"It was just nerves," I said for what felt like the hundredth time as physicians fussed around me, checking for injuries, for an explanation to my "episode," as they called it. One of the younger physicians—an apprentice maybe?—put her finger under my chin and tipped my head up, turning it from side to side to examine my eyes.

I had woken up several minutes ago, lying on a soft, plush bed, with silk sheets. I learned that I had not been out very long, about a quarter of an hour. My head had ached a little from hitting the marble floor, but the aching had already vanished. I did not know why I was still in here. Obviously, there was nothing wrong with me, and all of these people were really starting to get on my nerves.

There was a sharp knock at the door only a moment before it was opened and William strode into the room. His mouth was pressed into a grim line and all the doctors paused to bow, murmuring words of respect before continuing with their jobs.

"Are you all right?" He asked as he reached me.

"Oh, yes, I'm all right," I said quickly, a little breathlessly. "Did you need something, Your Highness?"

He straightened, looking a little startled by my question. "Er . . . no, not really. I just wanted to check after your welfare. Sorry to interrupt." He took a step back, as though he might begin heading for the door.

I reached out a hand to stop him, which I hadn't really meant to do. He paused and looked at me expectantly.

I dropped my hand back down to my lap. "Sorry. Force of habit, I suppose. Wanting you to stay."

He seemed to hesitate a moment before he spoke. "I know," he said quietly. "I'm sorry. I wish I could."

A lump formed in my throat and I nodded. "Of course. I really appreciate your concern, Your Highness, but I assure you, I am all right now."

He nodded, his sapphire gaze holding my own for just long enough to make my breath catch in my throat. "That is good to hear. I'll take my leave, then." He bowed, a little awkwardly, before turning and striding out of the room.

I stared at the doorway through which he exited, my heart aching. I wanted to be with him and it pained me greatly that I could not be. I took another few minutes to compose myself before I returned to the ball

When I'd finally returned to the corner I had been occupying previously, Mother walked over to me, looking none too pleased.

"Erika," she said curtly. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, Mother," I replied, meeting her steely gaze.

"Good. We've decided that you do not have to speak. Clearly, it was . . . too much for you . . ." Her expression was dubious, as though she believed I had acted out my collapse.

Though, I could hardly care what she actually thought, as the relief hit me so hard my knees nearly buckled. "Thank you, Mother."

She nodded, her mouth pressed into a thin line. Without another word, she turned and walked away.

The evening wore on painfully slowly. Alice and William danced together in the middle of the room, looking happy and in love. What a farce.

After the song had ended, William escorted Alice to the other side of the room, where is father and mother sat, observing the revelry.

They all spoke for a moment, and then, I could have sworn, King Henry's expression turned severe, his face going red beneath his beard. William bowed his head slightly as they spoke before he turned and began walking away, though his father still seemed to be calling after him.

He stood before the dais, before the guests, waiting. The music stopped and everyone turned to look at Prince William, seeming surprised by the sudden quiet for the second time that evening.

He did not seem the least bit nervous as he stood before the people that would one day look to him and call him their king. He belonged to them. He was meant to lead them.

"My apologies for the interruption," he said, his voice carrying across the room, much like his father's voice did. "But there is something I must say and it cannot wait." He paused, as though steeling himself for what was to come next.

My eyes slid past William and landed on the king, who looked positively outraged. Though, if William noticed, he did not seem to care.

After a moment, William continued, and I watched on with reservation, unsure where this was going. "I cannot marry Lady Alice. I won't." The words sounded too calm, and the room itself seemed to draw breath as everyone gasped at once. He continued, after the information seemed to sink in, though I was still not sure I'd heard him correctly. "For as long as I can remember, I have been a prince first, before anything else. And I have never minded. I knew that it meant I would have to make difficult decisions and do things I might not want to. I have trained all my life for that day. The day I would be king. I am only eighteen, and I think I have many years before my father relinquishes his claim on the throne, but, even now, I am ready, whenever he decides that day has come. I have always known a political marriage might be part of the plan, and I never minded that either. I only hoped that I would be lucky enough to end up falling in love with whoever I married. But when I met you . . . Everything changed." His mouth turned up at the corner in an almost-imperceptible smile as he walked toward me.

I was frozen to the spot, shocked that he would say this in front of all these people. Though, my heart melted a little as my eyes met his.

"The fact that you were not one of the women I was supposed to marry drove me insane. The fact that, in the end, the choice wasn't mine, and they were going to give me your sister's hand in marriage, made it worse. Not only could I not marry the love of my life, but I was being forced to marry her sister, which would just destroy her. I have spent countless days and sleepless nights thinking about this and considering everything. I love you, Erika. You mean more to me than any crown, and any amount of gold or jewels. I want to be with you more than anything. I will give up any right to the throne I have if it means I can spend the rest of my life with you." He got down onto one knee before me, his eyes shining. My heart stuttered in my chest. "You are everything I could ever want. You are my hopes and dreams. You are my future. I do not care if we are ruling the country or living as poor farmers, as long as we are together. I love you, Erika," he said again, so softly. He pulled a ring from his pocket and took my hand in his. "Will you marry me?"

My heart beat so fast that I thought it might explode out of my chest. I hardly registered that everyone was watching us. I felt like we were the only two people in the world in that moment. "Yes," I said, the word barely more than a breath.

He placed the ring on my finger: it was beautiful, with words engraved in an unknown language, and a very small engraving of the royal crest. He had barely finished putting the ring on when I threw my arms around him and kissed him. Tears stung my eyes, but, for once, they were tears of joy.

We kissed for a long moment before William pulled back slightly, looking into my eyes. I hardly noticed that the silence had been broken by applause. Everyone was fairly accepting of the news that he would not be marrying Alice, but me instead. Except for the king, who continued to look very upset, and Mother, who also looked livid.

With the moment over, the music started up again, a light, jovial tune that seemed to fit the mood perfectly. Guests crowded around us giving us congratulations, bits of advice, pieces of praise. It was quite overwhelming, but I was so happy that it hardly fazed me at all.

After some time of this, Alice approached us, looking pleased, though still her usual haughty self. Too good for a real smile. "Congratulations, Erika," she said.

I grinned and pulled her into a tight embrace. She stiffened in surprise, before reluctantly hugging me back. "Thank you," I said to her.

Her hold on me tightened just a little. "I'm so happy for you," she whispered in my ear.

I pulled back and beamed at her. "Are you off to go find Poppy, then?"

She motioned just over her shoulder, where Poppy stood close by, wearing a lovely gold gown that nearly matched the color of her eyes. Her dark hair was pinned partially up, held in place by matching gold pins. She was absolutely beautiful.

She grinned and waved at me when our eyes met. I hurried over and hugged her as well. When I turned back to Alice her cheeks were slightly pink. "I know it might not be easy, still, for us to be together, but I think it will be all right since we will have each other."

"Of course," I said with a nod. I stiffed when Mother approached, a look of cold detachment on her face. "Well, Erika." She said. "Congratulations on your engagement."

I was in such high spirits that even her sour demeanor could not affect me tonight.

Mother turned to Alice, a look of deep sadness in her eyes that I'd never seen before. "You really did not want to marry the prince, then?"

Alice met Mother's stare and said, "At first, I was resigned to it. I did not mind marrying him, I would have been all right with it. But, then, I . . . met someone and I realized I could never love the prince the way Erika loved him, and I doubted he would ever love me as much as he loved her."

The sadness in Mother's eyes hardened into something cold and dark. Her eyes slid past Alice to Poppy who stood some distance behind her. "You will never be able to love who you want. Not freely. Not without isolating yourself from society."

Alice straightened, her gray eyes matching the ice in Mother's. "Perhaps my priorities are different than yours. Being a social outcast does not sound so bad. Not if I am with her."

"And what if it isn't enough? What if she leaves or things between the two of you do not work out? What will you do then? Will it have been worth it?"

"Absolutely," Alice said, her voice firm and resolute.

Mother turned to me again with a sigh. "Well, I guess it will be enough that you are on the throne instead. We will settle for that after all since you've forced my hand."

I stared at her, uncomprehending, for a long moment before realizing what she meant. "No," I said, louder than I intended. Mother looked taken aback but I forged on. "You have never been my mother in anything but name. You've always treated me horribly and, until recently, I did not even know why. Though, I've never done anything to deserve it. It has never been my fault that you are angry and bitter and I will not put up with it any longer. I'm sorry, but I do not want you in my life anymore. Ever."

Mother's pupils dilated to pinpoints, her nostrils flared, and I almost thought she might raise a hand against me, but she didn't. "And what happens if it does not work out for you? If, one day, he realizes he cannot stand you and decides to throw you out in the streets? What will you do? You cannot come home. You will be all on your own."

I shook my head. "I will think of something at that time, but I don't think that'll ever happen. But after the way you've treated me, I would not come home anyway. I will risk whatever life has to throw at me because I think I can handle after living with you for the last seventeen years."

Her lips thinned and she clasped her hands in front of her. "You will regret this, dear. I know you will. But, fine. If that is what you wish, then, goodbye."

I took a shuddering breath as I smoothed out my dress to give my hands something to do. They shook so badly. I had never stood up to Mother before and I was glad I did, but it left me feeling slightly nauseous and trembling all over.

"I'm sorry, Alice," I said, turning to her. "I hope what I just did does not affect your relationship with Mother, but I could not do it any longer."

Alice shook her head, staring at the place Mother had been. "Everything you said was completely right, Erika. And she knew it. She would never be happy with us because she will never be happy at all. I think what you did was brave and it was something I have never been able to do. She was poison. Her actions and her opinions were poisoning us. Even if she were to change, I think it would take so much to undo the damage she's done that I'm not sure you had another choice." She turned and met my eyes then, looking more earnest and more genuine than I had ever seen her look in my life. "I'm proud of you, Erika."

I swallowed through the lump forming in my throat and blinked the tears away from my eyes. I hadn't realized how much I'd needed to hear that. But I'd needed it so much. "Thank you."

William strode over to me, grinning. He took my hand, the one with the ring over it, and excused us. He led me over to where his parents stood. His father still looked very unamused by the turn of events, but his mother was smiling. Her sapphire eyes locked on mine and she inclined her head slightly. I wasn't quite sure, but something told me she'd expected this all along.