I am so very sorry it has taken me so long to update! No excuses! And I apologize for the other night when I updated and then had to take down the chapter seconds later. I realized there was a HUGE plot error and had to make the changes! SO here is my latest chapter and I hope you all enjoy it! :)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything!

Watching I keep waiting
Still anticipating love
Never hesitating
To become the fated ones
Turning and returning
To some secret place to hide
Watching in slow motion
As you turn to me and say
Take my breath away

EPOV

"He was a perfect gentleman Caroline I have nothing more to say!"

"Elena you cannot be serious, he is the bloody King of England, and you mean to tell me he did not once try to have his way with you?" I bit my lip in silence while Caroline took in my expression, "Ah ha! I knew it! What did he do? You must tell me everything!" I laughed at her eagerness to know everything that had gone on between me and his Majesty last evening. I motioned for her to join me on the bench underneath our window.

"At first his Majesty did ask me if I would accept his offer to be his mistress, and as you already know, I declined. But then we talked together, and he asked me about love, and if I believed in it at all. He seemed so certain that love did not exist. That's when I made a fool of myself." Caroline's eyes were as large as dinner plates, her eager expression urged me to go on. "I did not think, I just told him he didn't love Katherine! Oh Caroline how could I do such a thing? But then he turned to me and asked me if I would like to walk with him in the Maze of Roses, and it was such a beautiful night I wanted to stay out with him until the sun came up!" Caroline wouldn't take her eyes off of me.

"It sounds like someone has a crush on the King!" Caroline gave me a wink.

"Hardly! He was just such a gentleman, so sweet, and handsome. Oh Caroline I hope he asks me to walk with him again soon. I feel as though we will be good friends!"

"Hopefully not too close, or else the Queen to be might become suspicious" just as Caroline spoke, there was a knock at the door, abruptly ending our conversation, I rose to open it.

"Lady Gilbert, Lady Forbes, the Princess Katherine is asking all of her ladies to be in attendance in her chambers at half past 8." Vicki sneered as she stood in the door way, looking around our chambers as if we had something to hide. She turned on her heel and walked away after a moment's pause.

"We must get dressed then, her highness demands our presence." Caroline walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out my green ball gown. "Elena you must wear this one! It will be sure to grab his Majesty's attention!" she said with a wink. I would not admit it but I was glad to wear the bright green satin gown. It was beautiful and surely would steal his Majesty's attention. I quickly dressed and met Caroline outside our chambers. She was dressed in a beautiful silver gown lined with navy blue fur. Her hair, like mine, was pulled back into a headdress of matching colour.

As we made our way down the corridor two maids of Katherine's chambers came from around the corner. They began to laugh as we walked closer to them. We were in front of them when they stopped, picked up their skirts and curtseyed low in front of me.

"Why they curtseys ladies?" Caroline asked the pair, shocked. When they didn't answer Caroline got more outraged. "Ladies I demand you answer me!"

"We are taught to curtsey to princess's ma'am." Caroline gasped at the maids answer. I was so shocked I couldn't put my thoughts together. What were they talking about?

"What is the meaning of this? Tell me now or I will take you to the King and have him sort the both of you out!" Caroline's face was turning red with anger.

"Lady Gilbert was seen with the King last night my lady, everyone is talking of her agreeing to be his Majesty's mistress."

"Has the princess received word of this ridiculous allegation?"

"I do not believe so my lady, we were on our way to fetch the princess' breakfast just now. When we left her rooms she seemed in a quite blissful mood."

Caroline nodded to herself before addressing the maids one last time.

"You will go and fetch the princess' breakfast and you will not repeat anything you have heard about the lady Gilbert anymore. Do I make myself clear ladies?"

"Yes my lady" they both responded quietly.

"Now shoo!" she exclaimed and the maids ran off in a huff.

"Elena, Katherine has not yet heard word of this. We must act quickly to dismiss these rumors."

Caroline was right. I needed to confront Katherine about these rumors and let her know that they were only that; rumors. Caroline and I picked up our pace towards Katherine's rooms.

DPOV

"Have the plans finalized and in my hands no later than the end of the week Elijah, I want my ship to be built before the spring arrives. And make sure that those plans are kept between you, me and the shipmaster only. Do I make myself clear?"

"Of course your Majesty, everything will be done swiftly and efficiently." Elijah bowed his head and left my rooms.

I made my way over the open window and plucked a rose that was growing off of a nearby vine. I brought it up to my nose and smelled it as I paced my room. I had to find a way to spend more time with Elena. She was so breathtakingly beautiful. I had to have her, but how?

"Alaric" I called out, and as I did he entered my chambers.

"Your Majesty?"

"I need a note delivered to Katherine. Tell her that I unfortunately cannot attend dinner this evening as I will be dining alone in my chambers with Elijah to go over plans for the building of my newest ship."

"Am I to assume that his Majesty won't be dining alone with Cardinal Elijah tonight?" he said with a smirk.

"You are too perceptive for your own good my friend. No, I will be dining with the beautiful lady Gilbert, if of course she will accept my invitation"

Alaric nodded. He walked over to my desk and began to write the letter. Once he was finished he stood by the door.

"Deliver the letter immediately to the Princess, I will go down to the kitchen and ask the cooks to prepare my special dinner. I also have an errand to run. I shall be back to my chambers within the hour." Alaric turned without a word and left my chambers.

Several minutes later I had entered the kitchen. I spoke quickly to my head cook Matthew Donavan and instructed him to prepare the finest of dinners for myself and my special dinner guest. He assumed it was for the Princess, and I did not exactly correct him. I figured the little everyone in the palace knew, the safer my manhood was from Princess Katherine.

The last stop on my list of errands was my seamstress's quarters. Lady Rose Marier had been my seamstress since her mother had passed away several years ago. She learned the skill alongside her mother, who was the royal seamstress to my own mother and father. I opened the door to her chambers to find her working on what seemed to be my newest set of hunting shirts.

"Your Majesty!" she jumped up and gave me an informal hug followed by a quick curtsey. "What brings you to my chambers at this time of day Damon? Oh please don't tell me the Princess has changed her mind and now asks me to take on the task of designing her wedding gown? I fear to think of the many headaches I will have to endure if I must work for your wonderful wife to be" she gave me a sarcastic look of terror and then began to laugh.

"No as of right now you are still saved of such terrible demands my Lady, do not fret. But I do come here with another task for you, and unfortunately for you I need it done by nightfall." At this Lady Marier looked up at me, giving me her full attention.

"Anything my lord, for the Princess I presume?"

"Actually no" I looked down at my boots, which suddenly became fascinating.

"Oh? Something for yourself your Majesty? I will have your riding shirts done by the weeks end."

"May I see your finest clothes Rose? I must insist it is rather urgent."

She gave me a confused look, "of course Damon, right this way." Rose led me over to a closet and opened its doors, revealing a beautiful selection of clothes in many different colours. But there was one colour stuck in my mind that I could not forget.

"Rose do you have and blues by chance?"

"Yes Sire, these over here are my finest clothes, they travelled all the way from the lands of the mysterious oriental. The silk worms of the lands there are said to be of the finest quality on earth. My dear friend lady Pearl Zhu brought them to me months ago."

"This one, this one here, it's perfect." I pulled out a beautiful deep blue clothe from the closet. It was delicate yet heavy enough to keep her fair skin from being nipped by the harsh winters. It was soft, yet it was thick enough to keep her dry in the harshest of rainfalls. And it was beautiful, just like her.

"And what would you like me to do with this my Lord?" Rose took the folded clothe from my hands and looked up at me.

"Make me a riding cloak fit for a Queen, the finest you have ever made."

"I thought you said this wasn't for the Princess Sire?"

I turned to leave her chambers and smiled, "it's not."

So I hope you all enjoyed this! I have set up some deadlines for the next couple of chapters and hope to have doubles the number of chapters by the end of the month!

Please read and review!

xo -ES