The sun had set for the evening, as Junior sat at the end of his bed, lost in thought. The sound of rolling thunder made its presence known, clouds strobing out of the corner of his eye. The silence that filled his room, partnered with the breeze was enough to lull him to sleep. He probably would have dozed off if It hadn't been for his thoughts- eating away at him slowly.

He didn't know how he dodged such a bullet. Granted; Roy still hadn't made eye contact with Junior since the events at their early dinner, but Roy hadn't sought him out either. It had been a good hour or so since their meals were finished and everyone had gone back to their own plans of relaxation. Junior tried to come up with several excuses for his feelings towards the princess, but all of them could easily be followed up with "You're lying," or "Thats exactly what dad said," Although the situation was different entirely. His heart sank to his stomach slowly, the feeling of dispair creeping into its place.

The silence Junior had grown used to suddenly was disturbed, by the light sound of footsteps. He silently prayed that It was nobody who was going to bother him- Especially about the princess. The sound grew near, and Junior felt himself exhale softly as the steps stopped right outside his door which rest ajar. He turned his head, expecting to see one of his siblings cursing his name. Rather He saw a curly head of pink hair staring up at him, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Junior looked to his left and right, as if to wonder what she could have possibly come to his room for. This was the last person he'd expect to show up. He wondered if Roy was shortly behind her.

"A-are you lost?" He asked, wondering if that was a stupid question. She shook her head, only making him more confused. Her hands were behind her back, yet she stood confidently in front of her uncle as if to be waiting for something.

"Well uh-" He began, rubbing the back of his neck lightly, trying to think of what she'd possibly want. "What did you-"

"Is it true?"

Juniors eyes went wide, before his brow furrowed. He was shocked at her sudden clarity. "Is... what true?" He asked back. She furrowed her brows to match his. "That you love princesses?"

Juniors face went hot at the thought of this question. He thought about the past his family had with princesses, and for a mere second wondered if she knew of it as well. "Only one." He said under his tongue, though loud enough for the little girl to hear. She took a few steps closer as her eyes perked a little bit. "Oh! Which one?!" She asked excitedly.

'Which one' ? What was this little girl talking about? Would she really know any princess?

Junior paused a moment before responding. His face was still hot as he pondered for a moment on if he should tell her the truth or not. He decided It would be best not to do any lying.

"Princess Annabelle Toadstool." He said, feeling weird about using her last name in a romantic way. It didn't sound very good when it came to convincing others who were aware of his fathers past that things were 'different'.

Tabitha's eyes grew wide, as it seemed she immediately knew who Junior was talking about. "Oh wow! She's my favorite too!" She squealed loudly, quickly lunging to the edge of Juniors bed, lifting her two hands up, trying to pull herself on top of the large mattress. He couldn't help but chuckle under his breath at the events. "Your favorite?" He asked, before noticing the little girl struggle. He grabbed her lightly under the arms and gave her a boost which she accepted but quickly brushed off to seem as though she'd done it herself.

"Yes! Even though she's new, She's definitely my favorite." Tabitha said to Junior, as if her logic was common. She's new? None of her answers were solving his questions it seemed.

"How do you know Bella? " Junior asked, genuinely curious. The little girls confidence seemed to shake, as she held her hands together and looked at her feet. "Well I mean, I don't know her personally-" She admitted, before her expression softened. "I've always wanted to though! She seems so nice and beautiful!"

Junior smirked. "She really is." He said vaguely, more to himself than to his niece, although she stared at him in awe at his words. "You've.. Met her?!" She said, almost climbing to her knees. He smirked at her, thinking about how Bella would react knowing she had a fan. "Well yeah. We were Best friends." He added, feeling a slight pinch at his heart when calling her just a 'best friend'.

"What the hell are you doing?"

There was a voice at the door that caused Juniors blood to run cold. It was that of Roy- who stood tall in the doorway. Tabitha seemed frightened as well, as if she knew she wasn't supposed to be there. Junior just stared at his brother, who's stare pierced back at him.

"Tabitha, Goodness you scared us!" A worried Lydia called from the hallway, rushing past her husband who didn't break eye contact. "Mommy, I was fine!" She said back in an annoyed tone, still curious about Juniors encounter with the princess. "You cannot just run off without telling us where you're going, Tabitha. Understand?" Lydia scolded, turning around and beginning to walk out of the room. "Yeah, but I was just in the middle of talking to uncle!" She called from the hallway, her voice still audible in Juniors ears. He would have laughed at the fact that she was the only one who'd listened to him about Bella if It hadn't been for a very bothered Roy who still stood in the doorway.

"Who do you think you are?! Spreading your lies with my daughter?" Roy said loudly, obviously trying to intimidate his younger brother. Junior still sat on the edge of his bed, anger slightly starting to build. His words- His tone- His body language were all signs that he'd obviously seen Junior as something other than family at this point. He knew he deserved punishment for taking part in his dads schemes but He didn't deserve to be called a liar.

"They're not lies." Junior said boldly, staring back at Roy with fierce eyes.

"Yeah, like a princess would ever want to be with someone like you." He said back coldly.

"Roy!" Lydia called, still standing behind her husband, obviously thinking he was going to far to prove his point. Tabitha seemed to have a surprisingly mature sympathetic look on her face. Juniors fists grabbed hold of the comforter that sit underneath him, figting the urge to say something back at his brothers sharp words. He'd heard it all, but it didnt make it any better at this point.

"A lying, manipulative captor." He scowled.

"Roy, stop it!" Lydia called again. Both men were not backing down at this point, although Roy was obviously trying to force his brother into a corner.

"I'd never hurt Bella."

"As if you haven't already."

Junior stood up, almost involuntarily. His blood was almost boiling, as he could feel his temper creeping out of him.

"I love her." He said back. Roy cracked his neck slightly before calling to his wife over his shoulder.

"Take Tabitha and go to our guest room." He said flatly, still locking eyes with Junior who essentially knew what Roy's words meant. Lydia's brow furrowed, as it appeared she knew what it meant too. "This is not how to solve this petty argument!" She said back to her husband who seemed to scowl. "Petty? 10 years of my life were a living hell, and now its Petty?!" He said back.

"He's your brother for heavens sake!" Lydia responded .

"Hardly." Roy said back, shooting daggers into his brothers chest.

"Don't say things like that!" Lydia protested to her husband, pleading for him to calm down and let the argument go. Nothing seemed to be calming down Roy however.

"At least Dad could admit he was wrong. This idiot is still living in his mind."

"Shut up!" Junior shouted, feeling rather kidlike after his outburst. "Or what? You gonna' come over here and make me?" He said, responding in a rather kidlike way as well. If Junior wasn't so furious he'd probably laugh at the scenario.

"Knock it off!" Lydia said again, still not getting though to anyone.

"Or are you saving your energy for more kidnapping?" Roy called, ignoring his wife's plea.

"You don't know anything about us!" Junior shouted once more, getting even closer to his brother.

"Neither do you, you delusional Bastard!" Roy said back, raising his voice.

Roy's words seemed to push Junior forward, as he gave his older brother a shove that knocked him off his balance.

Lydia began to race down the hall, with Tabitha in her arms, who was still egarly looking at her father and uncle, not wanting to leave. Lydia however knew what was about to happen, and didn't want their daughter to be around to see it.

Roy grunted loudly, as he caught his balance before delivering a blow right to Juniors head, causing him to fall to the ground. He caught his balance with a firm hand, but didn't look back to Roy or even attempt to fight back. His heart was racing as he knew he'd let his anger get the best of him and that furthering the argument wouldn't make anything better. Looking at the floor below him, dark red spots marked the white tile. As Juniors adrenaline settled itself, he slowly started to notice a throbbing pain on the left side of his nose.

"Not so tough now, huh!?" Roy shouted down to his brother, who sit on the floor, nose still bleeding aggressively. He took a few steps towards his brother, lifting a leg as if to kick him.

"Roy! Don't you dare!" Lydia shouted, rushing up and grabing her husband from behind, pulling him away. "He's got to learn a lesson!" Roy yelled back blindly, his rage obviously getting the better of him.

"You've sure taught Tabitha one!" Lydia responded, causing Roy to seemingly stop at once. His eyes went wide, as he immediatley realized what he was doing. How could he set an example like this for his daughter? He scanned the room for her, wondering if she'd seen what had just happened. His scanning eyes met with his younger brother, who sat on the floor with a light pool of blood below his head. It was the first time in a long time that he'd felt regret.

Without a word, he turned back to his wife who stared at him with pleading eyes. Roy shook his head and walked out of the room quickly, probably in search for his daughter.

Lydia's gaze followed her husband as he left. She let out a sigh before turning to Junior, who still didn't look up to face the room. Her eyes followed the red drops that feel from his unseen face.

"Oh my gosh..." She said, words filled with remorse. She ran into the bathroom that was attached to the guest room they were in.

Junior now felt the pain in his nose as his adrenaline was now worn off. He was breathing heavily, trying to take his mind of of it. He heard Lydia turn on the faucet in the bathroom and silently groaned. He didn't want to face anyone after what had just happened.

"Here," She began, hurrying out of the bathroom, with a white washcloth in hand. She held it out to Junior, who lifted a hand up opposingly. "Let me help you..." She plead, staring to him with saddened eyes. Junior audibly groaned before surrendering. He moved from his knees into a sitting position, his back against the bed. He looked at Lydia as if to say 'Are you happy now?'.

The source of the blood was obviously his nose, which was now begining to bruise. She silently gasped, as her eyes narrowed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want it to end like that." She said, bringing the towel up to his face and wiping the red from his face. Juniors face grew warm with embarasment, as it was obvious he'd been 'put in his place'. It still didnt change the way he felt about Bella, however.

"Thank you, though."

Junior made eye contact with Lydia, who now wore a light smirk on her face. He was confused by her words. She seemed to take note of this, and explained for him.

"I know you could have fought back but you didnt. Thank you."

Junior respected this, even though it didnt make him feel any less stuck and confused.

"Wouldn't have made a difference." Junior spoke flatly. Lydia knew this as well, but was rather surprised to hear it come out of his mouth. She'd always been told by Roy that his youngest brother was a complete replica of his father- having the same negative quirks. Of course it was possible for him to grow out of such a phase, it seemed as though Roy was misjuding his brother completley.

She brought the stained cloth down from Juniors face, as she looked to the ground.

"I'm sure you must understand how this looks," She began, assuming he did. Junior understood more than anyone how it had looked. His father had said the same things Junior was parroting. Certainty of mutual feelings regaurless of the outcome. It didnt give Junior much credability, even though the words Junior spoke had an entirely different meaning and truth.

"Being what your fathers past is, and all."

Junior felt a twitch in his chest, as if to be suddenly offened by her words.

"It's not the same." He said boldly, staring deep into her eyes with a slightly furrowed brow. Lydia was taken aback by this, as this was the first time he ever really looked at her- let alone in such a fierce way. Silence filled the air, as Lydia swallowed hard- choosing her words carefully.

"How do we know for sure?"

Junior opened his mouth to protest, but before he spoke, he realized she was right. His word was simply his word, and if they thought he was as untrustworthy as they did, there was no getting through to them at this point.

"You dont." He sighed, eyes falling.

Lydia looked saddened by this. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she wanted him to understand where they were coming from.

Junior stood up shakily, as Lydia immediatley offered to help. His palm faced her direction, motioning her to stay away.

"Please just leave." He said flatly to her, as he sat on his bed. "Nothing will be solved If I-"

"I said leave," he inturupted, his voice cracking. "Please..."

She looked at him yet again with a different expression. Her heart seemed to crack at the sound of his voice, obviously showing the emotional state he was in. She sighed, accepting defeat as she turned around. Light sobs could be heard as she forced herself to walk away from the situation.

o0o0o0o0o

Bella stood out on her balcony, listening to the light thunder that rolled in the distance. A light wind brushed itself across her bare shoulders causing her to strech her neck a bit, allowing the breeze to lift the hair that rest on her back.

The lights in toad town all began to illuminate the darkness that was falling suddenly. Toad children were still laughing and playing even though the sun was starting to rest. She gazed in its direction for a moment, lost in thought.

"He must look at the same sun." She said, thinking about the special person she'd been missing. "Aspen." She said, furrowing her brow slighly. It was the third time that week her brain had convinced her that maybe her true love could have been someone else.

Every moment Bella spent with Aspen, was another moment that was making her realize how awful Aspen was. She couldn't believe she'd felt these special feelings for someone so narcasistic. He would always talk about himself. In fact, the only time he'd ever even shown interest in Bella was when he was making her feel violated and uncomfortable. She knew it couldn't last forever with him. Breaking the news would be the hard part- even though he was rude and selfish Bella didnt want to hurt his feelings. She let out a sigh before looking back at her kingdom below her.

"There you are, kitten."

Annabelles blood ran cold, as she turned around quickly at the sound of Aspens voice.

"A-Aspen? How did you get in here?" She said, utterly confused as to why the ice prince was standing in front of her in her dimly lit room. It was as if he was reading her mind. He gazed at her with a suggestive smirk, as she blinked quickly, almost wishing he was just a hallucination from her lack of sleep.

"Im practically family here, don't be so coy." He said, smile widening as he stepped closer to the princess who gripped tightly to the railing that was behind her. Her heart beated faster, as she giggled nervously. "You weren't supposed to be here yet. We had another hour until I was supposed to meet you by the garden. " The breeze picked up on the balcony as Aspen made his way to it, cornering the princess.

"I know, I just wanted some alone time with my girlfriend." He said smoothly, words rolling off his tounge as if he'd said the same phrase a million times. The princess stared into his eyes, still managing to get lost in them even though his company made her uncomfortable.

The princess opened her mouth to speak, before being cut off by a loud voice.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Toadette said, brow furrowed as she marched into Bellas room. The princess hadn't been so relieved to see her best friend. Aspen rolled his eyes before turning to the toad girl. "Bella invited me here," He lied, before turning back to the princess who was still confused at his words. "Why are your servants so out of line?"

Bella's brow furrowed, as did Toadette's. His words sparked some confidence in her, fueled by anger. "Toadette isn't a servant, she's my friend."

The toad girl smiled as she was glad her friend stood up for her.

Aspen seemed displeased by this answer, as his face turned to a look of confusion. "Cute," He joked, before turning back to Toadette who's smile turned to a look of disgust. "You must meet with a guard before entering the gates. That is an Order." She said boldly. Aspen didnt say anything, but also didn't look phased at her words. Bella stood behind the prince in shock at his behavior. He was acting like a child.

"If you don't follow the kingdoms orders, I'm afraid I'll have to get the king involved." The pink clad toad said, confidence strong in her voice. She remembered what Mario had said about Aspen, and she was more than looking forward to finally having something done about it. The princess blushed anxiously at the mention of her father being brought into all this.

Aspen made his way to Bella's bed, and sat down on it, protesting Toadette's words. "Tell him I'm waiting."

Bella gasped under her breath at the absurd way the prince was handling this situation. Toadette rolled her eyes before gritting her teeth and quickly rushing to get the king.

"What was that all about?" Bella said loudly, snapping at the ice prince who still looked unchanged. "As I mentioned before," he began, crossing his legs, and patting the seat next to him. "I want some alone time... with you."

Bella cringed at his advance, and furrowed her brow. "That's not how you're going to get it. My fathers on his way now." She said, crossing her arms, looking down to him. It was the first time she felt confident when facing him.

Instead of the scowl that the princess expected to see on his face, she noticed a look of sadness wash over the prince. "It's been so hard, Annabelle."

She felt the guilt prick itself into her heart as she dropped her arms with a sigh. She sat down next to Aspen, and rested a head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry for being so selfish." She said, half heatedly. She tried to remember how he was acting just a few moments ago. He said nothing, and didn't try to make any further advancements on the princess. This filled her with more guilt- maybe he was finally being heartfelt?

Suddenly, the door opened loudly, to reveal an upset king, followed by an equally as upset Toadette. Peach followed behind, peeking a head into view. She wore a distressed expression. They'd gotten there fast.

"What is this I hear about sneaking into our home?" He said boldly, catching Aspens eyes. His expression lacked his normal confidence, and for the first time in a long time, he actually looked weak.

"Daddy," Bella said lightly, catching everyone's attention. "I can handle this. It's okay."

A light gasp was heard from Toadette, while Mario and Peach simply looked to their daughter with faces of worry. "But Bella, He's been doing nothing but hurting you!" Toadette said boldly, causing the king and queen to gasp lightly, both wanting Aspen to leave their kingdom immediatley. They still wanted to see their daughters side of the story.

She didn't say anything back, and appeared to be lost in thought which made their anger towards Aspen all the more strong.

"She's right, I have been."

All eyes moved to the ice prince, who sit visibly defeated on the edge of the princesses bed. "I've done nothing but hurt her. I should have been more patient with her because of the amnesia."

The kind and queen seemed rather shocked by this confession from the prince. Had they really misjudged him so soon?

Bella shook her head. "Its fine," she spoke, looking to Aspen, and then sincerely to her parents. "Really."

They seemed confused as to what she meant by this. "I can handle this on my own." She clarified, causing Mario and Peach to sigh heavily while Toadette's mouth hang open in shock. She didn't protest the princess any longer, however.

"We trust you." Peach said, placing a hand on her husbands shoulder as if to remind him of their conversation earlier that month. Mario smiled to himself, before reaching a hand to his shoulder and covering hers.

"Thank you." Bella said sincerely with a smile and a light bow, before the king and queen left. Toadette stared at the princess longer than the king and queen did, still unsure of her motives, but eventually turned and left as well.

"Well, at least that's over with. I was beginning to think they'd never lea-" Aspen began, before being cut off.

"We cant do this anymore."

The Ice prince's eyes widened, as he wasn't sure he'd heard the princess correctly. "What?" He said through clenched teeth.

The defeated princess turned to face Aspen. She wore a frown, though she was very happy that she was ending this scenario between them.

"I think we should see other people." She said boldly. She had hardly any interest in anyone- even though the feelings in her chest still lingered. She couldn't believe they were for Aspen anymore.

The Ice Prince stared at her in silence for a moment, his brow slowly furrowing while his fists clenched. "You're dumping me?"

Annabelle's eyes went wide as she blinked a few times. "I wouldn't say dumping-" she began before being cut off by a now enraged Aspen.

"No no no, you're dumping me?" He asked again as he stood up, and placed a hand over his chest. The way he was parading himself made Bella sick. "I guess so." She said back, starting to loose patience.

Aspen scoffed, seeming to be in disbelief. "That is not how this works, princess." He said, rather assertively. Bella's brow furrowed.

"Excuse me?!" She responded, placing her hands on her hips. She wished she'd listened to Toadette at this point.

"I've been trying so hard to make this work again, and you keep shutting me down- and now you're done with me? Have you used me enough?" He said, sending guilty daggers into Bella's chest. Although Bella Never used Aspen, she couldn't help but feel like she was still in the wrong. Her confidence wasn't very high when she was around him and she hated it.

"Its not like that." She said back, less powerful than before. "Then don't do this." Aspen said, catching the princess off guard. She internally groaned at the thought of him making this difficult.

"Aspen," She sighed. "Please. Not yet." He replied, changing his tone almost instantly. Bella's immediate thought was to shut him down, but after not speaking for a second she considered his offer. "Your kingdoms fall ball is coming up. Let me court you." He said, walking closer to her, eyes softening. She found herself staring into them yet again. "Okay." She replied, causing Aspen to smile. He opened his arms to hug her, and Bella accepted. She was slightly disapointed in herself for letting Aspen change her mind yet again. She just hoped she was making the right decision.


New art has been posted to the DeviantArt I made for this account! The name is the same on there as it is here if you're interested!