with now.
He opened his mouth, but before he said anything Rosamund balled
her hand into a tiny fist and with all the energy in her small
body, she punched him flat in the nose, so hard she was probably
imagining pushing it through the other side of his head.
Matthias howled in pain, grabbing at his nose
and bending double at the waist. King Thomas was dumbstruck, the
first time Seth had ever seen that expression on his face.
And Kira started to smile. At Seth’s raised
eyebrow, she said, “What? If she hadn’t done it, I would have.”
Rosamund nodded in satisfaction, though she
was rubbing her knuckles with her other hand. She came to stand
before Seth, and he tensed but stood ready to take the blow. She
deserved this and more.
But she did not land another punch. She
grabbed his one hand in both of hers. The smile she gave him was
bruised at the edges, but it was genuine. “You are my dear, dear
friend, and I am always yours, no matter where this life takes
me.”
“Rosamund…” He didn’t know what to say. She
had everything taken from her, and still she gave. Finally, he
settled for, “Ask for it and it is yours, always and forever in
this life, my friend.”
She stood on tiptoe and gave him a kiss on
the cheek. “Be happy and be blessed. I’m not going to stay for your
wedding. I don’t know where I’m going, but I want to live life now.
I don’t want to hide anymore. Know I wish nothing but happiness for
you.” And with a final squeeze, she walked away.
Wedding. Wedding. Kira had a huge
smile, echoing his own. He was a prince, and Kira…
…Kira was a princess.
“Princess Kira, it’s a pleasure to finally
meet my fiancée. I am Prince Seth,” he said, bowing to the laughing
woman.
It took a moment, but the giggles stopped and
Kira gave a curtsy, a funny-looking move when the female was
wearing trousers and not a dress. “Prince Seth, I am happy to meet
you as well. I am determined to do right by my kingdom and honor
our engagement.”
His light, his life, his love. Seth swept her
up in his arms and spun her around, the happiness in him needing
the physical outlet. “I would have married you no matter what.”
She looked over at their fathers, both men
quiet and still. “I think I’ve had enough unhappiness today. We’ll
deal with this later. Right now, I want to go celebrate.” She
leaned up and placed her lips on his. It was a quiet kiss, loving
and tender, and exactly what he needed after so long apart from
her.
“Yes, celebrate,” Seth agreed. His best
friend. His beloved companion. His protector. “After all, gifts
like this can’t be expected every day.”
“So, question,” said Laura, watching from
above as Seth walked out the door with Kira in his arms and told
the two kings not to bother them until the wedding day. “Why
couldn’t we just tell Seth and Kira about this little turn of
events instead of letting them suffer these last few days of
angst?”
“You need to take a longer-term view of these
things,” Sara told the other FG. “Yes, these last few days were not
pleasant, but they prevented lots of ugly questions from rearing up
in the future. Questions like, did Seth truly love Kira, or was he
just transferring his duty from Rosamund to her? Without that
little declaration, a tiny part of Kira’s heart would always
wonder.”
Laura nodded. “Plus it led to Seth doing a
little soul-searching—”
“Which will ultimately make him a better
king. Precisely,” Sara finished, giving Laura a glance of approval.
“Also, we can’t forget Rosamund. We had to let her start to come
into her own. These last years have done a number on her, and it
will be a long road for her.” Sara looked toward the young woman
who sat alone, staring at a large, old tree outside of a window. “I
really would have hated it if she fell under the curse. Her life
has been ruined enough. I want her to only have happiness now.”
“Would she really have slept
He opened his mouth, but before he said anything Rosamund balled
her hand into a tiny fist and with all the energy in her small
body, she punched him flat in the nose, so hard she was probably
imagining pushing it through the other side of his head.
Matthias howled in pain, grabbing at his nose
and bending double at the waist. King Thomas was dumbstruck, the
first time Seth had ever seen that expression on his face.
And Kira started to smile. At Seth’s raised
eyebrow, she said, “What? If she hadn’t done it, I would have.”
Rosamund nodded in satisfaction, though she
was rubbing her knuckles with her other hand. She came to stand
before Seth, and he tensed but stood ready to take the blow. She
deserved this and more.
But she did not land another punch. She
grabbed his one hand in both of hers. The smile she gave him was
bruised at the edges, but it was genuine. “You are my dear, dear
friend, and I am always yours, no matter where this life takes
me.”
“Rosamund…” He didn’t know what to say. She
had everything taken from her, and still she gave. Finally, he
settled for, “Ask for it and it is yours, always and forever in
this life, my friend.”
She stood on tiptoe and gave him a kiss on
the cheek. “Be happy and be blessed. I’m not going to stay for your
wedding. I don’t know where I’m going, but I want to live life now.
I don’t want to hide anymore. Know I wish nothing but happiness for
you.” And with a final squeeze, she walked away.
Wedding. Wedding. Kira had a huge
smile, echoing his own. He was a prince, and Kira…
…Kira was a princess.
“Princess Kira, it’s a pleasure to finally
meet my fiancée. I am Prince Seth,” he said, bowing to the laughing
woman.
It took a moment, but the giggles stopped and
Kira gave a curtsy, a funny-looking move when the female was
wearing trousers and not a dress. “Prince Seth, I am happy to meet
you as well. I am determined to do right by my kingdom and honor
our engagement.”
His light, his life, his love. Seth swept her
up in his arms and spun her around, the happiness in him needing
the physical outlet. “I would have married you no matter what.”
She looked over at their fathers, both men
quiet and still. “I think I’ve had enough unhappiness today. We’ll
deal with this later. Right now, I want to go celebrate.” She
leaned up and placed her lips on his. It was a quiet kiss, loving
and tender, and exactly what he needed after so long apart from
her.
“Yes, celebrate,” Seth agreed. His best
friend. His beloved companion. His protector. “After all, gifts
like this can’t be expected every day.”
“So, question,” said Laura, watching from
above as Seth walked out the door with Kira in his arms and told
the two kings not to bother them until the wedding day. “Why
couldn’t we just tell Seth and Kira about this little turn of
events instead of letting them suffer these last few days of
angst?”
“You need to take a longer-term view of these
things,” Sara told the other FG. “Yes, these last few days were not
pleasant, but they prevented lots of ugly questions from rearing up
in the future. Questions like, did Seth truly love Kira, or was he
just transferring his duty from Rosamund to her? Without that
little declaration, a tiny part of Kira’s heart would always
wonder.”
Laura nodded. “Plus it led to Seth doing a
little soul-searching—”
“Which will ultimately make him a better
king. Precisely,” Sara finished, giving Laura a glance of approval.
“Also, we can’t forget Rosamund. We had to let her start to come
into her own. These last years have done a number on her, and it
will be a long road for her.” Sara looked toward the young woman
who sat alone, staring at a large, old tree outside of a window. “I
really would have hated it if she fell under the curse. Her life
has been ruined enough. I want her to only have happiness now.”
“Would she really have slept
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