Vaggie pieced her armor back together and stood before the Duke. Alastor stood by Husk looking uncomfortable and his smile wasn't even showing. He had locked the door at the knight's request.

"What the fuck do you want cocky ass bitch?"

The white haired woman looked amused.

"I'm here to ensure Charlie's safety."

"She's safe here," Alastor said, trying to sound reassuring but the knight shook her head.

"No she isn't because you don't know who she is."

Vaggie placed her hands on the desk and leaned forward.

"I don't know what the fuck the King and Queen told you, but I can tell you the reason they dropped my friend here is a lie. They got rid of her because they had an idea of what she was planning. We were so close to our goal. Charlie was staging a coup d'etat against the King and Queen."

"What the fuck-

"That's insane. She would never succeed!" Alastor said looking floored.

"Charlie has been planning this since she was ten when I joined the knights. The policies have changed and innocent people are dying. There are more homeless children now more than ever. They aren't bettering the country- only their own lives. They are corrupt."

The woman sighed.

"You have a woman under your roof with the floorplans to her home. Every nook and cranny mapped out. Every place the King himself could hide. She has the plans set out and she had planned to sail the ocean for a year to get help from other countries to right the injustices. Charlie came up with that song on her own. She wanted to be a knight. She trained to be where she is. That's why I won't go easy on her. I do not baby her because she's royalty."

"Sailing the fucking world costs money," Husk said, "How did she plan to do that with no money?"

"Charlie isn't broke. Her measly thirty million isn't all she has. She invested into a fortified bank that's paid to keep her income safe. She has the money to buy half the world if she wanted to. She wanted more than anything to help those countries who helped her overthrow her parents. She planned on a complete overhaul of her country to save them."

"She doesn't want to be a princess," Alastor said, "She was against it."

"That's because she plans to take the position as Queen and ask her people if they want democracy instead. She wants the people to be involved because the people make our country. Charlie has two hundred knights on her side. She has thirty guards and many militias who want to help. She has been planning a war against them. I need to make sure she's safe and the best thing she can do is marry your old ass."

Husk glanced at Alastor.

"Once she marries you, she won't be considered a problem anymore. Charlie didn't want to marry anyone because she didn't want to put anyone in danger. I need to know that you have a place to hide her if the king tries to kill her. If you release her after you marry her, they'll kill you and go find her. The fastest thing she can do is produce an heir and it doesn't even need to be male. Once the princess is married off, the King and Queen no longer have an heir tying them to the throne. They know this but because Charlie was against her royal heritage they assume they're safe."

"What the fuck are you trying to say? I don't even have knights."

"I know. Charlie had planned to protect those without guards because she knew her father would try to overthrow the next leader of another country. Charlie is a strong ass woman with a lot of power and money. I need you to keep her here. Safe. It would not be good if Charlie committed murder herself. Please keep her safe."

"You love her," Alastor said softly.

"I do. She helped me press on with being a knight. There were times I wanted to quit but she kept me going just like I did for her. If I wouldn't have been promised death, I would've married Charlie at sixteen. We have our parts to play but I cannot promise her I would never get hurt. If I died on the battlefield I would be leaving her without protection. I love her but I'm not fit to stand by her."

Vaggie leaned in closer to Husk, her eye turning dark.

"If I find out you hurt my Queen, I will fucking kill you and gouge out your fucking eyes. I will make you wish you were dead a thousand times before I thrust a fucking knife into your chest. Are we clear?"

"We're clear."

The knight stood back up.

"Please don't discuss what I said with you. I can see Charlie is happy and less tense here. She's way more relaxed than I had ever seen. If we cannot get her to Queen status, please have her still try to help people. Don't let her lose her light. Don't put yourself in danger either. She loves deeply. She will love you with everything she has just….. Just love her back."

Vaggie turned around.

"If you have an empty room, that would be good. I brought Charlie's own personal library. She went to college and collected books on everything she would need to be a strong leader."

"Y-yes we do! We can place it on the bottom floor."

Knock knock.

"Hey are you guys ok in there?"

"Yea. Wait by the truck."

"Alright!"

Vaggie waited a minute and turned back to the Duke.

"Why would they marry her off to a man?" Alastor asked.

"Well, the Duke doesn't have a good reputation," she answered staring directly at him, "He hasn't fathered a child and he's apparently a notorious womanizer. So they figured Charlie would have no chance and she would be miserable. I overheard it all."

Husk never cared for what people had thought of him but apparently hearing it out loud wasn't good. Apparently, him sleeping with men wasn't heard of. That was a shocker because that would've been a scandal. He sighed loudly and rubbed his temples.

"Well, let's unload that truck."

X

Charlie was so excited, she was pretty much dancing in place. Alastor and Husk were shocked by the amount of bookshelves in there. The woman was a reader…. A smart one at that considering the books she had.

Husk never felt so damn dumb standing beside some before but here he was. He couldn't help but look at Charlie in awe. She was a smart ass woman who thought of herself last. She was more worried about everyone else even if she was miserable herself.

Holy shit… I don't deserve her.

"Thanks for helping," Charlie said, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Yea, of course."

Niffty managed to clean the big room quickly before they started unloading. She started placing the books on the shelves where she could reach while everyone brought the rest of stuff.

"I'll work on the rest of it later!" Charlie said proudly looking at the room.

She had been uprooted from her life but seeing the important things she loved and cared for made her feel a lot better. The fight still could go on.

"You alright Charlie?"

The princess nodded looking at Vaggie.

"I can't believe you guys did this for me. This means so much to me."

Vaggie took her hand and squeezed it.

"It's the least we could do for our Queen."
She blushed, "I'm not there yet. I don't want to be Queen. I just want everyone to be happy."

"I know. We'll get there."

Her face fell some, "When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow night. I have to return."

"You can't stay?"

Vaggie chuckled, "If I leave, everyone else will follow and our plans will be ruined."

"Yea, you're right."

Husk leaned against the wall outside of the room. It was hard to deny the look on Charlie's face when she looked at her knight. It was like a weird fairy tale where the princess falls for the knight and fights by their side. The knight cared more for Charlie than for herself.

He pushed off the wall and went to look for Alastor. The young man was at his desk reading over papers and signing on a few things.

"Can you set up the ceremony on one of our biggest boats?"

Alastor looked up at the Duke.

"Oh. For when?"

"Tomorrow after noon. The knight is leaving tomorrow evening."

"You do have a soft side after all, hm?"

"Shut the fuck up. Do it about two."

"Are you sure about this? After everything that woman told us?"

"You can't fuckin' sit there and tell me you aren't impressed. After that whole speech…."

"You do care about her. Just a little bit."

"Just shut the fuck up and do it."

X

Vaggie was going to spend the night with Charlie in their room. Husk wasn't going to argue with her about it. Part of it pissed him off and then he thought maybe Charlie would give in at a moment of weakness seeing the knight and knowing it would be the last time they saw each other for a while. It was clear there was some love between them and he was just ruining that.

He knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer it. He didn't want to barge in. Charlie pulled the door open, looking surprised.

"You don't have to knock on your own door!" the princess said with a smile and she laughed.

"Well, it would be rude considering your friend is in there."

She looked mildly surprised.

"Well thank you for your consideration."

She moved to the side and he walked in with his hands in his pockets. This was awkward. He glanced at the knight who sat on the edge of the bed with her hands in her lap.

"I um…. Figured you wanted Vaggie to be here so we're getting married tomorrow at two."

Charlie blinked a few times.

"R-really?"

"Yea. Since she's here….. If you want to."

"Of course!" Charlie jumped up and down clapping.

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. He hugged her back, patting her back awkwardly. He glanced at Vaggie who gave him a sad smile and an approving nod.

He had never felt so guilty.

X

X

The Duke laid his head on the desk, drunker than he had been in awhile. It wasn't time yet for the curse to rack his body with unbearable pain but he just couldn't wait. He was stressed out. What fueled him to drink like a moron was thinking of Charlie tangled up in the sheets with that white haired knight.

He was not a possessive man but he felt it a little towards the blonde. He hadn't even called her by her first name yet. The princess was more of a man than he was too- which was even sadder. She didn't even want her position but she was planning to overthrow her own government to help her people. He barely tried.

"You certainly looked very drunk tonight."

Alastor leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed. He looked annoyed but he knew there was a reason for it. Husk had gotten plastered so badly the two weeks before the princess showed up. He was pissed because he didn't want some 'nagging, uppity bitch' in his house trying to boss him around. Hell, he got drunk an hour before she showed up.

This was different.

"What's your problem now?"

"Does it fuckin' matter?"

"I certainly seem to think so. You sound sad. So what are you thinking about?"

"That fucking knight fucking her."

"I find that highly improbable."

"Why the fuck do you say that?"

"Well, they were painting their nails with Niffty, eating snacks and drinking a little wine. Having their classic called girl talk. Niffty claimed it was their bachelorette party and they're having a sleepover."

Husk raised his head.

"You're kidding me?"

"Come on. I'll help you up the stairs."

Alastor was a very slender man and the Duke weighed fifty more pounds than him so it wasn't an easy walk up the stairs. Husk was only an inch taller than Alastor so that helped his case but not by much. They made it to the giant doors seeing the door was open. There they were. All three women laying in the bed. Niffty was in between Vaggie and Charlie.

Alastor shut the door and looked at him.

"See? You got stupidly drunk for no reason."

Husk felt slightly relieved.

"Let's get you downstairs before it happens."

"Shuddup."

X

"Wow! You weren't lying when you said you looked good in black!"

Charlie smiled. She finished placing her black lipstick on and smiled at the small red headed lady.

"Thanks Niffty. I love how the dress turned out too. The touches of black at the hem of the dress was so beautiful. It reminds me of the ocean and how deep it is."

"Want some seaweed for your hair?"

The princess laughed.

"No! I'm ok!"

"I can't believe this. I never thought I would see the day."

Charlie glanced at Vaggie.

"Me either."

"You sure you're ok…. Ok with all of this?"

The princess nodded.

"As long as you have my back while I have yours, I'm ok."

Vaggie sighed.

"Always milady. Until death."

The knight placed a kiss on Charlie's cheek.

"Until death my knight. I'll always stand by you, sword in hand and through the tears. When the day comes, I'll be there in the frontlines."

"Damn straight."

"I don't know what you're talking about but it's so beautiful!" the maid screeched and started crying against the princess' arm.

"It's our promise as knights when you're brother in arms…. It's the highest honor as a knight to die by their brothers' sides but we're gonna make it Vaggie. No one is dying here."

"Our blood may paint the ground but we stand strong!"

Niffty wiped her face.

"It's a shame you're cut on your arm and shoulders."

"I'm covered in scars Niffty. I'm used to it. I'm honored to show them off."

The little maid smiled.

"Are you ready?"

Vaggie held Charlie's hand and helped her down the stairs. It wasn't like the princess was wearing heels. She wore blue flip flops that almost matched her dress. Niffty opened the door. A white limo was waiting outside for them. Vaggie gripped her hand tightly as Niffty ran ahead to get the door.

"Charlie."
"Yes Vaggie?"

"I will always love you but I have to let you go."

Charlie blinked away the tears, "I know. I love you too."

"May I have the honor of walking you down the aisle to your old man?"

She snorted and pushed Vaggie with her shoulder. Seeing Vaggie in her armor made Charlie a little sad. The woman always wore it proudly and Charlie hoped one day she could wear hers next to her when she came to power.

One day….

They would fix everything.

X
X
Charlie almost screamed when she saw the ocean come into view. It was a two hour car ride to get there. Her wavy hair bounced as she did in her seat. The ocean was so beautiful. It had been years since she had seen it. It was beautiful and so blue like she had imagined.

"Wow!"

Vaggie smirked. She wondered if the old Duke did this for her so she wouldn't be so sad. He seemed like a giant asshat but he wasn't so bad. Vaggie could live with it.

The limo pulled up at the docks where Alastor stood in a dark red suit with a smile on his face. He opened the door and helped Charlie out first. He looked a little shocked but he kept up that smile. Vaggie got out next and helped Niffty.

"Vaggie wants to walk me…. Is that ok?"

"Of course darling! I'll go join your grumpy, soon to be husband."

"Thanks."

"Ah yes…."

The man leaned in.

"He said you didn't have to kiss him if you didn't want to. I think he's terribly shy…. He doesn't know how to be… normal."

Charlie snickered.

"Alright but it's fine. I'm not opposed to it."

Alastor left them and walked up the wooden walkway to the boat until he stood on the deck. He saw the Duke standing there with his hands in his pocket looking out at the ocean.

"She's coming. Are you ready?"

"I feel like I want to puke."

"Shouldn't have drank so much then."
"Fuck off. That isn't why."

"Oh, you're nervous?" he teased.

"I swear to god-

"She's here."

The Duke shuffled his feet to look at Charlie as she stepped onto the deck. He wasn't shocked the knight was bringing her. She looked up at him with those eyes. The black eyeshadow and eyeliner made her eyes look pitch black like the night. Her lips were the same color making her face pale but it suited her.

Her dress was as blue as the water surrounding them. It really did look stunning on her.

Niffty ran up and stood on the left side with a big grin on her face. Charlie glanced at the Duke, a smirk on her dark lips. He looked away, flushing a bright pink.

I'm fucking glad she didn't want a bunch of people here.

Charlie stood before him smiling away but he could barely meet her eyes. The priest went through the vows and when the princess said 'I do' he thought he was going to have a heart attack. There was no way in hell this was happening to him. Never in a million years would he have thought he would be here.

"You may kiss the bride."

Husk stiffened up and became frozen on the spot but the princess didn't mind. She pushed herself up on her toes and pressed her dark painted lips on his. The poor man thought his heart would explode. She slipped those slender hands past his neck and wrapped her arms around him, pulling his head down.

He held her close, unable to stop himself. He had told himself it wasn't real because the princess loved the knight but she didn't kiss him like she hated him. When she pulled away, her eyes fluttering open and a smile on her face. She giggled as she wiped her fingers on his lips.

"I got lipstick on you."

"It's…. Ok," he muttered.

Niffty and Alastor clapped loudly. Charlie placed her hands behind her back and grinned up at him. Husk glanced at Vaggie who gave him a slight bow. The princess held his hand and laced her fingers with his.

"You wanna go home?"

Home.

"Home?"

She nodded, "Yea? I didn't think you would want to go anywhere else."

He really didn't.

"Yea, let's go home."