There were two men standing over him, and a woman and a boy standing a little further back. Three more men crowded in the doorway.
He didn’t recognize any of them. He’d never seen so many people at once before. He didn’t know this room either. He wanted to go home. He wanted his mother!
“Give him some space,” one of the men at the bed said, stepping back. “He’s confused.”
Deciding that they didn’t intend to hurt him, Grimm leaned back against the pillow, fighting the memories that were forcing their way into the front of his mind.
His mother. He’d found her lying on her bed, very still and cold and didn’t understand why she wouldn’t open her eyes. Something had been terribly wrong. He’d laid on top of her to try to warm her up, thinking that might be enough for her to wake up. It hadn’t and the longer he’d laid there, the stronger his grip on her had become. Then Father had come home and found them and torn him away from her, saying that she was dead. Only Grimm didn’t know what dead meant. He’d never heard that word before.
He’d been locked in his room and then he’d become sick and certain that the dead was coming for him, too. He was left there for so long that he wondered if maybe he already had the dead. He’d been forgotten about. Not even knocking on the wall had brought him any help.
One of the men stepped forward again. Not the one who’d said to give him space. The younger one. The one that looked…. the one that looked like him. What was happening here?
“Hello,” the man said, keeping his voice low and gentle. “My name’s Ari. I’m your uncle. This here is your grandfather.”
The other man stepped forward and put his hand on Grimm’s arm.
Grimm pulled away, not wanting these strangers to touch him.
“I don’t know what an uncle is?” he said. “Or a ganfather?”
The two men looked at each other, then back to him.
“We’re your family,” the ganfather said. “We’re going to look after you and make sure you have a happy life.”
“I want my mother,” Grimm said, hoping the dead had finished with her by now.
“What’s your name?” the uncle asked.
“Grimm,” he replied without hesitation. Maybe if he told them his name, they’d be able to find his mother for him.
“Grimm?” the uncle asked.
He nodded.
“That’s… an unusual name,” said the ganfather. “Hello, Grimm. You’re my grandson. I was your mother’s father.”
“Was?” Grimm pounced on his word. “Why aren’t you her father anymore?”
The ganfather looked like he was going to cry, which seemed strange.
“She’s…” said Ari. “She’s… I’m sorry, Grimm, your mother is dead. Your father too. Well, we think he was your father.”
Grimm drew in a breath. “My father can’t have the dead,” he said, realizing he must be talking to fools. “My father is the Alchemist. He’s the most powerful man in all of Wintergreen.”
“Oh,” said the uncle, raising his eyebrows at the other man.
“In that case, it’s your father who’s most certainly… passed on. And your mother, well, we believe that she has too.”
Why weren’t these people making any sense? “Nothing can give my father the dead,” Grimm said. “He’s going to make me the King one day.”
The ganfather sighed in such a loud and sad way that it rattled through Grimm’s chest. He didn’t seem like someone who’d harm him by telling him lies.
“Grimm,” the uncle said, perching on the edge of his bed to look at him, being careful not to touch him. “It’s true. Your father and mother have both tragically died. But you’re not alone. You’ll never be alone. We’re your family and we love you.”
“You just love me because I told you I’m going to be the king one day.” Grimm crossed his arms. “Everyone loves the king.”
The ganfather laughed. “If only that were true.”
“You don’t know anything!” Grimm shouted, feeling uneasy about being laughed at like that. “My father told me that everyone loves the king and that one day it will be me.”
“Grimm, my boy,” said the ganfather. “Do you love me?”
Grimm shook his head, horrified.
“Then that settles it. Because, you see, I am the King and if you don’t love me, then that’s proof that not everybody does.”
“You’re the King?” Grimm scratched at an itch on his head. “But… you said you were my mother’s father. It’s my father’s father who’s the King.”
“We have a lot to explain to you,” said the uncle. “But not now. You need your strength first.”
The woman in the room stepped up to the bed. “Hi, Grimm. I’m Jasmine and this is my brother, Raphael.” She pointed to the boy who came forward. Grimm had never seen a boy up close before and stared openly at him, curious.
“Are you my family too?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “But we’d like to be your friends.”
“Friends,” he repeated. He’d never had a friend before, but his mother had told him about them.
“I want my mother,” he said, unable to stop the tears spilling down his cheeks. “Are you sure she’s still dead.”
“Our mother’s dead, too,” said Raphael. “And our father.”
“How did they get dead?” Grimm asked.
“They got sick,” said Jasmine, with sad eyes.
Grimm thought about this and nodded. If his parents really had the dead—and he wasn’t sure if he believed that yet—then maybe it would be nice not to be the only one. Maybe Raphael could be his very first friend.
“I’m tired,” he said, his eyelids feeling like they were closing without his permission.
“You sleep now,” said the uncle. “It was nice to meet you at last, Grimm.”
Grimm’s eyes were already closed.
Family. He had family. Maybe this family would let him run outside and throw a ball and climb a tree. Maybe this family would let him lie on the grass while the sun reached down and tickled his nose. Maybe they were what he’d been waiting for his whole life.
JASMINE
THE EVERNOW
Jasmine stood in the new gazebo and reached out to touch the new vines wending their way up the timber frame. It wasn’t quite the same as the old gazebo, but it was nice of Ari to have had it rebuilt for her. Maybe they could bring their own children here one day and have breakfast in the garden, while she told them stories of a princess who fell asleep for a hundred years.
It had been a full year since Ari had returned to the palace with his father and Grimm, while Jasmine stayed on at the apothecary with Raph. It was the hardest decision of her life so far, but she knew now that it had been the right one. Ari had ensured the paperwork was fixed so that her home was back in her name. A gift she felt she could never thank him enough for. Although, she planned to give it to Raph as soon as he was of age
Raph was thriving. Their house was their last link to their parents and she knew that was where he felt close to their mother. Being in that house lessened the pain of losing her somehow. Jasmine had allowed him to take over the Alchemist’s workshop in the apothecary and this was where he spent most of his time, coming up with new elixirs and improving on the old. People traveled for miles across the kingdom in search of one of his oils and the emporium was thriving. Raph’s natural talent was astounding and with his oils blended together with the goodness of his heart, the results were incredibly powerful.
It wasn’t just Raph who’d needed Jasmine to stay. The women in the apothecary had needed her too. Jasmine had swapped the sachets around their necks for true love’s kiss and watched them wake up to the world around them. Not that everything they woke up to was good. Many had lost husbands, sons, and fathers. The damage that the Alchemist had wreaked would never be repaired. But some healing could take place. With improved conditions at work and at home, in time the women could sing their cheerful tune from their hearts as w
ell as their lips. She could hear them singing now and it was a sound tinged with sadness. It wouldn’t always be like this. Some things just took time.
When the King had apologized to Jasmine and given Ari his blessing to marry her, it had solved so many problems and created so many more. For staying behind at the apothecary to raise Raph properly and repair the damage the Alchemist had done was the right thing to do, but it wasn’t what made her happy in her soul.
It was Ari who did that. However, she’d decided if he loved her, like he claimed to, then he’d wait for her. They had their whole lives in front of them. There would be no diving headfirst into a marriage like they wanted to. Instead, they would spend a lengthy courtship before they could be together. Right now, her place was here. She was certain of it.
“Jasmine!”
She spun around to see Grimm running through the garden.
“Hey there!” She couldn’t help but smile every time she looked at this boy and the transformation that had taken place within him. He was so… happy. The exact opposite of his strange name. The boy who once wanted to be King, until he realized that all he wanted to be was a boy.
“Is Raphael in there?” He pointed to the apothecary, his dark hair flying in all directions, reminding her of her own. Ari must have had hair like that as a child. Grimm looked so much like him.
“Of course.” She laughed. “Where else would Raph be? He’ll be pleased to see you.”
“I’ll talk to you later,” he said, throwing her a grin and dashing off toward the apothecary.
“Sure,” she called to his back, shaking her head, but understanding his rush. The two boys had become firm friends. Grimm loved spending time at the apothecary, sometimes coming to stay with them for a week at a time. But he was happy at the palace too, having bonded closely with his grandparents and uncle. The Queen had undergone a transformation of her own and was often found singing or smiling as she watched her grandson playing in the gardens. Ari said he’d even found her once climbing a tree, with her hair full of leaves. It was the mother he said he remembered from his youth. Grimm had been a wonderful gift in her life.
Jasmine looked in the direction from which Grimm had arrived, knowing who would have brought him here. The person she’d been waiting all week to see, counting the moments from the last time they’d said goodbye.
Her love. Her smile. Her Prince. Her Ari.
And there he was, walking toward her, knowing exactly where she’d be.
She lifted her hand to wave at him and he broke into a jog, just as keen to close the gap between them.
Taking the gazebo steps two at a time, he scooped her into his arms and pressed his face into her hair.
“I wish I could smell you,” he said. “Because I have a feeling that you’re delicious.”
She laughed. “Maybe I smell like mud.”
“Mmm,” he murmured. “Mud.”
“I missed you,” she said.
He tilted his face to look into her eyes. “I can’t wait to marry you one day.”
“I hope you can wait,” she said, wishing he’d be more patient, but liking that he wasn’t.
He laughed. “I can wait. And I can’t wait too! You know what I mean.”
“I do.”
“Speaking of weddings, I was wondering if you’d do me the honor of accompanying me to the royal wedding in Forte Cadence next month? I wanted my father to go, but he suggested it would be more appropriate for us to go together.”
“Really?” She was surprised. Although it was no secret in Wintergreen that Ari intended to marry her one day, she hadn’t yet held his arm at any official occasions.
“I’ve heard good things about Queen Rose and her betrothed,” he said. “Decent people who seem keen to work with Wintergreen to bring peace to both our kingdoms. If I’m to rule in my father’s place one day, it would be beneficial to have Forte Cadence as an ally.”
Jasmine nodded as she suppressed a smile. It was strange to hear Ari speak like this. Strange but wonderful all the same. He’d be a great ruler. Different to his father. A ruler who was prepared to leave the security of his palace to walk with his people. It would be an honor to sit beside him as his Queen.
“I’d love to go with you,” she said. “Perhaps Queen Rose’s husband will have a few tips for me for the future. How to be married to the ruler of the kingdom.”
Ari laughed. “You don’t need any tips. You’re perfect.”
“I’ll remind you that you said that one d—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Ari’s lips were on hers. Hungry lips filled with passion that was yet to be sated and love that would never end.
“I love you, Ari,” she murmured, her lips still pressed against his.
He broke the kiss, took her by the hand and together they walked out to the garden. This special place that her father planted for their future, his presence obvious in every leaf of every tree. Her mother was here too, in the flowers, the clouds, the gentle breeze in her hair. Jasmine thought she’d lost this garden forever, but it had been returned to her and now Raph could continue the legacy as he’d always known he should.
And her mother had been right, too. Jasmine’s Evernow had been possible. Although she missed her parents greatly, she didn’t yearn for times gone by. And as much as she longed to marry Ari, she was in no rush. She truly was happy right here, right now.
Her legacy was quite different to Raph’s. She didn’t just get to keep the apothecary thriving. Soon, she’d get to help the whole of Wintergreen bloom under the leadership of a man whose heart was as kind as it was true. And that was the definition of lucky.
ARI
THE EVERNOW
Ari took his seat in the front row of the arena. It was a rectangular-shaped structure with beams that crossed over the ceiling and a large window at the apex with sunlight pouring in as the sun reached the highest point in the sky. It was spectacular. But not as much as the woman by his side.
Jasmine had taken his breath away when he’d seen her dressed for the royal wedding. Beautiful didn’t even begin to describe how she looked. There was no word big enough to do the job. She wore a lavender dress. The palace tailors had modeled it on her favorite dress she’d worn as a girl as she said it reminded her of her mother. Apparently, her mother had loved that dress, too. He decided that her mother must have had good taste and worried for a moment that Jasmine might upstage the bride. From what he’d been told, Queen Rose was a beautiful woman herself. Her groom waiting for her at the front of the arena was certainly a handsome man.
“He has kind eyes,” whispered Jasmine, leaning over in her seat.
Ari nodded in agreement.
“And very curly hair,” he whispered back, noticing the dark curls that refused to sit still on the groom’s head.
Jasmine suppressed a laugh as her hand fluttered to her own hair that had been tamed into a braid. Already a few strands had made their escape, which Ari decided made it look perfect. It wouldn’t be Jasmine if her hair behaved itself.
“Must be a prerequisite for marrying the ruler of a kingdom,” she said.
A wiry man stood beside the groom, his gaze fixed on a woman with bright orange hair who was waiting at the top of the aisle with the Queen’s mother and three younger sisters. A young boy in a suit sat at their feet, tugging at the hems of their dresses and one of the eldest of the princesses scooped him up and covered his cheeks in kisses. There certainly was love in the air today.
Since agreeing to come to this wedding, Ari had learned a lot about the man who was marrying the Queen. Jeremiah was his name and apparently, he’d once been enslaved by Queen Rose’s father in a strange army of something called Whisperers. When the King died, Rose had set the Whisperers free, although most of them continued to serve her by their own will. Never had Ari seen a more loyal following for a Queen. The people in her kingdom loved her as if she were their own flesh and blood.
In time, he planned to meet with Queen Rose to learn
more about the Whisperers, certain that there were many secrets they could share with each other that would enhance their lives rather than take anything away. They could teach Wintergreen about their Whisperings and in turn, they could share with Forte Cadence the power of their oils.
A hush rippled through the packed arena as people leaned over the railings of the balcony and crowded at the door, keen to catch sight of their Queen.
Ari turned his head to see movement at the end of the aisle. Queen Rose had begun to walk toward her groom. From this distance, Ari could see that the rumors had been true. She was undoubtedly a beautiful queen, although it was the kindness spilling from her eyes that made her even more attractive still. Her dress was long and white, the upper half made from lace that hugged her slim figure, as trails of her long blonde hair fell to her waist from her dazzling tiara encrusted with diamonds.
Shifting his gaze to Jasmine, he took in the enraptured look on her face.
“Oh, look Ari,” she said, quietly, her eyes wide. “She’s so beautiful.”
Ari nodded, then putting his lips to her ear whispered to her that she was even more beautiful.
Jasmine flushed and swatted him away.
He hadn’t just said it to make her happy. It was true. There was nobody in the world more beautiful than Jasmine. The day his parents had given him their blessing to marry her had been the happiest day of his life. He’d have married her anyway of course, but it was so much better not to have to sever a relationship in order to seal another one.
As Queen Rose reached the halfway point of the aisle that split the arena in half, Ari turned to look at Jeremiah, smiling to see such an enraptured look on the man’s face. His blue eyes were shining as they welled with tears to see his bride approach. Ari knew that they’d been through so much to be together. This ceremony clearly meant a lot to both the groom and bride.
In this moment, Ari could see that Jeremiah wasn’t a man marrying a Queen, he was a man marrying his true love. No different to Ari and Jasmine. He could only hope that this was the beginning of a new kind of leadership, not just in Forte Cadence and Wintergreen, but in all the five kingdoms of the world. Hopefully one day, they could all learn to work together, instead of causing each other pain. This would be the greatest gift any leader could give their people. A happy and safe life. One that they could call lucky, despite no luck being involved at all.
The Kingdoms of Evernow Box Set Page 43