One week later
Gabrielle felt as though she was on air, as he husband danced with her around the room. People overwhelmed the ballroom, but not just nobles, but farmers, merchants, and ever commoner you could think of were in there. Many had taken to the castle grounds in order for more space to be made. While Gabrielle knew there was a risk of thief due to the sheer amount of people; she didn't care.
She was with alive, her children were safe, and her husband loved her. Nothing short of the earth crumbling under her feet could ruin the moment, and even then she would perish in happiness. The curse had been lifted off both of them, and now they could live their lives as they should have done in the beginning...in love.
She felt his lips press against her again. Gabrielle deepened the kiss, and placed her hand on his shoulder. It lasted a few moments, before her king gently broke it. He then stroked her face.
"I am sorry...you had to wait so long for this." She just smiled and shook her head.
"No, my lord. There is nothing in life that is worth it that comes fast. I just feel blessed by the Gods that it has come to be. I am a queen, with wonderful children, and a loving husband. I don't feel like I deserve to be this happy while there is so much misery in the world." Adrian pressed a finger against her lips, and shook his head.
"No, you are wrong. While there is misery in the world..you deserve happiness because you bring it to others. I have something to tell you, Gabrielle. While I never felt love when I didn't have my heart, I did feel happiness...but the only times I felt happy was when I was with you. You are to people what the sun is to the earth." A deep blush came over the queen's face as she looked down, but happiness was interwoven with her bashfulness.
She then heard footsteps and looked up to see Kianda and Shango both in formal dress. They both gave gestures of respect towards their monarchs, before the Captain of the Queen's guard asked,
"You sent for my, your majesty?"
"Yes, I did." With one arm still wrapped around his wife's waist, he turned his attention to the warrior woman.
"You have done nothing that is not worthy of the highest honor. Your bravery and actions saved not only my wife but my children. I don't see a way I could ever truly repay you." Kianda smiled.
"The fact I saved them is reward enough."
"But not to me it isn't. Kianda, due to your heritage, when I am gone you and your descendants may face ostentation. I don't want that to happen. I am giving you an offer, a title. Kianda, I King Adrian, give you the offer of becoming Duchess Kianda and second command of my army. It will be a title passed down to any children you have." Kianda's expression looked as though the world had turned upside down and she was trying to make sense of it. Being a Duchess...it couldn't be true?
"Your majesty, that is far too much!" She protested, losing her usual stoicism.
"Not in my eyes. This is just not about power, but for protection for you and your descendants, and also myself. I would much rather have you in my war room that some foolish noble. You would serve the kingdom far better. It fact I would be more honored if you became a Duchess than you would probably feel." Kianda looked stunned for a moment, before Shango gently touched her shoulder. Gabrielle smiled.
"I would like that, Kianda. And my husband is right. It would guarantee your and your children would be safe. And he is right about you being far better suited than some spoiled noble boy." Kianda looked around, pausing before bowing.
"I would be honored, your majesties." She rose, "But what should my house be called?"
"What do you want it to be called?" Adrian asked her. Kianda eyes looked around for a moment before settling on Gabrielle.
"House Swan."
The sounds of the crowd started to fade into the background as Adrian lead her up the stairs.
"Will you now tell me the meaning of this?" She asked, not understanding why Adrian would want to take her away from the party to show her something.
"I have something to give back to you." Gabrielle blinked in confusion. She had never given Adrian anything...but he had given her so much. What of hers could he have? He lead her into a small room, and gestured her to sit down in a chair which she did, but still not understanding. Her king lit a small lamp on the stand next to her chair and then went into the darkness and came back with a box. Then he got on one knee and opened it.
Gabrielle gasped.
It was her slippers...from the night of the first ball they danced at. She then remembered she had only left one, but Adrian must have got the other from Miss Goose.
"You kept them...all this time...after all these years."
"Yes, I did. Up until the curse broke I felt it was never the right time to give you this. But now it is. My queen, allow me." Without a word, she let Adrian remove her shoes and slowly slid on her mother's pair. He then got back to his feet and gave her a hand to help her up.
"Gabrielle, I want to make a vow to you. I considered making it in front of the kingdom, but I knew that wouldn't fit you. You prefer such things to be intimate."
"What kind of vow?"
"I swear I will love you while we watch our children grew and protect them. I swear I will love you when I step down from the throne and we are no longer King and Queen. I swear I will love you until you are old and gray, and if I die before you, I will wait at the River Styx for your spirit. And when the time of man, Gods, and even stars have passed, and nothing of me remains, my love for you and all you have given me will."
Gabrielle was now crying, she threw herself at her husband, and wrapped her arms around him. He gently stroked her hair.
"But eternity is a long time away...for now I will focus on protecting our family." They didn't have to speak to say they were both thinking of Atropos.
"I know you are here!" Called the princess into the dark of the woods. She knew she only had a few moments to do this because her escape would be surely found out soon. The guards had been careful to keep an eye on the princess...and they were right too. She had done a feat that should only be the domain of the Gods in front of the entire kingdom.
She had everything from people calling for her death, something her father stopped...permanently even with a heart he was still the War King, and those who would try to sneak into her gardens and beg them to heal them or raise their dead love ones. Hate to love, fear to hope, and disgust to worship.
She had felt it all and more.
"Show yourself now!" She commanded again into the darkness. Then a flash of red appeared before her. And standing before her was the woman who nearly had cost her mother's life, and taken her grandmother's.
"Little princess, I am so impressed you found me. Did you sense me?" Atropos gave a smirk.
"It was the smell." Asura didn't seem insulted, but she grinned.
"My what a rude little princess." She crossed her arms and tsked.
"Tell me why I was able to heal my father's heart." Asura didn't answer right away, and instead focused on examining her nails.
"I think the reason is obvious." she replied in a bored tone.
"No it isn't! They said only a God could heal a wounded heart." Without looking up the Chaos Fae told her.
"Precisely." Atropos' mouth dropped open as a chill ran through her. It wasn't helped by the suddenly viciously looking grin that Asura was now giving her.
"I am a...Goddess?"
"Yes, but not in that body. You see you are a Goddess in cased in a human shell the moment you die you will resume your true form as the White Goddess." She then pointed behind the princess, and Atropos turned and looked up.
She was pointing towards the tallest tower.
"If you go up there and throw yourself from there you will die and become the White Goddess." The white haired girl sneered and reared back on the fae.
"What is the White Goddess?" She demanded.
"Why its what you are inside." Asura only grinned more at the angry expression on the young princesses' face. "But if you want to know exactly...you will have to die."
"I am not going to kill myself." At that the Chaos Fae gave a cheerful smile.
"Oh, that's all right. I'll help!"
"What?" Atropos stumbled a few paces backwards. Was she going to kill her.
"Oh, now ease up, child. I didn't say I was going to kill you. The fates have already decided that...the one you named after told me something very interesting about your death."
"What...about my death."
"On your sixteenth birthday...you will prick your finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die...and then become the White Goddess." At the fearful expression on Atropos' face Asura began to laugh...and then fade.
"Wait, don't go! You need to tell me. What is the White Goddess?"
But Asura had vanished.