"Your Majesty?"
Candy let out a groan as she opened her eyes to see that she was in her royal bedchamber. Captain Baker—ever the loyal soldier—was standing nearby. He was the one who had awakened her.
"Oh, Captain. I just had a horrible dream that Prince Edward murdered my husband and that my daughter was pregnant with my grandchild and married to a commoner!"
"That wasn't a dream, Your Majesty. You fainted when Princess Nicolette told you the news."
The queen froze for half a second, then sighed.
"How is my daughter?"
"Currently, she and her husband are heading to the edge of town to retrieve his family. They will be brought to the castle for you to meet, including his parents and sister."
"Good to know." Candy got out of her bed. "I'll be down in the throne room in a matter of minutes. I'd like you to lock up Prince Edward and his two companions for the time being."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Candy dressed herself as soon as Captain Baker was gone, then looked up at the portrait that hung on the wall. It was the royal family as they had been when William was alive—happy and whole. She noticed there were smudges of dirt on her daughter's cheeks in the portrait and remembered with a pang how much of a tomboy Nikki had been as a child. They'd sent her away to crush it out of her, but obviously that had failed.
And she was glad it had.
You are the queen of one of the richest kingdoms in the world. You turned a blind eye to a man trying to weasel his way into your land and your daughter took a stand for her freedom. Because of that stand, you are alive. Your kingdom is alive. You have a son and a grandchild on the way. Your husband's murderer has been caught.
Thank God for Nicolette being one stubborn little bitch.
"Kami, take a letter." The scribe/storyteller-in-training fumbled with her parchment and quill pen as the queen entered the throne room. " 'Dear King Edward Louis Thomas Pikeman the Third of Woodland. Due to recent revelations and events within the kingdom of Lilac, I find that I must end our arrangement. Your son has committed grave crimes against our land and must be punished accordingly. This is not an act of war, but rather, a response to treason. I await your reply. Sincerely, Queen Candice Elizabeth de Gardenia-Morrison.' "
Kami nodded and finished writing the letter.
"Should I call for a messenger, Your Majesty?" she asked, nervously pushing her bangs out of her eyes.
"Yes. Send it as soon as possible. I want him to know what his son did and that we're not gonna stand for it."
"Yes, Your Majesty." A messenger dashed into the room and Kami handed him the letter.
"That will be all, Kami. Please return to Master Hendrickson."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Kami curtsied and ran out of the room.
"Your Majesty?" Captain Baker called, entering as the eighteen-year-old girl exited. "The Greene family is here, along with your daughter. Shall I show them in?"
"Show them to the guest rooms."
"There's something else, Your Majesty—among them is Rosemary's birth father."
"Him you may put in the servant's quarters. Otherwise they are to be respected in this castle."
Lizzie ran from the door to the bed in the center, her violet eyes shining excitedly.
"It's so big!" she squealed to Max and Nikki. David and Gwen started laughing at their daughter's spirit.
"Lady Elizabeth appears to be settling in," Captain Baker stated, standing behind the adults. "Allow me to show you to your rooms. His Highness, Prince Maximillian, is staying with his wife."
"Damn right I am," Max agreed.
Gwen, David, and Jaspar were shown to their rooms. Afterwards, a message was brought to each of them—the queen wanted the whole family at dinner with her that night. That included the recent arrivals from the outside. Max honestly felt kind of nervous. After all, most of his interactions with his mother-in-law had been… less than positive. Then again, the phrase 'mother-in-law from Hell' existed for a reason.
"It'll be fine, Max," Nikki assured him as they walked down to the dining room.
"I'm just hoping your mom doesn't lock me up again."
"She won't. Trust me."
They entered the room to see David, Jaspar, Gwen, and Lizzie already seated at the table with Candy. Max and Nikki took their seats and the food was brought out.
"So, you're a minstrel?" Candy asked David.
"Y-yes, Your Majesty. And my wife is a writer." Gwen stiffened.
"A female writer? There aren't many. Our dear storytellin' master, Hendrickson, has a female apprentice. Unfortunately, he doesn't trust her with much, so she's more like my personal scribe at the moment. How long have you two been married?"
"Seven years, Your Majesty," Gwen replied.
"Please, stop with the formalities. We're family now."
"Yes, ma'am."
Now that they were less formal and more casual, conversation flowed easily between them. Candy was proud that these were the people who had cared for and kept her daughter out of trouble for three months—something that was no easy feat. Guards had tried and failed for years where these people had succeeded, and she was proud to be a member of their family.
"Your Majesty!"
She turned to see Kami running into the room, a paper in her hand.
"A messenger from King Edward just sent this," she panted, handing it to the queen. Candy began to read it.
Dear Queen Candice Elizabeth de Gardenia-Morrison of Lilac,
We had a deal. Your daughter marries my son and I don't wage war on Lilac. It's a simple thing, and you still managed to screw it up. Not only have you canceled the wedding, but you've imprisoned my son accusing him of treason. This is an act of war, Your Majesty, but I am willing to discuss matters with you. Hold off on my son's execution and I will visit Lilac in three months' time to have this discussion.
I await your response.
Sincerely,
King Edward Louis Thomas Pikeman III of Woodland.
She lowered the paper, her joyful mood evaporating.
"I demand to know the meaning of this!"
Captain Baker sighed as Edward screamed at him from his cell.
"It's like I told you when you were imprisoned in the first place—you are accused of treason against the kingdom of Lilac, so you are being held until your trial and execution. Not to mention your assault on the prince and princess."
"There is no prince!"
"As of a few hours ago, Princess Nicolette's marriage has been recognized as legal and legitimate. A marriage certificate and witness testimony confirmed it."
"W-what?!"
"You attempted to sexually assault the princess and you were the one who attacked both of them before bringing them back to the castle. That is assault."
"My father will hear of this!"
"A letter has already been sent by Queen Candy. Your father has been made aware."
Edward let out a growl.
That damn peasant! He'll pay for this…
Neil let out a sigh as he faced the drawbridge.
Nikki had stopped by earlier with Max and let them know that the Quarter-Minister had managed to convince Queen Candy that their marriage was legitimate. That meant it was safe for Neil to return to the castle, and he'd decided to let Nerris and Harrison come with him.
The bridge came down, allowing the three to cross into the courtyard. Servants were walking around in apparent good moods, going about their daily business.
"This isn't a good idea," Nerris sighed to Neil.
"You're the one who trapped the Children of Zeemug and saved Nikki from dying by their hands! The queen tends to favor people who risk their lives for her daughter."
"I hope you're right, but just in case…" She held up a small bottle. "I have my escape route."
"Will it cause a fire?"
"No, but it'll allow me to travel back to Sleepy Peak at a moment's notice."
"Neil! Nerris! Harrison!"
They turned to see Nikki running towards them at full-force, Max not far behind her. He looked like he was doing much better than in the dungeon. The princess knocked all three of them to the ground, Nerris making sure her bottle didn't break.
"Welcome to the castle!" the princess squealed, letting them up as her husband helped her to her feet.
"You can't be doing this in your condition!" Neil protested. Nikki let out a deep breath.
"Gwen said I don't really have to be careful for a little while longer. She would know; she was pregnant a couple of years ago."
"Yes, but there are all kinds of risks!"
"Oh, be quiet, Neil. I'm just happy I'm not marrying Prince Edward today!" She hugged Max and the normally tough-acting guy seemed to melt like butter on a hot pan.
"You two are a ridiculously cute couple!" Nerris complimented, a smile on her face. "At least now you can be together peacefully."
"Until the king of Woodland decides to declare war, that is," Max told them. "If that happens, we're first on the hit list."
The sorceress stiffened, looking uncomfortable.
"War?"
"That's why the wedding was put in place—to prevent him from declaring war. Now that the wedding's off, he's looking to fight." He kicked at the cobblestones. "Fucker. He needs to get over himself and accept that Candy chose William over him."
"That's why he's threatening war?!" snorted Neil. "For something that stupid?!"
"And because we locked up his son for treason."
"Right. Killing the king of another kingdom is an act of treason."
Max rolled his eyes.
Fear was not a feeling men of his status were meant to have.
To admit to fear was to be a coward. He'd been taught that since birth. If something made you fearful, get rid of it. That was the way to be brave and not a coward. Women were meant to be fearful and submissive to the brave and domineering men. The way of the world, he'd been taught.
And yet…
Princess Nicolette was neither fearful nor submissive. She had more strength in her than he'd had in his entire life. This was the woman who had stood up to him more times than he cared to think about. He'd taken away her father, which only made her more determined to see him brought down.
Don't be afraid. Fear is for the weak.
He was afraid. For the first time in his life, he felt afraid—and of a woman, at that.
She was strong, brave, and steadfast in her beliefs. He was weak, cowardly, and changed with the tide. She'd chosen a life of love and happiness over riches. He'd chosen a life that had led him to being imprisoned. She'd fallen in love and married that person. He'd lost the girl he'd loved because he was a coward. She had no fear of disappointing her family. He dreaded that moment. She still had her freedom. He was locked in a cell.
They were two sides of the same coin.
I don't want to feel afraid.
He'd committed an act of treason—one that could easily lead to his execution. One decision six years earlier had started a ripple effect. He'd thought that it could never be traced back to him, that nobody would ever figure it out.
And somehow, Nicolette had.
Sitting in his cell now, he felt oddly peaceful. He now knew his fate; he would die in a foreign land for committing a grievous offense to the kingdom. It was that cut and dry. Even if nobody believed he killed the king, he'd be tried for attempting to rape the princess and attacking her and her husband. The trial, he'd heard from Captain Baker, had been delayed. His father was coming to Lilac to discuss it with the queen.
He knew he would never be free again.
He'd given up that right when he'd slipped the poison into King William's wine six years earlier.
And that was when Prince Edward was made aware of his own mortality.
"Time to get up, Your Highnesses!"
Max hugged Nikki tighter to him as Lucy called out.
"There's a lot to be done today! We need both of you up, up, up!"
"She's not going to shut up until we get up," Nikki mumbled.
"Is there any days she doesn't do this shit?" Max muttered. Nikki sighed.
"Lucy, we need a minute, please."
"You're already pregnant, ma'am, but I'll go. I'll be back in five minutes."
They listened to her footsteps recede and the door shut behind her. The married couple sat up in bed, relieved to be alone.
"Being royal isn't all it's cracked up to be," Max commented.
"I told you that a long time ago," Nikki giggled. "C'mon. She was serious about coming back."
"Are we ever allowed to be alone?"
"Maybe once all this is over and we don't have to worry about a war."
Reluctantly, Max released his wife and got out of bed. They dressed themselves and Nikki was just finishing up her hair when Lucy came back.
"Breakfast is served downstairs. Her Majesty says the three of you have something to discuss beyond the possible war."
"Oh, God, what is it?" Max groaned.
"I dunno, Your Highness."
As they had for the past couple days, Max and Nikki headed down to the dining room, where they found Queen Candy waiting for them. She had her little scribe by her side—a solidly-built girl with shoulder-length brown hair and glasses that partially obscured her green eyes. Kami—that was her name.
"What did you need to talk to us about?" Nikki asked her mother as they sat down to eat.
"Well, it's about your weddin'."
"What about it?"
"The kingdom was all excited for a royal weddin', and it's a shame they didn't get to see it, so I was thinkin' that maybe the two of you could… get married again?"
"I'm not opposed to that," Max stated with a shrug. "It means people who weren't able to be there last time can be there this time." Nikki nodded in agreement.
"And this time, it won't end with a manhunt or me jumping out a window," the princess giggled.
"Great! Oh, this'll be wonderful!" Candy clapped her hands. "A proper weddin' for my baby!"
"Who's having a baby," Nikki added.
"Oh, gosh! I can't believe I'm gonna be a grandmother… I'm too young!"
"Hey, if it makes you feel better, Gwen's only thirty-two," Max pointed out.
"Hm. Well, until the grandbaby gets here, I have little Lizzie to spoil."
"That's David's job, but you're welcome to."
The day of the 're-marriage' dawned bright and early, the winter chill still making itself known despite the sunshine. The people who'd attended the wedding the first time attended it the second, with Max suggesting that some of them be absorbed into the military to help strengthen it. The ceremony itself went off without a hitch—no runaway brides or bounty hunters or drunk men stumbling into the middle of the ceremony.
A beautiful occasion, all who attended stated.
Afterwards, a grand reception was held in the castle ballroom. Every guest was happy to see that the princess was married through her own will—twice—and this time with rings! That made it a bit more official in the eyes of those who had doubted the legitimacy of the union in the first place.
However, there was one person in attendance with a chip on his shoulder.
He'd been humiliated by the prince and princess, and wanted to make them both pay.
And with that, Jason crept out of Lilac and towards Woodland.