She's My Queen

Chapter 7: Arrival

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Edward asks as he steps off the ship. He offers his right hand to me, but I don't take it. Cocking an eyebrow, he watches me wobble in my heels and nearly tumble down onto the dock. When I turn around, I can almost see him smirking at me in the dark.

"I can't see anything," I reply, shivering slightly in the chilly evening breeze. "It's totally dark out here."

"Bring a torch!" Edward yells at the guards. Noticing that I am trembling, he tries to drape his arm over me. I frown and push him away. "I thought we agreed on no physical contact."

"Just trying to keep you warm, princess."

I shiver. "I am warm. Can we just go now?" Picking up the skirt of my dress, I turn towards where the guards and horses are waiting for us, but Edward grabs me around the waist and twirls me around to face him. "Wait. There's something I must ask you first."

I stare up into his blue eyes, highly conscious of his arm encircling my waist. I gulp. "What?"

"Do you remember what I said this morning?"

"The stuff about marrying you and having a um...you know?" I pull back slightly, but not enough for him to release his arm from my waist. "By the way that was so rude. Pushing me against the wall like that! When we said no touching..." I look down at his arm. "Oh shit!" Desperately, I try to separate him from me. "Don't touch me!"

"Stop," Edward keeps his grip on me tight, keeping me effortlessly locked with one  arm. "This is serious, Catherine. If you truly do not want this marriage, leave now. It's your last chance. Once this ship leaves, you are mine."

I glance at the ship.

I don't want this marriage. But there's no point in returning to Scotland.

I just want to go home.

This is the only way.

"Fine," I reply, my voice barely a whisper, "I'll marry you."

"Listen, once we do this, I don't want you complaining or trying to force me into doing things I cannot."

"Like what?"

He closes his eyes, looking pained, as if the torch next to us is blinding his eyes. "I can't love, so don't try to make me. To others, we must appear to be having a strong and stable relationship as a loving couple. But when we are alone, we simply become partners, nothing more. Can you deal with that?"

I look down at his arms around my waist. "Is this what partners do?"

For a moment, he seems startled to be holding me, as if he had done it unconsciously and was only realizing it now. He clears his throat and releases me, "oh well, we are outside. We need to show people how in love we are."

————————

"Edward! You're back!" A blonde girl rushes towards us as we enter the palace. Beaming, she wraps her arms around Edward's neck. I can't help but stare as her gorgeous gown puffs up around her in a cloud of sparkling blue silk.

"Lady Valerie," Edward says, his voice cold, "lovely to see you." Yanking her hands off, he steps back and grabs my waist, pulling me against him. I blush and try to escape his tight grasp. "Stop moving," he whispers through gritted teeth into my ear, "pretend we're in love."

Valerie pouts and turns to me, her pretty face turning sour. "I see you have brought a courtesan from Scotland."

"Lady Valerie!" Edward snaps. "This is princess royal of Scotland, Catherine I Stuart."

Looking extremely displeased, Valerie curtsies. "Your royal highness."

"Hey Lad-" I'm about to greet her when she cuts me off and reaches for Edward's arm, which he withdraws.

"Eddddwarddd!" she whines, "don't you miss me?"

I grimace. She sounds like one of those cheerleaders in high school romance movies.

"Please excuse us, Lady Valerie," Edward grabs me around the waist and pecks me on the cheek. I blink, surprised. He leans down and smiles at me, "lets go, my love." Then he drags me away.

"Edward! Wait!" Lady Valerie yells after us. "Edward!"

I groan as Edward yanks me into a dimly lit hallway. "How many times do I have to tell you not to touch me?"I complain, trying to pry his hands off my waist. "And what was that?"

Edward sighs as we round a red carpeted hallway with flickering gold candles and paintings of old kings and queens lining the walls. "She is Lady Valerie, daughter of Giovanni de Medici. The Medicis are extremely wealthy and powerful, and they wish for Valerie to marry me."

"Medici..."I think back to history class for a moment, "Oh, right! The Italian banking family!" I stare up at him, excited. "That's perfect! Why don't you just go marry her? She's rich and way prettier than me."

"You are the one I want," he replies without a second thought.

"Why me?"

He groans. "I've told you this a thousand times."

"Tell me again."

"Power."

"Oookay...Why is power so important to you?"

He ignores my question and suddenly stops walking. "Here's your room," he leans over me to push open the door to my new room. "It's been a long journey, get some rest."

"Hold on!" I grab his arm, suddenly remembering why I'm here in the first place. "Calchantis, your mother's seer? How can I meet him?"

"Well, my mother's in Italy visiting her family, but her seer is at court. I'm sure you'll run into him sometime." He cocks a brow, "anything else?"

"No," I say, giving him a little wave, "good night!" He frowns as he tries to mimic my wave. Oh shit. I mentally slap myself. The wave probably hasn't been invented yet. I need to stop forgetting these kind of things. No wonder he thinks I'm crazy.

Immediately upon closing the door to my room, I collapse on the huge canopy bed. "Hmmm..." I rub my face in the silk sheets. Gotta say that these people really know what luxury is.

"Natalie Reeds," a deep voice sends a wave of shock racing through me. Gasping, I spring off the bed and whip my head around the room to search for the owner of the voice.

"Who are you? And how do you know my real name?" I call out, my voice shaking slightly, even though I already know who it is.

An extremely handsome man steps out of the shadows beneath my window and smirks. As he approaches me, I can see his muscles straining against the thin fabric of his dress shirt. Winking at me with his piercing green eyes, he runs a hand through his jet black hair and announces, "I am Calchantis."