Nixiesocean: Here it is! The final chapter (not including the epilogue) of Rose Petals
Responses:
Bingo7: It's a weird friendship, much like what one I have. You really don't like the personality of the other person, but you still hang around. You'd be sad if they died, but you're not intimately linked. Make sense? About cliffies, (hehe) this one is too!
FaylinnNorse: Yep. I love cliffies! Know the unfortunate thing about them? They make people respond! If I ended every chapter with something resolved, people would be content and not review! (see above for the explanation of Mercy's friendship with the lion).
Thai Libre: (see 2 responses above)
KMD3271: Yeah, the scene switching was a little odd. This chapter is angsty, sad, happy and angsty. We just drove past the black forest, and I'd love to go hiking there. In places where trees were cut back to allow for roadways, we could see inside it, and it was so weird because everything below the treetops were dead because it's so freaking dense!
Nyght Mustique: Ah… but didn't the cliffie make you review? (bwhaha!) Besides, to make you happy, I wrote another cliffhanger! What's 'Scheherazade'? (grin)
fantisylover: You'll understand why she has to chop the lion's head off in this chapter. The frog has to be wittier? I'll try if I revise and repost this.
Piratess of Summer: Besides, you know the story. And yes, always trust the talking animals. That's why red riding hood got eaten by the wolf! (wink)
Read, gasp, be shocked, and review!
Chapter 18: Return of the Royals
Dread filled Mercy. What if the lion figured it out? What if he knew the frog had ordered her to kill him? She opened the door, trying to not drop the hot apple pie. She gracelessly made her way across the hall to the lion seated on his cushions.
"Maiden Mercy," He greeted.
Her eyes flicked up to his as she set the pie on a small tray-table. "Greetings, lion."
He deeply inhaled the pie. "It smells delicious. The apples are from the garden, are they not?"
"They are." Please, just eat it.
"And you used cedar wood for the fire." He smelled the pie again. "Ahhh." Then, with bestial gusto, he ate the pie, leaving little in the pan. "That was divine." Mercy tried to smile. "Come over here. I am rather tired. Scratch my ears." Oh, God, no! How did the frog know?
Mercy obeyed and settled herself near the wall to easily scratch his ears. Rumbles echoed through the hall. Slowly, she reached between the bed and the wall. There, she found the hilt of a sword.
She jerked back as if burned. The lion wasn't yet asleep, but near. After what seemed like an eternity, his breathing became regular and his heartbeat slowed. Mercy moved away from him. Trying not to disturb the lion, she reached behind the bed and pulled out the sword.
And nearly dropped it.
Mercy knew the sword, had seen it every day of her life since it was gifted to her brother. The tempered steel felt heavy to her uneducated hands, but Marcus had claimed it to be lighter than the best steel in the country. The gilded depicted the mountains of Hanor on side and a rearing lion on the other – the family crest of Marcus given to him a birth. Mercy held the lion's picture up so she could view it and the lion in front of her.
They were mirror images.
Pity took place of dread. The lion had done nothing wrong. He had rescued her, allowed her to stay in his palace and been very lenient on demanding things. Yes, when he demanded things, he expected things done, and yes, he had been a little mean on exchanging her servitude for Marcus' freedom (something he had not upheld), but overall, she had grown rather fond of the lion over the past week.
She put the sword in both hands and raised it over her head.
Just as the sword was descending on the lion's unprotected neck, his blue eyes opened. Instead of fear, there was happiness in his eyes. Peacefulness.
The sword chopped off the lion's head in one stroke.
- - - - - - - - - -
"Today." Jonas moaned. "Hannah has to appear today or Hanor will merely be a footnote on the pages history."
Anna's encouraging hand was still on his shoulder. "They will come home. I am sure of it."
Jonas' blue eyes met his wife's green ones. "That may be true, but will they come home today?"
Anna smiled. "Let us go play chess."
"I cannot think like that today, sweet,"
Her other hand was placed on his shoulder. She gently began massaging his shoulders. He slumped down in his chair. She placed a kiss on his weathered cheek. "They will come home, darling."
- - - - - - - - - -
Mercy was crying. Her hands covered her eyes and she was bent over weeping on the lion's luxurious carpets. Pressure on her shoulder made her look up.
She blinked, hoping what she saw wasn't a vision, and reality.
Marcus' blue eyes and curly hair, everything about him she had loved met her. She leaped up and threw her arms around him. She wept out of sorrow and happiness, clutching him tightly.
"I thought you were gone for sure!" She whispered. He returned the hug. She stood back after a while. The lion's bed was empty, not a drop of blood stained the silks. "Where's the lion?"
Marcus took her hand. "I am the lion."
She blinked. "And you toyed with me for a week? You didn't have the courage to tell me outright that you were the lion?"
He sighed and took her hand. "I was cursed to remain a lion until a maiden's hand chopped off my head out of love for me as a lion." Mercy rolled her eyes. "How did you know what to do?"
Mercy shrugged. "The frog out in the garden told me."
He laughed. She cherished it. "Let's go thank that frog." Mercy smiled and they walked out.
With every step the prince of Hanor took the palace crumbled apart. The lion's bed was the first to evaporate, every piece of furniture and artwork vanished. The palace crumbled into ruins just as the pair stepped out of the gates.
Mercy led her brother to the now-dying garden. As they reached the frog's island, they saw her hopping about, gathering woodchips. She ignored the siblings. Finally, the large pile of chips ignited.
Before Mercy could stop her, the frog jumped into the fire. It burned so brightly that Mercy and Marcus had to shield their eyes. The fire created more smoke than what should have been produced. As if a strong wind had come, the fire winked out.
Someone stepped out of the smoke, coughing and sneezing. Marcus dropped Mercy's hand and jumped across the small brook. From her position on the other side, Mercy could make out Hannah's distinct form. Mercy smiled lightly, but the lovers' public display made her sad.
Mercy suddenly remembered the danger Hanor was in. "I'd love to stay here while you two have your happy reunion, but we really need to get back to the palace." Mercy tapped her foot. "We can explain curses to the court and your father, Hannah." The garden completely dissolved around them, and spread outward until the whole grove was no longer anything but the dilapidated ruins of an old palace with an unkempt garden.
Three horses trotted into the old clearing. The three mounted and the once dark forest was back to normal, and an old game trail led them out. They reentered the world of humans and rational explanations.
As they entered the palace complex, cheers and whistles greeted them. From the spot the royals make public decrees, Mercy noted her parents, both in tears and waving happily.
The whole royal guards met them, and instinctively, Mercy searched for her own bodyguard.
Renold was missing.
They trotted to the stables as her father's booming voice overtook the crowd's noise.
"There will be a great feast tonight!" It was around two bells after noon. "I shall fund the feast for the people! Tonight we eat as one!" This was welcomed with applause. Although Hanor was rich, the people weren't in danger of starving; having roast pork was appealing.
Mercy met her father in his parlor after he had sent Hannah to write a letter to her father and Marcus to speak with Queen Anna.
"Where is Renold?" Mercy asked quietly after five minutes of hugging.
She saw her father struggle for words and feared the worst. "He was reassigned."
"Reassigned?" She nearly screamed. "Why? He was a perfectly good guard here in the palace!"
King Jonas breathed deeply. "He requested it, I assume because he blamed himself for your es– disappearance."
She narrowed her eyes. "Call him back, then! I will personally write to him and explain that my escape was needed." She turned on her heel and walked out, anger nearly making the air around her shimmer.
King Jonas sighed after the door slammed.
"It's not that simple, dear daughter."
- - - - - - - - - -
There were two feasts held that night, one for the nobility and royalty, and one for the common folk. If the nobles were annoyed that they ate the same food as the commoners, they were discreet about complaints. Nobles that were within traveling distance attended. At the upper class feast, the king made this announcement:
"During the time my children were missing, the king of Unuquat and the king of Bavar both made the threat to invade, each for different reasons. Bavar, because his daughter was missing and blamed us for her lack of safety and Unuquat because, as you know, my wife if of Unuquat and he feared for her safety if the invasion of Hanor occurred.
"With the arrival of Princess Hannah, Prince Marcus and Princess Mercy safely back into civilization, these threats have turned into apologies.
"In one month we will all meet here again, to celebrate the arrival of one more into the rank of titled nobility. So, with great happiness I announce one more thing: In two months my son and Princess Hannah will be eternally bound in matrimony!"
Mercy applauded as decency required, but secretly wished all the attention the pair was getting would go away. She had wanted to see Renold as least once more before he was reassigned.
She smiled and ate after the blessing was spoken.
No one went home hungry, though the princess of Hanor wanted something deeper.
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