Chapter 8
"A Possible Future?"
After what was the strangest day of her life had come to a close, Sunni returned to Gummi Glen with the rest of the Glen Gummies eager to listen to what Sunni had to say about attending her first human wedding. Changing out of her dirtied long dark green dress, Sunni changed into her aqua green nightgown and went to the main hall to tell her story.
"So, that was what happened?" remarked Cubbi. "A human knight invading a wedding? Why wasn't I invited? If Cavin and I were there, he would have been sliced onions!"
"I don't think you would fare well, Cubbi dear," said Grammi. "From the looks of it, someone could have gotten seriously hurt, Sunni. Where were you during all of this?"
"I was in the tower until I fell out of it," replied Sunni. "I thought that I would be spotted by a human and then took cover under a field of grass. Let me tell you, it was absolutely disgusting hiding in grass."
Sunni could also feel herself starting to become itchy. Apparently, the grass she had been hiding in had caused her to scratch uncontrollably. Fortunately, Grammi had an idea to combat that.
"Well, there is nothing that a little Witch Hazel won't do," she said. "However, you will need to stay inside for a few days, Sunni."
"Aw, Grammi," whined Sunni. "Do I have to?"
"Not unless you want to be scratching all the time," replied the matriarch of Gummi Glen. "You probably must have ended up in itchy grass. But, I can't really blame you for your faults, dear. There was very little you could have done."
"Well, Sunners, as soon as you are healed up," said Gusto. "I've been meaning to do that portrait of you that I promised these bears here. Can't wait to see you all dolled up."
Sunni could only giggle and blush at what the artistic Gummi bear had said. She had always longed to be immortalized by him and even though she had the itches, Sunni was going to focus on this and nothing else. But, there was a far more pressing matter that needed to be addressed.
"By the way, Sunni," said Gruffi. "Whatever happened to the rose I gave you?"
Sunni's look of happiness became a look of depression when Gruffi asked the question. Sunni knew that Gruffi liked seeing his baby girl dressed to the lines and to think of her telling him that she lost the rose in all of the chaos was unthinkable.
"I lost the rose, Gruffi," sighed Sunni, placing her arms behind her back and lowering her head. "There was quite a lot going on and I didn't think to even look for it. I didn't even notice it fell out of my hair until I got out of the grass. By then, all I could think about was not being found."
Sunni stood there thinking that Gruffi would go bananas, but to her surprise, he didn't. Gruffi got up and patted Sunni on the back, as a way of saying that she did what needed to be done.
"You did what you had to do, Sunni," he sighed. "Besides, I could never live with myself if you had been discovered by other humans than Calla. Thank the Great Gummies you survived when you did."
"Gruffi is right, Sunni," added Zummi. "As long as you survived, then the rose isn't important to even ink about, er, think about."
Sunni smiled at this and realized what was indeed truly at stake. But, furthermore, she had another pressing issue and that was about Prince Herbert. She had only met him for a few minutes, but kept this from the other Gummies, for if they were to find out, the threat level of people learning that they truly existed would greatly be raised.
"Well, might as well call it a night then," said Gusto. "I've got to rest up my artistic mind for another day."
"And I'll try to clean and fix your dress in the morning, Sunni," said Grammi. "You are going to need it for your upcoming portrait, after all."
Smiling warmly, Sunni hugged Grammi and then Gruffi one last time before retiring for the night.
Meanwhile, upon returning to Dunwyn Castle, Calla had changed out of her blue and white gown and into her pink sleeveless nightgown. She was exhausted of all the days' activities and longed for a good night's sleep. But, before she could do so, she heard a knock at the door.
"Calla, may I come in?" asked a voice.
"Um, sure father, you may," replied Calla, throwing on her pink robe as King Gregor walked into her bedroom.
"I wanted to see how you are doing after the wedding," he said. "I know that a lot happened today. Let me assure you that I will find the one called Sir Lancelot and punish him for this."
Calla didn't want to think that for there were far more important matters to indeed focus on, such as Prince Herbert leading his own free life away from his father's overbearing nature. In a sense, Sir Lancelot invading the wedding was probably a blessing in disguise.
"I wouldn't do that, father," said Calla, her voice filled with exhaustion. "All that matters is that not a whole lot of people had gotten hurt. Besides, Prince Herbert didn't even want to marry now. He's like me, we both want to live a normal childhood."
"I know you do, Calla," replied King Gregor. "But, you have to understand what is going through King Herbert's mind right now. He needs to expand the land out of the swamp and one day, he will want his son to marry."
Calla knew that her father had a point. Prince Herbert would have to marry one day and when that time would come, there would be nothing that neither she nor Herbert could do to stop it from happening.
"But, he wants to marry someone who loves him in return father," said Calla and then she froze for a quick second, her eyes widening in shock. "Unless, he is…you don't mean that maybe…? No, no it couldn't be. It just couldn't."
"Don't worry about that now, Calla," said Gregor, patting on Calla's back. "Just focus on being a princess and your own life right now."
Calla knew that Dunwyn had the second most land in England and there was no question that she and Herbert would become the talk of the two kingdoms of Swamp Castle and Dunwyn one day.
At that very moment, Prince Herbert was out wandering the grounds of Swamp Castle when he noticed a small pink flower lying on the ground, near the tall grass where Sunni had been hiding.
"The Gummi Bear's flower," he whispered. "The one she was wearing in her hair. She must have dropped it in all the madness. But, why I am I holding it? Could it be that when our free lives are over, Princess Calla and I would become one in the same?"
Prince Herbert began to feel excitement creep over his body as he began to quietly sing and dance at the prospect of him and Calla possibly having a future together. Only time would tell what the future would hold for both of them for the craziest day in both their lives as well as Sunni's life
