Chapter Twenty-Five
Consciousness began to creep up on Ambrose in the early hours of the morning, and he fought against it, desperate to keep the memory of the dream he had been having fresh in his mind.
My mind, he wondered sleepily, that's right, I have one again.
Ambrose grinned wide at the mere thought of his restoration. This thought also served to chase away the fear that he might forget what he had been dreaming of, and he opened his eyes slowly, examining the ceiling of the room in which he slept. The morning light was leaving vague patterns on the ceiling, but he frowned, suddenly unsure of whose ceiling he was looking at. Then, there was the soft touch of a small hand on his bare chest, and he almost jumped before his looked over to see the peacefully sleeping princess next to him. His heart swelled as he gazed on her pale face. She was smiling in her sleep, and the blanket just barely covered the swell of her backside, exposing her pale skin to the morning light.
"It wasn't a dream," He muttered as he barely touched Azkadellia's cheek with his fingers.
Azkadellia hummed in her sleep, reaching out for him, and without even opening her eyes or waking, she settled her face against his chest, and nestled there contentedly. Ambrose was overjoyed, and silently thanked the heavens that he hadn't been dreaming as his arms closed around the princess. In this position, with his princess so close to him, he finally consciously connected that his happiness had always been intensely tied to her. When they were young, before the terror of the Sorceress, they had often searched each other out for varying innocent reasons. Once Azkadellia had been taken from him, he had sought her out again, feeling with certainty that some unknown evil had befallen her. He remembered his fateful decision to destroy the Sunceeder plans, knowing that with them gone, she would have to find him. He had hoped that being close to her would afford him the ability to devise a rescue plan for her. Instead, his proximity had only cemented his own doom, and he had sacrificed himself to end her torture. He had given up all hope of ever laying eyes on her in this fashion ever again once on the Alchemist's operating table, feeling that for sure, the Sorceress would terminate him after removing his brain. Now, as he breathed in the scent of Azkadellia's hair and held her smooth body against his, he began to quietly devise a way to keep her with him forever more.
Ambrose took Azkadellia's small hand in his and placed a feather-light kiss in her palm. Azkadellia sighed, kissing him on the chest in return.
"Dee," he murmured into hair.
"Hmm?" She replied in a muffled hum.
"There's something I need to do," Ambrose whispered as he slid out from underneath her. Azkadellia shifted and settled into her pillow, peering out at him with curiosity. He was pulling on his pants, and searching for his shirt as she inquired sleepily, "Where are you going?"
Ambrose stopped midway through putting on his shirt and climbed back up into the bed. His shirt was open, and Azkadellia's hands slid inside against the tight muscles of his chest and back, pulling him close to her when he came close. Ambrose sighed heavily as he kissed her, finding it unbearably difficult to leave her. When he pulled away, he gazed down on her with a smile and replied, "I have to go see a Queen about a marriage proposal."
Azkadellia's eyes, which had been lidded in dazed contentment suddenly became wide, and a blush crept up her face, "Ambrose!" She squeaked.
Ambrose's hand brushed her face as he leaned down to kiss her again. Looking down on her with a smile, he whispered, "Go back to sleep love. I'll be back soon, and then I'll never leave you again."
A bashful smile was on her face as he leaned down once last time to leave a kiss on her forehead. Ambrose rose from the bed now, pulling the blanket over his Princess's shoulders as he straightened. Akadellia had already closed her eyes as he turned away, settling comfortably with the thought of his promise. As a soft sigh escaped her, Ambrose carefully closed the doors to her chamber, and finished changing in the sitting room where he would not disturb her any further. With his brain whizzing so speedily in his head, planning his next ten steps at a dizzying pace, he worried that he might somehow trouble the princess. In his haste, he forgot that he had more cause to recuperate than she, and he thought only of his eagerness to speak with the Queen right away. When he finally emerged from Azkadellia's quarters, he laughed quietly at what his speedy dressing had managed. His usually kempt appearance was more than a little haphazard today; he tucked his shirt in as he sped-walked, and he was forced to stop midstride when he'd discovered that he hadn't even tied his shoes when he'd burst out of her room like an overexcited thoroughbred.
Standing up, Ambrose could not help but grin, for the world outside the long windows of the corridor was bright and the suns gleamed so dazzlingly that they very nearly blinded him. They were not unlike the excitement bubbling over from within him, and he finally moved forward once again, driven to find the Queen and set into motion the long overdue dream that he'd just remembered. He was so consumed that he nearly ran headlong into the Tin Man, who charged around the corner in a rather oblivious frame of mind of his own. Unlike Ambrose, however, his blue eyes had none of their shine that was only accompanied by a pleasant frame of mind, and Ambrose wondered if he'd gotten into an argument with DG for how dour he appeared.
"Hey there, Tin Man, give a former Zipperhead a few days of recovery before you send me back to the medicoats, okay?" Ambrose joked as his hands flew outward and landed on the Tin Man's shoulders, steadying them both from the near collision.
Cain's eyes seemed to roam uncomfortably, and he dropped his shifty demeanor when Ambrose physically stayed him, causing him to sigh heavily and meet the man with an apologetic frown. "Sorry Glitch, guess I didn't see much just now. Got a lot on my mind."
Ambrose dropped his hands from the Tin Man's shoulders and laughed, "You and me both, Tin Man, got to go see a mother about her daughter. What about you?"
Cain scrubbed the back of his neck and grumbled incoherently, replying with a gruff, uncomfortable tone, "Thought I might go spend some time in the workshop. Working with the anvil normally helps me work out the kinks in my head." He sighed again and studied Ambrose carefully before he added in friendly manner, "but I'm real glad to see you up and moving Ambrose – and apparently on another mission. I'd wish you luck, but I think you've got that one in spades. Kind of wish it would rub off on me a little."
Ambrose flashed Cain his most brilliant, dimpled smile, and he shrugged in reply, "Aw shucks, Tin Man, I'm all flustered by your flattery, but we'll see about sharing my luck after I get done with the Queen. Can I come find you later to tell you about it?"
Cain's frown was quickly replaced by a smile, and he nodded while he replied, "You got it, Ambrose." With that, Cain clapped his friend on the shoulder in parting, giving him one last reassuring smile before he tipped his hat and strode away.
Ambrose remained motionless for a moment while the Tin Man marched away, watching his friend disappear down the corridor and out of sight as he pondered what must have troubled the man. A faint smile returned to his face when he happily recalled the last time Wyatt had locked himself within the smithy shop. It hadn't been that long ago, come to think of it, just after DG had had her memories fully restored. If he recalled, the Tin Man had been similarly flustered then, as if his own brain had been glitching and in need of reordering. He hadn't been able to determine then how hitting a hammer repeatedly against an anvil could help, apart from the percussion that rattled him even in memory of its sound, but it had helped the Tin Man for some reason, which was all that mattered. If his friend was this upset now, he concluded, it could only be about DG, and he silently prayed that the two would figure out their issues before Cain's habit caused his newly restored brain to leak out of his ears. A sigh escaped him on behalf of his friend, and he shook his head in Cain's direction as he turned away, determined to continue his course so that he would not be so similarly troubled as the retreating Tin Man.
His path was clear to the throne room now, and he hardly met a solitary soul until he was within steps of his destination. The doors of the Queen's chambers flew open, causing Ambrose to step back in surprise, and he grinned when he was faced with DG. Her expression caused the return of sobriety within the man, and his smile dropped when he noted her near tearful expression as she crumpled a letter in her hand.
"Glitch!' She managed to cry out despite her clear distress, and she nearly toppled him with one of her famous hugs the moment she saw him. "Are you okay? How to do feel? You weren't in your room this morning, you worried me. Where did you go?" She asked at a dizzying rate while she still held him tight, and she only released him to study him carefully, hiding her own trouble by fixing him with a concerned look.
Ambrose only laughed and replied lightheartedly, "Slow down there, Doll. If you go too fast, you might steal my job from me." DG relaxed somewhat and smirked, and Ambrose continued on honestly, "I'm fine really, thanks for asking. I, uh, had someone I needed to see. Now I need to speak with your mother for the same reason."
DG nodded slowly, and a look of delight brightened her otherwise dark countenance, and she giggled when she hugged him again. "Oh, that's awesome news. I'd wish you luck, but I don't think you'll need it. You could always send a little my way though."
Ambrose broke their hug and looked down on his friend with a look of puzzlement, asking carefully, "Why's that, Doll? Not going to go poke at the Tin Man, are you? Cause you'll need more than luck for that. You might want a shielding spell and a bottle of fire whiskey instead."
DG chewed on her lip while she looked down on the letter in her hand, and she grumbled, "I was afraid of that, but it can't be helped. If I don't get this straightened out, mother says she won't be able to stop the suitors from coming. Something about counsel protocol."
Ambrose nodded in understanding and shrugged, "Well then, I wish you luck, Princess. You're going to need it I think."
Despite her troubled expression returning, DG's blue eyes sparkled at her friend, and she pounced on him with one last hug. "I'm so glad you're okay," She whispered in his ear before she pulled away, and she smiled sweetly before she turned and walked down the hall with her guard in tow.
"History sure loves repeating itself," Glitch muttered under his breath as he watched DG walk away, considering with mild amusement that this was the second time in the past few moments that he'd been in this position.
His mouth screwed into a thoughtful frown with this realization, and while he stood motionless, considering once again the conundrum of Cain and DG, his eyes became unfocused and faraway. It seemed that he had stumbled into some kind of dispute between the pair, and despite knowing that Cain and DG were just as in love as he and Azkadellia were, there seemed to be an unnecessary number of roadblocks between them. It was a simple problem for Ambrose, at least, that was easily solved by talking to Azkadellia's mother, and he wondered why Cain could not do the same. Certainly, the man must have known that Lavender Gale of approved of him, otherwise there would not have been any reason to allow his continued proximity to her daughter, but Cain was a hard-headed type, and constantly flinched at shadows as a function of his job. These same shadows had followed him into his personal life, it seemed, making him see problems where none existed. For DG's sake, Ambrose prayed that Cain's vision would clear somehow, and make the way clear for the two of them to come together. For now, however, he saved most of his optimism for himself, and he grinned wide at the Queen's guards, who'd stood silently by, watching him covertly as he loitered in the hall.
Ambrose brushed invisible dust off the front of his shirt, and ran his fingers through his curls, attempting in vain to tame the locks and make him appear less unkempt. The guards only smiled and shook their heads, causing him to huff as he stepped forward, and he grumbled jokingly when he stopped before them, "Had to try anyway. I guess once a zipperhead, always a zipperhead."
The guard closest to him chuckled and he replied in a friendly tone, "She's been expecting you, Lord Sewel, and I don't think she'll be too worried about your appearance as long as you show up anyway."
Ambrose let out a relieved sigh with this kind comment, and he waited a moment longer while the same guard slid inside the throne room to announce him. In just a moment after the guard disappeared behind the double doors, he reappeared and waved the Advisor through as he and his cohort opened the doors wide. "Good luck sir," the other man whispered with a smile as Ambrose stepped past.
It really was no shock to Ambrose that the guards already seemed to know his intentions. He'd always said, both as Ambrose and Glitch, that if you wanted to know what was really going on within the palace, you should ask the staff. By this time, the entire palace staff probably knew about his late-night dalliance with Azkadellia, and about what he intended to do next, despite not having shouted it from the rooftops before appearing here. So, when the guards expressed their support, Ambrose only grinned, hoping that their positivity was a sign of what was to come within those doors.
Once Ambrose had stepped through the double doors, they were quietly closed behind him, and he paused briefly to consider the monarch ahead of him. She'd been sitting on her dais, sipping tea while she read a report in her free hand. Normally, he would have been the one handing her the reports but being that he was supposed to be languishing in the recovery ward presently, it was only fair that one of his lieutenants should take over. When Ambrose had been announced, this young cohort of his had been ushered away, leaving only Ambrose and the Queen within the throne room. Clearly, the Queen wanted to speak with him alone, and he gulped nervously at the prospect.
Glitch's concern was hardly founded, for when the Queen looked up to see him standing just inside the doors, her face brightened with a brilliant smile, and she popped from her seat to rush forward. When she reached him, she grasped his hands in hers and gushed. "My dear Ambrose," She exclaimed with a breathy smile, "where have you been?"
"Majesty?" Ambrose inquired, allowing himself to be guided over to the dais where the Queen sat once more. He smiled as a blush rose in his face, and he explained poorly, "Oh, I apologize Majesty. I woke up feeling quite refreshed late last night, and I left the medical ward to take care of some important matters."
He braved a glance in the Queen's direction. She was looking on him with some interest, and a humored smile was peeking out at the edges of her mouth. "And were you able to attend to those matters?" She asked in a humored lilt, while her slender hands not unlike Azkadellia's folded neatly in her lap.
Ambrose felt at ease as the smile on the Queen's face widened and her eyes sparkled warmly. Ambrose could not help but return her smile, and he nodded while clearing his throat ever so slightly, and he replied, "Yes ma'am, but there's one final item that I require your assistance with, if you'd be so kind to hear my plea?"
The Queen straightened up at this and her eyebrows raised in slight surprise while she asked falsely, "Oh?"
The warmth in her eyes did not fade, but the smile did as Ambrose's demeanor became more serious. Ambrose was nervous, and he had great difficulty hiding it under the warm gaze of his Queen. His love for the Queen was almost as great as his love for her daughter, and he feared her rejection almost as much as he feared losing the warmth of his Princess again. The thought of Azkadellia gave him courage, however, and he took a deep breath before he looked back up into the lavender eyes of the Queen, his own eyes serious and pleading.
"Your Majesty. I'm in love, and I think I'd like to get married." He blurted out, eyes darting downward as he spoke.
"Oh, Ambrose, that's wonderful! When did this happen?" The Queen exclaimed.
Ambrose stopped her, his demeanor still serious, "I suspect that I've always loved her, your Majesty, I just didn't remember how much until my brain was restored." He glanced up at the Queen nervously, searching to see if she had guessed his meaning.
The Queen did not seem phased, and inquired kindly instead, "And Azkadellia, how does she feel?"
Ambrose forgot himself, and answered without any thought, "She says she loves me as well." As he uttered this sentence, his eyes widened, and he turned to the Queen in shock, "Wait, you knew? When? How?"
The Queen laughed merrily and shook her head, and pausing only to breathe before she replied, "Oh, my dear Ambrose. A woman knows these things, and so too does a mother. There have been so many things I have wanted to tell you, but I just didn't feel that it was my place to say anything, not while you and Azkadellia had so much healing to do, and you had no memories of us before you were taken. If it hadn't been for the Sorceress, I might have actually suggested your courting Azkadellia once she came of age, but we both know how that changed."
Ambrose was still in shock and smiled nervously as the Queen spoke. Looking back on growing up within the walls of the palace, as he now could do with startling clarity, it should not have surprised him that the Queen already suspected what was in his heart. After all, the Queen had been his mother in many ways, caring for him in much the same way as she did her own daughters. When he skinned his knee or had a disagreement with his father, one of Queen's dearest friends and confidantes, it was her that he'd run to. When Azkadellia had broken his heart the first time, not long before she sued for liberation from her mother and the meddling of the counsel, he'd confided in her only to learn the horrible truth. That was all in the past now, and he shook the memories away and grinned while his heart fluttered happily in his chest.
Words seemed to escape the dear advisor that stood before her, and while Ambrose grinned boyishly, he also gulped hard when his eyes stopped on hers. The Queen could see that she would have to put him at ease, so she rose from her seat and approached him, speaking in a low, kind tone as she took his hand in hers, "Ambrose, my dear, you have my permission to ask her for her hand, if that is what you wish."
Ambrose's heart soared, and he could not help the wide grin that split his face. The blush on his cheeks deepened around his dimples, and he almost jumped up in joy. Instead, he returned the Queen's grasp on his hand and placed a grateful kiss on her knuckles. "Thank you, your Majesty," he gushed, still grasping her hand in adoration.
The Queen released his hand and gently ran her small hand along his cheek. Happiness seemed to overflow from her eyes as she replied, "Oh, my dear boy. I am overjoyed to welcome you into my family at last. Now go and give Azkadellia my love. We shall discuss announcing your engagement soon. Perhaps at the Emerald Ball that is to happen soon."
Ambrose had not, in truth, heard much else after the Queen had granted his wish. Had he been able to choose his method of announcement, he would have much rather shouted it from the rooftops, but as it was, he only wanted to return to his princess. So, when the Queen released him, he grinned and nodded before bowing graciously. As slow and sweeping as his bow had been, his turn to depart was quite the opposite. He nearly bounced as he departed, causing the Queen to stifle an amused giggle, for he was barely able to contain the happiness that swelled in his chest.
Ambrose felt as if he was flying as he made his way down the long corridors to Azkadellia, and this airy feeling so purveyed that he felt a bit more like Glitch; his mind wandering contentedly while a near manic smile brightened his face. Despite having come full circle in his life, from his post to his love life, he could not be in any way angry or disappointed with the trials he'd endured along the way. Although he'd always been a dreamer, living as Ambrose and being without a family of his own for so long had imbued him with a sense of cynicism not unlike Cain. Having had his brain removed had been somewhat of a blessing, for it allowed him the opportunity to traverse the world with a fresh set of eyes, as it were. In many ways, he had reconnected with the part of him that he'd thought lost as Ambrose; Glitch was bright-eyed and optimistic and had a knack for instinct and empathy. The reunion of Ambrose and Glitch had resulted in the man having a healthier outlook overall on many things, and without it, he wasn't sure that he could be the man that Azkadellia deserved.
Azkadellia, he sighed happily. For all her bravery and bravado, she was a gentle and kind woman, who needed love and compassion more than anything else. Their reunion had been full of passion and thinking of it lit a spark within Ambrose that burned in his eyes and made his chest puff out, but it would not have happened had he been demanding in any way. It had occurred to him then, and returned to his mind now, that although he may have been almost thankful for his experiences of the past fifteen annuals, she was not. Her imprisonment had nearly broken her, as the Sorceress had threatened, and so the qualities found in Glitch acted as a badly needed salve on the princess's psyche. After so much pain and darkness, she could only re-emerge and flourish with the assistance of someone displaying such emotional honesty that she felt safe enough to do the same. Without it, her own soul would wither and shrink. Fortunately, that had not happened, and if Ambrose had his way, it would not ever.
Achieving his goals with Azkadellia was as effortless as ever it seemed, especially now that the obstacles thrown up by his condition no longer mattered. He was grateful for this, especially after having born witness to the sparring between Cain and DG in the past annual. Glitch shook his head thoughtfully at this recollection, and he wondered if there was anything to be done to assist in that department.
"Someone really ought to go knock some sense into him before he loses her. She might be sweet, but she's not so great in the patience department," Glitch muttered thoughtfully.
Sense. Logic. Cynicism. These were the qualities that defined Ambrose after his heart had been broken so many annuals ago. By the time the Sorceress had managed to capture him, those qualities had so overridden anything else that the only other characteristics of his nature that could outdo them were determination and shear willpower. In many ways, he was not so unlike Cain at that point in his life, and he wondered now what it would take for Cain to be similarly mended.
"Hopefully not brain surgery," Glitch scoffed darkly.
Glitch shook his head. Surgery was certainly not the answer, but something would have to happen soon to open the man's eyes, or he would unwittingly undo all the progress he'd made in the past annual. Clearly, Cain was head over heels in love with DG, and she him, but for some reason, he'd clearly shied away from taking it to the next level. This puzzled Ambrose, for as a man in love himself, he hadn't wanted to wait. Not for a second. Besides this, Cain was generally a man of action, but his behavior so far was decidedly not, and reeked of cowardice. The Queen clearly approved of him and was only waiting for him to speak his mind, eager herself to see her daughters happily united with their true loves, but he hadn't seen it that way apparently.
Glitch sighed as he drew near to Azkadellia's quarters. "By Ozma's will, I pray he opens his eyes soon, or DG will do something drastic. I'm sure of it," Ambrose murmured in closing, finishing his thought quickly as he came within sight of the princess's guard.
Jeb Cain only nodded, and a faint smirk appeared on his face as he opened the door for Ambrose to step through. "Good morning Sir," Jeb greeted him formally, while the trademark Cain glint sparkled in his eyes.
Ambrose paused at the door and turned to face the young man, fixing him with a nearly serious expression. "Name's Glitch. Or Ambrose. But you're family by way of your father Jeb, so it won't ever be sir." Ambrose corrected the young man.
Jeb's eyes widened by a degree, and his smirk turned into a bright smile. When he spoke next, he nodded and replied, "Got it Ambrose."
Ambrose grinned back and clapped the young man on the shoulder before he turned and closed the door behind him. That dimpled smile was firmly rooted on his face, and happiness was shooting from his eyes as he turned to face the room and his princess. It truly was a beautiful day; the kind where you might actually find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow if you were lucky enough. Ambrose thought, maybe, just maybe he was just that lucky.