Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

CHAPTER 3

No Control

Dinner was going fairly well, I thought. I picked at my food, listening intently for any words such as 'marriage' or 'betrothed'. I kept careful not to look in the direction of the Prince. He was very different from the expected image I held in my mind. I had expected him to have buckteeth and a large hump on his back.

He had neither.

When he had first walked into the dining hall, he immediately gave me a fleeting look. He seemed to notice my bewildered expression and gave me a small, cocky smile. Straight away, I shifted my attention to the nearest focal point away from his intense emerald eyes. I turned to look at Jasper Whitlock, who was watching a petite figure leave the room. I noticed him absentmindedly rub at a small scar on his hand as he continued to look longingly at the now empty doorway. Even though I was afraid of him, the sadness behind his eyes instigated a sudden feeling of pity for him deep in my chest.

I wondered who the girl was.

Occasionally, my eyes betrayed my resolve and wandered over in the Prince's direction. He was sitting on the right side of his father and across from his mother. He did not speak often during the dinner, but when he did, everyone gave him his or hers upmost attention. I listened to his brief reflection on the troubles of England. The most prominent, and one I was unaware of, was that the King of France wanted to go to war with America. This seemed to amuse him.

I found myself mesmerized by his smooth voice and could not help but gaze intently at him. I had not been paying much attention to what he was articulating as much as I was ogling over his perfect features. He must have felt my stare because he fixed his eyes on me then, just as intently, but continued his conversation. It took effort to draw my eyes away from his enchanting green eyes. I brought my attention back to my plate, embarrassed.

"The United States is not likely to sign that treaty. It might be a neutral country, but my sources tell me that King Laurent believes the states to be favoring Britain," King Carlisle interjected.

"I say let him go then. When his men come back in short numbers, maybe he will see the defect in his strategy." The Prince raised his glass, and everyone cheered.

He looked at me then, and I gradually started to feel self-conscious as I could sense his eyes gliding over me once again. The heat of his gaze radiated from across the long table, and I started to fidget with the cloth napkin on my lap.

He was much more handsome than I would have liked. He had a lean build with prominent muscles. He had a strong jaw line that I had watched with awe as he chewed his food. His hair was uncombed, sticking up in a disarrayed fashion; the copper tones shining in the candlelight.

He was beautiful, and I hated myself for even thinking it.

The King had noticed Edwards glances at me and I saw him lean in and whisper something in his ear that made the Prince stiffen. The King, still whispering in the ear of his son, took a long glance at me. My heart started to beat faster as I imagined what he was saying. It was obvious that he was talking about me.

Edward nodded to his father and the King inclined back into his chair.

After a few minutes of idle chatter, the King finally spoke to me.

"Lady Swan, I do hope you found your meal suitable." He inquired.

I had not eaten much of my plate and I wondered if the King was offended. The nervousness of the night had taken all of my appetite. I had managed to eat most of the soup, though.

I gave him a gracious smile, "It is very enjoyable, and I thank you Your Highness. The soup was most delightful." The King nodded appropriately back to me in satisfaction.

After dinner, the men went to the Smoke Room. I was led into a small parlor at the end of the long hallway. The Queen had left to her chambers, and the only company I had was Rosalie McCarty, the wife of the King's personal guard. She did not offer much conversation, and I found myself wondering if she was upset with being given the task of befriending me. After she eyed my dress and my hair jewel, she shrugged and asked me about them. There were long pauses in between our idle conversations.

Over the next hour, however, she opened up and started talking more. She gossiped about other women and their men, but mostly, she talked about herself. I was thankful that she did not at all seem interested in me at all minus her inquiry about my costume. My mind was elsewhere, worrying about the conversation that was taking place amongst the men. I was speculating what kind of impression I had left on the Prince. Other than a few powerful gazes, he had not seemed to notice me at all. I was quite positive the King was not very impressed.

I had been quiet during the meal, not speaking unless spoken to and was virtually nonexistent. Had I succeeded in being an inconspicuous girl despite the dress and jewel?

I hoped so. Or did I? I seemed more interested in the Prince than I had thought possible. There was something there. Something I cannot put my finger on. Nevertheless, there was a mystery.

It was nearly an hour later when my father came into the parlor. Emmett McCarty, a muscular man with dark curly hair, politely came and retrieved his wife, complimenting my dress as they left. Rosalie, losing all friendliness towards me, narrowed her eyes at Emmett and then left the room. I suspected she was the jealous type.

My father looked keyed up as he paced the small room. I was waiting as patiently as I could for him to speak but was becoming increasingly nervous with his growing animation. This was not a good sign.

"Father," I encouraged.

He stopped pacing and looked at me. His eyes were hard to read, so I gave him a look that said, "Get on with it".

"Well, you did not impress the King much." He gave me a scolding look.

I let out a breath that I did not know I was holding. I felt relieved but there was something more, and I suddenly realized that despite my reprieve, I was also disappointed.

Had the Prince made that much of an effect on me, I thought.

"But…" My father smiled now as he held out a hand to me. He pulled me up when I took it and walked us to the small fireplace. "He wants you to be a guest of the Castle for a time. "

"A guest? But father..." I was baffled.

He cut me off, "Isabella, you must charm the Prince." He looked into the fire while I collected my thoughts.

"Is there not anyone else? I rather liked Jacob Black. Perhaps you could arrange something with his father?" I asked with a shaky voice.

"Jacob Black? Geez, Isabella. The boy is betrothed. It is why he left for France."

Despite my lack of provisions, I was escorted to my quarters with a promise that I will be provided with only the best apparel and necessities courtesy of His Highness. There were two maidservants appointed to me, and they filled the tub basin with water warmed in the hearth. When it was nearly full, the smaller one put a few drops of lavender oil in the water. The women helped me out of my dress, and I quickly got into the small tub. The water had lost its warmth, and I could feel the gooseflesh rise on my limbs. The women carefully cleaned my hair and washed my body. I let my mind wander as they did so, and before I knew it, I was forcing myself to forget about Jacob Black. It had only been infatuation, right?

Either way, it still hurt to be deceived.

After the bath, one of the maidservants insisted on waxing my body. It was something I had heard of but had never done. I was more than willing to bear the little stings as the heavily waxed papers were pulled from my legs and underarms. However, when the maidservant went to my nether regions, I nearly had a heart attack.

"You do not mean to…" I implied in fear.

"Yes, Madame. Shall I finish?" she asked.

"Er…" I looked around as if searching for help, but the other maidservant only nodded encouragingly. "You may continue." I bit my lip as I braced myself for the pain.

In my silk bed gown, I felt nearly naked. It was a strange sensation to be hairless. It did not help that I was cold. I sat up in my large canopied bed and stared out toward the heavily draped window. I decided that sleep was not going to come any time soon so I got up and grabbed the candle that burned on the stall. Hurriedly, I put on a thick velvet robe and tied it around me.

I went to the window and opened the curtains. I was astonished when I found that the window happened to not be a window at all but a double doorway that led to a moderately sized balcony. It had spring flowers atop the small stone walled barrier, and a long chair sat towards the left side that was next to a small table. I placed the candle on the table and sat down. The chair was lengthy enough for my legs to rest comfortably. I made a mental note to tell my father that we should get one of these chairs.

I looked up into the night sky. The stars were so beautiful, and they were always so peaceful and patient. I pondered the wisdom that they held after thousands of years of watching; surely, they had seen it all. More than any mortal ever would.

The night air was humid, and I felt tiny beads of sweat form on my forehead. I did not want to go inside just yet, so I opted instead to take off my velvet robe. I hung it on the back of the chair and breathed in the fresh air as my eyes fell closed.

I began to wonder about the Prince. He did not seem to be on bad terms with his father. They actually seemed to agree with each other, and on more than one occasion, I saw the King smile at his son in a prideful manner. I supposed it to be a rumor that the Prince did not get along with his father.

"Ow," I called out as I swatted a mosquito that bit my leg. I bent my leg up to inspect the bite, which caused my bed gown to slide up towards my thighs. Sure enough, a tiny pink dot wielded just above my knee, and I knew it would itch like hell soon enough.

"Great," I mumbled and began to scratch at it.

"Don't do that," I heard a smooth, deep voice say. "You will make it worse."

I jumped, startled at the sudden intrusion.

"I am sorry for not announcing my arrival, Lady Swan. I did not mean to frighten you."

My heart was beating fast, and it took a moment for me to respond. The voice was familiar, but I still spun around until my eyes met those of my intruder. When I found them, a rush of fear ran deep into my bones.

Prince Edward stared back at me for a moment before his eyes lingered down to where my bed gown had gathered up high on my hips, giving him a full view of my legs. At least, I hoped that was all he was looking at.

I quickly pulled at the hem of the gown and stood up. "Your Highness." I curtsied before reaching back to grab my robe, desperate to cover myself up. I was unsure of why the Prince was in my chambers in the middle of the night. This uncertainty abruptly turned to panic when I recalled one of the rumors I had heard. The Prince had a way with women, whether they liked it or not.

I was having a difficult time with the robe. It was stuck on the arm of the chair, and I was fighting to get it loose. The Prince came to my side, reaching a hand down and placed his other on my shoulder. I shrieked at the contact.

I spun around quickly, prepared to run away before he could hurt me, but I ended up tangling us both in the robe and falling into him, knocking him over. I landed on top of him, and suddenly we were face to face.

I struggled to get loose, but the robe was wrapped around me in an awkward tangle, one corner in my hand, the other in his. I wiggled to free myself while managing to mutter something of an apology. I was still urgently trying to stand up when I heard the Prince squeal. He squeezed his eyes shut and let out an annoyed breath. His strong hands then grasped my hands, and he ordered me to stop moving.

My heart raced faster. What did he plan to do?

He gently unwrapped his arm from the robe, and with his other, he helped free me. He gave me a reproached look as I scampered a few feet away, still fearful of him. Confusion laced with pain was clear in his expression, and as I tried to calm myself, I realized that I must have made a mistake. He had only meant to help me get the robe. He had not meant to assault me.

I had ended up assaulting him.

If he had not meant to assault me, what was he doing in my chambers at this hour?

I looked over at him to see that he was hunched over with his hands over his groin. I watched as he finally sat up and begin to twist his right arm this way and that. I I knew I had hurt him.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, even though I already knew that he was.

He laughed.

"There is no break," he said as he stretched out his arm. "And I believe I could probably have children even though you nearly unmanned me."

"I am very sorry. I thought..." I stopped. I could not very well tell the Prince that I thought he meant to have his way with me.

"I know what you thought, and I am sorry to have frightened you. That was not my intention," he spoke honestly.

He was still holding his arm into himself, and I made my way back over to him, completely forgetting about my robe. I nodded towards his arm, urging him to let me examine it, and he reluctantly held it out to me. I looked it over, not exactly knowing what I was doing. I only knew a desire to touch him was building in me.

"What brings you to my chambers in the middle of the night?" I boldly asked.

He looked a little shocked at my blunt inquiry but answered anyway. "I was out on my balcony." He pointed to the right, and I saw his balcony. I furrowed my brow, wondering how I had missed seeing it before. "I heard you come out here, and I was curious to see what you were doing."

"I see," I replied.

"Did you have trouble sleeping?" he asked.

"Hmph." I snorted as I looked back towards the sky. I let my eyes close as I bathed my face in the moonlight.

"Is it your chamber? Is it not comfortable?" he questioned.

"No. The chamber is fitting," I said quietly.

He was staring at the naked flesh of my legs and shoulders and then finally to my eyes. He gave that same intense stare before furrowing his brows and reaching for my robe to hand to me.

"I am sorry to bother you, Lady Swan," he was standing over me, "Sleep well."

With that, he left.

A/N: This story takes place in the 1800's and they DID have hair wax around that time. Lol.

Can you show me some love and leave a thought on the story?

Thanks, Wings.

aka Nikki