Chapter 40: Lord and Lady

"Come forth."

Jubilee bit her lip in apprehension as she heard the King's voice call to her from inside the audience Hall. She forced her legs to work, carrying her stiffly from the small antechamber just off the audience hall into the hall itself.

Everyone in the castle, it seemed, was in the hall that day. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she reached up to her throat, gripping the small golden pendant hanging from a thin chain around her neck. Renee had given it to her yesterday when she visited Jubilee in her room in the Healer's wing, along with a gown of brown homespun. "The King has made a decision," the Queen had said, impassively, her face showing no sign that she knew what that decision was."You'll need a dress for the occasion." Jubilee was now dressed in the gown, her heart pounding in her chest, certain that she was about to be put to death.

It had been almost a month since she had killed Hughes in her room. In that time the Queen had relieved her of all her duties, insisting she had to recover completely. Jubilee had stayed in the healer's wing, unable to return to her room, under the King's command. The guards posted at the door to her room had been told not to let anyone but Renee and Logan into her room, and Logan had no more idea of what was going on than she did. And if Renee knew anything, she wasn't talking.

Jubilee faltered in the middle of that floor, feeling everyone's eyes on her. For just a moment all she wanted to do was sink through the floor, or go somewhere—anywhere—other than here.

Measured footsteps crossed the floor, and the line of people closest to her broke apart. Her heart leaped when she saw Logan step out of the line and walk to her side…and then felt a chill rush through her as she realized that he had shed his blue and yellow colors. He wasn't even wearing the red uniform of the King's Knights. Instead, he was dressed in the same brown homespun she was wearing.

"What are you doing?" she gasped, stopping her forward walk and turning to him.

Logan turned to her. "Jubilee, you are my lady," he said gently. "I think I loved ya since I met ya; but I'm not sure. All I know is that, with all the stuff we been through, I've come to realize that I want ya in my life forever. I'm a King's Knight…I've always wanted ta be a King's Knight, fer as long as I can remember…but it don't mean a thing without ya at my side. So whatever ya do, whatever the King decides, wherever ya go…I'm goin' with ya."

"The King's likely going to have me branded and exiled," Jubilee said, with a hint of hysterical laughter in her voice. "Logan, you can't go into exile with me."

"He can't tell me what ta do," Logan said grimly, his chin set in what Jubilee had come to think of as his stubborn face. "An' neither can you. If I wanna go with ya, then that's what I'm gonna do." He crooked his arm, and held it out to her. "Will you accompany me, my lady?"

Jubilee stared at him for a moment, then ignored his arm altogether and flung herself at him, pressing her lips against his. "I love you," she said quietly. "And if you want to come with me, well…" She smiled suddenly. "Not much I can do to change your mind, is there?"

Logan grinned back. "None at all," he said, hugging her tightly. "Now come on. Let's not keep the King waitin', huh?" He took her arm and walked her the rest of the way to the dais.

The King sat on his gilded throne, looking stern and very majestic. Renee sat beside him, her face so carefully composed that Jubilee couldn't read anything as she mounted the dais to the second stepand Logan came to a stop at the foot of it. Suddenly afraid, she sank to her knees and bowed her head. She had to. She wasn't sure her legs would hold her up any longer.

Richard leaned forward and spoke, not to her, but to Logan. "Sir Logan, you are not accused."

Logan swept his sword and swordbelt off his shoulder and laid it at the King's feet. "She has been my faithful squire this past winter, Yer Majesty," he said respectfully. "And she saved my life more than once. I owe her a life-debt I can never repay. If it is yer decision to banish her, then I'll go with her. I love her, Yer Majesty. I couldn't let her go alone."

"So be it." Richard reached down and took the sword. Logan felt a pang as he saw it disappear. There went his dream, everything he'd ever wanted. He bowed his head in sorrow.

A gentle hand touched his shoulder, and he looked at the girl beside him. Jubilee was patting his shoulder gently, tears of sorrow in her eyes. Logan suddenly remembered why he'd done this; for her. Because she was all he'd ever wanted in life, and if having her meant the loss of his sword and his service, then he would make that sacrifice. She was worth it. He straightened up and lifted his head proudly, waiting for Richard to pronounce sentence. He had no doubt now that it was going to be banishment; he'd already decided last night that he would take her with him to his home, back through the northern passes to his village in the foothills. He could hire out as a rich man's house guard, or even just become a farmer. Anything was possible, as long as Jubilee was with him.

Provided she survived the branding.

Richard stood, holding up his hand for silence. "Our Knight has decided to leave Our service to follow his heart," he said to the audience. "We will not gainsay it. Now, for the girl named Jubilee; answer Our question. Did you kill Our cousin Gilbert, Duke of Harwell?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Jubilee said, bowing her head.

"Did you kill Gilbert's manservant, Hughes of Southclare?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Jubilee said. Twice a murderer. Would they brand her twice?

"And in doing so, did you save Our kingdom?"

Her head flew up, and her mouth fell open. Richard was looking down at her, smiling broadly now. She looked quickly past him to Renee, and saw the Queen openly smiling. "Y-your Majesty?"

Richard held out his hand to her. "You have shown incredible courage and fortitude in defense of Our Kingdom, at great cost to yourself," he said, his face and voice softening. "It would be less than honourable of me to repay you with exile. So here is what I decree." He raised his voice. "It is Our decision that, as Our cousin Gilbert was declared a traitor, his lands and properties, as well as his title, are forfeit. And since the Lady Jubilee bested him in combat, control of his lands and his title should rightly go to her. However, since she is clearly unsuitable to assume the title of 'Duke' the title will be transferred to her consort Logan, and she will retain the title of Duchess, a peer of the realm. They are hereby declared titular holders of the lands and tenants belonging to the Harwell dukedom."

The audience went wild with cheering and screaming, the applause echoing from the high ceiling overhead. Logan rose from his knees and joined Jubilee on the second step of the dais, as Renee threw a cloak over Jubilee's shoulders. It was a rich sapphire blue, with gold and yellow trim; Logan's colours. Richard was throwing a similar cloak over Logan's shoulders, and then both the King and the Queen turned the newly-made Duke and his Lady around to face the crowd.

Logan stared out at the sea of people, all clapping and cheering. The sound was dizzying, and he turned his attention to something not so complicated. Jubilee was looking dazed as she stared at the crowd. He figured he should do something to snap her out of that daze, so…

Well, he'd never get a better chance. After all, she couldn't be his Lady if they weren't married, right? He went down on one knee, taking her hand in his. The crowd immediately quieted when they saw what he was doing.

"Lady Jubilee," he said, looking up at her radiant face, still thin but with a flush of color; "Will you marry me?"

Time slowed and seemed to stop. For a long moment, an eternity to him, the question hung in the air, and he thought she wasn't going to answer. Then she licked her lips nervously, and spoke. "Yes," she said softly, disbelievingly. "Yes. If you'll have me…yes, I'll marry you!"

Logan swept her up in his arms to the accompaniment of more cheering.

THE END

That's it! It's done! Finally!

I feel a huge sense of pride when I look at the disk that this book is saved on. I've never written a body of work so long, and actually completed it. Though this work had fewer chapters than 'Last One Standing', the chapters were longer and more action-packed, so it seems longer. This was written in its entirety last year, so this was posted rather late.

I founda publisher and sent thisout (It's not written as a fanfic novel, of course; Marvel would have my head if I did!) in the form of a fantasy novel and sent it to a publisher. It has already been rejected once, but I'll be sending it to another publisher.I think a lot of you readers would like to see this in print form, so you can, as one reader put it, 'cuddle up with a cup of coffee and read it straight through'. If it ever does make it into print I'll let you all know!

Now, for acknowledgements and credits:

Ellie: you rock! Thanks for sending me reviews of the chaps as I finished them; they helped keep me working on the book. If it weren't for you, I would have stopped writing back at chapter 30.

Megalictis: Thanks for the praise…just don't do it too often, or I'll get a swelled head! Thanks also for being a veritable fountain of Wolverine and Jubilee knowledge.

Thanks go out also to Barry, Kate, Jennifer, DevDev, Sparklagal, and everyone else who helped me out by sending me the chapters I lost when my computer got sick and crashed. You guys are the best! I know you can't like having all my crap cluttering up your computer, so I really, really, really appreciate those of you who did. If this book ever makes it into print, you're all getting mentions in the afterword or foreword or whatever the editor lets me have.

I'msorry for the long pause between chapter 39 and this one. As we all know, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf region at the beginning of the month, and I've been volunteering my time matching the names of the missing with the names of the found. It's an arduous and time-consuming process, but ultimately worth it, if I can reunite even one family.Iurge anyone reading this; if you have anything that can be donated, be it time,money, material items, canned goods, please do so. These people need whatever we can give them.

Thanks to everyone who stuck with me through all that, and I hope to hear from all of you soon! I'm already working on the next novel, which is titled 'Crusader's Honor'. It's about an English Crusader named Logan, a French merchant named (who else?) Remy, and a shy Chinese girl named Jubileestranded in an alien land very far from home.

Look for it!

Amanda