"Falling"

The Truth Is...

Bella follows the Commander into the room, bowing to the King once she reaches the desk behind which he is sitting. She can tell that he is not happy about any of this and she hopes that she can convince him that she doesn't wish for any harm to come to him or his Kingdom.

She stands across from the desk, the Commander standing right next to her. Bella looks at the King and steadies herself for what's to come, drawing strength from the Commander's presence.

-"Is it true what you told Commander Ackles this morning, Your Highness?" - A hint of anger is still present in his voice.

-"It is, Your Majesty. I have done everything I can on my own to placate my father, but I'm running out of excuses to not give him the information he wants. That was why I went to Commander Ackles. I hoped he could help be prevent something from happening."

-"Why are you so certain that your father wants to start a war with me?"

-"From the moment my father decided to send me here, he became colder with me, even more so than he already was. He kept telling me that I needed to protect myself and not expect him to watch out for me for the rest of my life. At first I thought it was because of what happened to my sister and since he was sending me here, that I needed to be on the lookout for anyone that might try to hurt me in any way while staying at your Court."

"What had made me truly suspicious of my father's true intentions was when, right before I left, he had demanded that I sent weekly letters with information on Your Majesty, the Royal family, and who you meet with."

"I asked him why and he told me it was because he wanted to plan an alliance that didn't depend on a marriage, and that he could only do that if he knew what was happening in your Court so he could plan the best alliance offer possible."

"It wasn't so much what he said, but how he said it that made me think that he was really looking into having information so he could harm you and your Kingdom. Your Majesty, I don't want to have any part in it. Everyone here has been so welcoming, despite knowing how my father feels about you, and I've been happy living here. Something I haven't been in my father's Court in a long time."

"I will write whatever you want me to, I don't care what my father will do once he discovers the truth, not anymore." - She whispers those last words, tears in her eyes, but maintaining her composure.

-"How come you don't hate me, like your father does?" - He lets out a breath. As much as Josh hates to admit it, she does seem sincere.

-"I have never blamed you for not wanting to marry someone you don't love, let alone know, just so an alliance could be forged. When my sister died, I could've easily blame and hate you for it, but the truth was that my sister spent hours in the garden, in the cold and sometimes the rain, and it was only a matter of time before she got sick. By the time she allowed a healer to see her, it was too late. How is that your fault? How can I hate you for something that was beyond your control?"

Josh just looks at her, processing everything she just told him. He can see that she truly doesn't blame or hate him for anything that happened, and she really wants to help protect his Kingdom.

However, he must wonder how badly her father must've treated her, after her sister died, to make her so willing to betray him.

-"Why are you so willing to betray your father? And what guarantees do I have that you won't do the same to us?" - This earns him a glare from Jensen.

-"Don't think for a moment that this isn't hard for me. At the end of the day, he is still my father and I hate that I have to do this. But if I can stop my father from going to war with you, I will also be stopping a lot of unnecessary deaths from happening. If things were different, I would never even consider betraying my father, but I won't be able to live with myself if people die because I didn't do something to maybe stop it."

Josh now understands why she is helping them. It isn't because she wants to betray her father, but rather because she can't stand the idea of both Kingdoms going to war with each other and people dying because of it.

He lets out another breath and looks over at his brother, still standing close enough to the Princess he could touch her just by lifting one finger. That's when he sees it, the look of fierce protection in his eyes.

Josh has seen that look multiple times over the years and usually always regarding their family. Only now it was for the Princess. Josh realizes then why Jensen had been so adamant when defending the Princess, smiling to himself at the realization.

He clears his throat and looks at them both, his anger now more than subdued.

-"I believe you, Your Highness, and I will help you. Commander Ackles and myself will get together and come up with what you'll need to write, and I'll have the Commander let you know."

-"Thank you, Your Majesty." - Relief floods Bella's expression.

-"Would you give us a moment? I would like to have a word with Commander Ackles."

-"Of course. Your Majesty."

The Princess bows to him before leaving the room, Jensen's eyes following her as she leaves. Josh would have to be blind not to see it and maybe not even then. Jensen turns back to him and waits, neither one of them saying anything for a moment.

-"How long?" - Josh breaks the silence.

-"How long what?" - Jensen is confused.

-"How long have you been in love with the Princess?" - He smirks, his brother opening his mouth and quickly shutting it close. -"I'm not mad. Just curious. Anyways, we will need to have weekly meetings to come up with what we want her to write her father. It can't be too obvious, but I'm sure we can come up with decent information that will look real enough."

"If there's nothing else, maybe you should go and check on the Princess, see how she is dealing with everything and make sure she is okay."

-"Josh... Thank you for listening to her." - Jensen nods before starting to walk away.

-"Jensen." - He sees his brother turn, his hand on the doorknob. -"You should tell her how you feel. I have a feeling she might feel the same."

Jensen nods, before opening the door and leaving the room. He lets out a breath and thinks that things went a lot better than he thought they would, even if his brother now clearly knows how he feels about the Princess.