Aunt Camilla turns away, instructing the footman to make room for her things, and Irving steps behind me and whispers in my ear, “You won’t run this time, will you, darling?”
I turn and clasp my hands loosely around his neck. “Not unless I get a better offer between now and then.”
The day is warm, and the gardens are in full spring bloom. The winter rains are forgotten, replaced by warm, balmy sunshine. It’s a good day to start the sea voyage home.
Irving leans down and murmurs all the reasons no one will make a better offer than he. Just as he’s about to kiss me, Barowalt interrupts.
“Save it for the wedding,” my brother says.
I pull back and raise an eyebrow at Barowalt. He’s one to talk. I saw him and Milly sneak off to the fountains not fifteen minutes ago.
We say the rest of our goodbyes, and a lump forms in my throat. I’ll miss my distant Ptarmish family when we leave.
Queen Clara kisses both of my cheeks in farewell. “As I’ve said, you’re always welcome here. Make sure you visit again soon.”
After I squeeze her hands and promise I will, I turn to King Edlund.
I expect him to take my hand, but, instead, he pulls me into a tight embrace. “Thank you for all that you and your knights did for Ptarma.”
Lastly, I turn to Kent. He’s been standing quietly by his aunt and uncle’s side. I haven’t spoken to him, didn’t know what to say.
“I’m sorry about Giselle,” I whisper.
She was his wife, after all. At some point, he must have loved her.
He nods and motions me to step aside with him. Quietly, my cousin says, “I’ve made mistakes—more than I can count. Giselle was one of many. We had a whirlwind romance when I went to Waldren on a hunting expedition, and we ended it with a hasty elopement. I didn’t know anything about her other than she was beautiful.”
He pauses and stares into a tree loaded with delicate, white citrus blooms. A bee buzzes from flower to flower, and I watch its carefree progress.
“I was too proud and stupid to admit she was using me as a means to a crown,” he continues. “Once I realized how dark her heart was, I wanted nothing to do with her. Left her for weeks on end and eventually found comfort in the arms of other women. If I’d stayed close to her, treated her as a husband should despite my resentment, perhaps I would have seen what she was plotting.” He lets out a slow breath. “Perhaps if I’d loved her, she would have abandoned her plans and been content to simply be with me.”
I set my hand on his arm. “It’s over now. All we can do is move forward.”
He turns back. “I miss my father. I miss Aldus—he was born to be king, not me. Never me.”
“Edlund is a good man. Listen to his guidance, learn from your mistakes, and you will be a fine king.”
Slowly, Kent nods.
With a small smile, I walk back to my group.
My knights stand by the carriages, proud and strong. Their polished mail glistens in the sunlight. With us all together, I feel Rafe’s absence more acutely. The knight will be missed.
I step in front of Asher. “You’ll take care of the blessing, won’t you?”
He kneels in front of me, his face solemn. “I swear it, Your Highness.”
“Are you ready?” Barowalt asks me.
My last goodbye is the hardest. I turn to Grace, a new friend I hadn’t expected to make. “Thank you for everything.”
She smiles. “Don’t forget to visit. I’d love to take you on a tour of Ptarma now that we don’t have to worry about a shadow beast stalking our every move.”
“I will,” I say with a laugh. “I promise.”
Javid bows, his face bright. “Perhaps we’ll visit you soon. It’s been a long time since we’ve been to the mainland.”
Irving laughs. “I’ll never forget the last time you toured the lower kingdoms. Remember that night we found ourselves in that seedy tavern in central Murin…?” He trails off, a wicked smile lighting his face as he glances at me. “You know what? Never mind.”
I give Irving a jab in the ribs, and he laughs.
Just as we’re about to step into the carriage, Letta darts away from Grace and runs to me. Tears still streaming down her face, she tugs on my hands, forcing me to kneel in front of her.
“I circled the Ludrako’s lair on Grace’s map,” she admits pitifully, hiccupping. “Giselle told me to do it so that you’d find Milly.” She’s whispering, and with her tears, it’s hard to make out her words. “I’m so sorry. Please don’t tell Grace and Javid. If they knew, they wouldn’t want me.”
“Shh,” I say. “Don’t talk like that. It’s all right.”
She shakes her head, her dark curls bouncing around her face and strands of hair sticking to her tear-dampened cheeks. “It’s not all right. If we hadn’t followed you to the unicorns, Father wouldn’t have died.”
I pull her close, clenching my eyes shut as she sobs into my shoulder. “This is not your fault. Giselle was using you. Grace knows that; Javid knows that.” I pull her back so she has to look at me. “We all know that.”
“Do you hate me?” Her words are barely a whisper.
I look her square in the eyes. “No.”
Finally, she gulps back a sob and nods. Without another word, she steps back to Grace. With a sunny smile, Javid scoops the girl up in his arms. She’s really too large to be carried, but he doesn’t seem to mind.
“What was that about?” Barowalt asks from my side.
Letta looks at me with fearful eyes, terrified I’m going to share her secret.
I only shake my head. “She was just saying goodbye.”
Finally, after several more last minute goodbyes, I step into the open-top carriage.
“To Vallen Harbor?” the footman says as he takes his seat.
“I have one stop I need to make first,” I say, and then I give him directions.
When we arrive at our destination, I leave the others in the carriage. Alone, I walk down the trail and into the lush valley.
I’m not sure they’ll come out in the middle of the day, but I sit in the meadow grass and wait. I’ve braided three flower chains and am just about to give up hope when a flash of white catches my eye.
The mare steps into the clearing. Her mane and tail flow behind her, and the sun glistens off of her coat.
I stay still, and she settles on the grass next to me, placing her head in my lap. I stroke her mane, and close my eyes as she replays more of my memories for me.
Happy memories of my mother and father, memories I’ll cherish.
The last is of me and Irving.
“I’m going to marry him,” I whisper to her.
She looks at me, but I don’t know if she understands me or not.
I sit with her for the longest time, soaking up the peace that surrounds her. The others will be missing me.
It’s time to go.
Sensing my decision, she rises first. Once I’m on my feet, I wrap my arms around her neck in a goodbye. In my mind, I suddenly see an image of my ring.
I step back and glance at the once-blue aquamarine. Unlike my hair, it didn’t turn back. The jewel trapped the ludrako’s magic, and the stone remains black.
Still, I wear it.
Slowly, the mare lowers her horn to my hand. I stand still, not sure what it is she’s doing. As I watch, the stone begins to shimmer, matching the luminescence around the unicorn’s horn. When she steps back, the light fades. Instead of returning to black, the stone has been restored to blue.
“Thank you,” I breathe.
When I set my hand on her back, I can feel her repulsion at connecting with the ludrako’s magic, but the emotion is fleeting.
I stroke her again, and then she turns to leave. I stand in the middle of the valley and watch her disappear into the trees at the edge of the clearing.
The unicorns are safe. The threat is gone.
It’s time to return home.
CHAPTER THIRTY
&nbs
p; “Did you find it?” I demand as Milly shuts the door behind her.
She looks harried, and I’m hit with a wave of déjà vu.
The dressing room is the same, the groom is as well, but this time I’m ready to walk down the aisle. Eager, in fact.
“Why did you take the pesky thing off to begin with?” Milly asks, frowning. “It never left your finger while we were in Ptarma.”
After everything that’s happened, I’ve managed to lose my mother’s ring. I know I packed it with my things. I remember wrapping it and tucking it in my undergarments.
But now I can’t find it anywhere.
I turn away from the full-length mirror. My ivory gown follows me, and the train wraps around the base of the dressing table. It’s not the same gown I wore all those months ago when I fled from my wedding.
Aunt Camilla commissioned this one, saying I needed something that hadn’t been “sullied” with bad decisions. In fact, Aunt Camilla took care of everything on our end of things. Having her here has been a surprising blessing.
I turn to Barowalt. “I must have the ring.”
He rubs his temples, probably already envisioning the chaotic event that awaits him when he and Milly are wed. They held their promising ceremony in Brookraven the day after we returned. When they announced it, Milly’s parents exchanged knowing smiles.
No one was surprised.
I pace the sitting room, and Milly scurries after me, arranging my train so it doesn’t wrinkle. One of the palace handmaids unpacked my things. Perhaps she tucked it into a drawer in the desk? Or a cubby in the wardrobe?
“I’m going to go look for it,” I say.
“Oh, not this again,” Milly says. “Ella, do you have any blue thread in your embroidery basket?”
Ella looks up. “Of course, my lady.”
“Come over here and stitch a little something on Audette’s underskirt.”
“No,” I say, backing away. “Milly, do up the bustle. I’m going.”
Milly sets her hands on her hips. “If I remember correctly, we’ve been through this before. You can’t wander the halls in your wedding gown.” Then she lowers her voice, hissing, “Especially now that there are this many guests present.”
Last time, only the nobles from Primewood came to the wedding, and they were here more out of duty than care. But this time, it seems as if half of Elden has arrived—and all have been personally invited by Irving himself.
Even my cousin Pippa, and her husband, Archer, arrived yesterday. Rigel and Seirsha, the young king and queen of Errinton accompanied them, and they brought a new set of drachite armor I requested in secret. I’m going to surprise Irving with it later. People from all over have flocked here to witness our wedding. According to Anwen, the woman I embarrassingly assumed was Irving’s mistress, and Marigold, Irving’s half-sister, all want to set eyes on the woman who finally stole Irving’s heart.
“Hurry up,” I say to Milly.
She growls under her breath, but she and Ella set to work on tying up the train.
“Audette,” Barowalt says. “Are you sure this is necessary—” He holds up his hands in surrender when I shoot him a fiery look. “All right. Do what you will.”
I poke my head into the hall, and, when I see it’s clear, I hurry down the corridor. I run into a few maids and servants, and they all give me questioning looks—probably wondering if I’m running again. I don’t doubt they are gossiping behind my back right now.
Hurrying, I turn a corner and nearly smack into someone. Just in time, I catch myself before I plow him over.
Irving leans against the wall, the picture of ease. He’s devastatingly handsome in his wedding finery, and I suck in a breath. This is a vast difference from the wind-blown tunic he wore for our first wedding.
With a wicked grin, he holds up my mother’s ring. “Looking for something?”
Holding back a laugh, I put on a stern look. “What are you doing with it?”
He pushes off the wall and stalks toward me, a smile on his face and a predatory glint in his eyes. “I knew you wouldn’t walk down the aisle without it, and I was rather hoping you’d come looking for it again.”
“I thought we were doing this properly this time? You’re not supposed to see me before the wedding.”
Irving slips his hands around my waist and pulls me toward him. “Tell me, are you from Brookraven? Are you in the princess’s wedding party?”
Giggling, I try to push him away. “Stop it.”
“You’re breathtaking,” he whispers.
He brushes a kiss just under my ear, and I tilt my head and close my eyes.
“Why go to such lengths to get me into the hall?”
Trailing kisses along my jaw, he says, “Everyone wants to meet you, everyone wants your attention. I wanted a moment with you alone, one I don’t have to share.”
When he makes to kiss me, I set my finger over his lips. “You’ll have to wait for that.”
He growls, laughing, and then hands me my ring. “You better run back to your room. We’re about to start.”
Unable to hold back a grin, I nod and pull away from him. Just as I’m turning away, he catches me and yanks me close again. “And Audette?”
“Hmmm?” I whisper against his lips.
He smiles, his eyes bright and teasing. “I have guards posted at all the entrances, just in case you think of running away again.”
Laughing, I duck out of his arms and hurry down the hall.
When I reach the sitting room where Milly and Barowalt wait, I lean against the door and sigh. I must look particularly guilty because they both exchange a look.
“Find your ring?” Barowalt asks.
I slip it on my finger. “Yes.”
“Then let’s do this before one of you changes your mind.”
Barowalt offers his arm and Milly unties my bustle, letting the train fall.
My knights wait for me outside the double doors that lead into the chapel. They’ve recently polished their mail, and Brookraven’s unicorn crest shines brightly on their tunics.
Hallgrave steps forward first and kneels. “You are beautiful, Your Highness.”
One by one, my knights come forward, paying their respects.
Keven is the last to kneel in front of me. With his blond hair sheared short, he looks different. Older, perhaps.
Or maybe we all look older, a little wiser after the ordeal we’ve been through.
When Keven takes my hand, he brings it to his forehead. Unlike the others, he doesn’t speak.
“Thank you,” I whisper. “For your blessing.”
He nods, his eyes solemn, and he steps back into his place.
Barowalt takes a deep breath, and the doors open. Dozens of tiny girls in fluffy dresses are the first out. They throw their petals into the air with zeal. My maids and Milly follow, and then, as is the tradition in Brookraven, my elite knights. I’m glad they’re here this time.
The chapel is full-to-bursting, and the audience rises as the music changes.
At the end of the aisle, Irving waits. Our eyes lock. He stands strong and solemn, the picture of nobility. Then he flashes me his crooked smile, and I fight back a laugh.
In this moment, I realize that I’m thankful I ran away the first time. This wedding is real. It’s not taking place because of a promise made between our mothers. Not because of our duty to our kingdoms.
But because, as unlikely as it seems, we found love.
With Barowalt at my arm, and my family of knights standing proud at the front, I take the first step toward my forever.
Finding your happily ever after is complicated when your matchmaker is a cat.
Puss without Boots
Fairy Tale Kingdoms, Book 1
Available September 16, 2016
Click here to view on Amazon
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About the Author
Shari L. Tapscott writes young adult fantasy and humorous contemporary fiction. When she's not writing or reading, she enjoys gardening, making soap, and pretending she can sing. She loves white chocolate mochas, furry animals, spending time with her family, and characters who refuse to behave.
Tapscott lives in western Colorado with her husband, son, daughter, and two very spoiled Saint Bernards.
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Contemporary Fiction
Just the Essentials
(Cabin. Coffee. Love. Book One)
Glitter and Sparkle
Eldentimber Series
Pippa of Lauramore
Anwen of Primewood
Seirsha of Errinton
Rosie of Triblue
Audette of Brookraven
Grace of Vernow: An Eldentimber Novelette
Fairy Tale Kingdoms
Puss without Boots: A Puss in Boots Retelling
Audette of Brookraven (The Eldentimber Series Book 4) Page 24