A/N: Hello, my doves. Onward!

It wasn't as though Edward had never heard the gossip about Bella around the court. As he'd told her, he made it his duty to observe people.

There were some, like him, who had looked on Bella with pity. When she'd come to the capital city, she'd been but a fresh-faced child. He'd admired her even then. He could see she was out of her depth. Of course she was. She'd been fourteen and not so well traveled outside the gates of her home city of Rainfall. Still, despite her obvious nerves, she held her head high and, in those early days, didn't let anyone talk down to her.

He'd always felt uneasy about her betrothal to his nephew. The boy had a cruel streak a mile wide. However, Edward was not in a position to protest the union, so he did his best to guide Felix, for what little good it did him.

Then this whole, sordid mess. Her father was dead, and she was the only one left to answer for her family's sins. Her choice had been taken away, and the light had drained from her eyes.

However, humans weren't known for being rational or merciful. While there were plenty who looked on the girl with kind eyes, there were even more who were more than happy to take their frustrations out on her. Her father's treasonous words had sparked a war that sent the realm into a great upheaval, and it made them bloodthirsty. It was the reason they'd cheered when the king had Isabella dragged into the middle of the throne room. Their sons were dying, their futures were uncertain, and Isabella was the only one there to pay for it—their pain for hers. As though if she screamed loud enough, they might be sated.

Now, Edward sat with Carlisle in a quiet corner, listening to two such fine examples of humanity who were unaware he was behind them.

"That little bitch forgets herself these days. Walking around the castle like she's untouchable."

The other one scoffed. "Probably is. That coward husband of hers doesn't have the stones to put her in her place."

"If he had any kind of loyalty at all, he'd show it."

Another scoff. "If he had any kind of loyalty, he'd not be called the coward, now would he? No. The little girl has all the power in that relationship, and she knows it, too."

Carlisle's hand on his arm was the only thing that kept Edward from showing the curs exactly how cowardly he could be. He thought perhaps a good backstabbing would serve their wagging tongues well enough, and he'd see if it quenched their bloodthirst.

With a huff, Edward sat back down and took a long drink of his ale. "I should give them something their own size to pick on."

Carlisle shook his head. Though he had calmed Edward, his eyes were blazing and his jaw was taut. "I guarantee you, my friend, they are the cowards. If you were to challenge them, they would scream bloody murder."

Edward was silent, gnawing on his inner cheek as he thought. "She won't be safe here even with me, will she?" he asked quietly.

"Are any of us safe with the king on the throne?" Carlisle sighed. "In a way, she's safer. As the daughter of a traitor to the crown, by rights, she is deserving of ridicule and shame." His lips turned down, showing what he thought of that. "As your wife, these cretins may only say so behind your back. The daughter of House Swan is not owed any respect. But she is no longer the daughter of House Swan, or at least, that is not her primary title." Carlisle nodded his head in the direction the two gossipers had headed. "They were right about one thing. She's holding herself taller these days. She is a lord's wife, and she must carry herself with the pride that comes with that. To do otherwise would be an insult to you. The Lady of Casterly Port is owed respect, and she knows it. The wife of the Master of Coin has every reason to hold her head high."

"But?"

"But she is your wife. Recall we're speaking plainly now, My Lord," Carlisle said, sympathy strong in his eyes. "All things considered, I do think you and Bella as individuals are well-matched, and that you may find, some years from now, that your marriage is naught but a happy one. However, at present, with the future of the realm uncertain, being both a Swan and a Masen puts her in a uniquely vulnerable position. Aside from those even at the capital who despise your family, your father now sees her as his. His to command and control just as he sees all his children as pawns. And your father, as you well know, is most dangerous when he thinks his pawns aren't behaving as they should."

"And that is not to speak of the king," Edward said, mostly to himself now. "He still believes it's his right to toy with Isabella. What he did to her on our wedding day." He shook his head. "Thus far I've been able to keep my wife close by my side at dinner and other occasions where she might otherwise find herself cornered."

He sat up straight and looked across the table to Carlisle. "I've been negligent in my duty to my wife. It's dangerous for her here."

Carlisle offered him a small smile. "That's not new. It has been dangerous for her here… Well, in reality, since the old king died and left the throne to Felix. The power has gone to his head in a way it hadn't when he was just a boy. Even without her father's accusations, Isabella would not have had a good life as Felix's queen."

"She is under my protection, and that must mean something. No, Carlisle. I have been negligent. True, it may be that I can't send her to her loving family. That would be treason. However, I may send her from the capital, may I not?"

Carlisle cocked his head, studying him for a long moment. "Your father wouldn't allow it."

"Isabella is my wife; not his. And here again I've failed. I am, as you've said, under my father's thumb. I am his son, and thus his pawn to move about the board as he likes. Isabella, however, belongs to me. He relinquished his control over her when he bound us together."

Carlisle didn't look pleased, but he nodded slowly. "What did you have in mind?"

~0~

Of course, Edward was well aware that his father's influence had a great reach. He also had spies everywhere. As such, he moved as quickly as he could, trying to make arrangements for his wife before Aro became aware of them.

Not quickly enough. He was at a warehouse at the docks, searching the ledgers for ships that would take sail soon, where they were going, and who they were captained by when his father's voice interrupted.

"What do you think you're doing, Edward?"

Edward closed his eyes briefly and counted to ten. He opened his eyes again and continued about his task. "I'm looking to arrange safe passage for Isabella." There was no sense in lying, and he needn't in any case. He was doing no wrong.

"Passage? Where?"

"Home. To Casterly Port, of course." He took a steadying breath and attempted to sound pleasant. "It has been a long while since our home has had a mistress, after all. Jane left when she was younger than Bella is now. It will be a good thing."

"She will not leave this city," Aro said plainly. He sounded bored.

Edward slammed the logbook shut and turned to face his father. "Is my wife a prisoner, Father?"

His father's lip twitched. "Don't be ridiculous. I see no shackles on her; nor has there ever been."

"But she can't leave."

"Don't tell me I have to inform you how best to protect your wife now? Do you think it's safe to send Isabella Swan forward alone when her brother calls himself a king in his own right and fights for his own throne?" Aro scoffed. "Do you want to see her held for ransom or worse? Disposed of as a display of righteousness whether at her brother or at us?"

Edward shuddered. "How little you think of me, Father. There are those I would trust to escort her safely."

"She's safer here." Aro cocked his head. "You're a smart boy, Edward. I had thought a lifetime of observation would be enough to teach you what is and isn't proper within a marriage. Still, I am your father. I will guide your hand like a child if you require it. I will tell you now you will not shirk your duties. You will not cast your wife to the side, and you will not abandon her."

Edward stared at his father. "Abandon her? Cast her aside? Have I missed some development in the war, Father? Is Casterly Port no longer our home? Isabella's home?"

"Her home is by her husband's side. You are in residence for the time being. Your home is here in Volterra."

"I wouldn't be the first husband to send his wife to keep the home fires burning."

His father's eyes hardened into a glare. "First of all, Casterly Port is still mine, and it will not be run at the whim of a seventeen-year-old girl run amok. Secondly, you may make a safe bet that none of those you speak of sent their young wives away until their firstborn sons were safely born."

Edward narrowed his eyes. "Is that was this is about again? We have a long life ahead of us, and I have plenty of time to get children on her."

Aro stared at him, incredulity plain on his face. "Are you mad? Have you lost your senses? I struggle to understand what's wrong with you. The point of taking a wife is to further your line, which should be not only your duty but your pride. Though, believe me, from where I sit, fathering children is a thankless task." He shook his head. "Whatever land of the fairies you think you are living in, I'm not sure. In this land, a man takes a wife who will bear him children. There is no waiting. There will be no waiting."

His father took a steadying breath and pointed a finger in his face. "I've told you before, boy, not to force my hand. I'm finished listening to your whining. You are wed, and you will do what's proper. If you send your wife away, I will have her dragged back. I will have her beaten for running, and I will have you whipped for thinking to abandon her." He stepped toward Edward. "Test me. See if I don't."

Edward could do nothing but watch as his father stalked away. Though he knew it rather proved his father's point that he was acting like a child, he couldn't stop himself from throwing the logs to the ground and stalking off in the other direction.

~Bella~

Only when Bella was around the corridor from her room did she let her guard down. She let her shoulders slump and some of the weariness creep into her face. She rubbed her temples, glad that she didn't have to smile and put on a demure attitude for an hour or so.

She was considering a nap, but when she finally got to her room, she was set upon by Angela. "Good, My Lady, you're here. Look." She sounded so thrilled. "My Lord has brought you a strange gift."

Sure enough, laid out on Bella's bed was an outfit. A man's outfit—pants and a vest made of thin leather. A rope belt. It was simple but clean, and looked small enough to fit her. Perhaps it was a boy's outfit. A teenage boy?

Bella looked to Angela. "What is the meaning of this?"

Her eyes were wide. "I don't know, My Lady. My Lord left instructions to tell you to get dressed and how to do your hair."

"My hair?"

Angela nodded. "He'll be here shortly. Let's be quick."

Still confused, Bella changed into the outfit. They were loose but a decent enough fit. She cinched the rope belt tightly about her waist. She didn't argue when Angela guided her to sit and began to brush out her hair. Angela tied her hair in a tight braid and then piled it up out of the way on her head.

Angela had just done the last pin when there was a rap on the door immediately followed by it swinging open. Edward had explained it wasn't that he didn't want to give her privacy. Husbands simply didn't knock on their wives' doors.

Bella stood, her cheeks flaming. Even though it was he who'd given her the clothes, they still felt odd. When his eyes raked up and down her body, she ducked her head. "I must look ridiculous."

Edward offered his hand, and when she took it, she looked up. He smiled, and she could swear even in the dim light of the room that his eyes danced. "You would make a plain sack look lovely, Isabella. Beauty is in your very nature."

Now Bella flushed for much different reasons, and a strange smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She covered it with her free hand. "Do you have some adventure planned for us that necessitated my not wearing a dress?" To her surprise, her tone came out on the borderline of teasing. She looked to him, hoping she wasn't in trouble.

If anything, his grin grew wider. "An adventure?" He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and opened the door for them. "I'm afraid not. I think a proper adventure would require us to go quite a bit further than we are."

"That's not necessarily so. My gran used to say that anyone with an imagination may have an adventure any time." She smiled, remembering. "But then, she was known to stare into space at parties. Many thought she was simple. In reality, she was a well-learned woman with a taste for bawdy jokes. Or so I would assume. When she told one around me—for I was very little when she died—my mother would be scandalized."

"And you, Lady Isabella?" Edward looked and sounded amused. "Is that what you think about when you're so quiet? Adventures?"

Bella paused, wondering if she should be honest. But if he'd had no quarrel at her pouring her wine in Sir Alistair's glass, he would likely not think much of this. "Romances," she confessed, looking down at her feet.

She often made up stories about the glances across the room, the handshakes that lingered too long.

"Oh," Edward said, drawing the word out. "Scandalous romances?"

Unable to help herself, she giggled—a small, short sound. "And clandestine."

"Well, I would love to hear of these scandalous, clandestine romances, wife, but I fear we have reached our destination." He opened a door and waved a hand. "After you."

As with most castles, there were rooms long forgotten that served no real use. This was one such room. It was empty saved for the odd piece of furniture shoved to a far corner. Light filtered in, but someone, likely Edward, had scattered candles around the very edges of the room.

Bella turned back to her husband in time to see him stoop to pick something up that leaned against the wall. She gasped, and she knew her eyes must have lit up as she grinned. "You were serious?"

He proffered her a sword. "Of course. I am a man of my word."

"I didn't mean to offend, My Lord."

"And you did not. Here." He stepped closer and put the sword in her hand. He kept his hand cupped under hers as he moved to stand behind and beside her, close enough that she could feel his warmth against her back. "Now, the first thing to know is that swordplay is all about balance. If you don't have balance, your blade will only serve to work against you. You'll end up on your pretty rear end as soon as anything."

Bella flushed but she snickered. She was breathless already, excited, and she made herself take a deep breath. She very much wanted to be a good student.

"A good sword has a good balance—the weight of it equal to what your arm can withstand." He took his hand away from hers, though he continued to stand close enough that he could murmur in her ear. "You feel its weight?"

Bella shifted her stance and flexed her arm a bit, trying to find a comfortable position. "It's heavier than I imagined."

"Yes. Your arm will get stronger, but I've already ordered a sword made especially for you. It's lighter than this one, and very sharp."

"I hear that's the point." Bella's lip twitched. "Quite literally."

He chuckled, and the low sound sent a thrill down Bella's spine. She sucked in a sharp breath, and gave her head a quick shake to dispel whatever strange emotion had come over her. Again, she bade herself to concentrate. Her husband was doing her a great favor, and she wanted to show him what a quick study she could be.

For the next hour, he showed her how to hold her body. He put a hand to the small of her back and guided her arm into place. He gently nudged his foot against hers to widen her stance. His chest against her back, he guided her arm in a thrusting motion, all the while speaking in a low, commanding voice in her ear.

"Good," he said when she demonstrated the stances he showed her. "Very good, Isabella. You're very agile."

She liked that he seemed so pleased with her and redoubled her efforts even when her arm began to ache and tremble. He'd been right about balance. Several times she had to catch herself, stumbling a step or widening her stance before she fell flat on her face.

One such a time, as she stepped back out of a thrust, she rendered herself off balance. She swung her arms wide, including her sword arm.

"Whoa!" Edward yelped, ducking out of the way.

Bella tried to correct herself, pulling her sword arm in closer, and only managed to make the situation worse. There was a loud clatter as the sword fell to the ground, and Bella cried out as she began to fall.

She didn't hit the ground. Instead, she found herself caught up in Edward's embrace. He'd curled an arm around her waist and brought her flush against him so her hands fell open on his chest. She blinked up at him, stunned and breathless. In an instant, the very air changed. It was heated and charged, like fire and static. She licked her lips.

The motion drew Edward's eyes from hers down, and his gaze lingered. In a movement she didn't register before she'd already done it, she tilted her head up. She felt the heat of his exhale, and then his lips were on hers.

Bella's head swam, and her heart beat seemed to send fire and lightning straight down to her toes. She whimpered, though not in fear. It was just that the emotion that came over her then was more than she knew what to do with. He overwhelmed her every sense. He sparked in her a hunger she'd never known. Her hands went up over his chest to tangle in the hair at his neck. His body engulfed her, and yet it seemed to her he wasn't close enough.

Seconds. Long seconds passed, and yet they were gone in a heartbeat. He broke the kiss with a soft whine. His eyes were closed. Bella stilled, not at all sure what she would do if she allowed herself to move. Would she duck out of his embrace? Likely not. She had the odd sensation that if she moved, it would be to pull him back down to her mouth, and that seemed…

Inappropriate? Wrong?

No. Neither of those things.

Edward sighed and rested his forehead against hers. He brought his hands up to cradle her face and kissed her again. This kiss was gentle, achingly so, and fleeting. "We'll be missed at dinner, Isabella."

"Bella," she said, surprised she could speak at all. As it was, her voice was thin and breathless.

He opened his eyes and took her hands in his. "What?"

She looked down at his chest a moment before summoning her courage. It seemed so impossible that this could be a good thing. "Will you call me Bella? I prefer it."

He smiled, lifting his head to look her in the eyes. He brought their joined hand up to brush the back of his knuckle over one cheek. "Bella." He cleared his throat and took a small step away from her, dropping one hand, but keeping the other tightly in his. "Shall we? We have to change before dinner."

Bella nodded. She felt strangely as though she could float back to her room.

As she dressed for dinner, she could hold back her thoughts no longer. It occurred to her that at some point tonight she had stopped wondering if Edward's kindness was some elaborate game made to destroy her soul once and for all. Now, she couldn't help but wonder if she could really have the small happiness that had bloomed in her chest.

Happiness, she had learned a long time ago, was a dangerous thing to have.

A/N: Many thanks to MoH, Mina, Betsy, Eleanor, and Packeh.

How we doing out there, sweet peas?