**A/N: I was told that this would be a good thing to do, so just a little trigger warning: this chapter deals with some violence.**

"What are you doing here?" Isabelle asked, still rooted in place in the doorway to her suite. Leopold's brows quivered as he dropped his arms.

"I've come to take you home, of course," he said. "As I'd promised before I left."

"Yes, of course," Isabelle said, distractedly. Lissa hovered beside her, her excited grin giving way to confusion when she took in her mistress' confusion.

"Shall I fetch some tea?" Lissa asked.

"No, please stay," Isabelle said too quickly. Leopold frowned in earnest now, the hackles rising on Isabelle's back.

She had to tread carefully. Lissa had snuck her out of the queen's reading room with Cora Neasmith as the only witness. Isabelle knew Leopold would not be a welcome guest inside the palace, which meant that he had likely snuck in as well. Her father had instructed her to remain at the palace until he said otherwise, which would become far more difficult if Leopold intended to smuggle her out with him.

Papa had also said that he didn't want Isabelle anywhere near Leopold when he learned of the new law...

"How was your journey?" Isabelle asked, forcing the worry from her face. She tried an easy smile, but was fairly certain it came across as a grimace when the frown didn't leave Leopold's face.

"Swift," he replied, watching her. "Is something the matter, darling?"

Isabelle found that her feet wouldn't bring her any closer to him, instead skirting the room to stand behind her love seat. She rested her hands on the piece of furniture, her mind racing as she tried to puzzle out some way to send Leopold to her father without her.

"You never wrote to me," she said finally, the hurt on her face genuine. Leopold's jaw muscle pulsed even as his face softened with the smile he saved just for her.

"I'm afraid I was far too busy in Ardalone, my love," he said, taking a few steps towards her. Isabelle couldn't help but take a few steps back, which earned her another frown.

"You were gone for over a month and you couldn't find the time to write me even once?" Isabelle asked. Frustration flared in his dark eyes before they softened.

"Darling, I was sent as an emissary of Germania, not as a prince on holiday," he said, coming around the love seat.

"Not even one letter," Isabelle repeated. Leopold sighed.

"Must we really fight?" he asked. "I'll admit I was hoping for a more enthusiastic greeting than this."

"And I was hoping for some sort of reassurance that you hadn't forgotten about me," Isabelle said, hating that there were tears rising in her eyes.

Here he was, the man she'd pined over and missed for months, but rather than throw herself into his arms, she was keeping him at an arm's length. Rather than be awash with happiness, her skin was prickling with apprehension. She wanted him out of her suite. She wanted him away from her. He didn't seem to be listening to a word she was saying, approaching her slowly as one would a terrified animal.

"I made you a promise," he said, his eyes flicking down to her ring. "Of course I hadn't forgotten about you."

"And yet you couldn't find a spare minute to write to me and say so," Isabelle continued. The frustration flared in Leopold's eyes again as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Had you ever considered how it looked, Isabelle?" he demanded. "I was nearly overrun with your letters, each one more desperate than the last. Each one talking more about Prince Graham than about us. Why would I ever reply to such nonsense?"

"To reassure me! To..." Isabelle snapped, trailing off. The look the foreign prince levelled at her silenced her.

"The diamond on your finger should be reassurance enough," he said, his voice dangerously quiet. The grandfather clock ticked away the seconds of silence that stretched between them before Leopold turned away from her.

"Have your maid pack your things. It's high time you left this infernal palace," he said, scowling as he looked over the room. "I do not like what Highcastle has done to you and I will not allow it to continue."

Isabelle's heart was hammering in her chest as she looked over at Lissa. Her maid's eyes were wide as she looked to Isabelle for instructions. Realizing that she hadn't shared the contents of her father's letter with her maid before she'd burned it, Isabelle understood why Lissa had been so excited and secretive.

Lissa had assumed that Isabelle would want to leave with Leopold. She'd assumed that nothing had changed and that Isabelle was still just as eager to leave as she had been since they'd arrived. Lissa had thought she'd done Isabelle a favour by sneaking her out of the queen's reading room so she could run away with her betrothed.

Instead, she'd mired her mistress in the stickiest of situations.

As the pair of them exchanged looks, Leopold rounded on them impatiently, glaring at each of them in turn. When Isabelle still didn't speak, he snapped his fingers at Lissa.

"What, are you daft? Get on with it! Go and pack her things!" he barked. Lissa jumped at his voice, glancing over at him before looking back at Isabelle.

"What would my lady have me do?" she asked, her voice barely above a squeak. The terror in Lissa's face as Leopold took two menacing steps towards the maid steeled Isabelle's resolve.

"Leo," Isabelle said, halting him in his tracks. "There is something you should discuss with my father. There's been some news..."

He turned to her, not bothering to hide the anger simmering behind his eyes.

"What news?" Leopold demanded, once again his voice terrifyingly quiet. Now that he was distracted, Lissa backed slowly towards the call bell. Inhaling to steel herself, Isabelle faced her betrothed.

"There's been a new law-" she started, but he advanced upon her so quickly that she backed away, terrified.

"I don't care about Pretanian law!" Leopold thundered, still advancing on her. "Now pack your things because we are leaving!"

Isabelle kept backing away until she was pressed up against the wall, her heart roaring in her ears. Across the room, Lissa was tugging frantically on the call bell, watching Leopold advance on Isabelle with terrified eyes.

"I cannot," Isabelle said, tearing her eyes away from her maid to focus on the furious man approaching her.

"Damn it Isabelle! You are my betrothed and you will obey me!" Leopold exploded. Isabelle screamed as one of his hands curled into a fist, slamming into the wall beside her head. It quivered there as he leaned over her, his cologne filling her nostrils and summoning confounding thoughts of Graham as she trembled before him.

This was wrong, all wrong.

Leopold studied her terrified face, his temper returning to a simmer as he pushed away from the wall, running a hand through his hair again. Lissa still hadn't released the call bell, pulling it so hard she risked tearing it out of the wall.

"You cannot expect me to be pleased when my bride-to-be is behaving like a spoiled toddler," Leopold said, as much to himself as to Isabelle. "I will ask you once again, have your maid pack your things."

"I will not leave until you speak to my father," Isabelle said, her back still pressed up against the wall. She could barely hear above the blood roaring in her ears as he turned towards her, his fingers curling once again.

"What did you just say?" he demanded, his voice so quiet that Isabelle's breath caught in her throat.

"You must speak with my father," she repeated, her voice shaking even though she wished it weren't. She wished that she could melt into the wall, the wrath plain on Leopold's face now as mirthless laughter erupted from his lips.

"I see," he said bitterly. "Talk to your father? Yes, I think that is exactly what I will do, as you have clearly lost your mind. But you are mine and I am not leaving here without you you."

"No," Isabelle said, more firmly this time. The change in Leopold's face was instantaneous, a monster roaring to life behind his brown eyes.

He was upon her again in three quick steps, Isabelle's scream bursting free as he seized her by the shoulders. Lissa was shouting, running across the room towards them.

"How dare you defy me?" Leopold roared, shaking Isabelle so violently she slammed backwards into the wall. Lissa seized Leopold's collar, attempting to pull him off Isabelle, only for one of Leopold's hands to leave Isabelle's shoulders and backhand Lissa across the face. Isabelle screamed anew as Lissa tumbled to the floor.

The suite door burst open as five palace guards charged in, their swords drawn.

"Release the lady!" the first one shouted, as the others fanned out to encircle Leopold. The foreign prince bared his teeth, releasing Isabelle with a shove. She staggered back against the wall, clutching it to remain upright so long as Leo was still within an arm's reach. But the prince had turned his attention to the armed men surrounding him, fixing their leader with a glare as if daring them to come any closer. Isabelle edged away from him as quietly as she could.

"I am a prince of Germania. Touch me and you'll have to explain yourself to your king and mine," Leopold snapped. The first guard held his sword up, but Leopold's words had clearly given him pause. The foreign prince strode up to him, pausing at the tip of the guard's sword before pushing it away in annoyance when the guard did nothing.

"This is not over, Isabelle," Leopold said, his voice barely more than a growl as he fled the room.

Pressed up against the wall near the her bedchamber, Isabelle exhaled, her breathing coming in ragged gasps.

"Are you all right, my lady?" one of the guards asked finally while one of the others helped Lissa to her feet. Isabelle couldn't think straight to save her life, let alone formulate a response, the shock and terror wiping her mind blank as she sagged against the wall.

Lissa rushed to her aid, barking for the guards to fetch a physician and stop the fleeing prince. Isabelle's knees gave out as the bedchamber door across from her creaked open.

Two sets of identical, terrified blue eyes peered out, the twins having overheard the whole thing.

**A/N: Looks like Leopold's true colours are finally on display. Are you surprised by his actions or did you see them coming? Do you think Isabelle did the right thing?

As always, if you enjoyed it, please don't forget to vote and comment! :)**