Author : Genevievebarbie
fonte : fanpop.com
Author's Summary : Prequel to barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses. The story of how Prince Randolph and Lady Isabella faced hardships and difficulties and later on, fell in amor and got married. This is my first fanfiction so please no flames. Lastly, please read and review!
Rating : T
Category : Romance, Drama
Disclaimer : The main characters of the story are owned por Mattel. I own all the supporting characters and the plot.

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Chapter 7 : queen & Duchess

Isabella couldn't believe her eyes. The queen was standing right in front of her. Oh, no no no. Miranda would find her and then who knew what would happen to her and Ilana. However, the queen didn't look arrogant or rude or anything. In fact, she actually looked just as shocked as Isabella herself. Suddenly remembering her manners, she quickly did a perfect curtsy.

"Your Highness," she said, as she bowed. Perhaps the queen wasn't so bad. She had, after all heard Miranda and co. constantly complaining about her – for who knows what – and talking to each other on how they were using her for their advantage.

"Please, don't bow," said Lucinda gently. Odd, thought Isabella, as she gracefully came back up. She thought Queens loved it when people bowed to them. It was only then when Isabella noticed a dress in her hand. She relaxed on the inside. Maybe the queen just wanted her help with a dress.

Lucinda stepped in, and quietly shut the door. "You are Isabella Marks, correct?" she asked.

"Yes, your Highness."
"Please, don't call me 'Your Highness'."

"Your Majesty then?" quipped Isabella, and instantly clapped a hand on her mouth, berating herself.

To her surprise, the queen laughed, "No, no, Lucinda is fine, as long as we're not in public."

"Of course, Lucinda," said Isabella, still slightly cautious. She couldn't just trust someone who she had just met, and someone who was friends with Miranda (even if it was on the outside).

For a long time, Lucinda didn't broach the subject Isabella was afraid of and didn't ask her what she was doing here. Instead, to Isabella's surprise, she treated her like an ordinary person, and not someone who run away from her início to protect herself.

Conversation was mostly about Lucinda telling Isabella how and where she wanted her dress altered. To yet another one of Isabella's surprises this day, the queen actually knew how to sew, and taught her a few tricks. She just wasn't exactly very good at it, and was mostly too busy with her own queenly duties.

As Isabella sat down selected the right thread color and needle and sat down to start, an awkward silence settled in the room. And Bella didn't like it one bit.

"So Randolph was right," said Lucinda abruptly.

"Sorry?" asked Isabella, confused.

"You had to escape from your own início for some reason and you were hurt in the process," said Lucinda, nodding at a bruise on Isabella's arm.

"They sent us – my sister, Ilana, and I – out with some man. They were planning to have us sold," said Bella quietly.

"Sold?" Lucinda's pergunta was barely above a whisper.
"Yes."
"Why did you even agree to go out then?"

And so, Isabella launched into her story in full detail, and por the end of it, Lucinda had mais perguntas than answers.

"So why did they hate you in the first place?" was one of her questions.

"I'm not sure. I once heard Miranda muttering to herself that we were better looking than her daughters. At that time, I took as a compliment," said Bella, remembering the incident from when she was 13.

"Well, she has a point. Her own daughters are definitely the most shameless girls I've seen. Every single time she comes for our weekly meetings, they always try to seduce my poor son!" said Lucinda angrily.

"They try to seduce Prince Randolph?!" Isabella said, barely managing to control her laughter. Poor Prince. Looks like he wasn't the spoilt brat she thought he was.

"Every. Single. Time. Miranda doesn't even stop them. She hopes my son will marry one of them. My son may have a bit of a bad taste in clothing, but he definitely doesn't have bad taste in women!"

"Isn't Prince Randolph getting married?"
"How did you come to know that?"
"One of my friends told me about that."

"Oh. Well, he isn't so happy about it. Bit miserable, infact."
"But why?"
"He's only met the girl once before, you see."
"That's not so good."
"But it's still better than Miranda's daughters."

Another round of silence descended in the room. This time, Bella liked it. It wasn't so awkward.

"How did you know I had to run away?" Isabella asked suddenly, realizing this detail.

"Well, Randolph's friend goes to ballet school, and saw you girls there, having bruises and such. Then after the weekly meeting where Miranda told us about you and your sisters 'kidnapping' " –Lucinda made quotation marks in the air– "he told Randolph about it, and then then Randolph told us," finished Lucinda.

Isabella took a while to process this information. "Wait, what do you mean kidnapping?!?!"

"Oh yes, I forgot to tell you. Miranda is playing the role of a grieving mother who doesn't know what to do with her 'beloved' daughters being kidnapped," said the queen, matter of factly.

"Oh, so that's what's been going on. Anyway, your dress is done. How did it get that rip in the first place?" asked Isabella curiously.

"Blame Randolph," Lucinda huffed, "He made me go out riding with him, telling me that I'll amor it."
"Did you?"
"Not one bit."

Abruptly, Lucinda stood up. "I should go, it's been quite a while and I'm quite busy. We can chat later, if that's fine with you," she said, taking her dress from Isabella. "I haven't seen such perfect stitches for a long time now. About time a proper person has been hired as a seamstress."

"Thank you, Lucinda."

As she neared the door, Lucinda turned to Isabella and said, "I guarantee you, Isabella, you and your sister will get your justice served."

With that said, Lucinda left, and Isabella was left with a feeling of peace in her heart. She and her sister were seguro here.

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A/N : oi guys, how was chapter 7? Hope you liked it. Anyways, I'm on ffnet now! You can find me as Genevievebarbie, just like on fanpop. But don't worry, new chapters will always be uploaded here first. As always, please read, review and fan! Laterz!

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