Hi everyone!

Thank you all again for all the lovely reviews and reads! As I'm slowly wrapping up this story (don't worry, we still have several chapters to go!) I wanted to give an update about what I might be doing next.

Currently, I'm brainstorming on rewriting this story from Edward's POV so we can get all the fun things we missed when he and Bella weren't together, going to Alynthia, being on trial, saving her, etc. I'll probably start posting the first chapter before this one is over so keep an eye out for that!

In addition to that, I'm trying to decide between a couple different story ideas. I'm still working out outlines, etc. and I've included those summaries at the bottom of this chapter.

Anyway, I'm excited to finish up this story and here is the next chapter!

"Edward, I'm fine," I assure him for what feels like the hundredth time. He was insistent that I go see Alice about my leg but I refused unless he promised to get checked out too. "You're in worse shape."

Edward is sitting across from me on a guest bed in a room I had only been in once or twice. It was in the opposite wing from my room and I hardly ever ventured over here when I still lived in the castle.

Alice disinfected the cut on my leg and bandaged it up. I didn't even need stitches. It still hurt a little but nothing unbearable. Edward, on the other hand, needed to have that cut above his brow stitched up, something he was not happy about.

I stand up, walking over to him until I'm standing between his legs. Alice is next to him finishing up the sutures. Edward would wince a little every time she stabbed into his skin, but he insisted he could barely feel it. By the way he's squeezing my hip, I beg to differ.

Alice cuts the excess thread and removes her gloves. "I did the best I could Edward, but it was really deep. You're probably gonna have one ugly scar," she jokes. "You better hope Bella doesn't leave you when you look like the Beast to her Beauty." She was definitely over exaggerating and Edward doesn't seem phased in the slightest.

"Oh, yeah? And what's your excuse?" He shoots back, a smile on his face.

Alice sticks her tongue out at him, packing up her supplies. "This is the thanks I get?" She shakes her head, heading out of the room.

"Thanks Ali! Love you!" Edward calls after her, still chuckling.

I do my best to bite back my jealousy at their easy sibling relationship and shift my focus to his face. "I think a scar would be sexy."

"Would you?" Edward smirks. He takes my hand, kissing my wrist. "I think you have a one-track mind, Mrs. Cullen."

I let out a happy sigh at the reminder that we're married. "Only when I'm around you."

"One time and you're insatiable," he teases, poking my waist.

It tickles and I can't help but let out a giggle. "If I remember correctly, you're the one who woke me up several times throughout the night for an encore. It's a miracle you were able to stay awake at all today."

"Can you blame me? I had just married the most beautiful girl in the world."

I feel my cheeks blush. "You flatter me."

"Hardly," Edward says, standing up. He takes my hand in his and we walk towards the door to find the others. Rosalie should be here now and there was still so much to do before we could leave to retrieve everyone else in the old Ruthenia.

"Are we going to tell everyone?" I ask, eyeing my ring. "I think Rosalie suspects something."

Edward swings our joined hands back and forth as we walk and it feels so carefree and childish that I can't help but smile.

Edward's face mirrors mine and he lifts our arms up, spinning me around. "I think if we don't and my mother finds out, I can count my days. You're safe though. She loves you too much."

Something I've realized about Edward is that he constantly likes to remind me how loved I am by not just him, but his family. I know he worries that after everything I've been through and the way I grew up, I don't hear it enough, but when I'm around him, I don't mind if I don't hear it. Sure, it's reassuring, but he shows me every day how much he loves me.

"So we'll tell everyone as soon as we're home?" I ask, my focus on a painting my mother was never fond of that my father loved. It was ripped now and I can't say I'm sad to see it go.

Edward pulls me to him with a kiss and I let out a squeak at the unexpected gesture. "Home. I think it's the first time you've called it that and meant it."

"This place hasn't felt like that in a long time," I admit.

"Maybe not," Edward says. "But we're going to make it feel that way again. I'll make sure of it."

"I told you before." I step closer. "I just need you."

"Hey! Will you two get your butts in here!" Rosalie's voice calls from somewhere in the castle. "Elisor just heard. They're threatening to attack."

"Let them," Edward grumbles.

"Edward," I chastise. "If we want to keep everyone safe we have to settle this peacefully."

"You're right," he agrees. "Come on, Princess."

When we enter the parlor room, Rosalie and Emmet are waiting for us on one of the large lounge sofas.

"What happened to your face?" Rosalie asks, looking at Edward. Emmet doesn't look any better but he laughs, pointing his finger at Edward.

"Paul. And what are you laughing at?" Edward narrows his eyes. "You were there and you didn't stop him."

Emmet just shrugs. "I knew you could handle it."

"Wait, Paul?" I ask, confused. I thought Paul was one of Edwards…oh. "My father's guard mentioned something about a man on the inside."

"Yeah," Edward says, sitting down on one of the armchairs and pulling me down with him until I'm on his lap. "Turns out he was a spy from Elisor this whole time. I don't know how none of our background checks caught that."

"What happened?"

This time it's Emmet that's eager to tell me. "You should have seen it, Bella! Edward figured it out when Paul let it slip that that fucker from Elisor was his cousin, which yeah, who wouldn't. And then Paul tried to kick his butt but our boy was better. Obviously."

"Where is he now?" I knew Paul was never a fan of me, but I didn't think he was spying for the enemy.

"Swimming with the fishes!" Emmet excitedly announces.

"What? No, what the fuck?" Edward says, looking at Emmet like he might be the dumbest person on earth. "He was detained. He'll be exiled when this is all over."

"Like my brother," I can't help but add. Edward doesn't say anything though, only kisses my hair.

"So what are we doing about Elisor?" Rosalie asks, trying to get us back on topic.

Edward thinks for a moment, then he turns to me. "What do you think we should do, Bella?"

"You're asking me?" I look at him with wide eyes.

"I told you, Princess. I want you to be my equal. To rule with me, not just beside me."

I nod, thinking about the best way to deal with them knowing what I know about them. "We should invite them here."

Edward's jaw drops. "You want to invite them…here? Baby, he almost-"

"I know," I interrupt, not wanting to hear him say it outloud. "But he didn't. Because you saved me," I say, placing my hand on his cheek. "We should invite them. Not alone. And not here. I don't want them anywhere near our home. Maybe we could hold a ball or something."

"Would that work?" Rosalie asks.

"The King, Jacob's father, he's not a nice man. But he's fair and opportunistic. He won't attack us unless he absolutely has to since it takes time away from his…business ventures. That was probably the prince who threatened to attack and his father won't let him. If we show we're willing to live in peace, he'll leave us alone."

"What about when he becomes King?" Rose asks.

"I don't see that being an issue either. From what Edward said, we're surrounded by allied and neutral territory. He's all talk. He won't risk losing to a bigger army, especially now that they're all aware of the illegal activities he and my father had engaged in."

"She's really good at this," Emmet says, blinking at me. "We should keep her." Rosalie rolls her eyes.

One side of Edward's mouth quirks up. "Yeah, I guess she can stay." I raise my brows at him in warning. I did not want him turning into another Emmet, even if I did love the big guy. Edward chuckles, kissing my cheek and I sink back into him. "We'll have to take a visit to all of the kingdoms to ensure good standing with them."

"We can invite them all here instead?" I suggest. "When we invite Elisor. My father rarely let anyone visit our land unless he needed something from them and it only made the other kingdoms suspicious. We should offer transparency."

Edward nods in agreement. "We should still visit each of them once we get settled. We have to show we're willing to risk being on their land as well. Show good faith. As the largest of the kingdoms, they'll look to us for guidance and follow our lead in the future. I want to make sure there's trust there."

"I'll ask mom to start planning something," Rosalie says. "And then we can send word back to Elisor."

"I might not be able to hold myself back when I see that bastard," Edward growls.

"I say go for it. I'll even help," Emmet says.

I frown as something occurs to me. "I'm still betrothed to him, aren't I?"

"No." Edward immediately says. "You're mine."

"But you and Edward are married," Rosalie states, no surprise on her face.

Edward gives her a sheepish smile. "Found out about that, huh?"

"Well that rock on her finger is kind of hard to miss," Rosalie says. "Is that grandmother's?"

Edward takes my left hand, running his thumb over my knuckles. "Yeah," he says with a smile.

Rosalie nods. "Good choice." She furrows her brows for a moment, thinking. "What if we did a double wedding-coronation? We'd have to invite everyone to both anyway."

Edward nods. "That could kill two birds with one stone. We'll earn everyone's trust and officially present ourselves to the other kingdoms. Then maybe we won't have to play nice for a while after we visit our closest allies. Finally have some peace. What do you think, love?"

"I think that's smart," I say. "It should be more than enough to satisfy everyone. Can we invite our subjects to the coronation? We could have a private reception afterwards?" I ask, hopefully. I'm eager to start rebuilding the relationship with them after they've found out about my father.

"Anything you want," he immediately replies.

I huff out a laugh. "It's your coronation."

"Which means nothing without you. None of this means anything without you." He kisses me soft and slow and I savor every bit of it.

"Wow. Dramatic much, Eddie boy?" Emmet jokes, but when we pull apart, I can see he has a big goofy smile on his face.

"Maybe my sister just needs to raise her standards," Edward shoots back.

I look over at Rose and she winks at me, playing along. "Yeah, Emmet. When's the last time you said something like that to me?" She crosses her arms, narrowing her eyes. I can tell she's faking it, but Emmet easily believes her.

He widens his eyes. "I love you Rosie. You're the most beautiful woman in the world!" Rose only rolls her eyes, standing up and walking straight out of the room. "Rose? Rosie?" Emmet stands, facing us with an excited look on his face. "Gotta go grovel to the misses!" He says, chasing after her.

Hope you enjoyed! Have a lemon coming up in the next chapter so look out for that! Here are some summaries of potential next fanfics I'm thinking about starting in addition to Edward's POV of Burn For You.

1. Before I Fall Apart

Bella and Edward were high school sweethearts and married in college, living in what she thinks is a loveless marriage. When she tragically dies young, she gets sent back in time to when they first met. Given a second chance, she refuses to make the same mistakes to avoid being betrayed again. The only problem is…Edward is acting completely different from how she remembers the events of their relationship unfolding.

Edward was always under pressure to succeed as the next CEO of his family's business. When someone targets the love of his life, he's determined to keep her safe, even if it means pushing her away. When she dies in a terrible accident, he's left with a lifetime of regrets. But when he gets sent back in time to when they first met, he's determined to make it up to her and give her the life, and love, she always deserved. The only thing that might derail his plan is her hatred for him, but Edward has never let anything stop him and this time is no different. (Based on a web novel I've read before but forgot the title of)

2. Trapped In Our Forever

Bella is working on her residency to reach her mother's dream of becoming a doctor. When she becomes kidnapped by the Mafia to be their in-house doctor, she's determined to do anything to escape. But when her captor, and the head of the Mafia family, demands her as his wife, is the normal quiet life she always imagined for herself too far out of reach?

3. Eclipsed Heart

After the death of her father, Bella develops a fear of flying. So when she has to travel to Paris to attend her mother's wedding, she turns to a stranger for comfort on the plane. She doesn't think too much of it…until the stranger claims her as his mate and kidnaps her, introducing her to a world far darker than her own.