Chapter 20: A Royal Reunion
With Lapis now awake, the sleeping spell placed on the castle by the fairies began to wear off. The queen, the duchess, and all their servants and guests opened their eyes, wondering why they had all suddenly drifted off to sleep.
"What just happened?" asked a bewildered Blue Diamond.
"I'm not sure," yawned Yellow Diamond in reply. "You were about to call out a search party for Lapis, and then we all unexpectedly felt tired."
The mere mention of her daughter immediately alarmed the queen, who feared that White Diamond's curse may have come true. In a panic, she ordered her guards to search the castle before she got up from her throne and went to look for Lapis herself. The duchess, worried for her trusted partner, followed her whilst also trying to calm Blue Diamond down.
"Lapis!" the queen cried out as she franticly searched every room of the castle. "Lapis, where are you?"
Luckily for her, however, Steven had just made his way down the highest tower staircase to ensure that everyone was waking up. When the queen saw him, she felt slightly relieved and hoped that the fairy prince would know where her daughter was.
"Steven, oh thank goodness you're here!" cried Blue Diamond. "Have you seen Lapis? She hasn't arrived for her party yet and I've been worried sick."
"There's no need to fret, Your Majesty," Steven replied calmly. "I can assure you that Lapis is perfectly fine, she's just upstairs in the highest tower."
The queen sighed heavily, relieved that her daughter was okay.
"Steven?" asked the duchess, who was still curious about what had happened to the entire court. "Would you mind taking us upstairs to see her?"
"Certainly," the fairy prince responded, as he led the queen and the duchess up the flight of stairs as quickly as they could. Once they reached the top, both Blue and Yellow Diamond were surprised to find Lapis wide awake, along with her guardians, Rose Quartz, and three others whom they had never seen before, all of which greeted the pair with a simple bow or curtsy.
The queen was so overjoyed to see her daughter, that she ran up to embrace her, as her eyes began to flood with tears. "Oh, my dear Lapis Lazuli!" she wept. "Thank goodness, you are alive!"
"It's all thanks to Steven and the fairies," Lapis replied happily. "If it wasn't for them, I would still be in an enchanted sleep."
"Speaking of sleep," interrupted Yellow Diamond. "Would any of you mind explaining how we suddenly fell asleep minutes before Lapis' birthday party was due to start?"
The fairies all looked at each other, worried about how the queen and duchess were going to respond to Rose's decision. But just as the fairy queen was about to inform them, Steven decided to bravely explain the situation himself. He told them how White Diamond's curse came true and that to spare the queen and her subjects from grief, his mother told them to put everyone to sleep, and that she would look after the castle, whilst they searched for Lapis' true love.
"We're sorry if this seemed invasive," the fairy prince said nervously. "But we didn't want you to be saddened, Your Majesty."
Blue Diamond looked at the fairy prince and gently put her hand on his shoulder.
"That's alright," she spoke. "That was very thoughtful of your mother to do, and all that matters to me now is that Lapis has been freed from the spell."
Yellow Diamond also responded positively to Steven's explanation. "To be honest," she joked. "I hadn't had a good night's sleep for a while, so this was just what I needed."
Everyone else was so amused by the duchess' comment that they couldn't help but laugh. The queen then looked to her left and saw Rose Quartz standing beside the now empty bed with a smile on her face.
"Thank you once again, Rose Quartz," Blue Diamond said to the fairy queen. "Without your amendment from sixteen years ago, Lapis would've died. Whatever would I have done without you?"
Rose just chuckled. "There's no need to thank me, Your Majesty," she replied. "For it was mainly due to Steven, my loyal subjects and these stable hands, that your daughter's true love was able to reach her."
"Speaking of which," the queen wondered curiously. "Who was it that woke my daughter from her slumber?
"It was me, Your Majesty," a voice responded nervously. It was Jamie, who went up to the queen and bowed in her presence.
Connie and Lars could tell from their friend's expression and tone that he was quite anxious about speaking to someone of such high authority, let alone the queen herself. Both Blue and Yellow Diamond looked at the stable boy carefully, stunned by his attire, which looked quite dishevelled.
"Might I ask, who you are?" the duchess spoke with deep suspicion.
But before Jamie could answer, Lapis introduced them to him personally. "Mother, Your Grace, this is Jamie," she said happily. "I met him in the forest yesterday whilst I was picking berries."
Lapis then went on, to tell her mother and the duchess about the dance she and Jamie shared and spoke highly of how Jamie overcame various obstacles on his journey to save her, especially his battle with White Diamond. Whilst the queen was quite charmed by her daughter's story, Yellow Diamond had one significant query on her mind.
"This is brilliant and all, Your Highness," responded the duchess. "But what is this young man's position?"
Everyone was silent for a moment, with the fairies, Connie and Lars looking glumly at each other, knowing that Jamie's job as a stable boy could pose a problem if he wanted to be Lapis' beloved. Sensing the uneasy tension, the queen asked Jamie herself, in a more calming tone. Feeling more at ease, the young man began to speak.
"You see, Your Majesty, I fear you may not approve of my relationship with Lapis," Jamie said nervously. "For I am only a stable hand, who works on the furthest outskirts of the kingdom."
The queen and duchess were both left stunned, for of all the people in the kingdom, Lapis' true love and saviour was only a mere stable boy.
"Despite that, your daughter had won my heart due to her kindness, and I couldn't bear the thought of someone as lovely as her being cursed into sleeping forever," Jamie continued. "Therefore, I felt it necessary to awaken her from this fate, even if it meant putting my own life at risk. I understand if I can never see Lapis again, but I would like you to know that she means so very much to me and I will always consider her, my true love."
Everyone was amazed, speechless at how Jamie treasured Lapis' kind nature over his own life, which warmed the princess' heart. Blue Diamond could tell from the stable boy's heartfelt confession that he cared deeply for her daughter and was ready to give him a final answer.
"Young man, you are unfortunately correct," she replied sadly. "I'm afraid your position makes this situation difficult, as the law enforces that Lapis can only be wed to someone of the highest position.
Hearing these words upset Lapis, Steven, and the others, as Jamie had gone through so much to rescue his true love, only for his position to be his undoing. Even Yellow Diamond was starting to feel sorry for the young man.
"However," the queen continued. "From what both my daughter and you have said, I can tell that you would do anything to rescue her, and I am more than grateful to you for that."
Jamie started to feel relieved, as Lapis went up to him and held his hand in comfort. Then, both Blue and Yellow Diamond turned away from the others and began to discuss what to do next. Suddenly, they turned back around, for they had a perfect idea.
"Jamie, is it?" the queen spoke, addressing the stable boy directly. "The duchess and I have decided, on my behalf, that you can be with my daughter."
Everyone gasped in surprise, for they were thrilled by the queen's answer.
"However," Blue Diamond added. "It is also by my order that you are to be properly schooled at the castle for a year, where you will learn the proper etiquettes and skills of being a true gentleman, and once you pass, you can have my daughter's hand in marriage. Are you okay with this decision?"
"I'm more than willing to take that risk, Your Majesty," replied Jamie. "So does that mean that Lapis and I can be together?"
The queen and duchess' beaming smiles said it all, as everyone gave another round of cheers for the young couple. Jamie and Lapis were so happy that the former spun her around in the air, happy that their love for each other could now fully blossom.
"Also," added the queen. "As a token of my gratitude, I invite you as well as your two friends to be honoured guests at my daughter's party."
However, the sudden mention of her party caused Lapis to gasp. She had gotten so caught up with the curse, that she completely forgot that her birthday party was meant to be held hours ago.
"Oh no!" she cried. "It's already a new day, and I've slept through my own party."
The fairies were saddened by her response, knowing how Lapis had been so excited about the celebrations earlier.
"I'm so sorry, Mother," Lapis said solemnly. "Everyone had put so much work into my party, and now it's all gone to waste."
But the queen reassured her that this was not the case. "Cheer up, my dear," she chuckled. "It wasn't your fault that you couldn't attend."
"And besides," added Yellow Diamond. "We couldn't start the party, without the birthday girl being present anyway."
"As a compromise," continued the queen. "We'll hold your party this evening instead."
The entire rescue party cheered once more upon hearing this announcement, whilst Lapis breathed a huge sigh of relief before both Jamie and Steven embraced her.
"Now then, I want all of you to stay in the castle today to get some rest, for you all must be exhausted after your 'adventure'," Blue Diamond informed. "Meanwhile, I have an entire group of guests and guards to inform about our new plan. I will request all of you in due time."
"Wait, Your Majesty!" Connie added. "Shouldn't Jamie, Lars and I inform our master about where we are? He'll likely be cross that we aren't there to work."
"Don't worry young lady, we'll take care of that situation," Yellow Diamond reassured her, before she and the queen made their way back downstairs, for they had a lot of reorganising to do.