A/N: Sorry to be so slow on the updates. Here's chapter 12.

I do not own The Princess and the Frog.

The Glory of Love

Tiana had decided as Naveen led her through the corridors, that she did not like the castle. Maldonia was beautiful, it's people lovely and warm, but for all it's beauty she could not bring herself this castle. There was no laughter here, no life, only soft footsteps, and an icy chill hanging in the air. There was absolutely nothing homey about the castle. Nothing that indicated that a family lived here.

She followed Naveen down a twisting staircase, and into another hallway. She could hear the soft tinkling of a piano drifting in the air. As the continued down the hall, the music grew louder, and soon Tiana could tell that it was coming from behind a pair of carved wooden doors.

"Who's that playing?" she asked, stopping in front of the doors. Naveen stopped for a moment and listened.

"Sounds like my father," he said with a shrug. Tiana reached out to grab the knob. "I wouldn't if I were you," Naveen warned her, grabbing her hand and pulling her along.

"Why not? I just wanted to say hello..."

"He is not in a good mood right now."

"How would you know that?" Tiana demanded.

"You can tell by how he is playing. Hear how he hits the keys hard? He only does that when he is annoyed with something, usually Parliment, or my mother, or the Prime Minister, or my mother, or the Prime Minister and my mother..."

"I'm noticing a pattern here," she said as they came to a plain wooden door at the end of the hall. Naveen opened it, revealing a dark, decending stairwell.

"Yes, well, you are part of the family now, so it's a pattern you will need to observe." They continued their descent until they reached another door. Naveen pushed it open and they stepped into the largest kitchen Tiana had even seen. Sleek and clean, done completely in white tile, it was bright and warm. There were racks along the wall with pots and pans hanging from them. There was a clatter and Tiana turned to see a man in a white jacket dumping some chopped meat into a big silver pot. He was singing softly to himself as he worked.

"Bertrand!" Naveen shouted. The man jumped, and dropped his cutting board with a clatter on the floor. He turned around, and sighed.

"Your Highness! I was not expecting you, or the lovely princess" he exclaimed, picking up his board, and placing it in the sink. He grabbed another from a rack, and set it down. "I apologize, but the soup is not ready yet. If you will just wait a while longer..."

"Do you need help?" Tiana asked. The chef's green eyes grew wide, and he shook his head.

"No, no, no! We will help!" Naveen said eagerly, seizing the knife from Bertrand's hand. "What do you need done?"

"Just to chop those onions and carrots..." Bertrand began, while carefully reaching to take the knife from Naveen. Naveen waved the knife hand, causing Bertrand to jump in front of Tiana, and throw his arms out protectively. Naveen turned to the cutting board, and began to chop onions. The chef looked stunned.

"He is... chopping vegetables..." he muttered to Tiana.

"Yeah..." Tiana sighed.

"And all his appendages are... intact!"

"I taught him that!" she said proudly.

"Well My Lady, I must admit that I am impressed. I had heard rumors, but thought little of them," He said, turning to face her, and giving her a little bow.

"So what are you making?" Tiana asked.

"Lamijiu, your highness. It is a traditional Maldonian fish soup. I hope you enjoy it." Bertrand said, leading Tiana towards the large brick oven in the corner of the room. Tiana could smell baking bread. Bertrand pulled out a wooden slab, and stuck it into the oven, pulling out a loaf of bread.

"I'm sure it's delicious," Tiana said, as Naveen appeared beside her.

"All finished!" He said, grinning ear to ear. Bertrand smiled, and went back over to his pot. Naveen led Tiana to a table in the far corner of the kitchen, and pulled out a chair for her. She sat, he pushed her in, and sat down opposite her. As he sat, Tiana watched Bertrand bring over two cups of tea, and set them down on the table. Tiana lifted the steaming cup to her lips, and took a sip. She made a face. It tasted awful, but she knew just what it needed. She started to get up, but in a flash, Bertrand was hovering above her.

"Can I get you anything, Your Highness?" He asked eagerly.

"I was just wondering if I could get any salt..." She had barely gotten the request out, when he seemed to pull a small salt shaker from nowhere. She took it with a smile, and started shaking it vigorously over her tea. She stirred the salt until it had dissolved, and took another sip. Much better.

She looked up to see Naveen staring at her, wearing an expression of interest and disgust. "What?" she demanded.

"That is interesting... I would have never though to add salt to Jasmine tea."

"It needed salt."

He laughed, "I was just confused. Normally you take sugar..."

"Well, your Maldonian tea needs salt!" she snarled. He shut up immediately, and took a sip of his own beverage. Tiana felt guilty now. She had no idea what had caused that outburst.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, when a loud slam made them jump. They both looked to the door, where Avram stood, breathing heavily. He ran over to the corner where they sat, and dived to the floor behind Tiana.

"What are you doing?" Tiana asked, amused by her young brother in law's peculiar behavior.

"Shh! I was never here!" Avram hissed, as he crawled into a cupboard and shut the door. A moment later, someone else came hurtling into the kitchen. A young girl, around Avram's age, was looking about the room. She spotted the couple sitting at the table and bounded over. She dipped into a curtsy, and asked Naveen something in Maldonian. He grinned, and pointed to the cupboard that Avram had just hidden in. She giggled, and crawled over to the cupboard. She flung open the door.

Avram lept out and tackled the girl. They rolled around, giggling madly. Tiana couldn't help but laugh as the young girl landed on top of Avram and put him into a headlock, as he fought to free himself.

"I do not think your grandfather would approve of your behavior, My Lady," Naveen said with a chuckle. The girl stood up, and brushed herself off. Tiana could see her properly now, and looked her over for a moment. She was short, with wide black eyes, and loose black curls that were pulled into two ponytails. She had an olive complexion, and a spray of freckles across her cheeks and upturned nose. She was wearing a blue dress, with a pleated skirt Tiana could tell had been freshly pressed at some point during the day.

"Lady Penelope, I would like you to meet my wife, Princess Tiana. Tiana, this is Lady Penelope, Contessa of Sahel, granddaughter of Lord and Lady Cricela." Naveen introduced the two. The girl curtsied, and extended her hand to Tiana. She took it, and Lady Penelope kissed it.

"I am very pleased to meet you, Prutta!" she exclaimed excitedly. "You certainly don't look like a manleca."

Naveen choked on his tea. "Where did you hear that?" he demanded. The girl looked uncomfortable now, all eight pairs of eyes were on her now. Tiana had no idea what the girl had said, but she suspected it was nothing good. And she could tell the little Contessa didn't know either; tears were starting to form in her eyes.

"My grandmother said that any woman who tied you down must be," Lady Penelope said, looking as though she were about to start sobbing. Naveen's expression softened, and he patted the girl on the shoulder.

"It is all right, dear Lady, you did not understand. And the next time I see your grandmother, I shall be sure to tell her that Princess Tiana is not a manleca."

"I'm very glad to meet you, Lady Penelope," Tiana said with a warm smile. The girl smiled back, looking relieved that Tiana was not angry with her.

"What brings you here today, Lady Penelope?" Naveen asked.

"Her Grandfather had a meeting with Papa, and he brought her along to play," Avram answered. Naveen looked confused.

"But I just heard Papa across the hall. He was... playing." Avram's eyes grew wide. "I was thinking that theywere fighting again." Naveen continued.

Avram shook his head. "She's been in her room all afternoon. I heard her talking with Hartwell after I was finished with my lessons." Naveen looked worried now. Tiana's eyes darted back and forth between the two brothers, confused. She noticed Lady Penelope doing the same, only she looked terrified.

Tiana opened her mouth to ask what the problem was, when the door burst open again.

"Oh really!" Bertrand exclaimed, as a woman stormed into the room. Her cold grey eyes skimmed the room, and spotted the little group sitting in the corner. She moved so quickly over to them, Tiana could have sworn that she was gliding.

"Lady Penelope! Your Grandfather has been looking for you for over an hour!" The woman snapped. Tiana had to force her jaw not to drop. She recognized that voice. It was the woman Queen Padma had been arguing with that morning, the one who had called her a barmaid. Lady Penelope bowed her head low.

"I am sorry, Madame," she said, curtsying and running for the door. The severe looking woman turned her icy gaze to Avram now.

"And you, young man, must remember your place. You are a prince, and is unseemly for you and the Contessa to be running about and roughousing!"

"Sorry, Nanny," he muttered. Her gaze softened a hair, and she patted him on the head.

"No matter, Prince Avram. Just remember that Lady Penelope is a young girl, and must behave as such. Such rough play is better suited for young boys."

"But she started it!" Avram said indignantly.

"Then you must set a good example for her. She must learn what is expected of her," she said firmly. Avram nodded, his eyes on his shoes. "Now run along. Your mother wants to see you before we have dinner." He shuffled off towards the door, and disappeared.

The thin, redheaded woman turned to face the couple. Naveen smiled at her, and took her hand.

"It has been far too long, Marie," he said, kissing her hand. She rolled her eyes, and yanked her hand away from him. She smiled at Tiana, and bowed low to her.

"So this must be the remarkable young woman who finally managed to tie down our Prince. I am Marie Bronwen, Nanny and maid to Prince Avram," she said coolly.

"I'm Tiana, nice to meet you, Marie," Tiana said, shaking her hand. She looked up into her grey eyes, and was surprised to see the icy gleam that did not match her friendly smile.

"So how is America, Prince Naveen?" Marie asked, her eyes flicking over to him.

"Wonderful. Everything has been perfect," Naveen said cheerfully.

"Glad to hear it. My brother tells me very good things about America."

"Oh, your brother lives in America? Where?" Tiana asked. Her cold stare was back on her now, studying her intently.

"Boston," Marie said quickly, and turned back to Naveen. "And do you have any... news, that you are waiting to anounce?"

"If you are talking children, I am afraid not," Naveen said with a laugh.

"Well, you know, your brother is fast approaching an age where he won't need me anymore. I just want to know that I'll still be needed." Tiana felt a sudden jab of anger. This was the last woman on earth she wanted caring for her future children! But she kept silent.

"I do not know that you should be caring for more children. It's one thing to be hard on your own charges, quite another to implement your practices on another child," Naveen teased, poking her on the arm. She raised an eyebrow, and gently smacked him on the back of the head.

"Her grandfather was looking for her, and besides, her nanny told me that she has been trying to get Lady Penelope to behave like a lady, but she simply won't. She insists upon wrestling about with the boys," Marie said firmly. Naveen just smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Soup is ready, your Highnesses," Bertrand inturrupted, bringing two steaming bowls over and setting them down in front of them.

"Well, I'll let you two eat in peace. Bertrand, when you see Amra, please tell her to be more careful when carrying the trays into the dining hall. The last three days, I've found splashes on the tray."

"Of course, Marie. I hope you and his Highness enjoy your dinner," Bertrand said in a flat tone. She smirked, and stalked of the kitchen. "Crazy old chienne..."

"Was that really necessary?" Naveen asked. Bertrand set a small plate of bread down in the center of the table, and turned to Naveen.

"You would not be so quick to defend her if you heard the way she speaks of you in private," Bertrand said.

"What does she say?" Naveen asked, surprised.

"I'm afraid it isn't my place to say, your Highness. I fear I have already said to much." And with that, he turned, and went back to the stove.

A/N: I finally managed to get this done. It was a hard one to work out. It introduces some ideas I want to work into this fic, and future fics. It also introduces Lady Penelope, who is going to be a recurring character in my fics.

I promise to have the next chapter up soon. Until next time, I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review.