While heading back we decided to run again, so he took his hand off my waist and started holding my hand. I was smiling and laughing, because it was fun sneaking around with him. We got close enough to the banquet hall that we stopped running and he began to hold my waist again. We entered back into the banquet hall and stood exactly where we were before. Soon after Edward said "I suppose I should give my speech."

"Okay, I'll be right here waiting for you."

"Okay," he said, turning and walking away.

I look around the room, and see Charles and Katherine dancing together. They seemed to be having fun. They were both laughing and smiling. I'm beginning to wonder if Charles really does love me like he says. If he does, he's hiding it from people very well. Do I even love Charles like I say I do?

Before I can think about it, my attention is pulled away to Edward's speech. A courtier said, "Attention, his Majesty the King has something to say."

Edward started to speak saying, "Welcome everyone. I am so glad you all came and I hope you are enjoying yourself. My fiance and I are overjoyed that so many of you came to support our engagement. It is truly wonderful to have the support of my people when making Elizabeth my queen, so thank you. Enjoy the rest of your time here and have fun."

Edward then came back down to me, and I said, "That was a nice speech."

"You know I was saying all the stuff about us getting married because you don't want anyone to know about you and Charles, right?"

"Oh, yes, right," there was a silence between us for a while until I said, " So we can dance now?"

Edward just laughed and said,"Yes we can dance now."

He grabbed my waist again and led me to the middle of the hall where people were dancing. When it was the start of a new song, he bowed to me, and I curtseyed. We then went really close together and touched our hands together. We went apart, and then did the same thing, this time with our other hands. His hands were soft and gentle. We then moved apart again. When we met back up in the middle, he changed the dance and grabbed my waist with one of his hands and we turned around in a circle staring into each other's eyes the whole time. I asked him, "What are you doing, this isn't the dance."

"I got bored of that dance. I'll stop this one if you want me to."

"No, it's alright. I was just taken aback by it."

He grabbed my hand with his hand that wasn't holding my waist, and then started to move his feet like a waltz and guided me through it. I don't think we ever really talked, we just started into each other's eyes. His eyes are beautiful, I thought to myself. I started to hear whispers of people in the room. They seemed to say something along the lines of, " Look at the love between them. They will be an amazing king and queen together."

I don't think I'm in love with him, can I be? It's only ever been Charles that I've thought of being with, but maybe I should look elsewhere. My eyes shifted down while I was thinking. I started to think too much, without getting a clear answer. It was like a million voices in my head. Edward saw my change and gently said, "Just look at me. Don't worry about anything else, focus on the dance and what I'm saying. Just look right at me, and breathe. Everything will be okay, you don't need to stress, Elizabeth."

I focused on him, and it calmed him and it calmed me. As if we were the only two people there. I don't know how he's so good at doing that. Looking back into his eyes, I don't know what came over me, but I leaned forward, and kissed him. It felt magical, like this was supposed to happen all along. After realizing what I did, I said, " I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay, it was nice," he said and the music stopped, but we kept moving.

I then said to him, '' The music stopped, shouldn't we?"

"Do you want to?"

"I just think people are staring at us."

"Let them stare. For all they will see is a person so in love with the one they are dancing with.'

I know he's talking about himself, but maybe he's talking about both of us. He only knows about himself though, not me. We continued to dance without the music until Charles came up to us and said, " Elizabeth, would you like to dance with me?"

I looked at Charles, not sure what to say. I then looked at Edward who nodded. I took that as an okay dance with him. So I placed my hand on top of his, which was held out to me.

He led me away from Edward while holding my waist tightly again. I looked back at Edward who seemed to have the same feeling as I did. We were happy and having fun, until now. When we got far enough away, Charles let go of my waist and turned me towards him. When the music started it was a waltz, so he had to hold me by the waist again. He held me even tighter and I could only move if it was part of the dance. He didn't talk, and looked displeased. So I said, "What are you doing? Why are you like this?"

He replied, "I would like to know what you were doing with Edward, he held your waist, and you kissed him."

"Nothing happened. Well almost nothing happened."

"I saw you two disappear earlier, where did you go?"

"I don't know where we went."

"How could you possibly not know where you went."

"Because it's a place only Edward knows about."

"Well why did you go with him?"

"I was upset and didn't want to be in here anymore."

"You could have come over to me instead," he said, holding my waist even tighter now.

"You looked like you were already having the time of your life with all those ladies around."

He stopped, let go of my waist and said, "That's different!"

"How is it any different!?"

"I didn't kiss anyone else!"

"That I know of. And even if you didn't, you were flirting with them and dancing and laughing and…"

He cut me off to say, "None of that matters, you know I love you!"

"Do I?"

He stood there shocked and I continued, "If you do love me, you hide it very well."

I tried to walk away from him and go back over to Edward, but he grabbed my hand. He pulled me towards him, making me look at him, and said, "Why wouldn't you just tell me how you feel, instead of doing all of that?"

"I didn't know how you would respond, I didn't even know I felt that way."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but you still kissed my brother. I don't know how to react to that."

"I don't even know why I did that. We were just dancing and we were looking into each other's eyes, and then there were so many voices and I panicked and then he calmed me, and we started looking at each other's eyes again, and I forgot there was anyone but us in the room, and I kissed him."

"So if you knew there were people in the room, you wouldn't have kissed him?"

"Yes, of course not."

"So you'll only be unfaithful as long as no one knows about it, but if they don't, you won't?"

"That's not fair. I didn't know what I was doing and I'm sorry."

"I have to go, goodnight Elizabeth," he let go of my hand and started to walk away, but I stopped him when I said, "Do you love me?"

"What?" he said, surprised I would ask such a thing.

"Do you love me? Even though I kissed your brother and left the ball with him, do you love me? If you say you don't, then I will let you go and stop loving you. If you say you do, I will never stop loving you until I die. Do you love me?"

"Elizabeth, we can't do this here."

"Then tell me your answer tomorrow when no one is around."

"I need more time to think than that."

"That's all the time I'm giving you, you should know right away whether or not you love someone."

"Yes. Yes I love you. I'm just hurt that you kissed him."

"I am sorry. I didn't mean to kiss him, I don't know why I did. Please tell me it's okay and we'll be fine."

I started crying a little bit. Charles walked back to me, hugged me, and said, "Of course we are."

He let go and actually left. The ball had ended a few moments after he left. I went back to my room and got ready for bed, this night I wasn't going to run away.