A Fickle Fingered Fate

Chapter 6

Adjustments are needed

A shrill scream filled the stables moments before a bout of helpless laughter. Mia pushed at the furry snout that was thrust against her face, trying to avoid the sticky wet tongue licking at her cheeks. "Sta-stop it! That tickles!" she giggled. "What even are you?!"

Toffee sank a hand into the scruff of the furry beast, pulling it back to let his bride right herself. The creature was a large beast, broader than a unicorn but only slightly half the height. Its fur was a wash of blue and green, the hues blending and fading into each other, while its face was a light cream with a bright pink nose. Six legs shuffled excitedly on the dirt floor, its thick tail making a slight rattle at the quills covering it brushed against one another.

"This is a porcupine beast. They're a bit rare in this region, but they make excellent mounts once tamed." He scratched behind the beast's ear, earning a few gleeful pants as it leaned into his hand. "He'll be good for you to ride on."

The new queen blinked, pausing as she wiped her cheek dry. "Me? Ride him?" she asked uncertainly. "But if I can't ride a unicorn, then how could I ride this?" She had to admit the creature seemed very endearing, but compared to the gentle and calm mares she had always ridden, he seemed almost wild.

"Trust me, you're more likely to be thrown from your horse than this one," he replied. Kneeling down, Toffee lifted one of the beast's paws, the porcupine instantly going still, allowing the king to do as he pleased. He spread the large toes, showing off the huge claws attached to them. "He'll rarely find something he can't climb over or dig through, and with six legs it'll be tricky for him to ever fully lose his footing." Dropping the paw, he stood and gestured for her to join him at the creature's side.

His hand disappeared in the beast's fur as he patted its broad back. "His spine is thicker than my arm and as flexible as a spring. He can make huge leaps, tight turns, and if ever attacked, he can take a solid hit." Running his hand along the porcupine's spine, he carefully cradled it's tail, moving it into her line of sight. "His tail gives him good balance and works like the rudder of a ship to aid him when turning at a full gallop. Not to mention anything trying to pester him is going to look like a pin cushion when he swats them."

He released the tail, patting the creature's flank as it gave a happy gurgle. "All in all, he'll keep you safe and get you wherever you want to go. As for temperament, he's a bit excitable when he first sees you-as you've already experienced." His sly smirk told her that he had planned for the beast to startle her, and while she set her hands on her hips in an attempt to look miffed, the smile cracking across her lips didn't fool him. "But once you give him a bit of attention he quiets right down. Tacking him isn't any harder than a horse, and he enjoys a good grooming. If you end up having any trouble dealing with him let one of the hands know and they'll straighten things out."

Mia looked over the beast again, trying to take in everything he had said. One thing stuck out more than the rest, however. He had insisted almost constantly that the porcupine would protect her. This wasn't just a mount to take on a leisurely ride through the countryside, this was essentially a guard dog. Toffee was giving her a sense of security. She wondered if that was his intent, or if he meant to simply discourage anything from attacking his new queen.

Either way, she couldn't deny how endearing the beast was, especially when he turned his head towards her, tongue lolled and panting, pressing his muzzle into her hands to beg for attention. She giggled, rubbing his cheeks as he gave the goofiest expression. "With a face like that, how could you possibly be any trouble?" she cooed, and pressed a kiss to his wet nose.

"Its the cute one that are the biggest rascals," Toffee murmured, watching his wife coddling the beast like a newborn puppy. "Will you accept him, then?"

She turned those bright blue eyes on him, and he found himself suddenly tense, waiting for her answer. It shouldn't have mattered if she'd take the beast or not, after all if she declined he had a few horses to offer her. But he had personally selected this creature to be the first gift he presented to his wife, and he felt a twinge of anxiousness in the brief moment he waited for her response. "Of course, Toffee. He's simply wonderful. Thank you."

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

The doors to the Royal bedroom slowly swung open without a sound, yet the silence was deafening. In the doorway, the newlyweds stood side by side, unmoving. This room had belonged to Toffee for years, he had been a teenager when he had moved into them and since then they had been his personal haven from the outside world. Here he could think, relax, and doing as he pleased without prying eyes or judging stares. Never had it felt so foreign to him as it did at that moment.

It was about to become 'their' room, not just 'his' room. Very few ever made it beyond the doors, and even fewer had ever slept there. In fact, the only female that had ever been under his blankets had been his sister when she was small and afraid of storms and darkness. But now that was about to change, and he wasn't sure he liked the idea of it.

Though, by the look of his new wife, she seemed to be reluctant to even cross through the doorway, as if setting foot on the rug inches from her toes was taboo. She bit her lip again, a habit he had noticed that tended to mean she was uncertain or could recall his mother doing something similar, wringing her gloved hands as she briefly closed her eyes.

The thought made something seem to melt inside him. As different as they were, both women had left everything safe and familiar behind to enter the monster world. He didn't know if could muster the strength to leave his people behind and live among the mewnians. But if she could find the will to do such a thing, how could he not at least open his sanctuary to her?

He held out his hand, the movement catching her attention that had been firmly glued to the room before them. She blinked at it for a moment, as if not sure what he wanted, and slowly placed her delicate fingers into the curve of his palm. "You don't have to force yourself into this, Mia," he reminded her. "I don't want you to make yourself do something you're uncomfortable with. You are always welcome here, either way."

She lowered her eyes, giving him the unwelcomed feeling of having kicked a puppy. "I'm just...nervous." As she lifted her head, her eyes suddenly held such worry one would think her loved ones had just been sent the front lines of a war. "I've never shared a room before. What if I'm a terrible roommate?"

The seriousness of her expression combined with the strange concern made him chuckle. "That's what you're worried about? What, are you going to leave your stockings hanging off the headboard? Snoop through my things?" He leaned closer, trying hard not to laugh at her reddening face. "Do you snore?"

She nearly choked. "Wha-? N-no, I never-! A princess does not snore!" she stammered. "Do not tease me-it isn't funny! I'd never be so-so unladylike! My ancestors would roll in their graves. I am a lady of proper manners and am a very tidy person."

"Then what do you have to worry about?" he asked with a smirk, watching the look of realization cross her face before she once again cast her gaze to the floor. His smile faded as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "All jokes aside, I can understand what you mean. This is going to be...an adjustment on both accounts. We'll just have to figure things out as we go. But make no mistake, I have no objections to you being here, Mia. As queen you are equally entitled to these chambers as I am. After all, we're partners now if nothing else. And if you feel uncomfortable here, we can always move you into your own rooms. Nothing is set in stone."

She sighed softly, nodding her head. "Right. Then I suppose we...uh, ready ourselves for bed?"

"That would be wise, the hour is late, and there will be much to do tomorrow." Keeping a gentle grip on her hand, he stepped into his room, tugging her along after him. An awkward tension hung in the air as the doors closed behind them, sealing them off from the rest of the world.

The maids had already unpacked and put her things away, and after a bit of searching, she was able to find a sleeping gown and promptly retreated behind the changing screen in the corner of the room. When she stepped out again, she found Toffee already dressed for bed as well, wearing a loose night shirt and brown pants. He sat cross-legged on the bed, pulling the tie from his hair and combing his fingers through it.

The mewnian couldn't help put cast him a few glances as she crossed the room to the vanity, untying her own bound locks. Unlike Toffee, she didn't have the luxury of being able to get away with a simple finger combing with her hair, if she tried she would just end up with tangled knots in the morning. As she shook her hair out, one lock brushed against her cheek instead of falling down her back like the rest. Her hand touched it, feeling the newly cut ends of the shortened piece of hair. "It feels so strange," she mused aloud. "I've never had my hair cut short. Even if its just one little piece...the difference is interesting."

"You could always cut it now, if you wanted," he said, watching her reflection in the mirror. "Re usually cuts her hair for the summer months. She likes it up to her ears and doesn't stop playing with it until it grows back in around autumn."

Mia turned in her chair, brush pausing in mid stroke. "To her ears?" she echoed. "That's considered unseemly short for a lady of her title."

"Not for monsters. Women aren't held under such strict social rules as mewnians. In fact my mother's hair was always short, she couldn't stand long hair." He smiled slightly as a memory came to mind. "She loved it, but my father hated it. He claimed she had the loveliest hair-a teal cloud, he called it. He also hated her favorite hat."

The image he conjured brought a smile to her lips as she continued tending to her hair. "I take it he liked her hair and was sad he didn't get to see much of it. That sounds sweet." Grabbing a ribbon between her teeth, she braided and twisted her hair into a bun high on her head, and tied it securely in place. Only the shortened lock still hung free, brushing softly against her collarbone. She had decided on a whim to leave it down, and wrapped it tightly around her finger briefly, giving it an extra bit of curl to form a perfect ringlet. "But I think I rather have my hair long. I like the way it looks."

Leaving the vanity, she crossed to the bed, climbing up on the opposite side. "What about you?" she asked, slipping under the blankets. She was glad when she discovered they had added her fur to the bed, her fingers stroking it softly. "Do you cut your hair short?"

He shrugged a shoulder as he too drew the blankets over his lap. "Not usually, but I have on a few occasions. I tend to keep it tied back regardless since it nearly got me blinded by pixies when I was young."

"How did that happen?" she asked, arching a brow.

"They like long hair for whatever reason, and they try to steal it by slicing off pieces of your scalp. One of them ended up stabbing its tiny dagger into the corner of my eye while I was trying to swat them off." He tapped the place where the injury had been, yet there was no sign it had ever been there in the first place. "But if you keep your hair tied, they tend to leave you alone since they'd have to fight with your tie to get to it and they can be pretty lazy creatures."

"That's horrible! How have you not just cut all of it off after such a terrible encounter?"

"I don't exactly blame my hair for it, so why make it pay the price? After all, I don't plan to go near pixie territory again any time soon."

She smiled slightly. "That's a good way to look at it, and I'm glad you see it as such."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"I like your hair as it is. It suits you, and you wear it well for every occasion we've had thus far."

He chuckled, playfully giving a slight bow. "I'm humbled to meet your approval, Lady Fair Hair."

She rolled her eyes with an amused scoff. "If I must be a fairy tale, surely there is a better ending one you could have picked."

"So you don't feel like selling your hair to a witch to save your kingdom? Our people with surely be saddened, Mia."

She laughed, shaking her head as she laid down, drawing the blankets up to her chin. "Oh, just go to sleep, you."

"As you wish," he replied, and with a wave of his hand, darkness filled the room.