Chapter 4
The next day dawned blazing hot as the sun beat down it's powerful rays on the kingdom. Knowing his wife was busy with her charity work, and craving a place to escape the heat, Prince Charming rode into the woods and soon made his way to Giselle's cottage.
When she noticed he'd arrived, Giselle ran out to greet him and fell into his arms. Then she said "Oh Char how are you doing? It's so good to see you." as she pulled back and motioned him to follow her.
"Oh I'm hot and thirsty after a strenuous trek through the forest. You don't happen to have anything to drink?" he replied as they walked toward the cottage.
"Oh just some fresh spring water, if you don't mind." she said happily as she poured him a glass, as he took a seat on a stump outside the door.
"Ah that hits the spot! Thank you Giselle, you always take good care of me." Charming sighed as he drank the water in one gulp.
"Oh you're welcome Char, any time. Anyway are you going to tell me about the sea then?" Giselle inquired, as she lay a plate of melon on a small table she had outside.
Charming grabbed a slice of the melon and ate a piece, while he pondered Giselle's inquiry. "The sea...hmm ha ha how can I describe it? Well it's a big body of water that stretches far as the eye can see. It's big enough for ships to sail on it and sometimes people swim in it. And oh there are fish, crabs, and all sorts of creatures under the sea." Charming explained, then said jokingly, "Why I've even heard tales of mermaids living under the sea..."
"Mermaids? Really? Have you ever seen one?" Giselle asked excitedly.
"Well no...actually they don't exist...or least least I've never seen one. But don't get too upset, because I guess you never know.." Charming laughingly admitted.
"Oh well, with or without mermaids, the sea sounds like something I'd like to see someday." Giselle sighed.
"Well perhaps you will dear, perhaps someday you will." Charming said.
"Body of water, hmm...Oh I just realized that I've never taken you to my favorite spot in the summer. We'll pack a picnic and I'll show you. Come on! " Giselle said excitedly as quickly gather a jug of water and the rest of the melon into a bowl, then beckoned Charming to follow her.
"Okay Giselle, lead the way." Charming said as he followed along behind her on a narrow trail through the thicket, helping her carry the impromptu picnic items. When they came out through the brambles into a clearing in a forest glen, Prince Charming was taken aback, while Giselle just smiled and giggled.
"Welcome to my 'sea' or forest pool as the case may be. He he isn't just lovely?" Giselle said as she skipped and danced lithely in a patch of grass along the edge of the pool.
"Lovely isn't the half of it, it's enchanting, quite enchanting indeed." Charming said as he stared at the pool and it's surroundings. The pool was in the middle of a somewhat small clearing in the forest. There was all sorts of trees, moss, flowers and so forth growing from around the crystal clear pool, which was fed by a waterfall that cascaded over rocks twenty feet above. Along the shore, a few yards from the waterfall was a large rock, which Giselle suddenly climbed and sat on.
"Oh I see you've found someplace to perch, my little bird." Charming laughed when he saw her. He then settled down on the shore of the pool and set the water and the fruit nearby.
"Little bird? He he, I like that! Well this is my favorite place to sit when I come here, so just sit down in the grass over there and I'll show you how I call the fishies in my pool." Giselle said, happily.
"Call out the fishies?" Charming asked skeptically.
"Yes Char, just watch and listen, you'll see." Giselle exclaimed, as she proceeded to draw out a small metal flute and play a cheery tune, which suddenly made several small fish come to the surface and splash around.
"Well I'll be! That's amazing Giselle! How'd you learn to do that? Where did you get that flute?" Charming asked, staring at Giselle, amazed at her talent.
"Oh that's nothing. I've always been good with most animals, I got that from my mother's side. While the flute, well I got that from my father's side, literally. My parents' story is sort of a long one, and you may not believe parts of it, but I'll tell you if you want to hear it." Giselle said shyly, as she stared down at his handsome face and just sighed.
"I'll listen to your story Giselle, go on you enchanting little nymph." Charming said with laughter in his voice as he stared up at her.
"Well, it's funny that you just called me that, because according to my mother, I'm part 'folk' or at least that's what she always told me when she told me how she and papa met..." Giselle started to explain.
"Part folk? Uh sorry go on..." Charming interrupted.
"Yes part folk, or little people...uh how can I explain... Well anyway, my parents are named Saaski and Tam, and they've known each other since they were children of only 11 or 12 years old, when they met on the moors. My mama, Saaski, always told me the unbelievable story of how she was raised by this village couple, the village smithy and his wife, until she was almost 12 years old and she met my papa, Tam, out on the moors playing his pipe and herding goats.
That might not sound unusual, however several events happened around that time which caused my parents to run away together at a young age, though they were just friends for several years at first. Around that time, my mama discovered that she was part 'folk', that her own mother was a woodland fairy delicate and nary to two feet tall, who years earlier had led a young fisherman lad into the fairy mound where she and her merry band lived. Now the mound is an enchanted place indeed, and unless you're folk, you'll see riches and banquets that aren't there and I guess that's what happened to my grandfather. He was in there seemingly a moment, but came out an old man, and went to live in his fishing cottage by the sea. Eventually my mother was born, and she was raised 'folk' at first, but then when they realized that she was only part folk, they exchanged her for a human baby, the daughter of the village smithy and his wife, and so for the next eleven years my mother was raised as a human girl. She said she was teased often, because of her blond hair, slightly darker complexion, and her long fingers and toes. My mama has always loved nature, so she went to the moors, where she met my father, Tam, who was working as a goatherd.
Anyway, eventually my mama rediscovered her 'folk' side, and with the help of papa, was able to meet her own father, and to rescue the smithy's real daughter from the 'folk mound' just in the nick of time and restore her to her home. Then my parents ran off together to play London and so forth, and eventually they came to the Continent, had me, lived here for a spell, then went off. Papa Tam gave me his flute a few years back and said that they'd come back and see me after mama had her fill of the moors...unless my prince would come and sweep me away before then...he he..." Giselle happily explained, almost out of breath near the end of her story.
"My Giselle, that is quite the story indeed! I don't know if I believe half of it, but then again stranger things have happened. You should hear the story about how I met my wife, her shoes, stepmother, fairy godmother, etc." Prince Charming said as he went on to tell Cinderella's story.
"My that is quite the story indeed too! A fairy godmother and pumpkin carriages and all of that sounds so magical indeed! Ah so romantic..." Giselle sighed as she glanced down at him.
"Yeah its pretty romantic alright...until your father and the kingdom insist you produce an heir as soon as possible...and it doesn't happen..." Prince Charming groaned in disgust, throwing his arm over his eyes.
"Oh ha ha Char, don't be so sad, when you groan like that you sound like an old bear! I know what'll cool you off, come let's go for a swim!" Giselle said excitedly.
"A swim?" Charming asked.
"Sure, it's certainly hot enough. Come on, last one in is a rotten goose egg..." Giselle exclaimed, as she reached back and grabbed a vine, then swung out across the pool and dived in feet first.
"Ha ha I guess when you say you want to swim, you do it. Just dive right in, gown and all." Charming laughed as she dove in.
Giselle quickly resurfaced then looked up at him saying "Oh I don't mind about my gown, I'll just have my animal friends help with a new one if needed." Then slightly coy, she said "Come on Char , you don't know what you're missing! Dive in and have a swim."
Finding the whole situation all too irresistible, Prince Charming gave in, kicked off his boots , and dove in after her. The two played and frolicked in the water, though both becoming all too aware of each other. He caught her and gave her a playful kiss on the cheek, but then she dunked him under and swam away, got to shore and started to run off.
"You can't get away from me that easily Giselle!" Charming laughed as he stepped out of the pool and started to chase after her. After a merry chase of hiding behind rocks and trees on the shore, he caught her in a bear hug and she laughed said "I forfeit I forfeit! Ha ha ha"
They laughed and then flopped on the shore to dry off in the sun and eat their picnic of fruit and water. Giselle started combing the tangles from her hair with her fingers and shared pieces of melon with him, while Charming laid there and stared up at the sunlight filtering through the trees.
"Oh that was fun, Giselle! I haven't been swimming in far too long! Thanks for the idea." he said as he relaxed.
Giselle stared down at him and sighed, then on impulse she leaned down and gave him a quick kiss, and simultaneously licked off the melon juice that was dribbling down his chin. It happened so fast , it startled both a bit, and Charming laughed and said "Oh what was that?"
"Oh my true love's kiss...that was a true love's kiss wasn't it? I've been wanting to do that for awhile now." Giselle said shyly, then added "Plus you had melon juice dribbling down your chin, he he."
"Ha ha, Oh really? Sorry to be such a slob." he joked wiping his mouth on his sleeve.
"Oh I don't think you're a slob...Far from it. Hmm so how'd you like the true love's kiss?" she asked, slightly embarrassed.
"Oh I think you can do better than that. Just lean down a bit more. Usually a kiss lasts longer than that..." he said mischievously.
"Oh okay sure...Like this?" Giselle said as she leaned down and pressed her lips to his. This kiss lasted longer than the first, and soon his hand cupped her jaw and their tongues met. Lost in the moment, fulfilling long denied passion, Prince Charming forgot that he was with Giselle and not Cinderella, so he rolled over in the tall grass taking control and soon the kiss progressed even further. When Giselle innocently tugged at his clothing and he lifted her gown, it only felt natural to him.
After some time, they lay back, and Giselle nestled against his chest and sighed "Oh Char that was amazing! That was surely a true love's kiss, I'm certain. Oh Char, I think I lov..."
Prince Charming just stared up at the trees, the realization and guilt of what they had just done came slamming back at him like a ton of bricks. He suddenly got up, righted his clothing, and ran off towards his horse, saying "D-don't say anymore. Uh sorry Giselle, I've got to go."
"Got to go? Oh okay, but I'll miss you. Are you coming back soon?" Giselle asked, pleading in her doe eyes.
"I'd love to, but I've gotta go...I'm sorry..." Charming said as he began to gallop away on his horse.
"Sorry? Being in love means never having to say you're sorry...and I love you Char...goodbye." Giselle whispered as her Prince Charming rode away.
Back at the castle, heavily filled with guilt Charming reconciled with Cinderella. He began paying more attention to her once more, they spent time together, took trips, and was able to salvage their marriage. They began to act again much the same way they had as newlyweds, then by miracle chance an heir was soon on the way for them.