Previously in Chapter 1:

After much dancing, fruit punch, and socializing Tabitha had discovered that no one had seen King Andrew. She was beginning to get a bit anxious on whether King Andrew would show up or not. She silently thought maybe I'll be spared and he won't show up at all. But as soon as she thought it a hush fell over the palace as everyone turned to look at the dashingly handsome young man at the top of the stairs. In those shorts seconds Tabitha seemed to be unable to think of one coherent thought while looking at this man. As the announcer noticed the attention was on him the odd man announced his name with perfect clarification "King Andrew of Camdon." And with that said the attractive man came down the stairs in stopped in front of Tabitha's parents.

Chapter 2: Feelings

Upon seeing the King and Queen of Antwerp he quickly made his way towards them. It was then that he noticed that every eye, male and female, was upon him. What did I expect, the last time these people saw me was at my wedding four years ago.

"Your Majesties, I must ask your forgiveness in being late. I was held up with a few documents and time slipped away from me." said Andrew.

"It's alright; we actually just started an hour ago. You aren't as late as you think." said Kunzite. "Please, let us introduce our daughter." As Kunzite turned around to introduce his daughter he realized that she was no where to be found. "She was here a minute ago."

"I'll go and find her." said Queen Minako. As Minako searched frantically for her daughter she happened to see her going around a corner that led to the garden. The huge balcony-like windows were usually left open so the people could get fresh air and enjoy the smell of the flowers. Minako tried to hurry and catch up to her daughter because she knew that one could easily lose their way in the dark.

in the garden at Antwerp

As Tabitha walked through garden she suddenly became tired and regained her breath at a nearby fountain. While Tabitha sat she studied her reflection in the water. Along with being fairly skinned she wasn't overly tan or pale; she refused to be either. Her hair was wavy and a perfect shade of blondish-brown. She had green eyes, a well sculpted brow, and full sensuous lips. Tabitha thought I complain about a lot things, but it seems like my nightmare will become a reality. Even though don't want to marry Andrew I could never disappoint my parents because their approval means so much to me. If marrying Andrew will improve the kingdom then surely I could learn to like him. As she thought of more reasons to marry Andrew she heard her mother call her name.

"There you are. Why are you sitting here all alone when it's your birthday? You're supposed to be having fun." said Queen Minako. "Never mind, you can answer that on the way back to King Andrew. You shouldn't run off like that…" as Minako walked her daughter back inside she knew her daughter was unhappy. Tabitha would just have to accept her destiny. As they approached the ballroom Minako fell silent and Tabitha was grateful. As they entered King Kunzite and King Andrew walked towards them. As Tabitha began to think clearly again she noticed that Andrew walked with grace and upon closer inspection she realized that he had a miniature box in his hands. As he stopped in front of her Tabitha got a very good look at him and she decided that if he stayed in his castle it wasn't because he was hideously deformed. As Tabitha blinked she took in every detail of King Andrew from his startling black hair to the wonderfully tanned skin and masculine shaped brow. He had brown eyes that looked as though they could hold and tell many secrets and a very sculptured mouth. As Tabitha came back to reality she realized that Andrew had his hands extended waiting for her to place her hands in each of his. As she did he raised her hands gently and kissed the backs of each hand and rubbed his thumbs over the spot as if to seal a promise. As he slowly stood up straight she realized that she only came to his shoulders and felt very short indeed considering she was an astonishing 5'11" herself. Then Andrew said, "Hello Princess Tabitha. It is an honor to meet you."

As he said the words Andrew sensed that something was wrong. He had made brief eye contact with her when he entered and that must have been when she escaped to wherever. He was surprised to see that Princess Tabitha was as beautiful as Christoph had implied if not more so. She had blondish brown hair with the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen on anyone of her sex. She was gifted not only with a kissable mouth but with the body of a blossoming young woman. Andrew was glad the wedding wouldn't be until she had turned eighteen. Maybe in another year she would be able to cope with the role that she would come into. As his thoughts progressed on he realized that she was talking to him.

"It is an honor to meet you as well Your Majesty. I trust that your ride here was pleasant and enjoyable." responded Tabitha.

"It was. The scenery in Antwerp is a visage upon itself." replied Andrew. As they talked of the scenery in their countries the talking soon stopped and they stood near one another in an awkward silence. As Tabitha stood near Andrew she silently wished that she could just hide in her room until the night was over.

While Andrew stood next to Tabitha he wished he could be home tucking Juliet into bed or dancing with her. At that thought Andrew felt like an idiot, they were at a party so if they danced the entire time it would minimize the uncomfortable silence of talking.

"Princess Tabitha, would you care to dance?" said Andrew. But when she didn't respond he figured she must have tuned him out, so he tapped her shoulder. She gave a small, but startled yelp and looked at him as if he had just awoken her from a good dream, because she immediately began blushing.

Tabitha felt ashamed at being caught thinking of escaping somewhere else again today. She couldn't seem to get away with any good day dreams. She soon realized that Andrew wanted her attention and she turned it fully upon him.

"Would you care to dance?" he asked.

"Of course, Your Majesty." she said. As Tabitha placed her palm in Andrew's she noticed that it was soft and remarkably rough and calloused, like a person who is accustomed to hard work. As they walked towards the floor Tabitha placed her left hand in Andrew's right and held her dress with the other hand while Andrew placed his left hand around her waist. They danced until it was time for dinner. The rest of the night flew by in a blur for Andrew. As dinner ended and everyone decided to wander off into different directions Tabitha asked Andrew if he would like to accompany her to the garden. Andrew gladly said yes since it meant that he would be out of the public eye.

Tabitha figured she might as well listen to Marie's advice because this strained atmosphere was not her style. As Tabitha and Andrew came near the fountain she was at earlier they sat down. As Tabitha studied her reflection again and wondered whether or not she wanted to ask her questions, Andrew studied her. If possible she was even more beautiful in the moonlight, but he learned through his first marriage to look past a woman's beauty. Her mind interested him far more than her looks.

"Your Majesty." began Tabitha.

"Wait, before you continue. Since we are the only two here let's address each other informally. Agreed?" said Andrew.

"Agreed. Andrew, what, or why would you marry me over all the other females?" said Tabitha. She looked him directly in his eye for she could always tell when someone was lying to her and if he was a liar then she wanted to know.

Andrew thought of all the questions in the world she had to ask that one. What difference did it make, but if I don't respond with a good answer she'll tell her father and then I'll have to start over from the beginning. "Well, I chose you over the other Princesses because over all the other Princesses a few friends of mine spoke very highly of you." It wasn't a complete lie. He had discovered from his brother that Marie and Tabitha were extremely good friends. Not to mention that Philippe also spoke highly of Tabitha; from what little he knew of her. "They said you were a kind person with a gentle nature. And since our countries border each other it seemed like the only logical union at the time."

"Oh, well that does seem to make sense." she said. But for some reason Tabitha felt a little disappointed. But I guess that's something I'll have to accept for the time being since he doesn't know me well enough yet. "Just out of curiosity you haven't killed anybody have you?"

Andrew thought so she did hear rumors about me. She thinks she might be marrying a murderer or worse that she might be my next victim. It's amazing what people say about the things they have no clue about. "I'll tell you what, throughout this next year, as we get to know each other, why don't you decide?"

"Okay, that seems fair." Tabitha thought why doesn't he just give me a straight answer, I mean really no one should be that evasive. "How old are you?"

"Does my age really matter?"

"Yes, it does. I want to know if I'm marrying a forty-year old man."

"Do I look that old? Well, I guess I'd better start working less. No actually I'm twenty-three. So do you have anymore questions for me Tabitha?" Andrew thought she sure does ask a lot of questions. I guess that makes her curious which is good; it shows a thirst for knowledge.

Tabitha thought he must think my mouth runs on wheels, but I have to know more about him. "Just one more, do you have any children?"

Andrew thought so this is the real question. I should have known it always reverts back to my actual life. "Yes, I do." And he left it at that. He wasn't going to expose his life to a complete stranger even if she was beautiful and about to become his wife in a year's time.

"Well, are you going to tell me about them?"

"No and the reason is because you've asked all these questions and I still don't know anything about you. So whenever you're willing to tell me something interesting about yourself is when you'll learn about my life." Andrew thought there, that should get her to either talk about herself or just be quiet.

"Well, I guess that seems fair." sneaky she thought, but fair. "I love gardens. The flowers in them can be used for cooking, painting, and healing. Horses are one of my favorite animals because whenever I ride a horse I feel completely free, it's almost like flying. My favorite hobbies are reading, dancing, and writing. That's pretty much the basics about me." After that description of myself he must think I'm the most boring person in the world. Oh well, I'll have the rest of our lives to change my image.

Andrew was not impressed with this cock and bull description of herself. She sounded like she was trying to get into a good university based on her hobbies. "So you have nothing else to say for yourself: any temper tantrums or obsessive behavior over being neat?"

"Nope." replied Tabitha.

"Are you even clumsy?" he asked.

"Well I'm just a little clumsy but not to the point where I'm always falling over myself. But-"

"Never mind Tabitha, I've heard enough. I believe we should return to the festivities before we are missed." As Tabitha stood she suddenly felt very angry. He'd heard enough. He just dismissed me as if I were some insignificant child. As Andrew escorted Tabitha back to the ballroom he stopped just before they entered.

"Princess, I believe this belongs to you." It was the box she saw him holding earlier. "I hope it fits." As Tabitha opened the box her eyes grew wide as she saw a beautiful amethyst ring in the shape of a butterfly with a sterling silver outline and band. It was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen and was very surprised that he would give her something as beautiful as this.

As Andrew watched Tabitha open the box, he judged her reaction. The ring hadn't cost much but he had hoped that Tabitha would like it considering he knew nothing about her. Her reaction to seeing the ring pleased him immensely, but he didn't know why. He was not very good at giving gifts considering his first wife had made it very clear that she did not want anything from him.

As Tabitha looked back up at him she quietly said, "Thank-you. But why would you give me a gift as beautiful as this?"

Andrew looked at her and replied, "I simply hoped that you liked amethyst stones and butterflies." He looked away from her in all seriousness and said, "Within this next year you must become a butterfly. You must be able to use your wings to escape your cocoon and become strong, just like any other creature." With that said Andrew placed her hand in the crook of his arm and escorted Tabitha inside.

Once they got inside Tabitha excused herself from Andrew to go to her room. As Tabitha entered her room she placed the little green box on her dresser. She took the ring out and examined it again. It was a wonderful creation and she was pleased that he did so well with a gift. As she placed the ring on her finger and walked back to the celebration she began thinking that marriage to Andrew might not be as bad as she thought.

Andrew wondered if Tabitha was even coming back. Already people were gathering around him and beginning to ask him questions he did not want to answer. While he tried to evade their questions Queen Minako saw that Andrew was being bombarded with unwanted attention. As she quietly made her way over to the group she made her presence known.

At her appearance the questions stopped and Queen Minako said, "Your Majesty, would you do me the favor of dancing with me until my husband returns?"

"It would be my honor, Your Highness." replied Andrew. He was so grateful that she saw him and tried to help.

As they walked onto the floor Queen Minako whispered, "Whenever you find yourself in a situation like that just bring up a topic of old importance. That usually throws everyone off and you can make a clean getaway." Andrew didn't know what to say and by the time he thought of something proper to say the orchestra began playing the String Quartet in F Major: Second Movement.

When Tabitha returned she noticed that her father must be talking business if her mother was dancing with Andrew. Tabitha thought I never thought I could see Andrew dancing with anyone. How sad to think I would actually be jealous if that weren't my mother he was waltzing with. What am I thinking? Why would I be jealous if Andrew danced with any woman? He's an unmarried man and should be able to dance with whomever he chooses. All this thinking is giving me a headache. Just as she was heading to the drink table her Father spotted her and asked her to be his partner during the dance. She could hardly refuse him so they joined in with everyone else.

"So, what do you think of Andrew now that you know more about him?" asked her father.

"I still don't know anything about him, but the thought of marriage to him doesn't seem as abhorrent as it once was. He seems quiet which would explain why he is rarely seen." replied Tabitha. As the song came to an end her father guided her towards Andrew and her mother. As her parents left Andrew with her, the orchestra struck up another song. Andrew and Tabitha danced to Mass in B Minor, Polonaise in A Minor Op. 40 No. 1, and many others. By the time they played the last song Tabitha's feet were killing her and she was ready to retire, but since this was her celebration she wasn't allowed to do so until the very last guest had left.

When Andrew and Tabitha had finally stopped dancing Andrew noticed that most people were beginning to leave and that Tabitha seemed less enthusiastic now than when she was five hours ago. It was already one in the morning and time for him to go.

"Princess, as much as I enjoy your company I'm afraid I must depart. It's one o'clock and I must get up early tomorrow." said Andrew.

"Of course. I hope you enjoyed yourself and thank-you again for the wonderful gift." And with that said Tabitha placed her hands in Andrew's once again and he placed a kiss on each palm. For a second Andrew contemplated on whether or not to place a kiss on her cheek, and then decided against it. He didn't want to frighten the girl with unwanted attention. As he made his way through what was left of the crowd he found the King and Queen wished them good night and left.

To Tabitha it seemed that once Andrew left so did everyone else. The ballroom was cleared of every person by two. Tabitha silently disappeared into the shadows so she could get to her room without anyone bothering her. Once she was safely inside her room she hurriedly took off her dress and corset along with her petticoats and chemise. She was too tired to bath as she normally did so she put on a green cotton nightgown and crawled under her sheets to let the morning slip away.

meanwhile in Camdon

As Andrew settled down into his personal bath he heard a knock on his door. He just wanted to disappear. Meeting Tabitha had put him on edge about her being Juliet's mother. At the constant knocking he realized that the person was not going to leave him in peace.

"Enter." As expected, Christoph entered and he wondered why he would be up so late this night. It was simply unlike the man.

"Well, Sir, did you enjoy yourself?" asked Christoph. He was concerned considering his King didn't really seem his normal self when he returned.

"Everything was fine. I met, danced, and talked with her. She seems entirely too young to take on the role of a queen, especially a mother. I just don't think we all thought this through when we agreed to this arrangement." said Andrew. "Anyway, how was Juliet. She wasn't difficult tonight was she?"

"No more than usual. What did she think of the gift you had made?"

"She was happy. That surprised me since you know how I am when it comes to giving gifts." If the truth was told I was quite scared about giving her that gift. It reminded me of the time I gave Gabriella a music box.

flashback

It was their first year of marriage and he was happy that he had chosen a bride he could care for and eventually he fell in love with her. Gabriella had expressed countless times how much she loved music so for her birthday he had gotten someone to make her a music box that play her favorite song. He was excited and anxious to see her reaction. As he knocked on her door and heard her say enter he opened the door and walked in. She sat at her dresser looking at her reflection. She had a pale complexion with wheat blonde hair and cornflower blue eyes. She was petite and more voluptuous than most women and he had always preferred a well-endowed woman. As she decided to give him her attention he presented his gift.

"I hope you like it. It's something that I thought you would enjoy." As Gabriella opened the gift he thought she would be very happy to receive it. He was shocked at the words that left her mouth.

"What is this?" she asked. He looked at her as if it should have been obvious, but none the less he explained what it was.

"It's a music box that plays 'Song without Words'. I remember you saying that it was your favorite song a while back."

"Let me get this straight. You gave me a sentimental gift instead of jewelry like most men. What are you blind? Everyone knows that you can never go wrong with jewelry." Andrew was hurt that he could love someone like that and that she could say such things to him.

She sighed and said, "Well I guess it's not that bad." She placed it on her dresser and said, "Just do better next year." Gabriella got up from her seat in front of the dresser and walked towards her husband. She knew that Andrew was in love with her and would do anything for her. As she pressed her body against his she could already feel his desire for her. And slowly but surely she seduced Andrew.

end flashback

As Andrew thought of the way Gabriella had used him his face became grim. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Christoph's voice again.

"Have you told you brother that you planned to remarry yet?"

"No and I'm afraid he'll be terribly upset, but if he knew he would interfere. Just like he did with Gabriella; besides I would rather not include him until I'm sure she will be my wife." Although he was surprised that she chose to wear the ring. When Andrew finished his bath he put on his night pants and crawled under the cotton sheets. With Gabriella he had satin and silk because she loved the way it felt against her skin, but the satins and silks made him sweat uncontrollably. As he thought of his previous life with his deceased wife he closed his eyes and granted his mind and body a peaceful oblivion.