"The least you can do is let me plan the wedding,"  Ivan hissed angrily.

Natasha held back the urge to scream at him to leave her alone, knowing that would only cause more trouble than it was worth.  The easiest thing to do would be just let Ivan have his way, but she was trying to keep Ivan from controlling her for the rest of her life and she needed to start breaking off from him sooner rather than later.

"It's my wedding,"  Natasha told him as calmly as she could.  She dug her nails into her palm as she said, "You didn't even arrange it, so what right do you have to plan the whole thing?"

That was clearly not the right thing to say, but Natasha only realised this after she'd said it.  Ivan looked like he might try to strike her like he had many times when she was younger, but he didn't make a move toward her.  It took a second before Natasha realised why he'd stayed back, but when she did, she gladly took in the sight of Steve walking into the room behind her.

"If you don't mind, Duke Ivan, I'll be taking Natasha away,"  Steve said. Even if he hadn't been the king, his tone of voice left no room for debate and Ivan could only watch as Steve offered Natasha his arm then walked her out of the room.

As soon as they had turned down the hall, Natasha wrapped her second hand around his arm and laid her head on his shoulder.  Ivan would have blown a gasket seeing her act so close with Steve, but he wasn't around anymore and she could finally relax.  Maybe she'd take a short nap on the walk up to his room.

"I'd ask you how your day was,"  Steve said with a small smile and Natasha snorted, "but I think I can figure out the answer by myself."

He pressed a kiss to her head and Natasha pressed even closer to him.

Steve had never pressed her to tell him about her relationship with Ivan, but he'd managed to paint a small picture of what it was like.  He didn't like the way he knew Ivan could be controlling and manipulative towards Natasha, something neither Ivan nor Natasha hid very well.  There was also a part of him that worried Ivan might even hit Natasha in private, but he wasn't going to pressure her to tell him and as of right now, she hadn't said anything about it.  However, judging by Ivan's posture and the look on his face when Steve had walked in, he'd assume Ivan had been milliseconds from striking Natasha.

"I thought weddings were supposed to be exciting,"  Natasha sighed, pulling her head from Steve's shoulder.  "Right now, they're just stressful."

"I'm sorry,"  Steve murmured.

They stayed silent as they passed one of Steve's advisors in the hall.  Natasha waited until the man was well past them before asking how his day was.  There was a pause, telling Natasha all she really needed to know. Nevertheless, Steve still smiled and said, "It was alright."

Natasha remained silent and Steve sighed.

"Stressful, if I'm honest," he muttered. "I try—"

Steve cut himself as yet another one of his advisors wandered past them.  The man nodded at them as he passed but neither of them acknowledged him.  Steve muttered something about telling her in a second as they both spotted his room up ahead.  They barely managed to slip in before yet another palace staff walked by.

As soon as she'd walked into the room, Natasha kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto the nearest couch.  Steve, on the other hand, took care to lock the door to prevent someone from bursting into the room at an inopportune moment.  Once he was sure the room was secure from any unwanted intruders, he joined Natasha on the couch.  He'd barely sat down before she was curled up close to him and closing her eyes.

"I take it the royal ass-visors aren't making things easy,"  Natasha said.

Steve chuckled and glanced down at her.  He could really only see the top of her red head because of how she was leaning against him, but he could still imagine the small grin she had on her face.

"No, they're rather picky about how we should proceed,"  Steve told her.  Natasha twisted around so she could look up at him and he gave her a small smile.  "Some of them aren't happy with how excited your father seems about this wedding."

"I'm not happy with how excited he is,"  Natasha grumbled.  Steve rubbed her arm and she laid her head back on his shoulder.  There was a pregnant pause before Natasha asked, "Are they trying to stop it?"

"No!"  Steve said quickly.  His arm wrapped around Natasha tighter as he thought about how worried he was they'd try to cancel it or keep them from going through with it, but he didn't voice his worries.  "They're just not happy about it.  We're getting married, though, Nat,"  he told her, a stupid smile tugging on his lips.  Natasha laughed softly as he said again, but softer, "We're getting married."

* * * * *

Steve wanted absolutely nothing more than to fire all his advisors and never have to listen to them again.  He was used to the criticism for not following the royal traditions on every aspect of his life, so he knew how to handle it calmly and not explode.  However, listening to his advisors criticize and bring Natasha into things was where he was going to draw the line.

The first time they'd spoke their minds about her had been a day after their engagement and Steve had no shame in admitting he had lost control.  Even now, he could see they were trying to hold back, but Steve could also tell they were only doing it to avoid him lashing out by doing something in retaliation later.

"If you can't get the Duke to step back, we'll be forced to intervene ourselves,"  one of the advisors told Steve.

Steve snapped his attention towards the man, not bothering to keep him face cool.  He'd let them see how truly annoying this was becoming.

"It's my understanding there's a hired planner for the wedding and the Duke isn't in charge of anything,"  Steve said sharply.

Natasha had spent a total of three days trying to plan the wedding herself before telling Steve to hire someone else to do it.  Having a planner not only took the stress of it off of Natasha, but it also made it so her father couldn't take control without express permission from both Natasha and Steve (something Steve was taking great care to not let happen).

"That doesn't mean he isn't taking charge under the table,"  another advisor said.

Steve took a deep breath, reminding himself they weren't directly criticizing Natasha so it was at least a step in the right direction.  He could deal with this then go cool down with a nice sparring match at the stables.

"I will speak to the Duke about no longer interfering,"  he said tightly.  Duke Ivan was the last person he wanted to speak with, but at least it was almost guaranteed that he'd see Natasha in the process.  "Is there anything else?"

None of the advisors spoke up so Steve wasted no time in removing himself from the head of the council table and leaving the room to seek out Ivan and Natasha.  He knew they were likely in the tea room as that's where Natasha usually met with their wedding planner on Tuesdays, so he headed there.

He was just around the corner when he heard an unfamiliar voice speaking softly from the tea room.  He paused, surprised to hear someone other than the wedding planner or Ivan speaking.  The voice was soft enough he couldn't make out what they were saying, but he did recognise Natasha's voice a second later despite not understanding her words.  When it became clear the conversation between Natasha and the mystery girl wasn't about to end, Steve took a loud step forward to warn them of his arrival and a second later, he stepped into the room.

To Steve's surprise, Sharon turned around when he walked in.  He hadn't expected the princess to return to the palace before the wedding, but he supposed it made sense if she was one of Natasha's few royal friends.  Of course, rather than voice his surprise, he greeted her warmly and walked to Natasha's side.

"I wasn't expecting to see you so soon again,"  he told her.  Sharon just smiled and stood up to leave, but Steve stopped her.  "I'll only be a moment, then you two can continue."

"Maria sent a message that she didn't need to meet today,"  Natasha said, smiling as Steve bent down to kiss her cheek.  "She didn't need anything new."

"That should make things easier today,"  Steve replied.  Natasha nodded.  Before he was tempted to just steal Natasha away and not seek out her father, he forced himself to ask,  "Where's Ivan?  There's something I need to talk with him about."

"Upstairs in his study,"  Natasha said almost automatically.  Steve didn't dare question her about it with Sharon nearby, so he thanked her, kissed her softly, then wandered off to find Ivan in his study.

Steve didn't have to even enter the study to know Ivan was there.  He could smell the cigar smoke from down the hall and the door was cracked enough he could see the Duke sitting at his desk.  With a short knock, Steve walked into the room.

"Your Highness,"  the Duke said coolly, setting aside whatever he was working on and standing to greet Steve.

Steve gave him a short smile but didn't take the seat offered to him.

"This will be quick,"  he said.

Ivan nodded, waiting until Steve gave him permission to sit back down.  Steve had half a mind to keep Ivan standing, but he didn't need to make the stout man any more upset with him than he would be after this meeting, so he gestured for the Duke to return to his seat.

"What can I do for you?"  Ivan asked, twisting the ring on his finger.

"There have been complaints about your involvement in planning my wedding,"  Steve said bluntly.

The Duke paused for a second before continuing to twist the ring around his finger.

"I know you mean well for your daughter,"  Steve lied, watching Ivan closely as he came close to rolling his eyes,  "But I need to remind you there is a hired planner and your involvement has complicated many things."

"May I ask what 'things' my involvement has complicated?"

Steve wanted to say he was putting more stress on Natasha than necessary and was really just a pain to be around, but he knew better and he doubted it would help anything.

"Some of my advisors are thinking of cancelling it,"  Steve told him.

He could see a look of horror cross Ivan's face and he reveled in the feeling it brought him for just a second.  While what he'd said wasn't necessarily a lie, it wasn't really what was happening.  The advisors were threatening to, but he doubted they would go through with such threats.

"I can assure you, my involvement is only at the request of my daughter,"  Ivan lied.

Steve glared at him but Ivan didn't take it back.  They both knew that was a lie and that Natasha wanted Ivan to stop as much as the advisors wanted him to.

"Nevertheless, if you keep insisting on controlling the preparations, the council will be likely to consider cancelling the wedding,"  Steve said.  Ivan didn't like that and stood abruptly before seeming to remember who he was talking to.  He bit his tongue as Steve went on to tell him,  "Your over-involvement is causing them to question if this marriage is just a set-up to bring you into power and honestly, I'm not so sure they're wrong,"  Steve snapped.

Ivan's eyes narrowed but Steve was still talking so he couldn't interrupt.

Steve's voice lowered and he stabbed a finger at Ivan angrily as he said, "I know Natasha would never bend so low as to use me to give you more power, but if you do anything to try and ruin this for her or attempt to take the crown from either of us, I will make sure the rest of your life is miserable, understood?"

The room was silent as both Ivan and Steve glared at each other.  Ivan was the first to back down, seeming to recognise he was speaking with his king and not a colleague of the same royal status.

"Of course, Your Highness,"  Ivan said, spitting the last two words out.  "I'll make sure that from now on, my involvement is little to none."

Ivan bowed lowly to Steve who stayed just a moment longer to glare at the older man's balding head before turning sharply and leaving the room.  One day he'd expel Ivan from his court, but until then, he'd have to keep a closer eye on the old bastard.

* * * * *

Natasha didn't want to say goodbye to Sharon.  The princess had stayed for several hours just to chat with Natasha.  It was a nice break from the stress of her father and the wedding, but eventually, Sharon had to return home and Natasha was left with nothing to do but return to planning and training even harder to be Queen.  Unluckily for her, it was mere minutes after Sharon had left the palace that her father ordered her to come talk to him.  It crossed her mind on the way there that Steve had been in to speak with him earlier if his asking about Ivan's location was anything to go by.

She had barely pushed open the door to his study before she was hit with the smell of alcohol and cigar smoke.  Ivan was draped over his desk chair with a bottle of vodka in one hand and a burning cigar in the other.  He noticed her almost immediately and stumbled to his feet, nearly dropping the vodka in the process.

"You're a mess,"  Natasha grumbled, glaring at her father as he knocked the vodka bottle over on his desk.

"You shut your mouth!"  Ivan slurred, swaying as he tried to make his way toward her.

He paused to take a long draw of his cigar, earning a disgusted look from Natasha in return.

"Your King came by."

Natasha jumped when he turned around and shoved everything off his desk, dropping his cigar in the process.  He yelled angrily as he stomped out his cigar and turned back to Natasha.

"They want to stop the wedding," he taunted with a sneer. "They think I'm too involved because you won't do your damn job and—"

"And put you—of all people—in a position of power?"  Natasha demanded, interrupting him much to Ivan's disdain.  He glared at her but Natasha didn't apologise.  "You know I would never do that, so stop dreaming and get out of my wedding."

"There won't be a wedding!"  Ivan screamed.  He paused, letting the room be silent for a moment before starting to chuckle.  "There won't be a wedding because the council hates you!  They think you are working for me and I'm willing to tell them all your dirty little secrets if it means you will."

"What secrets?"  Natasha growled. She had none; they were all Ivan's and telling the council would only expel him.

Ivan tried to lunge for her, but she moved out of the way quickly and Ivan ended up on the floor.

"I'm leaving,"  she told him angrily.  "Watch what happens when you try to use me to get what you want now."

Without another word, Natasha stormed out of his study and down to the stables.  She was done with Ivan and the wedding stress.  When the advisors were ready to respect her and Ivan was no longer interfering with everything, she'd return.  Until then, she deserved a break.

* * * * *

Steve didn't think he'd ever been more worried in his life.  It wasn't uncommon for Natasha to leave the palace for a few days, but that was always for royal affairs and business; he knew where she was and that she was okay.  This was unchartered territory.  Waking up to discover Natasha hadn't returned to her room the night before and that her horse was missing from the stables had sent a wave of fear he didn't know existed through him.  It didn't take long to track down Ivan to see if he'd had anything to do with her disappearance, but the Duke was hungover and there was a smoking hole in the carpet of the Duke's study.

"Where's Natasha?"  was the first thing Steve demanded of him.

Ivan grumbled incomprehensively and Steve fought the urge to punch the Duke in his disgusting face.

"Where did she go?"  he screamed, grabbing hold of the Duke's collar and forcing him to look at him.

"Gone,"  the Duke chuckled.  Steve's fingers twitched as he longed to break Ivan's nose.  "She left you,"  he sang, clearly still drunk from the night before.

This time, Steve didn't hold himself back.  He punched the Duke squarely in the face.  Ivan yelled out in pain as Steve dropped him back into his chair and stormed out of the study.  While Ivan was clearly useless, Steve at least knew he'd played a part in Natasha's disappearance.

Unfortunately, even once Ivan had sobered up and had his face fixed, he admitted to not knowing where Natasha had gone.  The royal guard was dispatched before breakfast and Steve met with his advisors about expelling the Duke from the court for good.  By the end of the day, Steve was too anxious to fall asleep and spent the whole night worrying about what could have happened to Natasha and hoping she was alright.  With a little luck, the guards would bring her back safely in the morning.

Exhausted and still more anxious than he'd ever been before, Steve met the guards in the stables early the next morning.  None of them said anything as they passed him, but Steve knew they wouldn't no matter what the news was.  When he spotted Bucky down the corridor with an apologetic look on his face and without Natasha at his side, Steve wanted to curl up in his room and sob.

"She's nowhere in the kingdom,"  Bucky told him softly.  "The good news is, all signs indicate she left on her own accord and without threat."

"That doesn't mean I'm not still worried,"  Steve replied.  Bucky sighed and hugged Steve in an attempt to comfort him.

"Try reaching out to the surrounding villages,"  he suggested.  She could have ventured off to see a friend Steve didn't know about or was just plain old hiding, he supposed.  Still, the thought of not knowing how she was doing was killing him.

Everything was put on hold for the next two days.  The wedding was still being planned as it wouldn't happen for another two months or so, but Steve knew if Natasha didn't show up within a week, plans for the wedding would be paused as well.

Guards were sent out to surrounding villages to see if she was in any of them, but so far Steve had only received negative reports.  On the other hand, there had been no controversy in expelling Ivan from the court and he was scheduled to be out of the palace by tomorrow.  Secretly, Steve hoped that the news of her father leaving would bring Natasha back even if he knew better than to hope for something so unlikely.

It was the fifth day of her disappearance when the first word came on how she was doing.  It wasn't even that much, but Steve knew upon seeing Sharon step inside the palace she had to have good news.  If she didn't, Steve wasn't sure how he'd be able to keep going with such little sleep and so much panic.

"She's okay,"  Sharon whispered as she pulled Steve into a hug.

He melted into the visiting princess's arms and thanked her profusely before pulling away.  Before Steve could pummel her with questions, though, she asked to speak with his advisors.

"I did come here for a reason other than to say hello,"  she told him.

It didn't take long to gather the advisors in the council room as they had all spent the better half of the past five days in there.  Sharon stood tall beside Steve's chair and waited for everyone to sit down before speaking up.

"You're all horrible advisors,"  she said.  Steve glanced at her as gasps and whispers started to circle the table.  "You're here to help lead this kingdom in the best direction, but you spend your time criticizing your future queen and running things how you want them to be run,"  Sharon snapped.  More whispers started but with each sharp look Sharon gave the advisors, they died down quickly.  "If you think for a second creating doubt in a King's mind and shaming his fiancee is the best way to run a kingdom, you all deserve to be hung for treason."

"Princess Sharon, I don't recall anyone asking for your opinion,"  one of Steve's advisors said, giving Steve a wary look.  Before Sharon could defend herself, Steve spoke up.

"I don't recall asking for yours,"  he said, glaring fiercely at the man who'd spoken up.  "The Princess is here as my guest and you will listen to her and what she has to say."

When the room fell silent again, Sharon said, "You have a day to stop critiquing Duchess Natasha's every move and you—" she rounded on Steve and pointed sharply at him "—have one day to figure out whether you're going to defend your fiancee or let your councilmen walk all over her."

The room was once again filled with silence, this time more tense than the last.

Sharon narrowed her eyes as she looked over the council table and said, "Let me know what you decide tomorrow."

* * * * *

Natasha felt bad for leaving so unexpectedly, she did.  However, the freedom of not having someone ask her for something related to the wedding or overhearing the staff and councilmen talk poorly about her when they thought she couldn't hear was so refreshing.  Sharon was more than inviting and had even offered to return to the palace for her if Natasha wanted to tell any of them something.  Unfortunately for them, Natasha wasn't above letting them panic before sending word about how she was doing.  Steve didn't deserve it, that much was true, but maybe this could open his eyes to just how done she was with hearing his advisors bash her.

Sending Sharon with such a strong message was a little nerve-wracking.  Part of Natasha worried that Steve's advisors would outvote him and demand she be expelled from court with her father (yes, she'd heard about that and as soon as she got the chance, she'd be thanking Steve).  The other part wasn't too worried about what would happen if she was expelled.  She'd never have to worry about royal affairs anymore and could live a simple life as she'd sometimes fantasized about.  Nevertheless, when Sharon sent word at the end of the week that the advisors were willing to accept her proposal and no longer try to force Steve to do what they wanted, Natasha couldn't have been happier.

She wasted no time in getting her horse and hurrying off to the palace.

It took hours before she was back and the sun was just beginning to set when she arrived at the stables.  She could hear whispers following her as she led her horse back to its stall where Bucky was waiting with a sly grin.  He took the reigns from her and pulled her into a hug, quietly welcoming her back before letting her go so she could make her way up to the palace.

The second she reached the top step of the palace, the doors were pulled open and she was wrapped in a tight hug.  It didn't take long for her to realise it was Steve hugging her, lifting her off the ground in the process, and she eagerly hugged him back.  She'd be a liar if she said she hadn't missed him.

"Don't ever do that again,"  he murmured before kissing her shortly.

Natasha kissed his cheek and smiled at Sharon over his shoulder.  A long line of advisors stood beside her, none of them glaring but only a few giving her small smiles.

"I'll try my best,"  she promised, letting him pull her back into a tight hug once again.