“It is.” Madrid smiles. And at that moment, all seems well in the world.
“I do have an announcement.” I remember the fairy godmothers.
“Go on.” The king sits forward.
“Gwydion has taken over Selma’s position as Oracle and magic keeper of Avonathia. He has also implemented a new safeguard to ensure that when royalty marries a commoner, or in Roselyn’s case, she is royalty without magic, we do not have the consequences we faced with Jossa. One fairy has been sent to guard each kingdom. They have the power to give magic to those who need it, such as Roselyn will.
They will be known as fairy godmothers.”
I lean my head on Osric’s shoulder as we walk the corridor, grateful we finally have a moment alone. “I love you,” I say because I can. It’s exhilarating, being with him out in the open. No more hiding, no more lying or sneaking.
“I love you too.” He kisses my forehead.
Goose bumps cover my arms, a shiver running up my spine. We always dreamed of the day we could freely show our love for one another. I never expected it to be so sweet.
“Come on. I want to see something.” I release my hold around his waist and reach down, grabbing his hand. I turn so I’m standing in front of him, just so I can see him. It’s like a dream, and I’m afraid to wake up. I laugh and take off running, still holding his hand. “Where are we going?” He laughs, keeping up with me.
“To gather flowers—well, at least one, anyway.” Happiness overtakes me, causing everything I say to come out with bubbles of laughter and giddiness.
“Oh?” he asks, but I don’t bother to answer.
Instead, I continue until we’ve reached my room. I stop and let go of Osric’s hand long enough to push the doors open. Then I snatch his hand up again and go straight to the window. I stop in front of the table. There, lying on it, is the rose. The petals that darkened, turning a ghastly red, and almost ruining my chance of being with Osric, are now back to pure white.
I pick up the rose, examining every petal, every bit of it. It has healed. I look at Osric, holding the rose close to me. “What should we do with it?”
“I say we keep it. Show it as proof that love is stronger than magic.” He wraps his fingers around my hand that’s still holding the rose.
“I love that idea. But how? In what way could we best display it?”
“Let’s have it made into a necklace, something you can keep close to your heart. That way, you’ll never have to doubt how much I love you.” He leans closer, pushing the rose from between us.
“You’re just full of good ideas today.” I moisten my lips.
“Thank you.” He presses his lips to mine, his arms wrapping around me. And for the first time, I’m finally home in every way.
Giggling, I step back and intertwine my fingers with his. “Let’s get this to the metalsmith. I’m eager to have it back.”
Osric walks beside me, hand in hand, in no real rush at all. We walk through the corridors, smiles plastered on our faces, not a care in the world. I bask in the sunlight once we get outside.
I had almost forgotten what sunlight felt like. A crazy idea, thinking the storm really only lasted a matter of days when, in fact, it felt like years. Maybe it was the stress and worry of not being with Osric for so long that made it feel that way, or just how awful the storm was, but I’m happy to finally be free from it.
I look at Osric, noting that he doesn’t look nearly as happy as I feel. “What are you thinking?”
“It’s just crazy how all this happened. We spent so much time worrying about not being together. We almost lost it all, but because of a stranger, his fairies, and a flower, we’re here together, having our happy ending after all. It just feels . . .” He pauses.
“Unreal? Like a dream?” I laugh, realizing that is how it feels to me.
“Exactly. And any moment now, I expect to wake up and find that this isn’t real. That you’re not actually here with me at all. We’re not on our way to get this rose set in metal, preserved for all of time and eternity.” He looks down at the rose in my hand.
“But the best part is that it is real. We’re here together, and nothing will break us apart. Do you know what we’ve done?” My smile widens, though I didn’t know it was possible.
“What?” He raises an eyebrow, slightly confused, according to the expression on his face.
“We’ve proven that love is the most powerful magic there is. We have shown the world that no matter what comes our way, our love is stronger. We’re unbreakable, untouchable.” I release his hand and wrap my arm around his, snuggling my head against his shoulder.
He unwraps his arm from mine and instead wraps it around me, holding me close. “You’re right in every way.” He kisses the top of my head.
Content, I look around us, noticing the people putting their lives back together now that the storm is over. Buildings being repaired, gardens being grown, children laughing and playing in the streets again.
“Can we visit a friend before continuing to the metalsmith’s shop?” I stand up straight and look around, noticing one particular shop still not in use.
“Whatever you wish, my love.” He smiles at me.
“Thank you.” I lean in for a quick kiss and then dash off toward Nadi’s house. No children run around the house or in the woods behind it. I knock softly on the door. I can hear voices inside.
“Good afternoon, Your Highness.” Harold bows.
I am shocked to see him walking and answering the door. “You’re better!” I beam, happy to see that he is well, that despite Jossa’s blackened heart, the physician did as I asked and continued to help Nadi’s husband.
“All thanks to you, Princess. If not for your help, I fear I would not have survived at all. So, thank you. If ever I can repay you, please just say the word.” He takes my hand in his and kisses my knuckles.
“It was my pleasure. The king and queen should never have allowed you to fall so ill without helping. Nadi is the best seamstress there is. I don’t know how I could possibly wear clothes made by anyone else. You and your family will be taken care of from now on. Anything you need, just ask.”
Tears form in his eyes. He opens his mouth to speak, but no sound comes out. I just smile, understanding his joy. Nadi appears behind him, all smiles. “Princess!” She pushes past her husband and throws her arms around me. I return her embrace.
“Thank you so much! I don’t know how to repay you. Truly, you have done so much for me and my family. How can I return the kindness?” She steps back, wiping away the tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Well, allow me to show you.” I grab one of Harold’s hands and one of Nadi’s and begin marching toward the market. I stop in front of the abandoned dressmaker’s shop.
“Please pardon my confusion, but what would you like us to do?” Nadi drops my hand and stands in front of me, looking befuddled.
“I would like you to reopen it, and promise me that it will never close again. That you will run it and continue making the finest clothing in all the land. And if anyone tries to tell you that you can’t be here for any reason, you send them directly to me. Do we have a deal?”
Nadi sniffles, wiping at her face with her apron. “Thank you, Princess Roselyn. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I smile. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with the love of my life.” I look behind me to where Osric is waiting patiently, grinning and taking in the moment.
“Of course. Go!” Nadi laughs. Just as I am turning, I see Harold hugging and kissing her. It makes me giddy.
“Thank you!” I say to Osric.
“Anything for you.” He puts his arm around me, his fingers curled around my waist. We continue toward the metalsmith’s shop.
A young man stands just outside, repairing the frame around the door. He looks our way before continuing his work. Suddenly, he looks back and sets down his tools. “Your Highnesses.” He bows.
“Please, that is not necessa
ry. We’re just looking for the metalsmith. Is he here?” Osric asks.
“Of course. One moment, please.” He runs inside the building. “Temujin, Princess Roselyn and Prince Osric are here for you!” he shouts, which makes me laugh.
A large man, standing at least a head and a half taller than Osric, his dark skin glistening with sweat, appears in the doorway. “How can I be of service, Your Highnesses?” He too bows.
“We are hoping you can take this rose and coat it in metal, and then turn it into a pendant.” I offer him the rose. “It is very dear to us, so we are hoping you can be careful with it.”
He plucks it from my hands and examines it. “I would be honored to take this job. Please allow me a few days to get my shop up and running again, and I will get it back to you as soon as I can.”
“Of course.” I curtsy. “Thank you.”
“It is my pleasure, Princess.” He bows once again.
With nothing left to say, Osric and I walk back through the market and into the castle. I open my mouth, about to ask him what he would like to do, when I hear my voice being called.
I turn around and find Madrid running toward me. She stops and takes my hand in hers. “Father would like to see us.” She smiles wide, the happiness reaching her eyes.
“Of course.” I turn to Osric. “I’ll be right back.” I kiss his cheek and allow Madrid to pull me after her.
“What’s the rush, sister?” I try to think of the possibilities—what could the king want with us? But my thoughts are too scattered, my heart so light, happiness running through me, filling me with a warmth I didn’t know was missing.
“He was eager to speak with us, though I do not know about what. All I know is that I finally have a father, and now . . .” She pauses, slowing down until she has stopped walking altogether and is now facing me. “You’re my sister, and though serving you has been one of the only sources of joy in my life, I can’t say I am sad to see that part of my life come to an end.” Her grin reaches from ear to ear.
I am overjoyed for her, and for me. We’re sisters, best friends, and finally Madrid is getting the happiness she deserves. But her mention of having a father causes me to frown ever so slightly. I don’t mean to—it is not the thought I wish to dwell on.
But flashes of seeing my real father being killed right before me play out in my head, and all over again, I wonder what life would be like if I had gotten to meet him. And my mother. Diego and Brenna, two names attached to two people I don’t know. Yet, I should have known them as Mother and Father. “I’m so sorry, Rose. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories. I know the turn of events wasn’t in your favor, and for that, I am terribly sorry.” Madrid rests her hand on my shoulder, a frown on her face.
“It’s not your fault. And I did not wish to diminish your happiness with thoughts of my birthparents. I just can’t help but wonder how my life would have been if Jossa had never switched our places. What if you grew up a princess, and I grew up a farm girl?”
“I imagine that I would have wished I wasn’t a princess, and you might have wished you weren’t a farm girl. And somehow we would meet, and maybe even switch places just to get what we both wanted. My point is, despite all the bad, maybe things worked out this way for a reason. All my life, I wished I knew who I was. I wanted to know why my parents left me in a castle just to take care of royalty. And now I know, and it’s almost as if I wish I didn’t. At least, not knowing the truth, I could pretend that my parents were heroes and they didn’t have a choice but to leave me behind. If I had to guess, your parents were wonderful people, and they would give anything to have you back.”
“If that were true, why didn’t they ever visit? Even if they couldn’t tell me the truth, why not come here to see if I was all right? And for that matter, why ever give me up?” I ask, not expecting Madrid to have the answers, only wanting to open up to the one person I had been able to trust all my life.
“You believe they willingly gave you to Jossa, but perhaps she gave them no choice. She was stealing my magic. She could easily have enchanted them, made sure they could never come to Tivor because she couldn’t risk the truth getting out. And if they did willingly hand you over to the queen, perhaps they believed that it was your best chance at life.”
“One day, you are going to make a wonderful queen, Madrid. You are wise and kind and caring and understanding. And you have opened my eyes. Perhaps I was too quick to judge them. One thing I know for certain—I do wish I could have met them.”
Madrid pulls me into a hug. “I wish you could have too.” Leaning back, she grasps my hand again. “I know it wasn’t your fault in any way that you didn’t get the chance to meet them, but right now, you can make sure you never miss an opportunity like that again. The king has extended his hand to both of us. You can continue loving the father you’ve always known. And I can finally have a father at all.” She grins again.
I crack a smile, unable to stay sad when Madrid was so excited. “You’re right. So let’s go see what he wishes to discuss with us!”
Together we run down the hall toward the king’s study. No guards stand at the door. Madrid and I look at each other, unsure what to do. I shrug and knock.
“Come in, come in,” Father hollers.
Madrid opens the door and allows me to enter first. I look back at her, realizing what’s just happened.
She brushes hair from her face. “I do believe it will take some time getting accustomed to not being a maid.”
“Understandable,” Father says before I can reply. “Please, both of you, come sit down.”
I sit, slightly nervous. The apprehensive look on Father’s face is worrisome. Feeling odd, unsure how to act around the king, I begin squirming, not even meaning to. Playing with a strand of my hair. Lacing my fingers, only to unlace them.
“Thank you for meeting with me.” Father looks around the room, not really looking at us. “After announcing that I would gladly welcome you into my family, as you’ve been my daughter for the past seventeen years, I realized I would need to make it official. I’ve been doing a bit of reading in our family history, and I have come upon a slight issue.” He clears his throat, his cheeks slightly redder than usual.
“What is it?” Madrid asks.
I’m glad she did, because I can’t take the anticipation. Father clears his throat again.
“Well, technically speaking, Madrid is rightfully, by birth, Princess Roselyn. Which means that Princess Roselyn is actually Madrid.”
I laugh. It bubbles out of me. “Jossa never thought she would have to worry about something as trivial as our names when she created this mess. Madrid, it seems that you have my name, and I have yours.”
Madrid joins me in laughing. Only a moment passes before the king, too, is laughing.
“Father, while it is funny and a bit confusing, I must ask, why does it matter?”
“Well, you must decide if you wish to remain Madrid and you wish to remain Roselyn.” He speaks to each of us in turn.
I look at Madrid. “It’s up to you. I have your name, but we will never know if you have mine.”
Madrid stands, paces the length of the room, and after only a moment of thinking about it, stops right in front of me. “All our lives, you’ve been Roselyn and I’ve been Madrid. And that’s how it should be.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, feeling relieved. I didn’t know before this moment that the idea of keeping my name could mean so much to me.
“There is no need to thank me. It is the truth.”
A week has passed since Jossa’s demise, though that isn’t why I’m excited when the sun rises. I get out of bed and dress myself, hardly able to contain my joy. I throw the curtains open—realizing I shouldn’t be so hard on Quin for doing this, considering how much fun it is—and bask in the sun.
I don’t stay long, too excited to hide away in my room. I go out into the corridor and walk toward the dining hall. People are out and about, going through their daily routines. It fee
ls odd being able to stand in the open, staying in Tivor as a guest rather than sneaking around. I much prefer it this way.
Standing just outside the doors, her back to me, is the most beautiful woman in the world. I approach quietly, wanting to steal a kiss before we join the other diners. Madrid faces me, speaking with Roselyn. I know she sees me, but she makes no movement to give away my position.
I wrap my arms around Roselyn’s waist and kiss her temple. “Good morning,” I whisper in her ear.
“You know, the last time you snuck up on me like this, it didn’t end so well for you.” She turns, still trapped in my arms.
“Luckily, I know you’re aware that I’m not trying to hurt you.”
“Well, there is that.” She laughs and runs her fingers through my hair, pulling me to her. I close the distance and kiss her lips.
The sound of Madrid clearing her throat breaks us apart. I sigh, giving her a look that says “Why are you interrupting?” but only half meaning it. At that moment, the dining hall doors open, and Madrid goes inside.
We follow her, but not before I steal another kiss from Roselyn.
I am given a seat right beside hers, which happens to be right beside the king’s. It doesn’t go unnoticed that Jossa’s seat has been removed and replaced with a seat for Madrid on the king’s other side.
Breakfast is served, and we all begin eating. I try not to rush nor force Roselyn to either, but I can hardly wait for what comes after.
“Are you all right?” Rose looks concerned.
“Of course. Why do you ask?” I smile.
“You’ve hardly touched your food.” She giggles, looking at me quizzically.
I look down at my plate. And here I thought I was still eating too fast. I pick up my fork and make a show of eating a bite of sausage while she’s watching. Laughing, she turns back to her own food.
“Can I steal you away this morning?” I rest my shoulder against hers, just wanting to be close to her.
“I wouldn’t spend it away from you. Besides, don’t we have an errand to run?” She raises an eyebrow.
The Enchanted Rose Page 16
