I do not own twilight.

I sat at a table in the Queen's room playing a game of cards with Alice Brandon and her older brother Phillip. I was loosing, as usual. I never bet much. I was a terrible card player. Rosalie sat on a window seat, sewing a shirt. The Queen often had us sewing clothes for the poor. It didn't matter who the shirts were given to, the stitches had to be perfect. Rose wasn't one for domestic work. She would much rather be singing for the court or entertaining people. That was just her personality. At least Kate wasn't in the room to see her dreadful work. She and the King were in her chamber. The rest of the ladies and I were busying ourselves while we waited for her to come out, and sometimes a few men came to join us. I turned my attention back to the card game. Phillip was winning. Alice had her face scrunched up in concentration. She was a real con artist sometimes I would tease her that she was a precognition. She would always get mad then, telling mw how I dare suggest she was involved in witchcraft and it was a terrible thing to joke about. I tended to ignore her. I threw my cards down. I might as well give in now. Phillip was likely to win.

"I'm out," I replied in defeat. I stood up with a sigh. "You two are too good for me." Alice giggled. It was a good thing I didn't bet too much. Otherwise, I would be out of a good amount of money. I didn't want to gamble away our family's fortune.

Phillip nodded indifferently. "Alright," he said. "It will be more money for me. Ali won't win, that is for sure." Alice shook her head. She always had to be stubborn with her brothers. They loved to tease her through. She was their little baby sister, after all. I would love to do that with Rosie, but we are too close in age. She doesn't like to be looked down upon and she it too petulant, anyways. She often had a dry sense of humor with me, while others not.

I walked over to where Rosalie sat by the window. It looked like she needed some help with her stitching. Her struggle was getting infuriating to watch. I gently took the cloth and needle from her hand, and examined the stitches. They were horrible. Not one of them was done right. I gave Rosie a look. "What?" she whined. "I'm still learning."

"Rose," I began. "You obviously are not. You don't even practice. What would the Queen say?" I asked. I began to unthread them, planning on starting over. This was an absolute mess. Alice's attention was always moving from one thing to the next, but she usually managed some decent stitching, unlike Rosie.

Rosalie had her arms folded like a young child. "I don't understand. The clothes are just going to the poor. Rich nobles aren't receiving them. Why can't they be done half-heartedly?" she asked. Rosalie just didn't listen.

"It doesn't matter to the Queen," I replied simply. And it was true. The Queen liked for everything to be done neatly and with care. Rosalie looked over my shoulder at my work. "You're much better than I am at it. A true craftsman," she said, laughing as she went. I shook my head.

"You would think a simple thank you would suffice," I said, irritation in my voice. She could be very ungrateful sometimes. Rosalie's negative qualities tended to show more often, rather than her good ones. But she did have them, I had witnessed. Her laughter died down. "I'm sorry," she replied smiling. "Thank you."

Edward and Kate emerged from her room. The King was already off; ready to attend to other business like usual, but not without shooting me a glance. It didn't seem like the Queen noticed. I was glad for that. Rosalie perceived the fleeting look as well. I knew there would be talk later from her. We couldn't do it now. Kate was calling her ladies. I watched as the King exited the room. I was probably looking after him with a dreamy look. I couldn't help it. Ever since Jasper told me that Edward was interested in me, I hadn't been able to rid it of my mind. I got of the bench with Rosalie and walked over to where the Queen always sat.

Kate assessed the work being done on the shirts. Most of the work done by some of the other ladies was very well. When Rosalie showed the Queen hers, Kate's eyebrows raised. "Rosalie," she began. "You've been at this for a while. You haven't even done a stitch." Rosie was about to speak, but I figured I should speak up. I was the one who unstitched the shirt. I decided to try and make light out of it. I didn't need Rosie fuming at me.

"Your Majesty," I began. "Rosalie can't do much with a needle, I'm afraid. I had to unstitch the whole thing! Perhaps, she will need a lesson or two," I smiled I tried to do it in a joking matter. It seemed to have the right effect on the Queen.

Kate smiled. "Lady Rosalie, you could learn a thing or two from your sister. Isabella, why don't you finish this shirt?" she asked. I took the shirt from Rose. I took her needle as well. I curtsied to the Queen. "Of course, your Majesty."

I took one of the seats near the Queen, starting on the shirt. The rest of the ladies got to work as well. Rosalie was looking over my shoulder, trying to copy my movements. I tried to help her as best as I could. It seemed like she just didn't have the knack for it. I tried to praise Rosie for her attempts. It seemed like she was trying. That was always a good thing with Rosalie.

After a while, the Queen dismissed most of us from our work. Rosalie immediately headed for the outdoors. I followed her, needing some fresh air myself. It was a lovely day. The sky was an ocean blue with a few white clouds in the sky, and the weather was pleasantly warm. Rose saw Jasper by the stream, walking under the trees with Alice. I felt like going to say hello, but decided not to intrude on their time together. They weren't holding hands, but were walking close enough for their shoulders to almost touch. It was difficult to asses the expressions on their faces, but I hoped they were happy together. Rosalie saw them as well.

"I wonder when the wedding is," she mused. I figured it would be soon. I doubt Father and Uncle would want to wait long. My guess was it would be within the week. While I was pondering my thoughts, someone called out Rosalie's name. We both turned to the sound of the deep voice. Not too far off, some men of court were having a game of archery. Among them was Emmett. I sighed. Of course he would want Rosalie to join in a game with them. Like I said before, she lured men into a trap with her beauty.

"Would you and your sister like to join us for a game?" Emmett called. Rosalie smiled. She grabbed my arm and pulled me along with her through the courtyard over to the game. She was dressed in a light pink dress, which was perfect for spring and looked great with her wheat colored hair. Her skirts dragged along the fresh green grass at the bottom and almost looked like pink flowers blooming. I was wearing a blue dress that matched the color of the daytime sky. It had some gold detail on the front of the triangular bodice. I had to agree that we both looked lovely, while I was usually plain.

Alice's two older brothers, Phillip and John were there, as well as a man named James and Peter. "You ladies ready for a game?" James asked, looking directly at me. I averted my gaze to Emmett as I walked over to him to get the arrows we would need for the match. I didn't have very good aim. I tried to stay away from the sports. Rosalie was skilled in these areas, especially with hunting. She loved to ride too.

"Of course," Rosie replied, smiling. She took her spot and put in a small share of coins. The men agreed that Rose should go first, and I should follow. They probably knew I was likely to take an eye out. Rosalie pulled back on the bow and shot the arrow. It almost landed right in the center of the target. We were pretty far away from it, so I know that if we had been a bit closer, she would've gotten it for sure. But the men were impressed with her skills, despite the distance.

"Well Miss Rosalie, it looks like we have some competition on our hands," joked Emmett. Rosalie grinned and played along. "I know you can't do any better than me, Emmett," she said, swishing her skirts flirtatiously. I stood there patiently, hoping the whole game wouldn't be full of their coy banter. I looked to the other man. Alice's older brothers looked almost as entranced as Emmett did. I shook my head mutely. James was in a conversation with Peter, so as usual, I felt like the odd one out.

"Isabella, it's your turn," said Emmett. I nodded and took an arrow from the ground. I set it in the bow, and pulled back on the band. I shot it and it hit the very edge of the wood target, as far as it could possibly be from the center. I frowned. Rosalie was laughing. "Oh dear Isabella, perhaps you should stay with domestic work like sewing." That got a laugh out of Emmett as well.

"All right then," I said. "I know I'm terrible. Who's next?" Following my turn, Emmett, James, Peter, Phillip, and John all went. Each player eventually fell out of the game, including me first, and the last two left standing were Emmett and Rosalie. I had to admit, I believed Rosalie was going to win. And she did. Rosalie shot her last arrow in the target, while Emmett missed by a few inches. She gleefully collected the coins. I think she mainly played for bragging rights, though.

"Congratulations, Lady Rosalie," Emmett said. "You have won fair and square. Might I see you at the ball tonight?" he asked. Rosalie was putting back her arrows.

"You might, if you wish," she said, her face plastered with and angelic smile. "I will be masked, after all." Emmett watched her, as though she were a complex problem. But I knew he wasn't the type of man to be interested in a romance. He was interested in woman for the lust.

"I would know you even with a mask on, Lady Rosalie," Emmett replied wittily back. The rest of his men and him left, heading back inside. Rosalie and I headed towards the stream hoping to catch Jasper if he hadn't already gone back inside.

The ball that Emmett spoke of was one of the few masquerades that happened at court often. Edward loved music and dancing and entertainment, so there were naturally many dances at the nights of court. The idea of the dance was that each man and lady was concealed in a mask, and at the end of a certain song they would all unmask themselves. Isabella particularly liked these masques the best because she could be anybody during the time she was hidden. She could be the elegant young woman she always wanted to portray, full of beauty and grace.

Jasper was sitting on a small white concrete bench under some willow trees by the stream. Rosalie and I walked over to him and took a seat on either side of Jasper. He must have been deep in thought because he looked up in surprise when we sat down. "Oh, hello sisters," he replied in monotone. Rosie placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" she asked. He nodded. "I'm fine." Jasper stood up. "Well, I suppose we should all be getting ready for the ball. Right?" he asked. Both of us nodded and headed inside.

Rosalie and I got ready in our chamber. I changed out of my blue dress from earlier and dressed in a white and gold dress. It was fairly simple. It still held a certain beauty and elegance though. Rosalie's dress was cream colored with no detail, but there was extravagant jewelry was paired with it. She looked lovely. I was proud to have her as my younger sister. I picked up my mask from where it sat on the vanity. It matched the dress perfectly. I placed the mask on my face and tied the strings around my head. I un-tucked my hair and looked into the mirror. My mahogany hair was straight, rather than my usual wavy style. Rosalie fashioned hers like that often, and I sometimes copied her motions, much to her displeasure. But her hair was curled tonight and it looked wonderful with her dress. I took one last look in the mirror. I was finished getting ready.

Not to long after, Rosalie finished getting ready as well. We made our way to the ballroom that was connected to the hall where the feast was held. When the two of us got there, music was already playing and the people of the court were already dancing. I spotted some of the Volturi girls already on the floor, as well as Jasper and Alice. He spotted us and said something quickly to Alice. She nodded and then they parted. He made his way over to us. He took Rosalie's hand and placed a kiss on it, and then followed with me. "What lovely sisters I have," he smiled.

Rosalie grinned brightly. She scanned the crowd, probably looking for Emmett. "Excuse me," she replied, and then left us. I raised my eyebrows while Jasper laughed. "Oh, pay no mind to her," Jasper said, obviously in good spirits. I was glad that his mood improved. I didn't like what the married life was doing to him. Why, the official wedding hadn't even happened yet. I tried to remain positive though. I would talk to Alice soon enough. Maybe I could find out what they were both feeling. Alice was a sweet girl, and I knew she would never hurt anyone intentionally. She could be good for Jasper, and he her. I wanted to ask him about the wedding but decided it would be good to keep him in light spirits.

"Do you know which one the King is?" Jasper asked, gesturing towards the people dancing. All I had to do was look for bronze hair and the best dressed gentlemen. It was always easy to pick out Edward from the crowd because he was always dressed the most extravagantly of the men. Kate was looking graceful, but she remained seated while the King danced. She was older than him and she never did much of the dancing. But she always sat royally in one of the two seats where the King and Queen sat and managed to be the most beautiful woman in the room.

"Yes," I said. He was dancing with a woman with a blonde that was bordering on red hair. It was very curly and I had a notion I knew who she was.

"Do you know who he is dancing with?" Jasper asked again. It was meant as a rhetorical question because he answered it for me. "That's Victoria. A Volturi," he added, as if I didn't know. That was the only Swan girl's major rival. The Voluturi family was known for beautiful daughters, just as the Swan family was known for.

"You better dance with him," he said, referring to the King. "You need to keep within his radar of interest." I nodded, understanding. I picked up my skirts a little bit and walked out onto the floor, as Jasper followed me.

The two of us started with each other, a hand to hand dance. Eventually, we switched out and I danced with a few other men, all disguised in masks. I glanced around me a few times, always looking out for Edward. I spotted him, dancing with Alice. Jasper happened to be dancing with me at the moment. I took it as an opportunity to dig for a little bit of information.

"Are you not jealous that Alice is dancing with the King?" I asked. I figured any other man would be a little envious. Jasper responded with a hearty laugh.

"Almost everyone ends up dancing with each other. Of course I'm not jealous." I should have known that would be his reply. He wasn't going to make this easy on me. I let out a little sigh. Jasper took it as his cue to speak. He must have realized it was better to speak up now than to have Rosalie and me bothering him until he did.

"Alice is a kind girl. I will treat her respectfully as a husband should. Hopefully the marriage won't be too horrid. And I know your wondering, the wedding is next week. I was just informed by father, myself." I absorbed the information, but realized I had to switch partners. Jasper and I had been talking a little bit too long. He must have realized it too, because at the next rotation, he switched partners. His new partner was Alice, and mine was Edward.

He looked devilishly handsome. Even with his mask on, I would recognize him anywhere. The whole court could, to be honest, but we all played along that we didn't have an idea who he was until the unmasking. I placed my hand against him. There were butterflies in my stomach, and I felt giddy.

He was quite a good dancer. I was mediocre. It was at this time that I wished for my dear sisters dancing skills. She was an enchantress. Yet, the King was dancing with me. At least I wasn't tripping over my own two feet.

"How beautiful you are," Edward said. We continued dancing, as I listened to him. "I do envy your husband right now." I had a slight feeling he knew who I was, but I couldn't be sure.

"There is nothing to envy," I told him, flirtatiously. It was almost time to switch partners. He didn't seem to care though. The violins were still playing the same lovely song that had been playing when we were partnered. I wanted to at least finish this song with him.

Edward was grinning at me. I gave him an innocent look, doe look. Rosalie, in the few times she had given me a compliment about my physical attributes, had said my face resembled that of a doe. She said I could use my look of innocence to my advantage with some men. It usually worked. It looked like it was working on Edward, too.

The song ended abruptly, transitioning into a different one. But then, the unmasking was announced. Everyone removed their masks. I untied mine quickly, letting the strings fall. I pulled it off and looked at Edward. He had his own mask off, and was smiling expectantly at me. I gave a false surprised gasp, as though I hadn't known it was him the whole time. He laughed at my shock.

"You are surprised," he told me matter-of-factly. I nodded.

"I did not know it was Your Majesty who I was talking to. I am in delight, though," I told him. In response, he took my hand and kissed it. He left me, walking away from the dance floor. Then, he announced in front of court that they would now dine. He went to the Queen's side, as she rose from her chair. She was looking at me, but not in a cruel and upset way. There wasn't any emotion in her eyes, so I didn't know what she was thinking. But jealousness was not one of them, I didn't think. Kate took Edward's arm and led her towards the dining hall.

Rosalie walked up next to me. Her mask was off too. Her blue eyes were following the royal family. She looked at me and smiled. She whipped her blonde curls and followed after them. I stood there for a few seconds before following her. I smoothed out my dress and made sure my hair was in place. Rosalie's curls always looked windswept, and didn't need to be in place to look good. My hair was straight tonight. Rosalie said it made me look some regal. I always listened to Rosalie.

Once we were all seated, I was next to Jasper on the end. On the other side of Jasper was Alice, who was looking quite grim. Rosalie sat near the other end of the table with Emmett and a few other men from court. There was heaping amount of food; meats, fish, salad, pastries. I didn't eat much, I wasn't very hungry. I sipped at some wine and had a little salad. Jasper gave me a quick look for not eating much.

It seemed that all eyes were on me tonight. It was something of which I was not accustomed to. My mother and father were at the table, stealing quick glances at me and talking steadily amongst the two of them. Whenever I looked up, Edward was looking at me as well. I would always glance away. I was conscious. I knew Rosalie would have possibly started right back at him, but I didn't have the confidence for that.

After dinner, we went down to another hall to listen to some music. Rosalie and I sat together on a window seat, while the rest of court talked and milled about. The King and the Queen came in together. Edward made his way towards me, while Kate sat down to talk to some of her ladies. Rosalie, it seemed, had taken on the task of distracting her. I was thankful for that. I loved the Queen, and even though Edward and I weren't doing anything wrong right now, it still felt wrong. I would never want the Queen to get hurt. All too many times Rosalie reminded me that she might have to. I had to do it for the family.

Edward sat beside me on the seat. I felt the butterflies come back. I tried to put them at bay. I wanted to have a conversation with Edward where I wasn't so nervous. He looked me up and down.

"How are you, Lady Isabella?" he asked. I smiled warmly at him.

"I am fine, your Majesty." I was going to ask how he was as well, but he interrupted.

"I am going riding tomorrow," Edward began. "Would you care to join me?" he asked.

"I would love to," I said. "But the Queen…" I replied, trailing off uncertainly. I was still her lady in waiting. I wondered if she could spare me.

"I will ask the Queen to let you go for the morning. I will tell her that you need some fresh air," he added, a grin on his face. I grinned back.

"That sounds wonderful to me," I told him. I looked over at Rosalie. She could only keep Kate preoccupied for so long. She was looking around for Edward. She spotted the two of us sitting together. She abruptly stood up, and suggested some dancing.

The King went to her side. The night didn't last too long after that. Edward danced with Kate, and I danced a little with Jasper and such. When the evening ended, I made way for Rosalie and my chamber. She caught up with me as I was ascending the stairs. "I just spoke with father," she said. "We are to have a family meeting right now."

"Right now?" I asked. "But it's late. I'm very tired," I said, sighing. Why did they need to have me summoned now? Couldn't it wait until morning?

"And you don't think I am?" Rosie asked in a snappy tone. "Jasper and I have to come too. Stop complaining, and come on." I followed Rosalie up the steps where Father and Uncle were waiting.

AN: Thanks to anyone who left reviews or did anything else involved with this story. I hope the reviews keep coming!