets of blood trickled down my face. I winced as someone applied a wet cloth to slow the flow.

The guards struggled to drag Guy, who kept fighting, across the room. Yet, finally Guy realized that resistance was futile at this point. The bishop took advantage of the moment and proclaimed Guy and I were divorced under charges that he was planning murder, (One of God's most important commandments) and plotting to destroy the peace agreement.

"Now then, hear your sentence," announced Baldwin. "You, Reynald, and your loyal templars shall be hereby banished from this land for the rest of your days. My guards shall escort you to the port, where you shall be sent across the sea to Messina. Be thankful I have spared your lives."

"Why thank you, your highness; you're always so noble," he mock-bowed at my brother. "I will go. But know this – someday I will have my revenge." He turned to me. "Remember that, you two-faced whore!" In Balian's protective embrace I involuntarily shivered.

"You shall never lay another hand on her again," Balian calmly told him, with an edge to his voice that implied he meant every word.

"As for you, blacksmith, you shall rue the day you became involved with her. I curse you all; may you all burn in hell!" And then he was gone. I let out a huge sigh of relief, and collapsed on Balian, who steadied me. My wrists still ached, as the finger marks that Guy inflicted upon me were still visible.

"Sibylla, will you go to your room and rest so a healer may look at your wounds?" My brother's concern made me cry a little, and I nodded weakly. I was still leaning on my love for support. Balian knew I was in no shape to walk so without a word he slowly carried me to my chambers. Balian helped me into bed and covered me so I wouldn't be cold. "We never should've allowed you to go through with this," he moaned. "Please forgive me; I never thought he'd hurt you like that." I told him not to blame himself, and that I made the decision, knowing full well what the consequences might be.

A little while later, the healer came in to clean and wrap my wound. After he left, Balian worried, "what about your wrists?" I told him that they felt better already, and that the bruises would fade in time. My eyelids began to droop as I asked him for one last drink of water. He started to leave the room but I called out for him.

"Wait! Do you think Guy will somehow be able to carry out his threat? I've never been so afraid in my life, Balian." He came back, sat down on the bed next to me, and started caressing my cheek.

"No," he said firmly. "You have nothing to fear." But he could tell I could not believe him. Who could blame me? I had to live that abusive brute for so long; I had forgotten what it was like to live without dreading the next morning. "If I could, I'd make him pay for all the times he hurt you," Balian said as he gently kissed the bruises on each wrist. "C'mere, sweetheart." He lay down next to me and pulled me close.

"Stay with me?" I whispered.

"I thought you'd never ask," Balian replied, kissing my forehead as we lay there content just to hold each other.

As the soon to be married couple fell into blissful slumber, a team of well armed guards escorted Guy, Reynald, and the offending templars on their journey to the port. However, they were not expecting a sudden sandstorm. When the guards regrouped the next morning, they discovered that Guy, Reynald, and four templars had gone missing.

End Ch. 2