Chapter 18

At 10:00 AM, I was nudged awake. "My queen, I let you sleep in but I thought you might want to get up and eat something light so that you can actually have lunch with your family."

"Thank you, Edward" and I gently kissed him.

"My queen, where one of your regular gowns today. Tomorrow you will need your traveling one." He came to my dressing table and said, "I can hardly wait to see you in the beautiful clothing your mother has made you. You will still show me your beautiful wedding dress someday?"

"By all means, your highness."

"Bella!"

"I am so sorry Edward. That is one part that I'm having to really concentrate on. Remember I use to use the two phrases interchangeably."

"It's okay, maybe, I will start calling you, your royal highness."

"Please don't. I like how you say Bella. There's just a hair difference in your voices; I have noticed. Your voice is just a tad more eloquent than James. I finished getting dressed and as I stood to leave I asked Edward, "What are you going to do when my maid wants to help me dress all the time back in the castle."

"Fire her and dress and undress you myself. By the way after everything is settled down from this rebellion, I am going to personally seal you and I in a room for a while."

"What about our children?"

"Your parents."

"My parents have cared for them enough with me being gone."

"Okay, then, maybe I will seal all of us into a suite of rooms. When they take naps we'll take naps. When they go to bed, we can take baths and then go to bed. Now to your parents suite."

The children ran up and cuddled with me and we played on the bed with their toys. My mother then said, "Can I see you for a minute, King Edward and Queen Bella? This is about the leather work for the queen's clothes."

"Father, will you stay with the children?"

"Of course."

Back to our suite we went, "Bella, please go put these on and then add your traveling gown on top?"

Into the dressing room I went, then I returned and said, "Perfect, Mother, thank you for the additional padding for my legs."

"You'll also have a pillow added to your saddle by the guards because I want you as comfortable as possible."

"Edward, nothing is going to be comfortable for twelve hours but I will survive."

"Now, King Edward, I need your help and I am sure you will be a gentleman about this. Bella knows how to attach a dagger to her legs but she will need help with them for her arms. Bella can you lower the bodice of your dress and Edward can you help get them attached to her?"

"Fine, mother." Edward came up behind me and helped me undressed down to the waist of my dress.

"Okay, mother."

"Stretch out your arms," She showed Edward what to do to attach the leather sleeves to my arms. Once both sleeves were attached to my arm, my mother stated that I looked like a guard.

"She does and you do excellent work Mrs. S."

"Thank you."

"But let me show you something else, do you have her daggers?"

"Yes," so he handed her two.

My mother put both of them in one sleeve's leather pouch. "Mrs. S, you are amazing; I can't believe it is more than I could ask for she can now carry six daggers."

"Well, I want my only child protected. I also have one other sleeve but it can only be used while she is standing." My mother pulled it out.

"Mrs. S, Thank you she can have a sword on her back, as well."

"Mother, thank you." I carefully reached around and hugged her then a single tear slid down my cheek.

"Just be careful and safe, my daughter, Queen of France."

"Now may I finish dressing?"

"Yes," and then he leaned toward Mrs. S. "I will return you to your family and Queen Bella, when you are ready, please join us. I am having lunch served in there sitting room I thought you all deserved a quiet lunch together."

"Thank you, Edward. I will be there shortly."

Ten minutes after my mother and Edward, I followed them back to their suite. Edward met me in the bedroom portion. "Yes?" I asked.

"Do you still have your daggers?"

"Only the one you have me wearing all the time right now. I haven't asked how's Tom holding up one in incarceration?"

"He sits there in silence chained to the wall. I am sure he's building up quite a bit towards us."

"Are you taking him with us when we leave tomorrow?"

"No, he's staying. Are you ready for lunch beautiful?"

"Yes, Edward stop that please."

"Why I love making you blush?"

"Stop that." Back to my old sitting room we went and enjoyed a two hour lunch. Once lunch was done and Edward was watching me sitting comfortably on the floor with my two children. He came and sat by all of us. He motioned for my parents to join us. Edward asked, "Emmett and Rosalie, are you both ready to go back to the castle?"

"Yes," they said and, "Are we all going?"

"Yes, but we will have to take some precautions during the trip and when we get there."

"That's okay. We just all want to be together again. Father, I am so thankful that you saved my mummie."

"Do you want to hear the rules first?"

"Okay."

"First, you will be riding in a completely enclosed carriage all the way back to the castle with your grandparents and guard inside the carriage. It will be a long dark and boring journey and we are doing it tomorrow. I am going to have a lock on the inside that one of you will have to undo and another guard on the outside will also have to unlock that one as well before any of you can get out. It will be a very bouncy trip at times. Once we get to the castle, you will all be moving into the tall tower with guards up there as well?"

"For how long?"

"Probably a week."

"Where will you and mummie be on the ride back to the castle?"

"On horses. But we will all have a quick lunch together while on the trip."

"Mummie, you can ride a horse that long?"

"Yes Emmett, I can and I will."

"Then where in the castle are you going to stay?"

"We're going to move into the King's quarters."

Rosalie crawled into my lap and said, "Are you sure all the trouble will be gone in a week? I miss you and want to stay with you again." Then she pulled me into one of her hugs.

"Oh sweetheart, I hope so. I love you and miss you so much too."

"Please be careful mummie and father."

"We will and I promise to make sure mummie stays as safe as you all will be."

"Thank you, father," and she climbed into his lap and hugged him but she didn't let go for a few minutes.

"Okay, mummie and father need to get back to work. This has been a world of fun; but let's all go back into the other room please."

As I look at his face, there was a tear running down it. I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek where the tear lay, and said, "I do love you, Edward."