by Sable Sylvan
“Is this thing on?” asked the old man.
“Yes,” said another voice, a voice everyone had just heard. The other party moved to sit in a leather armchair next to Elijah. It was Morten.
“If you are watching this, it means that our plan has come to fruition,” said Elijah. “I know my time on this earth is short, so, I’ve entrusted my dearest friend, Morten, with a task.”
“Elijah and I met at a POW camp in Nazi Germany,” said Morten. “The place was swarming with fascist wolf shifters, so there was a snowball’s chance in Hell that we’d make our way out. When we were finally rescued, Elijah and I kept in contact with the rest of our fellow prisoners, but as they passed on one by one, finally, we were the only two left.”
“When Morten and I went back to our respective lands, we both married our sweethearts, and each had a single son,” said Elijah. “We were considering arranging for our sons to go into business together.”
“However, when our sons each had five children, we knew that Fate must have another plan,” said Morten. “I had five grandcubs, my dear boys Herb, Clove, Sage, Basil, and Mason.”
“And I had five beautiful granddaughters. That’s right. I’m talking about you, Alice, Abigail, Addison, Cayenne, and of course, Savina. I’m sure you all look beautiful on your wedding day,” said Elijah. “And, if everything has gone to plan…”
“…Then it’ll be my boys’ wedding day, too,” said Morten. “You see, we knew that for you ten to meet and pair off, you’d actually have to meet.”
“I knew you five gals were going to be busy running my store when I passed,” said Elijah. “You’d be far too busy to date.”
“And my five strapping lads, I knew that getting you to go to America to meet five ladies you’d never met would be like pulling teeth,” said Morten. “After all you five are so serious about your jobs and your studies.”
“That’s when we hatched a plan,” said Elijah. “I know you five gals are stubborn and care more about family than anything.”
“I knew that you five boys care about our legacy and are pig-headed,” said Morten. “That’s why we decided to trick you.”
“That’s right, we’ve tricked you,” said Elijah. “When I pass on, Morten is going to tell his grandsons that I stole five of his recipes, and he’ll ask his grandsons to come to America to get them back.”
“And of course, Elijah’s firebrands aren’t about to give the recipes up that easily,” said Morten. “When they meet, they’re sure to spit fire, but soon, the sparks will fly…”
“…And that thing Morten and his lot called Fate will intervene,” said Elijah. “Consider this my final gift to you five beautiful gals. I wish I could be at your weddings, but because I can’t be, well, I might as well find you five husbands that I know will treat you right.”
“And it will be my privilege to carry out my best and dearest friend’s last wish,” said Morten. “No matter what, I promise that I will ensure each of my grandsons ends up with one of your granddaughters, and I swear, I will make it to their weddings, even if I have to cross the Atlantic ten times over.”
“Morten, you will play this video at the last wedding, right?” said Elijah. “They need to know…it was never about hot sauce. It was about finding true love and making a new family out of two families.”
“They’ll know,” said Morten. “I promise, Elijah, I’ll tell them. Do you have any belated last words?’
“Yes,” said Elijah, standing up carefully so he could look straight into the camera. “No matter what, don’t forget the following. Spend less time fighting than you do working. Spend less time working than you do loving each other. And finally…spend as much time loving each other as you possibly can! And of course, you better make me some great-grandbabies!”
“Cubs!” corrected Morten.
“That’s right, I guess they will be cubs,” said Elijah. “Imagine that, cubs in the family tree. Well, remember, I’ll always be watching over you, and Pop-Pop loves you.”
The video ended there.
Everybody was shocked. The rivalry that they thought existed between the Scovilles and the Quincy clan was all a big practical joke played on them by the patriarchs, just to bring them together?
It was frikkin’ genius, because it had worked. There wasn’t a dry eye in the audience.
“You see why I did what I had to do,” said Morten. “I hope one day, the ten of you can forgive me for my meddling. I fulfilled the final wish of my best and dearest friend, and ensured the mutual survival of our families, through a bond as strong as iron.”
Alice looked to Herb. Herb looked to Clove. Clove looked to Abigail. Abigail looked to Addison. Addison looked to Sage. Sage looked to Basil. Basil looked to Cayenne. Cayenne looked to Savina, and finally, Savina looked to Mason. It was obvious what they had to do.
All ten of the Quincy girls and Scoville boys got up. They walked over to Morten and one by one, gave him a hug, eldest to youngest.
“I had a feeling that this was all one of my grandpa’s pranks,” said Alice.
“I didn’t know you had a funny bone in you,” said Herb.
“You’re lucky it all came together,” said Abigail.
“I must’ve been too busy with my thesis to see this coming,” said Clove.
“I was wondering why you didn’t bite my head off when you saw me at the ball,” said Addison. “I always thought it odd you took to me like a duck to water but didn’t think it polite to question it.”
“Here I was thinking I was the bad boy,” said Sage.
“Thank goodness you revealed this, or I’d be thinking…well, very different things about you,” said Cayenne.
“If anyone could pull this off, sir, it’d be you,” said Basil.
“I guess I wasn’t the biggest surprise of the wedding after all,” said Savina.
“Gramps, this beats any stunt I’ve ever pulled off,” said Mace.
“Well, enough of this,” said Grandpa Morten. “Last I heard, you yanks know how to throw a party…but I sure as heck don’t see anyone dancing.”
“Hear, hear!” said people, raising their glasses, before they took to the dance floor.
Each of the couples headed over to the dance floor again. This time, the music was played by the DJ, not by a magic piano, but other magic was in the air. It’s been said that shifters bring with them the tides of change, waves of oddities and strangenesses that would be fantastic to imagine otherwise. Well, it turned out that sometimes, Fate needed a little help in linking her couples up, and she got that help from meddlesome grandfathers who gave their grandchildren the most important gifts they could ever give them: the gifts of fated mates and true loves.
Alice and Herb looked stately and dignified in their unassuming gown and tux, but their emotions were pouring out of them. As Herb gently spun her around the ballroom floor, Alice felt protected by both the man and the bear within her new husband. Alice looked up into Herb’s brilliant pale blue eyes. They were so glossy that she could see her reflection in them, the image as crystal clear as that of a mirror or a photograph.
“Are you tearing up?” asked Alice.
“Yes, but so are you,” said Herb, a tear of joy streaming down his cheek. “I can’t believe this all came together, Alice.”
“I can,” said Alice. “After all, the prince and princess always get their fairytale ending, their happily-ever-after.”
“Can I say something crazy?” asked Herb. “I don’t want you to take it the wrong way.”
“Go ahead,” said Alice. “I know I’d be the crazy one if I tried to stop you.”
“I’m glad we didn’t find each other immediately after we were separated in New York,” asked Herb.
“Ouch,” said Alice. “Why’s that?”
“Don’t get me wrong. I wish we had spent those years together,” said Herb. “But, imagine we hadn’t been separated. Imagine you and I started a trans-Atlantic relationship. None of this would have happened. Maybe
you’d move to Norway, or I’d move here, and we’d get married and live our life, but…”
“But what?” asked Alice.
“But if that had happened, our siblings wouldn’t have met,” said Herb. “I think in a weird way, we met before we were meant to.”
“That can’t be true,” said Alice.
“Why not?” asked Herb.
“Because then we wouldn’t have our perfect Cinderella story,” said Alice. “I think you’re right. Being separated meant you had to be brought back to me by Fate.”
“Fate, our meddling grandpas, toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe,” said Herb. “Same difference?”
“Same difference,” said Alice.
Abigail and Clove were frikkin’ exhausted. They’d had to help Mason with the whole Savina situation, after all. That didn’t stop them from dancing together, gently, going back and forth in a simple two-step, regardless of what song the DJ had on, from rock to rhythm and blues and popular bangers. All that mattered was that, like their theses, the situation was over. They were the ones that had refined the harebrained rough draft of a proposal that Mason had proposed to them into a fairytale proposal that would get approved by any one of their senior year advisors.
“I swear, those two better never get divorced,” said Clove.
“If they even say that word, I’ll pay for the counseling sessions myself,” said Abigail.
“Here’s my only question,” said Clove. “What was harder: making Mason’s off the wall proposal happen and work, or our theses?”
“I don’t even want to think about my thesis,” said Abigail.
“You did get a straight four point oh on it,” said Clove.
“And you got the highest marks on yours,” said Abigail. “The following words are off the table: thesis, grad school, master’s, doctorate. Say them, and I’ll have to say the safe word.”
“What about cum laude?” asked Clove. “Or…”
“We’re at a wedding,” hissed Abigail. “Our wedding.”
“Hey, you only ever get one chance to talk dirty at your own wedding,” said Clove with a smirk.
“You really are still a beast inside,” said Abigail.
“And you’ll always be my beauty,” said Clove.
Addison and Sage’s dance lessons back at Bonimolean were paying off in spades. Addison didn’t feel self-conscious about dancing, not even a little. She knew she was one of the best dancers on that floor. After all, she’d danced with Sage in their shared room all summer, mostly slow dances, but dances all the same. She was no longer content to be but a sleeping beauty. Sage had awoken something in Addison, but it was something Addison had had in her the whole time. She may not have been a shifter, but this phoenix had risen from the ashes of her past self.
“I can’t believe your grandpa pulled it off,” said Addison.
“I can,” said Sage. “He’s a Scoville.”
“Do you think you would ever pull something so crazy, just to make sure some people might meet and might fall in love?” asked Addison.
“Well, we already did, didn’t we?” asked Sage.
“What, Mason and Savina?” asked Addison. “That was different. They were meant to be. It was Fate.”
“I didn’t see Fate in the ring store with Mason and me. Last I checked, you set up Savina’s wedding dress in that bridal suite, not Fate,” said Sage.
“Uh-huh, so explain how Savina even had a wedding dress,” said Addison. “We didn’t spill the hot sauce on those dresses. That was all Fate.”
“What’s Fate’s address?” asked Sage. “We should send her the dry cleaning bill.”
“Ha-ha,” said Addison. “I thought shifters were the ones who knew all about Fate.”
“Apparently, you’re the expert,” teased Sage. “I guess I shouldn’t have judged you based on your human appearance after all.”
“You’re never going to forget about that whole Pride and Prejudice thing we had going on, will you?” asked Addison.
“No, never,” said Sage. “Although I suppose I could manage to forget as a special gift to you. Maybe I’ll forget in time for our fiftieth wedding anniversary.”
Cayenne and Basil were too busy smiling and laughing to cry. They alternated between various dances, from the samba and the Charleston to a jaunty two-step and they even threw in some contemporary dance moves. They were having the times of their lives, letting loose and having fun. It was their wedding but it was also a party, and if there was one thing Cayenne and Basil knew how to do, it was party. Cayenne had helped Basil let down his hair and have more common forms of fun, while Basil’s influence on Cayenne had helped her relax and take things easy.
“We really did it,” said Cayenne, looking up into Basil’s eyes.
“I know we did, I was there,” said Basil. “But the next time we do it is gonna have to be inside.”
“That’s not what I meant,” said Cayenne with a laugh. “You’re such a goofball!”
“So are you,” said Basil, pulling Cayenne close and giving her a kiss on her forehead.
“I know,” said Cayenne. “And it’s all thanks to you.”
Cayenne reached up so that she could pull Basil’s face close to her own and kiss him.
“I couldn’t have done any of what we did this summer without my overly driven curvy ‘Matchstick Girl,’” said Basil.
“And I couldn’t have done it without my snobby, wanderlust-crazed polar bear,” said Cayenne.
“Trust me. The only thing I lust for is you,” said Basil. “I’d go to the ends of the earth, but only with you or for you, Kai.”
The two kept spinning and kissing and dancing and laughing. They were two of the most driven members of the now formally joint Quincy-Scoville family, but they were also two fools in love.
Savina and Mason danced much less gracefully than the other couples. After all, they hadn’t had weeks of practice in the Mesquite Manor bedrooms and ballroom like the others had, but they danced with just as much tenderness as the other couples did. Even though Savina was wearing flats, the voluminous skirt was hard to dance in. Luckily, nobody could see her feet, so nobody could see her missteps. All she had to do was let herself be held close by Mason, and let herself hold onto him.
Savina looked up at Mason. He was really there, in his black suit, with his spiked frikkin’ belt and blue-tipped hair, dancing with her, in her fairytale gown that made her look like a frikkin’ cupcake, looking down at her like he wanted to eat her up. With a pair of rings on her finger, she could physically feel that they were married, but everything felt dreamy.
“So this is it,” said Savina. “You and me, we’re married.”
“Savina…do you have any regrets about today?” asked Mason.
“The only regret I have is that I didn’t see that we were meant to be sooner,” said Savina.
“You don’t regret marrying me?” asked Mason.
“No,” said Savina. “Not at all. I’m your fated mate, Mason. You’re my true love. I was so nervous, so scared of hurting my sister’s feelings, that in the process…I hurt my own.”
“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” asked Mason.
“What, true love?” asked Savina.
“What? Well, of course you see that,” teased Mason. “Look past my shoulder as we turn and tell me what you see.”
Mason slowly turned, with Savina in his arms, and Savina peeked past his shoulder.
“Is that…” started Savina.
“That’s right,” said Mason.
Savina couldn’t believe what she was seeing! Her mom’s mom was dancing with Mason’s dad’s dad. Grandma Quiggly and Grandpa Scoville were dancing together. Barbara had her arms on Morten’s shoulders, not unlike how Savina had her hands on Mason’s firm shoulders. Morten had his hands gently placed on Barbara’s waist, not unlike how Mason had a grip on Savina’s ample curves.
“I can’t believe it,” said Savina.
“You better, because it’s happening,” said Mason
.
“Is it happening?” asked Savina. “Like everything today, it seems like something…out of a fairy tale.”
Epilogue
One Year Later
The Quincy sisters had their breath taken away when they first entered the forest behind the Scoville Manor. The last few days had been filled with merriment, for it was the one year anniversary of their five-way wedding to the Scoville Heirs.
Each carriage held two pairs of couples, with Alice and Herb taking a smaller carriage by themselves.
“It’s something else,” whispered Alice, watching as they approached the woods. The woods were made up of many tall pines, but there weren’t many low-lying branches. The trees were pretty evenly spaced out, but not according to a grid system like a normal tree farm, like the tree farm that was being set up around the Mesquite Manor by the Asher-Dixon Lumber Company.
“I can’t believe this is your first time seeing it,” said Herb. “I have many fond memories of wandering these woods, touching every last familietre, every family tree engraved with the names of my ancestors.”
“And today…you finally get a tree of your own,” said Alice, holding Herb’s hand in hers. She had never been to Norway before because they had been so busy with the business, but now that the business was doing well, Alice and Herb had finally found time to find managers that would run the various parts of the business when the now joint Quincy-Scoville Clan was away.
The carriages entered the woods, stopping in a circular clearing surrounded by the tall trees. Everyone disembarked. The only Quincy sister to have visited this forest before was Addison, but when she’d first visited it with her now husband, then boyfriend, Sage, it was a dark winter night. The forest was bright and free of snow. The Quincy gals were even able to walk through the woods without having to wear jackets, although of course, Savina was wearing her cozy red hoodie, with Mace’s right hand stuffed in her pocket as the carriages took them into the woods.