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It all started, as most tales do, in a moment of dire circumstance.
“You need someone small and cute and ethnically hard to pin down,” Isabella said leadingly.
“Don’t be daft, I can’t date Sid, he’s my squire!” Galavant said, looking aghast at perverting the sacred bond of knighthood.
“Oi! I’m not small!” Sidney protested.
After that daring escape from the dungeons it became very hard for Galavant to drop the subject. He simply could not let it go.
"You can not honestly mean for me to... I mean, Sid? Really?" Gal says, dropping back to walk with her. Sidney is whistling a tune at the front of the party, especially energetic this morning.
"Do whatever you will, Galavant, at this point I am resigned," Isabella says, not sure to be annoyed or amused by the cock-up. Galavant gives her a queer look, frustration mounting his features, and paces away from her, muttering.
They are on the road again and Gal has taken her aside, the both of them watching Sid chopping wood for a fire. The day has been hot and they all are sweating and Sid’s muscles ripple beautifully as he swings the hatchet down.
“I can’t imagine why you wanted me to date my own squire, Izzie,” Galavant says like a petulant child, eyes glued to Sid’s biceps.
“I was talking about ME!” she cries, exasperated.
“You want to date Sid?” Gal takes a long look at the lad’s abs, “Well, I can’t fault your taste.”
Isabella stalks away with a huff. Impossible.
She watches the two of them, Gal strangely shy and accommodating to his squire, helping him saddle a horse with rosy cheeks. It’s damnably adorable.
“You know,” Gal says several days later, “I’ve been thinking about that thing you said. About finding love with Sid.”
“Literally every interpretation of that conversation has--” she tries to interject.
“But the thing is,” Gal interrupts and then puffs himself up like he’s bracing himself, “if you’re already interested in him, I wouldn’t want to step on any toes.”
“What?” Isabella says, eyes wider than they have been for the other conversations about Sid and his more desirable qualities.
“It must have happened when you pretended to be his fiancee, didn’t it? I don’t blame you. I admit, ever since having my own perspective changed I have noticed so many of his attractive qualities.”
“He is a fine lad, Galavant,” she agrees, mind reeling. This must be karmic punishment for leading the man she fell for into a trap.
“What I mean to say is you’re incredibly dear to me as well, Isabella,” and here he places a gentle hand upon her cheek, so light in comparison to his usual heavy-handed gallantry. “And I won’t stand in the way of your happiness with Sid, if that is what you want.”
This has now become the most epic mix up in the history of the realm. “Gal,” she breathes, moved by his sincerity, and leans in with a quick press of her lips to his bristly cheek, “If you want Sid, you have my blessing.” The way his face lights up makes it all a little bit more tolerable. Isabella has had enough of fighting against it that she just nods, tossing in her lot with fate.
Her two boys are coy, and insufferable, and every time Sid responds to Gal’s flirtations there’s this guilty look, a check-in with Isabella about if it’s okay. Because Sidney, unlike Galavant, is not completely obtuse.
“Are you really okay with this?” Sid asks her one night by the fire, Gal already fast asleep. He had really been overworking himself recently. “With, I mean, Gal being so, uh… romantic-like with me?” and he places his hand over her knuckles and squeezes, just a bit.
“What was I supposed to do? Every time I try to tell him something he misunderstands. First he thinks I intend for him to date you, then he thinks I intended to date you, and at this point the two of you are so gone for each other there’s no stopping it. Did I fall in love with Galavant? Yes. But you’re both good men and my best friends. It’s not easy, but it’s good to see you happy.”
“It goes both ways, Izzie,” Sid tells her, leaning over and kissing her forehead right at the hairline. “We want you to be happy as well. Goodnight.”
Huddled in their bed roll, eyes very wide and very awake, Galavant faces yet another romantic revelation.
“I’m calling this meeting,” Galavant begins and pauses, very arrogant and sure of himself. It’s a good enough cover, but it’s not going to fool his two best friends in the world. “I’m calling this meeting of the three of us because I believe I have found a solution.”
“A solution to what?” Isabella asks, prone to questioning any plan Galavant hatches up.
“I’m glad you asked. As we all know, this travelling party we have is very special,” and he turns smitten smiles upon the both of them, “and as you may not be aware that I know, Isabella is in love with both Sid and I, and I am in love with both Sid and Isabella. The only thing I’m not quite certain of is Sid’s feelings.” Galavant's voice is shaking by the end of the speech and he looks like all the air has left his body.
“Wait, I’m sorry, where did you get this idea?” Isabella asks, feeling hot and entirely uncomfortable with this conversation.
“We should all be going to bed together. Like the three of us. All together. What say you, Sid?” Galavant says, regaining a bit of his usual posturing.
“Not the most romantic of proposals but I do like it,” he says agreeably.
“Good, good, and Isabella?”
“You finally figured out you like me, you big git?” she gapes, moving to smack his shoulder.
“Motion to pass?” he tries to continue, looking abashed.
She pulls him into her arms, kisses him full on the mouth. “Yes, you prat.” She goes to Sid, brings him close, and kisses him more shyly at the corner of his mouth. “Obviously, yes!”
Galavant stands abruptly, dislodging the two from their intimacy.
“And so then it all works out!
The hero without a doubt!
Loveless sad and stricken Ga-lavant!
That man, he is no more
product of days of yore
the day he’s long looked for
is here at last.
He’s risen above old love’s sting
and now we three can sing
of love glorious between
Izzie, Sid, and Ga-la-va-nt!”
He finishes long and strong, eyes a bit glossy and smile completely and totally infectious. The three of them fall into helpless giggles, huddled together and joyously alive.