Marcus nodded. “I’m okay with the fairies searching for the book, but I don’t think Ulrich needs help. Besides, the dragons must stay and train with parker. Ulrich requested we allow him to manage the situation alone for now.”
Nikola nodded. “I understand. Less is more with a dragon, I suppose.” I marveled that the statement seemed legitimate rather than the ramblings of a crazy person. Oh, how much had changed in a short time.
“Does anyone else need to return to America for any reason?” Marcus asked.
Chris stood, then hesitantly looked toward Ophelia and me. It was the moment we had been worried about—Ross and Chris were leaving.
Chris cleared his throat. “Sir, Ross and I would like to return home. We have jobs there so we’d like to tie up those loose ends and return if that is allowed?”
“What?” I asked, surprised.
Ross looked at me like I had rotten fruit for brains. “We want to come back. Is that a problem?”
“No! I mean, no, it’s not—is it a problem?” I asked Marcus.
Marcus shrugged. “Fine by me. They’ll always be a part of our big family.”
“You want to return here?” Ophelia asked. “You know we probably haven’t seen the worst of it yet, right?”
“And? We don’t plan to tuck tail and run. We never have, and this isn’t different. I just need to put my two weeks in, you know, in case royal life disagrees with me,” Ross teased. Jemma chuckled, the first time she’d laughed in my presence all week and not for lack of me trying.
“I might like to go, too. Maybe this time I’ll be of more use as a personal bodyguard for Chris and Ross,” Jemma said.
“Jemma, that isn’t necessary. You’ve done more than enough,” King Agustus said.
“Yeah, besides who will we pawn our kids on?” Jack asked, jokingly.
Jemma laughed again. “I just... I don’t know. I feel restless like I need a mission to clear my head. Is that okay?”
“It’s literally just Chris and me packing our crap, working out a two-week notice, then coming back here,” Ross said, but it wasn’t a strong argument.
Jemma shrugged. “I’m good at packing. Besides, you know you want me to go with you.”
Ross smiled—and blushed. Ophelia glanced at me with a small smile.
There were no objections, so it was settled. Rebecca would accompany Nikola and Alorna to New York City, the last place we saw Jeanine’s book, while Jemma went with my brothers to finalize their old lives back in Jacksonville.
“Alright then, the next order of business. Snow has helped me prepare a list of magical items thought to be under the care of the Protectors. We will need these items in the final fight. We already have...”
Marcus’ voice faded into the back of my mind as my attention shifted to Ophelia. She listened intently, her gorgeous blue eyes twinkling in the firelight. It had barely stopped snowing since Snow White arrived, and the entire kingdom along with Goldene Stadt and Schattenland was blanketed in peace. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, save one thing—my beautiful Ophelia.
We had been bustling back and forth among the kingdoms getting to know everyone better, training, and planning our attack against the evilest evil to ever do evil. I doubted Rose really knew who that was considering Snow had no clue herself, but we would never know what Rose knew. Things had been so crazy I never had the chance to properly propose to Ophelia or to give her my mother’s ring. I was compelled into action and rudely interrupted the discussion among the ruling royals.
“King Marcellus, I really want to marry this woman right now. Can we make that happen?” I asked. The King paused and stared at me.
“Huh?” Ophelia asked, stunned.
Calla rose from her chair. “Yes. Yes, we can do that right now. Heidi? Would you mind a little redecorating?”
“No, I don’t mind at all.” Heidi stood from her place beside her husband and cautiously looked toward Snow who had hidden well in the corner. Most people ignored her, but a few had made some effort to build new bridges, including Heidi and Hayden, who both remembered well how it felt to lose control. “Snow, I could use some help.”
Snow smiled and immediately got to work. Before I knew it, the meeting was adjourned in favor of a wedding. Ophelia was swept away, and I was left wondering if I had put her in an awkward position. However, I was unable to ask her since she was dragged to the other side of the castle.
“Parker, I have one other order of business to attend before the wedding. Would you mind?” Marcus asked, leading me to his throne room. I followed along with those who were not redecorating and preparing for an impromptu wedding. Inside the room, my eyes were immediately drawn to my sword, leaning against his throne. The last I remembered, it was safely tucked away with the matching dagger, waiting for its moment to shine again.
Marcus sat in his chair and motioned toward Henry. Henry lifted my sword and handed it to Marcus. Gerald stood beside me as Jeanine and the rest of my family looked on.
“Tristan Dressaur, son of Einar, it was brought to my attention by King Julian of Goldene Stadt, that you were never properly titled. I shall remedy that situation now. By the power vested in me by the people of Schwarzwald, and by Kings Agustus and Bastian, I, King Marcellus Heinrich Salien, hereby dub thee Sir Tristan Dressaur Einarsson, the First Knight in the Order of Einarsson, under the Allied Kingdoms of The Black Forest.”
He tapped each shoulder with the point of my blade, then turned the handle toward me.
“Congratulations, Parker. You’re officially a knight. You may begin your duties under Henry’s supervision, and I trust the two of you will build a mighty army to protect The Black Forest from all evil.”
“I... I don’t know what to say,” I began.
“Say you’ll hurry up and accept so we can get married,” I heard Ophelia say from the rear of the room.
I turned quickly to see her, all worry that I had accidentally pushed her into marrying me immediately wiped away. She was stunning, more beautiful than I had ever seen her before. I walked toward her on wobbly legs and dug my mother’s sapphire from my pocket. I offered my hand, and she placed hers gingerly in mine, allowing me to slip the ring on her finger.
“Park, it’s beautiful,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
“It suits you. It matches your eyes,” I said.
“No, not for—I mean, yes, thank you for the ring, but more than anything thanks for our life. You’ve always made me feel like a princess, even when we ran out of hot water, and we had to take three-minute showers, when all we had to eat was canned spaghetti and hot dogs, when our house leaked, and Rebecca had to shingle it with aluminum foil. For all those times and so many more, thank you for always making me feel like the most special woman in the world.”
I couldn’t help brushing the tears from her cheeks. The ladies had done a bang-up job making her look like royalty, but to me—even when I hadn’t realized I was in love with her—she was always a princess.
“Oh, sweet Ophelia. Fate brought us back together when we were centuries apart. There has never been anyone but you for me, my queen. I’ll love you for the rest of my life.”
The End...
So close.
Acknowledgements
There are always so many people to thank when I complete a book—my awesome alpha and beta readers, my proofreaders, and everyone else who helps me make the book something I can be proud of. But this time, I really want to thank the readers. If not for you guys, this would never have become a series. It’s your love and support that have pushed Snow Kissed into a full-fledged series, a giant world that comes to life a little more with each installment. Thank you for being the most awesome readers a gal could ask for!
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About the Author
M. J. Padgett is first and foremost a mom. Her free-spirited kindergartener has quite the vivid imagination, and her antics sometimes find their way into her mommy’s work. She is a lover of all things chocolate, a Grimm and Dickens addict, a self-proclaimed smarty-pants, and an introvert to the core.
Writing is her true passion (after raising her daughter, of course), and she writes as often as possible. One of her favorite things about writing is creating a world where people can escape reality for a little while, maybe even walk away feeling hopeful about the real world around them. When it comes to reading, she loves a book that can make her forget where she is no matter the genre. If she can get lost and feel like the characters are her real friends, she’s a happy reader.
Read more at M. J. Padgett’s site.
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