by S R Nulton
Cindy lost it again. We all just stared as she laughed. Then she looked at our faces and started laughing again. “Oh! Skies! Joy, only you could manage to get chased by the heir to a mythological kingdom and end up talking about a moose! You always did come home with the strangest tales and it drove your mother crazy because she knew they were true, but no one else would ever believe that they happened! Remember that time you were gone for a three days and came home singing satyr drinking songs and sober as the summer solstice was long? It took her two weeks to remember all the lies she spouted that day to cover up for the fact that no one believed you!”
And then she started laughing again. But this time, we all joined in.
Chapter 16: Happily Ever After?
It took me about a week to feel completely healed. That was after the weeklong coma I fell into because of the attack. (Reese blamed Cindy’s Fey godmother for that. Shoddy healing. She actually ended up banned after Cindy heard her mention our agreement. Tragic, really.) It turned out that the fire and ice that I felt when I was attacked was not just a normal poison. It was actually a spell my grandmother had placed on her wolf’s teeth and claws years before. I’d been poisoned with a type of magic that stopped my body from turning off the pain when it became too much along. It also slowed the body’s ability to clot the blood, so I had been dangerously close to bleeding out. My grandmother was nothing if not sadistic, and it made her all the more creative. Some people should never be encouraged to chase their dreams…
Reese always seemed to be nearby as I healed, helping me quietly, just as he always had. We’d talked a lot and more of his stories made sense, not to mention his personality quirks. As a royal, he was expected to maintain a façade in public. It was worse for him because he was the oldest child and the one sent out to treat with the other kingdoms of the continent. He had been placed in a delicate situation where he couldn’t lie, but he couldn’t tell people the truth about his family and lands either. He coped by shifting his personality to suit the situation. After a while, he was so used to playing whatever part was required that he sort of lost track of who he was behind the mask. It would take time, but I knew that I would come to trust him again. My life had been such a whirlwind of emotions, though, that I wanted to get to know him properly before we let anything progress.
Despite the family penchant for it, I didn’t really want to be married to a stranger.
I was now a regular fixture at the palace. The whispers were no longer cruel and cutting. Okay, some still were, but that is to be expected. Most of them had to do with a certain auburn haired man’s obsession with me. Apparently, commanding the attention of a most eligible bachelor was cause to lose the favor of several noble women and a few maids as well. It felt strange, knowing that I was no longer hated on sight, but good. Really, really good. Instead of getting the evil eye, now most people tended to be kind toward me. Cindy was to thank for that. Everyone loved her, so hearing from the new princess that I nearly died trying to keep an evil witch away sort of endeared me to the palace staff and quite a few nobles. I guess almost dying in a way that can be construed as ‘heroism’ is seen as a good thing in the palace.
Oh, and my thoughts were still a bit jumbled. Apparently, I’d also sustained a concussion from the incident and magic can’t heal that sort of thing.
Christopher, of course, demanded to hear the whole tale, from beginning to end. Twice. Reese had given him the broad picture while I’d been asleep, but they were too worried to delve deeply into it. Once I was able to be out of bed for more than an hour at a time, my brother-in-law was readying a scribe to take down my side of the story. It was only afterward that I found out it was being included in the royal archives.
Afterward, the crown prince immediately sent a note to Queen Caillte and guards to arrest Charlotte Rancune. Unfortunately, Charlotte got away. Caillte sent her reply by mirror. It was decided that the politics were too unstable to send a full army, but a few strategic men sent to help the resistance would not go amiss. We would have to wait a few weeks for things to cool down, but Christopher used Rancune’s escape as an excuse to set up guard postings by every major crossing between Fretche and Alenia. Queen Caillte said she felt much better just knowing that we were ready to give aid when it is needed. Until then, she would continue to play the mad queen.
Cindy and I sat down with my mother and explained what happened. I told both of them about the prophecy and what it really meant. About how it was twisted together because Cindy’s and my lives were so intertwined. And about how Cindy was really the one to end Grandmother’s empire. Surprisingly my mother wept in relief. Grandmother had kept us under surveillance for years. She would even send messages, on occasion, just to remind mother that a ‘weak daughter’ would not be tolerated.
Unfortunately, this conversation quickly led being nagged by both women about when Reese and I will get married. Neither seems to be okay with my wanting to wait and get to know him first. Ridiculous! How is it that when one daughter gets married, mothers automatically want to marry off the rest as well?
I obviously changed the subject by talking about Cindy’s pregnancy. Grandbabies beat son-in-laws any day of the week.
Mother also gave me the devastating news that the wolf was my father. She’d met him when my grandmother was overseas on a research project. Grandmother took him from her when I was three and Portia was six months old. Mother had always been terrified that we would be taken from her too. Portia, she knew, held little interest for our grandmother because she took more after our father’s giftings. Mother sealed away her ability to shift to keep her safe. For me, it was much more dangerous. Knowing the danger I’d be in and her own poor abilities, she cursed me just after birth. It annoyed my grandmother so much that she avoided us when she found out.
~
The royal ballroom sparkled from all the gems gracing the prince’s guests that night. I also thought that I could detect a certain shimmer to the air caused by the heat of all those bodies packed together. Even with all the doors and windows open, it was oppressive. Then there was the smell. I won’t try and describe it, but there was far too much perfume in far too small a space.
“Milady! May I have this dance?” requested a rather squat gentleman with a bushy mustache. Before I could say one way or another, he had hauled me out onto the floor, where he proceeded to draw me into the most packed part of the dance floor and press himself against me.
“It is enchanting to behold the splendor of one such as the princess’ sister,” he began.
“Stepsister,” I muttered through a forced smile. This was the fifth time tonight that some idiot with delusions of grandeur had tried to use me to climb the ranks of the social elite. Life was so much easier when everyone hated me!
“Why just yesterday, Prince Christopher was mentioning how handsome a couple we would make.”
I nearly snorted at that. Christopher would never say something like that, particularly not about me. For one thing, he knew that I would find a way to hex him if he ever did. For another, he fully supported his best friend’s desire to pursue me. Well, maybe not fully. More like half. The other half of the time he was actively trying to cause trouble. It was incredibly entertaining, if not a little embarrassing.
The man in front of me had continued to prattle on while we danced, but I had stopped listening long ago. I didn’t even pretend to. It took quite a bit of self-control, but I managed to wait for the song to end before attempting to extricate myself from him.
“I say, if you are not otherwise engaged for the next dance–“
“She is,” Reese told him, cutting in and pulling me away from the grabby nobleman. “Sorry old chap! She promised me the next dance! And I’d hate to disappoint such a lovely lady.” And with that we were gone.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I thought I would never get rid of him,” I whispered as he pulled me into his arms and the music began.
Reese smiled. “I know. I could tell from a
cross the room that you were very close to just punching him in the nose. I thought I would help you avoid upsetting the queen. She does so hate a scandal, even more than she hates him!”
I laughed, knowing he was right. The queen of Alenia was a very practical, blunt woman who had no tolerance for flattery. We got along quite well.
Reese always knew when I needed cheering up and seemed to intuit the exact right words or, in some cases, lack of words. He knew when to be quiet and just let me grieve. He’d found me a few days before, sitting in the middle of the garden, weeping. It had just hit me that my father had been brainwashed to try and kill me and that he was gone. I’d never get to know him as a real person and not as my grandmother’s monster. Reese discovered me and just sat next to me, holding me and letting me cry. He never tried to make me feel better. He just let me mourn my loss.
“That dress is stunning on you,” Reese declared, drawing me back to the present. “The fabric makes you look like you’re dressed in emeralds and your eyes look like garnets, little gem.”
“And here I thought I looked like a weed! There’s no accounting for taste,” I said, shaking my head in mock-disdain. When I tried to look down, Reese placed a hand under my chin.
“Don’t make it a joke. I’m telling the truth. You are lovely.” When I didn’t respond, he continued. “Do you know, up until we left Rancune’s, I thought you were remarkably comfortable with yourself. I thought you were self-confident. Never caring what people thought of you…” He shook his head before continuing.
“You seem to have heard so many people attack you that you took it to heart. You believed you weren’t lovable. You truly believe that you are the ugly stepsister. I couldn’t see that before. All I could see was how beautiful you looked when you helped your sister escape from Chris. Such strength... that’s what makes you beautiful. ” He took a deep breath. “Joy–“
Only to be cut off by Christopher making an announcement. Reese looked peeved. I, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. We were talking about feelings. I didn’t do well discussing feelings. I’d spent too many years assuming the worst in people. It wasn’t healthy, but as a result of my newfound realizations, I was having to pay much more attention to my emotions as well as those of others. I was getting better, but it was still intensely uncomfortable for me. I’d take a royal announcement any day.
“As many of you know, a woman who went by the name ‘Granny Sunny’ was killed on the outskirts of the capital a few weeks back. She was a known criminal, having perpetrated unspeakable atrocities over the years. What you may not know is that at the time, she was on her way to kill my wife.” The guests gasped and began to whisper among themselves.
Christopher held his hands up and waited a moment for them before continuing. “It is upsetting to hear, I know. Luckily, she was stopped en route by none other than Princess Cinderella’s stepsister, Joy. Joy, would you come up here please?” Christopher asked. That brought another round of whispers.
It didn’t take nearly as long to reach the front of the room as I would have hoped. Everyone melted out of my way, but they also stared at me like I was going to start spouting off the coordinates for the next major gold mine. Finally, I reached the stage and moved to stand before my brother-in-law. He shook his head slightly and pulled me up next to him. That was unheard of. No one but the reigning royal or Cindy was allowed to stand beside the crown prince! That was saying that they were equals!
“Joy, for what you have done, for the trials you have overcome and the grief that they have caused you, I grant you the official title of ‘Defender’! The princess has told me of the countless ways you and your other sister protected her while she was living with you. I’ve seen with my own eyes how you worked so desperately to secure her happiness and safety. And you nearly gave your own life to protect her once more. You never hid behind another. You instead chose to do everything in your power to protect not only her, but every person in your path!”
Way to make this sound way better than it was Christopher! I thought, just barely stopping the glare that was trying to get out. It was magic how he glossed over the fact that the criminal was not only my own grandmother, but also that she was originally there to kill me! Granted, at some point she would have realized Cindy was the real threat, but she hadn’t at the time!
“Because of your unflappable loyalty, you shall be known as the Defender of Alenia! The kingdom thanks you for your service. People of Alenia, behold your Defender!”
Applause rang out, echoing off the high ceilings and canceling out almost every other sound. It was the perfect opportunity. When Christopher grabbed my hand to shake it one more time, I smiled viscously at him and said, “I will get you back for this, and you will not enjoy it!”
Crown Prince Christopher just grinned and replied, “I look forward to it sister! Just remember that this goes both ways and it will make the trip to Brenlew very long if we start a war.”
We were leaving in two days on a diplomatic mission to Reese’s home country and just the thought of us pranking each other the entire time had me snorting. “Should have thought of that before you started it, you royal pain.” And then I left him on the stage and walked off. Or I tried to. I was mobbed almost immediately with congratulations from complete strangers.
My saving grace was the music starting up and Reese coming to my rescue once more with a perfectly timed invitation to dance.
“You’ll help me get your friend back, won’t you?” I asked hopefully.
He threw his head back and laughed. “Of course! And so will Cindy, most likely.” He smiled at me a moment before sobering. Leaning in a little, he said, “Don’t think you can get away with avoiding our earlier conversation.”
He was like a dog with a bone. I sighed, “Of course not. Well, go ahead. Tell me how I’m wrong.”
“Do you know why I call you ‘little gem’?” I shook my head, a bit confused by this change in topic. “It’s because you take whatever light is around you and you reflect it back. It shines on you and shows the many facets of who you are. You light up. You sparkle. When I first saw you, life had left you unpolished. You were hard to see because no one had taken the time to look closely and show you your own value. No one had pushed you to be more than just another rock. But you are. You are so much more!
“Now I will grant you, that not everyone will see things the way that I do. That is more about preference than anything though. Most look at your stepsister and see a diamond. She sparkles in the sun and draws so much attention. To me, she is colorless. She doesn’t have unexplored depths, or at least not the same way. You, on the other hand, are like a garnet. The color is deep and rich. It changes when you view it in different lights. It is complex and worth studying. It can be just as blinding as a diamond, but it can also work to make the beauty of others more apparent.”
My face heated as he spoke, but I did nothing to stop him. No one had ever spoken about me like that. There had been quite a bit of false flattery lately, but nothing like this. He had obviously put a lot of thought into it. More than that, he had made me truly understand what he was trying to say. He thought I was worthwhile. I was not the same as Cindy, but that didn’t make me any less worthy of attention. Reese was willing to give me all the attention I could handle. Probably more than I could handle, but he’d help me with that as well.
Still, I had to ask, “Are you sure that you don’t want someone more like Cindy?”
He smiled down at me. “Now, why would a fellow want a girl like her, a weak looking little beauty?” I blushed harder, recognizing the words I had said at a similar dance a year before. Reese pulled me closer and whispered into my ear, “I much prefer a solid, dependable, strong, breathtakingly beautiful woman who would give up her life to protect the people she loves. And I will spend as long as it takes making her believe that.”
Epilogue
Reese walked into his room and dropped heavily onto his bed. The sun had just begun to rise, but his d
ay had already begun hours before when he’d used a mirror to sneak into Charlotte Rancune’s manor in Crysallia. He’d been looking for any trace of information about the curse afflicting the king of the Fey. No one had been able to make the connection between Rancune and the Fey king until she’d slipped while talking to Joy. It was a huge breakthrough, but one that necessitated searching for more information. Lucky for him, Charlotte had left in a hurry a few days before and left behind quite a bit, if one knew where to look. It only took a quick conversation with the resident dryad ghosts to figure that part out. Not that most people could manage that. It actually came part and parcel with being the future Forest Lord of Brenlew.
While the Wraith Queen was the one who had paid for and actually cast the curse, it was Rancune that had given it to her. She was the reason that the Fey had been out of control lately. Reese had actually found not only the commission but also a copy of the original request. The curse was a nasty piece of work. The only problem was he hadn’t found any clues as to how to counter the spell. He had discovered something about how to break it, though. It was such a silly thing that he almost overlooked it completely, a message from some informant about a woman who recently broke her husband’s curse. Some merchant or other’s daughter. The important thing was she had sisters.
Now what were their names again? One of them had sounded so familiar.
“Reese!” Joy called out as she knocked on his bedroom door. “Come on, sleepy head! We are going to be late if you don’t hurry up! Cindy and Chris are already waiting!”
He smiled. “I’ll be out in just a moment, little gem. Just finishing some last minute packing.” The four of them were leaving that morning for a tour of his home. He couldn’t wait to show Joy all of the beauty of Brenlew, and to show all of Brenlew the beauty that would be their new princess. At least, if he was careful and very lucky.
