Chapter 7

"Guys! Stop fooling around. Grow up." Scarlett scolded as the men were goofing with each other.

The XFW group headed to the main hall for the official introduction to the princess. Coming around the corner, there she was. In a casual floral long sleeve maxi dress. Bella smiled with a nod at the group as they rounded the corner. Jett walked behind the rest, looking around at the castle and not really paying attention to anyone else.

"Your Highness, let me introduced to you the Archer family. Mason, Tabitha, Master Scott, and Miss Scarlett," The royal herald announced. The group went down the line as Bella shook their hands, welcoming them as they passed. "Noah Wilson, and the members of Rebels of Destruction. Ace James, Miss Halie Hurricane, Camdon Ames, Mr... Rated X?" The formal man looked confused.

"Gaven Jaxx, sir. That's my stage name," he said with a chuckle.

"Oh, yes. Of course. My apologies," the frigid man proclaimed.

Bella pressed her lips together, trying holding back a laugh as she greeted Gaven while the herald looked disgusted at the stage name. Finally, Balla couldn't hold back and let out a squeaky giggle, and the others joined in a small laugh.

"Last but not least, Mr. Jett Flynn." Jett looked up out of his daze, as the crowd backed away from Bella, to allow him access to greet her. His eyes met with her stunning dark blue eyes. Her raven hair pulled into a side pony with curls framing her porcelain skin. Jett felt like someone knocked the breath out of him. She was more beautiful in person than he imagined.

For Bella, it wasn't much different. The man took her breath away, and she was sure her heart skipped a beat. She would have been happy to just stand there the rest of the day looking at the six-foot-four Demi-god in front of her.

Jett slowly walked over, taking her hand in his. He used his other, without thinking, to pull her closer to him. Pressing their bodies together, he lifted her hand, kissing it. Bella bit her lip, smiling as she looked deep into his light amber-colored eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the guard who was reaching to pull his gun.

Bella lifted her hand to wave him away. "He's fine. Welcome to Mecca Island, Mr. Flynn. I'm honored to meet you. I'm a big fan of your work."

Jett realized what he had done and backed away slowly, looking around at the others with a guilty look. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me." Jett turned back to her, looking in those beautiful eyes again. He couldn't stop looking at this beauty, and his scenes seemed to have left him at the moment.

The guys started gently laughing behind him. Jett looked over his shoulder with a scowl. It was obvious he was utterly embarrassed and his face was beet red. Bella gave a shy half-smile as she glanced over at her friend Scarlett, feeling extremely flattered at Jett's reaction to her.

Scarlett just put her hand over her eyes, shaking her head. "Idiot," she whispered.

"All's forgiven, Mr. Flynn. Please. Will you all join me in the dining hall? The cook has prepared something special for us. Traditional Mecca Island cuisine. I'm sure you'll love it." Bella turned and headed out as everyone followed.

Her royal side was showing. But it was more than an effort to keep her poise when all she wanted to do was get Jett alone. Her stuffy royal duties were stifling, and the wild side of her was desperate to break free.

Once in the dining hall, Bella relaxed as the staff dispersed. "You all may speak freely now. It's just me. We need now no formalities."

Mason's wife, Tabitha, spoke up first to clear the tension in the air. "So, Arabella, how are you adjusting to the royal life?"

"It's daunting, but I like it here. Everyone has been very nice. The king — my great uncle. He's strict about formal things. Otherwise, he's pretty laid back and funny. He enjoys wrestling as much as I do. He's a big fan of you, Hallie. He likes all the high-flying stuff you do and your neon green hair. He loves bright colors."

"Really? That's cool. I can't believe a king is a fan of mine," Hallie beamed.

"He really is. I watch the show with him sometimes. Duchess Cora doesn't like it too much. It's not very becoming of a princess to be screaming at a television show and trying to bodyslam the guards in the courtyard."

Tabitha laughed. "You did that?"

"Twice. I got sent to my room for three days and forced to study the rules of etiquette as punishment."

Jett rubbed his chin with a sly, sexy grin. "Maybe we can practice some wrestling moves together sometime."

Mason grumbled, seeing Jett was up to his old ways. "Or not. Jett, don't start."

"Geez. Relax old man. I'm just trying to be polite to our host. Bella, where is the king? Will we meet him?"

"Uncle Andrew is very old and frail, so you may not see him until dinner time. He stays mostly in his wing of the castle. His nurse brings him to dinner so he can interact with people. I visit him a lot and take him flowers from his wife's garden. The hardest part here was learning all the rules. I told him when I become queen there will be no more fufu things. The new royal garments will be rock t-shirts and jeans. He thinks it's funny how I ride around the castle on my skateboard in a dress, while Duchess Cora is chasing me around telling me it's not proper form. I love to get her stirred up," she giggled.

Tabitha looked at her son and daughter. "I'm not sure my kids are much different. Scotty is seventeen and always gets in trouble. He has a habit of playing with his basketball in the house. And that stupid motorbike of his. He would wreak havoc here with all this space."

"Well, I'm Scarlett's age. I just like to have fun and I get a little bored in the castle. While most people my age are out clubbing or finishing college. I'm here learning the Mecca Island waltz and political correctness. Royals can't have any political stance. We have to remain neutral. I'm pretty opinionated and my mouth gets me in a lot of trouble. I hate there are so many old-fashioned rules, especially about women. If I told anyone I didn't give a jet flying f-bomb, I'm sure I would be in deep crap," she smiled over to Jett's direction, hinting at one of his many tag lines.

Camdon Ames laughed at her reference to Jett's stage persona. "When you become queen, just knight us. We'll be glad to do it for ya."

Jett said with a sly smirk, "The Rebels of Destruction as the Knight's of the Mecca Round Table." He got up from his seat to bow to Bella. "Sir Jett, at your service, Your Majesty." He looked up from his bowed position to wink at her.

Bella felt her face go flush and looked shyly away.

Hallie, who was sitting beside him, pushed him over playfully, "Simmer down, Romeo. Ignore him, Bella. Jett already thinks he's some sort of king."

"I sure am, Hallie. And don't you ever forget it."

Ace was shoveling food in his face as quickly as he could. "This is delicious. So, Princess-Ohio, can we see the dungeon?"

"Sure, but it's a storage room now. The torture chamber is what you really wanna see. It's so cool. I like to mess with the maids and threaten to see if the torture devices still work. I locked them in once. I dressed in all black leather-like a dominatrix and I got one of the guards to go along with the prank. We switched his gun with a toy water gun, and they thought it was real. I told them I was going to test out the iron maiden, and they had to pick one of them for sacrifice to the gods. They all turned on each other in a heartbeat, trying to offer each other for sacrifice. It was so funny I almost peed myself. When I was done laughing, the guard and I started squirting them with water guns. I think I might have scarred them for life, though."

Jett and his friends started laughing hysterically. "I knew I liked this chick."

"Anyway, that room is part of the tour. Everything is real too. I will get the tour guide to show you around. They shut public tours down this week because of the coronation. But you can take your time exploring the castle. I'll let the guards know it's okay. Just avoid the king's wing. He's very sick and can't be disturbed. My favorite thing is the throne room but, it's off-limits until the coronation. They're still decorating for the event."

Gaven asked, "What about knights' armor? Are there any of those?"

"Yep. They're placed for display near the ballroom and the hallway leading up to the King's quarters. I may, or may not have, got in trouble wearing one while wearing my skateboard and crashed into the king's throne." She winced, remembering the tongue lashing she got from the head of security, William, that day.

Everyone laughed at Bella's expression. She really seemed to be a hand full. "I would love to see that. So, do you get to do anything fun? Or is it all princess business?" Noah asked.

"I enjoy fencing classes and riding horses. I'm very athletic. I'm going to fence after lunch. I wish I could learn sword fighting, but girls aren't permitted. Oh! That reminds me. In the courtyard, there will be demonstrations during the morning before the coronation, so you might catch some re-enactors practicing this week. There will be a lot of historical things and games that morning, too. There is a lot to do here, so I'm sure you'll have fun."

"Cool! Maybe I can sword fight you, Ace," Gaven started play fighting with his butter knife.

"Guys, act your age. Bella, thank you for inviting us. I'm sure this unruly crew can manage to stay out of trouble and be on their best behavior for a few days. Right, gentlemen?" Mason admonished.

Jett licked his lips, looking over Bella like she was going to be his dessert. "Mmm. Very good."

Bella bit her lip slightly as she blushed while his eyes loomed over her.

Jett could hear Mason at the other end of the table grunting at him in annoyance. "Boy. Watch your step."

Jet looked down the table at his boss and gave a sly smirk. Mason knew him well enough to know that his warning was going completely ignored. He just hoped the younger man had enough sense to stay out of trouble. Something told him that this was going to be a disaster waiting to happen.