In the moments afterward, Rapunzel struggled to find herself. She struggled to find words adequate to describe the euphoria Muir had brought her. In the end, she chose to say nothing at all. She lowered her brow to his shoulder and basked in the pleasure instead.
Somewhere during the blissful haze of oblivion, Muir moved them to the fur-covered bench. He unfastened the tie at the end of her braid and unraveled it with deft fingers with her cradled on his lap, straddling him.
Afterward, he laid down with her sprawled across him and lazily draped an arm over her back. Sighing, he closed his eyes.
The silence between them persisted for a while, though she spent the time with her ear above his heart, listening to the calming rhythm.
Love was a compromise. She understood now what Anastasia had said to her of love being a complicated but fickle emotion. Love was wanting his happiness, without always blindly sacrificing her own if there was another way. Love was working together to reach the same goal. Love was trust, placing her life in another person’s hands.
If she wanted Muir, if she wanted to keep him and earn his trust in return, saving her brother and surrendering rule to him was the only way. She’d return to Cairn Ocland and live among his shifters if that was what it took to convince him of her sincerity.
Joren could have the throne. As long as she saved it first and a throne remained to pass to him.
Rapunzel tilted her head and brushed her lips against his throat. “Be mine, Muir of Clan Leomlaire. Mine in more than name,” she whispered. “I’ve fallen in love with you, and no other man, shifter or human, will ever be my true prince.”
* * *
Muir opened his eyes. Rapunzel was watching him, resting her weight on her arms with her lovely breasts crushed against his chest. Lovemaking and steam from the spring had warmed the room, and the glow of perspiration shone over her skin with a rosy flush.
“I’ve always been your prince, lass. It simply took my mind weeks to accept what my soul had already learned.”
“I know I can never replace the wife you lost—”
“I’d never expect that. Fiona would want me to be happy, and I am. With you. It’s a rarity, this, finding not only affection but a true love after losing a first. I was a fool to push you away for so long.”
“Then… if Joren is alive—if this kingdom can be saved and my brother will accept the throne—I’ll return with you to Cairn Ocland. And if he won’t....” She shuddered. The alternatives to her brother’s outright refusal were that the queen had possessed him too. Or that he had died. “I’ll reinstate the council and visit as often as I can.”
“No, Rapunzel. I can’t ask that of you.”
“What? But I thought—”
“I won’t ask you to leave your entire kingdom behind after you’ve sacrificed so much to save it. We will capture this light, and we will retake your throne, but here we’ll stay afterward.”
“But your home…”
“Is with you. My wife.” He traced her ear with his fingers, tucking back her hair. “My mate. My beautiful, bright star.” Now he knew why he loved her hair so much, for it reminded him of starlight spun into silk.
“Who will lead the griffins without you?”
“Faolan or his da’ perhaps. There will always be strong alphas to lead the clan. I’m only one of them.” And he believed they’d survive without his leadership, because if the griffins were anything, it was resilient.
* * *
Rapunzel and Muir soaked together in the hot spring, devoured the berries left for them, and reluctantly decided to dress once more. She giggled at his dramatic display of putting on his spare tartan. He’d stretched it out over the floor and made every pleat perfect and equal before sliding his belt beneath it, clad in only a shirt. She watched him from the bench, admiring the lean musculature of his bare thighs while he worked, until he laid down on the tartan and wrapped each side around his waist.
It occurred to Rapunzel that she’d never watched him dress before. Not while they were in the tower, and not the morning following their first time together in bed. “Do you do that every time?”
“Do what?”
She grinned at him, deciding she definitely liked how long it took him to dress, even if it was quite comical and reminded her of a vain, preening bird once he fastened it, stood, and continued his adjustments. “Make each pleat so painstakingly perfect and—” Before she had the chance to finish teasing him about it, the wall opened and a nymph stepped inside.
Of all the nymphs Rapunzel had encountered so far, none were so beautiful and dignified as the elegant creature standing before them shrouded in layers of radiant silk in shifting shades of turquoise, blue, and silver. Her hair fell around her shoulders and reached her hips, glittering specks of snow amidst each lavender strand.
Muir eyed her. “Why have you kept us here?”
Under other circumstances, Rapunzel might have swatted him, but this was the one time she appreciated his blunt nature. “I find myself wondering the same thing.” Something about the nymph struck Rapunzel as familiar.
When the nymph canted her head, her pale hair stirred around her slender shoulders. “You come as seekers of the Light. Those are best seen at night, and you were both in need of... rest.” A pretty smile curved her blue-tinged lips.
“Who are you?”
“I am Queen Yukina, and I look after all my daughters and sisters.”
Rapunzel’s breath caught. “You’re their queen? I thought that was only a story.”
“We have not been welcome in your cities for some time,” Yukina said. “So we found a new purpose and a new home.”
“What does this have to do with our quest?” Muir asked.
“We are the protectors of the Light, and it would be irresponsible to allow it to fall into the hands of the unworthy. We tested you by leading you to the injured yeti, and by helping him you showed your heart was pure, filled with compassion and a desire to help others without personal gain.”
“But Muir tried to convince me to leave him.”
“He did.” The nymph’s gaze settled on Muir. “But he listened to you, a valuable trait many humans, and even shifters such as he, seems to lack. It is a sign of a good leader and a good man that he trusted your decision and supported your choice.”
Muir nodded.
“Then you spirited him away. Why?”
“I needed to see each of you on your own. To see if your hearts were true to each other. A woman who would abandon her mate is undeserving of the Light, and likewise, a husband who would stray is equally unworthy.
“Stray?” Both her brows rose, and she looked to Muir, who only shrugged.
“My sisters visited him prior to your arrival and found his dedication to you unwavering. He would have made a fine partner.” Yukina smiled. “Still, I am pleased he remained loyal, just as you displayed courage in the face of adversity. Because of this, I will take you to the mountain peak, where no other mortal feet have tread for centuries.”
They traveled through the mountain, each cavern they passed through lovelier than the one before it and studded with luminous crystals.
“Queen Yukina, what is the Northern Light exactly?” Rapunzel asked.
“Have you not watched it each night from the palace?”
“I have, but I don’t know what creates it.”
“You know the tales of Eisen and his love for Siel, but what your people often forget is that she returned that love, and when it became apparent they could never touch, she wept. Those tears became crystals and the light they produced bridged the space between them, so that whenever they shine, Eisen and Siel are reunited.”
“That’s beautiful,” Rapunzel said. “I’ve always thought the story was lovely but tragic.”
Yukina smiled down at her. “It is. Only love can banish evil and darkness, and so, only love can wield the Light.”
Fresh, cool air blew in from an opening ahead. Rapunzel moved ahead of Muir and Yukin
a, darting out into the frigid evening to encounter a dazzling display of green and blue dancing in rhythmic waves in the sky above her. She reached up and passed her hands through the iridescent light, surprised to find it warm. A tingling sensation spread from her fingers through the rest of her body.
“There were once many, but this single crystal is all that remains. The Light is yours to take,” Yukina said. “Then you must return it here, so Eisen and Siel are not parted for long. Gothel cannot be allowed to bring darkness and chaos back to this land a second time. Her mischief must be ended for good.”
The crystal awaited them in a stone cradle bearing a suspicious resemblance to an open palm. It lifted easily from its setting, larger than Rapunzel’s hand and warm to the touch. She turned the tear-shaped jewel over in her hands. Its soothing pulse felt good against her fingers. “How do I use it?”
“You must first destroy the source of Gothel’s power. Only then will the Light truly rid your palace of darkness. Keep it hidden, my love.”
Rapunzel placed the stone within the inner pocket of her cloak and fastened the button, terrified of losing it. “I will, but how shall I know the source of her—” When she raised her eyes toward where the queen had stood, nothing remained but gentle flurries of snow tumbling to the ground.
Chapter
If anyone had told James a year ago he’d see the ivory mountains of his homeland again, he’d have laughed and asked how much Samaharan pipeweed they had smoked.
But he was returning home, and though he loathed the circumstances, he’d never thought Mount Gloires was more beautiful than he did the moment her snow-capped peaks came into view on the southern coast of Eisland.
James had been leaning against the quarterdeck rail for the past hour admiring the view while Belle enjoyed her turn at the wheel. In the recent months, she’d become a reliable helmsman he, Eliza, Smee, and Callum happily left on the quarterdeck.
Belle laid her hand against his back. “Are you all right?” When he glanced behind them at the helm, it was holding steady for north, north east by magical charm, a little fairy dust glittering against the wooden wheel. He grinned.
“Fine, love. It’s been a long time, is all.”
The moment James leaned in to kiss his wife, Nigel sprinted up the ladderway and pointed to the eastern horizon. “James, we have a problem.”
James gazed out and swore. Quicksilver sails billowed against the sapphire backdrop of the Viridian Sea, and he didn’t need to know the number of them to know their presence alone spelled trouble.
“We can’t let them reach within striking distance of the coastline. Belle, bring us about. Nigel, signal for the others to follow suit. We’ll cut them off.”
The leader of the griffins who had accompanied them stepped forward in his feathered form. “What would you have us do, Admiral Hook?”
“Head for Floren as planned. We’re near enough to the coast, and they’ll need the support sooner than we can handle these ships.”
The bird took flight, followed by a dozen or so more of his fellow winged Oclanders.
Thirteen years ago, Admiral Teach and the ruler James thought to be King Harold had tried to convince James slavery and smuggling was an honorable way to serve his country. But he had known better, choosing desertion over dishonor. Over cruelty. Over evil.
James stepped up to the rail. “This is it, everyone! I know many of you have never stepped one boot upon Eisland soil, but there are several among you who were with me from the start. Sailors who joined our navy to serve a remarkable kingdom. We were denied that right once, but today, men, today, we will make Eisland proud.”
“Let’s put these Ridaeron dogs into the sea!” Eliza shouted.
“Yeah!”
“Show no mercy!”
Though they were outnumbered almost two to one, excitement buzzed across the deck like a living, breathing force taking sustenance from the promise of battle. Callum and Eliza went to the ship’s forecastle together, preferring to cast spells from the front of the ship. She’d been devouring his lessons in elemental magic like a sponge despite her healer’s training by adding a fireball spell to her arsenal.
He turned to face Belle. “Are you all right with remaining at the helm?”
His fae stood on tiptoe and kissed him. “Of course, silly. Go get ’em.”
Hook sprang down the ladderway and dashed to the hatch. He arrived at the gun deck to find it bustling with activity. The pirates-turned-legitimate-sailors had already initiated loading the cannons. They knew what to expect from him and could predict his orders without fail.
James had taken down plenty of Ridaeron ships over the years, often sinking them once they were plundered of goods and their living cargo liberated, but he’d yet to do it in the name of his own kingdom.
“Cannons are all loaded, Admiral.”
“Good. Give them hell the moment we are within range.”
When James returned to the main deck, Peter was hovering beside the mast. “They outnumber us, Admiral, and look, they’ve brought two warships. I’ve never seen vessels so large.”
Princess Teagan stepped over. “Leave the warships to me. I can at least buy you time to handle the other threats.”
“Are you certain? They may have a mage on board.”
“They may, but a mage won’t be expecting me.” She shed her cloak and, with a hand from James, stepped up onto the ship’s rail. Then she threw herself forward and shifted midair, making a smooth transition from willowy princess to fire-breathing behemoth. The dragon soared upwards and vanished amidst the clouds. And then the fleet was upon them.
The first volley from the lead Ridaeron ship fell short, rounds splashing into the water a few feet from their hull. The second struck the magical barriers Callum and Eliza held around the ship.
Teagan swooped down on the largest Ridaeron vessel, a dangerous ruby meteorite. James was hard pressed to mind his own battles when he wanted nothing more than to watch the beautiful dragoness’s savage display. She dived down in a spiraling funnel of flame. The warship’s sails caught fire and the hull exploded as the ammunitions within gave way to the dragon’s mighty breath.
Cheers went up from James’s crew. The ship nearest them tried to turn sail, to run, and in doing so exposed their broadside to the Jolly Roger’s cannons.
James had been eager to demonstrate the power of the new guns designed by their prodigy smith and shipwright ever since the field tests off the coast of Cairn Ocland. The bears had been kind to erect phony barriers and targets for the pirates, but nothing was ever as satisfying as putting a new invention to work. He hurried to the massive weapon mounted midship and spun it to aim at the approaching vessel creeping up on their portside bow.
It was an elegant improvement over the standard ballista and superior to a flintlock musket. The opposing crew had lined up, some with bows, others with pistols. James laughed and turned the crank. The first ball struck with devastating force, crashing into a man’s chest and setting him aflame as the gunpowder ignited.
“Blow the bastards to pieces, Admiral!”
James cranked it again. With a dozen shots to each cylinder and at least twenty prepared with powder and ammunition, he expected to be at the guns for a while.
The second warship launched a furious volley of cannonballs toward the Jolly Roger, each of them absorbed by shields. Others focused on his allies to little effect, chipping away at magical defenses and churning the foaming waves around them.
“Now it’s our turn!” a woman roared from the direction of the Scarlet Brigade. “Let them have it, boys!” At that moment, the Scarlet Brigade and the ships from Creag Morden turned their cannons against the rest of the enemy fleet. The cacophony of their battle rivaled the fiercest maelstrom. Shields flared, the ebb and flow of magic coursing over the seas like the rolling tide.
Princess Teagan swooped down again, exhaling fire against the remaining warship. Their shields activated, the magician behind it no doubt wizened
to her assaults and prepared for the draconic menace.
Blast, James thought. He loaded another cylinder into the weapon and rotated it toward the approaching vessel. One of their allies cracked its hull with a salvo of magical ammunition, each enchanted ball sparkling with electricity.
Someone whistled nearby. “Those Mordenians know how to handle a ship battle.”
James nodded. “They certainly do.”
One moment, the Scarlet Brigade was boarding another smaller ship and hundreds of red-haired warriors were surging over the rails, armed to the teeth, and in the next, a lance of pure energy from a Ridaeron ship snuck through Callum’s defenses and sent him stumbling to the deck.
The battlemage didn’t move.
James swore under his breath. Get up, old man. Get up. “Belle!” he bellowed toward the helm when Callum didn’t move on his own.
Belle saluted him from the wheel and vanished, reappearing across the deck on the forecastle with Callum. When she helped him to his feet, the iron-hard knot of tension around James’s heart finally eased.
Another assault rocked the Jolly Roger, though its damage was dampened by Eliza. Her knees buckled from the effort, but she held herself upright with her staff.
“James!” Peter cried from the crow’s nest. “Blue sails incoming!”
Five Eislandic ships approached from their stern. James swore under his breath.
“Arcane shields to the stern and portside hull!” James bellowed toward the bow. Eliza descended the ladderway from the forecastle and dashed across the deck to join them. When she arrived, she took position nearby with her mage staff in hand, chest heaving with exertion.
“I know that ship. She was destined to become the flagship of the navy before they chose the Queen Anne’s Revenge instead. Her guns were phenomenal fifteen years ago.”
“I haven’t much left in me for another shield, James, and I know Belle’s prohibited by the Grand Fairy from interfering too much in human affairs. How fucked are we?” Eliza asked.
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