Princess master 4, p.16
Princess Master 4, page 16
“O-Okay,” the golden-blonde sighed as she glanced up at me for a moment. “Thank you, Joe. You’re very kind. Just look around here, though. It’s so different from the last time I was here, when there were actually people around.”
Much of the castle’s courtyard was shaded, and huge drifts of snow still sat in the shadows. A cold wind blew through the air, and I shivered. The courtyard was even more deserted than it had been the last time we’d been here, and all I could see were a few lonely figures rushing around in the shadows.
“Sir Vincent’s chambers are still nice,” Jessamine reassured Rachel as she sat down next to her and rubbed her on the back. “And you said some of your belongings are here, so won’t it be nice to see those again?”
“Yes, I suppose,” Rachel muttered and looked up, and I saw the redness of her eyes made her irises glow an even brighter green. “It’s so strange to be back here, and I don’t know how to approach Sir Vincent. I don’t like him calling for people in my absence, or that he met with your father, Ariana, but then again, the four of you wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t. Regardless of-- like I said, I really have no clue about this whole prophecy thing, but I suppose I’m glad you all are here, because I do believe you want to help me defeat Gertha.”
“Of course, we do,” Jessamine responded in a soothing tone of voice. “We’re here for whatever you need.”
“That’s right, Rachel.” Ariana sat next to the freckled princess on her other side. “We are actually pretty tough, too.”
“I can’t believe you actually got me out of my tower,” Rachel giggled, and then she snorted awkwardly. “Oops, sorry, I do that sometimes where I’m nervous.”
When I was sure the golden-blonde wasn’t looking, I looked over at Cienna and fought against a smirk. It was the first time I’d seen Rachel do anything that was less than regal, and it was super cute.
“Well, we’re all glad you’re here,” I assured the golden-blonde. “I appreciate how hard this is for you.”
“We can stay out here for as long as you like,” my blonde wife reassured the freckled princess, who was now holding Pablo and letting him run all over her hands and up and down her arms. “Carl’s still been standing there this whole time from what I can see, so no one even knows you’re here.”
“If anyone sees all these purple dresses, they’ll know right away,” Rachel sighed, and then she gestured around the empty courtyard. “Or maybe not. It’s been so long since I’ve been gone, I’m not even sure the maids would know who I am. This is bringing back so much about my time spent as royalty. The servants who would wait on me hand and foot, and help me get dressed, and the food I would eat… gods, it seemed like I was never alone, and that’s all I wanted. Especially when… he… was still around. Anyway, I never even got to bake my own cookies!”
The golden-blonde princess giggled and snorted again at her own joke, and her hand rose to her face in embarrassment. This was a whole different side of her, and it was funny, to be honest.
I looked down and tried to keep from laughing, and I could feel my face was red, which I hoped wouldn’t give me away.
Then Cienna grabbed my hand and dug her nails into my palm, so I was sure she, at least, noticed.
“Cookies!” Jessamine laughed. “You’re funny, Rachel. I’ve never heard you make jokes before, but I like it.”
My dark-haired wife was so kind it helped her smooth over awkward social situations, and it was one of the reasons I loved her so much.
“I’m sorry.” Rachel buried her face in her hands again. “When I’m the most nervous, I talk a lot, and I make stupid jokes, and I snort when I laugh, and goodness, I hope I’m not making you feel uncomfortable. My… my former husband was always a little embarrassed by me, because he never thought I acted regally enough.”
“He sounds like a prick,” I told the golden-blonde, and she giggled again. “No, I’m serious, because that’s really fucked up. Rachel, you’re great, and please don’t ever let anyone tell you anything differently.”
“Yes, well, it was a long time ago.” Rachel shrugged, and she looked out into the distance. “Maybe that’s part of the reason I wanted to be alone so badly. I didn’t want anyone to be mean to me anymore, and… oh wow, I’m sharing so much right now, I can’t believe it. I just feel like you all are the only friends I have in the world, and I just met you.”
“Princesses usually have an instant bond,” Jessamine assured her. “Cienna, Ariana, and I have been best friends since the first minute we met each other, isn’t that right?”
The other two princesses nodded their agreement.
“Anyway,” Jessamine went on, “you can trust us with your life. And Joe, he’s not like other men. You’ll find out, especially after--”
“Not now, Jessamine, seriously,” Cienna said as she gave her sister-wife a stern look. “Princess Rachel is worried about enough already.”
“No, I’m fine.” Rachel rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and pushed herself to a standing position with a deep purple Pablo resting on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to be inappropriate. As you know, this isn’t easy for me.”
“You were never inappropriate,” Ariana reassured the golden-blonde princess. “Everything you said makes total sense to me. My husband wasn’t very nice to me, either.”
“I have no idea what these men were thinking,” I told my wives and Rachel. “Being with a princess is every man’s dream, at least it should be. Especially ones who are as beautiful as you.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Rachel gazing at me, and I wasn’t sure her pink cheeks were just from the wind.
“Alright, ahem.” Rachel cleared her throat. “I’m ready to go find Sir Vincent. Thanks to you all for helping give me strength. We do appreciate that, don’t we, Pablo?”
The little lizard on her shoulder bobbed his head in a nod, and then Rachel did something so adorable I almost had to kiss her right there.
“Yes, we do!” the golden-haired princess replied to herself in a squeaky voice, as if the lizard were talking. She giggled again to herself, and then she began to quickly lead us across the courtyard to Sir Vincent’s chambers.
“It’s going to be okay, Rachel,” Jessamine said as she struggled to keep up with the golden-blonde’s strides.
Despite being the shortest one of all of us, Rachel could definitely walk at a pace faster than my own.
The freckled princess pushed open a door that led to the corridor with Sir Vincent’s chambers, and she sighed when she saw the crooked paintings on the wall. She adjusted one of them to her satisfaction, and then she seemed to give up.
“This place really doesn’t look good anymore, does it?” Rachel muttered to herself, and then she balled up her fists with determination and marched along the corridor until we reached Sir Vincent’s chambers. “Here I go, Pablo…”
The golden-blonde knocked on the door, and, after a few moments, I could hear shuffling footsteps from inside the room.
The heavy wood door swung open, and while Sir Vincent looked irritated for a brief moment at the interruption, his jaw almost immediately dropped when he saw who was standing on the opposite side of the door.
“Your Highness… can that possibly be you?”
Chapter 11
“Yes, it’s really me,” Rachel replied to Sir Vincent, and her eyes filled with tears. “I’m back, after all this time.”
“Oh, you poor thing.” Sir Vincent put his hands on the golden-haired princess’ shoulders, looked at her at arm’s length, and then pulled her in for a hug. “Rachel, it’s so good to see you. I thought I was angry at you, but now that I see you, I don’t care where you’ve been, or what you’ve been doing. I’m just glad you’re here now… you know you’ve always been like a daughter to me.”
“I know, Vincent,” Rachel sniffled into the short man’s shoulder. “I’ve missed you, too. I’m sorry I’ve been out of touch, I just… needed a little time, I suppose. But I’ve been updated on the problems in the kingdom, and I know you need me.”
“We do need you,” Sir Vincent agreed, and he pulled away from Rachel to examine her face. “Are you sure you’re okay? You look a little pale and sad. I see you still have Pablo, though!”
Sir Vincent reached out to scratch the lizard under his chin, and the chameleon rubbed his face up against the dark-haired man’s hand like a cat.
“Yes, I’m fine,” Rachel sighed. “It’s been hard for me to see all the new struggles in the kingdom since the princesses and Joe came to find me.”
“Well, Joe, Your Highnesses, I have to hand it to you,” Sir Vincent said, and he gave me a small, respectful nod. “You found Princess Rachel when no one else has been able to. I didn’t think you could do it, but here you are, and back so soon. Please, everyone, come into my chambers so we can talk more.”
“Thank you,” I said as I nodded back at him.
The mustached man led us into the large room, and this time he directed us to a set of rust-colored sofas and overstuffed chairs. My wives and I sat down on a couch together, Rachel sat opposite, and a large coffee table polished to a deep shine stretched between us.
Sir Vincent grabbed a large teapot from the other side of the room along with six porcelain mugs, and he sat the mugs down on the table before he poured us each a cup of spicy-smelling tea.
Then the dark-haired man sat down next to Rachel, picked up a cup of tea, and exhaled deeply.
“Rachel, Rachel, Rachel,” Sir Vincent sighed. “As you can see, the castle is very different from the last time you were here. We’ve had to let most of the staff go, and sell off many of the horses, and, as you can probably tell from who’s standing at the gate, our security isn’t what it should be. The army needs supplies… everyone here is hurting right now. The castle is running on just about nothing, and, well, let’s just say it’s a good thing you’re back. The kingdom needs someone they can look to for support in these dangerous times, and while I hate to say it, you’re the one who everyone’s been missing.”
“I truly am sorry for the trouble my absence has caused,” Rachel said in a trembling voice, and she reached up and swiped a tear from her eye. Then she shook her head, took a deep breath, and looked up with a resolute expression. “So, what can I do? What’s the absolute first thing that needs to be done?”
“While it’s going to be difficult, the first thing you’re going to need to do is find Gertha,” the dark-haired man replied, and he looked around at all of us. “The poverty in the kingdom is one thing, but no one can do anything but suffer as long as the children are sleeping. And until Gertha is defeated, well…”
Sir Vincent threw a hand up into the air, and then he took another sip of his tea before setting the cup down onto the table.
“Well, Vincent, if there’s one thing you know I can do, it’s fight,” Rachel said in a firm voice, and she nodded her head in one strong motion before picking up her teacup and taking a sip. “I’m not worried about Gertha, as long as we can find her. I’ve been hearing the strangest things about animals, and the forests being possessed… do you think that’s all related to the witch, as well?”
“I’m hoping Gertha’s defeat will take care of a lot of problems,” the mustached man replied, but then he hesitated before his eyes darted to me and away again. “And Rachel, now that you’re back… do Joe and the other princesses know about your powers?”
“Well, sort of.” The golden-blonde looked down and blushed. “They saw me heal a man, and they’ve seen the tower, of course. But there’s a lot they still don’t know about.”
“Princess Rachel has the most incredible hair I’ve ever seen,” Jessamine gushed as she leaned forward toward the other sofa. “I’ve never even heard of such a thing in all the books I’ve read, or in all my experiences as a princess.”
“It is something else,” I admitted. “I thought I’d heard of a princess like you, though-- actually, never mind.”
Rachel looked at me with a strange expression again, and I thought maybe I was freaking her out a little with all my fairy tale knowledge.
“Well, if you’ve never seen Rachel fight before, you’re in for a surprise,” Sir Vincent chuckled.
“Vincent!” Rachel smacked her advisor playfully on the arm. “I just told them they didn’t have anything to worry about if someone attacked us. They don’t have to know everything yet, do they?”
“No, they don’t,” the mustached man said, and he smiled at the golden-haired princess. “In any case, Rachel, I’m just beside myself that you’re back. Now, I suppose there are some matters of state I need to disclose to you… did Joe and the princesses mention how they happened to come here?”
“Yes, Vincent, they did,” Rachel replied with a stern expression on her face. “I know you sent communications in my name, and I was angry with you for that. Did you even use my stationery and perfume?”
“Well, I thought it was for the good of the kingdom,” her advisor explained as he lifted his chin. “I couldn’t let things completely fall apart without trying to do anything about it.”
“I know, I know,” Rachel sighed, and she shook her head before she looked around at me and my wives.
I thought she might have held eye contact with me for a touch longer than she had to, but it could have been my imagination.
“I have to be honest,” the princess went on, “as much as I didn’t like the idea of you doing things in my name, I suppose I put you into a bad position. Anyway… I’m kind of glad they’re here. They’ve been really nice to me, and I haven’t really had a friend other than Pablo in a long time. I like being alone, but I suppose even I have my limits.”
“I know you like solitude, Rachel, you always have, but I know things weren’t always the best for you when you were living here, either,” Sir Vincent remarked with a sad smile that quickly faded into a frown. “It’s hard to stand by sometimes and see… you know, never mind all that. I’m just glad you’re back. Both for the good of the kingdom, and because I missed you.”
“I missed you, too, Vincent,” the freckled princess confessed, and she threw her arms around her advisor in as big a hug as she could manage from her position next to him on the couch. “Let’s just let bygones be bygones. Oh, is it still possible to send for dinner? I’m really hungry. Actually, I’m usually hungry, and you all will come to know that about me, because I like to eat about seven times a day!”
Rachel started to giggle, and it was apparently contagious, because the rest of us started to laugh along with her. I was glad to see she’d repaired things between herself and Sir Vincent, too, since we all definitely needed to work together on this one.
“Hey, I’m always hungry, too!” I told the golden-blonde princess with a big smile.
“I suppose we have a lot in common, then,” Rachel murmured and looked down at the ground.
I couldn’t read her reactions at all, and I actually found that intriguing. Although, to be honest, the golden-blonde was so hot, I was pretty sure anything she did would intrigue me. I liked the emerging silly, talkative personality, too, and I hoped she’d learn to trust me.
“Sooo, Joe,” Sir Vincent said, and he looked directly at me as if he’d read my mind. “I know we alluded to the hero’s prophecy before, and King Liron told me how you’d come to his kingdom and brought two other princesses, and then you married his daughter. I hope you’ll understand what I mean when I say I’m just a little bit protective of Rachel. She’s been through a lot already, you understand…”
“U-Um, yeah, well--”
“Vincent, didn’t I tell you I never planned to get married again?” Rachel interrupted me as a red flush ran up her freckled cheeks. “I’m not sure why we need to discuss this right now.”
“We’re all very happy being married to Joe, because he’s really an amazing husband…” Jessamine chimed in, but she trailed off when she saw the looks on Rachel’s and Vincent’s faces. “Not that we need to talk about it, of course.”
“It’s not that I don’t want you to have the strongest team possible to defeat Chernabog,” Sir Vincent assured me. “And it’s not that I don’t trust King Liron, either… but how exactly do I know you aren’t just a random guy who showed up with three other wives trying to do… gods only know?”
Well, that was direct.
“Sir, I want to assure you I would never bring Rachel harm, but what we’re really here to do is help your kingdom, because we know destroying minions like Gertha will help save Fairyland.” I ran my hand through my hair as I tried to diffuse the situation. I thought Sir Vincent had been a little rude, but it didn’t seem like I’d ever get anywhere with Rachel without his approval.
“Like I said, I’m not going to get married again,” the golden-haired princess informed us all with a serious expression that reminded me of how closed-off she’d been when we’d first met her. “That’s the end of this discussion. Although, I have been wondering how exactly Joe came to become the hero…”
“Oh, I can tell you that!” Jessamine gasped, and I knew it was one of her favorite stories. “I asked the genie for a hero to defeat Chernabog, and then Joe appeared out of nowhere. It was the cutest thing, he was wearing this funny blue outfit, and Rachel, he had those tools you saw earlier, although he didn’t have his sword yet. And then we met Cienna, and our powers got even stronger. It was the same with Ariana. Every time we meet a new princess, our magical powers increase, and we’ve gotten very strong. I’d like to think we could be even stronger with Rachel’s help, but—”
“In any case, we’re all on the same side here, and I believe that’s most important,” Cienna cut in as she clapped her hands together. “Let’s not even worry about the marriage side of things for now. We can come up with a strategy to defeat Gertha, and help the kingdom, and we certainly don’t need to be married to do that.”
