A/N: Let's see how how this all turns out.

Bella was torn. She wanted very much for Rosalie of House Hale to like her. Though the marriage had been arranged, like most of their gentry, to strengthen allegiances, Emmett was quite obviously fond of his wife. He'd told Bella in confidence that he thought their marriage was much like that of his and Bella's parents. They were strangers, indifferent to each other at first, who'd found enough common ground to genuinely enjoy each other.

Among other things, Rosalie was shrewd and brave. She never once balked at being afield with her husband. This latest trip wasn't the first time she'd acted as emissary, speaking to other nobles on Emmett's behalf.

Beyond that, Bella had always wanted a sister. Her family had been decimated. There was some hope in her that, when this madness finally ended, they might find some semblance of what they'd once had. It could never been what it should have been, but then again, she wouldn't have Edward if all had been well in the world.

Therein lay her predicament. Edward was the one and only gift this mess had left her with. She loved her husband, and would gladly kill to protect him. It wasn't a helpful thought when the person currently antagonizing him was her sister-in-law.

Edward had told Bella gently but firmly that he could handle Rosalie. Thus, she was regulated to standing off to the side as Rosalie interrogated him. Bella had to remind herself that she should not challenge her husband in front of others.

"What is that look on your face, little sister?" Emmett came to sit beside her and handed her a glass.

Taking it from him, she nodded her head in Edward and Rosalie's direction. "I was considering the fact that it seems I'm destined to have intimidating sisters-in-law."

Emmett scoffed. "Rosalie and Jane. That's a battle I'd pay good coin to see."

Bella shuddered, and wrapped her arms around herself. She didn't care to have Jane near any of her loved ones, though she supposed that eventuality was inevitable. "And neither of them like Edward very much," she said, trying to joke. "You did tell your wife she could trust my husband, didn't you?"

"You were there when I did." Emmett looked both bemused and charmed as he watched the verbal sparring match. "It's a good union between us, but we're working on the part where she trusts my judgment in all things." He glanced at Bella and smiled, his eyes sad. "She cannot fathom that he hasn't taken advantage of you."

Despite the fact she felt protective of Edward, Bella had recognized that Rosalie was furious on her behalf. When they were introduced, Rosalie had smoothed her hair and hugged her close, murmuring quiet comforts in her ear.

A wave of dizziness washed over Bella as her memories took her back to things she'd tried hard not to think about. She put a hand to her temple, bowing her head.

"Bella?" Emmett put a hand to her back. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," she said, her voice shaky. "Just...there are too many things I'd rather not have in my head."

He scoffed. "Yes, that I understand." Taking her wrist gently, he raised the hand with the glass. "Take a drink. It'll help."

Bella obediently raised the glass to her lips and sipped. She nearly choked, expecting water and getting spirits instead. "Now isn't the time for your pranks," she said, somewhat irritated.

Emmett raised an eyebrow. "We are, you and I, no longer children. I figured you could use a spot before we break up this match." He nodded in the direction of their spouses.

Bella ducked her head. Here her brother was attempting to treat her as a grown woman, and she had snapped at him. Chastised, she took another sip, managing not to wince. "Well, I'm not sure we're the ones who need it most."

With that, Bella stood and went to Edward under the guise of a dutiful wife bringing her husband refreshment. She stepped to his side, wrapping his fingers around the goblet.

He turned to her, some of the tension draining from his features. "Thank you, My Lady. You are, as ever, good to me."

"A favor My Lord returns," Bella said pointedly, tilting her head up.

Edward smiled wider as he pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. "I was trying to assure our new sister of exactly that."

Rosalie grimaced. "You'll pardon me if I know better than to trust the silver Masen tongue. Your family is well known for their scheming. It's what makes you valuable to the royal family."

"Precisely, and I have publicly recognized this royal family." He gestured between her and Emmett.

"Your Grace. Sister, I can assure you My Lord is sincere both in his loyalty to my brother and his affection to me," Bella said, coming to take Rosalie's hand. "He would never do anything to harm me."

As she spoke, the scent of Rosalie's perfume wafted under her nose. It caught her off guard. The strength of it set her head spinning again, and she fainted dead away.

~0~

When she opened her eyes again, she was alone in the tent with only Rosalie at her side. The other woman looked displeased. Bella's stomach twisted.

"What did I do?" she whispered.

"Oh, Bella." Rosalie rested a cool, damp cloth over her forehead. "You didn't do a thing, lovey."

"Then what happened?" Her mind became increasingly less muddled. "Where is my husband?"

"With Emmett, outside." Rosalie pushed her gently back down when Bella tried to rise. "We've something to discuss first. How long has it been since your courses last came on you?"

She said the words with such tender compassion that Bella didn't process them at first. When she was sure she'd heard right—it was such a personal question—she reckoned back for the answer. When she remembered, she gasped quietly. "Oh," she said, her voice barely a breath. "Oh!" She sat up straight and put her hands to her mouth.

Rosalie squeezed her shoulders. "It'll be—"

She cut off when Bella giggled. Bella tried to stop, but her emotions spiraled, this time in the most wonderful way. Rosalie watched her, her look skeptical at first, but then she smiled. She took Bella's hands. "This is happy news, then."

"I… Well…" Bella flushed hot. "It's a frightening and uncertain time, but this is as it should be, is it not? This is right?" Despite herself, she searched her new sister's eyes, desperate for the assurance her mother would have given in such a time.

Rosalie's smile grew wider, and she put a hand to Bella's cheek. "You love your husband. Well and truly."

"Yes," Bella said instantly, surprised at the question. It was impertinent to say the least, and many nobles would have said it was beside the point regardless. Love was for peasants.

Rosalie nodded. "I thought perhaps you were determined to do your duty. Marriage, though arranged by man, is supposedly sanctioned by the gods. But then again, the gods supposedly put that tyrant in control, and you took care of that, didn't you?" She patted Bella's cheek. "Your husband has earned my trust then. No woman is glad to bear a brute's child, after all. I shall fetch him, and you may tell him the happy news."

She stood and hurried to the entrance of the tent before Bella could say another word. Her heart beat faster as she heard Edward's frightened voice.

"At your ease, brother," Rosalie said sounding amused now. "There's nothing wrong with our Bella that won't be resolved in good time. Go tend to your wife, My Lord."

Edward darted to her side then, his face pinched with worry. He fell to his knees at her pallet and took her hands in his. "What is it, beloved? What's wrong?"

"Shhh." Bella's voice trembled, and she knew she was shaking. Her face too was clammy, and Edward's concern only grew when he cupped her cheek. "Well, if all goes right when we get to Casterly Port…" She took a deep breath. It was ridiculous that she felt so shy. She looked up at him from under her eyelashes. "You may tell your people that they will soon have a little lord to spoil."

Edward's eyebrows furrowed. Then, they arched to his hairline in surprise. He sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. "A child?" he asked in a whisper.

She nodded, watching his face. She wanted to smile, but not until she saw his.

He didn't smile. He beamed. He looked down and spread a hand over her flat belly with a look of reverence on his face she'd never seen. Finally, he looked up to her. "It was some weeks ago, then?"

Bella laughed—a giddy, fluttery sound. She put her hand over his. A child conceived in total freedom, when they were not a lord and lady, but two lovers who only need be concerned with each other.

Edward put two fingers under her chin, tilting her head up so he could kiss her. It was a soft but fervent kiss. Sweet yet deep. She sighed, melting against him.

When their kiss broke, his breath was hot against her face. "Gods, I do love you, Bella," he whispered. "I didn't know. I couldn't fathom life could be like this."

She snorted but, pleased, ducked her head against his neck. "Like what? Running from all you've ever known? Getting involved with an upstart who has no business being a king."

He chuckled. "Such is life." He put his hand back to her belly. "There can be so much pain and suffering. But such beauty too."

"We are beautiful."

~Edward~

"Are you ready for this, Lord Edward?"

Edward scoffed. His eyes were trained on the high walls of his childhood home. They looked intimidating now in a way they never had before. For good reason. If Emmett's men were to attack head on they'd win, but at a great loss. It was why Emmett had never tried to take the port.

Despite his misgivings about what was about to transpire, when he turned to his king, he smiled with the air of a much more confident man. "Since when has being ready ever done anything for anyone? We simply get things done regardless."

"That's as good a strategy as any I've heard," Emmett said, flashing an equally faux-confident grin back at him. "Shall we?"

Edward looked to his side, and reached out his hand. Beside him, his wife looked like a dream. She was, as Emmett promised, dressed in finery befitting a great lady. Rouge covered the worst of her pique, poor, queasy darling. Bella took his hand and he squeezed her fingers. "I'll be back to you shortly."

She looked worried, but like Edward and her brother, she pretended confidence. "Be safe, My Lord."

Emmett's army stopped a good distance from the main gates, well within view. The standing army of Casterly Port watched from the walls, armed and ready for their orders. They wouldn't attack, Edward knew. Not while Emmett's army was right outside their gate. Still, he knew their arrows were trained right at his chest.

He pulled his horse to a stop and called up to the guard. "Has it truly been so long, or do you not recognize a son of Casterly Port."

There was a commotion, and Caius pushed to the front of the guard. He set his hands on the wall, leaning over it slightly, a scowl on his face. "I recognize the filth who has murdered the great lord of this place. How dare you come here, dog?"

Edward lifted his head high. Rather than address Caius, he addressed the men at the wall. "Countrymen. Long have you languished here without the benefit of fit leadership."

"How dare you? You—"

Edward ignored Caius's protest and pushed forward. "My father left you so many years ago on your own to serve the whims of an unjust king. You can see I come with friends and the promise of a brighter future under a new king. A king who will not ignore your plight anymore than I will. There is, I know, no reason for you to trust me. So I ask, as the rightful heir of Casterly Port, that you listen to me. If you don't like what I have to say, by all means, I swear to you I will leave you in peace. But if I do, you will be subject to Volturi rule once again."

"Let you and your army in the door?" Caius scoffed. "No one here is that foolish. You insult these fine men."

"No tricks. I—"

"This from a coward?" One of the guard—the captain, by his dress—shouted. "Tell me, coward. Will you stab Lord Caius in the back as you did your father."

"I stabbed my father in his chest," he said in a practiced tone that betrayed neither his shame nor his horror. He hopped off his horse, letting his cloak slide to the ground. "You think me a coward? Fine. Come down, and best me in a fight. One on one. Or, if you prefer, send your best fighter."

A murmur went through the guard. Peasants were beginning to gather at the gate, staring at the spectacle.

"Not just to prove my bravery, but I mean to protect our people," Edward said the captain. "And I'm willing to spill my own blood to do it." He let that set in for a few moments before he spoke again. "Captain, tell me. Would the lord you currently serve so much as dirty his fine clothes in the name of our people?"

He let his stance slip into a more open one and gestured behind him. "I have no desire to leave my wife without her husband." In spite of himself, his lips quirked up at the corner. "Nor my son without a father. Nor my people without a lord who has their best interest at heart. Open the gate, Captain. Our great city has a bright future ahead."

"This is madness," Caius snarled. "I—"

"My Lord Edward. Bring your bride and her brother," the captain said. "Bring them alone, and perhaps we have something to say to each other."

"Captain. This is treason," Caius insisted.

"No, My Lord. I am pledged to House Masen. The queen mother has not yet sent so much as a word."

"The kingdom is in turmoil! This dog's bitch has murdered our king."

"And before that, our departed Lord Masen had likewise sought to look to the higher kingdom, leaving us to languish." The captain shook his head. "No, My Lord. If there is a Lord of House Masen left to serve, I must know." He looked to Edward and nodded. "I'll meet you at the gate, Lord Edward."

Edward nodded at the captain. He turned to see Emmett in conference with Peter. After a minute, he rode to Bella's side, and together, they went to join Edward.

~0~

Eleazar, Captain of the Guard of Casterly Port, sat quietly in his chair for a long while after Edward and Emmett made their case. He took a deep breath as he looked to Edward first.

"I feel, My Lord, it would be remiss not to say we may well have been having a very different conversation had your father survived that night. Lord Aro was many things, but the realm may have fared well if he were there to guide Demetri as he tried to guide Felix."

Edward glanced at his wife. She looked back, as nervous as he felt. He rested his hand on her knee and said nothing, watching as Eleazar stood and began to pace.

Emmett cleared his throat. "For what it's worth, Captain, I don't disagree. My quarrel may well have never begun had it been young Demetri who ascended to the throne. Nevertheless, Lord Aro left his own people to languish while the maniac king spilled blood across the land."

Eleazar smiled. "I'd heard it from some that the young King Swan was smarter than the stories would have me believe. It's true Lord Aro had not as much power as he wished, I think." Eleazar shook his head. "And our Lady Jane is vengeful, and she acts on a whim to satisfy her own vanity. I believe there is no good to come of the current rule, and I must act according to my own conscience."

"Captain—" Caius tried, but Eleazar raised a hand to stop him.

Taking another breath, Eleazar took a knee before Edward and bowed his head. "I renew my pledge to the Lord of House Masen. I vow to serve to the best of my ability, and follow your command."

"Rise, my friend." Edward likewise got to his feet and offered his hand. "I will rely on your council most heavily."

They shook, and Eleazar turned to Emmett who was also standing. He bowed low. "Your Grace. I will serve you as My Lord requires. I'm proud to serve you, King Emmett of House Swan, First of His Name."

Edward noticed that Bella covered a smile, hearing the full title for the first time. Emmett looked as queasy as his sister for a moment, but he clapped Eleazar's shoulder.

Edward privately hoped his wife would get used to hearing her brother referred to as such. The man had just orchestrated the taking of Casterly Port without a single life lost.

~0~

Some weeks later, life looked very different.

Emmett and his army, having left a garrison in place as promised, moved on. Carlisle, Jasper, and their families had made their way to Casterly Port where Carlisle would establish his new home.

Edward had yet to get used to the life of a proper lord. He heard petitions, and took care of his city. He received correspondence from Emmett on a weekly basis. The lad made good on his promise to keep Edward amongst his closest council.

Ironically, it seemed that Edward would fall naturally into his father's footsteps. He was one of the most powerful men in the realm, heir to his family's riches with a respected name. When Emmett ascended the throne, and all signs pointed to that eventuality, Edward would be Hand of the King. The king-maker, as Aro had been.

"I like watching you with your people," Bella said, helping him out of his cloak. "You're so very regal, My Lord."

She had a smile on he quite enjoyed. It was a smile he'd only begun to see recently as she accepted that she was safe and that this was her home.

"Your people are quickly coming to adore you," she said, handing his cloak to his valet. "Though not at as much as I do, of course." She ruffled his hair, finger combing it into an acceptable arrangement.

He caught her hand and brought her knuckles to his lips. He kissed her skin and then wrapped an arm around her, bringing her up against him. He let his fingertips brush over her cheek, traced the shape of her lips. "Our people adore you too, My lady. Perhaps more than they do their native son."

It was true. They showered her with gifts every day. And why shouldn't they? Bella was young, vivacious, kind, and the sister of their new high king. Soon, she would bear them a little lordling who would have their heart from the moment of his birth.

"Are you happy here, Bella?" he asked, swaying them gently. "Are you happy to call this your home?"

Her smile was serene and lovely. She looped her arms around his neck, biting her lip in that way young people did when they were giddy and so in love. It made Edward's blood tingle in his veins to see that look on her face. "I am happy," she whispered, brushing the tip of her nose against his. "So much happier than I ever thought I would be. Do you know, husband, that I think you have given me all my dreams?"

"How so, beloved?"

She kissed his lips sweetly. "I told you once. I dreamed I would marry a handsome, kind Lord." She took his face in her hands and grinned. "Have you seen your face lately?"

Edward's lip twitched.

"And I told you, I also wanted to do as my brothers would. To learn to wield swords and bows." She gasped with pleasure. "Oh, Edward. I like shooting bows."

He chuckled. "I know you do. You're good at it." He put his hand to her belly, filled with wonder as usual as he felt the swell there. "You'll have to stop soon," he said gently. "For a time. The people are superstitious about their little lordling. They'll worry."

"Oh, yes. They're the ones who will worry." She kissed him again. "I'm happy, Edward. So very happy."

"I am too, you know." He led her to their bed and sat, pulling her onto his lap. He settled her between his legs and cupped his hands over her belly, feeling the shape of their son. "It never occurred to me to have dreams. Better to live without wanting things that could be taken away. My father taught me that lesson early in life. And if I had dreamed, I would not have had the temerity to dream of this. Of you."

He sighed, resting his head against hers. "No, Bella. I think if my father knew what he was giving me, in forcing this union on us, he would never have done it. I'm happy." He laughed. "And we inadvertently changed the fate of the realm, didn't we?"

"We among others."

"Writing history." He sighed and kissed her hair. "So it goes."

~The End~

A/N: Yes, I will write a futuretake that gives us a glimpse of Emmett's reign.

So many thanks to Packy, Betsy, MoH, Eleanor, and Mina for everything they do for me. Thank you all for coming along on this journey. I know it was rougher than many.

Many hearts.