Justifies the Beans
By angellwings
CHAPTER SEVEN
"But then what if he knew who you were when you know that you're not what he thinks that he wants? But then, what if you are what a prince would envision?"
-Into the Woods, Act I, "The Steps of the Palace"
Joe approached the wardrobe room the next morning to find Stella's wardrobe assistant staring at him in surprise.
"Your Highness," She said with a shaky voice. "Y-you don't have an appointment for today, do you?"
"An appointment?" He asked. "I always come by and talk to Stella. I usually don't need an appointment."
"Oh, but Stella isn't coming in today."
His eyes widened. "She's not? But she never misses work! What happened? Is she all right?"
"As far as I know, she's fine. Her aunt called this morning and said she wouldn't be in."
Joe stomped down the hall to the sitting room the royal family often used for their private moments. Frankie was there playing with his new ball. Joe paced and muttered worriedly. Stella never missed work. She'd once told him someone would have to lock her up and throw away the key for her to miss work.
"Hey, can you go be crazy somewhere else? I'm playing here."
Joe looked up at Frankie and glared at him. "Stella's not here."
Frankie's eyes widened. "That's weird."
"I know! And I need to talk to her about something."
Frankie shrugged. "Just tell her at the ball tonight."
"What?" Joe asked in confusion. "Stella can't come to the ball. Her aunt won't let her."
"What are you talking about? You've been dancing with her every night," Frankie told Joe as if it were obvious.
"What? When?"
"The girl with the mask—"
"That's not Stella."
"Yes, it is. I should know. I sent her the dress."
"You sent Stella a dress?" Joe asked his youngest brother in disbelief.
"I was sick of seeing you and her being all gooey and weird without either of you saying anything. I thought she was going to be at the ball and you two would work it out then, but then I found out she gave away her dress so I sent her one. You mean you didn't know it was her?"
Joe didn't answer him. He was all ready on his way to the stables to get his horse. He needed to talk to Stella now more than ever.
Amy's brow furrowed as Joe ran through the gardens to the stables. She turned to Nick. "Where's he going?"
Nick shrugged. "No idea. I never really know."
Amy laughed. "I see."
"He's definitely in a hurry though which means whatever it is has to do with Stella."
Amy smiled warmly and turned back to Nick. "He and Stella have a complicated relationship, don't they?"
Nick smirked. "That's an understatement."
He motioned to a nearby bench in front of a bed of lilacs, and she nodded. She let go of his arm for a split second to sit down, and Nick couldn't believe how the lack of contact affected him. He sat down next to her and felt a tingle in his arm when she looped her arm through his again.
Amy had never really been able to have contact like this. She was enjoying it. The most Tanta had ever done was play with her hair or pat her shoulder. Nick didn't seem to want to touch very many people but yet he'd never had a problem holding her hand or placing a hand on her back. Amy liked that he sincerely wanted contact with her. It made her feel special and safe.
"This garden is so beautiful," She said with a smile as she admired the lilacs.
"It's one of my favorite parts of the castle," Nick told her.
"Growing up with a garden like this must have been wonderful. I always wanted a garden. Tanta planted one below my tower so that I could admire it when I looked down, but it wasn't nearly enough," Amy told him. "But this…this is breathtaking. Thank you for bringing me here."
He grinned at her in amusement. "You were here yesterday, weren't you? With Carl?"
"Yes, but…it feels different being here with you. Everything seems brighter."
"I know what you mean," Nick said as he brought his other hand over to cover the hand she'd rested on the inside of his arm.
"Nick?" Amy asked hesitantly. Sitting here with him was wonderful, but something was worrying her. She'd been here a few days now. Tanta had to be close to finding her.
"Hm?" He asked as his eyes met hers.
"Have you thought about what we're going to do when…"
"When what?" Nick asked curiously.
"When she finds us?"
"She won't."
"Nick," Amy asked in a scolding tone. "She will. You know she will."
Nick sighed and squeezed her hand. "Can we just take it a day at a time and worry about that when it happens?"
"Just because you don't want to think about it doesn't mean we shouldn't plan for it," She told him. "You know that."
"I can promise you, Amy, that no matter what happens you're not going back in that tower," Nick told her. "Isn't that enough?"
"No, Nick it's not because that doesn't guarantee me your safety. I'd rather be stuck in that tower for the rest of my life than have anything happen to you."
He sighed again. "I'd rather have something happen to me than know that you're stuck in that tower for all eternity."
She nodded. "Then we just have to work it out to where you're alive and I'm on the ground."
He grinned at her. "You make it sound so simple."
"It is simple. You don't pull any dumb heroics and I won't let her put me back in that tower," Amy said with a small smile.
Nick smiled at her and leaned forward to kiss her cheek gently. "Deal."
"I'm serious, though Nick. No heroics. I don't want her to make you disappear like she, apparently, made my father disappear."
"I'm not going to disappear," He told her comfortingly.
"You have to promise. Promise me now that you won't disappear," Amy said as she looked at him pleadingly.
He was surprised at the desperation in her voice and the tears that shone in her eyes. He cupped her face and pulled her close. "Amy, I'm not going anywhere. I promise. I'm always going to be right here. With you."
She nodded and her breathing slowed. She buried her head in his chest. "You don't always have to be with me, but, you know, most of the time would be good."
He could hear the playful smirk in her voice and he laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Really, Nick. No dumb heroics, promise?"
She could feel him tensing and wasn't surprised when he groaned in frustration. "What do you want me to do Amy? Just let her take you?"
"If it keeps you from getting yourself killed? Yes."
"I'm sorry, I can't do that."
She smiled softly and pulled away to look Nick in the eye. "I'm not saying you let her keep me."
His brow furrowed. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I want you to take a step back and formulate a smart plan. I don't want you winging it. Just…have a strategy. That's all I want. Promise?"
He stared at her thoughtfully for a moment before answering. "I promise. I don't like it, but I promise."
"You don't have to like it," she told him. "You just have to do it."
He grinned at her and shook his head. "You are one strange girl."
"And don't you forget it," Amy said with a smirk and a wink.
"I don't think I could even if I wanted to," Nick said as he leaned closer. Amy smiled just before his lips touched hers. She wanted to savor every moment she had with Nick. She didn't know how many of them she had left.
Kevin finally made it inside the giant's castle. It took him forever to find a big enough hole in the back door. He could hear the snoring from the moment he entered. The giant was taking a nap. Now the question was: what did he do with Macy?
He walked into the room where the snoring was coming from and glanced around.
He spotted a small cage on top of the fireplace mantle and inside was a very unhappy looking Macy. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her brow was furrowed as she glared at the large sleeping giant. Kevin noticed her mouth was gagged with a torn piece of cloth.
He stared up the height of the mantle. How was he going to get up there? It was possible to climb it. He could see a few places where he could find some footholds, but it definitely wasn't completely safe.
Macy spotted him as he began to climb. Her eyes widened and she frantically shook her head at him. He ignored her. He'd been doing really well. He was halfway up and had yet to have any problems. He had to keep himself from looking down. Heights were not his strong suit neither was climbing for that matter. Nick had always been the one that was good at climbing.
He moved his foot to the next foothold but couldn't quite reach it, and once he did reach it he had trouble propelling himself upwards. At least when he'd been climbing the beanstalk it had felt like a ladder. It was much easier to climb than this smooth, carved mantle. A muffled yelp came from Macy when he nearly slipped, and the sound seemed to make Kevin more determined to make it to the top.
When his hand finally reached the flat top of the mantle he sighed in relief. He pulled himself upward and then jogged the rest of the way to Macy. The cage had a very simple latch, and Kevin pushed the latch to the side and opened the door. Macy was glaring at him, and he was almost afraid to remove the gag. But he couldn't stand the idea of Macy being silenced and untied the gag. She hugged him tightly before pulling away and smacking him.
"Are you crazy?" She asked in a quiet whisper. "You could have fallen to your death!"
He quirked an eyebrow at her. "You didn't seem concerned with that when we were climbing the beanstalk."
"Yes, because I was with you and I wouldn't have let you miss a foothold! And because then I had no idea that you were the future king. If I'd known that I wouldn't have egged you into coming."
He squinted at her. "Is that why you shoved me out of the way and let the giant get you?"
"Yes!" She yelled. Kevin shushed her when the giant stirred and her tone became quieter. "I can't be responsible for the death of the crown prince!"
"What? So, to keep that from happening you sacrificed yourself to a giant? Macy, that's insane," Kevin told her with a sigh. The giant stirred again and Kevin felt panic rising in his chest. "We need to get out of here. We'll talk about this more later."
"Of course, your highness," She sneered.
Kevin glared at her, and hoped that told her how he felt about that particular title. Without another word they both started down. Kevin sighed in relief when his feet touched the floor. Macy foot slipped on the last foothold and she almost fell, but Kevin caught her before she hit the floor.
Their faces hovered over each other's for several moments. He was mad at Macy and frustrated with her, but still he couldn't stop himself from wanting to kiss her. This was no where near the right time or place, but he was seriously considering closing the distance between them. It looked as if Macy was considering it too before a sadness he'd never seen in her flashed across her eyes. She pried herself out of his arms and ran ahead.
Kevin quickly chased after her. He didn't understand it. Why was she acting so odd? He'd been prepared for a lot of reactions to his title, but he'd never thought she'd be like this.
Kevin stumbled when his foot caught on the corner of a chair. He hit the ground with a yelp, and the giant's eyes slowly opened. Macy gasped and came back for him. She helped Kevin up and then the two of them kept running. As they reached the edge of the room the giant spotted the empty cage.
That was the last time either Kevin or Macy looked back. They just kept running. The giant would no doubt be following them, and neither one of them wanted to know how close he was to catching up. They cold feel the ground shaking behind them so they knew the giant was close. Kevin took the lead and led the way back to the beanstalk.
Macy nearly cried out in relief when she spotted the leafy green top of the beanstalk poking out of the ground. Kevin started down first and Macy immediately followed him. Hopefully they would reach the ground before the giant caught up with them.
Joe tied his horse off to a post outside of Stella's aunt's boarding house. He'd only stopped once since he left the castle, and that was for an exceptional reason. (There was a very large beanstalk growing in the center of the town. He had to stop.) He took the steps leading up to the building two at a time and knocked loudly on the door.
"Oh," Stella's aunt said in surprise when she saw him. "Your highness, I'm afraid Stella's not feeling well today."
Joe glared at her suspiciously. "I'd like to hear that from her if you don't mind."
"I'm afraid that would be a very bad idea. She might be contagious and we wouldn't want the royal family getting sick, now would we?" She asked in a sickeningly sweet tone.
"Ma'am, let me through. I'm here to see Stella, and I'm not leaving until I do."
The aunt glared at him analytically for a moment, and Joe sighed. "I can push past you or you can move out of my way. Either way I'll be getting through this door."
She narrowed her eyes at him angrily but stood aside. Joe mumbled a thank you before asking which room belonged to Stella.
"Turn the corner, first door on your right," the woman sighed. She handed him a key. "You'll need that."
Joe glared at her. "You locked her in her room?"
She glared right back. "I was protecting her."
"From what?" Joe asked angrily. He didn't bother waiting for an answer. He sprinted around the corner and unlocked the door. He knocked before opening it. "Stella?"
He found Stella staring at him with wide eyes. She was standing in front of something as if she were trying to hide it from his view, but he could see it. He recognized it too. The pink dress. The dress that belonged to his 'mystery girl'.
"Joe!" She yelled in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"You didn't come in to work today. I was worried," He told her. "It's a good thing too."
"I-I wasn't feeling well this morning."
Joe gave her a look that clearly said he wasn't convinced. "If that was the case I don't think your aunt would have locked your door."
"Joe…"
"Stella," He said as he stepped closer. "What's really going on here? And you can stop trying to hide the dress. I can see it."
"What?" She asked in surprise.
"I know, Stella. I know that you're the mystery girl. I should have figured it out sooner, but, well, you know me…sometimes I can be a tad bit—"
"Oblivious?" Stella asked him with a grin.
"I was going to say dense, but that works too. Anyway, today when you didn't show up I-I was really worried. I thought something terrible had happened to you, and I was telling all of this to Frankie and…well he ended up telling me you were the mystery girl."
"How did he know?" Stella asked in shock.
Joe chuckled. "Get this, he sent you the dress."
Stella's eyes widened. "Frankie? Little Frankie? He sent me the dress?"
"He thought if you were at the ball then…"
"Then what?" Stella asked curiously.
"Something would happen between us."
There was silence for a moment before Joe spoke up again. "You never explained why you were locked in your room."
"She caught me coming home last night. Now I'm essentially under house arrest for breaking the rules," Stella sighed.
"Last night, I still can't believe…that means last night I was talking to you about how I felt about you."
Stella blushed and nodded.
"I don't understand, Stella," Joe said with a sigh. "Why didn't you just come as yourself? Why bother with the mask?"
"I wanted to prove to you that I was a girl. I wanted you to see me without this vision of 'your friend Stella' getting in the way. But then after that I was afraid. Afraid that you would find out who I was and…laugh or scoff or something. I thought—"
"You thought I would be disappointed. I remember you saying that last night," Joe said thoughtfully. "But I'm not. I'm far from disappointed. I'm…relieved."
"You are?" Stella asked.
"Yes! Stella, you're so much better than any other girl I've ever met. Sometimes…I feel like you're so much better than me—"
"Stop," Stella said sternly. "You said that last night. Explain."
He sighed. "I'm a selfish coward who's never going to have anything more than the title I was born with. I-I don't deserve you. You should be with someone who's going to do great things and—"
"No."
"No?"
"No to all of what you just said. You're not a selfish coward. Sure, sometimes you have your selfish moments and maybe you don't speak up as often as you should, but that doesn't make you a selfish coward. That makes you human."
"But—"
"I'm not finished. What do you mean you're not going to do great things? You're going to help rule our home. I think that's pretty 'great', and yes you may have been born with your title but you were never happy with that. You've always wanted to earn it, to deserve it. And I think you do. You deserve all of it."
He smiled. "Even you?"
She smirked. "Even me."
Stella crossed the little bit of distance left between them. She wrapped her arms around Joe's neck, and his arms instinctively went around her waist. She pressed her lips to his softly and pulled away. She smirked and brought her arms down. Just as Stella expected Joe refused to let go of her waist.
"That's it?" He asked.
Stella chuckled. "I thought I'd leave that up to you."
His hands left her waist and cupped either side of her face. "Then we're not finished yet."
Joe brought his lips down to meet hers once again, but this kiss was more intense. Her hands worked their way up and rested on his chest, and his hands moved from her face to the small of her back. He pulled her as close as he could and deepened the kiss. Stella was fairly certain she was dreaming. She'd been wanting Joe to kiss her for the longest time but she never once thought it would actually happen.
