"Don't give up. I thought there was no one out there for me, until I found out he had been right in front of me for years. I'm sure there is someone out there who is waiting for you."
Perdita smiled at the gray Titan.
"You are most kind; but as you Americans would say, I am damaged goods."
"Because you had two unworthy husbands who refused to honor their vows? I don't think so." Raven retorted.
"I understand what you are saying, but please remember, I am the Queen of Vlatava. My Parliament only accepted my second marriage because Gustaf was somehow able to strong arm the Patriarch of his church into annulling our marriage. The Patriarch of my church, the Vlatavan Orthodox Church, only honored the annulment as a courtesy, but he has already told me that he will not annul my marriage to Dimitri, even though Dimitri was unfaithful, as it would be scandalous."
Raven frowned.
"You're kidding me. He thinks there are grounds for an annulment but he won't grant you one because of optics?"
Perdita looked puzzled. "Optics? Ah, yes I understand what you mean, because of how it would look, that I do not take marriage seriously and the church condones my behavior because I am the Queen. That is correct. If I remarry, the church will not recognize my marriage as valid and I would have to give up the crown. I am not fortunate like you were; Raven … I will confide this to you: even though our relationship was very brief, and we kept it a secret, I was as you say head over heels with Garfield. I do not say this to offend or threaten you, Raven; it is simply the truth."
The sorceress listened attentively, wondering what else the blond queen would confess to her. And Perdita was right; their brief courtship was kept a secret. Gar only mentioned it to Raven after they were married.
"None taken, please, continue."
Perdita's shoulders slumped.
"My prime minister told me that I could no longer see Garfield. And while it was a secret outside of Vlatava, it was not in the Palace or the Parliament. The House of Lords threatened to remove me as Queen and turn the crown over to my uncle, Count Vertigo."
"He's your uncle?" Raven gasped.
"Yes, he is. Raven, I could not allow that to happen. So I agreed to not only end my relationship with Garfield, I also had to agree to marry Gustaf. And my relationship with Gar was supposed to have never existed; it is why I no longer communicated with him. I was not even allowed to tell Gar myself, my Prime Minister told him."
Raven nodded. "Perdita, I am so sorry."
"When I see you and your lovely family, I am so envious. You have the only things I ever truly wanted: Garfield and to be the mother of his children. Both were unattainable for me."
Raven placed a hand on her shoulder. "If it is any consolation, I too have had my struggles. Though Gar has always been faithful, a woman tried to steal him from me."
Perdita grimaced. "Yes, Alexa Pontone. I have heard about that harlot. That she even tried to kill you."
Raven sighed. "She's no longer a threat."
"Good riddance." Perdita said in a monotone of her own.
The changeling, with a wine goblet in his own hand, entered the room. They turned and saw him. He grinned one of his winning smiles.
"I'm glad you came, Perdy. I'll admit that when I found out you were coming I wasn't thrilled, but I changed my mind."
Raven rose from her seat. "How about I let the two of you catch up. I'll be in the kitchen helping the others clean and prepare for midnight."
Gar smiled. "Sure thing, Rave. I'll join you in a bit."
Raven nodded and took her leave. Gar looked at the royal and smiled.
"Sounds like you and Rave hit it off."
"Your wife is a lovely woman. You are most fortunate to have her."
Gar blushed. "I know I am. She really is awesome, and a looker too." He said with a wink.
She sighed. "I owe you an apology and an explanation, Garfield."
He shrugged. "That was a long time ago, Perdy."
"Yes, it was. But you deserved better than you were treated."
"Well, it might have been better had you told me yourself."
"I know … I was not allowed."
"Not allowed? But you're the Queen, and a real Queen, not one of those figureheads they roll out to wave at people."
"That is true; but I was facing a revolt by my government. They were threatening to replace me with my uncle."
"What? Replace you with Vertigo? Are they nuts? He's a villain."
She looked sad. He could see the pain in her eyes. "Sometimes, Gar, we have to do things we don't want to do, for the greater good."
He nodded. "Being a former superhero, I understand what you're saying." He sighed. "But would it have killed your prime minister to explain that to me?"
A tear dripped down her face. "Would it have made it any easier Gar?"
"I guess not. But we didn't even get to say good bye."
More tears dripped down her face. "Garfield, I loved you so much. Had a worthy replacement been chosen for me I would have given up the crown for you."
"I loved you too, Perdy."
She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Garfield, on my honeymoon, when I consummated … I closed my eyes and pretended that it was you and not Gustaf."
"Perdy … I don't know what to say."
They locked eyes and time seemed to stop. The room around them vanished. When he looked at her, he saw the young Queen that he had once loved so much and for whom he had burned with a fiery passion, a passion that they never consummated. Her eyes appeared to tremble and then she leaned in, gently puckering her lips. The room became silent and Gar could hear both their heartbeats with his sensitive ears,and the were beating in sync. Just before their lips could touch, she felt his hands on her shoulders.
"Perdy, it's too late for that. Way too late." He said in a whisper.
She jolted away from him.
"Garfield, forgive me, I do not know what overcame me. You must think that I'm a …"
He covered her lips with his fingers, hushing her.
"Don't beat yourself up. I also wanted it. But I belong to Raven now, and that's a bond and a trust I will never break."
She nodded, after which she hugged him and pecked him on the cheek. She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "I understand my beloved. If you are ever free to marry again, know that I will be waiting for you until I draw my last breath, and I will abdicate for you if I must." Her voice trembled as she made her confession.
Gar nodded solemnly. "I will remember that."
Unknown to them, Raven had returned with refills for their drinks. She realized that she had walked in onto a very private moment and had discretely witnessed the scene.
Blond traitors, genius bombshells and royalty, they all want my husband. At least she understands that he's off limits. And that I would kill her if she tried.
A small grin appeared on her gray face.
Sorry, ladies, he's mine and I don't share. And Gar, you deserve a reward later. A very nice reward.
Raven waited, hidden around the corner for the "moment" to end. She then walked in, with the bottle.
"Would either of you like some more wine?" Raven asked innocently.
Perdita blushed, but did accept the offer
-(-)-
I know, this one is kind of short, but I will update later this coming week. Thanks for your reviews. It's always good to know that you still enjoy reading this, even if there are far fewer of you than in the past.
