This is how I picture the dresses that Jessamine and Stella are forced in this chapter. As always, none of the pictures are mine and they never will be, because I cannot draw, take pictures of, or design any of the beautiful dresses or places that you see. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!!

—Jessamine—

"Girls!!" Our aunts cooed, running towards us as fast as they could.

"Aunt Lane, Aunt Jane, what are you doing here? I thought you were staying in Moonwinter to help the kingdom out until we returned." Stella says.

They look at each other, giving looks of sorry towards us.

"Well, you see, we were called into action by our ruler, Queen Celeste of the Fairies, to investigate the King's activity. Knowing that you never came home after we heard of the battle date told us that you might be here, so we took the job. We are supposed to be undercover, but we are allowed to show ourselves to you." Aunt Lane said, moving towards the closet.

They then both disappeared into the massive closet and came out with two dress bags, one two times wider than the other.

"We were told to prepare the both of you for dinner and put you in these dresses, and we added really really early. I know you probably won't like them, but it is the his majesty's orders." Aunt Jane yelled, just loud enough so that the people in the guys room could hear. My guess was that Luke and Flynn actually got people who working for the King as their attendants, so our Aunts had to be really careful with what they said.

After a minute passed, Aunt Jane whispered. "I have something that is from Moonwinter that you need. Though, I'm not sure that you will like it. A plus side of being here with you is that because of my fairy power, which is to be able to see the future, I can tell you what the King is planning, and trust me, you are going to want what we brought to use as leverage based on what I already know." she said, ushering me behind a fabric shift to put me into whatever dress that the tyrant of a King wants me to wear.

As she opened the dress bag, I thought the dress was somewhat nice and proper. Gods, was I wrong. It was a pretty red dress with off the shoulder long sleeves, and gold accents, including a chain. The dress was basically one sided. What I mean is that the dress closed over my right hip, but my left hip, leg, and side of the torso were all out in the open, the only thing preventing the dress from fully exposing my left side was the gold chain that connected with the string that went around my neck, and a little bit of fabric that the chain laid on. I was nervous enough in the dress that I wore to the ball, but nothing could help explain how scared I was to see what the guys would say about this dress.

I was then forced into wearing bold makeup, complete with dark red lipstick and a smokey eye, my hair was pulled up into a pretty up-do, but there was a place left above my bun for an accessory. Then came another the last of the bad things about the outfit, the heels. Sure, they were pretty shoes, but there was no way in hell that I would be able to walk in these for the whole night if I needed to, let alone run in them.

My only sense of relief was Stella's dress. Her dress was a puff of pink and white fabric that seemed to swallow her up with a top that was tight and had a sweetheart neckline, the neckline was like my dress for the ball, but it seemed to fit her personality, as it as extravagant as anything else. Her hair was also in a elegant up-do, her makeup was just as overdone as mine, and her heels looking just as high and uncomfortable  as mine. We looked at each other, shaking our heads as we viewed what the King had done to us. We hadn't even seen him, but his terror reigns on as he chooses our clothing.

"Stella that dress swallows you until it hits the top, then it looks like it might restrict you, are you all right?" I ask.

"Yah I'm fine, the top is like a corset, but it doesn't squeeze like one. Though it is kind of hard to walk in." She says, pointing to her shoes. "That dress looks like they placed you in a dress too small for you, but they put you in it anyway, the dressed ripped at the seams, which were all on the left side, but covered it up with a chain and a quick piece of fabric. I'm surprised that you are still wearing it. Are you sure you want the guys to see you dressed like that?" she asks.

"I don't know, but if this is what it takes to get us out of here, I need to wear these things." I say, as if they were listening, which I'm pretty sure they were, the guys decided that it was ok to try come into the room.

"Give us one more minute. We are going to hide behind the shifts to surprise you." Stella says, pushing me behind my respective shift.

"Stella, can you please go out first, then go outside? I need to talk to Flynn for a minute." I say, using the mind power that I do have to talk with only her.

"If you need to talk that bad, I will make sure that I go first and get Luke out of the room." She responds, still in our heads only.

"Come in!" Stella yells, there was the sound of two doors opening, and four pairs of feet walking towards us. Two pairs belonging to the guys, and two belonging to my aunts, who were both carrying a big fancy box.

Stella gives me a nod, and steps out into the open. Luke gapes at her, smiles, then leans down gives her a kiss, which she melts into, and she tells him in whispers that they needed to leave for a few minutes. Then I step out. Flynn gaped as well, but instead of smiling after like Luke, he looks concerned. I cover myself up as much as I could, embarrassed. He then walks towards me and pulls me into a giant hug. "You didn't choose this did you?" he asks, to which I shake my head, my eyes already watering.

"Then don't cover up at all, the King is trying to break you, take your insecurities and exploit them. Wear this dress proudly, you look amazing." he whispers, then he kisses my forehead and holds me close for one more minute, that was until my aunts pull us apart.

"I need to tell you something." Aunt Jane begins. "The King is planning to take Moonwinter away from you, he is going to threaten Moonwinter, and claim that he is still in control because there is no Queen or King." she stops for a breath. "That is where this box comes in. I know that you are unsure right now, but whatever we do in this room will not be fully binding, unless you want it to be binding." She finishes, opening the box that Aunt Lane had set down onto the table next to where we were standing.

I immediately recognize what was in the box, and I don't hesitate to name to contents out loud. "The crowns of Moonwinter." I say, in a trance from the shock of what my aunt had just asked me to do. "You want me to wear the crown to prove that Moonwinter has a ruler." I state.

"I want to coronate you right here, to further prove that Moonwinter has a ruler. If you will allow us to do the ceremony right now." She says.

I call Stella and Luke into the room, filling them in on what our aunts had found out. That only started an argument that escalated quickly, as me and Stella argued about who would take the responsibility of a kingdom.

"YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO BE STUCK WITH RESPONSIBILITIES. YOU WANT TO JUST GO WHEREVER LUKE GOES. YOU JUST WANT TO STAY CAREFREE, ALWAYS MOVING FROM PLACE TO PLACE, WHILE I DEAL WITH THE RESPONSIBILITIES." I yell at the peak of the argument.

"Girls, you do know that there is a reason why Stella cannot take the Moonwinter throne, and it is because of me." Luke says, making me stop.

"What do you mean 'because of me.'" I ask.

Luke takes a deep breath, looks at Stella who nods. "Tell them." she says. "When we were at Carmilla's castle, you all met my family." he begins, we all nod. "Well the thing is, unlike Flynn, I do not have any sort of older sibling. Which means that if anything happens at my kingdom, I would have to take the throne, and Stella said that she would willingly come with me to help." he says, looking back to Stella for reassurance.

I back away from the group, where Flynn follows me, as always. We slip into the other room, before I can even say anything, Flynn pokes his head out of the door that he almost closed "Give us one minute to talk about this." he says, then closes the door.

"That means that I am the only one. I have no choice. I'm forced to be queen. I can't do it, I just can't." I say, burying my face into my hands to avoid crying.

Flynn grabs my wrists and pulls my hands away from my face. "Nothing is binding. If you don't do this, if we don't do this, Moonwinter will be in the hands of the very person that we need to defeat. We would technically be handing the kingdom over to a dictator who will destroy your home. He is going to threaten your home with destruction if we don't do this. Remember, your aunts did say that anything that happens here isn't binding unless you approve. Remember the Space In Between, I'll always be there with you, even if it means that everything happens now, in this room, with only the five of us in the room to witness." he says calmly, staying close to me and not pushing anything on me.

I think of the threats, of the tyranny, the chaos that would ensue, should the King actually succeed in taking Moonwinter. Moonwinter, my home, my birthplace, my mother's pride, my kingdom. I wipe the few tears away, careful not to ruin my makeup. I straighten myself, making myself look as much like my mother as I could. "I'll do it. If I do this now, I don't want to change my mind later, the only way to ensure that I don't change my mind later it to make the ceremony binding. I will only do this if you will do it with me." I say, trying to grab his hand.

"As you wish Jess." he says, grabbing my hand and steadying it. He opened the door, revealing the two of us as we walked into me and Stella's room.

"We'll do it, and we want everything to be binding." I say walking toward Stella, Luke, and my aunts, Flynn's hand still in mine.

Aunt Lane moves towards Stella and Luke to tell them to both sit. Aunt Jane comes over to me and Flynn, to tell me where to stand, and to give Flynn the crown, as he would be crowning me, at my aunt's request. Then the short ceremony began.

"Do you, Princess Jessamine Samara Whiting promise to rule your kingdom fairly, treat your people kindly, follow traditions set by your ancestors, and never abandon your kingdom from now until the gods claim you?" my aunt states, each word part of the memorized ritual.

"I, Jessamine Samara Whiting promise to do all those things and more." I say, happy for my lessons that I took to prepare for something like this, which was a class for just in case I was to be queen.

"You may turn around and kneel." my aunt says.

I obey and shakily kneel before my crown that Flynn places on my head, right in the place that the missing hair accessory was to be placed.

"Now, rise and turn." Aunt Jane commands, and I stand and turn once more.

"I now pronounce you Queen Jessamine Whiting of Moonwinter. Congratulations." She says and curtsies, Aunt Lane, Stella, Luke, and Flynn all follow suit.

Then me and Flynn switch, as we promised to do this together. We begin his ceremony as soon as we stand in out required spots.

"And do you Prince Flynn Alastair Dowling promise to help rule the kingdom of Moonwinter fairly by your Queen's side, treat your people and your Queen with respect, follow traditions, and never abandon Moonwinter from now until the gods claim you?" Aunt Lane recites, doing her part in this.

"I, Flynn Alastair Dowling promise to do all these things and more." he says, the same way I said it, though his answer was much clearer than mine.

"Now you may turn and kneel." she says.

Flynn obeys as well, but he doesn't look as shaky as what I was. Instead, each of his movements were precise. I place his crown on his head. Instead of letting Aunt Lane tell him what to do next, she lets me do the honors.

"You may rise and turn." I say, letting the rest fall onto my aunt.

"Then I now pronounce you King Flynn Dowling of Moonwinter. Congratulations." Aunt Lane says, curtsying once more, in which all of us follow soon after.

While I was curtsying to my King, he turned around, put his hand under my chin, and lifted me up so that I was standing. Then he took me by the waist, pulled me close, and kissed me. His lips were soft and warm against mine, and they tasted of sugar, which we had in his kingdom before taking off to the battle. We were pulled apart once more by my aunts, who were shaking their heads in disapproval, but smiling because they knew our situation.

"Well, what will your first act as queen be your majesty?" Luke taunted.

I looked at Flynn, who was smiling at Luke as if this was a joke. "My first order as Queen of Moonwinter is to beat the Tyrant King." I state proudly, trying to sound authoritative like my mother.

"Then so be it. Let's go defeat the tyrant!" Stella said, only loud enough for the people in the room to hear.

"The dinner starts in ten minutes. We can take you there. It is only about a two minute walk." Aunt Lane said, starting to walk towards the door.

"Before I open the door. These titles, though they are real, don't mean anything between us. Especially in this castle. We are still the same people. Jessamine is still Stella's sister, and we are all still friends. Agreed?" Flynn asks.

"Agreed. Titles should never be the thing that separate us, unless it is like the other kingdom problem, then that only separates us with distance not friendship." Stella says nervously. She was talking too much to be calm.

Luke lands a sturdy hand in her hand and she clams a little. Taking one last look at me, Flynn opens the door.

We walked out into the hallway of endless doors, and gathered together in our respectable groups: Aunt Lane with Aunt Jane, Luke with Stella, and Flynn with me. My aunts were right, the dining hall wasn't too far away, a three minute walk at most, a one minute walk when in a really big hurry.

When we arrive, it is really obvious that it was an important room, mostly because of the huge doors that were bigger than anything else in the castle. They opened as soon as we stepped up to them, as if the person inside was in control of them magically, in which he probably was.

The room was huge, with only a few people inside, all of which were already seated at the long table. Aunt Lane and Aunt Jane stepped to the side of the big doors, letting us enter.

"May we announce the arrival of Princess Stella of Moonwinter, Prince Luke of Gowien. As well as Queen Jessamine of Moonwinter with King Flynn of Moonwinter." They announce. We didn't know that we were going to be named by title, though that it probably what I should have expected at a formal event like this. Our names and titles made some chatter make its way through the room, ending with the tyrant king, who was quick to silence them.

"We must use our titles in every way that we can tonight to prove our dominance of the nobles here. Don't make it too excessive." Luke says, and I hate to admit it, but he was right.

"Welcome to dinner girls. What brings you four to my humble kingdom?" the King announces.

"You know damn well why we are here. Don't you remember? The battle, the night in the inn that you destroyed, the ball in which you ordered Carmilla to kill her sister, our mother, your ex-wife, and your.."Stella convicted.

"Very bold of you to assume that I was behind my wife's death. Why would I murder her? I had no reason to." He said.

His court shifted in their seats, constantly whispering. "You and I both know that it was you who was behind this, we have first hand knowledge from the person you recruited to do the job. You not only ordered her to kill the Queen, but to also kidnap Queen Jessamine that same night, which she did both so reluctantly." Flynn argued, I carefully hit him, the hit so small that it looked like I simply moved my hand and accidentally hit him, and he stopped.

"You are better than this. Don't do this now." I say to only Flynn, allowing Stella and Luke to go on for another two minutes, the conversation growing more and more into a yelling match.

"We can even prove it! If you don't believe my word, you can believe a Queen's word. Queen Jessamine, would you like to testify on our behalf?" Luke adds masterfully.

I take a small step forward, towards the tyrant in the room, into the middle of my family and the dinner throne that he was sitting in.

"I think that we should conclude the conversation for now. We should eat, we haven't eaten in a few days, as we were kept in a dungeon cell until we all woke after the battle. We will continue talking after we have all eaten at least some food." I say, walking towards a random seat that was empty.

"It is custom for the visiting royalty to be seated next to the King, your majesty." One of the nobles says.

There were only two seats next to the king, meaning that he was hoping that me and Stella would stand and move. "Stella, stay were you are. I don't want you to get sucked into this more than you need to." I say, taking Flynn's hand and leading him to where the two empty seats were.

"Those seats were meant for you and me. I don't want to leave you two stuck by the tyrant." Stella protests.

"But they won't be alone. I have at least twenty other spirits watching, nothing will happen to them." Thea's voice says, which comforts me for an odd reason that I cannot describe.

I look around the room, Flynn, Stella, and Luke not too far behind, and sure enough there were more than twenty spirits posted throughout the room, who seemed to be only visible to the four of us. When my attention finally caught to the tyrant king, he looked more than displeased, he looked pissed.

"Queen Jessamine. How would you feel about handing me your title, I know that you don't want it in the first place, that is what you said a month ago." The king mused.

He must have put a soundless boarder up so that no one but me and Flynn could hear him, as everyone seemed unbothered, including Stella and Luke, who were feeding each other pieces of their food that the other didn't get, as their plates were different, one with steak and one with chicken. I tore my gaze away from my happy sister and turned it once more to the tyrant.

"Wants and ideas change over time, as do people and their personalities. I have changed a lot during our little escapade. I have learned something about myself that I didn't know before. I'm a leader, not a follower. That is why I took the position. Now if you could fuck off, I would be grateful." I said, biting my last words.

"I tried to play nice with you. Now you will pay. If you don't hand me the kingdom, I will destroy it. We both know that that crown is only on your head for show, and is his." He points to Flynn. "Now hand them over, and 'your' people won't suffer, disobey me, and your people will die. You have ten seconds." He bites.

"Ten." The counting has begun.

I think, is it worth it? Save my people, take away the crown I had just gotten, the crown that I had just overcome my fear of?

"Nine." It continues

If I don't give it up, how many will suffer? If I do give it up, how much will I suffer? How much would Flynn, Stella, and Luke hate me?

"Eight."

I have to figure this out now, not later. I start panicking. I try to reach out to Flynn, but my panic stops my powers from flowing freely.

"Seven."

"Flynn, please help me." I try, reaching out and deep into my power, past my panic, but it doesn't work.

"Six."

I start to cry. Pleading to my powers to let just enough through to talk to Flynn, I need his guidance and calmness in the face of danger right now.

"Five."

If I use any more of my power, I'll they will spill over and nothing would be safe from my power, whatever would happen I'm not sure of.

"Four."

"Flynn, please. Help." I say reaching into my power so deeps that I don't know where I was anymore.

"Three."

"Please answer me god damn it!" I scream, but he doesn't hear me in his head.

"Two."

"Please! Just answer me! I cannot do this alone!" I scream once more, though this time, he hears me, his head nodding. For all I know he will kill the bastard of a king.

I could not hold in the inevitable any more. My power explodes and so, it seems, does the room. Stella, Luke, and Flynn were prepared and put shields up before they were blasted with whatever came in their direction.

"ENOUGH!" I yell, taking control of my power once more, dowsing the flames that had erupted with water. Getting rid of the water with a small bit of fire. Healing any and all injuries that Stella, Luke, Flynn, and I had gotten.

I look to my left, and the King was sitting there, looking shocked, pissed, and unapologetic, his shield a shade of blood. To my right, the nobles of this terrible place, they looked shocked out of their minds, they looked afraid.

"If you think that I will give something up that I have earned, you must be fucking crazy! After our battle, the last thing I want is to see you in power over a kingdom as beautiful and fair as Moonwinter. Especially seeing how you would have oppressed us if you weren't exiled by your wife who wanted us to be free and make our own choices while she couldn't. She didn't want to make the same mistake that her mother and father made. She wanted us to be free." I cry.

"You ruined many lives during your rule. Our mother's, Carmilla's, your mother's, your sister's, and almost ours. We should not have to fight against you, our father, but here we are, trying our hardest to survive your torment and threats." Stella stood. "And if that means that we will have to go to war to defend Erith from you, then so be it." She finishes.

The King snaps a finger. Six guards emerge from their posts, two going toward Stella, two going toward Luke, and two going toward Flynn, each of which prepared to fight.

"Not yet." I say, our minds intwining more and more as each guard approaches, each person letting down their mid walls to the other showing their panic.

"I'll take care of this." I continue, their minds seem to ease for just a second.

"You ordered war there, princess. Now who will be the first to die?" The king snaps again, the guards draw their swords out, each one glinting in the still little fire in the room that I hadn't bothered to put out quite yet.

"Your majesty of Moonwinter, you are the one to decide who is to die first. Will it be your sister, her suitor, or your suitor who you love so dear that you would make him king at the first chance you get. The clock is ticking." He continues.

My mind breaks down, and me with it, but unlike before, I was able to control my power. Though my walls in my mind were completely down to the others.

"Choose me! I have no meaning in your kingdom!" Luke yells.

"Choose me! I love you, I don't want to see you suffer, even if that means joining Mom." Stella shouts.

"Choose me! Be happy, you can move on without me. I'll see you in the Space In Between when you get there." Flynn says softly.

I make a decision, and the King and his terrible nobles will not like it. "Aunt Lane, Aunt Jane. I need a favor."

"Anything for you Jessamine." They came back.

"I refuse to choose to kill any of them. It would not be of any use to you to kill any of them. If you kill any of them you would be at war with more than just Moonwinter. You would be at war with every kingdom that our three kingdoms are allied with as well as us three. You would be making your own kingdom enter into a suicide mission." I start, looking to the King.

"If you kill Stella or Luke, you would be declaring war on both Moonwinter and our allies, and Gowien and their allies. If you kill Flynn, then you would be declaring war on Moonwinter, Dalry and both of our allies. You would be fighting a war on both fronts, which isn't wise. You should know that, you are a King that is well versed in war aren't you?" I ask.

Everyone seemed stunned. Deep down I congratulated myself, finally thanking my war studies teachers for teaching me the art of war. While everyone was stunned, I took the opportunity to cash in that favor.

"Now!" I yelled to my aunts internally, they nodded, and we were engulfed in a dramatic cloud of purple smoke as well as some fire from my power to add more dramatic effect.

This chapter is another long one, but it was so fun to write!! I love writing both of my books, but I will only post one chapter after the other. Meaning that I will be working on my other book, then back to this one. They will be switching back and forth. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!!

Word Count: 4693