This time, Rumpelstiltskin didn’t scream. He merely stared down at the sword in surprise. Dropping his own weapon, he sunk to his knees. Rafe had let his sword go and Rumpelstiltskin gripped the hilt, but he didn’t attempt to pull it out.
Instead, he looked up and met Marie’s eyes. Something strange flashed across his face. Fear? she wondered. Or regret?
Whatever the emotion was, it was quickly gone, replaced by an empty look. Slowly he tipped to one side and lay motionless on the ground.
Rafe stood over his body, panting. His expression held sadness instead of triumph. Marie was already running across the clearing towards him, so she was close enough to hear his quiet words.
“You will never hurt her, or this kingdom, or anyone, ever again.”
In another second he had turned away and opened his arms to receive Marie, who tumbled into them.
Chapter 33
Marie’s heart raced, and she struggled to calm it, her breath coming more raggedly than the short run warranted.
“Shhh,” said Rafe, stroking her hair, “it’s all right now.”
“I know,” said Marie. “But you, my father…” She shook her head, not even sure which father she referred to.
After another moment, she took a deep breath and drew back. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t be doing this.”
He smiled down at her, and she wondered how he could smile so easily when her own heart was breaking.
“Thank you, young man,” said the king. He seemed to have shaken off the guards who had been attempting to carry him to safety. “I owe you my life, and my kingdom owes you a debt for ridding us of such a dangerous threat.”
Rafe instantly released Marie and bowed to the king. “I am pleased to have been of service to Northhelm and, even more, to you.” He glanced at William, who stood beside his father, and then down at Marie. “You see, I have a request to make of you. And if you would grant it, I would be far more in your debt than you could ever be in mine.”
“Rafe, no,” said Marie quietly. “You know I can’t.” She knew what he wanted to ask and couldn’t bear to hear her father reject him.
Rafe ignored her.
“I have never met a woman I admire more than your daughter. In fact, I love her. She is brave and strong and true. And beautiful, of course.” He grinned down at Marie. “That goes without saying.”
He looked back up at the king. “And if you would be willing to grant me her hand in marriage, I would treasure her every day for as long as we live.”
Marie’s heart melted, and for a single beautiful moment, the whole clearing stood frozen, the silence absolute. Then the king opened his mouth to reply, and she prepared her heart to be shattered.
But she never got to hear what he had to say. Before he could speak, Rafe continued.
“Before you give me an answer, however, I have a confession to make.”
Marie spun around and stared at him.
“I haven’t been completely truthful with any of you.”
Marie sucked in a breath. She felt as if someone had punched her in the gut. Would it ever end? she wondered. Could she ever trust anyone to be truthful with her again?
Rafe saw her expression and reached over to grip her hand. “It’s killed me, Marie, not to tell you everything. I wanted to so many times. But you told me once you were scared of changing things between us. And I felt the same way.”
She could read the desperation and sincerity in his eyes. Slowly, she returned the grip of his hand. Who was she to judge him? Hadn’t she done the exact same thing?
“But I swear to you,” he continued. “Nothing I have said to you has been a lie. And this is the only truth I withheld. And, if you’ll agree to marry me, I promise that I will never hide anything from you ever again.”
His eyes pleaded with her for her understanding, and her heart responded without hesitation.
“A pretty speech,” said the king, his voice as measured as if he was conducting another meeting in his council room. “But you have yet to enlighten us as to this great deception.”
Rafe looked up, and something of his usual cheeky good-humour crept into his face.
“I told you my name is Rafe and that I’m a third son,” he said, “which is true. What I didn’t tell you is that my full name is Raphael Alexander Michael and I’m the third son of Their Majesties King Leonardo and Queen Victoria of Lanover. I set out some time ago and had been travelling as simply Rafe before I ever entered Northhelm. When I met you, in the palace, I was afraid that if you knew my true identity, you would feel obligated to prevent my going undercover with the rebels.”
He smiled down at Marie. “It hadn’t occurred to me, then, that I might have a very important reason for wanting you to know who I was.”
She smiled back at him, still trying to absorb the wonder of his news. Rafe – a prince!
“One of my sisters is under a curse, you see, and I have been wandering the kingdoms searching for a way to break it. I thought, perhaps, this Rumpelstiltskin might hold the answer.”
“And do you think he is behind her curse?” the king asked.
Marie wanted to shake him. What did Rumpelstiltskin matter? He hadn’t answered Rafe’s question.
William snorted quietly, and she glared at him. He knew her too well and was too easily able to guess her thoughts.
Rafe didn’t take his eyes from her father, but the silent chuckle that shook his body told her that he was aware of the wordless exchange between the siblings.
She glared at him too.
“I don’t know, Your Majesty,” he said. “But now that we have the key to breaking his enchantments, I can only hope so. When I return to Lanover, I will attempt to free her.”
“And I sincerely hope you’re successful,” said Marie, unable to restrain herself any longer. “But personally, I’m rather eager to know the answer to your earlier question.” She raised both eyebrows at her father.
He stared back at her, his face expressionless. Then, slowly, a broad smile began to grow. When it had reached full size, he let out a chuckle that sounded remarkably like one of William’s.
“How could I say no to a prince who has not only saved my life but who obviously loves my daughter as much as I do?” He chuckled again. “I can assure you Lanover’s wealth and excellent standing among the Four Kingdoms doesn’t weigh with me at all.”
Rafe grinned back at him and executed another small bow. “I can see your reputation for excellent judgment and unwavering good sense is well-deserved.”
Marie rolled her eyes and jabbed him in the side with her elbow.
He turned to her and the grin softened into an expression of such tender love that it took her breath away.
“As for you, dearest Marie,” he said, “it will give me the greatest of pleasures to ensure that no one can ever question your status as princess again.” He reached out and pulled her against him. His smiling eyes seemed to match her own joy and rebound it in even greater amounts. “And since I never want there to be even the slightest shade of untruth between us again, I have one last confession to make. I told you once that you would always be a princess to me, but the truth is, in my heart, you will always be queen.”
Marie rolled her eyes again, reached up and pulled his face down to meet hers. She would wait for a more private moment to tell him that being queen of his heart meant far more to her than any title of princess ever had.
Note from the author
Don’t miss out on the story of how Rangmere first defeated Rumpelstiltskin’s jewel, told in Happily Ever Afters: A Four Kingdoms Novella.
Thank you for taking the time to read my book. If you enjoyed it, please spread the word! You could start by leaving a review on Amazon (or Goodreads or Facebook or any other social media site). Your review would be very much appreciated!
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Companion: A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea, please sign up to my mailing list at www.melaniecellier.com.
Acknowledgements
This book was written during one of the hardest and darkest periods of my life. It was a time full of pain and deep loss. But in the midst of all the difficulty, there were also glimmers of joy and light, and this book was one of the positive things that came out of that season. Marie was a great character in The Princess Companion, and I had been looking forward to seeing her get her own happy ending in The Princess Pact. I can only hope others have enjoyed discovering Marie’s story as much as I did.
So many friends and family supported me during the months I was writing this book that I couldn’t possibly name them all. But I hope they all know how much they mean to me, and that I couldn’t have made it through without them. A special thanks, however, goes to Robyn who was always there to step in whenever things were at their worst. You are a true friend and have been a lifeline to us.
For specific book assistance, I need to thank my beta readers and editors: Katie, Priya, Rachel, Debs, M.M. Chabot and J.D. Cunegan. And, as always, my parents and Marc, who are always willing to help in any way they can and who deserve the biggest thanks of all.
Once again, the beautiful cover is thanks to Claudia from Phatpuppy Art.
Bringing good from the worst of circumstances is the special province of God, so all thanks go to Him for sustaining and inspiring me through this last year.
About the Author
 Melanie Cellier grew up on a staple diet of books, books and more books. And although she got older she never stopped loving children’s and young adult novels. She always wanted to write one herself but it took three careers and three different continents before she actually managed it.
She now feels incredibly fortunate to spend her time writing from her home in Canberra, Australia where they don’t have a beach but they do have kangaroos hopping down the streets. Her staple diet hasn’t changed much, although she’s added choc mint Rooibos tea and Chicken Crimpies to the list.
Her young adult Four Kingdoms series is made up of linked stand-alone stories that retell classic fairy tales.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Fear
Part 1 - The Truth
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Part 2 - Loyalty
The Palace
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Part 3 - Rebellion
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Note from the author
Acknowledgements
About the Author
The Princess Pact: A Twist on Rumpelstiltskin (The Four Kingdoms Book 3) Page 22
