His Fairy Tale Ending

by Casper Graham

  * * * *

  Tristan had a wonderful time at the Museum of Technology at Fingo. He was aware that he appeared out of place among the other visitors, who were better dressed. His clothes were shabby, but they were clean and neatly pressed. Besides, he was saving up for rainy days. He couldn’t afford to spend money on new clothes. Most of the time, he lived in Kaiserbourg anyway, which was a much smaller city compared to Fingo. People dressed much more casually there most of the time.

  After the museum trip, he had lunch at a nice diner. He even got himself a dessert at the end of the meal. However, he was beginning to regret his decision because he was feeling too stuffed. Fortunately, the next part of his itinerary would be a visit to the palace. He could at least walk around the perimeter of the palace grounds. He could even visit the nearby park. Staying active would help with digestion. He hoped he wouldn’t feel as bloated afterward.

  He thought he was prepared for the size of the palace, but he had seriously misjudged the massive building. He had seen the palace once on the television and caught glimpses of it in pictures online. However, now that he was standing at the edge of the walkway on one corner of the palace grounds, he found he couldn’t breathe as he took in the enormity of the building. He felt like a minute ant peering up and down at an elephant. The palace was so huge that he couldn’t even be certain where the other end of the building was located at. Judging by the height, it appeared to be at least eight levels high, but he knew for a fact there were only five floors in the palace. The Internet was very informative in that regards.

  “Holy shit,” he muttered under his breath. “This place looks incredible.”

  He began to take several photographs of the building as he walked right next to the high fences surrounding the palace grounds. He wasn’t the only person doing that, so he didn’t feel self-conscious at all. Plenty of tourists were there with him. Once in a while, he would aim his mobile phone camera at himself, so he could have a few pictures of himself together with the palace, ignoring the various guards who were positioned all over the grounds. He even made weird faces while taking the photographs. Those would be fabulous reminders of his amazing trip. He was so awed by the majestic building that he didn’t realize how long he had been there. Hence, he was shocked to note much later that he had spent almost ninety minutes traveling one round of the palace grounds. He was now back at the spot where he started.

  He glanced at the palace one last time before crossing the road toward the park and sat at a shaded spot on the grass right under a huge tree. He rummaged in his bag for the three chicken sandwiches and a small bottle of water he had purchased at the diner earlier. He planned to have them for dinner, but he was starting to feel hungry again. He figured he could grab something at the diner where he worked later. After all, the meals were free. He was about to bite into the first sandwich when two children, a boy and a girl, approached him. He had noticed them staring at the swans and ducks in the lake right before he sat on the grass, but he paid them no mind. Now that they moved closer to him, he could tell they had beautiful green eyes and shiny black hair.

  He beamed at them. “Hello.”

  The children were quiet for a moment. He understood their reluctance. After all, he was a stranger. He had no evil intention whatsoever, but the children wouldn’t know that. He smiled wider when the little girl grinned at him before pointing at herself and the boy next to her.

  “My name is Jacqueline. This is my twin brother, Alexander.”

  “Hello again. I’m Tristan. You can sit on the grass next to me. It’s a bit cooler than where you are at the moment. I promise I don’t bite.” He winked at them to reassure them that he was harmless. He waited for them to be seated, but he was surprised when they only stared at the ground. “What is it?”

  “My pants will be dirty,” Alexander answered while looking at him as if he was stupid.

  He laughed in amusement. “A little dirt doesn’t hurt anyone.”

  Jacqueline shook her head. “Helen will be mad at us.”

  He scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion. “Helen?”

  Alexander sighed at him. “She’s our nanny.”

  “Oh.” He thought about how to respond before shrugging. “Don’t worry. I’ll explain everything to her later. I’m sure she will understand.”

  The children hesitated for a few seconds longer before taking the spots on either side of him. He offered them his sandwiches, which they accepted.

  “This is delicious,” Jacqueline spoke up.

  He was amazed at how prim and proper the children were behaving. They ate as if they were adults trapped in small bodies. He didn’t give that any further thought, though. He figured children from wealthy families were all quirky in their own ways. Instead, he shrugged at them before continuing with the conversation. “Eh, it’s all right. I can make better sandwiches.”

  Alexander’s eyes widened. “Really?”

  “Uh-huh. I can also bake cupcakes, pies, cookies, and some other pastries. I’ve been working at a diner for more than seven years now, so I’ve been able to learn some skills in the kitchen.”

  Jacqueline seemed excited. “Chocolate cupcakes?”

  He bit his lower lip to suppress his amusement. “That, and many others.”

  “That’s great.”

  Jacqueline was still grinning, but Tristan noticed she appeared less enthusiastic all of a sudden. “Jacqueline, what is it?”

  “I wish you could teach me how to make chocolate cupcakes.”

  “I can. Not that you need me to. I’m sure your parents will be more than delighted to help you in the kitchen.”

  Alexander shook his head. “Our mom is far away in America.”

  Tristan noted the miserable tone in the boy’s voice. He yearned to inquire further, but it wasn’t his place to do so. Besides, he didn’t want them to wallow further in misery. “Well, if your father is okay with it, I can spare a little time in the future to bake chocolate cupcakes with both of you.”

  Jacqueline heaved out a sigh. “You can’t.”

  “Of course, I can. Let me talk to Helen. I’ll—”

  He was taken aback when he and the children were surrounded by several men out of the blue. He wrapped his arms around the children, wanting to protect them from those strangers. He didn’t know if he could win in a fight against all those men. They were all wearing dark clothes from head to toe. It was obvious they were muscular and powerful. He might end up injured, but he was determined to defend the children. He wouldn’t allow them to come to any harm. He had to think fast. He figured he could tell them to run while he did his best to hold the men back.

  He was about to push the children away when the men in front of him parted, allowing two men to enter the circle. They seemed kind of familiar to him, but he didn’t recognize them. He was more worried about the children. Nevertheless, he couldn’t look away from the two men. The first things he noticed were their amber eyes and black hair. After that, he realized he might be in over his head. The previous men might be frightening, but the two newcomers had an intimidating presence to them. One of them was about two inches taller than him while the second one probably had four inches over his own six-foot height. Moreover, their large, muscled bodies gave him the feeling he wouldn’t stand any chance even in a fair fight against either one of them.

  “Give me the children,” the shorter of the two men commanded. Tristan tightened his grips on the children. “Now.”

  “Over my dead body,” Tristan snapped. He was terrified for himself, but he was more concerned about the children, who were now struggling against him. “I don’t care who you are, but I won’t let you harm these children. If you want them, you have to go through me first.”

  Abruptly, the taller of the two men burst out laughing while the other one’s eyes flickered in astonishment. He tugged the children closer to him and glanced around at the men surrounding them. He would have to punch one or two of them, so the children could escape. He was
about to carry out the plan that he had in mind when the children got onto their feet and rushed away from him.

  “Dad!”

  He stared at Jacqueline and Alexander for a moment before turning toward the two men inside the circle with them. He was flabbergasted when he made the connections. He understood why the two men were familiar to him. They were Crown Prince Leonardo and Prince Isaac in the flesh. Then he noticed the groups of people outside the circle and the flashes of lights from the cameras. He was so astounded that he only caught the tail end of Prince Leonardo’s words.

  “…should talk inside the palace.”

  “Wha…what?”

  Neither of the princes responded to him. Instead, one of the men in black hauled him up to his feet before dragging him across the road for the second time that afternoon. As they made their way toward the entrance of the palace, his heart sank. He had no idea what punishment awaited him for talking to the Crown Prince of Gefrington the way he did earlier, but he had a strong feeling it wasn’t going to be light. His heart pounded hard as he stepped inside the palace compound. He was about to find out.

  Chapter 3

  Leonardo dismissed the guards before sitting on the long couch in the living room while Isaac took the spot next to him. He was astounded when Jacqueline and Alexander chose to occupy the seats on either side of the stranger instead of being next to him as they usually did. He eyed the stranger, who was obviously putting up a fake bravado by staring back at him. He inhaled and exhaled gently for a minute or so before cocking his head at the stranger.

  “I believe there has been a misunderstanding,” he spoke up while softening his gaze toward the stranger by a mere fraction.

  It worked because the man relaxed a little before smiling at him, albeit tentatively. “Your…Your Highness, my name is Tristan Quinn Calliwell. I honestly didn’t know the children were Princess Jacqueline and Prince Alexander. I grew up in an orphanage, so TV was a rare treat. Then I started working at the diner when I was eighteen. I’m busy almost all the time. I’m now learning how to cook and bake at the diner while also serving the customers and cleaning up the place. I’m trying to save up as much of my hourly wages as I can. I want to open my own diner someday. I—”

  Leonardo raised his right hand to stop Tristan from ranting any further. It was like listening to a condensed version of Tristan’s entire past in less than a minute. “Mr. Calliwell, I—”

  “Please call me Tristan, Your Highness. All my friends and co-workers do,” Tristan interrupted him, which surprised him. Aside from his parents and younger brother, nobody dared to cut him off midsentence, not even Elaine back when they were still married to each other. He almost chuckled when Tristan’s face paled seconds later. “Your Highness, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

  He shook his head. “It’s fine, Tristan. Can you please explain to me what you were doing with Jackie and Alex earlier?”

  Tristan blushed before nodding with lots of enthusiasm. “I arrived at Fingo really early this morning because I had never visited the capital before. I went to the Museum of Technology. Do you know that they…oh, sorry. Never mind. Anyway, I’ve always wanted to look at the palace in real life. It is massive. I got tired after making one round around its perimeter. I thought that I would sit in the park while enjoying my sandwiches. We…I mean, I, Princess Jacqueline, and Prince Alexander finished the sandwiches before…well, before you caught us. I mean, before you brought us here.”

  Leonardo wanted to laugh out loud, which was a novelty all by itself. He hadn’t felt like doing that since the scandal involving Elaine and that movie director. He observed Tristan more seriously now that he was calmer. He had been terrified earlier when Helen rushed into his office to inform him his twins were missing. His sole focus was to get his children back. Now that they were safe and sound, his attention was concentrated on Tristan. The man had violet eyes and black hair, which made Tristan’s appearance rather ethereal. Tristan was also just a bit shorter than him. Even with the shabby clothes, he could tell Tristan had a nice build. Leonardo couldn’t deny that Tristan was gorgeous. If they had met under a different circumstance, he would probably ask Tristan out on a date.

  “Jackie, Alex,” he addressed his twins, who scooted even closer to Tristan.

  He was astonished at the sight because his children didn’t trust Helen for months. He still didn’t think they liked her much at all. Helen was a new addition to their lives after Elaine left the palace. Elaine had been insistent on dealing with the children without the assistance of a nanny, but he couldn’t handle them on top of all his obligations and business matters. Hence, he didn’t have other alternatives but to hire a nanny for his twins.

  “Yes, Father?” the twins chorused almost at the same time.

  “Why did you leave Helen’s side? I told you several times in the past that you were not to go off on your own.”

  “We were bored,” Jacqueline replied while looking him in the eye. “She was talking to her friends.”

  “And?” he prodded, suppressing the anger inside him. Helen was supposed to ensure the safety of his twins. Regardless of what friends she had outside the palace, her priority should always be the twins. “What did you do?”

  Alexander’s tearful eyes glanced up at him. “I’m sorry, Dad, but I was bored. She walked and talked to her friends. Jackie and I were behind them. Then I saw the ducks and swans, and…I’m sorry.”

  He sighed and got up on his feet before making his way to his crying son. His children were in the wrong because they shouldn’t have left on their own. However, Helen wasn’t right either. She knew he expected her to care for his twins. She had days off when she could meet up with her friends, so she should be focused on the children when she was on duty. He knelt in front of Alexander and pulled his son into his arms before hugging the boy tightly. Then, he turned toward Jacqueline, noting that she was attempting to hold back her own tears. He stretched one arm out toward her, sighing in relief when she ran toward him. He remained in that position for a while, ignoring Tristan and Isaac. No matter what else was going on in the world, his children always came first.

  After a few minutes, he returned to his seat on the couch. He was delighted when Jacqueline and Alexander climbed onto his lap and buried their faces against either side of his neck. He continued to embrace them while gazing at Tristan, who was beaming at him and the twins. That was the moment he came up with a crazy idea, which was to hire Tristan as the children’s replacement nanny. He would have to let Helen go. If she couldn’t perform her duties properly, then she had no place in the palace. Besides, the twins seemed to like Tristan, which was enough for him to risk employing the man as the new nanny for his children.

  “Tristan, are you interested in working for me? I need a new nanny for my twins.”

  “Leo!” Isaac called out to him in shock. “What are you doing?”

  Tristan’s eyes widened so comically, Leonardo had to bite his lower lip to stop himself from bursting out in laughter. He could sense Isaac’s eyes on him, but he didn’t bother looking at his younger brother yet.

  “Your Highness, I…I’ve never done that before.”

  He shrugged at Tristan. “My kids like you. Most importantly, I think they trust you. That’s good enough for me.”

  “But…but I—”

  “Please be our new nanny,” Jacqueline interrupted all of a sudden. Leonardo was about to admonish her for her rudeness when her next sentence caught him off guard. “You can bake chocolate cupcakes with Alex and me. You’ve promised.”

  “Yes!” Alex exclaimed, obviously excited. “Chocolate cupcakes.”

  He raised his left eyebrow at Tristan, whose neck and cheeks reddened almost in an instant. “What’s the story there?”

  Isaac chuckled out loud. “I’m curious, too.”

  “Your Highnesses, it’s…it’s nothing. I told Princess Jacqueline and Prince Alexander that I can bake and cook, and they inquired about chocolate cupcakes.”


  “I see. So, Tristan, do you agree to be the children’s new nanny then?”

  Tristan hesitated for a few seconds. “I will try my best, Your Highness.”

  He grinned at Tristan. “Can you start tomorrow?”

  Tristan gaped in return. “Tomorrow?”

  “I have several appointments over the next few days. My parents and younger brother have their own responsibilities. In fact, every employee at the palace is busy with their duties. No one has ample spare moments to spend with my children for an extended period of time.”

  “But I have to inform my employer at the diner.”

  “That won’t be an issue. I’ll write you a letter you can give to your current employer.”

  Tristan smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

  “Great. That’s settled then. I’ll inform Mrs. Madeline about you. She’s the Royal Housekeeper. She will help you settle in tomorrow morning. She will also be the one to discuss the terms of your employment with you. I’m certain the salary provided will be larger than what you’re receiving now. You’ll also be living in the same wing of the palace as me and the twins.”

  “That sounds fair. I appreciate that, Your Highness.”

  Leonardo was startled when his twins climbed down from his laps and rushed toward Tristan. The kids started to bombard Tristan with plans about chocolate cupcakes and cookies, among other things. Leonardo would have reprimanded the twins for their behavior, but he decided to let them slide for now. Isaac snorted at him while pointing discreetly at the scene in front of them, but he ignored his younger brother. His children hadn’t been this excited and cheerful for the past year or so. He was relieved they were ecstatic about having Tristan as their new nanny. He was just as pleased about the situation. It had nothing to do with the gorgeous nanny residing under the same roof as him. Not at all.