Chapter 11

"I will start in a few minutes. I need to send a message to my guard so they can get your family here in twenty-four hours. I need some information from my room to explain myself."

"I am coming with you then," and I got up to start to follow him out of my rooms.

"No, your royal majesty, you are staying here and locked in your room until I get back."

"You, Anthony, have one hour to get back here."

He turned and smiled, "You are getting very bossy for being the Queen of France."

"I guess I'm going to have to be."

"Queen Bella, it's okay. I would be as confused and frustrated as you are; but it is going to be a long night and story so you better be comfortable and ready."

"Fine. Go you are wasting valuable time." Fifty-six minutes later, I heard the door being opened and in walked Nancy.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"He is right behind me. But please Queen Bella, we need you to sit down because you'll be in for a shock."

"Why?"

"Just please sit down."

I did. Nancy said, "It is okay, Anthony." and in walked King Edward.

"What? How? Oh you said he was dead." I said.

Anthony' deep voice then spoke, "Bella, I am Edward."

"No, you are James the twin."

"No," Edward said and his voice changed to that of James and the Edward I had first met.

"Nancy, please excuse us, I only want to be interrupted when Queen Bella's family arrives."

"Yes, your royal majesty." Then we were alone.

"You shaved off your beard and washed the powder out of your hair."

"Yes, plus I have been putting gray under my eyes as well."

"Anthony, Edward, James, what do I call you?"

"For now let's stick with Anthony, it is what you know me as."

"What? Wait a minute? When you told me about the attack you said your King Edward."

"Yes, I did you are more observant than I ever gave you credit for. I thought it had been a fluke that night when you told me to get the twenty guards back by us."

"No, I knew how many there were. I was matching up the situation to see if we had any chances. I also knew I needed to know all your men were with us so that no one would go after my family that night in the tunnels. My husband said to you at a whisper, 'You were not supposed to be here.'"

"Yes, it was always agreed via our father that I would not come within thirty minutes of the castle. Now are you ready for the whole story from the beginning?"

"Yes."

"On my eighteenth birthday, you and I collided in the gardens. I took you to my favorite spot. That is where I hid when we were younger when there were parties going on. Yes, I took you home. Yes, I really did want to see you again after my trip to the south of France. On the day of our date, I had finished ordering us our picnic when I was called to my father's room. I was told the country was in danger and my father wanted to send me to the underground city to protect the royal throne. I told him I would go, but I wanted to tell you goodbye. My father wouldn't let me. He gave me his journals and his crown to take with me; I would be gone for six months. While packing I asked my brother to go as himself, James, to tell you goodbye because I was a going away to protect our country. I was also told the James would be becoming Prince Edward and it was announced that James was away for military training. Now I'll read to you from my father's journal and then they will become James' later. 'I am sorry, my son. Once I got to here there was a second letter telling me about the guards and being his secret security force. Tom, my cousin the head guard in the castle and one of my men were runners.' The plan was to squash the rebellion but that has been very difficult as you have lived through it all. My father started his journals with, 'I am sorry for taking you away from Bella and letting your brother replace you. I told him not to say goodbye as you did, but to fully become you. Again two months later, after he asked father for permission to marry you because he had fallen in love with you and my father told him to do it. He again apologized for this. The rebellions were more and more. We couldn't get a handle on them. My father had already told me I was staying underground for a while longer. Tom would bring me information as we needed it. We would go out looking for the rebels, but they kept moving around so much that catching them has been impossible. They go up in the mountains and they go into hiding. I've been here for the last four years while my brother fell in love with you, married you and had two children with you all because my father had me go into hiding to help the guards. I lost my chance with you."

"Sorry," I interjected after the last comment. Our fire had started to die down, Anthony added more wood and put a blanket around me to keep me warm and I felt that spark again.

"Thank you, Anthony."

"You're welcome. Just after your first five months of marriage, when James left with our father, they were headed south to meet with a warrior that said he could help stop the rebellions. Myself and the guards went east to try to keep the rebels from meeting up. My father and a guard that looks similar to us was in the carriage. James always rides as a guardsman because of his horse skills. By the way, James is an excellent horseman, better than I."