Marlene tried, in vain, to shake off the prickling feeling at the back of her neck that came with the suspicion she was being followed.

But that morning, as Marlene walked with Lady Emmeline towards breakfast, she was sure someone was trailing them.

She didn't care for this, not in the least bit. Marlene had spent the better part of her life doing exactly as she pleased. Her parents loved her and she was of very little political use growing up. Now she was so politically relevant James brought her here for her safety, and she was keenly aware of what the implications of that were. She made a mental note to carry her mother's knife with her.

Finally, Marlene couldn't take it anymore and she spun around and stood still, staring down the corridor. This was ridiculous! She refused to be toyed with this way.

"My Lady?" Emmeline looked at her curiously. Lady Emmeline, her lady in waiting, was a lovely black haired woman, one of Lily's Ladies originally, and Marlene took to her right away. She was sharp, with a keen eye, and Marlene had already decided the Lady was invaluable.

Marlene tried to think straight, to push away the complicated web of emotion that spun knots around itself and all her present thoughts. She supposed that was the nature of going from a beloved daughter of two healthy parents to an orphan in a matter of days. Then there was the matter of being uprooted from her home and placed at court for the sake of politics. There were more people here than Marlene had ever seen gracing the halls of her childhood home, but still she felt so alone that sometimes the cracks in the mask she wore felt more like giant cavernous weak spots that anyone, friend or foe, might be able to see.

Breathe.

"I do believe, Lady Emmeline, that I heard footsteps." Marlene proclaimed loudly and clearly, not bothering to look at Emmeline as she spoke.

Emmeline, bright girl she was, seemed to catch on and turned to speak down the corridor. "Should we go and see if they'd like to accompany us?"

Marlene went to answer when a man nearly as tall as Sir Sirius from the day before casually turned the corner.

"Good morning, Ladies," her nodded as he walked towards them.

"Good morning, Sir," Marlene nodded. He had dark brown hair and a tan complexion. He would have looked warm, but there was something about the way he looked at her that made Marlene turn cold.

"I am Bartemius, Viscount Crouch, son and heir to the Earl of Contumelia." His eyes moved up and down her form and Marlene straightened. Out ranking people had never really mattered before, learning the order of precedence was merely a game she played with her mother growing up. At that very moment, however, Marlene felt it necessary to use her rank to her full advantage. She was not required to introduce herself.

"Lord Crouch," she said his name as if it were a type of pestilence before taking Emmeline's arm, "If you'll excuse us."

She turned heel, pulling Lady Emmeline along with her, and walked pointedly and quickly away, but she couldn't shake the skin crawling sensation of Lord Crouch's stare until they turned the corner.

Unfortunately, they turned right into Lord Lockhart.

"Your Grace!" He bowed deeply before smiling up at her. "You outshine the sun today, and every day."

Marlene huffed, she just wanted breakfast!

"Good morning, Lord Lockhart," she pulled Emmeline past him and Marlene barely restrained herself from stomping in his foot when he turned the follow her.

"Allow me the pleasure of escorting you to breakfast, your Grace," he moved to take her arm and Marlene pointedly pulled Emmeline with her as she side stepped his attempt.

"If you must," she gritted out through clenched teeth.

"I must," he nodded as he walked alongside them. Marlene could scream.

He only just opened his mouth to let more unwanted words out into the unsuspecting air, when two men approached them, bringing with them a temporary ceasefire in Lord Lockhart's frontal assault upon Princess Marlene's nerves.

"Lord Lockhart," one of them nodded, "we see you've had a chance to meet her Grace, do introduce us." He didn't even look at her.

"Of course," Lockhart smiled the smile Marlene had referred to as the courtiers' smile as a child. This was an expression that a noble lord or lady might put on when they felt a burning compulsion to be contrary but still had to conduct themselves politely. She'd perfected the art, except no one could tell when she wore it now as it was the only one she wore. The two people who knew the difference were cold in the ground. Marlene steeled her will and buried that thought deeper for the moment, turning her attention to Lockhart as he introduced the pair of idiots.

"Your Grace, may I present Lord Wilhelm and Lord Maybry?" Lord Lockhart's ill regard for the two gentlemen was immediately apparent, as he'd given her no indication of what titles they held or really who they were at all aside from their surnames.

"Charmed," Marlene nodded before pulling Emmeline past them. If she could eat she could sort this out in her head instead of losing her composure.

Then the beautiful, wonderful, Lady Emmeline came to her rescue.

"Are you looking forward to breaking your fast with their Majesties this morning, M'Lady?"

Of course! She was granted an audience with the King, but none of these jesters had been invited!

"I quite am," Marlene gave Emmeline's arm a grateful squeeze. Then they were at the Royal quarters and she turned to the three unwanted courtiers following them.

"If you'll excuse me, I've been given invitation to break fast with their Majesties." She noticed a flicker of brown hair near the end of the corridor but ignored it as she turned and pulled Emmeline into the room behind her before letting the door slam.

She wrapped Emmeline in a hug. "You are the best and brightest lady and I owe you a great deal for that."

"It was my pleasure, M'Lady." Emmeline was stiff and Marlene chuckled at how proper Emmeline was around her cousin and his wife. Marlene had known James when he was still playing fairies in the gardens with her. It would be a real struggle for her to show him the level of respect and deference that he was entitled to as anointed King.

"Still slamming doors?" James groaned. "Marly you've been here less than two days and I'm already sure I'll be replacing every door in this castle."

Marlene turned to see James and Lily and Sir Sirius seated at the table. "If you'd produce an heir I'd not have reason to slam doors in unwelcome courtiers' faces. They're multiplying!" She fell into her chair and pressed her palm to her forehead. "Lockhart is bad enough on his own, but I had one trailing along behind me in the shadows first thing, and then two idiots who didn't even bother to look at me when they demanded Lockhart introduce them to me! James this is absolutely ridiculous! Can't you tell them all you're promising me to someone? Preferably someone who doesn't actually exist? Or someone who's looking for a Lady in appearances only?"

Sir Sirius coughed a laugh at her last comment and Marlene looked up, only to be met by the laughter in his eyes. She'd never seen such eyes before. They were grey like a stormy sky when thunder rolls through it. Grey eyes; like the rain pelting the glass and iron of her window in her childhood bedroom. Those grey eyes pulled her in with such a force that she barely managed to conceal her jump of surprise at James' voice. She made a show of readjusting in her chair. Her first impression had been right; Sir Sirius was the best looking man she'd ever seen.

"Marly, they'd see right through that, and given the state of things it wouldn't be a wise thing to do politically."

Marlene turned sharply, "What do you mean, given the state of things?"

James sighed, "It's nothing to alarm you. There are some nobles getting ideas of grandeur. I don't want to promise you to someone and have the Court start panicking or acting rashly in any direction. Now is not the time to make waves."

"That was vague," Marlene raised her eyebrows at him. It was hard to adjust to James as her King and not her ten-year-old best friend.

"It doesn't really concern you," Sir Sirius commented lightly.

Marlene eyed him, "Like it or not, until Her Majesty gives us a healthy prince or princess, I am the only heir this kingdom has. I'd argue that makes it very much my business."

"Marly, it isn't anything to be worried about." James cut in. "And Sirius please don't antagonize my cousin, really she's as bad as you."

Sir Sirius smirked, "Doubtful."

James looked out the window and sighed. "We'd best be off, Sirius." He leaned over and kissed Queen Lily, pulling away reluctantly.

"Please don't eat any of the members of Court, Marly." James chuckled as he and Sirius walked out the door.

Marlene shook her head, "Where does he come off?"

"Well," the Queen laughed, "you've known James forever so I'd imagine you're referring to Sir Sirius?"

"I'm sure he's a decent fellow, for James to keep him so close, and all. Remind me, how did he and James meet?"

"Sirius is his cousin on his mother's side. I understand he is an illegitimate son of the late Queen's brother." Lily picked up her goblet and brought it to her lips.

Marlene stared at her. Whoever this man was, he was no cousin to James. Their Majesties had been insistent that she and James have a close relationship. Her father had always been close to his older brother, and even when she was about eleven and Marlene and her mother were no longer allowed to travel because of the robbers, her father came to court consistently to help advise his King and brother. Family was incredibly important to the Royal couple, and she knew them well enough that a simple circumstance of birth would not change that Sirius would have been family. She would have at the least known of his existence. Besides all that, James had often called her his best and only cousin growing up in an attempt to tease her. She was only the best because there was no competition.

All things considered, Marlene thought it highly unlikely that James had another cousin in Sir Sirius.

But that was all unimportant at the moment seeing as Marlene had suitors trailing her in the shadows and suitors who strutted like peacocks and suitors seemingly coming out of the cracks of the castle's stone walls. She pressed her palm to her forehead, "Lily I don't know what to do, I just want to be left alone! The quality I appreciate most in my cousin's most trusted Knight is that he doesn't appear to have the slightest interest in me."

Lily grabbed Marlene's hand and gave it a squeeze, "Spend today with me. That will help to keep the suitors at bay for the moment."

"I could kiss you!" Marlene squeezed Lily's hand and took a moment to just appreciate that for today she was safe.