Well, I admit that I did think this up myself. It wasn't anyone else's idea, which is a first because all the stories like this that I do think up never make it onto Word. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy it. Remember, it's a romantic comedy. It's meant for laughing at, and not to be taken entirely seriously. This is the first chapter, and pretty much establishes the main plot. Aren't you lucky?

Anyway, without further ado:

READ ON!

A Recipe for Love
Chapter 1: Determination

"N…Natalia…?" Luke asked. The princess jumped slightly, turning to her friend. He smiled slightly, "Are you okay?"

"I…" She turned away, eyes wavering to the railing that she was holding onto, so she wouldn't fall from the balcony they stood on, "I'm… just thinking."

"About?"

"About who I should marry…" She replied. Luke pursed his lips, and placed his hand over his beating heart. Asch… he took Asch from the princess; it was yet another thing he felt guilty about… "I mean… you know… it's just so…"

"Natalia, I'm sorry," Luke began. The princess whirled to face him, looking mad.

"Don't you dare say that!" She said, placing a hand on her hip, "You're not to blame for that!" She relaxed, a smile appearing on her face, "You're not to blame, Luke. While I'll never forget Asch…" She looked towards the sky, and finished, "After all this time… I need to look forward to the future…"

"Well…" Luke said, joining the princess and leaning against the railing, "Perhaps I could help you brainstorm?"

Natalia shook her head, her smile widening, "You came right when I decided!" She said, puffing herself up rather proudly. Luke brightened.

"Really? Who?"

The princess beckoned for the duke's son to follow her as the two left the balcony, "Should I tell you?" She wondered to herself as they walked down the hallway together. Luke rolled his eyes, and she turned back to her friend, "I've chosen to marry the emperor."

Luke stopped, going rigid, "Wait… the… emperor?"

"Emperor Peony, of Malkuth?" Natalia smiled, "You gave that letter… to my father, right?" She said, "Peony had asked for my hand in marriage! Yet Father said that I had Asch… Now that he's…" She cut herself off, "I can… you know, look for someone else. You know, if the princess of Kimlasca married the emperor of Malkuth, the ties between the two countries would strengthen."

Luke stared at Natalia. There was silence for a while, and the princess was taken aback by Luke's look of sheer incredulity, "Wh… what?"

"You're not marrying him for love…?" the duke's son asked, "Natalia…"

"I didn't love Lu… Asch… when we were little, you know…" Natalia replied, stopping herself from calling the man the wrong name, "But… when I grew up… the promise… is what strengthened our relationship. He promised me that we'd work together to make Kimlasca a land where people could live in peace. I came to love him as we grew up… and if…" She turned to Luke, "If Peony loves me… then I can learn to love him too."

"Natalia…" Luke's head drooped, "I'm worried. Is this…"

"This is what I want, Luke," Natalia replied, walking towards her friend. She clasped her hands around his arms and nodded, "I want what's best for my kingdom. Uniting the countries… is what Asch would want."

"Although…" Luke drawled, rolling his eyes, "I doubt he'd like to see you in Peony's arms, either…" Natalia sighed. He was beginning to sound like Malkuth's colonel… "Besides, isn't he a little old for you?"

"Hmph," Natalia released her friend and placed her hands on her hips, "You know, Mother was at least two decades younger than Father."

"My point exactly," Luke replied. The princess gave a huff and whirled around, storming off. The duke's son sighed. He stuck a nerve… he rushed to catch up with Natalia, and she turned to him, "Look, Natalia… I'm just worried for you."

"You just don't want to be heir if things actually fall into place," she said. Luke winced, as she struck the nail on the head, "take some responsibility, Luke." She left him to take in her words as she approached her room, "If all goes well, you'll be receiving a letter inviting you to our wedding!" Luke raised his hand to speak, but the door was slammed in his face. He heaved a sigh. He wondered how the others were going to take the news…

---

"For what reason do we owe your visit on this fine day, Princess Natalia?" Colonel Jade Curtiss asked, meeting Kimlasca's princess at the port of Grand Chokmah. A smile graced his face as he took her hand and helped her onto the dock, "How long has it been, anyway?"

"At least a half a year…" Natalia said, blinking at the hand that Jade had offered, "Are you… feeling well, Colonel? This proffered hand of yours seems…" A smile graced her face, "abnormal?"

"His Majesty has requested that as long as you remain here; we make your stay as comfortable as possible," Jade replied, making a face that seemed like he was tasting something bitter. Natalia assumed that "His Majesty" had forced Jade (against his will) to act this way for her. So it was true, then… Peony… wanted her to be happy…

She walked alongside Jade towards the palace as her many maids brought her toiletries and multiple changes of clothes to the Malkuth soldiers, who prepared to transport them to the guest bedroom in the palace, "Either way, I'm glad to see you again. It really has been…" She looked at the aqueducts, a smile of reminiscing on her face, "such a long time…"

Before Jade could answer, the princess' stomach groaned angrily, asking for nourishment and Natalia blushed brightly. The colonel's smile didn't waver, and asked the obvious, "Princess Natalia, could it be that you're hungry?"

"Very funny," She groaned, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks, "But… I was so busy writing my letter… I seemed to have forgotten to eat lunch…"

"A letter?" Jade drawled, "Please don't tell me you've forgotten that you don't have to be present when the letter is delivered to its recipient!"

"Jade!" Natalia hissed, exasperated, as the colonel led her off to palace and its dining room. She took his wrist, however, and tugged a little, "Not there… could we… find a different place…? There's something I'd like to request of you."

"My!" Jade said as he obliged, leading her off to a restaurant that Peony usually enjoyed when bored of the palace fineries, "Such a scandal you've decided on, Princess! I must say I am a little surprised, but you've made the right decision on an adulterous lover, if I do say so myself…"

"Stop it!" She cried, turning bright red as Jade's smile never wavered, "It's nothing like that! And stop calling me 'Princess'!"

"As you wish, Princess."

"Jade!"

---

Natalia fluffed her dress out as Jade sipped lightly on his wine. Jade was right, the princess mused, it was a nice place… "You said you had something to request of me?" The colonel asked, getting right to the point and snapping her from her thoughts. The princess felt a lot better now that he was actually sounding serious.

She nodded and pulled out a letter, sealed with wax and stamped with the seal of the royal family of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, "I… could you send this to… His Majesty? I… want him to know… I accept his request."

"Request?" Jade asked through his wine, clearly not realizing what was going on.

"Don't you remember?" Natalia asked, "Peony had… asked for my hand in marriage… and at first… I had Asch, but now…" Jade snorted through his drink, as if he were laughing. Natalia took offense to the laughter, "Jade! That's not funny!"

"Please forgive me, Natalia…" The colonel replied, "It's just that…" He was about to tell her everything. He would have told her of her mistake that was brought about by his quick tongue, but a thought struck him. His smile widened and he placed his glass upon the tablecloth, "why ask me to give His Majesty a letter, when you could tell him yourself?"

"Well… I'm not sure…" Natalia murmured, looking away with a blush, "I wonder… if he still wants me…"

"Nonsense…" Jade said quickly, wiping his mouth with his napkin. The smile he wore made Natalia wonder if he was joking… or if he was actually serious. It was so hard to read the colonel, she wondered how Peony did it, "Why else would His Majesty ask me to treat you this kindly? He's been waiting intently for this day that you would return and answer favorably to his request. Natalia…" He looked deep in her eyes, which darted in an attempt to avoid his piercing gaze, "He's waiting for you…"

Natalia brought her hand up and covered her mouth, trying to hide the exuberant joy that was written all over her face, "It… it's true then…" She murmured, blushing crimson, "it's true… he really does love me." Jade blinked as she rose from her chair, her eyes looking forward with determination, "How can I stay here? I need to speak with him now."

"That's the spirit," Jade replied brightly, standing up himself and placing his hands in his pockets, "I'm sure His Majesty would not mind having lunch with you today." Natalia turned to face the colonel, and this time she really didn't care if he was serious or not. She understood that Peony was waiting for her, and she wouldn't keep him waiting.

"Please, take me to the guest room, Jade," she said, "I need to prepare for our lunch date."

Jade adjusted his glasses as he dropped some Gald upon the table, and led the woman out to the palace, "Indeed…"

---

"Oh! Jade!" Peony said as the Necromancer entered the emperor's room. The ruler pointed at the maids before him. The two women were holding fabric of blue and green, "They say that I should have a green color for my room, but I think my rappigs'll probably eat my curtains if they look like grass. I like blue, but they say that it's not in fashion nowadays… What do you think?"

"Your Majesty…" Jade said, wearing a good natured smile, "I don't think I am your colonel simply so I can give you fashion advice."

"But if my adorable Jade were to eat all the fabric, then he may get bloated and gassy!" Peony said worriedly. As the maids blinked at Jade, imagining him bloated and gassy, the colonel wanted so hard to curl in a corner and die as the emperor continued, "It would be absolutely horrible! And to think of the refuse he would…"

"Blue!" Jade changed his tune and answered his friend quickly.

"Blue it is!" Peony proclaimed. The maids left the room, giggling about Emperor Peony's interpretation of Jade. It didn't matter if he meant the rappig or the colonel; it still left quite the image for the imagination, "Anyway, what was it you wanted to speak to me about?"

"Well," Jade began, his hands tucked nonchalantly in his pockets and acting very informal around his friend, "Princess Natalia has requested that you eat lunch with her."

"Together?" The emperor asked, eyebrows turning upward in thought, "Any particular reason?"

"Well…" Jade adjusted his glasses as he began to lie through his teeth, "Luke told me that she's always a little shaky around new surroundings. Perhaps she wants to eat with a more familiar face."

Peony gave a thoughtful hum, and looked back up at Jade, "Wouldn't you or Guy be as good or better?"

"I do not attempt to understand the feelings of women. I simply relay their messages," Jade replied with a knowing smile, "If anything, it could be as a gesture of goodwill. Neither of our countries have anything to hide, after all." The emperor laughed in response.

"Yeah," he said, "I guess not… anyway, I have no objections to it. I could get to know her a little better, and it would strengthen the bond between our countries."

"You don't know the half of it…" Jade murmured. Peony blinked at his friend, but he was already leaving the room with a skip in his step and a hum on his lips.

---

Natalia thought that the dress that Jade had asked the maids to dress her in was awfully familiar. She never wore black and white, and she didn't like it very much at all. Although… when she looked at herself from all sides before the mirrors, she realized that she looked awfully good in it… She wondered if Jade knew exactly what to dress her up into. Perhaps he knew the emperor's tastes?

"Lady Natalia…" The princess turned and blinked at her lady-in-waiting, who approached Natalia and held out a small rectangular box, "The colonel has asked that you wear these… he said that it would be… in your best interest if you wore these to your lunch with the emperor…"

Natalia thanked her lady-in-waiting, and took the box, opening it with a blink. The contents were some light box frames. The lenses obviously had a fake prescription, but she wondered just why Jade would want her to wear glasses to the semi-informal lunch? She had half a mind to halt the whole preparation process to send for the colonel and ask him JUST what was going on. He was still at her beck and call by Peony's order, after all…

However, she soon realized that this was not about demanding Jade to explain things she didn't immediately understand; this was about Peony, who desired to see her for lunch. She needed to be there! She wouldn't hold this up any longer! Taking the glasses, she applied them to her face and stared at herself in the mirror, letting her maids work at shining her shoes and tightening her corset. She looked awfully familiar… but she couldn't put her finger on it… was it someone she had met over the course of their adventure together? However, it had been so long, the name was on the tip of her tongue… she just needed to pull it up…

Kimlasca's princess was interrupted by a knock on the door, and Natalia smoothed her dress out, "Come in!" she called, and one of the maids took that as a sign to get up and open the door. Colonel Jade strode through the threshold into the princess' dressing room, dressed head to toe in a formal uniform of blue and turquoise. Although, the princess mused, it didn't look much different than his normal outfit of green and yellow.

"Lunch is to be served, Princess," Jade said, a coy smile playing on his lips. Natalia had tensed when he spoke so formally to her. She still wished that he would call her by her name… She was so used to it, "His Majesty has requested that I escort you to the dining room." Natalia frowned when he bowed. He was actually treating her like royalty. Any other day she would have enjoyed it, but not with… with JADE. His cutting remarks and witty sarcasm was what made him so alive. Now he didn't seem like her friend. He was just another one of her servants.

Nevertheless, she approached the colonel and took his outstretched hand, allowing him to escort her to the room she was to meet with Peony. Jade's treating her higher than he would have to wait. She needed to meet with His Highness. She needed to see for herself that he was waiting for her…

And yet… the princess felt her strength waning as they approached the door. She wasn't sure if she could go through with this… not all alone… without a friend… She squeezed the colonel's hand, as if to plead with him, "Please…" She murmured, turning to Jade. She couldn't cry; she couldn't mess up her makeup. However, the eyes she shone at him misted over, and she held back her tears, "I don't… I don't need a servant, Jade… I need a friend…"

Jade stared unmercifully at the young woman. She clasped both of her hands over his one (his other was tucked snugly in his pocket). His red eyes stared coldly at the princess, and she asked one more time, "Please… Jade… I need…"

The colonel cut her off with a smile, "His Majesty has always liked the company of women who are not superficial," he said, suddenly taking his free hand and placing it on top of Natalia's awaiting two. The princess' features tugged a bit at a smile, and he released her, "You'll do fine… Natalia."

The princess stared as Jade took a step back, bowed low to the ground, and ushered her from afar, adjusting his glasses with a smirk. Natalia got the picture and fixed her own, and she turned to the doors, placed her hands upon them, and pushed them open to meet with the emperor.

Jade closed his eyes and pushed his glasses so far up his nose that it hurt, "Women who aren't superficial…?" He murmured, "Perhaps you set her up to take the fall, Necromancer…" He then looked up at the door as it closed behind Natalia. She was all alone with Peony. Jade shook his head, "however… this IS Natalia…" he turned and walked off to speak with the chef and tell the man to keep Peony's wine flowing as long as the lunch lasted, "While she has gotten out of worse scrapes than this… a little help from her friend may be needed…" Colonel Jade Curtiss had never been more right.

---

Emperor Peony IX looked up from his wine as the door opened slightly. He saw part of a woman enter through, but she stopped for a moment, as if to look back at the colonel who had guided her there. Finally, she stepped through the doorway and Peony stood in respect to the woman who had entered the room. She was twenty feet away from him, so he couldn't make out her features, but she seemed… familiar…

The woman looked up at Peony, and she curtsied lightly for the emperor. Without thinking, Peony waved informally and flagged her down to sit by his side. The woman smiled and walked towards the emperor, and his breath hitched in his throat. He realized immediately who he was looking at…

Jade's little sister Nephry smiled at him as she sat down at his side.

Peony shook his head wildly to clear his head and peered behind the glasses she wore, and realized that it wasn't Nephry he was looking at; it really was Natalia, Princess of Kimlasca. He sat down and began to gulp down more of his wine to calm his nerves. "You… Um…" Peony found himself at a loss for words as Nephry, no, Natalia, no, Nephry blushed just like a virgin maiden, just like she would when they walked down the snowy Keterburg lane together, "You look…"

"Yes… Your Majesty?" Nephry asked, her lips parting slightly, her rosy red lips shining in the light. Peony was a man, and Nephry was a woman, HIS woman. He squirmed in his seat as she batted her eyelashes seductively. Well, maybe SHE hadn't MEANT for it to be seductive, but it sure seduced him quite nicely.

"You look… RAVISHING," Peony said, grasping at the table as he practically fell across it, all of his pent up emotions came out in that one word. Nephry, wait, Natalia blinked in confusion. Suddenly realizing he wasn't taking this lunch seriously at all, he straightened himself up and wiped at the sweat that was accumulating across his brow, "Ahh, yes… shall I call for lunch to be served?"

Natalia looked away, smiling slightly at what was going on. Peony wondered if she was going to use this moment to gossip nastily with Saphir DAMMIT LUKE later at… Baticul yeah that was it. Yet… was a Kimlascan princess really into blackmailing and gossiping like that? Peony supposed that from what he saw of her, Natalia was better than that. Of course… that's what he hoped…

It was then that she looked back up at Peony, and he smiled when she replied, "Y… yes… I do suppose that is right…" It was so nice to see her blush so brightly.

Peony scratched his head as he stared at the princess. The resemblance was uncanny! She really DID look like Nephry, back when they were so young… he grabbed for his now-full-again wine glass and downed the whole thing in one gulp, asking for another one. His heart wouldn't stop hammering in his chest. He would always calm down with just an extra bit of wine… although maybe he'd need an extra EXTRA bit of wine for this one…

---

Natalia rubbed her tongue over the roof of her mouth. This wine didn't taste right… was it watered down? She peered at it, and then peeked over at Peony, who seemed to have drunk just as much as she did… although he wasn't doing so well; his words were beginning to slur. Jade never told her that the emperor was a DRUNK. She felt very worried about this match. Peony was supposed to be a benevolent ruler of Malkuth who was loved by noble and commoner alike! Now all he was before her was an inebriated, boorish, perverted, sloppy, rappig loving… At the moment, she would have given anything for Asch to be back and alive. She didn't know if she could do this…

The Kimlascan princess was beginning to get scared. Where was Jade? She wanted to talk to him again; she wanted him to help her, to tell her it was okay… that she was only imagining things… that Peony was really a good man, and that he would love HER, and only her… She wanted the colonel to tell her that Peony would take care of her…

No! Natalia forcefully told herself as she finished her food and turned to Peony. She… she had to be strong! For her kingdom! What was Kimlasca to be with a shadow of uncertainty of another war hanging over their heads? If she could just stay by his side… no matter his faults… his… MANY faults… then she… it would be okay… However… her people wouldn't want her to be sad, chained under a man who didn't truly love her. Was this all Jade's doing? Was the Colonel pushing her towards this man simply because of some sadistic plan? Would the man she called friend really USE her like this? She didn't know what to do!

"I…I'm sorry…" Natalia stared at Peony, and he chuckled lightly at the state he was in, "I'm sorry that I… look this way… I… just can't calm down…" The princess blinked at the man as he looked up at her, a smile on his face, "I just can't calm down… when you're here…"

Natalia blushed. Jade was right, Peony really did care for her. The emperor looked so… sad, so repentant, as he raised his eyes to hers. For the moment… she could live with his faults… just as long as he lived with hers… she reached out and took his hand, and Peony's face flared up as he looked into her eyes, "It's okay, Your Majesty," she murmured, squeezing his hand. A smile graced her lips, "not everyone is perfect… but I still accept you the way you are."

Peony squirmed in his seat. He was trying so hard to be formal… it looked like he wanted to pull her closer… but the table was in the way… Instead he squeezed her hand back, digging his well manicured nails into her skin so much she winced with pain but smiled with joy, "I… uh… I…"

"Your Majesty…" Natalia scooted her chair closer to the head of the table, where the emperor sat, "you can tell me…" She moved her head closer; awaiting him to bridge the gap… she awaited… her first kiss… "Please… Peony…"

Peony stood up, beckoning her closer. Natalia stood, and he dragged her closer, staring into the woman's eyes, "I love you," he said softly, reaching down to press his lips to hers.

He mumbled unintelligibly even as he held her strong and hard, hard enough that Natalia let a small gasp. The drunken emperor took the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth, and the princess moaned unhappily. This wasn't love! This was… Natalia gently pushed her away from the emperor. What was this man? What was he… "Please, Peony… don't!"

"Marry me, please!" Natalia gave a shout as he dragged her back towards her. She cried out and slammed her fist ineffectually on his chest, "I want you, I'll do anything for you."

"I don't want this!" Natalia shouted. That broke the emperor from his spell, and he released her. The princess retreated to her chair and stood behind it, placing it between her and her admirer, "Please… please Peony… I understand you love me… I just…"

"Please!" Peony dropped to her chair, kneeling to the floor and grasping the arm of the chair for support as he continued, "Marry me, Nephry!"

"I… I want to… Peony, I just…" Natalia suddenly froze, and everything clicked into place. She stared at Peony, and she suddenly remembered just who she had looked like… Jade… Jade had… "Peony, I want to marry you… I just… I…" The tears began to flow as she took off her glasses, and the emperor peered at the woman he was proposing to, "I'm not NEPHRY!"

The only sound in the room for the next few moments were Natalia's sobs as she cried into her hands, the glasses teetering back and forth inbetween her fingers as she continued to cry. Peony stared at the princess as she screamed in anguish. She heard him quickly stand and rush from the room. Natalia dropped to the floor when she heard the door slam behind the emperor, "Why?" She screamed into the ground, "Jade, why did you do this? WHY?"

---

Colonel Jade gave a surprised gasp as the doorway to the dining room was thrust open and Emperor Peony strode through, zigzagging only slightly. Jade blinked at his friend as Peony grabbed his arm, dragging him straight towards his bedchambers, "Your… Your Majesty… I heard… what happened?" Jade asked.

"Jade, what have I DONE?" Peony shouted the moment he was able to close his doors. It had been so long since Jade had seen his friend so stunned, and it unnerved the colonel, as well as Peony's rappigs, "I… Lorelei be blessed, I asked her… I… what was I thinking?"

"Your Majesty, calm yourself!" Jade said quickly, taking a step forward. This was way too much emotion, not even Jade assumed that Peony would be this traumatized by something as simple as mistaken identity, "Now tell me. What happened?"

"It was…" Peony gave a gasp, trying to suck in air after hyperventilating for so long, "Natalia… she looked just like… just like Nephry… and I…"

---

"You proposed to her…" Jade murmured, giving him the traditional "what a doofus" look they had been giving each other since they were children, "without even thinking of the consequences."

"What was I thinking?" Peony paced back and forth, his more energetic and happy rappigs following behind him like a flock of goslings, "what do I do…? I have to… I have to tell her… that it was a misunderstanding. I…"

Jade kicked away Jade, who snorted indignantly at how clean Jade's outfit smelled, "Peony, didn't she say something? You said that she told you that she wanted to marry you…" Jade adjusted his glasses, and Jade rooted around for any food stuck to Jade's boot, "You're going to tell her that everything you said was a lie?"

"I've done it plenty of times," Peony said, turning to Jade and placing his hand upon his chest with a masochist air about him, even as Nephry and Saphir rolled in his dirty cloths all around him, "All the Malkuth nobles know not to come near Peony the Heartbreaker!"

It was nice to hear that his friend had regained his composure. Jade felt it was much easier to talk to him man to man, friend to friend, "You seem to forget, Heartbreaker," the colonel pointed out, "that Natalia is totally and wholly Kimlascan. Aside from what I told the others about your…" his smile disappeared as a frown spread across his lips, "unnatural lust after my sister, she has no idea how many women you've made cry. I guess she understands how terrible it must feel though."

"Dangit, Jade…" Peony muttered, looking away and putting his hands on his hips, "I didn't MEAN to make Natalia cry, I didn't! It's just that…" He sighed, and reached down to pet Aslan on the head, "I can't go through with it… she's Natalia! She's not Nephry… she never will be."

Jade's smile reappeared and he placed his finger in the air, "One week," He said chipperly. Peony blinked at the colonel, and Jade elaborated, "I will order up a ring so intricate it will take the jewel crafters one week to make. By that time… if you change your mind, the engagement will go as planned. If not…"

"We could sell it at an auction!" Peony said, growing happier by the second as the perfect idea dawned upon him, "and the proceeds could go to rebuilding St. Binah!"

"That sounds perfect." Jade replied, and the two reached out to clasp each others' hands, staring at each other in silent affirmation of this vow. All the Necromancer had to do now was to make Natalia so appealing that not even Peony could resist!

It was time to make her title of "Popular Princess" live up to its name…

TO BE CONTINUED...

---

Alright! Tell me what you thought. Review. Now. Please. Good.