Tarnished Crown

It had all been going so well. When Lily and Annemarie rushed to her after Caspian left, they didn't even ask how it went. Belle's face suggested exactly how it had went. Lily sighed and put an arm around her, sitting her down as she started to cry. Annemarie sat on the floor at her feet, holding her hands while Lilly rubbed her back and shoulders. She hadn’t realized how sensitive she’d grown until that moment, when the tiniest rejection pushed her over the edge.

“Oh, come on now,” Lily sighed, leaning Belle’s head on her shoulder. “Maybe something came up. I’m sure it wasn’t anything you did.”

“It was the hair, wasn’t it?” Belle sniffed. “I should’ve left it down instead of tying it back.”

“Yeah, probably,” Annemarie said gently, only for Lily to reach out and yank her ear, making her yelp in pain.

“No,” Lily said, glaring at Annemarie, “It had nothing to do with your hair, Belle. You look absolutely breathtaking all the time, even at your worst. You know that. They don’t call you ‘Belle’ for no reason. I’m sure there was a perfectly good reason why he had to go all of a sudden, and that reason had nothing to do with you. Now stop crying.”

“Crying faces aren’t pretty,” Annemarie added. “Even if you’re pretty. Crying makes you ugly.”

“I’m going to pull out those perfect pearly white teeth, one by one, until the only thing you’ll be able to eat is mush,” Lily told Annemarie with an eerily calm tone.

Annemarie turned pale, looking away from Lily and resorting to comfortingly patting her hand in complete silence. They eventually convinced Belle to come down for lunch with just them, and Belle quickly forgot about it. She remembered she’d left her gloves back in her father’s magic room, returning there to find him hovering over his scattered trinkets. She picked up her gloves and stood beside him, watching as he stared at them with his brow furrowed.

“Fingerprints on the crystal,” he mumbled.

“What?” Belle frowned.

“This ball. This crystal ball,” he said. “It came from an island, a long, long, long way from here. And island that disappeared off the face of the earth, one day. One that could never be studied or understood. As are the things that come from it. You know I told you-”

“Never touch the crystals without gloves on,” Belle recited. “I know. You’ve told us all a million times.”

“Right, so did you touch it?” he asked.

“No, I didn’t,” Belle said. “Why? What happens if you touch the ball?”

Tobias nodded, looking from her back to the ball. “Just a little electric shock. That’s all. It might hurt for a second or two.”

Belle wrinkled her nose, shrugging as she walked back out. Luckily, Lucian was too excited about his large birthday party at the end of the week to bother her about Caspian. The place was going to be packed with children, and Belle was glad to have him distracted. While it may have been a joint party for the both of them, few people even acknowledged Belle’s birthday, other than those closest to her. Annemarie had given her an elegant deep blue ballgown with diamonds in the bust and waist, looking like a starry night sky. With matching gems in her black hair, Annemarie made her Belle looked nothing less than perfect that evening. Alec and Lily gave her a set of diamond jewelry to match, and she glittered like a diamond herself.

However, Belle wasn’t interested in joining the twirling and sweeping skirts on the dancefloor, sitting alone in the corner of the hall with a glass of red wine in her hands. The Everharts were there. Caspian wasn’t there with them. She noticed his half-brother and stepmother, along with his father. Lara and her brother were there as well, but they stayed separate from their aunt and uncle. She looked up when someone flopped into a seat beside her, and she smelled the alcohol on his breath before he even spoke. Rhett took the glass of wine out of Belle’s hand, giving her a big kiss on the cheek.

“You shouldn’t drink too much,” he slurred. “You’ll be completely drunk.”

“What would Light think of your behavior right now?” Belle asked him, referring to the religion Rhett so closely devoted himself to.

“I went to the temple this morning, begged for forgiveness in advance,” he said between giggles. “Besides, I’m not hurting anyone, and as long as I do that, I’m good. I’m good. Can I have this? The wine? And a dance later, because it’s your birthday and I happy birthday to you we should go dance.”

“You can have the wine,” Belle said, rolling her eyes. “I’ll pass on the dance. Last thing we need is you twirling too much and throwing up.”

“Okay,” he said, with a deep nod. “Where’s Holden? Holden! C’mere, let me show those girls what your face looks like under that eyepatch!”

Rhett stumbled off, and Belle tried not to laugh at him hanging off of Holden like that. The next time she looked up, she grimaced, noticing that Mrs. Everhart was nudging her son over. He didn’t seem very eager, but eventually reluctantly listened to his mother and approached Belle with a stiff bow.

“Mynameisoskar…”

“Pardon?” Belle asked, when she didn’t understand the mumbling.

“My name is Oskar,” he repeated, enunciating better and cringing under his mother’s hard stare. “I want to dance with you.”

Belle glanced back at Mrs. Everhart when she cleared her throat, making a subtle gesture to Oskar. He straightened up, still not all that eager to talk to Belle, but a little more well-mannered this time, though it sounded far too rehearsed.

“It would be a great honor if I could please lead you in a dance, Princess,” he said monotonously.

Mrs. Everhart grinned excitedly as he held his hand out to Belle, and Belle felt obligated to accept the dance. She sighed and nodded with a smile plastered on his face, taking his hand and allowing him to lead her onto the floor. Oskar shared one or two miniscule features with Caspian, but the similarities ended there. He was stiff, bored, and extremely uncharming. When they danced, he wasn’t much of a leader, causing Belle to trip once or twice in her attempt to lead him. He didn’t look at her, nor did he speak with her, except for once.

“Do you ever think about wearing a wig?” he asked.

“What?” Belle frowned.

“Black hair doesn’t look good on you,” he said bluntly. “Red hair would look better.”

“I take after my mother,” Belle said, insulted.

“That’s unfortunate. I’m sorry.”

Belle couldn’t believe what she was hearing, but Oskar didn’t seem like he even noticed he’d insulted her. Had Alec not cut in and taken Belle out of Oskar’s hands, she may have socked him right in the jaw, right there on the dance floor. Even then, Oskar seemed hesitant. He was faced with the King himself, but his mother was still hovering, watching. He seemed to decide that it was best not to refuse the King his sister in his own kingdom, though he thought about it for a little too long. Belle watched as he stiffly walked back to his mother, who proudly greeted him like a hero returning from war. Alec turned her around and she couldn’t see them anymore, which was a relief.

“Have you seen Lucian?” he asked. “He’s pretending to be king of the other children. Older ones, even. Somehow, he convinced them that he has the power to have them jailed or executed if they don’t listen.”

“And you’re letting it happen?”

“It’s his birthday,” Alec shrugged, with a grin. “He’s not hurting anyone. And if he does, he best believe he won’t be opening any of those gifts.”

Belle laughed, eyes flitting to the mountain of gifts left for Lucian. The smile faded when she saw a familiar face there, examining the tags on the boxes. Caspian held two bundles of his own in his arms, leaving the larger one on the table with the others and keeping the smaller ones in his hand. Alec followed Belle’s gaze and spotted him there, brow furrowing.

“I can have him removed,” he said.

“No, no,” Belle said quickly. “I’ll… I’ll talk to him.”

“You’re sure?” Alec asked.

“Positive.”

She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze as she approached Caspian alone. He was so focused on the boxes, she startled him when she tapped on his shoulder. He jumped and turned, eyes widening when he saw her.

“Sorry, I wasn’t snooping,” he said quickly. “I have something for you, but these all look like they’re for Lucian, and I didn’t want it to get lost.”

“You showed up after all,” Belle said softly.

“I, ah, yeah,” he said, looking down at the parcel in his hands. “I actually can’t stay for long.”

He glanced past Belle and she looked over her shoulder, noticing Mrs. Everhart watching them with a cold look in her eyes. Caspian tilted Belle’s chin back to face him, but quickly pulled his hand away from her face.

“Why not?” Belle frowned.

“I’m going away, actually,” he said. “Family matter. I leave tomorrow, early in the morning.”

“Back to Elbis?”

“A little further than that,” Caspian said. “Rehan.”

“That’s very far away,” Belle said, tone flat. “And sudden. I don’t know what I did to you, but I-”

“It’s not you,” he told her, cutting her off. “It really is a family matter. Though I understand why you’re upset about yesterday. Things were moving places. I was… feeling things. I think we both were.”

“Then what was the problem?” Belle said, voice cracking slightly.

“It wasn’t what you deserved,” he sighed. “I’m not what you deserve. We haven’t known each other very long. A few months ago, if someone asked, you would’ve told them I’m garbage. Am I wrong?”

“A few months ago, I didn’t know you-”

“Am I wrong?” he repeated.

“No,” Belle said reluctantly. “Fine. You’re right. I may have thought that. But all I knew about you was that you had your hands all over any girl you wanted, and I never cared to try and know more.”

“Was it a lie?” he asked.

“What?” Belle frowned.

“What you thought of me before,” he said. “Was. It. A. Lie?”

“No…” Belle said softly.

“Then I think you’ve answered your own question,” he said with a humorless chuckle. “I’m garbage. I have nothing to my name. I’ve got a bad reputation, my own family hates me…”

“You’re also one of the most thoughtful men I’ve ever met,” Belle told him. “You’re sweet, gentle, caring… You are so much more than you think you are.”

“I’m not Daniel,” he said quietly, with as much pain in his eyes as Belle was feeling in her heart.

They stood in silence for a few moments. Belle was wringing a layer of her skirt in her hands, while Caspian held his arms limply at his sides. He looked down at the wrapped parcel he’d been holding, taking Belle’s hands and putting the parcel in it. He pressed a kiss to her other hand, with a sad smile.

“Happy birthday,” he said.

He glanced once more at his hovering stepmother, who was seemingly trying to eavesdrop on the conversation, then walked back out the door, muttering something to himself that Belle couldn’t comprehend. She looked back over her shoulder, but Mrs. Everhart was gone. Belle weakly sat down in the nearest chair, placing the parcel in her lap and holding back tears as best she could. She pulled on the ribbon tying the gift together, brushing the paper away. She choked on her tears when she saw what was inside.

It was Izzy, but it wasn’t Izzy. Lucian had never given the doll back after borrowing it, and it became apparent that he and Caspian had some plans behind her back. The porcelain doll had been remarkably restored, without being replaced. Her face was repainted, with rosy cheeks, red lips, and freshly shined blue eyes. Her hair had been re-rooted and was much fuller now, elegantly tied into a braid that was similar to how Belle usually liked to wear her hair. The doll’s dress had been fixed as well, slightly modernized, but very obviously the same dress the doll came with. Around her wrist remained Daniel’s bracelet, untouched. There was a small card in the box along with the doll, which bore the signature of the toymaker Belle and Caspian had visited when shopping for Lucian. Caspian had asked Lucian to take the doll so he could have it refurbished, without destroying the original doll that Belle had as a child.

She held the doll to her chest, taking a deep breath. No, she wasn’t going to let it end like this. She gently laid the doll back in its box and set it down on the table, kicking off her shoes so she could take off out the door at a full sprint. She held her skirts in a large bundle in her arms, ignoring her hair coming loose as she tried to desperately catch up to Caspian before he was out of the palace gates. She caught him right before, yelling his name and making him turn around just in time for her to tackle him straight into the ground. He tried to catch her, but groaned as he hit the ground, gasping again when Belle sat on top of him and pinned his shoulders back to the ground when he tried to get up.

“You’re stronger than you look,” he groaned. “Growing up with boys did you well.”

“You can’t leave on that note,” Belle ordered, tears streaming down her face now. “You just can’t. How can you make a decision for me like that? How can you just decide that I deserve better? I know what I want. You’re what I want. And you have absolutely no right to tell me otherwise.”

“Can I get up, please?” he winced.

“Oh, sorry,” she mumbled, taking her hands off his shoulders and shifting off of him so he could sit up.

“Wow, you really knocked me to the ground,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his head where it had hit the ground. “I’ll be honest, I did not see it coming. At all.”

“If you’re going to leave, I want you to look me in the eye and tell me you don’t care about me,” Belle demanded, grabbing his face and making him look at her. “If I’m just another girl to check off your list, tell me that. If you tell me this, I will have a much easier time letting you walk away from me.”

Caspian just stared at her. There was sort of a longing look in his eyes, but he was mostly reluctant.

“You’re not Daniel,” Belle said softly. “No one will ever be Daniel. But you know what? No one will ever be Caspian, either. You are your own person, and a person I’ve grown deep feelings for. I don’t want you to be Daniel. I don’t want you to be anyone but yourself.”

Caspian opened his mouth to say something, then snapped it shut again, putting an arm around Belle and pulling her into a deep kiss. It was much more drawn out and tender than their first, and they both had a sort of desperation in how they held each other. Belle pulled away when she heard the music in the banquet hall get slightly louder, realizing how close they still were to the party.

“You said you’re leaving tomorrow?” Belle asked him.

“That’s right,” he grimaced. “Kind of bummed about it. Didn’t think this would happen.”

“Come on,” she said, grabbing his hand and tugging him to his feet. “We have to go somewhere people won’t see us.”

“Where?”

“My room.”