Once Upon a Rainbow, Volume One

by Mickie B. Ashling

  My mother wasn’t the only one stealing glances at someone. Quite a few other ladies were carefully not looking at some of the gentlemen or some of the other ladies.

  Lord Gerald Hargreaves stared for a very long moment at my father, before looking away.

  My father wouldn’t meet his gaze.

  I recalled the portrait I’d found in the tower of Lord Gerald.

  It seemed my father had had a favorite as well.

  My princess’s lips moved ever so slightly as she studied my father. She’d noticed as well. Indeed, Briar was observing everyone in this hall as carefully as I was.

  She would make a very good queen if my people would allow her to rule at my side. One of the problems was that many of them still saw her as a wicked witch.

  “Regardless of her tragic past, regardless of her rank, it doesn’t change the fact that this princess is a witch,” my father said as if he’d read my thoughts. His dark eyes were fierce when they looked at Briar. “How do we know you have not bewitched our daughter into fancying herself in love with you?”

  It was a good question. It was also as good a cue as I was going to get to reveal the change in myself.

  I stepped forward and raised my hand.

  Golden light shot out of my fingers.

  Everyone gasped in shock as the lights flew, flaming toward the high ceiling above.

  It looked like they were going to destroy the carved figures within the stone, but the lights stopped just short of them.

  Instead, they transformed into flowers.

  Roses, daisies, camellias, wisteria blossoms, and tulips all tumbled down upon the astonished court.

  Lord Gerald brushed a camellia off his face, staring at the red flower in shock.

  Marian picked up a rose to regard it with awe.

  It was a mere parlor trick, but I thought it might impress everyone.

  Harold whimpered at the sight of a daisy on his foot. He regarded it as if it might attack him.

  “She could not have bewitched me because I am now a witch myself.” I met my father’s gaze as I spoke.

  His eyes were wide with fear.

  It hurt to see it, but I’d chosen to reveal myself without deceit. This was part of the price I paid for such openness. “Any accusation of being a witch, which bars Briar from the throne, applies to me as well.”

  Utter silence greeted my words before everyone started talking at once.

  Lord Harold fainted.

  Marian caught him before he could hit the floor.

  She stared at me. Mingled with her awe was the same fear I’d seen on my father’s face.

  Well, I just had to do what I could to dispel the fear. This was no time to doubt myself.

  “I know this is a lot to accept at once.” I let my voice grow gentle.

  I looked upon each face.

  Love and loyalty were in the determined set of Marian’s chin as she struggled to prop up her unconscious cousin.

  Lord Gerald regarded me with the same thoughtful respect he’d given me since I’d entered this hall.

  “I do have two propositions I offer in regard to all this.”

  “Name them.” There was a steel edge of command in my father’s tone. He would do what was best for the realm. Much as he loved me, he was my king as well as my father. He wanted to do right by me, but if I threatened the realm too much with my recklessness, he’d have me set aside or locked up. I didn’t think he’d have me killed, but he wouldn’t let me do what I wished if I showed a complete lack of wisdom.

  “I mean to have this princess as my consort.” I put every bit of boldness, steel, and majesty into my own words as I could master. “This isn’t a girlish whim I make lightly without consideration for you or the land.” I let my gaze meet Oriana’s. “If I shrank from doing what my heart tells me is right, I wouldn’t be fit to rule. I have seen the mistakes of others who ignored their hearts. I don’t intend to make the same mistakes myself.”

  The court exchanged glances with each other once more. There was a little sadness, a little regret in every face.

  My mother looked at her favorite, cheeks coloring.

  My father lifted his eyes to regard Lord Gerald directly for the first time.

  Oriana gazed at the hem of her gown, at the ceiling, anywhere but at Briar.

  I was forcing everyone to examine their hearts, even as I exposed mine.

  Briar squeezed my hand, her silent support tingling through her fingers. You’re not wrong. Don’t stop. Keep going. Carry out your plan and know that I’m on your side, whatever the result.

  I squeezed back, comforted, touched, and above all, happy she was here. She was worth all of this, no matter what the result.

  “You may not be able to accept my choice.” I looked back at my parents.

  I think my mother was seeing the woman I was becoming, rather than the little girl I’d been. Maybe for the first time.

  My father regarded me with thin lips and a raised chin, but his eyes were gentle.

  “This is why I’m offering you a choice regarding my own choice.” I paused for a moment to let my words sink in. “Long have I considered the question, which you must all be asking yourselves. How can I provide you with an heir, since my consort is another woman?”

  No one spoke. Everyone stared at me with bated breath.

  Lord Gerald froze in the act of tilting his head.

  Marian smiled a little as she nodded. In that gesture was a great deal of trust and respect.

  It touched me deeply.

  As for Harold, he began to stir a bit at the word heir. His eyes remained closed as he leaned on his cousin, but his entire body stiffened in an attentive fashion.

  “Ever since I asked myself that question, I’ve been searching for that heir. I’m pleased to say I’ve found her.” I smiled back at Marian. “No one is more knowledgeable about this realm, its neighbors, and what it needs than the Lady Marian Vinegarten. I’m proud to name her as my successor.”

  Marian’s eyes widened. She hadn’t anticipated this. Her mouth opened and then closed several times.

  While she did this, her cousin made a complete recovery.

  “Yes,” Harold cried. He leapt from Marian’s arms to do a little dance. “Her Highness is clearly as wise as she is beautiful. What an excellent choice.”

  Everyone started talking at once.

  A few people started shouting at Harold, shaking their fists at him.

  My father raised a hand for silence.

  “Whatever you might think of the lady’s relations, the princess’s chosen heir is as capable as she claims.” There was a measure of sadness, mingled with respect written over his countenance when he looked at me. “What is the choice you offer us?”

  “You can trust my beloved and myself to jointly rule the realm as its queens once the throne passes from Your Majesty.” I lifted my head proudly to meet my father’s gaze. “We are both princesses. We have both been trained to rule.”

  Lord Harold’s mouth wrinkled up as if he’d been sucking on a lemon.

  Fortunately, no one else seemed repulsed by the idea.

  “The Lady Marian shall be our heir if she and the rest of you can accept my beloved and myself as your queens,” I continued, turning to my head to regard the court around us. “If you cannot, we will relinquish our claim to throne, leaving Lady Marian as your princess.”

  “Yes, yes, relinquishing the throne is the only thing to do.” Harold nodded vigorously while he clapped his hands. “The Princess Rose is both wise and good to allow us such a choice.”

  “Yes, she is.” Lord Gerald stepped forward to regard my royal father with an almost stern glance. “It makes me wonder at the wisdom of rejecting her as our future queen.”

  “What?” Harold cried, dismayed at this unwelcome agreement, which slowed down his family’s advance to royalty.

  More than one noble was nodding, along with Gerald.

  “You cannot be serious. It’s unheard of. Two queen
s, ruling together? As if they were married? It’s unheard of.” Harold shook his head, making all his baubles rattle.

  “No, it’s not,” Marian said. Her voice rang out with the certainty of one who’d studied our kingdom’s history, backward and forward. “This realm was founded by two queendoms—the Rising of the Dawn and the Falling of Twilight.” She studied my consort and myself as if she was comparing us to those long-ago queens. “Dawn and Twilight’s queens were lovers who ruled together. Their reign was one of peace and balance, in which my own family rose to wealth and power.” She gave Harold a meaningful stare. “The Vinegartens were able to plant our family vineyards during that time, supplying not only this realm but others with our wine, which is served at many a royal banquet.”

  Harold’s mouth opened before pinching up. It made him look a bit like a fish out of water.

  He didn’t answer, but my father did.

  “I do not question the wisdom of these ancient queens you speak of. Nor do I question my daughter’s.” There was more than a little pride in his words. “What I question is her consort.” His unhappy gaze fell upon Briar once more. “Even if she is a princess, I doubt her suitability to rule. She has the sort of temperament that makes her lash out and curse people. Those under her rule could be very unhappy with such a queen.” His gaze returned to me. “Even my daughter might find herself unhappy with such a woman given time.”

  “Allow me to speak for your daughter’s choice, Your Majesty.” It was Opal. He stepped forward, hands fidgeting with his belt. “My brothers and I know the former princess very well. We’ve seen her at her best and her worst. We can vouch for her character.”

  “How so?” my father asked, regarding Opal with interest.

  I knew he had a certain amount of respect for those who mined. It was hard work, which not everyone could do. At the same time, he found most dwarves stubborn and intractable to the point of being impossible to reason with.

  “Once, this princess ruled our household,” Opal said. Onyx and Sardonyx nodded in agreement. “She transformed it from a chaotic shack into a haven of cleanliness and order. She’s observant, determined, and she isn’t afraid to get her own hands dirty. Most of all, she brings the best out of people.”

  “How so?” my father asked again.

  My mother frowned at the word cleanliness, but she said nothing.

  “My brothers and I are dwarves.” Opal looked my father square in the eye. “If you know anything about our kind, you know that we’re set in our ways and difficult to govern.”

  “Indeed.” A smile threatened to touch his stern face. “I’ve observed it myself firsthand.”

  “Even so, we learned to take instruction from this princess.” Opal nodded at Briar. “Our ramshackle cottage became a pleasant place once she convinced us to make it one. Because of her, my brothers and I became less set in our ways. A little more time, we might have become agreeable.”

  Opal’s wry smile and earnest words clearly touched my beloved. I could feel the tears prickling at her eyes as if they were my own.

  “You’ll feel this influence if you allow her to rule you.” Opal lifted his head with pride. “It’s a magic that has nothing to do with her being a witch.”

  A respectful silence fell over the court as everyone considered Opal’s words.

  Everyone except for Harold, who scowled at all six dwarves as if they were personally responsible for his family losing the throne.

  “If I may speak?” It was Briar herself this time. There was a polite hesitance in the question with an underlying note of command.

  Every eye in the room turned to her.

  Marian gazed at her in unabashed fascination.

  Briar smiled at every person who met her eye.

  I felt her loveliness overwhelm me once more. It seemed like a dream that this princess was mine.

  Only we were both wide awake and my parents were frowning.

  My princess didn’t look away from the king and queen’s unhappy faces. She met my father’s eyes with a resolute courage, which made my heart swell with pride.

  “I don’t blame you for being wary of me. You have every reason to be.” Shadows filled Briar’s dark blue eyes even now. “When I cursed your daughter, I meant to steal her heart using every dirty trick I knew.”

  There was a certain resonance to the phrase dirty trick.

  Oriana flinched, but she didn’t look away from Briar.

  My princess stared at her for a long moment.

  “What I didn’t know was how unnecessary tricks and theft would be.” Briar’s gaze flickered to me.

  The most wonderful shudder ran through my body at the heat in her eyes.

  “Our Rose is too generous not to give her heart willingly, just as she’s given it to her parents, her friends, and this entire realm.”

  Briar did a slow spin, her purple skirts flaring out around her. Turning, she captured every admiring gaze with a small sweet smile of acknowledgment.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve known such devotion,” she said, a quiver in her voice that caused my own breath to catch in my throat. “Ever since I awoke from my curse, I’ve seen fear in every eye that beheld me.” Her sorrow was a living, palpable thing as she gazed at Opal. “This fear killed the one who freed me from my curse.”

  Murmurs of fascinated horror ran through the room.

  The dwarves said nothing.

  Opal looked back at her in sad acknowledgment.

  I realized they were as ashamed as Briar was. More than one of them wished he hadn’t been so frightened or angry at their princess’s resurrection as a witch.

  I wondered if Briar herself had noticed this. She could be too caught up in her own shame to see it.

  It was my turn to press her hand, to send my silent encouragement through my fingers. You’re not wrong. Your bravery in admitting all of this is magnificent. Don’t stop. Remember, I’ll be by your side, no matter what.

  Briar’s lips trembled with shame, but she rediscovered her voice.

  She turned her attention back to my parents.

  “The loneliness created by this fear made me ruthless. I desperately wanted a companion, even if I had to seize her by force, turning her into a creature such as myself.” She raised her chin to meet my father’s hard, unforgiving gaze. “I would have bewitched your daughter, exactly as you have accused me of doing.”

  Murmurs filled the room once more.

  Lord Gerald was giving my father a somewhat wistful, almost hungry stare.

  My mother studied her own hands, avoiding her favorite’s gaze.

  I wondered how many people here had been tempted to do what Briar admitted she’d planned to do. How many people had purchased love potions or used other tricks to steal someone else’s heart?

  “Only I’ve never had to resort to bewitchment.” The softest smile graced her lips as she turned back to me. “Rose is the first person to look upon me without fear since I awoke as a witch. She saw virtues in me I had no idea I possessed.”

  Marian started at my princess’s words. She stared at Briar for a long moment. A tear formed in the corner of her eye.

  “You wonder if I’m worthy of being queen?” Briar asked. “I wonder the same thing.”

  The dignity of her admission of weakness rang through the hall. It made everyone bow their heads.

  “However, if anyone has a chance of making me a queen worthy of you all, it’s your princess.”

  Silence followed my beloved’s statement.

  The sound of clapping hands broke the silence. Marian slapped her palms together vigorously. Her tear slid down her cheek, but she didn’t stop.

  Gerald joined her, followed by more and more people.

  Before I knew it, thunderous applause echoed throughout the marble hall.

  I stared at everyone, turning even as my princess had turned. Rebels, romantics, witches—even so, people were clapping for us.

  Tears filled my eyes as the applause washed over m
e, bathed me, warmed me. My tears ran down my face, blurring the sight of my parents, the former queen, and all the dwarves clapping along with everyone else.

  I sank to one knee. Perhaps it was too submissive a gesture for a princess, but I felt humbled.

  Never had I loved my people so much as I did at that moment. The sensation swelled within me with such intensity I couldn’t stay on my feet.

  It took a while for the applause to die down.

  When it did, Briar took my hand and helped me to my feet. A good thing because I still felt shaky.

  “Speaking as the new heir,” Marian said, clearing her throat once the hall was quiet enough for her to be heard. “I refuse to let the princesses give up the throne.” She shot a shy glance at my beloved. “There is much I have yet to learn from both of them.”

  “Yes, that’s a very good idea, Marian,” Harold said, wagging his head. “Learn all you can from these witches. You can always have them abdicate later.”

  A few people shot Harold dirty looks, but most of the court ignored him, including Marian.

  “Your Majesty, I think we’ve all decided.” Gerald smiled at my father, although there was a bit of reproval in his expression. “No one wants to see Princess Rose give up the throne, including you.”

  “I think we can all trust Rose’s judgment, even if it’s a bit odd.” My mother furrowed her brow, but the corners of her mouth upturned. “We can trust her enough to give her choice a chance.”

  “All right,” my father said, releasing a huge sigh. A heavy burden seemed to lift from his shoulders with his expelled breath. “I said I wouldn’t accept this witch princess as my daughter-in-law, but it seems even kings must sometimes eat their own words.” He nodded in my direction. “If you truly wish to marry this woman, you have my blessing.”

  The happiness that spread through my body made me feel as if I might rise into the air. Instead, I threw my arms around Briar.

  Cheers burst out when we embraced each other.

  “Well, I suppose this perversity is all worth it if it means our family will one day rule this land,” Harold was saying to anyone who would listen to him. “Still, they are such a queer couple, even if they’re both beautiful women.”