Chapter 23/Epilogue/A Bargain Continues
"He's not anywhere in the castle. Did anyone find him out here yet?" Nurse Aida questions, worriedly rubbing her hands as she looks around the royal garden.
"No," Thang sighs. "I don't understand where he could have gone. I only took my eyes off him for a moment, I swear! Bog was never this much trouble when he was a child!"
"I fear Her Majesty was. We never knew where Young Marianne was if someone wasn't always keeping an eye on her, and now it seems the crown prince has taken after his mother," Nurse Aida laments.
Stuff snorts in amusement from her place leaning against the forest gate's pillar at the resulting whines of dismay from those searching through the dormant greenery for the missing toddler. She easily reaches beside her and shuts the slowly opening gate with a definite bang.
"You know he's too young and you shouldn't encourage him," Stuff chides the forest before turning her attention to the nearby giggling bush. "Don't you think you've worried them long enough, Prince Griswald?"
"Story!" Griswald demands, holding up his hands.
Obeying the twenty-two-month-old's orders, Stuff reaches out to pick up the young prince and settles him on her bare scaley hip before walking through the royal gardens toward the castle. It's hard to restrain her blush at Thang's praise when he notices her with Griswald, but she manages to despite the echoing praise ringing from each of the humans as well.
"What story shall I tell today, hmm? I can tell you about how this castle was once part of the Dark Forest and how Great Fathers from both your bloodlines made an open bargain for fae and human to help protect each other. How about that, little one?" Stuff questions.
"No, no! Mama, Dada!" Griswald giggles.
"Again?! But you heard that story a hundred times!" Stuff groans.
"Again! Again!" Griswald demands.
"Alright," Stuff sighs, plucking twigs out of the mussed auburn hair. "Once upon a time there was a king who lived as a peasant within a small cottage beside the Dark Forest. One day, a bad fairy came…"
"They do not grow there," Griselda scoffs, pointing to another spot in her garden. "That's where they grow."
"They would be better here in this spot where you could see them," Loch argues.
"If they grow there, then they'll block my view of the other flowers once they're at their full height. That's why I plant them over there," Griselda counters. "Who's the one who's been doing this for years? Just do as I say."
Chuckling at her husband's playful complaints as he obediently scatters the seed in the freshly-turned dirt she indicated to through the open window, Griselda turns her attention back to the pie she's making. The blackberries Loch's brother brought back with him from his journey to the goblin market several kingdoms south are large enough that she only needs to use a few handfuls to fill the pie tin and it's not long before she seals the mixture with more dough. It's also not long before a clawed hand reaches around her to grab several of the large fruits from the nearby bowl, while the other clawed hand wraps around her middle to pin her against a chitin-covered torso.
"Those are for dessert," Griselda chides playfully.
"I have a different dessert in mind, my bride," Loch hints, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Now, are we to have dinner alone tonight, or must I suffer with guests?"
"You are a prince, my dear husband," Griselda reminds.
"I've also suffered too many years without you and have no desire to display proper etiquette during the times I wish you to myself," Loch comments.
"Then it's a fortunate thing this pie is for us," Griselda quips.
She doesn't resist when strong arms easily pick her up, only laughing at his frustration when her dress snags on the sharp edges of his grey exoskeleton armor and force him to pause in his intentions so as to free the cloth without tearing it. Some things never changed throughout all their years together.
"Are you going to tell me what His Majesty called you away for this morning?" Griselda asks, scratching the bristly stubble lining Loch's sharp jaw.
"The fairy king finally sent the recompense for his subject's actions," Loch answers.
"It's been two years!" Griselda huffs.
"Apparently, he's been trying to figure out how to get out of paying for the damage. At least Father waited this time and didn't try to hurry him up by having us go there. I probably would have abdicated if I had to go through that torment again. Or maybe I should've just brought you along and watch you beat some sense into those useless creatures' thick skulls, my feisty one," Loch chuckles, nipping lightly at her ear.
"Speaking of useless creatures. Has Plum finally been punished, or is that going to take even longer?" Griselda questions.
"That great oaf didn't have a choice in the matter," Loch remarks. "Sugar Plum interfered with six bargains made by a member of the Dark Forest's royal family, attacked a member of the Dark Forest's royal family, and performed destructive magic within the Dark Forest. All of which justifies a declaration of war, after all. She's already been stripped of magic and banished to the human kingdom their kingdom borders. I know it doesn't sound harsh, but for a fairy, the death given to that false relation of yours would have been more merciful."
"I guess that explains why Plum was so upset about Bog's magic restricting her from leaving this kingdom," Griselda muses before kissing the rough lips in front of her. "Now, didn't you have plans, my dear husband, or are you waiting until your father sends you on another errand?"
Griselda laughs at the answering growl as he carries her to their bedroom, being thankful once more for all the changes that have happened that now allows her husband to stay with her. No more did they have to worry about someone suspecting that he was a goblin should he come to the house during the day. No more did she have to worry about what she said to another in case they should realize the truth and bring her before the royal court for charges of dealing with the fae. No more could anyone, fae or human, say their relationship was of anything less than love.
"Are you completely sure about this, Dawn?" Sunny questions slowly.
"Absolutely," Dawn replies easily, before worrying her hands and eyeing her husband with concern. "What's wrong with it?"
"Oh, nothing is wrong with it! It's a good idea. Honest!" Sunny reassures hastily. "It's just…well…I don't know much about goblins, but the elves that live near my birth kingdom did not like being surprised, even if it is about something they enjoy."
"Daddy?" Dawn questions.
Looking up from the small table he's sitting in front of, Donald gives his youngest daughter a reassuring smile before moving an ivory game piece to another spot, chuckling at his son-in-law's cry of shock. After losing to Marianne, and then to Bog, so many times, he was beginning to think he lost his touch.
"It is a good idea, Dawn. But it might be best to ask Bog first before you make any definite plans," Donald mentions.
"But the surprise is for him and Marianne! It won't be much of a surprise if I ask him if it's alright to invite his father's family to the party we're planning for them," Dawn counters.
"Then how about I go visit the goblin king and ask him if he and his subjects would enjoy a human festivity?" Donald suggests, standing up and adjusting his clothes.
His straightened jacket is immediately rumpled again when Dawn wraps her arms around him while thanking him. She's quick to release him before dashing to his desk to pull out paper and ink to give to Sunny before citing off a list for preparations as she paces the floor.
Donald shakes his head in amusement as he walks further down the corridor from his study, still able to hear Dawn plan the intended party with Sunny making suggestions here and there, knowing most of the preparations will be done by the time he gets back. His daughters had both truly found their equals in their husbands. It gladdened his heart to no end every time either pair displayed their love and perfect compatibleness for each other.
He had worried for his daughters as they grew, wanting so much for them to be happy and to love and be loved. Their mother's affections for them were detached polite at best, and harsh rebukes of proper behavior at worst. His unhappiness as king consort and husband was easy to ignore when his daughters needed someone to love them, to care when they had nightmares, to hold them whenever they cried, and to encourage them whenever they failed. It didn't make the former feelings diminish, but he had made himself content in his supposed fate.
"Where are you off to, Your Highness?" Annabelle questions as he enters the Great Hall.
"Now, none of that, my love. It's Donald to you," Donald chides affectionately.
"Old habits," Annabelle chuckles, adjusting the bundle of cloth within her arms. "Sometimes, this still feels like a dream. A wonderful dream, nonetheless."
"A perfect dream," Donald murmurs, leaning down to kiss the offered lips.
He was fortunate to have daughters who not only found their own loves, but also encouraged him to find his own love as well. Neither sister had let the matter settle once the royal court agreed to remove that foolish law and were as relentless as finding him a bride who loved him as the entire castle had been during that whole matchmaking fiasco after Bog arrived. But like Marianne, he hadn't needed the help to know who such a one it was. He only needed to know it was okay to pursue his heart's desire, to no longer restrain himself for the sake of the one he grew to love.
"Where are you headed with such a burden? You don't need to serve the royal seamstress anymore, remember?" Donald reminds.
"I like being Mariah's head assistant, and my new position as wife of the king father is not going to require that to change. I've already discussed it with Queen Marianne, so don't argue," Annabelle counters. "However, these are not for Mariah. The ladies of the court have finally come to an agreement about their gift to be given to Lady Theresa and I offered to fetch the material to be used."
Donald smiles at the news and turns his attention to the portrait hanging in the former vacant spot on the Great Hall's wall. He had not been the only one granted a chance at true love, and he could only find joy at knowing that she, too, was now free to take hold of it. Once everything was revealed to the royal court of what cruelty Princess Theresa had suffered at the hands of her half-sister and her own husband, the edict Queen Erica had made against her was annulled even before King Reinhart's entourage made it to the castle gate. However, though she had appreciated the offer to be reinstated back into her position in the kingdom she was born, Princess Theresa had declined, wishing to return to the kingdom she had now made her home and to the man she had grown to love but had refrained herself from for fear of Roland.
Turning his attention back to Annabelle to question what the court ladies have planned, Donald jolts in unease as he realizes the different varieties of fabric his wife is holding. That could only mean one thing.
"Please tell me they're not trying their hand at making another patchwork blanket together," Donald groans, grimacing when she nods. "King Reinhart's Master of Arms is liable to petition a war if his wife were to receive the horrendous monstrosity Marianne and Bog were subjected to!"
"Do not fret so, my love," Annabelle giggles. "I will be supervising their work and making sure all their colors and patterns match each other's this time. Now that I have answered your question, are you going to answer mine?"
"I have need to visit the goblin king today," Donald mentions. "Have you by chance seen Thang recently?"
"I believe he should still be in the nursery. Stuff was telling Prince Griswald The story," Annabelle comments.
"Again?! He's so much like his mother! I never could get her or her sister to change their minds about something they wanted, whether it was good for them or not," Donald reminisces fondly, reaching out a hand to touch his wife's stomach. "I hope you'll not test your father's sanity as much as your elder sisters did."
Marianne hums happily as her husband combs his fingers through her short shaded brown hair while she rests her head against his bare chest. The scent of spring dances upon the breeze encircling the ledge the royal garden sits upon, bringing with it the sweet smell of the purple flowers carpeting the ground near their resting forms.
She's glad they managed to get away to themselves today. Last year had been a bit chaotic with keeping up with a certain crown prince that discovered how well he could walk that she hadn't even realized what the other specialness of this day was until it had already passed.
"Don't fall asleep, my queen," Bog warns softly, moving slightly to kiss the top of her head.
"I have no intention to, my king," Marianne responds before moving to sit on his stomach, letting the blanket fall from her bare shoulders. "Now, why would I waste this time with sleeping when this is the first time in nearly two years we've been able to get away into the Dark Forest for a few hours?"
"We've been able to get away much sooner than that," Bog reminds.
"Not without our son," Marianne counters, getting a hum of agreement. "While I'm still overjoyed that we refused to follow the traditions for royals to let nursemaids care for our son, I've grown to appreciate our moments alone even more than that first year we knew each other."
Bog's loud laughter is joined by her soft chuckles. She didn't doubt he was comparing the differences between the two times. Though one might think it is far easier now than when they had to hide their love for one another from others, those that would think so have never had their child choose the exact moment you manage to get some time away from your duties to ask for attention.
After finally realizing how unperfect a queen her mother was, Marianne had resolved to not follow her steps and be the kind of queen that fit her, which included how she dealt with her own children. As such, she could never deny her precious son whenever he wanted her no matter how much she wanted a moment alone with Bog. Though, thankfully, Griswald had finally learned that Mommy and Daddy were not to be disturbed during days of court unless important…and not wanting a bath was not important enough to run stark naked through a crowded Great Hall.
She didn't think she ever saw the cynical Sir Cornell laugh so much.
"Besides, today is special," Marianne mentions after a moment.
"Special? Now, what makes this day specifically so special?" Bog questions, sitting up quickly to kiss his bride's frowning mouth. "Is it perhaps because this is the day two years ago that Boris confirmed that your sister's suggestions to remove certain problematic laws was possible? Or maybe it's because you called together your royal court and told them your desires to remove those laws but wanted them to make such a decision because you didn't want to be a queen who abused the power you had? However, you did say it was hilarious to see everyone's expressions when you informed them you desired to crown me as king, not king consort, and that they nearly fainted out of joy when you told them I already agreed to marry you. So, it could be that."
Submitting to Bog's tender ministrations as he runs his hands over her pliant body and plants kisses filled with adoration across her face after every few words, Marianne doesn't mind his teasing in the slightest when he maneuvers them to change position with her laying beneath him on the blanket.
"Maybe it's because this is the day Roland finally played his scheming hand too far and was found by all to be as incompetent and treasonous as we knew he was," Bog suggests, grinning innocently at her annoyed glare. "At least you didn't have to suffer through listening any attempt of his to clear his name since the entire royal court agreed his word was worthless. You didn't even have to waste a perfectly good dungeon cell on him for even a night with Grandfather announcing claim over his life and the lives of the other traitors for their attack on the forest."
Marianne lightly smacks his shoulder in retaliation for spoiling the mood by bringing those memories to the forefront of her mind. She had been avoiding remembering the bad events of the day, not wanting to give them the attention they're not worth.
Even now, she can still remember with clarity the fear that coursed through her when the lookout guard within the castle announced that an armed riotous mob led by Roland was attacking the thorned branches that grew around the castle walls. She hadn't known what the supernatural growth was protecting them from, only knowing that Bog was connected to its act of protection, but it was at that moment that she realized the danger she and her subjects were in. Even her battle-experienced knights had grown fearful of what their countrymen would do in their madness and suggested evacuating the castle to the Dark Forest before she could even voice her thoughts. The former happiness of the day caused by her revealed intentions to marry Bog was tarnished by the terror Roland brought.
At least even those memories have some good in them, though. Most of her people had believed her without question when she repeated the warning she had given her father and sister eleven weeks prior of Plum's inability to remove the curse. It was only the traitors who scoffed and went on the attack, the others fleeing when Roland's words were revealed in their falsity. Her knights and soldiers had easily apprehended them from where Lizzie cornered them, and their contrite behavior had been real when they were brought before her, making it easy to grant them mercy for their folly in blindly believing the traitors.
And as Bog pointed out, at least she didn't have to deal with any of the traitors the goblin king restrained upon his arrival. No member of the royal court had even protested when His Majesty claimed they owed their lives to the forest for their unprovoked attack upon it, an attack that was contrary to the nearly forgotten oath every nobleman knew that stated no resident of the kingdom would cause any damage to the Dark Forest. They were dragged away by the arriving goblin army before Loch had even managed to calm Griselda.
"There's no need to waste our time talking about Roland," Marianne huffs before smirking. "Though, I shall always treasure the memory of his face when His Majesty announced the truth of his illegitimate lineage."
"That's the expression you treasure the most? Really? Myself, I prefer the horror lining each of those traitors' faces when they discovered that the royal court recognized our marriage when they overheard our declarations of love before you were snatched away by the bargain magic," Bog muses before kissing her stomach. "However, everyone's reactions when they discovered your pregnant state was even better."
Marianne laughs at the reminder. Her assumption that the goblin king was holding her because she needed his magic to keep healing was far from accurate. Upon entry into the Great Hall, she had been startled at Dawn's shriek of surprise when His Majesty gently set her to her feet. She had been so confused until her handmaidens joined in the noise before flying to her and fretting over whether her dress was too tight around her stomach, which resulted in everyone else realizing what her cursed form's chitin plates were no longer hiding.
"Today is the day we were officially recognized as married before our human subjects. So, is that what makes today so special?" Bog continues. "Or could it be because we discovered that your life was never in forfeit, by your bargain, or by the royal curse? There's also the magnificence of you, who fulfilled so many bargains without knowing of them and freed the Dark Forest's goblin king from decades of magic drain."
"Is that all you can think of that makes this particular day so special? Not about how today marks the start of your third year as king. Or about how you removed Plum's horrid curse over the kingdom and had all your magic returned to you," Marianne comments. "Although, I think Joshua is still miffed at you for allowing that cat to keep her fae abilities."
"I think you're right," Bog chuckles. "But it wouldn't have been fair to deny her when I didn't remove the curse from Imp and Chipper when they desired to stay the same. At least most of the other cursed animals chose to return to normal."
"My just and fair king who treats even his animal subjects with grace," Marianne purrs, pulling him down for a kiss before touching their foreheads together. "There is also that two years ago today you finally met your father and grandfather and heard from both of them how proud they are of you."
"Today truly is a special day. So many good things happened two years ago this day, it's hard to choose which makes it so special," Bog comments. "I had just been thinking of everything that has happened since the day Mother insisted on going to the castle to petition you for intervention and it's hard to believe this isn't caused by some strange magic. Three years ago, I was just the bargained-born son of a nameless high-ranking goblin, cursed by a spiteful fairy witch, and with no hope for love. And yet, here I am being loved by the most perfect woman ever, while we're momentarily hiding from our delightful son, king of the kingdom I grew up in, and being trained in the ways of goblin royalty by my father, the next goblin king."
Marianne can't stop the tears wanting to rise at the amount of love filling her being for the man above her. It seems impossible that she had even entertained the thought three years ago that she would die loveless and alone.
Even her resolve in the beginning to not allow herself to fall in love with Bog is laughable when she thinks over the reasons she had made back in those days. Not only was that cruel law not a true problem, but who would have thought that a goblin king would make a bargain just to play matchmaker for his grandson?
While it was true this day also resulted in terrible moments caused by Roland's beastly actions, it was this day that she was finally free to openly love Bog. How could she view this day as anything other than special?
From the moment Boris returned from his three-day task of scouring the laws for a way to remove that law that kept her father alone for ten years, to when she told her family and the royal court that she did desire to marry Bog and even the hiding eavesdroppers expressed their ecstatic joy at the news, and then being able to freely tell Bog that she loved him, it all outweighed the terrors that happened.
"What are they up to?" Bog mutters suddenly, disrupting her thoughts.
Turning her attention to where he's looking, Marianne echoes his question as she notices her father within the goblin castle's glade talking with the goblin king. Though the relations between the neighboring kingdoms had gotten better in the last two years with the removal of that ridiculous law, the Dark Forest still didn't permit just anyone to travel through it, especially not the whole way to the goblin castle. Which means this is something the forest deems important.
"Does it seem like something we need to send Griselda to interfere with?" Marianne questions, grinning at the resulting laughter.
"I still can't believe my mother berated the great and fearsome goblin king for requesting Plum's services instead of just asking her if Angelina truly loved me," Bog comments.
"Your mother just tells it like it is," Marianne quips.
Marianne watches as Bog shakes his head in amusement before tilting his head and looking toward the lone tree nearby. Whatever the forest is telling him elicits another laugh and she pokes his chest in demand for him to share.
"The forest says it's a secret," Bog answers.
"Since when does the Dark Forest like to keep secrets," Marianne counters.
"It's about a surprise. A surprise for the pair born on the same day, one with the rising of the sun, and the other with its set," Bog remarks.
"Oh, no!" Marianne groans. "Tell me they're not planning a surprise party for our birthday next month."
"Well, that first year still had the lingering consequences and unease from Plum's curse to contend with, along with your advanced state of pregnancy, that kept any festivities from happening then, and last year, we were stuck in King Reinhart's kingdom for a week because of the seemingly endless rain," Bog reminds before kissing the tip of her nose. "Besides, that day also commemorates the completion of your fourth year as queen, so that's even more reason to celebrate."
"I am not against having a party. It's just that we'll have no say in it since it's supposed to be a surprise and Dawn will go wild on the preparations now that she's of age to have full control. You should have seen what she helped encourage for the festivities celebrating my eighteenth birthday and coronation," Marianne insists. "My first official day of being queen and I was exhausted because it was nearly dawn when I finally went to sleep!"
"Are you going to tell me you didn't enjoy the party?" Bog counters.
"I loved it. But that is beside the point," Marianne comments, grinning impishly. "We wouldn't want to be mistaken for being fairies, now would we?"
Tea Blend.