The Green-Eyed Prince: A Retelling of The Frog Prince (The Classical Kingdoms Collection Novellas Book 1)
Page 14
“I can believe it. You will be as tall as me in no time! Now how have you fared?”
Before the boy could answer, his father came to stand behind him. “He’s progressing well enough. But I wish to talk of your future husband, not my son.”
Kartek sighed a little as young Everard immediately stiffened. Drawing the young prince out was difficult enough. She had the rebellious desire to grab the boy by the hand and run with him to the edge of the crowd, where she and Unsu might make the serious boy grin. Instead, however, she forced a stately smile and turned to face his parents.
“Your union be a blessed one, Jahira,” King Rodrigue’s deep baritone voice rang out as he gave her a deep nod. It was impossible not to notice how the crowd pressed outward around him, everyone doing their best to give the Destinian king his space.
“Thank you, Rodrigue,” Kartek said. “I have been blessed by the Maker.”
“He defeated the enchantress.” The king was frowning thoughtfully at Unsu, who was talking with a southern king in the corner of the room. “I suppose he will do well enough.”
“I believe you are right. How are you, Louise?” Kartek turned to Everard’s mother. Had anyone else given her husband such a passing glance at his own wedding, she would have taken offense. But Kartek had learned long before that no one measured up to King Rodrigue’s standards. Not even himself. Even a glance from him was like the laud of a hundred others.
“I do not know how you survive this heat,” Queen Louise dabbed at her forehead with a cotton cloth, “let alone manage to look decent.”
Please, Maker, don’t let her faint again. “If you need anything from my servants to make you more comfortable,” Kartek said, “do not hesitate to ask.”
But to her great relief, another king captured Rodrigue and Louise’s attention at that moment, and Kartek turned back to Everard. “So, what do you think of my new husband?” She watched him with amusement as he stretched up on his toes to see Unsu above the crowd.
“Is he good to you?”
“What?” Kartek blinked down at him in surprise.
“Does he treat you well?”
Kartek ignored the desire to hug him again. The boy’s soft lines of childhood were fast disappearing, making him look the mirror image of his father. Kartek couldn’t help mourning a little as she noted that the severe angles of maturity were chasing away the remnants of childhood from his face. Though he was almost six years her junior, Kartek and Everard had found a kinship as soon as he was old enough to talk. At royal gatherings, they alone had known what it was like to be different. They were gifted and they were other. But so serious was the small boy and so deep were his thoughts, that Kartek had often found herself enjoying his company. Often, she wondered if being around Everard might be what it was like to have a brother.
“Does he treat you well?” Everard repeated, his eyes never leaving her face.
Kartek smiled. “Better than I deserve.”
He snorted. “I doubt that.”
“You know, I was not very nice to him at first.” Kartek glanced around to make sure no one else was listening. “I might have even admitted to one of my servants that he looked somewhat like a frog.”
Everard stared at her and then, to her surprise, gave a little laugh. “Do you think he looks like a frog now?”
“No. No, I think he looks very handsome. And brave. And kind. And good.” She paused and leaned down to whisper in his ear. “Never allow your judgment to be clouded by the way people appear, Everard.” She paused, watching the all-too-familiar loneliness fill the boy’s eyes. “The Maker has someone for you, too.”
He looked up at her, his brows furrowing. Within them, doubt warred with hope, and Kartek found herself praying that hope would one day win.
“You really care for him that much?”
“By a miracle, he has become my closest friend.”
Everard drew a deep breath and nodded once, seemingly more to himself than to her. “Very well, then. I am glad you have him.”
An arm wrapped itself around her waist, and Kartek smiled and leaned in as her husband’s familiar form came to stand beside her.
“Emeeri Unsu,” Everard bowed slightly, “you have my blessing.” And with that, he turned and walked away.
Unsu looked down at her, confusion on his face. “I suppose I should be honored?”
Kartek smiled. “His approval is the highest honor I could ask for.”
“He looks rather short to be a king.”
“For now. But he will be a great king one day.” She looked around again. To her relief, the crowds were beginning to thin. “Come.” She tugged on his arm. “Let’s go somewhere where we can hear ourselves think.”
“I have no argument with that.”
Kartek wound her way through the servants to a side door. They slipped out into a courtyard, but she led them on until they had reached the wall and escaped once again. Finally, they found the well.
“So,” Unsu said, drawing her close and wrapping his arms around her, “would you have married me without this . . . future boy king’s approval?”
“I think I already did.” Kartek reached up to muss his hair. He tried to lean away, but she laughed and pulled herself closer. He finally managed to pin her arms to her sides and lift her in the air. Kartek laughed and squirmed, but he held her tightly against him until he was seated on a rock beneath one of the palm trees.
“Are you happy?”
Kartek stopped her teasing. Instead, she settled for leaning her head on his chest. “Of course. Why?”
“Not that I could do much about it now, but—”
“Stop right there.” She placed her fingers against his lips. His eyes looked as though he had more to say, but Kartek shook her head. “We were given our places and times in this world. I lost my parents, and you lost your birthright. But the Maker has taken what was evil and made it good.” She traced the shape of his jaw with her finger.
He closed his eyes and she felt him release a long breath.
“I thought I needed someone like Gahiji. But now that I’ve found you, I … I can’t imagine…” She drew in a steadying breath. Why was this so hard? In his absence, she had imagined this moment over and over again. But now that he was here, the words she’d planned to say were all tangled in her head. She took another breath and tried again, slowly. “Gahiji was determined to see my worth in the light of what I could provide for him. You see me.” She shook her head. “Somehow, you always have. And then you sacrificed everything for me and my people.” By accident, she met his gaze and was unable to tear her eyes from their emerald depths in the light of the setting sun. “How could I not love you?” she whispered.
“Life will be different after this.” He spoke into her hair, his breath warm against her forehead. “I will be here, of course, but I will need to travel often.” He shifted uncomfortably. “I have the tribes to tend to.”
“Doing what?”
He frowned. “My people have a long history of violence, as do the other tribes. I would like to see what I can do to begin to change that.”
She snuggled in closer and pulled his arms around her shoulders. “Nothing would make me happier.”
“What it means, though, is that I will have to be gone . . . often.”
Kartek tried not to let her shoulders sag the way they wanted. “I knew I was marrying the Rayis.” She struggled to keep her voice even. “I knew there would be sacrifices that came with that. Only . . .” Her voice hitched. “Just be safe. Please.”
In response, he lifted and turned her in his lap so she was forced to face him. A gentle smile lit his mouth as he wiped the traitorous tears from her face. “They said this union would be historical. And it will be.” He drew her closer and tucked her head beneath his chin. “But not because of the politics.”
“What then?” she whispered.
He leaned down for a kiss. “We’re going to change the southern realm. But we’re going to do it together.�
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“Well,” she leaned for another kiss, though her heart pounded as though she were preparing to run a race, “if you’re going to be leaving me anytime soon, we should probably ensure our priorities are set properly first.”
He had been tracing her knuckles with his fingers, but at these words, he froze. “What do you mean?”
She tried unsuccessfully to hide her smile. “An enchantress nearly killed us both. Our people have narrowly escaped killing one another, and we have now been subjected to two weddings.” She took his hand and stood, suddenly feeling shy. “Let’s go to our room. I think we have earned one night of rest.”
He stood and pulled her in for one more kiss, his lips lingering on hers, his breath coming just a little faster. “That sounds to me like a perfect beginning.”
Dear Reader,
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For more Classical Kingdoms Collection retellings, read on . . .
Also by Brittany Fichter
Before Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast
Blinding Beauty: A Retelling of The Princess and the Glass Hill
Beauty Beheld: A Retelling of Hansel and Gretel
The Becoming Beauty Trilogy Boxset
Girl in the Red Hood: A Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood
Silent Mermaid: A Retelling of the Little Mermaid
Coming . . .
The Autumn Fairy: An Original Fairy Tale Trilogy
About the Author
Brittany, her Prince Charming, and their little fairy live in a sparkling (decently clean) castle in whatever kingdom the United States Air Force has most recently placed them. When she’s not writing, Brittany is usually exploring with her family, cleaning the castle (she would rather be writing), going to church, belting Disney songs, and decorating cakes.
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