“Forever.”
I wasn’t sure that I heard him correctly. That couldn’t be right.
Rumpel beamed with pleasure as he loosened my grip on his arms and cupped them in his, kissing my fingers gently. “It’s a long story, but the short answer is that I’m yours forever.”
My hand flew to my mouth as tears slid down my cheeks and I choked on my words. “I don’t understand. How?” My head spun, wanting to believe him, but I spent so long thinking his time was limited, I couldn’t understand what he meant when he said forever.
His forehead found my own and he breathed deeply, letting his breath warm my cheeks to remind myself that he was real. I pulled back and looked at his eyes, begging for answers.
“Sit, I’ll explain everything to you.” Rumpel motioned to the table and led me to the seat across from Papa. At some point, Mama had gotten a glass of water, which she handed to me. My throat felt dry, but I was hesitant to let go of Rumpel’s hand, even to drink something.
“I’ll start with what happened right after you left. Conrad ordered me into a side room, where the King and a handful of guards joined us. That’s when the sorceress appeared. There were sparks and music and mist; it was quite the spectacle. Oh, you should have seen the King’s face! He looked terrified! Conrad too, but he hid it better. The guards threw what weapons they had toward her, but they went straight through, and since she was in the middle of the room Conrad ordered they stop so they didn’t injure anyone.”
“The same sorceress who cursed you?”
“The very one. She looked exactly as she did a hundred years ago. Anyway, while the King stared dumbfounded, Conrad was shouting orders at her and those around him, and ended up annoying the sorceress so much that she took away his voice. I really wish you’d been there to see it all. Then she hands me this—” Rumpel took something out of his pocket and handed it to me. I unfolded it before recognizing what it was.
It was the note I asked Old Mr. Walters to write for me and send to the sorceress. He actually did it. Curiosity hit me and I wondered what his story was, but it was masked by my need to know the rest of Rumpel’s tale.
“The sorceress got your note.”
My heart felt like it could burst with joy. Surely this was a dream. This was my greatest wish come true, and my mind struggled to accept it was real. “So, we didn’t do anything to break the curse?”
“That’s the thing. Apparently, the original way to break the curse was to feed a frog foot to a swan at midnight under a full moon. Though, how I was supposed to know that is beyond me. She’s a little bit crazy.” Rumpel laughed.
“Frog foot: it really does fix everything.”
I could see my parents still sitting in the booth as they minded our space. Papa’s arm was over Mama’s shoulders and they smiled at us. Anika was still anxiously peering out the window, drumming her short fingers on the pane.
Rumpel chuckled. “It really does. Obviously, I didn’t do that, but she said she was moved by my offer to stay so you could go free, and then by my offer to heal the King, who I don’t care for. But, more than that, she was moved by your letter. It turned her heart and she took pity on us. We got lucky. If she had been in a bad mood, I doubt it would have worked. But we caught her on a good year.”
I hated the thought that if she was in a different mood then Rumpel would be dead. I didn’t like thinking something as random as that could have taken him away from me, and I would spend the rest of my life grateful that she showed mercy.
Rumpel continued without taking a breath. “The curse ending came at a price, though. She took my magic away. That’s why I couldn’t come sooner; I had to acquire a horse first! Plus, there were other things to attend to. After the King and Conrad discovered I’m the king of old, as soon as he was given his voice back, he started going on about how I couldn’t take his throne from him. The sorceress took his voice away again with a snap of her fingers. She went in hysterics, saying she would curse everyone if we put Conrad on the throne, and anyone who wanted to challenge her could do so. None of the guards dared say a word, and Conrad couldn’t even if he wanted to. A few advisors had wandered into the room by this point, but they stayed quiet as well.
“She took away his title right there, as well as the King’s. He spoke up at that, but she told him if he kept his title, she wouldn’t heal him, and his sickness would kill him within a month. Everyone could see he was losing his mind anyway, so I don’t think anyone cared that he wasn’t king anymore.”
I tried to keep up with the story, and I could picture Conrad’s face as he lost his throne. I shouldn’t, but I almost felt bad for him. “So, what did he do?”
“She made him an advisor instead. He will still play an important role in Westfallen politics, but he won’t have any power.”
“So, we don’t have a king?”
Rumpel cleared his throat. “Actually, they offered to let me take his place.”
All of our jaws fell open. I closed my mouth first. “Is that what you want?”
Rumpel smiled at me. “I want a life with you, that’s what I want. So, it’s up to you. What life do you want us to have together?”
I tried to think about it, but I knew my answer right away. I didn’t know exactly what life I wanted, but I knew what I didn’t want. “I don’t want to be queen.”
“I figured you would say that. I already declined the offer. The throne will go to Gerard, Conrad’s cousin. He’s a decent man from what I’ve seen, with a kind wife and a little boy.”
I felt like this was all happening so fast. Five minutes ago, I had been ready to leave with Anika to travel to the manor. If we had left a few minutes sooner, we might have missed Rumpel. “So, this is it? We’re free from the curse and the castle?”
“We are free.”
“Finally,” Anika said. I turned to her, but she wasn’t looking at me. One hand was on her hip and the other was shading her eyes as she looked through the glass window.
“You’re going on a trip?” Rumpel asked, looking down for the first time at my bags.
“I know I am, not sure what she’ll do,” Anika said. I explained the situation to Rumpel.
“We can still go, if you want. I convinced them to let you keep your title. We could start a new life there.”
Gratitude swelled in me. I hadn’t realized that they might take our title away, but Rumpel was always looking out for me. It was hard to believe that I would have him looking out for me for the rest of our lives.
This decision of where we would live deserved more than an impulse choice, but Anika was tapping her foot as she waited for us to choose. The horses hadn’t reached us yet, but I knew she would want to take off as soon as she could. The birds were finishing their morning songs, meaning we would have to leave soon if we wanted to get to the manor before the sun set.
“Let’s go,” I said with surprising certainty. I wasn’t sure if we would stay at the manor or not. It had been uninhabited for some time, and I was not eager for cobwebs and the musk of dust. But we could go there with Anika to see her started and kept out of trouble for a time. The task of caring for my sister would be almost as great as getting the manor into shape.
After that, who knew where we could go. After six months of stolen moments in the small straw room, the world suddenly opened its arms to us and presented all its opportunities.
“Splendid!” Rumpel picked me up and swung me around the room. Laughter escaped my chest as I clung to him. He set me down gently, then leaned down to kiss me, and my head tilted back as he pressed into me. His kisses were always sweet, but it felt different knowing I could kiss him for the rest of our lives. The futility of our romance had left, leaving behind joy and hope. Our kisses before left a bitter sting, as we both knew we were playing with our hearts by allowing them to feel for each other. But this kiss? This kiss with different. This kiss held the possibilities of a life together, and it made my head dizzy with glee.
He pulled back and his eyes
shone like stars as he looked over me. I held his gaze as a sigh escaped my chest. This moment felt fragile, and I wanted to hold on to it for as long as I could. There was something so special about it, and I knew I would remember it forever: from the bright light coming through the windows and casting a glare on the floor, to the clean, familiar tables and my loving family gathered around. For the rest of my life, I would remember this moment as the one in which everything fell into place. A feeling flooded my heart, and I labeled it. Peace.
“If you two are done snogging, the horses are ready,” Anika said. Her backpack slumped over her shoulder as she picked up two smaller bags in each hand. My parents slid out of the booth and looked at us with both joy and sadness in their eyes. They had already informed us that in a month they would shut down the tavern for a few days to come visit us, so we would see them soon.
I nodded to Anika, who let out a whoop. She yanked the door open and marched out of the tavern.
Rumpel turned to me. “Actually, do you mind if I get something to eat first? It seems my stomach needs nourishment now.”
I grinned at the humanity of his request. What would Rumpel be like without his magic? “You can’t sneak up on me anymore. You’ll have to knock like a normal person.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “I don’t mind. For you I’d knock a thousand times.”
I don’t know why, maybe it was the joy or the relief that was still crowding my mind, but I was sure that no sentence had ever sounded more perfect.
“Before we do that,” Rumpel let go of my hand and knelt on the floor as I sucked in my breath. He smiled up at me. “Cosette, you are the best part of my heart, and I’m convinced yours is made of gold. I know you wish you had a Gift, but I will spend the rest of my life grateful that you don’t, because without it, you were led to me. You gave me back my life, and I want to spend the rest of mine with you.”
Tears streamed down my face as I remembered all the times I’d imagined this moment, knowing that it would never happen. I almost laughed thinking of when he had asked me as we danced, while he pretended to be a visiting diplomat. This moment surpassed that one by far.
A tear slid down his cheek, melting my heart.
“Marry me?”
I settled myself on the floor next to him, kissing him gently. “Yes.”
I always thought that if I had a Gift, I wanted it to be big or extravagant. I wanted something spectacular so I could provide for my family in some way. I was certain that if I had a Gift, I wouldn’t need anything else.
I was wrong. This, being here with Rumpel with the rest of our lives ahead of us, this was all that I needed. This was the greatest Gift.
A Request
Dear Readers,
Hello, and thank you for reading my debut novel!! This has been a long-time dream of mine, so to finally release this book to the world is so exciting.
As an indie author, for a book to be successful, reviews mean EVERYTHING. If you could take a moment to leave a review on Goodreads or Amazon, it would help my career immensely. I’ll read every review posted so I can hear your thoughts on my book! I love hearing from readers and am grateful for your time.
Also, I hope you enjoy the first few pages of book two, Woods of Silver and Light, written from the perspective of Cosette’s spirited little sister, Anika, as she navigates her new social world and life at WaterEdge Manor.
Thank you, readers! Your support is invaluable to me.
* * *
-VM
Sneak Peek: Woods of Silver & Light
Chapter One
“Keep your head about you.”
“Attend all the balls you’re invited to.”
“And please, please, Anika, don’t swear in front of the king.”
Cosette and Rumpel repeated rules to me all morning as if I would turn feral without their constant supervision. “I will do quite fine on my own, thank you.” I broke away from their tight embrace. “And perhaps the king finds swearing to be charming.”
Rumpel snorted, but Cosette frowned. “I doubt it. Lady Claire, I’m sorry to be leaving you with such a mess.” She turned to the older lady at our side who wore a bulging blush dress and a straight line on her lips.
My eyes rolled but Cosette swatted my arm, causing me to straighten. “I’m sorry I’m such a disaster, Lady Claire. It is not my intention.”
Lady Claire stretched the corner of her lips into a small smile and waved her large fan over me. “It’s been quite some time since I could help the society. You will be my greatest project yet.”
I resisted flaring my nostrils at the word project. Cosette had befriended Lady Claire and, upon hearing how she used to school young girls into proper women, beseeched her to come stay with me once she and Rumpel returned to Autumn Leaf Village. She also invited Lady Elenora to stay with us, and I knew she secretly hoped the girl’s fine manners would wear off on me. Lady Elenora was my age and could be tolerated. Lady Claire was a different beast altogether. I didn’t know if she needed the small payments we offered her or if my lack of manners hurt her, but she acted as if it was the second.
I had enough projects on hand without becoming one myself.
The village was still broken from the war that ended a year ago, and my farms were failing. My plans for my time involved donning my flax breeches and saving the lands, not forming stiff friendships among the other nobles. But I repeatedly promised to be on my best behavior until Cosette was satisfied enough to leave.
“Farewell!” I waved them away in their carriage with a wild arm while Lady Claire twitched her fingers beside me. When the cobblestone dust resettled and the click clack of the horse was too far away to hear, I announced I was going into the village to check on the farms.
With a disappointed shake of her head, Lady Claire pulled a parchment out of the pockets of her dress. “Have you forgotten?”
My blank expression answered her, but the silver etching on the paper she waved wasn’t a good sign.
“Your invitation. Lord Carson’s ball is tonight, and you will be the definition of proper the entire evening.”
* * *
“A girl playing cards? Would you look at that!”
I ignored the newcomer’s remarks while cursing under my breath. Unless Lord Nevins was bluffing, a skill he was undoubtedly adept at by the hefty stack of tokens tucked by his arm, my hand would lose. I kept my elbows close to my side and thumbed under the corners of my gray cards, bending them up to peek again. The corners were permanently bent from months of playing, so my hand pressed against the top card to keep it flat. Beside me came the rhythmic sound of fingers tapping against the table as the third gentleman pondered his hand. Hallow and deep it played, dum dum…dum dum dum…he threw his cards in.
Jolly good. Only two of us left. The previous card did me no good, and I silently cursed again.
“Another one?” The low voice of my opponent came, mocking me. He knew I had nothing. The victory would taste sweet to him. I sucked in my chest as the last card was flipped over in the middle of the table. Heads swiveled from one side to the other, looking for a reaction from either my opponent or me, but I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. My head stayed down as I peeked at Lord Nevins. The final card brought little hope, but at least now I had a small pair to my name. That might do it. Blast, I should have tossed in rounds ago.
Invitations for tonight arrived a month ago, and Lady Claire trained me ruthlessly in preparation, not only for this evening, but also for the countless invitations that followed from families on either side of the Westfallen/Vestalin border. She would be dismayed to see me now, blue tokens in hand and ignoring the dancing beyond these doors.
I laid down my hand and hoped for the best outcome. My opponent might be bluffing, but it wasn’t likely I’d beat him.
Lord Nevins, to his account, showed no great joy at winning as he shook my hand respectfully. “You had me worried there; not many can do that.” He twirled his mustache between two finge
rs as his other hand stretched out over the table, bringing his loot close.
My disappointment was difficult to mask. “You are a worthy opponent.”
A new voice came. “Did well for a girl, I’ll give her that.”
My attention swept across the room to the speaker. Roughly twenty people squeezed together in the oval room, most holding glasses or a cigar. My hair would be stained with the thick stench of their smoke in the morning, and Lady Claire would know I had been at the cards again.
Through the smoke sat a man older than me who I thought made the remark. “And what do you mean by that?” I asked him squarely.
His voice fumbled, not prepared to be questioned. If he didn’t want me to comment, he shouldn’t have spoken so loudly. “I only meant…that is, you are a girl, and can’t be expected to know the cards as well.”
“Is there some magic on these cards that only a man’s eyes can see?” I asked with annoyance. Most of the lads smirked, but the man I was staring at looked uneasy as he shifted sideways.
“I was wondering when we would get some attitude tonight.” Lord Byron chuckled. He was a kind man who meant no disrespect by the comment; I had been known to speak out vividly when insulted.
The man held his cup close to his body and shrugged. “Surely we’ve all been playing longer than you have; I guess that’s what I meant by it.”
I squinted my eyes at him. “Aren’t you the man I beat a month back? Took several pretty coins from you, if I recall.”
The man next to him laughed, but he shook his head. “That was my brother; he came home in quite a fit over it.”
I grinned. “Glad to leave an impression. And I’ll have you know, I’ve been playing cards for years.”
The Storyteller’s Daughter Page 25