Immediately, she fetches me a rabbit skin.
“Anything but that. I need cloth.”
Several minutes later, I have the two pieces of fabric on either side of the wax stain, and I carefully lower the iron onto the cloth. The water hisses as it meets the hot metal. After several moments, I pull the iron back. To my relief, the wax is beginning to transfer to the scraps.
I repeat the process over and over, and once the wax is gone, I take it back to the hot water for a final scrub.
Five minutes later, Henri’s shirt is as good as new.
“There,” I hold the shirt out for Ambrosia to inspect.
The princess’s face lights. “You actually did it! You are a clever human, aren’t you?”
“You’d be amazed at what we’ve learned to do without magic,” I deadpan.
Ambrosia laughs and hands the shirt to her mother. “Well, there you have it.”
“No,” Amara says, her face growing red again. She turns to Henri. “You tricked me!”
Henri shrugs. “You knew the terms. Why would I pick something I wasn’t confident Sophie could do?”
With an inhuman shriek, Amara lunges forward. Before any of us can stop her, she sends her magic right at Henri. From the wild look on her face, I know she means his death.
“No!” I scream, but Ambrosia holds me back.
Just as the green magic hits Henri, a shield of purple flairs around him. We watch in horror and shock as the troll queen’s magic ricochets right back at her. She screams again, this time in pain, and crumples to the ground.
The entire room goes deathly silent as we wait for the queen to move. Amara’s cloaking magic is gone now, and her true form is revealed. She’s gangly, and her joints are gnarled. Her hair is still thick, but it’s coarse and no longer glossy.
It’s a sobering sight.
After a full minute, a brave maid inches forward and places her hand on the queen’s wrist, checking for a pulse. She purses her lips and turns to Ambrosia, her voice shaking with fear. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. The queen is dead.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Ambrosia pats my head. “You would have made a lovely pet.”
I roll my eyes at the new troll queen.
“Don’t forget to prepare my gold,” she reminds us.
We stand just outside the palace, in a snow-covered courtyard. It’s frigid, but soon Henri and I will be back in Briadell. Where it’s also frigid.
Oh well.
Ambrosia’s taken the death of her mother better than expected. When the last of Henri’s protective fairy magic sent the death curse back at Amara, I feared we’d have a war on our hands. Mortimer warned the results of the two magics mixing were unpredictable at best. I suppose he was right.
The princess has taken comfort in her mother’s great collection of jewelry. She wears a crown of silver and rubies now, proclaiming that she’s the new ruler of Elsland. Our kingdoms are officially allied, though I don’t believe we’ll be making any roads between the two anytime soon.
“You may come back and see me whenever I feel like it,” Ambrosia says warmly, and yes, I’m sure she meant to say it exactly as she did.
Henri takes her hand and bows over it in respect. “I would say it was a pleasure, Your Majesty, but that would be a lie.”
She grins. “And I could say I like you better with your shirt on, but that would be a lie as well.”
Before Henri can answer, bright light surrounds us, and we’re abruptly dropped onto the terrace outside Henri’s palace.
Sitting there, on a chair smack-dab in the middle of the balcony, knitting, is the fairy from the village. Rynn’s cat sits on her lap. The beast hisses the moment she spots me.
I almost feel bad for the scraggly cat. Here she thought she had this great big palace all to herself.
“I’ve come to return your cat,” the fairy says as she looks up and smiles. “She’s such a sweet creature. I must admit I’m going to miss having her around the cottage.”
The beast lets out a low, angry yowl, leaps from the woman’s lap, and runs down the stairs, toward the sad, snowy kitchen garden.
“Are you sure you don’t want to keep her?” I ask the woman. “It seems the two of you have grown close. I hate to separate you now.”
The fairy lets out a knowing laugh and stands. With a wave of her hand, her knitting and chair both dissapear. “You did well, Sophie.”
Henri narrows his eyes at the woman. “I know you. Why?”
Smiling, she cocks her head to the side, waiting for it to come to him.
“You’re the first fairy the council sent,” he finally says, narrowing his eyes. “What are you doing here now?”
“You don’t really think I’d give up on you just because you told me to, do you?” she asks. “You’ve helped so many people in the village. It was our turn to help you. A handsome, chivalrous young man like yourself couldn’t live under that awful, twisted curse indefinitely.”
“And Mortimer?” I ask her.
“I suggested the council send him to Henri as punishment for—” She pauses. “That doesn’t matter. I told him to find Henri a bride—someone who wouldn’t run the moment she learned the prince was a bear. And look what a surprisingly good job he did.”
She beams at us as she raises her hand, ready to wink out. “No need to thank me. Your happiness is more than enough.”
And then she’s gone.
I turn to Henri, not sure what to say.
A slow smile builds on his face. “Yes, look what a surprisingly good job he did.”
Something has gnawed at my mind since the troll queen’s death. It’s time I get it out in the open.
“You’re free now. You can have anyone.”
He narrows his eyes. “You’re my wife—and believe me when I say I can only handle one.”
I almost laugh. “You know what I mean. Henri, you don’t have to stay with me—”
Before I can finish, he pulls me into his arms. “Enough.”
But I’m bad at taking orders. “I love you.”
I gulp, terrified.
His eyes soften. “And I love you.”
“Do you swear you wouldn’t rather have someone else? Someone who’s more genteel?”
“Do you swear you wouldn’t rather have a man who didn’t prowl the forest as a bear?”
I laugh and stand on my toes, closing some of the distance between us. My heart thrums with the memory of our last kiss.
Henri hovers his lips along mine, teasing, sweetly taunting—most likely purposely tormenting me for questioning his skill. It’s delicious torture, and I close my eyes, trying to wait it out.
Drifting slowly, the prince grazes my temples and cheeks before he finally follows the line of my jaw back to the corner of my mouth.
“What happens now?” I ask, distracting myself.
He loops his arms around my waist, keeping me tucked close. “Now I take control of my kingdom, prepare a ridiculous amount of gold for the new ruler of Elsland, and crown you as my queen. It will be a horrible amount of excitement when all I want to do is spend my time with you.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” I brush my fingers through the hair at the base of his neck, pulling him just a bit closer. “And I happen to adore excitement.”
“You don’t say.”
Surrounded by pristine, freshly-fallen snow, Henri finally kisses me—and properly at that. The feel of his arms around me, holding me in the middle of the day, fills me with such happiness, I have no idea how I’ll contain it all.
“Henri?” I ask after several minutes of basking in his new humanness.
“Hmmm?”
“Somewhere in our hectic schedule, do you think we could find time to visit my family? I’d like to show them you’re no longer a bear.” I pull back. “Or cursed…or the villain of children’s nightmares.”
His eyes crinkle with disbelief as he grins. “I think we can manage that.”
He sets his forehe
ad against mine, and he sighs. It’s a sound of soft happiness, and it mimics the joy in my own heart.
It’s hard to believe that it was only a few months ago I ran away from home in the middle of the night and Mortimer brought me to Briadell. Someday, I’ll have to write Peter and tell him I did find adventure—one better than I could have imagined.
Startling me out of my reminiscing, Henri scoops me into his arms. I squeal in surprise as the no-longer-cursed prince carries me into the palace.
From above, a songbird sings from its perch on a turret, welcoming us home.
Entwined Tales continues with Elisette’s story, A Beautiful Curse: A Retelling of The Frog Bride by Kenley Davidson.
>>Click Here to View the Book on Amazon<<
Follow your heart and you could end up snacking on flies…
When a bumbling fairy godfather gifts a humble woodcutter’s fourth child with extraordinary beauty, she spends the next eighteen years trying to hide it—behind a book. Now, Elisette is ready to follow her dreams and become a scholar, but her admirers keep getting in the way of her ambitions. Ellie knows better than to rely on her fairy godfather, but she’s desperate enough to risk asking him for help. The trouble is, Mortimer isn’t feeling very helpful. In fact, he’s downright irritated…
After a bit of vengeful fairy magic, Ellie discovers that webbed feet and green skin are even harder to manage than beauty. No one cares what happens to a frog, except maybe quiet, unassuming Prince Cambren, who has enough troubles of his own.
Will Ellie find a way to break her curse and live happily ever after? Or will she spend the rest of her life eating flies and living in a pond at the back of the palace garden?
>>Click Here to View the Book on Amazon<<
Everyone wishes they had a fairy godmother to make the world a little more magical…
They’ve never met Mortimer.
Every good deed merits a reward, at least according to the Fairy Council. But when a kind woodcutter’s family is rewarded with a grumpy, sarcastic, irresponsible fairy godfather named Mortimer, their lives are changed forever… and not in a good way.
Follow the woodcutter’s seven children as Corynn, Eva, Sophie, Elisette, Martin, Anneliese, and Penelope head out into the world to find adventure, new friends, and their very own happily-ever-afters. Their greatest challenge? Avoiding their fairy godfather’s disastrous attempts to help.
Welcome to the Entwined Tales—six interconnected fairy tale retellings by authors KM Shea, Brittany Fichter, Shari L. Tapscott, Kenley Davidson, Aya Ling, and Melanie Cellier. Join the fun and enter the brand new world of the Entwined Tales for six enchanting stories filled with humor, magic, and romance. To sign up for the series newsletter to receive information about upcoming releases and more, visit www.entwinedtales.com!
A Goose Girl
K. M. Shea
An Unnatural Beanstalk
Brittany Fichter
A Bear’s Bride
Shari L. Tapscott
A Beautiful Curse
Kenley Davidson
A Little Mermaid
Aya Ling
An Inconvenient Princess
Melanie Cellier
About the Author
Shari L. Tapscott writes young adult fantasy and humorous contemporary fiction. When she's not writing or reading, she enjoys gardening, making soap, and pretending she can sing. She loves white chocolate mochas, furry animals, spending time with her family, and characters who refuse to behave.
Tapscott lives in western Colorado with her husband, son, daughter, and two very spoiled Saint Bernards.
Follow me:
Twitter
Instagram
Bookbub
My Website
Books:
Silver & Orchids
Moss Forest Orchid
Greybrow Serpent
Wildwood Larkwing
Lily of the Desert
Fire & Feathers: Novelette Prequel to Moss Forest Orchid
Eldentimber Series
Pippa of Lauramore
Anwen of Primewood
Seirsha of Errinton
Rosie of Triblue
Audette of Brookraven
Elodie of the Sea
Grace of Vernow: An Eldentimber Novelette
Fairy Tale Kingdoms
Puss without Boots: A Puss in Boots Retelling
Contemporary Fiction
Just the Essentials
Glitter and Sparkle
Shine and Shimmer
Sugar and Spice
A Bear's Bride: A Retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon (Entwined Tales Book 3) Page 10
