"And so the princess who was once a farm girl and the prince who was once a sparrow were married, and they lived in great happiness for the rest of their days." Clara smiled, trailing her fingers over the words. Then her eyes flickered up the corner of the page she had been reading. She picked at the page's corner, frowning at the crease there. "You had folded the corner over at one point."
"Did I?" Eric turned his attention from his wife to the book. There were in their bed, with him sitting against the headboard, and Clara laying across the mattress, her chest and arms propped up on his legs. "Oh," he said simply, staring at the offending crease. "Well, I was seven when it was given to me."
Clara shook her head, stroking the open pages of Parthenian Folk Tales as though in apology for Eric's abuse of them. "And you marked this particular page?" inquired Clara mischievously. She looked up at him. "Did you find it romantic?" she teased.
"No," huffed Eric. "I thought it was ridiculous."
"I don't believe you," laughed Clara. She stared at the book a moment longer, then pushed it to the side and sat up against his legs. "As lovely as the book is, I'm still debating on whether or not I should be vexed about you and Aunt Elizabeth using it to conspire against me."
"Conspire?" Eric grinned. "What do you mean?"
"First the snow globe." Clara ticked off on her finger. "Then the book." She quirked an eyebrow with a smile. "I had no idea I had a secret admirer for so many years."
"Now hold on a minute. I was ten when Elizabeth gave you the snow globe. I merely came up with the idea; it was her gift."
"Yes, you gave her the idea. And dictated exactly how it was supposed to look."
Eric opened his mouth, but couldn't think of a response to that.
"And Aunt Elizabeth told me the book was entirely your doing."
"Well…" Eric gave an embarrassed shrug. "I had no other use for it, so I thought…"
"You thought a girl you had never met might enjoy it?" Clara leaned forward, pausing so that her mouth was just shy of his. "I'm beginning to wonder if I was duped into this marriage," she joked. "By you and my devious aunt."
Eric made a mock offended expression. "I was far from some lovesick boy pining after a girl worlds away." His smile took on a smug tilt. "Would it make you feel better if I said I courted dozens of girls before meeting you?"
Alarm briefly flashed in Clara's eyes. "You did not."
Eric laughed. "No, I did not."
Clara made a sound of feigned annoyance, rolling her eyes. Then she grinned and pressed a firm kiss to Eric's mouth. He blinked in surprise at the suddenness of it, but quickly relaxed, drawing her close. She cradled his face in her hands as she moved to kiss his cheek, stroking his skin beneath her lips with her thumb. She could feel Eric's lips curving upwards, and she turned to kiss the corner of his mouth, catching his smile.
"I hope you know that we cannot act like this when we arrive at Grandfather's," murmured Clara. "Your last attempt at sneaking a kiss was near-disastrous."
"Don't you think your grandfather is a bit ridiculous?" Eric's eyes fluttered open briefly as he nudged his nose against her cheek. "We are married, after all."
"Do you want to tell him that he's ridiculous?"
"No," Eric said quickly. "No, I'd rather keep that opinion between us."
Clara chuckled. "Wise decision."
"Your tone suggests that I normally lack wisdom."
"Not at all." Clara said with exaggerated innocence. She brushed her fingers over his ear, tracing down to the edge of his jaw. "You are the epitome of sound judgement."
Eric weaved his hand through her hair. "I don't remember you being so flippant when we first met," he commented, his tone teasing.
"Must be the effect of spending all this time with you."
"Must be," agreed Eric. He smiled adoringly at Clara, then pulled her into another kiss.
/
Though it was only late morning, the air felt stifling. The summer heat contributed to part of it, but the aroma of the surrounding trees made it almost overwhelming. Clara and Eric were standing in the Peppermint Wood, which was completely comprised of trees dressed in red and white peppermint leaves. Behind them was a ruby ice cave, inside of which was one of the world crossing passages they used to travel. The scent the peppermint trees emitted wasn't unpleasant by any means, but in the heat of the day, it tended to be a bit much. It made Clara's head swim from the sweetness of it, and she frowned at Eric, wishing he would end this nonsensical conversation so they could continue on.
Eric scrunched up his face in displeasure. "Are you sure there isn't any other object from your world we can cloak it as?"
"You're being rather childish about this, Eric."
"I take great offense to that." Eric gestured to the scepter propped up against the tree beside him and Clara. "This is a very old and powerful magical object. Disguising it as an umbrella with a cloaking spell seems a bit disrespectful, don't you think?"
"No. Not really. Not when the cloaking spell is what keeps it safe outside of Parthenia." Clara snatched up the scepter and held it out to Eric. "Besides, we've done it multiple times before."
"Yes, and it's embarrassing."
"You know what else is embarrassing? A king who prioritizes pride over logic."
"That's hurtful, Clara."
Clara smirked at his sarcasm and pushed the scepter into Eric's hands. "An umbrella matches the scepter's size and shape the best. Cloak it. The sooner you do, the faster we can travel through the passage."
Eric sighed. "Fine."
/
They ended up arriving a day earlier then expected, due to the time shifting. But Eric seemed rather pleased with the time shift, as they had never made it so close to their intended arrival date before. Usually, if they arrived too early, they stayed at a hotel for a few days before imposing on Clara's grandfather. But Clara decided that a day early was something to be easily forgiven, so they continued on to her hometown.
The Drosselmeyer house was nestled in the heart of a large town in southern Germany. Even though the town was fairly modern, it managed to retain a gentle rustic atmosphere that Clara always found comforting to come back to. Mulberry Park was only a few blocks away from the Drosselmeyer house, and both the house and the park were set in a large neighborhood. Being on the edge of the neighborhood, the Drosselmeyer house was near many of the town's public buildings, including the theatre and library.
To Clara's surprise, it was only her brother who was at the house to greet them upon their arrival. Apparently, her grandfather had been visiting old university friends during the week, and his visit had gone on longer than expected. He had sent a telegram earlier that morning, telling them to expect him in two days.
To entertain themselves, Eric suggested that he and Clara take Tommy to the theatre. Clara heartily agreed, and went to her old room to freshen up and change into clothes appropriate for going out. Which left Eric to wait with Tommy.
"Two kings and a four."
Eric rubbed a finger over his mouth thoughtfully, eyeing the cards in his hand. The corner of his lips twitched upwards. "Three dukes and a six."
Tommy's face scrunched up in concentration. He leaned forward, frowning at the cards as he struggled to decide his move.
Patiently relaxed, Eric tapped a ginger drop against the table as he waited. A large pile of the candies was set before him; on the opposite side of the table, a smaller handful had been gathered in front of Tommy, and a third mound was in the center of the table. The two were sitting on opposite sides of a card table in the parlor. Behind them, the curtains of the window had been drawn apart, allowing the golden glow of twilight to pool onto the card game laid between them.
"Wait, how many dukes did you say?" asked Tommy.
"Three."
Tommy pressed his lips together, conflicted over what to do next.
"Do you need a hint?"
"No," snapped Tommy defensively.
Eric shrugged and set his cards face-down. He considered the candy in his hand for a moment, then popped it into his mouth.
Tommy looked up in shock. "Are you eating the tokens?"
"Tokens for what?" asked a new voice.
Eric and Tommy looked towards the parlor entrance. Clara swept into the room, dressed in an emerald green evening gown. Her hair was pinned up into an elegant twist, and a silver jeweled necklace lay about her throat. Eric stared at Clara, smiling dazedly at her. Tommy rolled his eyes, then glanced at Eric's abandoned cards. Slowly, he reached for them, hoping to sneak a peek.
Eric spun back around and snatched the cards away. "Nice try," he grinned.
Tommy gave a humph and sat back in his chair dejectedly.
Clara's gaze fell on the cluttered table. "Are you playing Duke's Hand?" Recognizing the Parthenian cards, she glared accusingly at Eric. "Eric, you can't teach Tommy a gambling game!"
"It's alright – we're not using real money." Eric gestured to the candies.
Clara placed a hand on her hip. "Using candy doesn't make it any less of a gambling game."
"He's twelve, Clara. Plenty old enough to play."
Tommy nodded in agreement.
Clara threw Tommy a warning look. "Very well then," she huffed. She strutted over to her brother's side and bent to look at his hand. Tommy frowned up at his sister, distrusting but allowing her to study his cards. Clara pointed to four of them. "Lay those down."
Tommy eyed the indicated cards. His face brightened in realization, and he excitedly pulled them free to lay them face-up on the table. "Two kings, an ace, and a colonel. A royal sweep!"
Eric straightened, the smugness on his expression suddenly wiped away. "What?"
"Ha!" exclaimed Tommy, dragging the center candy pile into his own.
Eric gave a wry smile as he tossed his cards to the table in defeat. He glanced up at Clara, who was looking down at him in haughty triumph. Amused, Eric shoved the rest of his candies towards Tommy. "Here. You earned it."
While Tommy stuffed his pockets with the ginger drops, Eric scooped up the cards. Tommy glanced at the cards curiously. "I've never seen cards like those before," he said. "Are they only made in America?"
Eric rapped the cards against the table's surface to straighten them. "I think so," he lied. He turned the deck over, wondering if America truly did have a card-game similar to the Parthenian one he had been teaching Tommy.
Eric and Clara had yet to decide how – or if – they would ever explain Parthenia to Clara's family. Clara doubted her grandfather would ever be able to understand she now resided in a kingdom that wasn't even in this world. Tommy, though, would probably have little trouble accepting it; in fact, she worried that he would insist on living there with them. Perhaps it was for that reason that she wanted to wait until Tommy was older before she told him the truth.
As far as Clara's family knew, she and Eric lived in Boston. That is where Elizabeth claimed to have met Eric's father, and where Eric supposedly has lived his entire life. It was far enough away that Clara's grandfather was not likely to travel to it, as long as Clara and Eric visited him, yet familiar enough that he did not question Eric's origins.
Clara often wished she could be honest with her family about her new home. Eric had offered to explain everything to her grandfather himself, but Clara rejected the suggestion, afraid of her grandfather's reaction. He had been reluctant enough when he gave his approval for Clara and Eric to marry. With their marriage not having even reached its second anniversary, Clara felt it was still too soon to even consider attempting to explain the concept of magic to her grandfather. So she decided to let it be for now.
Clara raised an eyebrow at Tommy's bulging pockets. "Tommy, why don't you go hide that candy in your room and change into your formal clothes? We need to leave within the next quarter of an hour if we're to make it on time."
"But I don't need a quarter of an hour to change," protested Tommy.
"You're welcome to stay here if you wish," said Clara with a shrug. "I'm sure the kitchen staff wouldn't mind keeping an eye on you."
Tommy made a face that was rather close to a pout. "Fine." He sulked off, pulling out a ginger drop to eat as he made his way upstairs.
The parlor now empty save for the two of them, Eric stood and came up behind Clara. He placed a hand on her waist, pulling her close to press a kiss to her cheek.
Clara smiled and twisted around so that she was facing him. "You should change as well."
"But you said we have a quarter of an hour," reminded Eric lightly.
"Yes, and I would expect a king to have a better argument for his procrastination then repeating that of a twelve-year-old's."
Eric shook his head. "No respect," he murmured. "Not even from the queen." He moved to close the distance between them, but Clara hastily pulled free before he could properly kiss her.
"Go get dressed," she said, grinning at his expression.
Eric gave a dramatic sigh. "Very well."
Eric changed into formal clothes quickly, then went to check on Tommy, who had – unsurprisingly – become distracted in his room. Once Tommy was ready they hurried downstairs and were ushered out the door by an impatient Clara.
