by K. M. Shea
The farmland was still in poor condition, but she had only begun to speak with Prince Falk about the necessary improvements.
“Gabrielle,” Steffen called.
She heeled her horse into a canter and thundered across the land, her hair streaming behind her in a golden cloud.
When Carabas—much easier to spy now that haze did not drift over the land—popped into view, Steffen managed to cut her off.
“Would you just stop and listen?” Steffen said.
“To what, more of your drabble?” Gabrielle snorted.
“No! To my apology, and my…” Steffen clamped his mouth shut and rested his gaze on Puss.
“You’ve run your horse hard, Mistress. You may as well give it a rest and hear him out,” Puss said, leaping from the horse.
Gabrielle glared at her companion but dismounted her horse. She shortened her stirrups and took the animal’s reins, leading it towards Carabas.
Steffen mirrored her, walking on the wrong side of his horse so he could move shoulder to shoulder with Gabrielle.
“You were about to apologize?” she asked, her voice stiff.
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“For the way I treated you and for my careless words. You were right.”
“About?”
“During the celebration at Kinzig, you said you were more courageous than I. That is true.”
Gabrielle glanced curiously at the prince.
Steffen’s gaze was fixed ahead. “I was both a fool and a brute when I spoke to you at Castle Brandis, and there is no excuse for my conduct.”
“I’m glad we agree there.”
“I ask for your forgiveness. Do you give it?” He finally met her eyes. He looked older somehow, with less of a perfect smile.
“I suppose.”
“Good.” He stopped walking to loosen his horse’s girth. “In that case…” Steffen started, but fell silent.
Gabrielle waited for a few moments, tapping her fingers on her thigh. “Yes?”
Steffen’s shoulders sagged, and he turned his head down. “In that case, I must brave your scorn. During the past few weeks, I have realized…I can’t live without you.”
Gabrielle almost tripped, but she reached out in time and grabbed her horse’s saddle to steady herself. She glanced back. Puss trailed them, wearing an idle look of boredom, but she would bet her sword he could hear every word. “How did you come to that conclusion?”
Steffen looked up, his blue eyes glittering with hope. “Because I have missed you.” His voice was unadorned and plain, though he cast Gabrielle a nervous look. “I have missed your laughter and your smart replies. I have missed our conversations and our adventures. I have missed you in a million ways, big and small. Pushing you away from me—with my own mouth—and allowing my fear to control my actions has made me into a much bigger idiot than being with you ever could.” He betrayed his nerves by scratching the back of his neck and briefly looking at the ground. “I genuinely love you—you, not just your beauty. I know insulted you—which probably makes me unworthy of you—but I am more selfish than you anyway, so I’m willing to ask, do you still love me?”
“You have made it plain to me, Steffen, that love has no place in your life.”
“But I have learned that it does. I have learned that love brings laughter and happiness to my life. It gives me the courage to face ten goblins alone—”
“What?” Gabrielle frowned.
“And it—you—understand me, and you see me, not the future monarch, but me.”
“Stubborn, pigheaded you,” Gabrielle added.
“Exactly! I hadn’t realized it until you were gone, but I’m comfortable with you because I love you. And I’m going to be a better king because of that.”
Gabrielle raised an eyebrow. “This is still all about you, Steffen.”
“No, Gabi—it’s about you. I have changed, but you have always been brave, loyal, and gentle.” He moved to touch her cheek then, but she shrank back.
He swallowed hard, clenched his hand into a fist, and pressed it against his leg. “I love you, Gabrielle—Lady Gabrielle, Marquise of Carabas.”
“How nice for you. Do you expect me to believe you after all your talks about love not mattering to you?”
“I want to marry you.”
“What?”
“If you’ll have me. I’m aware I will need to grovel for a few months to make up for it.”
“Yes,” Gabrielle agreed. Puss increased his pace a bit, but still affected an air of disinterest.
“But,” Steffen sidled up to her. This time Gabrielle didn’t pull back when he caressed her cheek. “I can promise to be devoted to you, to love you not because of your appearance—even though you are the most beautiful woman I have set eyes upon—but because you’re you. I promise to adore you, and treasure you, to buy you new swords and plum rolls until you are sick of them, and to get along with that cat of yours. I’m not the hero you are, but I’ll do everything in my power to support you. And if I’m left behind, I will be every bit as heartbroken as my father, but I will still be grateful that I had you for a time.”
At that, Gabrielle couldn’t help but look up at him. He kissed her softly. It was a gentle caress that said the things his words couldn’t. It warmed her with the promise of a faithful love, and it captivated her with the sheer emotion it held.
Joy and happiness spiraled through her. This was the love Gabrielle had dreamed of. This was why she had stood up to her male tormentors, why she’d left her village.
This was home.
When they parted, Steffen sighed, placed his forehead against hers, and gripped her waist. “But there will be a few conditions if you say yes.”
All the pleasant feelings abruptly left her in an unpleasant, cold rush. “What?” Gabrielle’s voice held traces of a warning as she pulled herself from his grasp.
“They have nothing to do with love. It’s that—curses—I will one day be Arcainia’s king. As my wife—”
“If I choose to marry you…”
“—you will be queen. I love you, Gabrielle. I love your uncontainable spirit. I would love to box you up in Castle Brandis and never let you out, but I know you and that cat will go spiriting off across the country, fighting secret battles for little villages across Arcainia.”
“For once, the bumpkin-head has said something intelligent,” Puss muttered, no longer even trying to pretend he wasn’t listening.
“But as my wife, I need you to understand that the country must come first—for me as well as for you.”
“What do you mean?” Gabrielle asked.
“I mean I would gladly give you all of my life, but as a monarch, there will always be a part of me that will belong to Arcainia. There will be times when I’ll have to attend a stupid function or speak to a dry lord when you would rather that I go off on an adventure with you. I can’t escape it. I saw it with my father and mother, and they couldn’t escape it.”
“I can understand that,” Gabrielle said. “Puss and I will always share our bond. You will always be bound to the country.”
“Yes,” Steffen said, a frown marrying his handsome face. “But if something happens to me, you must consider yourself bound as I am. You must operate for the good of the country, even if it means letting me go. If I were a middle prince, we’d be free. But I’m not. It’s hard, Gabrielle. I don’t want to put my royal responsibilities first. I want to give you everything. But—”
“Very well. If we are married, I promise I will care for Arcainia, should a time arise when you cannot.”
“Don’t underestimate how difficult it will be,” Steffen said. “It was hard for Father to keep going after Mother died, but in the end he had to. This country still needs him.”
“I don’t take it lightly,” Gabrielle said. “But there’s still something you’re overlooking.”
“And what is that?”
“I never said I would marry you, Ste
ffen. You were terribly pigheaded in Brandis. I’m not a dessert—a guilty pleasure. You need to prove that I’m important to you, and that this is a lifelong commitment.”
“I know that,” Steffen said. He kissed her cheek, lingering longer than he should have. “So tell me how I can begin making it up to you.”
Gabrielle turned to Puss, but the cat shook his head. “I will leave matters of your heart to you, Mistress. Although I still believe marrying a mage might be more advantageous,” he said, narrowing his eyes at Steffen.
Steffen glanced back at the cat before placing a hopeful gaze on Gabrielle and waiting.
Gabrielle thought as they continued to walk down the path. She didn’t want words from Steffen—they could be easily given and just easily broken. She needed an action. Something that showed he believed she was worth the effort, that she was worth fighting for.
Gabrielle smiled as the gray walls of Carabas castle grew on the horizon. “I know what I want,” she said.
“What?” Steffen asked.
“Yes, what?” Puss asked.
Gabrielle raised her free hand and pointed to her new property. “Rebuild Carabas Harbor for me.”
Steffen blinked. “What?”
Puss laughed outright behind them.
“Rebuild Carabas Harbor. It will take money—which will mean you’ll have to get your sister to agree. It will take resources—specifically trees—so you’ll have to deal with Falk and the forests he has grown for lumber. It will require planning and action—so you’ll have to have Erick’s help.”
“You’re trying to make me work with my family?” Steffen asked.
“No, I’m trying to show you this won’t be easy. Love, marriage, any of it. Like rebuilding Carabas Harbor, it will require a lot of work and effort from you,” Gabrielle said.
Steffen tilted his head and stared at Carabas.
“Is it too much for you?”
“No.” He looked at her. “Nothing is too much for you.” He kept walking and studied the harbor as if it were a foe to overcome. “I am merely thinking I will start with Father. If he warms up to the idea, Elise will find it harder to reject, and if she doesn’t strike the idea down, my brothers will think twice about it as well,” Steffen said. He halted his horse and turned to address Gabrielle. “I don’t care if it takes years; it will be worth it to call you my wife. Sometimes I will have to place the country first, but my love will be steadfast.”
“And I will always love you,” Gabrielle said, smiling finally, as the words dropped from her lips.
“Really? I was starting to grow worried.” Steffen tossed his horse’s reins aside. He grabbed Gabrielle and pulled her close, kissing and embracing her as if he thought she might disappear.
After several moments, Puss said, “Ahem.”
“Sorry.” She pulled back from Steffen, surprised and a little knock-kneed.
“I’m not,” Steffen said. He curled an arm around her waist and lazily swiped his horse’s reins. “I was planning to stay with you in Carabas for a few days, by the way.”
“How good of you,” Gabrielle said.
“Yes, but I’ll have to return to The Turtle & Doves tonight,” Steffen said. “If I want to make you my bride in under a decade, I’ll need to begin my quest for Carabas Harbor as swiftly as possible. I need to send out dispatch riders tonight.”
“I never said the harbor needed to be rebuilt before I would marry you,” Gabrielle said.
He stopped in his tracks and looked at her, “Oh?”
“No. I just said you needed to have it rebuilt for me.”
“I see. How very clever of you.”
“She was taught by the best,” Puss said, trotting to catch up with them.
“That is so, cat,” Steffen agreed.
“That being said, you still had better try your hardest,” Gabrielle said.
“Believe me, I will. If this is what it takes me to convince you of my intentions, I will wring the best cursed harbor from my family that can be built,” Steffen promised, raising her hand to his lips.
“I look forward to it,” Puss said. “Which brings up an important topic.”
“What?” Gabrielle asked.
“Me,” Puss said. “I want you two to remain quiet about my speaking abilities. King Henrik already knows—as, I’m sure, does Prince Mikk thanks to his army of sneaks. The others, however, and the palace servants, should remain ignorant.”
“Why? The northern half of the country must know about you by now,” Gabrielle said.
“That is not so,” Puss said.
“The cat is right. You visited small villages, and Puss was not with you when you vanquished the ogre; the stray cat was. People will think the rumors exaggerate your cat’s cleverness,” Steffen said.
“Fine, but what merit is there in pretending you can’t talk?”
“Secrecy. If something ill happens and my talents are not known, I can better protect you, Gabrielle,” Puss said.
“No, there are no threats left. We killed the ogre,” Gabrielle insisted.
“I wouldn’t say there are no threats,” Steffen said. “This spring, the second prince of Loire was cursed by a wicked witch.”
“I am more concerned about the attack carried out against our enchantress friend and her master,” Puss said. “Evariste is one of the most powerful magic users on the continent. It does not bode well that he was attacked and captured.”
Gabrielle pursed her lips. “I don’t care.”
“It is a perfect trick to hold up our sleeve, though,” Steffen said, considering the idea. “Which reminds me, I need to look into the possibility of female guards. I shall have to ask Nick.”
“I don’t care if Puss’s silence is a great trick. I won’t ever agree to it.”
“Why, in heaven’s name, wouldn’t you?” Puss said, his ears flattening. “You haven’t even married the bumpkin-head yet. You cannot claim that his stupidity is catching.”
Steffen frowned at the comment, but Gabrielle shook her head. “It has nothing to do with Steffen; it’s you. I won’t see you silenced and caged up again, Puss. You said you hated that—I never want to put you through that again!”
Puss stopped walking for a moment. He purred deeply and brushed up against Gabrielle. “My dear mistress,” he said. “You are too good for this poor excuse of a prince.”
“I’m really starting to look forward to you moving into Castle Brandis,” Steffen said.
“You are right; it will be difficult,” Puss continued, ignoring the prince’s comment. “But it is a sacrifice I am willing to make, and it will be temporary—until I am certain you are safe and that there are no external threats. Besides, your prince said so himself: you and I will still go on adventures, and we’ll have to frequently visit Carabas. I will be free to talk and express my superior opinions then.”
“I don’t like it,” Gabrielle said.
“And neither will I, but for you I will do it, just as Prince Steffen will build you Carabas Harbor.”
“Thank you, both of you,” Gabrielle said, stooping over to pick Puss up. He purred and supported himself on her hip as Steffen claimed her other side.
“Of course, my mistress.”
“Anything for you, my love.” Steffen kissed her cheek.
“We will make the strangest royal family Arcainia has ever seen,” Gabrielle said.
“Our people are very accepting,” Steffen said.
“And they will want to adore you when I’m through crafting your royal image,” Puss added.
“Great,” Gabrielle said, her voice lacking enthusiasm.
“Hurrah to our bright future,” Steffen said with an infectious laugh.
“Hurrah to our restoration,” Gabrielle added.
“Hurrah to me having a foothold on the entire country of Arcainia!” Puss declared.
Gabrielle groaned as she shut her bedroom door behind her. Three years had passed since Steffen proposed to her on Carabas lands. Her marriage was a h
appy one—even if Steffen still fumbled with expressing love in front of others—but the past summer had been excessively hard.
King Henrik had been brain-washed and married a black witch who had—as a result of her greedy desires—cursed Henrik’s children to turn into swans. Gabrielle escaped the curse thanks to Puss’s powers, but Steffen had not.
Gabrielle had remembered her promise to Steffen—to protect Arcainia at all costs—so she sent him north to Verglas with his six brothers and his foster-sister Elise, the only other one to escape the curse. Gabrielle remained in Arcainia, trying desperately to hold the country together in his absence.
She had stolen jewels from the witch, helped Puss thwart her black magic, and did her best to aid the people while the evil queen taxed the life out of them.
But now, finally, the evil queen was defeated.
Steffen, Elise, and their siblings had returned, and Gabrielle could set aside her role as resistance fighter and manager of the royal household.
“Puss, where are you?” she called, shedding her boots. She cast them aside and fell face first on her bed before she remembered. The black and white cat had remained behind in the joyous celebration so he and Angelique could speak to Princess Elise about her budding magic—a topic that interested the nosey cat.
“I have no idea how he can find the energy,” Gabrielle groaned. She wanted to slide out of her clothes, but she was too tired to get up.
She was not, however, too tired to bolt upright when her doors were kicked open. In marched Steffen, his hair mussed and his eyes a little wild.
“Steffen, what are you doing? You might have spent the last season on a lake, but that doesn’t mean you can go around breaking doors,” Gabrielle said as her husband marched across her room. “First of all, they cost a fortune, and Elise will throw a fit—”
Steffen scooped her up into a hug, squeezing her so tightly to his chest she could feel him shiver.
“What’s wrong?” she asked in a quieter voice.
“I am so sorry,” Steffen said, resting his cheek on the crown of her head.
“For what?” Gabrielle asked.