Aligned (Book #2 in the Divided Series)

Chapter 8 - Part 4

"I really hate getting fitted for gowns." I remarked, all made up in my Princess Louise outfits and hair, sitting in Katie's hotel room, reading a magazine and waiting for her fitting to finish, "I'm just lucky that Bella doesn't mind, and often gets mine done with hers."

"And one of these days, you'll find that will no longer work, and then where will you be?" Katie asked, spinning around as required by the seamstress. "You can't let her do that forever."

"Maybe not, but once they get used to our measurements, it'll be fine. Our stylists know all that stuff, but as we have yet to pick a favourite designer, no one has had our information sent to them to work from." I said, turning a page in the magazine, "Oh hey, apparently you and Albert went for a weekend getaway a few months ago."

"To where?" Katie asked, curious, "I hope it was somewhere nice."

"Not really. Some small island in the middle of nowhere by the look of it. I've never heard of it." I showed her the map they printed, to help people find it, "Problem is, this photo is old, and grainy. The guy's hair is grey, for a start, and the girl is blonde."

Katie laughed, earning a glare from the lady trying to put the last of the pins in. "My Lady, you need to stand still, or you will get a pin poked into you, much as I am trying to spare you such a fate."

"No need for this My Lady business." Katie said to her, "My name is Katie. I don't earn any form of title until I get told by the crown, or I marry a man who hold a title. As neither had happened as of yesterday or today, plain Katie will do fine."

"I am under Prince Albert's instructions, My Lady." The seamstress said.

"How about mine, and call Katie what she wishes to be called?" I said softly from the couch.

"As you wish, Your Highness." The rest of the time she was in the room was spent in silence.

Thankfully, she didn't have long until she finished, and Katie took off the dress, a pale blue, like ice, that was almost finished for the ball in a weeks' time. It would be the final ball of our time here. I was surprised to realise that our time here was half gone already.

"Did it ever occur to you, that your slightest wish is everyone command?" Katie remarked with wonder, as she sat down beside me, in jeans and a shirt like she had spent the morning wearing.

"Sometimes it's surreal." I admitted, "Sometimes I hate doing it, and sometimes it makes it much easier."

"I wonder what that would be like." Katei said, a wistful note in her voice, "To always get what you want?"

"That would be pretty horrible." I shuddered, "Can you imagine how spoilt I would be?"

Katie and I looked at each other, and laughed, "No, no way!" She managed to get out at last, "You'd be unbearable."

Once we calmed down, something else occurred to me, "Hey, since you're dating my brother,"

"Not officially." Katie corrected, "At the moment, I think he's still unsure."

"Whatever." I waved it off, "Technicalities. We all know he's crazy about you."

"Shut up." I looked over and grinned, Katie was blushing.

"Anyway, if you married him, you could be Queen one day." I said, slowly, "Your slightest wish could be people's command."

"Marry him?" Katie squeaked, "What makes you suggest that?"

"Just a thought I had." I said, brushing it off, "It would be the same for anyone who married him."

"What about you, don't you want to be queen?" Katei asked after a few minutes, "You could be."

"Nah, I'm too outspoken, and I have no idea how to do that whole 'feeling on the inside' thing." I said, looking at her, "Why? Do you think I'd make a good queen?"

"I don't know." Katie mused, "I'd never really thought about it before."

"Well, I have, and I don't think I would be." I told her, "I think I'm better just staying a Princess."

"Why?"

"Because I don't have the experience, for a start. And I don't want to have to stay as one thing the rest of my life." I said after a moment, "Can you see me as someone who holds it all in all the time?"

"Not really. But you're already stuck being something, and someone, for the rest of your life." Katie pointed out, "You're Princess Louise, in line for the British throne, and you're never going to escape that."

"But until all this comes, off, I'm just the same person I've always been." I said softly, "I don't want to give that up yet."

"I didn't say you had to." Katie said, laying a hand on my arm, "But you need to think about what will happen when it does, and what sort of Princess you want to be seen as in the meantime. Your image is now everything, because you're not just you out there, but a spokes person for Britain and the Commonwealth."

"Most of which, I have never visited or seen." I pointed out dryly, "I have only ever been here and home."

"So, same here?" Katie sighed, "Albert asked if we could announce that we're publicly dating."

"When?" I asked, sitting bolt upright, "What did you say?"

"I don't know." She twisted her hands in her lap, "I said I needed time to think. And to ask your advice."

"When was this?" I pressed, wanting to know more.

"This morning. He thinks it would be a good idea to announce it just before the ball."

"Sneaky." I said approvingly, "The ball is our farewell ball, and he wants to take some of the spotlight off us. Remind me to thank him if you say yes." I sat back again, "I hate being in the spotlight."

"And you think I like it?" Katei asked, grinning at me, "I like it about as much as you do."

"Be that as it may, you hide your distain of the spotlight better." It was my turn to reach over and put my hand on her arm, "What did you want to ask my advice about it on?"

Katie sat there for a minute, seeming to gather her thoughts, "I think if he really wanted to, he would have just annoyed it, not asked me. That's why I think he's unsure." She explained, "And why did he ask me?"

"I think because he values that you are one half of this relationship?" I paused this time, "And yes, other times he's just announced he's dating some girl, but they always look surprised, then confused. I think he's never been sure about them before, or really cared what will happen to them. I think his asking is him saying he wants you to be sure this is right for you."

"How do you think that?" Katie asked, "Have you talked to him about it?"

"No. But this is why I didn't tell any of you." I confessed, "I wanted you to all think about it, and you were all fine. I gave Isaac time to get out too. I wanted to know if he was really ready to have any form of relationship with me, knowing that I am who I am. I cared enough about him to ask, to make sure he knew what he was getting into, before just assuming he would be fine with it."

"And obviously he is." Katie sighed, "Maybe I should ask him then."

"You could. I'd wait a few hours for him to wake up, but go for it." I said, "Swing by and use my palace phone after dinner, saves you getting a big room bill." Albert was making her pay for any phone calls, since the palace had a thing about overseas phone calls. Me, they weren't so worried about, so I knew Katie slipping one in from my room wouldn't raise any red flags.

"Thanks." She smiled at me, "You're a really good friend."