Sorry for the long wait and the cliffhanger! Please enjoy chapter 11!
EPOV
"What in the world are you going on about? Edward is the prince and the sole heir of the crown! You have no claim whatsoever," I heard Jasper say.
I stared at my father. My father stared at my mother. My mother looked terrified.
"Will you tell them, or should I," Jacob sneered at my father. He stood rigid, waiting for him to say something. My father said nothing. "Alright, I'll tell him then."
He looked at me, my mother, and then at Bella whom I was still kneeling in front of. He grinned and then pointed arrogantly at Carlisle.
"This man is my father."
Gasps of shock and terror were scattered throughout the room as I slowly stood up and walked over to my father. With my hand tight on his shoulder as if I were extracting strength from him, I was able to face the man without shaking.
"To claim a right to the throne without any authority to, at all, is treason. I would ask you to please leave this room - and the palace - immediately and never return. If you do as I say, you will not be punished, harmed, or followed in an way," I said in a surprisingly calm voice.
He shook his head and laughed, a cruel almost manic laugh.
"Oh I have quite the authority to," he replied. "Twenty-five years ago my mother, Leah Black, came to work as a maid in the palace. Twenty-five years ago King Carlisle found out he was engaged to a French maiden he had never met before. He never wanted to be married, he wanted the freedom to marry or sleep with whomever he pleases! And thus my mother fell prey to his kingly needs, thinking that she may receive a permanent home, decent food, and live comfortably for the rest of her life."
"Carlisle?"
The word had come from my mother who sat looking scared, frightened, and terribly betrayed in her polished wood chair.
"Pleas tell me none of this is true?"
My father looked at my mother, at me, and then back at my mother. Then he hung his head in what I presumed was shame.
"I'm sorry."
Another cruel, animalistic laugh erupted from Jacob. "Did you think that was the end of it? No! Of course it isn't!"
Silence filled the room as we all waited for him to finish.
"That man you call a nice and noble king wasn't very nice and noble to my mother. Oh no, quite the opposite. When he found out she was pregnant with his family, he had already married the stuck up queen over there." I bristled and glared at him when I heard the insult pointed towards my mother. He smirked.
"He banned my mother from the palace so that no one could find out what he'd done. He'd given her money -hardly enough for her to survive with a coming baby- and practically shoved her out the back entrance of the palace. Because of him my mother nearly starved while she was pregnant with me. No home, no food, and no one would give her a paying job because she was pregnant. You had basically sentenced her to death.
"My mother didn't die though, I'm living breathing proof of that." He spread his arms wide as if that would get his point across. "She lived, she had me, and since I was a child we just barely made it by on our own. Constantly going long periods without a good meal."
He paused. "She died a week ago, and I came to take back everything that was rightfully hers," he looked at me, "and mine."
"Well that's preposterous!" I heard Bella say, almost shout.
"Bella be quiet," I said to her.
"But he has no right to-"
"Bella, stop."
"But-"
"BELLA, I SAID TO BE QUIET," I shouted, then felt ashamed in the silence that followed. Her lip trembled, her eyes watered, and she got up and promptly ran to the door and out of the room. I stared, shocked at what I ha said and the way I had said it to her. My mother threw a hard look at me and then nodded to Alice and the both stood and left the room in search of Bella.
Jasper stared at me, and so did Emmett and Carlisle. But all I could focus on was the look Jacob had given to my Bella as she ran past him. I didn't like that look at all. She. Was. Mine. And no one else's…
"Like father, like son huh? You both don't know how to treat a good woman when you see one," Jacob said to me. I looked at him, and then m father, and then Jasper. I slowly removed my hand from my father's shoulder and watched it fall a little. I turn towards him and spoke.
"This is unacceptable. I am the heir to the throne, I have spent twenty-three years schooling and training for this. It is my right."
Fa-Carlisle cleared his throat and spoke. "The law clearly states that the firstborn son born of the king and queen is the rightful heir."
"Which is clearly me," Jacob sneered.
A thought came to my head.
"You said born unto the king and queen. Jacob's mother isn't of royal blood and he doesn't have the right schooling and training, the people would not accept him as king." Jacob's smirk slipped from his face, apparently he hadn't thought of that.
Carlisle rubbed his face with his hand, looking more tired and older than I have ever seen him. He thought for a minute.
"I'll have to discuss this with my advisors." He stood. "Michael, if you would be so kind as to escort Mr. Black to the blue guest room, I would be very thankful. " As Michael led Jacob out of the room, Carlisle turned towards me.
"At the moment we both have our own matters to deal with."
I nodded my head. I needed to find Bella and apologize for what I said.
Everyone like that chapter? Was it what you were expecting? Was it good enough for you to leave a good review? Seriously though, I would love any reviews, critizismz, ideas…LOLZ!
Love u all,
-karyn