“I get you, Plum… I’m just like you.”
Plum raised its face to look at me, confusion in its eyes. I chuckled half-heartedly. Plum and Mother both were a little too guarded and afraid to show their true feelings.
“She wants to patch things up with you, too.”
That, finally, was too much for the cat.
“Mariabeeeeeeeeeeel!!”
The King Cait Sidhe cried rivers of tears, its golden eyes shimmering all different colors as it sniffled, wiping its nose. It rapidly shrank as it cried, its desire to fight draining rapidly. When it was back to its tiny, kittenlike size, it leapt into my chest.
“Son of Mariabel! I meowst thank you for your words… I’ll win over Mariabel for sure neow!”
“My name’s Vincent,” I corrected it.
Elizabeth watched the entire exchange with a pleased smile on her lips. She didn’t seem the least bit upset by this sudden diversion from our wedding plans, and frankly, I loved her for that.
“Thanks for bringing the book,” I told her.
She shook her head. “I’m simply glad it was of use.”
“I suppose it’s time we got back, then… To the palace, Lars.”
“Gweorgh.”
After one last lingering look of confusion at the cait sidhe, he obediently took to the sky. The townsfolk beneath us cheered. Elizabeth and I smiled and waved in turn, and the cheering only grew. The children and younger folk in particular seemed enthralled by the one-two punch of cait sidhe and dragon, waving both arms enthusiastically at us as we flew.
While scanning the crowd, I spotted Amelia. I yelped a little and turned away, and Elizabeth similarly was muttering something under her breath. Amelia recognized us as well; I caught a glimpse of her, slack-jawed, as she frantically shook her husband’s shoulder.
“I wonder how surprised she’d be if she learned Ricardo’s a foreign king,” I mused.
“Oh, I can imagine!” Elizabeth giggled mischievously.
When I finally overcame my embarrassment enough to wave at her, she ecstatically waved back.
Lars took us leisurely up the main street before finally landing on the same balcony we’d taken off from. Quite a few guests were there, all concerned for the barrier and the two of us alike. We obviously couldn’t allow Plum to roam free after the debacle, so it shared Lars’ basket and remained squarely within Lars’ arms.
“Everything is fine,” I assured the guests. “Our apologies for the commotion.”
Elizabeth bowed her head apologetically at my side. While little to no actual damage was done, the threat of harm was real. It took me a few moments to realize that the entire room was still quiet enough to hear a pin drop. When I looked about for the reason, all eyes were still on Lars’ basket.
“…Oh.”
While we had little choice but to enlist Lars’ aid, the dragon’s existence was a closely guarded secret, even amongst our own nobility. We’d shown him off quite plainly to them all.
The assembled foreign royals’ gaze drifted from the basket to Mother and back again. They were doing the math—should war break out between their kingdoms and ours, they’d have Mother’s demonic strength and a literal dragon to deal with. Though Mother kept denying it, her violent and checkered past was a poorly kept secret even abroad.
Finally, King Ricardo broke the silence. “That was the King Cait Sidhe that terrorized Nieve many years ago. Such power is akin to a natural disaster. You’ve no reason to apologize for protecting your own.”
He smiled courteously, and from the other guests’ reactions, I doubted any of them would contradict him.
“Calming a monster is far more difficult than slaying it,” he continued, standing and proceeding toward our balcony. “More than that, you have the blessing of a real hallowyrm. Your marriage has been blessed, and an enlightened reign is sure to follow. Nieve would like to form a peace with you that will hopefully last forevermore.” He turned to address the crowd. “Applause, now, for the young hero who will be king! Shower them with your prayers and wishes anew!”
Nobody would dare speak against the Nievan king at that point. The crowd took a collective breath, and the celebratory mood filled the great hall once more.
“Thank you kindly, King Ricardo,” I told him.
“No need to thank me. I told them what I felt, no more and no less.” He paused. “Wait, but we’re still missing one critically important thing!” The king held up a single finger to Elizabeth and me. “We’re still waiting on that kiss.”
Oh, drat. We didn’t get to that part, did we?
From the balcony, we were visible to the guests of the grand hall and the civilians gathered below. All eyes were on us, and a singular emotion shared amongst them—eager anticipation. They were all impatiently awaiting our kiss.
I grimaced a little as I turned to Elizabeth, and a wave of oohs rose from the peasantry. I would’ve much preferred a more romantic mood. The musicians tried to answer my plea, but they were all but drowned out by the sounds of the crowd.
I did my best to smile at Elizabeth, and that was the moment I realized a crucial fact. Despite the physical distance between us being the same as it was before, her face seemed somehow more distant. I was sure she’d somehow shrunk.
Sensing my confusion, Elizabeth smiled at me. “I didn’t want to risk harming poor Lord Lars, so I removed my heels before mounting him.”
I turned around to find her wedding heels on the edge of the balcony, just as she’d said. Despite being noticeably shorter, she met my eyes with the same frank resolve.
That brought me back to when we met ten years ago. She was slightly taller than me in heels despite my own low heels. That, paired with Mother’s insistence that picky eaters wouldn’t grow up big and strong, prompted me to change my diet almost overnight. That was only the beginning—I sculpted my studies, my manners, and even how I tended to my health and parts of my personality. The latter point wasn’t perfect, as Plum had demonstrated, but Elizabeth accepted even my less savory parts in her infinite warmth.
All around me, I spotted the friends, aides, and tutors who had accompanied me on this decade-long journey. I’d butted heads with them at times, especially those closer to my age, but they were my dear friends nonetheless. Not only that, but I had the support of allies from abroad, and outside, the citizens looked upon us with love. Our success together was all but guaranteed. This wasn’t the end—no, it was the beginning. We were on the threshold of the loving life I’d always dreamed of.
“Elizabeth, I solemnly swear that I’ll love you until the end of time. I’ll be a king and a man worthy of you, and I shall never stop improving to that end.”
Hints of tears formed in the corners of her amethyst eyes. “I, as well, swear to keep my place at your side, regardless of what comes our way.”
I gingerly rested my hand on her arm, and she pliantly leaned into my touch. Then, I leaned down to match her shortened stature. My heart was racing, and my cheeks grew red hot—but before I could lose my nerve, my eyelids fluttered shut.
The onlookers below saw as my figure overlapped with hers, and all of Urhalla erupted in celebration.