Chaotic Kingdom: Entangled With Two Princes

“Aria Maine will be our guest at the palace for a little while,” Aaron explained, watching Bart’s face do things he’d never seen it do before. “She’s just recently become queen after her family got killed in a war-”

“Is she here yet?” Bart asked, an urgency to his voice.

He looked devastated, like Aaron had just told him a friend had died.

“Should be arriving soon,” Aaron answered.

Zoey looked at her brother worriedly.

“Are you okay, Bart?”

Bart started running, not hearing Zoey, not seeing CC on his way out.

“What the hell?” Aaron frowned, as he watched Bart go.

Aaron and CC followed Bart out to the front door, where King Henry was greeting the young queen.

“Ria,” Bart gasped.

Queen Aria smiled a small smile when she saw him.

“Lord Batholomew, how good to see you again.”

Queen Aria was not prepared to see him so soon. Their last meeting was still burned into her brain, one of few happy memories she had to cling to these days. She’d heard of his engagement. His wedding was to be in two months, so he didn’t make the list for potential King Consorts, but seeing him now, so distraught for her, his eyes shimmering as he was approaching her, the queen couldn’t help but put him back on the list and forget that any other names had ever made it on in the first place.

“I’m so sorry Ria,” said Bart, putting his arms around her right there and then, no regard for the king and whomever else might be watching. “So sorry about Ethan, about your parents.”

She stroked his neck, feeling the first tear she would shed as queen fall down her cheek. But she was standing in front of a king, in front of the king’s children. She could not afford to show weakness. So she wiped the tear away and pulled back.

“Thank you, My Lord,” she said, her voice hoarse.

She smiled at him brightly, just like he was used to, and that made his heart hurt more for her.

King Henry would have said something, done something, if he only knew what that something should be. Cassandra came up to them, seeing her husband struggling. She and Henry were friendly these days, or at least civil. Even after eight months of living at the palace, she wasn’t quite sure that she was ready to just overlook the last five years. Henry was only glad she hadn’t left.

“What the hell is happening?” CC asked, dumbfounded.

She’d never seen Bart’s eyes make tears before, never seen him so distraught.

“Who is this woman?”

“Aria Maine is now the sole surviving heir to the throne of Sartis Est, an ally of Terres Somnia’s. She’s asked for refuge in Terres Somnia while she looks for a King Consort to secure her rule. It’s really tragic, actually. She’s just lost everything, including her home. There are people who don’t think she’s fit to rule. If she doesn’t return to her country and claim her throne with a king consort in four months, she’ll forfeit the throne, to her uncle, Duke Maine. That’s if they don’t find her and kill her first. Her country’s very conservative. While she may rule, it may not be without a man by her side,” James answered.

There was silence.

“Well, looks like she’s found herself a potential king consort,” said CC, watching Bart with her.

It was like looking at another person altogether. She found she could not watch for long. This new Bart was confusing her, making her think that they really were too young for this after all. Not knowing what else to do, CC simply walked away.

“We’re coming home,” said James.

“It’s not necessary,” Aaron replied, taking her in.

She was more striking than beautiful, but he thought that that was by design, a trick in the way she wore her hair or her makeup or something. Her hair was shoulder length and she was shorter than her cousin. It was like looking at Emily, if Emily were a tomboy who cared a little less about her appearance.

“Aaron, don’t do anything stupid. This is not just some wounded girl who just lost her entire family. If you thought Emily Maine was a handful, this woman, this queen, is ten times worse. Her reputation precedes her. She’ll see you coming from a mile away.”

Aaron looked at CC, still walking down the corridor, listless. He thought about what she’d been through to finally get to a point where she was even ready to talk about a wedding.

“I’m the Casanova of Caines. Her being a challenge is half the fun. I’ll handle it.”

“Aaron-” Zoey began.

“I wore you down, didn’t I? This is what I’m good at, get the girl to like me. Queen or not, I don’t care how smart she is, I can get her to cave. They always cave.”

James and Zoey exchanged a look. She didn’t know if she wanted Aaron to manipulate her brother into a marriage. He could see it on her face. He didn’t want that either, but CC had had such a rough time of it lately.

“When you fuck this up, the minute you do, call me,” James said. “Your word, Aaron.”

But Aaron had already stopped listening. His eyes met with Aria’s. Maybe it was just because he had declared a war of sorts on her too, but he felt an electrical charge between them. Aria stared at the prince turned bastard’s dark eyes and winked at him. This little signal started Aaron on a dark road, one of deception, seduction, cunning, winners and losers. But once he took the first step, he found the next was easier to take and the next easier still until he was jogging to her, down the stairs. He went right up to her, brushing past Bart, took a knee, took her hand and kissed it.

“My condolences, Your Majesty,” he said, looking up at her, winking back.

Bart was about to chastise him for hitting on a grieving woman, when he saw CC standing in the doorway. There was an uncertainty in her eyes he had never seen before, not when she looked at him. He went to her without a second thought. Not for her but him, because it burned him. He didn’t know why, but it hurt him.

He pulled her to his chest and asked, “What’s wrong?”

She hugged him back and told her first lie to her fiance.

“Nothing.”

As Queen Aria watched the exchange, she looked back down at the man holding her hand and said, “Well, I suppose it’s not a list if there aren’t at least three names on it.”

December 3rd, 2019

(Caines, Terres Somnia)

CC's birthday was coming up. She had only recently started getting her dress ready for her birthday and planning for the next fashion show. Bart was glad to see it. The queen's absence finally seemed to be weighing on her less. CC even applied for fashion school next year.

Bart liked watching his fiancee. Shortly after they got engaged, he got himself a too comfortable bean bag chair that he placed in her office. When he dropped by and she complained that she didn't need a babysitter, he swore that he just needed somewhere to study. And he did study. He got through tons of material during his time at the fashion house. Did it take him twice as long as usual because he spent half of the time watching her work? Yes, but she didn't need to know that.

It might not seem sensible that it pleased him so much just to watch her, but then there was a time when he would have given anything just to lay eyes on her. A time when they were forbidden. Even now their families thought that they were moving too fast. “You’re too young,” his father had said. As long as she showed up two months from now to marry him, Bart didn't care. A 20 year old man had never been as sure that he wanted to marry someone as Bart was that he wanted to marry CC.

"Ouch," he heard her whisper under her breath.

As much as Bart liked watching her, he loved going to her even more. She already had the bandaid out by the time he got to her. He looked into her face as he took it from her and put it on her newly pricked finger.

"I can take care of my own needle pricks you know,” she complained, ghost of a smile on her face.

"I know Caroline," he said, bending over to pick her up.

Caroline.

Her name out of his mouth made her putty in his hands. He knew it and she knew he knew. It made her furious. His saying her name undoubtedly meant he was going to make her do something she didn't want to and she would allow it, because really there was nothing he wanted to do with her that she didn't want to do with him.

"Time for bed, you're exhausted. You can pick it back up tomorrow," he said, taking the unfinished dress from her.

"I'm not sleepy," she protested with a yawn, her arms wrapping around his neck as she snuggled up against his chest and her eyes fell closed.

"Right, of course not," he said, as he carried her out of the office.

Bart took CC to the room next to her office. He had turned it into a bedroom for her to take naps in when she had a show coming up and didn't have time to go home. It was one of many attempts at getting her to come back to work. He probably should have gotten her something bigger than a ¾ bed. CC ended up spending quite a lot of time at the fashion house after James and Zoey's coronation. Being at the palace all the time was still too hard for her back then and she didn't want to put Bart's parents out. Besides, she liked the effort he'd put into the place. It was cozy, she'd told him.

She clung to him as he tried to lay her down.

"Stay," she whispered, kissing his cheek.

Bart swallowed. She'd been especially clingy the last few nights, insisting he stay with her. There was this unspoken agreement between them that nothing beyond kissing would happen until they got married, so he didn’t usually stay the night. He loved her and wanted her to be happy and comfortable, but damn she was driving him crazy.

Ever since the first time he saw it, the uncertainty in her eyes, it was like CC no longer wanted what he thought they agreed upon. She was finally getting back to basics and that pleased him, but now there was this. He didn’t know what to do with himself. Did they need to talk about it? But he didn't want to embarrass either of them.

He couldn't go there with her. Not while that persistent look of uncertainty left him so confused about what was going on in her head. Bart needed to find a way to make that look go away before they could consummate their love.

The moment she asked him to stay, he knew it was coming. Just like the previous two nights, she was straddling him and her warm touch alongside her eager mouth told the story of her intent. He restrained himself, giving her free reign as he fought to not to explore beyond her mouth. For all the good it did him. Tonight her fingers weren’t satisfied with feeling out the buff chest, broad shoulders and rock hard core that hid under his shirt all day. As evidenced by the way she locked eyes with him, bit the corner of her lip as her shirt accompanied her arms up above her head, tonight CC wanted more.

Bart gulped as he watched her shirt hit the floor. What was he supposed to do with her shirtless and on top of him, threatening to take off more as she kissed her way down his body? The last two nights he'd managed to get her to fizzle out while spooning her and she'd fallen asleep in his arms. He’d hoped he had deterred her. Instead having caught on, CC only became emboldened. She already had them both half naked. His fingers dancing to the tune of her melody up her back, heading for her bra.

Stop. Tell her they needed to talk. He wanted to, he really did, but all his willpower went into not flipping them over and tearing the rest of her clothes off.

"I love you," she said, innocent eyes staring down into his.

The hot air from her lips mixed with his as he felt the bra he didn't know he had unclasped give way under his fingers.

Fuck.

He was going to stop now, wasn't he?

Her lips pulled up into a smile as she pulled the zipper of her shorts down. He found himself helping her, caressing her shoulders as he dragged her bra straps down her arms. Bra joining the rapidly increasing pile on the floor, his hands went straight for her breasts, squeezing and massaging her chest as her head fell back and she let out the most alluring moan to escape her lips in their eight month engagement.

Carefree. Out of control. These just weren’t things Bart ordinarily associated with himself. She just sat up there, taking it all, enjoying herself, lust tainting the love in her eyes. If this was wrong somehow, he'd deal with it later. If she wanted him to stop at any point, he would, but he was done restraining himself.

"I love you too Caroline," he said before he cupped her neck and pulled her mouth down onto his, wrapping his arms around her to pick her up and lay her down on her back.

She had her shorts down before he'd managed to pull his shirt all the way off, her legs wrapping around him as she welcomed his tongue into her mouth.

CC had finally gotten Bart to respond the way she wanted him to. He wasn't gritting his teeth, finding excuses for them to stop. Not tonight. Tonight he was all over her, kissing her and touching her like a mad man. She felt his lips heat up every inch of her skin. Starting with her lips, he moved onto her cheeks, her ears, her neck, her breasts. Tugging on her rapidly hardening nipples with his teeth.

“Bart,” she moaned softly. “Don’t stop.”

He was everything. Gentle but passionate. Generous and considerate. He kept looking at her, as though to ask her if she was sure. And she was, she really was, but by the time Bart pulled his pants down she found she couldn't keep her eyes open, not even for his ridiculously ripped body.

.