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Emil dove for the sanctuary, just in time as the stuffed penguin whooshed over his legs. Sara hauled him the rest of the way in and adjusted the blanket to better cover the entrance. “You’re safe! I was so worried!”
“Never fear, my lady!” Emil held out the treasure he had braved the wrath of the older boys to obtain – a Barbie doll dressed in an elf princess costume. “I rescued the princess! Now we just have to figure out how to get her back to her people. The beasts are crazy out there!”
Sara giggled and took the doll from Emil. After checking her over for wounds, she laid her down and hugged Emil. “Thank you, brave knight. I promised to protect her, and I failed in that duty, but thanks to you…”
She trailed off as thuds hit the couch cushions making up the walls of the pillow fort. Emil got up, standing straight so the top of his head just brushed the blanket they were using as a ceiling. “I know this is a bad time to ask, but please marry me?”
“If we survive this and the princess gets home safely, gladly.” Sara peeked out between cushions. “It looks like Michele’s reloading, but I can’t see Chris. Make a break for the stairs?”
Emil nodded. “Worth a try. We can’t stay here long. I’ll knock the fort down behind us and give you some cover, you carry the princess?”
“Sounds good. Be careful, Emil!” Sara moved to the entrance and peeked out. She still couldn’t see Chris, but Michele had his back turned. She ran as quietly as she could for the stairs, not looking back at the thuds of the pillow fort coming down. She didn’t stop until she’d reached her bedroom, where she put Elf Princess Barbie back on her stand. She was never going to forgive Chris for stealing her, and she was definitely never going to forgive Mickey for helping him.
At least Emil had her back. He was young, still just a little kid at four years old, but he was a sweetheart and when he heard Sara screaming at Michele and Chris, he hatched the plan.
“Step one, we build a pillow fort.” Emil nodded decisively and grabbed the blanket off Sara’s bed. Sara followed him. At the very least, building the pillow fort would take some time, and by then Chris might be bored with the game and give the doll back. If not, well, hopefully Emil had a step two.
With the pillow fort built, Sara snuck out to check the basement. Chris and Mickey were both still down there. Chris was holding the doll, and had her skirt flipped up so that her whole legs showed. Boys. She crept back to Emil. “Okay, now what?”
“Now we become brave heroes! I’m Sir Emil, a knight, and it’s my job to rescue princesses in distress. You be the princess’s bodyguard, who needs help to get her back from the ogres who took her. You can’t handle this yourself because the ogres know you’re going to try to rescue the princess, but they don’t know about me!” It was true. Michele and Chris probably didn’t even know Emil had come over to play yet. “You tell me where they are. Then you stay here and I’ll go grab her and bring her back here. Then you’re faster, you get her back home to her people. Okay?”
It had worked… but now Sara realized that Emil hadn’t made it to her. That could only mean one thing. He must have gotten caught. Sara checked to make sure the Barbie was secure, closed the door to her room, and crept back down the stairs.
Emil was holding his knee and crying. Michele and Chris had both abandoned their weapons – Michele’s stuffed animals – to check on him, but he wouldn’t let them touch him. “You’re the enemy!”
“Emil, when someone’s hurt for real, the game stops,” Michele said. “Please let me look at your knee? You might need a band-aid.”
“No! You’re ogres!”
Sara stood up and walked over. “Will you let me look at your knee?”
Emil sniffled. “Is the princess safe?”
“The princess is fine. I have a bear guarding her now, so you don’t have to worry anymore. Okay, sweetie?”
“Okay!” Emil giggled and jumped to his feet. “Fooled you, I’m not hurt, see?” He held out his leg, which indeed showed no sign of injury.
“You little…” Michele tackled Emil, tickling him. Emil squealed and started tickling back.
~~~Sixteen Years Later~~~
“And that’s how my twin brother, the one who allegedly loves me and wants to keep me safe from anyone who tried to bully me, stole my fiancé,” Sara concluded. “Since he wasn’t really hurt, we both made it out safely, which meant that my agreement to marry him was valid. Mickey, how could you?” Sara burst into very noisy, very fake sobs.
The other skaters were howling as Michele’s face reddened and Emil literally rolled on the floor as he laughed himself silly. “If I’d known this is what would happen, I would never have agreed to let you speak at my bachelor party,” Michele said. “You are awful. Besides, it’s not like you don’t have a new fiancée of your own…”
Sara stopped the fake-crying and smiled at Michele. “And you have just as embarrassing stories to tell about me at my bachelorette party, and you know you will.”
“I would never do that to you!” Michele said.
“Sure you wouldn’t. Until the third glass of wine, and then all bets are off,” Sara said.
“Fair enough.”
Sara knelt beside Emil. “You okay, bro? You look like you’re about to pass out.”
Emil sat up, face going as serious as he could muster. “Sara, my lady, I am so sorry for betraying you like that. I beg your forgiveness. That behavior is most unbecoming of a knight. Will you grant me mercy and your blessing on my new marriage arrangement?”
“Yes, of course I will,” Sara said through giggles. “I forgive you, on the condition that you marry my brother and make him happy.” She dropped the formality. “Honestly, at this point, marrying you would be just as weird as marrying Michele!”