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Chapter Text

Life in the Boiling Isles was exciting following the aftermath of the Day of Unity, and for once, it wasn’t in a bad way.  Witches and demons alike worked to officially abolish the restrictive coven system and turn the Isles into a republic, electing Steve of all people as their first President (who’d’ve guessed he had so much political talent?).  On a more personal level, Edalyn Clawthorne finally managed to get her hands on the shiniest blood diamond she could find, totally legally she’d add, and use it to propose to the love of her life.  Raine Whispers (now Raine Clawthorne) was just happy everyone had fun at the wedding they worked hard to plan.

Everything was at peace.  At least, until Luz Noceda had to say goodbye to everyone in order to spend the school year with her mother in the Human Realm.

Once the portal closed behind her, King Clawthorne was inconsolable.  He wasn’t having any of his infamous tantrums (Eda suspected he was growing out of those), but he refused to talk to anyone else in the house, barely ate any of the meals Raine served, and wouldn’t even play with his stuffed animals, preferring to just sulk in the corner of the living room.

Not even Hooty being Hooty could break King out of his sullen state.

“I’ve never seen him in a mood like this,” Eda said, pouring cups of pre-bedtime apple blood for herself and Raine.  “Is this some kind of weird phase teenage Titans go through or something?”

“I don’t think so,” Raine said, then took a sip from the apple blood Eda handed to them.  “He probably just misses Luz.  Don’t you remember how depressed you were when Lilith left for the Emperor’s Coven?”

Eda raised an eyebrow.  “Yeah, but that was different.  Luz isn’t gonna be gone forever, she’ll be back every summer.  Shouldn’t he know that?”

“Of course he knows that, but he can’t help how he feels about it.  Right now, the best thing we can do is help him through these emotions as best we can.”

“As long as you do most of the talking, Rainestorm.  You’re always better at all the emotional stuff than me.”

Raine chuckled as they sipped on their apple blood.  “Don’t sell yourself so short, Eda.”

That night, right after they tucked King into bed, they finally asked him if something was wrong.

“I don’t know,” he said, “it’s just that– ever since Luz left I… I can’t do anything.  Everything I want to do just feels like a chore without her around, I guess.”

Eda reached over and stroked the spot in between his horns, attempting to comfort him.  “Hey, don’t worry, I know exactly what you’re going through right now.  When Lily left for the Emperor’s Coven, I don’t think I even got out of bed for weeks.”

“Her mom made me come over just to make sure she was eating enough,” Raine added.

King just kept on staring at the floor.  “Does this feeling ever… go away?”

Eda mulled over her answer for a moment, then looked over at Raine for confirmation.  They nodded.

“Well, you see, it can go away, but not on its own.  You need support for that to happen.  I had Raine to help me when I was in your shoes, and I want to make sure you know that you’ll always have us to support you.  All you have to do is ask for it.”

King blinked at them, before jumping up and enveloping them in a huge hug (as best he could with his little arms).

“I love you guys,” he said.  “You’re the best parents a guy could ask for.”

Eda wiped away a few tears that slipped out of the corners of her eyes, only to glance over at Raine, who had streams of tears running down their eyes and an ear-to-ear smile on their face.

“He called me his ‘parent’, Eda!” they mouthed, stroking the fur on King’s back.

She couldn’t help but crack a smile of her own.  Their unbridled enthusiasm towards parenting never failed to warm her heart.

He let go a few minutes later, settling back into a comfortable position on his bed and closing his eyes.  Eda gave the spot between his horns one last rub before getting up to turn off the light.

“Wait!”

She paused, fingers still gripping the light switch.  Now, King was standing up, waving his arms back and forth to get his parents’ attention.

“What is it now, kid?” Eda asked.

“I just thought of a way you guys can help me right now.”

She walked back over to King’s bedside and sat down, Raine joining her.  “Well, what is it?” they said.

“One of my favorite things Luz used to do was to tell me an ancient human folktale before I went to sleep.  It turns out the Human Realm has a ton of cool stories, like the one about the farm boy who saved the entire galaxy, or the one where these sorcerers brought back terrifying monsters called ‘dinosaurs’, or the one where they had to destroy something called the ‘one ring’.  That one was really cool.”

Eda couldn’t help but snort-laugh.  “Those are all human movies, King.  I can’t believe Luz told you they were high-brow folktales or something.  I probably have old tapes of all of them lying around somewhere.”

King’s eyes widened a bit at that revelation, but he shook his head.  “Anyways, you guys could probably tell me a story that’s even better!”

Just as Eda was about to let him down as gently as she could, Raine said, “Of course!  How about we start tonight?  I’m sure Eda has some great stories.”

Why did they feel the need to betray her like this?  “Yeah, but I’ll have to alter most of them.  After all, I haven’t given King the talk yet.”

King cocked his head to the side like a curious puppy.  “What talk?”

Her face started to flush.  “Alright, alright, I guess I’ll just try to make something up.  Raine, can you play some kind of… atmospheric background music?”

They nodded and materialized their violin in front of them, plucking out a short, simple melody.  Meanwhile, she racked her brain for story ideas.  It couldn’t just be any generic tale, she decided.  It had to be dramatic, suspenseful, funny, and, above all, it absolutely had to have a happy ending.  But ideas kept on eluding her, especially for characters to focus on.

Then she remembered why King wanted her to do this in the first place.

He missed Luz more than anything, so why not tell a story where she was the hero?  Why not take it a step further and put her friends in the story, too?

“Okay, I think I’ve got something.”

King looked towards Eda with wide eyes as Raine started to play a whimsical tune.

“Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there was a tiny kingdom by the sea, ruled by the cruel Queen Odalia and her husband, King Alador.”

“Aren’t those the Blight parents?” King asked.  “Why’s the story about them?”

“It’s not about them, per se,” Eda said.  “I’m just giving a bit of exposition so you have some context as to how the story is gonna work.”

She cleared her throat and continued.  “The queen and king had three children together, first twins named Emira and Edric, and then a little girl named Amity who quickly became Odalia’s favorite.  But soon after she was born, Alador was cursed by a warlock to be unable to speak until the mouse devoured the hawk.”

“Hasn’t the poor guy been through enough, Eda?” Raine said.

“And can’t they just find a really big mouse and a really small hawk to break the curse?” King asked.

“Unfortunately, nothing they tried could break his curse, not even a really big mouse and a really small hawk.  Alador did figure out a way to communicate via pantomime, but he lost hope of ever truly speaking again.  Years passed and the twins turned eighteen years old.  Odalia intended to find matches for both of them in neighboring kingdoms, but they found partners of their own instead.  Emira married the head stablehand and Edric married the royal gardener, which greatly upset Odalia since they were both lowly commoners.  So when her favorite child, Amity, came of age, she made sure that wouldn’t happen again.  The first restriction she placed was that Amity could only marry someone with royal blood, specifically the child of a king and queen who was in line to rule their own kingdom.  Not long after that, a wise and beautiful princess came to ask for Amity’s hand in marriage, charming the royal court and falling in love with Amity within weeks of her arrival.  But the queen would only accept pure and utter perfection in a match for her favorite child, so she imposed a second restriction.  All suitors who came to the kingdom had to pass rigorous tests to prove their worth, and if they failed, they would be permanently banished.  The visiting princess succeeded every test given to her at first, but she failed the very last one and was banished, leaving Amity heartbroken.”

“Nooooooo!” King squealed.

“As a matter of fact, she was so heartbroken that even the ringing of wedding bells from outside the castle was enough to bring her to tears.  This caused Odalia to place her third and final restriction, which applied to the whole kingdom: no one else could get married until Amity did.”

“Well that’s just silly,” Raine said.  “What kind of ruler would pass a law to punish their people for some arbitrary reason?”

Eda and King just stared blankly at them until they realized the error in what they said.  “Upon reflection, I’m going to formally rescind that criticism.”

“Alright, no more snarky comments from the audience, I’m about to get to the good part,” Eda said.

“Two years went by, and eleven more princesses sought out Amity’s hand, only to meet the exact same fate.  Many in the kingdom were beginning to lose hope that Amity would get married at all, especially the young couples who wouldn’t have their chances to get married.”

“Sorry to interrupt again,” Raine said, “but can I take over for a bit?  I just had the most amazing idea.”

“Oh really, Rainestorm?” Eda said.  “Then spill it.”

“When you mentioned young couples, it reminded me of this absolutely delicious bit of gossip that Darius was telling me over tea the other day—”

“Actually, never mind.  Surprise us.”

Raine winked, then switched to playing a slow, romantic ballad on their violin as they continued the story.  “One of these young couples resided within the castle itself, since one was a lady-in-waiting named Willow and the other was a talented knight named Hunter.”

Wow, that is a delicious bit of gossip, Eda thought.  Tweedledum and the Golden Boy?  Never would’ve come up with that myself.

“They wanted nothing more than to be officially married, but under Queen Odalia’s law, that wasn’t possible.  Of course, there were a few brave couples who tried to go around it by marrying in secret, but they were locked in the castle’s dungeon and forbidden from ever seeing each other again.  Neither of them wanted to risk this terrible fate for themselves, so they decided to be careful and bide their time until Princess Amity’s wedding day.  But fate has a way of disrupting even the most thought-out plans.  On the day the twelfth princess was banished from the kingdom...

Lady Willow was embroidering a rose into a silk handkerchief, sitting by her open window to get some fresh air (as suggested by the palace doctor).  Her closest friend, Lord Augustus, sat nearby on the edge of her bed.

“Isn’t it cruel?” she said, poking her needle into a nearly completed rose and pulling the thread through to the other side of the fabric.  “This should be the happiest news of our lives.  But Queen Odalia has never been kind to ladies-in-waiting who were…”

Augustus opened her mouth to finish her sentence, but she shushed him and gestured to the open window and door.

“And then there’s that stupid marriage law!” she continued, stabbing another stitch into the fabric.

“You mean the official royal decree that ‘Nobody in the kingdom will wed ‘til Amity shares her wedding bed’?  That woman is such a hypocrite.”

Willow nodded, then ended off her red thread and reached into her dress pocket for a spool of green to make leaves.  “At least Princess Victoria has passed every test so far.  She’s probably acing the last one right now, and Amity will pick me as her maid of honor next week at the latest.”

A second later, a distraught wail reverberated through the stone walls of the castle, along with the steady march of the royal guard.  Augustus ran over to the door, making sure to look out as inconspicuously as possible.

“What was that?” Willow asked.

He turned towards her, a frown etched clearly on his face.  “That… was Princess Victoria.  Being restrained by Odalia’s… entire guard.  Sobbing so hard her makeup is well past ‘ruined’.  Get me the board.”

But Willow didn’t get him the board, because she was too busy staring blankly down at her embroidery hoop.  Augustus just sighed and brought a stool over to the wall so he could reach the chalkboard reading “Days since the last banishment” and change the “61” to a zero.

“I was actually starting to like Victoria, too,” she said after about a minute of silence.  “Not to mention that the match would’ve been really good for the kingdom—”

“Need I remind you that that’s exactly what you said about Princess Lorelai?” Augustus deadpanned.  “And Princess Katherine.  And Princess Genevieve.  And Princess Persephone.  And Princess Charlotte.  And—”

He was interrupted by the sharp crunch of wood and the tearing of silk as Willow tore her project clean in half.

“Gah!” she exclaimed, throwing the destroyed halves on the floor, “I’ve had it with this stupid decree and all of Odalia’s stupid rules and all these stupid banishments!  I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ve made an enemy out of every neighboring kingdom by now, just because of that woman’s need to make everything perfect, perfect, perfect!”

After kicking her project around the floor a few times, she walked over to the door and slammed it so hard that Augustus jumped nearly half a foot into the air, then did the same to the window.

“Willow, calm down,” he said.  “This isn’t over yet.  I’m sure at least some of those princesses have younger sisters or something…”

“It would take years for them to come of age, Augustus.  Years that, may I remind you, we no longer have because I am having a goddamn baby!”

She rolled onto her bed and screamed into her pillow until she felt the sweet rush of catharsis overtake her, then rolled on her other side and stared up at the ceiling.  “At this rate, hiding out on that tiny uninhabited island my dads conveniently own is basically my only option.  But then what would happen to the baby?  What if someone figures out they’re Sir Hunter’s kid?  Then his reputation would be ruined right along with mine and—  Oh, Odalia’s guard is probably gonna catch me taking a boat out of here and throw me in the dungeon anyway.”

Just then, a distinct pattern of knocks landed on the outside of the window.

“Speak the devil’s name and he shall appear,” Augustus said.

“I’ll let him in,” Willow said, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and standing up.  The same pattern of knocks landed on the window, louder this time, and she practically sprinted over to open it.  As soon as she did, a bright red horse stuck its head through, nuzzling Willow’s cheek.

“Aw, I’m happy to see you too, Flapjack,” she said, stroking his neck and giving him a peck on the nose.

“Any more for me, fair lady?”

The horse’s rider offered his armored hand to Willow, who took it and helped him into the room.

“I always have some saved for you, Sir Hunter,” she said, lifting the cover of his helmet and giving him a quick peck on the lips.

Augustus cleared his throat from where he was still standing by the door.  Hunter took off his helmet completely, shook out his hair, and wrapped him in a tight embrace.

“So,” he said as soon as he let go, “any news on that final test the queen gave Princess Victoria?”

They both pointed to the “Days since the last banishment” sign on the wall and Hunter groaned.

“We’ve banished twelve princesses in two years,” he said.  “I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ve made a lot of enemies by now.”

“That’s exactly what I was saying!” Willow said.

“It doesn’t matter.”  He got down on one knee and grasped Willow’s hands.  “I’d be willing to wait a hundred more years if it meant I got to be your groom one day.”

Then Augustus cleared his throat.  “I’m gonna give you two some privacy for a few minutes.  No reason in particular!”  And with that, he’d slipped out of the room, making sure the door was closed behind him.

“What was that about?” Hunter asked.

Willow sighed and brought Hunter to his feet.  “There’s something I have to tell you.”

“Oh, Titan, what happened?  Did you go to the palace doctor?  Do you have some kind of incurable illness?”

“No, no, no, don’t worry.  I’m fine.  It’s just that…  Well, the doctor told me that I’m pregnant.  Only a few weeks along, though.”

The entire room fell silent after that.  All they could hear were the sounds of the summer breeze and birds chirping from outside the open window.

“T-That’s wonderful news,” Hunter whispered.  “At least it should be, but there’s the marriage decree and you’re Amity’s lady-in-waiting and—”

“Stop!” Willow said, covering his mouth.  “I’ve already done enough worrying for the both of us.  I’ve got a plan to fix this.  My dads own an empty little island in the southern ocean, I can find a boat to take me there, and—”

“NO!” Hunter’s shout nearly shook the stone walls.  “I’m not going to let you suffer for the rest of your life just because of bad timing!”

“But Odalia…”

“I’m not afraid of her.  I’ll gladly take whatever consequences she gives me if it means you stay safe.”

“Oh, Hunter…”  She caressed his jaw with both hands and kissed him again, making sure he knew how thankful she was for him at that moment.  He gladly reciprocated, running his armored hand over her back.  They broke apart a few seconds later, smiles on both of their faces.

“But where else could we find a bride for Amity?” Willow mused.

Hunter tapped his foot on the ground a few times, lost in thought, before coming up with something.  “I have an idea.  I could venture to the north, through the mountain pass and into the marshlands beyond, and find a princess there who’d be willing to marry her!  With any luck, wedding bells will be ringing in this kingdom again!”

“I don’t know,” Willow said.  “You’d have to petition Odalia to go north, and I’m not sure she’d be too keen on having another suitor around so soon after Princess Victoria was banished.”

“I’m the most trusted knight in the kingdom, the queen will at least hear me out.  I’ll petition her first thing tomorrow morning!”  With that, he put his helmet back on and walked towards the open window.

“For our baby’s sake, I hope you’re right,” Willow said.  And after Hunter climbed back onto Flapjack’s saddle and they shared one more kiss, he trotted away.

She closed the window and started cleaning up the discarded pieces of her embroidery project, unaware that just outside, King Alador was outside on a mid-afternoon stroll.

And he’d overheard practically their entire conversation.

Chapter Text

“What a twist!  Who could’ve possibly seen that one coming?”

Everyone jumped at the noise and turned right towards the window, where Hooty was resting his tubular body against the sill, listening to the story.

“Hooty!  Were you eavesdropping on my bedtime story this whole time?” King shouted.

“I have ears all around the house, hoot hoot,” he said, “and they are liking what they’re hearing.  The drama, the romance, the suspense, and that background music, wowee.”

Raine couldn’t help but blush.

“Yeah, we’re glad you like the story but could you please never interrupt us again?!” Eda said.

“I had a pretty smooth segue with Alador overhearing Willow and Hunter, and you kind of… messed up my flow,” Raine added.

“Alright, alright,” Hooty said, “I can be quiet.  I’ll be over here.  Listening.  Silently.”

He retracted from the window until just his beak was really “inside” the house, staring intently at Eda.  It had only occurred to her just then that she had never once seen him blink.

“You wanna keep this going for a bit?” Raine whispered.

“Sure,” she replied, “I’ve got a few ideas.”

They nodded and picked their bow back up, playing a light, casual melody.

“Now, King Alador knew as well as anyone that Odalia wouldn’t take this news lightly.  So, he enlisted the help of the two people he could trust with absolutely anything, especially secrets.”

Princess Emira and Prince Edric were passing the time by reading together in their private study, when their father burst into the room, desperate to get their attention.

“Let me guess, Dad,” Emira said.  “Our mother banished yet another perfectly good princess and more than likely made an enemy out of another kingdom.”

Alador thought to himself a moment, then nodded slightly before shaking his head.

“I don’t think that’s what he’s here to tell us,” Edric said.

Alador gave Edric a thumbs up before pointing out a nearby window to a conveniently placed willow tree.

“You’re really here to tell us about… the tree?” Edric said.

Right as Alador started shaking his head again, Emira said, “No, stupid.  I think he’s trying to tell us about Lady Willow.”

“Amity’s lady-in-waiting?”

“Obviously.  How many other Lady Willows do you know?”

“Well, none. But it’s probably a very common name–”

He was interrupted by Alador snapping his fingers right in his face.

“Alright, alright, I’m paying attention!” he said.  “Now what are you here to tell us about?”

Alador pointed quickly at the willow tree again, then brought his hands close to his chest and swayed them back and forth, like a cradle.

“Lady Willow… broke both of her arms?” Edric said.

“What the–” Emira slapped her palm to her face and shook her head.  “Why is that how you chose to interpret that gesture?”

“It looks kinda like both of his arms are in a sling!”

“Ugh, he could not more clearly be holding a baby.”

“Oh, right!  So… Lady Willow… found a baby on her doorstep?”

Alador shook his head, then put his hands in front of his stomach and moved them in a spherical motion.

“Lady Willow… is…”

He stroked his chin a bit, before coming to a realization.

“Are you telling us that Lady Willow is pr–”

Emira and Alador covered his mouth with their hands before he could say anything else.

“Not so loud!” she said.  “What if someone heard you?!”

“But this is so exciting!  Do you think we should plan a baby shower for her or–”

“There’s not gonna be a baby shower!  Not as long as our mother can still banish her from the kingdom for getting pregnant without being married!”

Edric deflated a little at that.  “Oh, right.  I didn’t even think about that.  It’s been so long since that marriage law was enacted that I kinda forgot Lady Willow and Sir Hunter aren’t already married.”

“Yeah, it’s so hard to believe it’s only been two years,” Emira agreed.  Alador sullenly nodded with her, then pointed to both of them and drew pinched fingers across his lips.

“Don’t worry, we’ll make sure no one else finds out,” she said.

The next morning, the entire royal family was gathered in the throne room, awaiting anyone seeking an audience.  Odalia sat on an imposing throne in the center of the room, with Alador in a much smaller one next to it, and their children standing beside them.  At the sound of the final bell that marked the eighth hour of the day, Sir Hunter walked through the throne room doors and bowed.

“Ah, Sir Hunter,” Odalia said, “what brings you to our throne room on this lovely morning?”

“My queen,” he said, “I have an urgent request to make of you.”

“Then rise and tell us.”

He stood up on shaky legs and took a deep breath.  “I heard about Princess Victoria’s banishment yesterday–”

“Ugh, don’t remind us of that unfortunate failure,” Odalia said.  “Poor Amity has been inconsolable since it happened.  You wouldn’t want to make her cry.”

Hunter looked over at Amity.  She certainly wasn’t in a good mood, but he wouldn’t have described her as “inconsolable”.  The word he would’ve chosen was “numb”, or maybe “empty”.

“Of course not, Your Majesty,” he said.  “But I would like to volunteer to find her a new suitor myself.”

Amity’s eyebrows quirked up in slight interest, but they receded once Odalia gave her a stern look.  “Sir Hunter, you must be delusional.  Where would you find a bride for our Amity?  Every nearby princess has proved herself to be insufficient.”

“I don’t intend to find one nearby.  There’s a pass through the mountains to the north, I’ll take it through the marshlands beyond and find a princess there.”

“Oh dear, it’s worse than we thought,” Odalia said to herself.  “Sir Hunter, no one has ventured to the northern marshlands in centuries .  And for good reason.  We highly doubt you’ll find a princess of any kind up there, let alone one up to our standards.  So, for that reason, your request is–”

“Come on, Mother, it’s at least worth a try!”

Everyone in the room turned towards Emira in shock.

“Emira!” Odalia said.  “How dare you interrupt me!”

“Oh, so you can complain all you want about me not taking my Crown Princess duties seriously until I disagree with you?!”

“You know nothing about duties–”

“I think Emira’s right.”

A quiet voice disrupted their argument.

“You should at least give Sir Hunter an opportunity to find someone,” Amity said.

“Oh, Mittens,” Odalia sighed, “you don’t understand.  We only want the best for you.  And we’re afraid the best isn’t going to come from beyond the northern marshlands.”

“But how can we know that for sure?” Amity replied.  “Like you said, no one’s been there for centuries.  Besides, sending one of our best knights there would surely open some lucrative opportunities for an alliance, especially if I do end up marrying one of their royalty.”

“Princess Amity is absolutely right,” Hunter said.  “I only want what’s best for our kingdom, and venturing north would do us a lot of good, even if a marriage… uh… falls through.”

Alador, Emira, and Edric furiously nodded in agreement while Amity looked up at Odalia with pleading eyes.  She leaned back against her throne and mulled over Hunter’s request for a bit before saying, “Very well.  We suppose we will grant your request.  However, if you fail us, there will be a harsh penalty.”

Hunter’s relief quickly turned sour as he looked up at his queen.  “Penalty, Your Majesty?”

“If whatever princess you may find proves herself insufficient, you might find yourself stripped of your title.  Or banished, if we find said failure particularly egregious.”

He cast his gaze down at the ground in an attempt to hide the growing anxiety on his face.  “I understand, Your Majesty.  I will not fail you.”

“Good, good.  Now, we suggest you start preparing for the long, arduous journey ahead of you.  You are dismissed.”

So, he turned around and walked out of the throne room, where he found Lord Augustus waiting for him in the hallway.

“Willow sent me to check in since she isn’t feeling very well,” he said.  “How did the audience go?”

Hunter thought about his answer for a moment before saying, “It went… well?”

Augustus raised an eyebrow.  “What does that mean?”

“The queen granted my request, but it took a bit of persuasion and she threatened me if I found a princess who ‘doesn’t meet her standards’.”

“What did she threaten you with?”

“Either demotion or banishment, I guess depending on how bad of a mood she ends up in.”

All Augustus could do was stare ahead in shock.  “Wow, she’s willing to do that to her most accomplished knight?  She’s crazier than I thought.”

“Tell me about it,” Hunter sighed.  “You should’ve heard what she said to the Crown Princess.  She was so mad she slipped out of pluralis majestatis.”

“Wow, now I really wish I was there to see that.”

Before long, they reached the door that led outside.  Augustus stepped forward to envelop Hunter in a hug, which he gladly accepted.

“Don’t let Willow worry too much about me,” he said.

“Good to know that I’m free to worry about you as much as I feel like.”

He chuckled as he opened the doors and stepped outside.  From there, habit took over and he was crossing the stone path to the royal stables.  Flapjack was in the middle of getting his daily groom from the head stablehand, a woman who called herself Viney.

“Hey, Sir Hunter,” she said as she brushed through Flapjack’s crimson coat.

“Good day, Princess Viney,” he replied.

Viney rolled her eyes.  “You know, you don’t have to address me by any kind of royal title just because I’m married to Emira now.  Titan knows no one else does.”

“Well, you’re royalty to me.  No matter what anyone thinks.”

She didn’t respond, just silently brushing Flapjack until there was a thick coating of hair on the floor of the stable.

“He’s all ready for you now,” she said.  “Where are you taking him today?”

“Oh, I’m actually going to be gone for a while,” he said.  “Odalia is letting me go through the pass in the mountains to the north of here to find another suitor for Amity.”

“Hmm, in that case, you should get some supplies from Jerbo.  It sounds like you might be gone awhile.”

“Hopefully it won’t be too long.  Only a few weeks at the latest.”

“Tell him to pack two months worth of food, just in case.”

“Oh, oh, is this the part where Luz comes in?!” King said, tapping his tail against the wooden floor.

“Patience, King,” Eda said, taking a sip of apple blood to soothe her voice a little.  “I was just getting to that part.”

She continued.  “And so Hunter set off on his noble quest to find Amity a bride so he could marry his one true love.  He ventured through the northern mountains without difficulty, but unfortunately, when he reached the marshlands…”

“Come on, Flapjack!  You can do it!”

But even trying to lift a hoof out of the thick, muddy swampland was a strenuous task, and Hunter had to worry about losing balance as the effort shook Flapjack’s entire body.

“Just a few hundred feet more,” Hunter said, “I think I can see a castle in the distance!  Or is that just a big fort?  It’s so hard to tell.”

One of Flapjack’s hooves went plop into the mud, followed by the slorp of one of his other hooves starting to exit the mud.

“Alright, buddy.  I’ll help you.”

Hunter slid off the saddle, making a substantial splash as he landed and splattering mud all over Flapjack.  Odalia quickly became the least of his worries.  Viney was going to destroy him when he got back.

“I can pull you through the mud.”  He gripped tightly onto the reins and tugged slightly as he trudged through.  “See?  We’re going faster already.”

Flapjack turned back to look at his tracks in the mud and whinnied doubtfully.  Hunter just kept on pulling, his armor clanging and boots splashing in the mud.  After a few minutes, he started panting heavily, and everything in front of him turned fuzzy before he fell face first into the swamp.

He woke up a few hours later on a wooden cot, his armor stripped off and a warm cloth on his forehead.

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” a kind voice said.

He turned his head to face whoever had spoken, and saw a middle aged woman wearing a simple dress and a modest golden tiara nestled among her thick brown curls.

“We haven’t gotten visitors from your land in a long time,” she said, “so it’s sad that we have to meet this way, after you collapsed like that in the middle of the swamp.  Are you feeling better?”

Hunter sat up in his cot putting a hand on his forehead to keep the cloth in place.  “Yeah, I think I am.”

“Very good,” the woman said, “then allow me to introduce myself.  I am Queen Camila of the Marshlands.  My child Vee found you and brought you here.”

He was a bit thrown by her not using the royal plural, but he just brushed it off as a difference in custom.  “Sir Hunter of Bellefair-by-the-sea, at your service,” he said, bowing as much as he could in his position.

“We’ll be serving dinner in just a few minutes.  It would be an honor if you could join us, if you’re well enough, of course.”

Hunter stared at Camila.  Her offer seemed genuine.  And he felt fully rested for possibly the first time since he became a knight.  “Sure.  I will join you.”

Camila smiled.  “Wonderful!  I’ll let the servants know to save you a place at our table.”

And with that, she was gone.  Hunter found it very strange that she mentioned talking to the servants herself.  As far as he knew, Odalia wouldn’t have been caught dead talking to common kitchen staff.  The only thing the two women had in common was their title.

He took the cloth off his forehead, placed it on a nearby end table, and swung his legs over the edge of the cot.  It was lower to the ground than he was expecting, since his feet touched the floor.  He got off the cot and stretched a little, then walked over to the open doorway.  The hallways were completely empty, probably since everyone in the castle was getting ready for dinner.  Does everyone here eat together?   Hunter thought to himself.  The idea was extremely strange to him; most days he just ate with his fellow knights; on special occasions with Willow, Augustus, and the rest of the lower court; but certainly never with the royal family.  They always ate alone.

But, he figured that this would be as good an opportunity to ask Queen Camila about finding a suitor for Amity.

His armor was nowhere in the room (someone was probably washing the mud off of it) but there was a pair of house shoes sitting by the door.  After slipping them on, he walked into the hallway.  This time, there was someone in the hallway, and they nearly ran him over before skidding to a stop.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t know you were already up!” they said.

At first, Hunter assumed that this person must’ve been one of the palace servants, but once he got a good look at them, he noticed that they were dressed very similarly to Queen Camila, minus the tiara.  They also looked a lot alike, except for the fact that their hair was green and blue, in a shape that reminded him of the large, leafy plants Willow had in her garden.  And were those… some kind of scales on their face?

“Oh!  You probably don’t know who I am,” they said.  “You may call me Vee.  I’m the one who found you passed out in the mud and brought you here.”

Hunter bowed slightly at the waist.  “Thank you.  Her Majesty Queen Camila of the Marshlands told me about your most kind act when I awoke.  She has also graciously invited me to partake in a meal with you all.  Would you do me the honor of showing me the way to the dining room?”

Vee raised an eyebrow at him and started to giggle.  “Humans from your land must be very polite, huh?  You don’t have to do all that ‘Your Majesty’ stuff around us, Camila really doesn’t like it.”

“Strange,” he thought out loud, “Odalia wouldn’t hesitate to demote me for not upholding formality.”

“Is that the name of your queen?” Vee asked.  Hunter nodded and they said, “She sounds cruel and uptight.”

“She… kind of is.”

Anxiety rushed through his body when he fully realized what he’d said, but Vee giggled some more and gestured for Hunter to follow them through the corridor.  It barely took them a minute to get to the dining room, which was almost entirely occupied by a stone dining table.  About thirty people were seated while six servants pushed out carts full of food and handed them out to people.

“This is your seat for tonight, Sir Hunter,” Vee said, gesturing to an empty chair close to the head of the table, where Camila was already seated.  He sat down and Vee did the same in a chair next to him.

A servant placed a plate of steaming, sauce-covered quail in front of him, and without thinking, Hunter reached for his fork and knife.  Vee placed their hand on his wrist and said, “We always wait until the servants have their own plates to eat.”

He thought that was a nice gesture, although that thought quickly soured once he remembered that it would be unthinkable in his own kingdom.

In a few minutes, everyone was served, and the servants picked up plates of their own from the carts and sat down on the opposite end of the table.  But just before everyone started eating, Camila stood up.

“We have been blessed with a guest tonight!  Please welcome Sir Hunter of Bellefair-by-the-sea!”

Everyone turned towards him and started clapping.  He shakily waved his hand in return.  After a few seconds, Camila sat down and everyone started eating.

Right as Hunter got a chunk of meat off one of the quail bones and started cutting it into pieces, Camila said, “So, what brings you to our humble little kingdom?”

He momentarily set down his knife.  “Oh, I came here in search of a possible marriage alliance.”

Camila raised her eyebrows.  “A marriage alliance?”

“Yes.  You see, we’ve been looking for a bride for our queen’s youngest daughter, Amity, for some time now, but all of the attempts were… unsuccessful.”  He didn’t want to sound desperate, so he conveniently didn’t mention the banishments, the marriage law, or Odalia’s ultimatum.

“Hmm,” Camila said, taking a bite of her quail.

“Perhaps Vee would make a good match.”

“Wow, I’m flattered you think that,” Vee said, a blush high on their cheeks, “but I’m actually courting someone else.  Besides, it would probably bring your kingdom bad luck if your princess married a changeling like me.”

“Oh,” Hunter sighed, taking a bite of the quail.  Not even its perfectly juicy and spiced deliciousness could improve his mood.  Although, he could get the recipe from this castle’s chef and give it to Jerbo when he got back, so this journey wouldn’t be a total waste of time…

“I CAN COME WITH YOU!”

Hunter looked up and nearly spit out the quail.  A young woman who looked very similar to both Camila and Vee was leaning towards him, an ear-to-ear smile on her face.

“This… is my daughter, Luzura,” Camila said, “but everyone just calls her Luz.”

Luz sat back down in her seat across from Hunter, ripped a leg off her quail, and started taking bites out of it.  Somehow, she managed to not get any of the sauce on her gown, but there was no way she’d fit the queen’s standards.

He had a feeling that he’d be a fool to not at least try.

After all, he couldn’t risk being away from the kingdom for much longer, with how sick Willow had become.

“Your Majesty,” Hunter said, out of habit, “I believe your daughter would be a… sufficient match.  If you permit it, we will be on our way to my kingdom by tomorrow morning.”

Camila seemed put off by his formality, but she thought over his request.  “I think that would be a wonderful idea!  I’ll make sure your horse is ready by then.”

Luz ripped the last chunk of meat from the bone, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and smiled.  “We are gonna be such good friends, Sir Hunter.”

“That feels like a good point to stop at for tonight,” Eda said.

“Weh?” King said.  “But we were just getting to the good part!”

“Mama’s running out of steam,” she yawned.

Raine let out a loud yawn of their own.  “Yeah, it’s right around our bedtime now.”

King pouted again and dramatically plopped onto his blankets.  Not even a few minutes later, he’d fallen asleep.

“Hooty, shouldn’t you be getting to sleep, too?” Eda said.

“I suppose I can squeeze in a few hours of shut-eye, hoot hoot,” he said, then left his spot by the window.

After he left, Eda and Raine shut the lights off in King’s room, then walked into their own bedroom.

“So, do you think the story’s working?” Eda asked.

“Seems like it to me,” Raine replied.

“I guess we can only know for sure tomorrow morning.”

They got into their nest and fell asleep just a few minutes later.  The only resident of the Owl House who wasn’t asleep was Hooty, who furiously tapped away at his typewriter, determined to capture every detail of the story he could.  He was absolutely sure that Lulu would love every minute of it!

Chapter Text

Another day went by, and sure enough, King’s mood started getting better.  He wasn’t quite his old energetic self yet, but he was eating meals with his parents again, and he’d become much more talkative.

However, all he wanted to talk about was his bedtime story.

“I’ve gotta know how Luzura exacts her just and bloody revenge for the twelve banished princesses.  Tell me!”

Eda snorted into her afternoon mug of apple blood.  “I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until bedtime to find out.  Besides, no one told Luzura the princesses were all banished, so how would she know to avenge them?”

“Of course, of course,” King said.  “But can you at least tell me if the Blights spill the beans about Willow having a baby?”

“...You might have to wait a while for that one, kiddo.”

“Can you tell me if they manage to find a way to break King Alador’s curse?”

“You’re definitely gonna have to wait for that.”

The front door opened before King had the chance to spoil more of the story for himself and Raine stepped inside, back from giving private lessons all day.

“I’m home,” they sang.

“Hmm, that was a… G# above middle C,” Hooty said.  “ Someone had a good day at work.”

“And when did you develop perfect pitch?”

“I contain multitudes…”

Raine shut the door with their foot before he could continue.

“So,” they said, “what have you two been up to all day?”

“This one–” Eda pointed down at King, “–was just trying to get me to ruin future plot points of the bedtime story we’ve been painstakingly crafting just for him.”

“Ah, coincidence strikes once again!  I was just working with Katya on that musical she’s writing, Pomelo and Sherbet, we were polishing the main romantic duet, and it definitely got the ideas flowing.  And gave me a weird craving for citrus.”

“Ideas, you say?” King said, scampering over to them on all fours.  “Reveal them to me at once!”

Raine chuckled, scooping King into their arms and tickling the spot under his chin he couldn’t reach.  “Afraid you’ll have to wait until after we’ve had dinner.”

A few hours later, when every member of the family finished their dinner, they’d all gathered in King’s bedroom.  Eda made sure the window was open so Hooty could listen in easier, and sure enough, he was leaning against the sill when they got upstairs.

“Hooty, can you recap the story up to this point?” Raine asked.

“But of course, hoot hoot,” he said.  “The faraway kingdom of Bellefair-by-the-sea is ruled by an evil queen who is the absolute worst.  And I mean the worst.  She seems to be making it as hard as possible for her youngest daughter Amity to get married and even made sure that no one else in the kingdom could until she did.  So, the brave Sir Hunter set off to end this tyrannical law once and for all and found Princess Luzura in the marshlands.  She agreed to help him on his noble quest and here are all my theories–”

“That’s enough,” Eda said.

Raine absentmindedly tapped the edge of their bow against the hardwood floor as they thought of ideas.  At the moment, they weren’t quite sure where to lead off from.  This all seemed so easy several hours ago when they were listening to students perform complex solos over and over again.

They glanced over at Eda, who was wearing a smirk that clearly said, How does it feel to be the one scrambling for ideas for a change?

That made them groan and roll their eyes, which reminded them a bit of a certain purple-haired abomination witch.  And just like that, they knew exactly where to start.

They strummed a few wistful, longing chords.  “Our story continues back at the castle in Bellefair-by-the-sea, where the inhabitants have been anxiously awaiting Sir Hunter’s return for nearly three weeks.  Especially the young Princess Amity, who was rapidly losing hope that her mother would let her get married.  After all, the suitor he swore to bring back would be the thirteenth to arrive at the castle.  Every day she’d spend hours absorbed in books of poetry, until one fateful morning…”

Amity sat in her favorite lounge chair, a book of sonnets in hand and her beloved cat Ghost purring on her lap.  Her fingers traced the hand-inked declarations of love, almost like she was trying to take them off the page and keep them for herself.

After two years of failed engagements, she deserved at least that much.

She closed the book and sighed.  The sound echoed through the empty royal library, and certainly not for the first time, Amity thought about just how alone she was.  Sure, she had ladies-in-waiting, but the only two she could consider friends had their own problems to worry about, each concerning the marriage law that she was the cause of.  Her siblings seemed too absorbed in their own lives, Father couldn’t even speak to her, and Mother…

She seemed to thrive on Amity’s aloneness.

Every time a suitor was banished for something minuscule and arbitrary (including but not limited to miscounting the number of threads in a tapestry, not being able to name their ancestors nine generations back, or taking a minute too long to read through a thousand-page tome) she swore a smile flashed across Mother’s face before it was quickly hidden behind a mask of false pity.

If she was any more of a fool, she’d have asked if she was even allowed to marry anyone.   It seemed like no one was perfect enough for Queen Odalia.  Amity was sure no one could ever be.

Ghost let out a short little meow in her lap, successfully taking her out of her thoughts.

“Oh, what would I do without you?” she sighed, scratching a spot behind his ears.  He meowed again in response and stretched out across her thighs.

Just as she was about to reach for another book from a nearby shelf, her eyes wandered to a nearby window and she caught a flash of red.  She walked closer to it, after putting Ghost on the ground, and the castle lookout confirmed her suspicion.

“Sir Hunter’s back!  And he has a princess with him!”

Her heart skipped a few beats as she rushed out of the room and practically sprinted to her quarters.

“Perfect timing, don’t you think so, Your Highness?”

Amity looked to her right and saw Lady Skara, one of her ladies-in-waiting and the daughter of a count, keeping perfect pace with her, clenching her skirts tightly in her hands.

“Yeah, I guess so,” she replied just as they got to the doors.

When they walked in, two of her other ladies-in-waiting, Cat and Amelia, were already there, directing a small team of maids cleaning the quarters.  As soon as the maids were ushered out, the ladies gathered in her bedroom, right next to the wardrobe.

“Alright, we all heard the lookout,” Skara said.  “The princess Hunter brought over is probably the one , I can feel it.”

“I’m not so sure,” Amity sighed.  “Mother wasn’t even going to let him leave the castle until Emira and I intervened on his behalf.  And then she threatened to demote or banish him.”

“She was probably bluffing,” Amelia said.  “She wouldn’t actually banish her most successful knight.”

“You all know Mother isn’t the type to make empty threats.  I hope I can at least beg her not to do it.  Oh, and please please don’t tell Willow, I wouldn’t want her to–”

“Don’t tell me what?”

All four of them turned towards the entrance, where Lady Willow had just arrived.

“Nothing, nothing,” Amity said.  “We were just talking about–”

“We’re throwing you a surprise birthday party!” Skara said.

Willow raised her eyebrows.  “My birthday was two months ago.”

“And we felt so bad about not throwing you a party this year, we’ve already started planning one for next year!” Skara said.

“Yeah…” Amity said.  “Anyways, that’s enough birthday talk.  There’s going to be a new suitor at the gates in less than an hour.  Should I freshen up or–”

“You’ve got a hairy spot on your lap.”  Cat pointed at the lower half of her dress, which was covered in white cat fur.

“I’ve got this!” Skara stepped forward and tried to sweep the hairs off, but they wouldn’t budge.

“I’ll just change,” Amity said, walking towards her open wardrobe.  She eventually pulled out one of her favorite purple velvet gowns and slipped behind the silk divider in a corner of the room to change.  In the meantime, her ladies-in-waiting conversed amongst themselves.

“So, Willow,” Skara said, “should we freshen you up a bit, too?”

“Uh, sure, if you want to,” Willow replied.

“Oh, come on,” Amelia said.  “Aren’t you going to be seeing your man for the first time in three weeks?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“Don’t worry, we’ll make sure your little boy toy is putty in your hands…” Cat added.

“Hey, don’t call him–”

Before their conversation could continue, Amity stepped out from behind the divider, the gown hanging loosely on her.

“I need help with the laces,” she said.

All she had to do was turn around and someone (she wasn’t quite sure who) pulled the laces on her dress as tight as they could go, tied them together, and tucked the excess into the fabric.  A second later, Amelia handed her a complementary gold belt to put on, and then Skara was guiding her toward the vanity at the opposite end of the room.  She sat down in front of the large mirror and Willow combed her green hair back into a half-updo while Cat applied rouge to the apples of her cheeks.  Once they were done, Amity reached for a nearby jewelry box and pulled out a yellow topaz necklace with matching earrings, handing the necklace to Skara so she could clasp it around her neck while she put on the earrings.

The memories of her last five suitors waxing poetic about how the jewels complemented her eyes made her heart feel warm.

“All done!” Skara said.  “Now it’s Willow’s turn!”

She slipped off the bench, Willow taking her place.  Right away, Skara undid the two braids her hair was most often in, instead letting the waves flow freely down her back.  Then she clipped the parts framing her face while Amelia smudged some liner on her eyelids.  Cat brushed a bit of rouge on her cheeks and then they were done.

“Wow,” Willow said, looking over her reflection, “thanks.”

“Trust me, you’ll be thanking us when you and your beau are–”

“It would be wise of you to not continue that sentence, Skara.”

Amity couldn’t help but giggle at that.  A second later, the lookout’s voice reverberated through the castle walls, calling for the drawbridge to be lowered.

“Oh no, we’d better hurry,” she said, gathering her skirts and rushing out of the room, the ladies-in-waiting following swiftly behind her.

They met up with another lady-in-waiting, Boscha, on the way to the gatehouse.

“Where were you?” Skara asked.

“I had other duties to attend to,” she replied.  “Since, you know, I’m going to be a duchess one of these days.”

“I was unaware your inheritance gave you free rein to ditch all your other duties ,” Willow said.

“You wouldn’t understand, your father is just a count.”

Amity resisted the urge to groan and roll her eyes.  Luckily, she didn’t have to listen to Willow and Boscha bicker about their ranks any longer, since they were right at the doors to the gatehouse.  A group of nobles was already there, including Willow’s friend Lord Augustus and his father, Duke Porter.  Her siblings were also there, standing next to Mother.

“Ugh, why does the drawbridge take so long to lower?” Edric sighed.

“The chains are like… super rusted,” Emira said.

“Patience, children,” Mother said, before looking over at Amity and smiling.  “Ah, Mittens, you’re right on time.”

“Looks like I’m actually a bit early,” she replied, gesturing to their old drawbridge which was only about a quarter of the way lowered and progressing at a snail’s pace.

“As we always say, early is on time.”

Amity decided to stand next to Emira since as far as she could tell, Father wasn’t there.  Her older sister greeted her with a soft smile and a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“That dress really suits you,” she said.

“Thank you.”

They silently watched the drawbridge lower for about a minute longer, until they heard what sounded like Sir Hunter’s voice arguing with someone in the distance.  And then, from slightly closer, a splash.

“Did something just… fall into the moat?” Edric wondered.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Mother said.  “There’s no way something heavy enough to make a splash that loud could’ve just fallen without an engineer keeping an eye on it.”

“Hey, someone’s swimming in the moat!”

Nearly every lookout on the wall rushed over to the spot right above where this person presumably was, one of them grabbing a large amount of rope.  They flung it over the edge of the wall and started pulling it up.  A few seconds later, a young woman about Amity’s age swung one of her legs over the edge of the wall and pushed herself to a standing position.

Somehow, even though she was soaked to the bone, she was one of the most attractive women Amity had ever seen.

Her outfit was a lot plainer than what any of even the lower nobility wore, just a full-length maroon dress with draped sleeves, which the woman wrung out on the stone wall before doing the same to her skirt.  After that, she shook out her short, curly hair and smiled down at the crowd below her.

“Hi everyone!” she said.  “My new friend Sir Hunter told me you guys were in need of a princess.  Well, here I am!  The name’s Luzura!”

Mother stared slack-jawed at her for a few seconds before regaining her composure and asking, “Did you swim through our moat?”

“Yeah, your drawbridge was taking a bit to lower so I figured I’d just take a shortcut.  After all, the early bird…” She giggled a little bit at her own statement.

“So you swam our moat ?” Mother repeated.

“Now that I’m thinking about it more I was probably a bit quick on the draw with that idea.  But don’t worry!  There’s a nice breeze right about–” she stepped a few feet to her right, “–here so I’ll be dry in no time.”

She swayed back and forth a bit on her heels, then glanced at the drawbridge, which was only lowered a little over halfway.

“Anyway…” she said, “who’s the lucky gal I was brought here to marry?”

Amity felt a good amount of the blood in her body flood her face.  She couldn’t quite believe she was the lucky gal.

Luzura walked over to a flagpole near where she was standing and slid down it in a spiral, landing right in the middle of a group of nobles.

“I bet it’s you,” she said, pointing right at Willow.

“Oh, no, no, no,” Willow said, shaking her head.  “I’m just a count’s daughter.”

Luzura thought for a moment before lighting up in recognition.  “Wait a minute, you wouldn’t happen to be the Lady Willow that Sir Hunter would not shut up about on the way here, would you?  Because if I remember correctly, she was also a count’s daughter.”

Willow looked away bashfully.  “That’s me.”

“I can certainly see why he likes you so much, then,” she said, then turned towards Skara.  “Is it you, then?”

“Definitely not,” she replied.

“Uh-huh,” Luzura said, then stepped out of the circle of nobles and looked around the gatehouse before her gaze landed on the royals.  She pointed at Emira and said, “I feel so silly right now.  You’re clearly the princess I’m looking for.”

“Actually, no,” Emira said.  “I’m already married.  The princess you’re looking for is–”

“No, no, no !”

Everyone in the area gave Mother a horrified look.

“Really, Mother?” Edric said.  “You’re doing this now ?”

“Yeah,” Emira added, “you don’t have to throw a hissy fit every time my marriage comes up.”

“Hate to interrupt, but could someone just tell me where this girl is?  I get that she’s probably a bit shy, and I mean, I’m a bit shy too, if you can believe it, but…”

Suddenly, the drawbridge fully lowered with a loud thud.

“Ah!  Perfect timing, don’t you think?” Luzura said.

The sound of hooves clicking against wood filled the area as Sir Hunter entered, still in full armor, and stopped right behind Luzura.

“Your shoes,” he said, holding a pair of maroon slippers in front of her.  Amity hadn’t noticed she was barefoot until that very moment.  Luzura took them from him with a smile and stepped to the side to put them back on, right in front of Amity.

It took her a few seconds to remember how to breathe.

Up close, Luzura was even prettier than she was on top of the wall.  Her eyes were a warm brown that made her think of crackling embers in a fireplace.  And she couldn’t help but notice the dark freckles across her nose that stood out against her bronze skin.

Unfortunately, Amity was caught staring.

Not by Mother, thankfully, since she was busy talking with Sir Hunter.  No, Luzura happened to look right at her when she finished putting on both of her shoes.

“Pretty,” she whispered, barely louder than a breath.  It was enough to make Amity’s face flush even more than it already had.

“Mittens, show your new… suitor to the guest quarters.  We need to review a few things in private.”

“Yes, Mother,” she said, looping Luzura’s arm in hers and practically sprinting out of the gatehouse.  She could just barely hear the sound of Boscha and Skara’s footsteps behind her over the sound of her own nervous heartbeat.

“Guess this means you’re the one I came here to marry,” Luzura said.

Amity was a bit too overwhelmed to speak, so she just nodded in response.

Fortunately, the guest quarters were only a short walk from the gatehouse.  They slipped inside the first empty room they found and closed the door.

“Alright so this is where you’ll be staying for… as long as you’re going to be here,” Amity said.  “If you need anything , just ask one of my ladies-in-waiting and they’ll help.”

“Um, no,” Boscha said, “I am not serving another suitor who’s just going to–”

She yelped as Skara stomped on her foot.

“We’re going to find you some dry clothes to change into,” Skara said, gripping tightly onto Boscha’s arm and practically dragging her out of the room.

And with that Amity and Luzura were alone.  Together.  Mother wouldn’t be happy about this.

“Your castle looks really nice,” Luzura said.  “At least, what I’ve seen of it.  It’s a lot bigger than the one I live in…”

“Thank you,” Amity said, too nervous to even look her suitor in the eyes.

Luzura walked around the room for a few seconds, before stopping in front of the tiny window.  “And the view from here is pretty nice, too.”

She walked up next to her so she could look out the window, which happened to overlook a section of the castle gardens.  Nearly every part was covered with colorful, sweet-smelling flowers, which some servants were attending to.

“I’m glad you like it,” Amity said.  “My sibling-in-law tends every garden in this castle, and Lady Willow likes to assist them sometimes.”

“Oh, yeah!  Sir Hunter mentioned that, too!  I should ask her about some of the flowers here.  My mamá would really like them.”

“She’d probably love to tell you, then,” Amity said.

They took in the view in silence for a few seconds, before Luzura turned to her and said, “I was thinking.  After I take a bath and change out of this cold, damp dress, can you show me around the castle a bit?  I’d love to get to know you a bit more, too.”

Amity couldn’t help but smile.  “That sounds nice.”

She wasn’t normally the type to make wishes, but at that moment, her greatest wish was for her long list of suitors to end with Luzura.

“Blegh!” King said.  “You’re turning this into one of those sappy Maulhark movies.  I feel like I’m getting a cavity.”

“I don’t mind.  I also don’t have teeth!” Hooty said.

Raine’s face flushed and they reminded themself to never ask Hooty any questions about his physiology.

“Alright, I think Rainestorm could use a break anyway,” Eda said.  “You were starting to get a bit hoarse towards the end there.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” they said, then took a long swig from the glass of water next to them.

“Play something… villainous,” Eda said.  Raine nodded and shifted their standard background tune to be in minor instead of major.

“Princess Luzura managed to make nearly everyone in the castle like her, even the isolated Princess Amity.  But little did she know, she’d also made a powerful enemy…”

Chapter Text

“Ugh, that girl is the worst suitor we’ve hosted by far!” Queen Odalia said as soon as she entered her office.

Marquis Adrian Graye dutifully came in after her.  He nodded solemnly once they were face to face.  “I couldn’t agree more, Your Majesty.  Should we schedule a mental evaluation for Sir Hunter?”

“Honestly, we expected the brat to return empty handed and on his knees, begging us not to go through with a demotion.”  She reached into her pocket and pulled out a simple paper letter.  “This looks official enough, at least.”

“At least whoever wrote it has legible penmanship,” Adrian said.

Odalia broke the wax seal cleanly in half and unfolded the letter.  It was far more simple and common than she’d expected all things considered.

“To Queen Odalia of Bellefair-by-the-sea,” she read, “I hope this letter finds you in both good health and spirit.  We have been most delighted by the visit from one of your own decorated knights, and we are twice over delighted that you are considering a marriage alliance with our humble kingdom.   Ha!  How presumptively foolish!  My dear daughter Luzura is nothing but thrilled to spend this time in your kingdom, especially since she has been lonely and restless since the tragic passing of her father, King Manuel.   Mmm, playing the sympathy card.  Typical.  I hope to see your lovely land myself in due time.  Sincerely, Queen Camila of the Marshlands.”

She crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it into her fireplace.  “Well, that’s enough of that.”  The ball quickly crumbled into ash, and as it did, Odalia walked over to her desk chair and sat down, twirling her favorite quill in her fingers.

“We need to be rid of Luzura as quickly as possible,” she said.  “There can be no chance of her succeeding at whatever final task we give her.  You were at the gatehouse, Adrian, could you detect any of her weaknesses?  Or at least something we can exploit?”

Adrian thought for a moment, pacing across the room.  “She was brutish enough to swim through the moat, so perhaps we could test her manners?  Or maybe sensitivity would be a better way to put it…”

“No, no, that will never work.”  She twirled the quill a bit faster before getting an idea.  “We need a test of sensitivity.  After all, every genuine princess is delicate and fair, don’t you think so?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Delicate and fair.  Our Mittens embodies both of those words fully, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Oh, certainly, Your Majesty.”

“You’re so smart, Adrian.  What would we do without you?”

He left that question unanswered.  Odalia took out a piece of paper and started drafting a letter, not bothering to look at him.  “The sensitivity of a true royal is both a blessing and a curse, you know.  Why, one time a cobbler missed a stitch in the lining of a pair of fine silk slippers, and I-we could barely even take a single step.  It felt like the cobbler left a bit of nail exposed.”

“Something that tiny was that obvious to you?  Have you always had such hawklike perception?”

“Of course, Adrian, thank you.  But–” She paused for a moment, quill perfectly stilled on the paper.

“Is something the matter, Your Majesty?”

“No, we just have the perfect idea for a test that brutish girl is guaranteed to fail.”  She placed her quill down and looked up at Adrian.  “We’ll send ten, no, twenty, no, forty of the softest mattresses in the kingdom right here to the castle, and put them in Luzura’s room.  And underneath all of those mattresses we will put a single pea.  Nothing more.”

Adrian stroked his chin.  “I see.  There’s no way such a small, insignificant thing would be enough to keep her awake for an entire night.”

“Exactly.  We’ll be done with this… princess in barely any time at all.”

“Wonderfully efficient, Your Majesty.”

“We are so glad to hear that from you, Adrian.  You are dismissed.”

“The plot doth thicken!” Hooty said.

“Indeed.  Meanwhile, our two lovebirds finally got the chance to reunite in the castle’s gatehouse.  However, Sir Hunter was exhausted from his long journey and Lady Willow still had a few duties to take care of.  So they decided to wait a few hours until they could have a proper reunion.  But Willow soon found herself in a tricky position…”

She sat in her father’s office, reading through his letters that were sent to the castle.  He hadn’t lived there for a few years, preferring to live on his estate in the middle of the county he oversaw, so Willow acted as his proxy whenever it was necessary.  Most of the time, this just meant she had to sort through mail, sending it to the estate if it was important and writing a response if it wasn’t.

And she was sure that Lady Boscha did far less work for the duchy she was expected to inherit.

Right after she’d picked up the stick of wax on her desk to reseal a letter she’d opened, someone knocked on the door.  It wasn’t Hunter’s favored “shave and a haircut” pattern, so there was no way it was him.  Most likely, Duke Porter also had something to send to her father.  Or maybe Augustus was running errands around the castle for him.

But when she saw who stood on the other side of the door, her stomach sank into her slippers.

“Marquis Graye,” she said, “to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

He stepped into the room, taking in the decor with an air of slight disdain.  “I just thought I’d stop by after my short talk with Her Majesty.  Is that so wrong of me?”

Willow shook her head, loose curls falling over her shoulders.  “No… of course it– of course it’s not, sir.  Ha ha ha ha ha.”

Adrian looked right at her and raised an eyebrow.  “You don’t need to be so… stiff around me, it’s unbecoming.  Especially since you’ll be a countess one day.  Not to mention, our territories border each other.”

It took every ounce of willpower she had to not roll her eyes.  Everyone in the castle knew that Adrian only became a marquis because Odalia appointed him to the position, not by inheriting or earning such an honor, but he acted like it was his divine destiny to rule over the small stretch of land dividing Bellefair-by-the-sea from Odalia’s kingdom of origin.  But a small part of her had to admit he was right.  So she let go of all the tension she hadn’t realized she was holding in her shoulders.

“Yes, yes, I know.  Don’t want to sour intercounty relations,” she said.  “Speaking of which, I was in the middle of sorting through correspondence, do you have anything to send over to my–”

“I told you.  I’m not here on any official business.”  He picked up Willow’s county seal from the desk and examined it in his hands.  “But it would be dishonest of me to say that I haven’t been… concerned.”

Willow felt herself go a bit pale.  “Concerned?  About what, sir?”

“I’ve heard talk around the castle about you being terribly ill recently.  I sincerely hope it isn’t anything serious, it would be tragic for your fathers to lose their only daughter, yes?”

She swallowed.  “It would be, yes.  But I’m feeling a lot better now!  A bit of a cold was all it was, the palace doctor has given me plenty of medicine.”

“Ah yes, Hettie’s skills are second to none.  Your fathers should be glad to hear that you’re in such good hands.”

Her fathers didn’t know she was ever sick.  They didn’t even know she was pregnant, everyone that knew that fact was in the castle and relatively free of Odalia’s talons.  And she planned on keeping it that way while she still could.

“Oh, they are, sir,” she said.

“Good, good.”  He finally put her seal back on her desk, but his eyes still lingered on it.  “If something else were to… compromise your position, it would be quite unfortunate.  You’d do well to remember that, Willow.”

“I-I will, sir,” she said.  Adrian walked past her, not quite looking her in the eye, and stepped out of the room, closing the door on his way out.  As soon as the sound of his footsteps in the hallway faded to silence, she let out a deep sigh of relief.  It didn’t seem like he figured anything out yet.

Yet.

That word sent a chill through her entire body.  Adrian was already paying special attention to her, so he was way more likely to connect the dots than anyone else, and since he was basically Odalia’s second in command, he would absolutely tell her, and what would happen to her then?  Even the best case scenario ended with her in the dungeon.

She barely heard the sound of someone else at the door over her own panicked heartbeat.  Right away, she pulled it open to find Duke Porter on the other side.

“...Are you alright, my dear?” he said.  “You seem quite troubled.”

“No no no I’m fine everything’s fine!” she replied.

He seemed unconvinced.  “Okay, then.  I just have a few things to relay to your fathers.”

“Thank you so much bye!”  She snatched the envelopes from his hand and closed the door.  After she set them down on the pile of other letters she’d have to give to a messenger, she paced around the room a bit.  And just as suddenly as she’d started, she stopped and forced herself to breathe.  In and out, nice and steady, just like her papa taught her as a young girl after she woke up from a terrible nightmare.  Except this nightmare was real.

She banished that thought from her mind.  Right now, all she had to do was breathe.

Once her heart stopped beating so hard it threatened to bust a hole in her chest, she sat down behind the desk, picking up a stick of wax.  It was soft in her hand and cool to the touch.  She set it down to light a match, feeling a slight burn on the tips of her fingers.  The tip of the wax met the small flame she’d created, and before long, a sizable pool of liquid landed on the folded letter.  She put out the match and replaced it with the county seal, pressing it into the liquid wax until it hardened and left a perfect impression of her family’s crest behind.

Was this the only aspect of her life she had full control over?  After all, another impromptu “visit” from Adrian meant the difference between a peaceful life and banishment.

Willow settled into the familiar routine of reading through correspondence, but the anxiety wouldn’t leave her mind.  While she read the last letter in the pile, a cold realization hit her.

She had no choice but to take drastic measures.

Before she could talk herself out of the decision, a “shave and a haircut” landed on her door.

“Come in,” she said, dipping her quill into her inkwell to start writing a response.

Footsteps echoed through the room as Willow diligently kept her eyes on the paper.  She leaned forward to add ink to her quill and a bony chin landed on the crown of her head.

“I believe I was promised a proper welcome back,” Hunter said.

“Just a minute,” Willow replied.  “I have to finish this letter.”

He sighed dejectedly and wrapped his arms around her.  She couldn’t help but smile as she continued writing.  When she started signing her name, he twirled a few stray locks of her hair around his fingers, covering the scars and calluses with silky black.  The sight sparked a familiar feeling in her stomach, which quickly soured once she remembered what had to be done.

These quiet moments with Hunter would be their last for a very long time.

Before long, the letter was signed and sealed, and Willow placed it on the very top of the pile.

“Okay,” she said, “now I can give you a proper welcome.”

Hunter stepped away from the chair so she could get out of it and meet him in a warm embrace.  He smelled like armor polish and pine needles.  Once they broke apart, Hunter leaned forward and peppered her face with little kisses anywhere he could reach.

“What are you doing?” she asked, giggling as he attacked her cheek.

“Just giving you all the kisses I wanted to give you while I was away,” he said, then tilted his head downwards to kiss her jawline and neck.

For just a moment, she caught herself pretending they had all the time in the world.  That they could just be , together.  That the seconds weren’t steadily ticking away at the time she’d be safe in the castle.

Hunter must’ve picked up on her distress, because just then, he pulled away and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Willow took a deep breath, not quite looking him in the eye.  “Marquis Graye stopped by here about an hour ago.”

“Ugh, what did he want this time?  Your father’s money?  A rare book from the estate collection that he never intends to return?”

“No.  But that’s exactly why I’m worried.”  She took another deep breath, steadying her raging heartbeat.  “I think he’s going to figure out that–”

She reflexively laid a hand on her stomach.  There wasn’t a visible bump yet, the doctor assured her that there wouldn’t be for a few months if at all, but the gesture was oddly comforting.

“Willow?  What are you telling me?” Hunter asked.

A tear fell from the corner of her eye, landing on the floor where she stood.  “I’m saying… goodbye.  At least, until this is all over.”

He took a step back, his expression completely unreadable.  “You’re leaving tonight, aren’t you?  To that empty island you told me about.”

Her eyes started to flood with tears as she nodded.  She didn’t think she could even stand to look at Hunter right now.  It would hurt too much.

“Don’t worry, Luzura will pass the tests, I just know it.  I’ll even make sure of it myself if I have to.”

“You saw what happened at the gatehouse, Hunter.”  She took a handkerchief out of her pocket and wiped away some of her tears.  The makeup the other ladies-in-waiting put on her was definitely ruined by now.  “Odalia will never let her pass any test.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t still help her!  I’ve been thinking of ways I can rig the tests back in her favor–”

“And what if they don’t work?” Willow finally found the courage to look up at Hunter, eyes still watery.  “What if Odalia catches you?  At least this way I won’t be in the castle when the worst happens.”

Hunter let out a long sigh, staring down at her.  “...This is a terrible idea, but I know better than to try and stop you now.  But can you at least take Augustus with you?  He’ll make sure you’re safe, no matter what it takes.”

Willow nodded.  Hunter kissed her forehead one last time and walked right out of the office.  Once the hallway was completely empty, she picked up the pile of letters and left, locking the door behind her.

“No!” King wailed.  “Why, Eda, why?!”

“Well, I’ve gotta up the tension somehow,” she replied.

“She does have a point,” Raine said.

“Thank you, Rainestorm,” she said, then cleared her throat before continuing.  “Willow and Augustus made a plan to escape right then, but while they were carrying it out…”

“What are you guys doing?”

Willow and Augustus paused as soon as they saw Emira and Edric at the end of the hallway, nearly dropping the sack of belongings they carried between them.

“Your Majesties, we can explain,” Augustus said.

Emira sighed.  “Don’t worry, we already know why you’re escaping.”

Willow’s face went pale.  “You do?”

“Yeah, Dad overheard you talking about it with Sir Hunter while on his afternoon walk,” Edric said.  “But we want to help you, we swear!”

“And no offense, but you two need it,” Emira added.  “I mean, black cloaks in broad daylight?  Really?  You’re lucky we’re the only people who saw you.”

Augustus looked down at the black fabric draped around him, so long that it dragged on the floor.  “Fair point.”

“We need to be a lot less conspicuous,” Edric said.  “No one’s out and about in the castle at night, that should give you plenty of cover.  Dad knows this place like the back of his hand, he can guide you through the least guarded routes, and I can whip up a few disguises.”

“It’ll be suspicious if I’m not by Mother’s side while she’s giving the tests,” Emira said, “so I’d have to stay behind.  But Viney has to go into town for some supplies in a few hours.  I can give her Willow’s stuff to leave by the docks, just so we have one less thing to worry about.”

“Hunter probably thinks I’m gone already,” Willow said.

“You can hide out in my quarters until nightfall,” Emira said.  “Augustus, you can help Edric with whatever disguise ideas he has.”

“Gee, if we knew you were on our side, we’d have asked you for help a lot sooner,” Augustus said.

“Trust me, Mother has plenty of enemies in the castle,” Emira said, “but they’re all like mice compared to her.  That snake Adrian curling himself around her shoulders certainly doesn’t help.”

Edric shushed her, then gestured for all of them to follow him.  “We’ve been out here too long.  Who knows who could be listening?”

“Thank you for proving my point, Ed,” Emira said.

“Oh, so you can scold me for being ‘too loud’ all you want but as soon as I do the same to you–”

“Ugh, can you guys shut it!” Willow said.  “That snake could be blabbing to Odalia right now and none of us would be the wiser!”

The twins remained silent for the rest of the walk to their quarters.  At least, until Edric stroked his chin right as they stopped.

“Maybe we can help you with that problem, too…”

“Alright, Mama’s officially out of ideas,” Eda said.  Was this how that writer Luz was so fond of felt?

“So’s Raine,” her spouse (she still couldn’t believe she could finally call them that) added.  “I should switch up the instrument next time, my fingers are getting really sore.”

“That’s what he sa–”

“Not in front of the child!” Right away, Eda rushed forward to slam the window shut, the force loosening a few of Hooty’s feathers.  He gave her an annoyed glare before retreating to his door.

Before long, King was sound asleep in his bed, Raine was polishing their violin upstairs, and Eda was pouring herself a cup of coffee.  Luz’s human mom gifted her a machine that brewed an entire pot of the stuff at a time and she was proud to say that she got a lot of use from it already.  Coffee was easily one of her favorite Human Realm inventions, she’d taken tons of trips there just for a cup of it, taken black.  (Raine preferred “lattes”, which had far more cream and sugar than she’d be caught dead drinking, but their sweet tooth was as apparent as the false fang she wore.)

She’d barely even sunk into her favorite spot on the couch before a rapid tap-tap-tap noise broke the tranquility of the moment.  It reminded her of morse code, except this pattern didn’t have any pattern she could decipher.

I defy you, random tapping sound, she thought, before taking a rebellious sip from her mug.  The familiar smell and taste of the coffee quickly made her forget about whatever was annoying her.

At least until a slightly too familiar voice loudly whispered, “Hoot, I love this part!” from outside.

Eda temporarily abandoned her beloved beverage and opened the door.

“Hooty!  Could you keep it down?!  I’m trying to enjoy my nightly cup of joe.”

She stepped outside for a glance at the substantial pile of papers in front of Hooty’s typewriter, only to be greeted by the words Raine had improvised not even two hours earlier.

“Is this… a transcript of our story?” she asked.

“Yep!” he replied.  “I thought Lulu might like it, since she’s working on that folklore project with the museum.”

A groan escaped her lips before she could stop it.  Of course he was sending her melodramatic, metafictional bedtime story to her nerdy older sister.  With those two, it was much more a matter of “when” than “if”.

“Might as well rip off the band-aid now.  What does she think of it?”

Hooty thought for a moment before answering.  “She thinks it’s… nice that you’re doing this to cheer up King, although she has questioned the somewhat roundabout way of doing so.  Also, she has a few points of contention with the story itself–”

“Ugh!  If Prissy Lilly has anything bad to say about the epic narrative we’re crafting, she can say it to my face!”

“Great idea!  I’ll tell her to come over tomorrow so she can see you and Raine in action,” Hooty said.  “However, as much as I am enjoying the story so far, I wouldn’t call it an ‘epic’ narrative.  It’s more like a light dramedy with elements of speculative–”

“Aaaaaaauuuuugggh!”  Eda was officially done with hearing nerd talk for the night.  So she practically sprinted into the house and up the stairs to her nest, leaving her cup of joe behind.  Hooty just shrugged (as best as he could without shoulders) and continued typing.

Chapter Text

True to Hooty’s word, Lilith was right on the Owl House’s doorstep two hours after sunset, armed with a clipboard and enough pens to fully stock a shelf at an office supply store.

“I’m assuming you’re here for storytime,” Eda said.

“Yes, I am,” Lilith replied.  “You see, I was helping a younger colleague at the museum with their dissertation on the origin of Boiling Isles folktales through oral tradition, and this is simply the perfect illustration of the concept.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Hooty said, turning to Lilith, “how did the dissertation go?”

“It went spectacularly, thanks for asking.  I’m proud to have helped shape one of the great new minds of the post-Belos era.”  With that, she stepped into the house and sat down on the couch, flipping through the papers on her clipboard.

“I did bring over a few notes of critique, namely with some… historical anachronisms,” Lilith said.  “For example, in last night’s installment, you mentioned Lady Willow lighting a match while making a wax seal.  Now, until this point, I was under the impression that the story was set sometime during the Vile Ages but matches weren’t actually invented until the late Sanguinary era–”

“Who cares about all that nerd stuff?!” Eda said.  “I don’t!”

Just as Lilith was about to retort, Raine walked up to the front door.

“Well, this is a pleasant surprise!” they said.

“‘Pleasant’ is pushing it a bit at the moment,” Eda said, turning around and walking up the stairs to King’s bedroom.  Lilith and Raine followed behind.

When they entered, the window was already open and King was already seated right in the middle of his bed, holding Francois between his crossed legs.

“Alright, here’s how we’ve been doing it,” Raine said.  “We ask Hooty for a recap of what happened in the story the night prior, then Eda and I will decide who gets to start us off, then I start playing a bit of music to set the mood.  Usually, I play my violin, but she’s due for a break, so tonight I’m gonna be playing–”

They drew a tiny spell circle and a large accordion appeared in front of them.

“Why do you even have that?” Eda asked.

“Hey, part of the reason I got to be Head Bard in the first place is that I’m adaptable.  Besides, I need some practice with this thing.”

After blowing off a storm’s worth of dust, they played a note.  It sounded like someone was scraping their toenails across a chalkboard while wearing squeaky clown shoes.  Everyone in the room cringed, especially Raine.

“On second thought, she desperately needs to be tuned.”  They drew another spell circle to banish the accordion back where it came from, leaving Eda’s old lute in its place.  “You don’t mind me playing this, right?”

“Of course not,” Eda said.  “But if you try to play that… thing during storytime again, I’m filing for divorce.”

“Alright, I get the message,” they said, then strummed out a quick arpeggio, which thankfully sounded just like an arpeggio played on a lute should.  “Hooty, recap.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” he said.  “The unconventional Princess Luzura arrives in Bellefair-by-the-sea and the terribly lonely Princess Amity is immediately smitten with her.”

“Heh, it’s almost like real life,” Eda remarked.

“DO NOT INTERRUPT,” Hooty said.  “Anyway, the evil Queen Odalia immediately hates Luzura, so she starts making plans to ensure that she can’t pass the final test required for permission to marry Amity.  Meanwhile, Willow’s condition starts attracting the interest of Marquis Graye, who has a somewhat… questionable relationship with the queen, and she decides to run away from the castle.  Oh, it’s just so sad when young lovers have to go their separate ways!  At least she has help from Crown Princess Emira and Prince Edric.  I sure hope they don’t turn on her, hoot hoot.”

“That was a bit more speculative than I would’ve liked,” Raine said, “but I’m just gonna go with it.”  They cleared their throat and started strumming a romantic melody.  “Our story once again begins with Princess Amity, as she takes Princess Luzura on a tour of the castle she calls home.  While they stroll in the afternoon light, Luzura takes the opportunity to tell Amity about her homeland…”

“The Marshlands are beautiful,” Luzura sighed wistfully.  “Seeing the sun rise over the bog is just… unforgettable.  And the land itself is so full of magic!  I nearly got eaten by a dragon once!”

Amity and Skara exchanged shocked glances as Boscha rolled her eyes.

“It’s just a bunch of mud and bugs,” she said.  “Ew.”

Luzura gave Boscha an annoyed glare.  “Sure, it’s not for everyone, but there’s beauty everywhere, don’t you think so?”

“No.”

“Boscha, why are you even here if you’re just going to be a colossal pain?” Skara said.

“I have my reasons.”

Skara sighed, adjusting her headdress.  “I wish Willow was with us right now.  Where is she, anyway?”

“Probably pretending to be ‘sick’ so she can–”

“Please don’t be so crass in front of our guest,” Amity said.  “Besides, Willow’s probably just drafting correspondence or something.”

“Sir Hunter told me something about that,” Luzura said.  “He told me that she can get so absorbed in writing letters and stuff that he’ll have to drag her out of her office just to eat.”

“Yeah,” Amity chuckled, “that sounds like Willow.”

“You guys are good friends, aren’t you?” Luzura asked.  “How long have you known each other?”

“For about as long as I can remember.  Her papa served in a campaign with my father before either of us was born.”

“Wow, the only friend I’ve had that long was my sibling Vee.  The local fey left them on our castle’s doorstep one day and my mamá decided to raise them as her own.  You’d really like them, they write poetry.”

“Hmm, what’s this I’m hearing about poetry?”

They all stopped in the middle of the hallway.  A man wearing a full set of armor (minus the helmet) stood in front of them, a large lance at his hip.

“Luzura, this is General Deamonne,” Amity said.  “He’s the commander of all the knights in the castle and all the armies in Bellefair-by-the-sea, and he’s a great friend of my father.”

“‘Great friend’ is a bit generous, Amity,” he said, shaking out his long hair.  “But it’s lovely to meet you, Luzura.  Call me Darius.”  He started to bow, but she immediately went in to grab his hand.

“Nice to meet you!  I’m the princess of the Marshlands!” she said, shaking his hand so hard that he nearly lost balance.

Once he was able to stand up straight, he said, “I hope our kingdom treats you well, Princess.”  Then he noticed Skara standing next to Luzura.  “Oh, Lady Skara, you are just who I was looking for.  Sir Percival injured himself during a drill, yet again, and he’s requested your presence.”

“Man, I wish he would be more careful,” she sighed, before turning around and practically sprinting down the hallway.  Darius gave Amity a short bow before following her.

Amity turned to Boscha.  “Hey, do you think you can… check up on Ghost or something?  I want to be alone with Luzura for a bit if you don’t mind.”

“Ugh, if you insist,” she said, making a show of gathering her skirts and turning around.

As soon as her footsteps were out of earshot, Luzura turned back to Amity and let out a sigh of relief.  “Wow, she is horrible.”

“Believe it or not, she was actually worse when we were teenagers.”

Luzura laughed, and the sound made Amity’s heart melt.  “So, where are you gonna take me next?”

“My favorite place in the entire castle,” she replied, “the gallery.”

“Woah, we don’t even have one of those back home,” Luzura said.  “My papá tried to build one years ago, but… he passed away before it could be completed.  He loved art, too.”

A few tears leaked from Luzura’s eyes when she mentioned her father.  Amity silently offered her a handkerchief before leading her down the hallway to the gallery.  The room was spacious and grand, with huge framed paintings covering every wall.  Luzura’s eyes visibly widened at the sight, and she practically ran into the room, stopping barely a foot in front of the first painting she saw.

“Sorry to interrupt but you guys look like you’re having so much fun and–”

“Spill it, Lily, we haven’t got all night,” Eda said.

“Anyways,” Lilith said, “can I try narrating for a bit?”

Raine smiled.  “Of course, you can.”

Lilith cleared her throat as they picked the melody back up.

The painting was of a group of knights in front of a tall stone wall, holding their swords in the air.  Luzura recognized a younger version of Darius right away, but the rest of the faces were strangers to her.  One of them even looked like it had been torn out of the painting.

“This was painted after my father came home from the campaign I mentioned,” Amity explained.  “It wasn’t long after he became King.”

She pointed to the young men to Darius’s left, one with a simple gold crown on top of his auburn hair and the other wearing a different kind of armor than the others.  “That’s him and Willow’s papa right there.  He was originally a mercenary from Edessa, where my mother is from.  But he met a young count after the campaign and settled down here.”

“Falling in love with handsome knights must run in the family then,” Luzura said.

Amity couldn’t help but laugh a little.  “Yeah, I suppose it does.”  Then she pointed to the men on Darius’s other side, the one with the missing face and another who looked a lot like Sir Hunter.  “These were the Wittebane brothers.  Mother tells me they were some of the greatest knights this kingdom has ever known, but the younger one, Phillip–” she pointed at the missing face, “–killed his brother, Caleb, and defected to the enemy.  No one’s sure why.  We considered destroying this painting entirely, but Father argued that their accomplishments shouldn’t be forgotten just because of one man’s actions, so we just removed his image.”

Luzura stepped forward and touched the canvas.  “That’s… oddly noble.  My mamá and papá probably would’ve done the same thing.”

They walked over to the next painting, which was much smaller and brighter than the previous one.  It showed a slightly younger version of Amity’s father standing next to a young Queen Odalia in a wedding gown and veil.

“I’m guessing this is your parents getting married,” Luzura said.

“Yeah,” Amity said, “Mother was the youngest daughter of the King of Edessa, so she married Father to seal an alliance.”

They looked at the painting in silence for a few moments, before Luzura pointed to a young woman standing behind Odalia, holding the end of her veil.  “Who’s this beautiful lady?”

“Oh, that’s Duchess Lavinia Porter,” Amity said.  “But back then she was Lady Lavinia Enchanteresse, Mother’s lady-in-waiting.  She passed away a long time ago giving birth to her son, Augustus.”

“That’s the little guy who was standing next to Willow at the gatehouse, right?” Luzura asked.  Amity nodded.  “He needs a nickname.  Does he have one?”

“Um, I don’t think so.  Everyone just calls him Augustus.”

“Welp, next time I see him, I’m just gonna call him Gus,” Luzura said.  “In the Marshlands, we give each other nicknames all the time.  It’s like a form of affection for us.”

“Really?”

“Yep.  Wanna know what my nickname is?”

“Let me guess.”  Amity stroked her chin as she thought of an idea.  “Is it… Zura?”

“It’s Luz!”

Just then, the sounds of footsteps echoed from the other side of the gallery.  Amity recognized them immediately.

“Father!”

King Alador looked away from the sculpture in front of him and smiled in his daughter’s direction.  Amity grabbed Luz’s arm and led her to him.

“This is Princess Luz,” she said.  “She got here this morning and I’ve been showing her around the castle.”

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Luz said, offering her hand.  Alador accepted it, smiling softly.  Luz tilted her head to the side in confusion.  “You’re not much of a talker, are you?”

Amity took a deep breath.  “Actually, he can’t talk.  Someone put a curse on him not long after I was born.”

“Oh, that’s terrible.  I’m sorry to hear that.”

Alador shook his head and shrugged.

“Do you guys know how to undo it?”

“Mother’s old friend Marquis Graye was able to figure out that it’ll be broken once the mouse devoured the hawk, but we’ve tried getting a really big mouse to eat a really small hawk nearly a hundred times and it hasn’t worked.”

Amity sighed dejectedly and Alador put a hand on her shoulder.  Suddenly, Luz got an idea.

“I think I can help you guys break the curse!”

They looked at her like she’d just said she could turn lead into gold.  “You can?” Amity said.

“Well, I can’t, but I know someone who can,” Luz continued.  “Like I was saying, the Marshlands themselves are full of magic, and plenty of people can channel it just as easily as they can breathe.  There’s this one woman I know who can break through any curse, no matter how gifted whoever placed it is.”

“Really?  What’s her name?”

“Edalyn!”

Eda spat out the sip of apple blood in her mouth.  “Lily, why are you writing me into this story?!”

“I’m a bit surprised you didn’t do it first, honestly,” Lilith replied.

“That’s because I’m not doing this for me.  Besides, I’m no curse breaker.”

“Are you sure?” Lilith asked.  “You were able to get through to the Owl Beast and make peace with it.  Most people wouldn’t even try.  I’ve always thought that was commendable of you.”

She couldn’t help but blush at her sister’s admission, hiding it with another sip of apple blood.

“While we’re… paused,” Raine said, “can I take back over telling the story?  Lilith, you did a wonderful job but…”

“It was dull, wasn’t it?  I can’t help it, I’m much stronger at academic writing than narrative–”

“No, I was just going to say that I won’t be able to keep all of those people you added into the story straight,” Raine said, chuckling a bit.  “But you were definitely onto something with the painting idea.”

They strummed the lute and continued where they’d left off.

“Mamá is gonna want to come down here for the wedding, I can ask her to bring Edalyn along, and this curse won’t be a problem for you anymore!”

Amity’s heart sank a little when Luz mentioned the wedding.  She knew just as well as anyone that there was a slim chance of it ever happening.  But then she glanced over at Father.  He was gazing across the room at the portrait done of him during his coronation, over twenty years prior.  Back then, he stood tall and confident, and there was a tangible sense of hope in his eyes.  Darius and Duke Porter both told her that his voice could silence an entire room back in those days, she’d give anything to be able to hear it.

She often forgot that she’d never heard Father’s voice.

After a few seconds, Father broke out of his nostalgic reverie and looked at Amity.  For a second, she swore she could see some of the hope in his eyes from the coronation portrait.  And then he smiled.

“Thank you so much,” Amity said to Luz.  “Your kindness won’t be for nothing.”

Luz gave her one of those smiles that never failed to make her heart skip a beat or two.  Then, Alador pointed to another door leading out of the gallery and gestured for Luz and Amity to follow him.  They walked through a short glass corridor that spilled out into a large hedge maze.

“Why isn’t your father the one in charge here?” Luz asked.  “He seems much nicer than the queen.”

“Oh, well…” Amity wasn’t sure if she should speak for her parents, but Father glanced behind him and gave her a look that said, There’s no harm in telling her.   “Since the curse made him mute, Mother argued that… he was no longer worthy of the throne.”

“What?!” Luz exclaimed.  “That’s a terrible reason!”

“Mother doesn’t see it that way,” Amity sighed.  Father led them through the entire maze until they got to the center, where someone with long, dark blue hair was clipping away at a hedge sculpture.  They didn’t seem to notice them, whistling a jaunty tune to themselves as they detailed a butterfly wing.

“It’s looking really good so far, Indigo,” Amity said.

They nearly threw their shears in the air in surprise.  “Oh, uh, it’s nothing,” they said.  “I mean, I’m still pretty new to topiary…”

“No, I’m serious, it looks great.  Did Edric give you the idea to make a butterfly?”

“Yeah, he did.  Never would’ve thought of it myself.”

Amity led Luz towards the hedge.  “I’d like you to meet Princess Luz.  Luz, this is Indigo, the royal gardener I told you about earlier.”

Indigo stabbed their shears into the ground and wiped their sweat from their brow.  “Lovely to meet you, Luz.  Oh, hey Alador, you’re here too.”

He gave them a small wave before leaving the maze.  Luz took the opportunity to take a closer look at the sculpture.  “What kind of butterfly is this supposed to be?”

“A morpho.  It’s not flowering season right now, but once it is, it’ll really be impressive.”

“I think it’s pretty impressive right now,” Luz said.  “Not everyone can make the wings as thin as these without getting rid of all the leaves.”

Amity swore she saw a blush fill Indigo’s cheeks.  “A-anyway,” they said, “is there something you guys came out here for, or…”

“We were just on a little tour of the castle,” Amity said.  “But since we’re out here we might as well practice for the tests later.”

“Wait a second,” Luz said.  “Sir Hunter never mentioned anything about any tests!”

Indigo pulled Amity towards them and whispered into her ear.  “Did you really not tell her about the tests?”

“I didn’t want to make her nervous,” Amity whispered.

“Well you better tell her about them now, or else we’ll really be in trouble.”

So, she took a deep breath and explained.  “Mother can be a bit… particular about who I’m going to marry one day.  Which is why she likes to ‘test’ any suitor that comes to the palace.”

Luz nodded slowly.  “I think I get it.  What are the tests like?”

“They’re usually pretty hard.  Like… one time she asked a suitor to name her ancestors nine generations back.”

“Alright, let’s see… there’s my mother, Queen Camila, her mother was Queen Valeria, who was the daughter of King Santiago, who was the son of King Xavier, who was the son of Lady Antonella of Mt. Lucia, who was the daughter of Sir Ruben the Brave, who was the son of Sir Orlando the Chimera-slayer, who was the son of Ximena of the Grassy Foothills, who was the daughter of Ernesto the blacksmith, who was the illegitimate son of King Alphons of Athunucia.”

All Amity and Indigo could do was stare at her with their mouths open.  “Do you want me to keep going?” Luz said.  “I’m a bit rusty when it comes to the lineage of King Alphons, but…”

“No, no, no, it’s fine, that was more than enough,” Amity said.  Just then, Alador walked back into the center of the maze, carrying a rolled-up tapestry and a book the size of his torso.  He dropped them both right in front of Luz’s feet.

“Father, did you bring us out here to train for the tests?” Amity asked.  He nodded and started unrolling the tapestry, then looked at Luz and tapped the tips of each of his fingers.

“Do you want me to count something on that tapestry?” Luz said.  Alador nodded and pinched a stray thread from the edge in between his fingers.  “You want me to count… the threads?”  He nodded.  “Okay, I’ll try.”

She knelt down on the grass near the bottom of the tapestry and started counting.  While she did, Amity couldn’t help but worry that it would stain the dress Skara let her borrow, before she remembered exactly how she got into the castle.

After a few minutes of Luz silently counting threads went by, she finally stood up (Skara’s dress was thankfully unstained).  “This tapestry has 108,613 threads in it,” she said.

“Dear Titan,” Indigo said, “how do you count that fast?”

Luz shrugged.  “Practice, I guess.”

No one felt like asking what she meant by that.  Finally, Amity opened the book her father brought out.  “Luz, for our last practice test, we’re going to see how fast you can read this entire book.  No one’s been able to read the entire thing in less than five minutes.”

“Challenge accepted,” Luz said, then brushed a few stray curls out of her face and winked at Amity.  She desperately fanned her face to get rid of her blush as Luz started reading.  Indigo took a watch out of their pocket to keep time, and not long after four minutes had passed, Luz slammed the book closed.

“Done!” she said.  “But couldn’t you guys have found some more interesting reading material for this test?  This just listed a bunch of aqueduct construction protocols.”

“I think I’m in love,” Amity sighed, barely louder than a breath.  Any lingering feelings she’d had towards the last twelve princesses who’d come to the castle faded in that instant.  Luz was the one she was going to marry, she just knew it.

While Amity and Indigo were rolling up the tapestry, Hunter sprinted into the maze wearing civilian clothes.  He had a sad and longing look in his eyes that Amity couldn’t put her finger on.

“Odalia’s called everyone to the ballroom,” he said, “now.”

“What’s going on?” Indigo asked.

“I don’t know, she just told me to find you guys right away.”

They handed the rolled-up tapestry to Alador and laid a hand on Hunter’s shoulder.  “Are you alright?”

“I’M FINE!” he snapped, then immediately shrank into himself.  “Just… go to the ballroom.  Queen’s orders.”

Indigo shrugged and walked out of the maze, Luz and Amity following after them.  It felt like a brick of lead started forming in her stomach as she walked toward the ballroom.

Chapter Text

When they finally entered the ballroom, it was set up for a grand feast.  Nearly everyone in the castle was there, seated at several round tables scattered throughout the room, with the one in the center being completely empty except for a roast pig.  Odalia stood in front of it, with Marquis Graye and Emira at her sides.

“Ah, you’re right on time, Mittens,” Odalia said, not bothering to look in their direction.

Luz couldn’t help but take in everything she saw in complete and total awe.  “Whoa, what’s all of this for?”

Odalia’s gaze shifted over to her and her expression instantly soured.  “Why, it’s for you.  To… celebrate your arrival.”

“You really didn’t have to put in all this effort just for me, I mean–”

“Nonsense, my dear, nonsense,” Marquis Graye said, walking over to Luz and putting a hand on her shoulder.  “There is nothing we value more than proper hospitality.  Besides, this gives us the perfect opportunity to see if you’re worthy of our dearest Amity.”

Amity turned to Alador and whispered, “Did you know about this?”  He gave his daughter a look Luz couldn’t quite fully decipher, but she could assume that he didn’t know about the surprise feast.

“Well then, shall we begin?” Odalia said.

The palace servants didn’t wait for a formal answer, immediately starting to pour beverages for everyone already seated.  Amity and Emira tried to lead Luz over to the table where Edric and Indigo were seated with several ladies-in-waiting, but Odalia grabbed her arm and walked her over to the roast pig.

“Before you can officially join the celebration, you must pass this test.”  She gestured to the pig.  “Every royal, no matter their place of origin or… upbringing, must uphold the highest standards of propriety.  But we must also be efficient, yes?”

Luz raised an eyebrow at Odalia, who just raised hers in return.  Apparently that question wasn’t rhetorical.  “Yeah, definitely.”

“Mhmm.  Your first task is to carve this roast pig for us.  Be quick, but make sure not to stain that lovely gown we’ve graciously lent you after your little stunt earlier.”

She stared at the pig.  It didn’t look like it had any kind of sauce or rub on it, so she thankfully didn’t have to worry about the skin staining her hands, but she tucked the complementary handkerchief Skara gave her into her neckline just in case.  A twiggy brown-haired chef handed her a carving knife and a serving fork and then she got to work.

As she started sawing off one of its front legs, her papá’s voice echoed in her mind.  Remember, mija, grip the handle firmly.  Otherwise, you or someone else could get hurt.   Before long, she’d freed the leg from the body, so she placed it upright on the serving plate and carved away bits of meat.  Get as close to the bone as you can.  After all, what kind of host serves their guests subpar cuts?   Luz couldn’t help but smile, remembering the impromptu carving lessons her papá gave her when she was small.

Once she was finished with the leg, she stood on her tiptoes and split the back of the pig in half, so she could cut apart each rib.  Then she removed the pig’s back leg and carved the meat off of it.  Some nearby servants turned the pig around for her, and she thanked them as she wiped the sweat from her palms.

Just a few minutes later, she finished carving the pig, clean bones and delicious-looking cuts of meat sitting in a pile on the platter and her dress just as clean as it was when she’d put it on.

“Wow, you can carve a pig better than I can,” the chef who handed her the utensils said.  “Who taught you how?”

“My papá,” Luz said.  “He loved roast pork.”

“Well done,” Odalia said through gritted teeth.  “Now, find a seat at the table.  Dinner will be served in a few minutes.”

Luz smiled (which only seemed to annoy her more) and walked over to the empty chair at the table where Amity was sitting with her siblings, their spouses, and a few knights and ladies-in-waiting.

“You did great,” Amity said as soon as she sat down.

“Yeah, Jerbo would’ve hired you on the spot if you were a commoner,” a brown-haired woman in a male servant’s uniform said.  “The name’s Viney, by the way.  Head of the stables.”

“It’s an honor to meet you,” Luz said, waving at her from across the table.

“Ugh, do you have to be so fucking cheery all the time?” Boscha groaned.  “It doesn’t make you any less likely to get ban–”

Her sentence was cut short by a yelp of pain.  “Skara!  What the hell?!”

“Do you have to be such a bitch all the time?” Skara said.  “No wonder Willow ditched us.  I don’t blame her one bit.”

“Eh, she’s not ditching you guys,” a pink-haired lady-in-waiting sitting by Emira and Viney said.  “At least, not by choice.  Lady Willow’s got her own b-plot to deal with.  But it should all get wrapped up in a chapter or two.”

Everyone at the table gave her a dumbfounded stare.  “Lady Jess, what the fuck are you talking about?” Emira said.

Before she could elaborate, the servants started handing out plates of food.  Everyone started carving into and taking bites from the meat piled in front of them, but Luz just stared down at hers in confusion.

“Why aren’t you eating?” Indigo asked.  “Aren’t you hungry for a hot meal after your long journey from the north?”

“I’m fine, Indy,” Luz said.  “I’m just waiting until the servants have their own plates to eat mine.”

The other people at the table chose not to comment, awkwardly returning to their own meals.  Amity tapped Luz on the shoulder and leaned over so she could whisper in her ear.  “Just eat.  Mother will think you’re being incredibly rude if you don’t.”

Luz definitely didn’t want to make Odalia her enemy while she was here, so she picked up one of the ribs on her plate and started chewing the meat off the bone, rushes of guilt passing through her whenever the servants passed by to attend to the nobles.

“So, Luzura,” Edric said, “what’s it like up north?  It’s probably not as stuffy as it is here, right?”

Indigo and Emira both gave him a look reminding him to lower his voice.  But Luz didn’t seem to notice them and answered his question.  “It definitely isn’t.  For one, our castle’s a lot smaller and a lot less… busy.”

“Where do all the nobles live if your castle’s so small?” a knight sitting next to Skara with both arms in casts said.

“Oh, there aren’t many nobles in the Marshlands.  The ones we have just live on their own estates and do their own thing.”

“That makes sense,” Emira said.  “It would be quite risky for them to be in one place.  Because wasn’t your kingdom established only a century ago?”

“Yeah, my great-great-grandfather was the very first king.  How did you know that?”

Emira shrugged.  “It’s kind of my job to know these things since I’m next in line for the throne.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Viney said, “my wife doesn’t like to admit that she’s a nerd who practically lives in the history wing of the palace library.”

Emira playfully swatted her on the arm, which just made Viney chuckle around her next bite of pork.  Luz couldn’t help but smile at their playful antics.

For as long as she could remember, she’d wanted to find someone to share that kind of connection with.

After another half hour of eating and introducing herself to the knights and Emira’s ladies-in-waiting, the servants started clearing away everyone’s plates and glasses.  Once all the tables were empty, Odalia walked up to the front of the room and ordered everyone out of their seats.  Not even a minute later, another crew of servants walked in and lifted the tables and chairs out of the room.

“Now, we didn’t summon you all here just to share a meal,” Odalia said.  “We called you here for a celebration.   And celebrate we shall.”  She waved in a group of musicians and directed them to set up their instruments in an empty corner of the ballroom.  “Play something simple to start.  Something our… guest can get the hang of.”

The musicians started to play a quiet, soothing melody, and as the nobles, knights, and royals started pairing off, Luz offered her hand to Amity.

“Might I trouble you for a dance, my lady?” she said.

Amity smiled.  “I was hoping you’d ask.”

With that, they joined hands and walked to the middle of the ballroom floor as the music shifted into something Luz recognized.

“Oh, ‘Love at First Sight’.  I’ve known this since I was little.”

The dance started very simply, with the dancers standing directly across from each other and gently swaying forward and backward to the twinkle of a bell.  After a few measures of that, they raised their arms up and to the side, then gently tip-toed side to side away from each other, making sure to look them in the eye the whole time.

Which was a good thing, since Luz figured she wouldn’t be able to look away from Amity’s bright, beautiful eyes anytime soon.

The next step was to do a little spin and meet your partner in the middle with your back to each other.  Luz wasn’t quite sure if she’d spun in the right direction, but she made sure not to show that uncertainty on her face since she was pretty sure Odalia was watching and judging her every move.  Her annoyed scowl remained unchanged, so Luz figured she either did it right or made it look like she did.

Next, both partners had to sway their hips and snap their fingers in time with the music.  This was one of Luz’s favorite parts of the dance, her fingers knew exactly when to snap from muscle memory alone.  After that, they stepped and turned to face each other again.

Luz swore she saw the tiniest hint of a blush on Amity’s face.  She couldn’t help but giggle, which only made her blush more.  If this was how she acted while doing what was basically a minuet with extra steps, Luz wanted to see just how red her face would get while doing a dance that was more intimate.

They raised and lowered their arms in perfect unison before tip-toeing side to side, copying each other like mirror reflections.  Soon there was another spin, which Luz was sure she got right before she turned back towards Amity to sway her hips and snap her fingers again.  After that, they switched sides before doing a slow, sweeping turn and coming back together with another spin, ending the dance with their arms raised and intertwined.

At that moment, Luz looked into Amity’s bright amber eyes, and nearly forgot where she was.  She leaned forward and closed her eyes, before the sound of slow claps reverberated through the room.

“Excellent show, everyone,” Odalia said.  “But we think we’d prefer something a bit more… lively.”  She snapped her fingers at the musicians, who switched to playing an upbeat waltz.  Amity put one hand on Luz’s shoulder and held out her other hand for her to take.

“You’re letting me lead?” Luz said.  “Are you… nervous?”

Amity’s blush deepened and she nodded ever so slightly.  “Alright.  To be honest, so am I.”

So she took Amity’s hand, resting the other on her waist, and led her in a waltz around the ballroom.  It barely took her any time to get the rhythm of “one two three one two three” in her head and know exactly where to step, so before long they were gliding across the floor like it was made of ice.  She’d even gotten bold a few times and pulled Amity into spins or dips.

“You’re an excellent dancer,” she said after one such instance.

“Really?” Luz said.  “No one’s ever said that to me before.  But then again, no one’s ever danced with me except for Vee, and they’re fae so they’re just more graceful by default–”

“If I didn’t mean it, I wouldn’t have said it.”

Now it was Luz’s turn to blush.

She distracted herself by looking around at the other couples dancing since she wasn’t sure what else to say.  Hunter and Skara were close by, having a friendly conversation while they danced that came to an abrupt end whenever one of them stepped on the other’s foot.  Which was often.  Skara would awkwardly laugh it off every time while Hunter just let out a dejected sigh.

Luz was sure he’d rather be dancing with someone else.

On the contrary, Amity’s siblings both seemed to be having a grand old time dancing with their respective spouses.  Edric and Indigo took turns spinning each other around and lifting each other up, while Emira and Viney stuck to a more traditional waltz.  Even Boscha seemed to be having fun dancing with a random background knight.

“Hey, look, I get that you’re new here and everything, but shouldn’t you be focused on your partner?”

Luz jumped a little and turned her head to see who’d interrupted her people-watching.  It turned out to be Lady Jess, dancing with a brown-haired knight she was pretty sure was named Steve.

“What?” she said.  “I’m totally focused on my partner, watch.”  On the next upbeat, she put both hands on Amity’s torso and lifted her up into a full spin.  Amity couldn’t help but giggle as her face returned to a full flush by the time her feet were back on the ground.

“Interesting,” Jess said.  “I guess you were paying attention.  What do I know?  You’re the protagonist and I’m just a minor character who hasn’t factored into the main plot until now.”

Steve awkwardly laughed at her remark.  “You’re so funny.  Now, tell me more about what you found in your grandfather’s journals.”

“Oh, with pleasure,” she said just as they waltzed away.

“That was weird,” Luz said.

“Don’t mind her, she’s always like that,” Amity said.

But before that conversation could go any further, Odalia yelled, “Stop the music!”  Everyone stopped dancing and turned towards her, awaiting whatever she’d say next.

“Play… the Neobian tango,” she told the musicians.

Luz obviously had no idea what that was, but clearly, everyone else did because a wave of panic flowed through the room.  Even Amity started to go pale.

“Your Majesty, if I may be so bold,” Darius said, walking up to Odalia, “I’d just like to remind you of what happened the last time we played the Neobian tango in this ballroom.”

“And what happened, General?” Odalia said.

“Where do I begin?!  Lady Jess had an asthma attack, Prince Edric tore through his Achilles tendon, Sir Percival got a concussion, Lord Augustus rolled both of his ankles, Lady Katya chipped five teeth and lost two, and let’s not forget that the visiting Princess Charlotte of Istalia nearly had severe heart trouble.”

“Really?  All that was caused by the Neobian tango?” Odalia said.  “We don’t seem to recall those… oddly excessive injuries.”

“Your Majesty, for once in my life I agree with General Deamonne,” Marquis Graye added.  “Surely we can do something a bit… tamer?”

“We’re afraid there are no other options, Adrian,” she said, then snapped her fingers at the musicians.  They immediately started playing a song that was probably supposed to be sensual and romantic if it wasn’t in a tempo of about a mile a minute.  Just listening to it made Luz’s heart beat faster in a bad way.

“I’ll lead this one,” Amity whispered before pulling her close and leading her into a complicated series of steps that ended with Luz in a precarious dip.

She immediately regretted her earlier desire to do a more intimate dance.  Poor Amity looked like she was a strong breeze away from dropping her onto the floor.

It didn’t look like any of the other couples were faring much better.  Nearly half of them were already gasping for breath, and a few had already collapsed on the floor, including Boscha, who was about twice as irritated as she usually was.

The next movement of the dance involved them dancing side by side, with Amity slightly behind her, guiding her movements.  Thankfully, the steps were a lot easier to get the hang of, but they were so fast she had to worry about accidentally stepping on her or someone else’s skirt.

“Pick up the tempo a bit, will you?” Odalia said to the musicians.  “This is a bit slow.”

Unfortunately, they had no choice but to follow her directions.  Now, most of the room was wheezing for air, some even fainting.  One of the latter happened to be Lady Skara, and Hunter failed to catch her before she knocked Lady Amelia over, who in turn knocked over Lady Cat, and from there it had a bit of a domino effect.

Eventually, the couples all split up and started dancing solo, forming a circle around where Luz and Amity danced opposite each other.  It seemed like the only steps required for this part of the dance were a series of repetitive kicks to the beat.

Luz found herself thinking that this part was kind of fun.

“Faster!” Odalia yelled to the musicians.

After that, people started dropping like flies, both from pure exhaustion and from slipping on the floor.  Eventually, Luz, Amity, Emira, Edric, Viney, and Indigo were the only dancers still standing.

“Play faster, goddamnit!” Odalia screamed.

And play faster they did until Luz felt like she was flying over the ballroom floor with every step she took.  Adrenaline ran through her veins like it was blood.

Before long, the only people left dancing were her and Amity.  Someone handed Amity a rose, which she held between her teeth before pulling Luz back into a fast partner dance.  They stayed like that until the song came to a close, and right as the musicians played their final measure, Luz led Amity into a dip, leaned down, and took the rose out of her mouth with her teeth.

And then Amity fainted.

A strong flush made its way through Luz’s entire body as she gently lowered her to the ground.  She couldn’t believe she just did that!  She looked up at Odalia, who looked so angry she could’ve burst a blood vessel.

Luz took the rose out of her mouth.  “Well, that was fun.  What do you guys say about doing that again?”

Everyone in the room bolted upright and shouted, “NO!”

“I’m joking, I’m joking,” Luz said.

Odalia marched right up to Luz and snatched the rose out of her hand.  “This… celebration is over.  Now, go back to… whatever it is you people do!”  And then she turned around and stormed out of the ballroom, Marquis Graye at her heels.

“What’s her problem?” Luz asked Amity, who just sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

Raine set down Eda’s lute and started stretching out their hands.

“Wow, that was… a lot,” Lilith said.

“You’re telling me,” Raine chuckled, popping each of their knuckles.  “Playing that tango for any longer probably would’ve given me carpal tunnel.”

“Hmm, that ‘Jess’ character reminds me of someone,” Hooty said, “but I can’t put my finger on who.”

No one acknowledged Hooty’s comment, as per usual.  King let out a loud yawn and curled up in his bed, snoring softly.  Lilith picked up her notes and pens, then bade the group a good night.

“I’m guessing we’ll be seeing you again tomorrow,” Eda said.

“If it isn’t too much trouble,” Lilith said.  “This is a great way to spend quality time together.  I see why you’re doing this for King now.”

Eda smiled and gave her sister a hug before she walked down the stairs and out the door.  Once she was gone, Eda started pacing around the room.

“What is it?” Raine asked.

“You heard what Lilith said, about spending time together,” Eda said.  “It reminded me of an idea I had.  But for the life of me, I cannot remember what it was.”

She walked down the stairs, her spouse following closely behind, and prepared a pot of coffee in the kitchen.  While it brewed, she continued pacing, making sure to grab milk and sugar for Raine.  Right as the machine started beeping, Eda stopped.

“I remember it now,” Eda said, “and I think this might be my best idea yet.”

Chapter Text

Right as the sun started to set the next day, Eda got up from where she was watching the crystal ball on the couch and scooped King up into her arms.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“It’s bedtime,” Eda said.

“Weh, already?” King said.  “Raine isn’t even home yet!”

Conveniently, Raine walked in right after, Lilith following them in and hauling a comically oversized satchel over one shoulder.

“Whatcha got there, Lily?” Eda snickered.

“Just the essentials,” Lilith replied.

They made their way up the stairs, Raine helping Lilith carry the bag and place it right by the window.

“How many notes do you need to take?” King asked.

Lilith leaned forward and looked him right in the eye.  “I take my research very seriously.”

He decided against questioning her further.

Once everyone settled into their positions on the floor and Raine had their trusty violin in hand, Eda cleared her throat.

“Alright, everyone,” she said, “we’re doing this a bit early today because this story is pretty close to coming to an end.  So I figured it’d be best to wrap everything up all at once.”

“Oh, thank the Titan!” Hooty said.  “I don’t know if I can take much more suspense!”

“We’ve only been telling this story for four days, Hooty,” Raine said.  “It’s not like we’ve been dragging this out for over half a year or anything.”

“Anyway,” Eda said, “let’s do a quick recap.  Do you want to do it this time, King?”

His tail started wagging in excitement.  “Okay, so Amity took Luz on a tour of the castle and they talked for a while about paintings.  Then Alador shows up and he’s all like, ‘...’ because he can’t talk and Amity explains the whole curse thing to Luz and she feels really bad for him.  Then they go outside and practice a few tasks Luz might get tested on before Hunter yells at them to go to the ballroom.  Typical Hunter behavior, tsk tsk.”

A tiny giggling noise came out of the bag, which Lilith made sure to shove further away from King.  Thankfully, he didn’t notice it and continued with his recap.

“So then they get to the ballroom and there’s a party going on.  They eat something called a pig, which sounds like a terrifying nightmare beast based on what I’ve read about them on Luz’s internet encyclopedias, and then they do some dances.  More romantic junk ensues and that’s about where we left off.”

Lilith gave him a few polite claps before Raine raised their bow and played a soft melody.

“The last time we saw Lady Willow and Lord Augustus, they were conducting a rather ill-prepared escape from the castle,” Eda said, “but they quickly found allies in Princess Emira and Prince Edric, who told them to wait until they could be better concealed by the cover of night.  Well, just over an hour after Odalia’s impromptu ball, the sun has completely set over the horizon, and Willow and Gus are about to make their escape…”

“I don’t know about this, Edric,” Gus said, pinching the burlap draped over his arms.

“Don’t worry, my plan is totally foolproof,” Edric replied, handing him a length of rope to tie around the center of the burlap robe like a belt.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Definitely.  I’ve seen monks walking through the castle a few times, for blessings and last rites and whatever.  Besides, we probably aren’t going to run into anyone.  At least, no one important.”

“I still feel ridiculous,” Willow said, pulling her burlap robe down so it covered her white chemise.  She gathered all her hair at the back of her neck and started twisting it into a bun.  “Am I just supposed to tuck my hair into the hood like this, or–”

“Shoot!  Your hair!” Edric said.  “I totally blanked on that!”  He ran over to his desk in the corner of his quarters, rummaging through the drawers until he produced a small knife.  “This should be a quick and easy fix.”

He started walking towards her, knife in hand, but she pushed him away.  “Whoa, whoa, whoa.  Are you really going to chop all my hair off?!”

“Not all of it, just enough to make you look like a man,” Edric said.  “I swear, I won’t make you look bad.  Not on purpose.”

Willow shut her eyes tightly as Edric grabbed a thick chunk of hair near her temples and cut it away.  He asked Gus to bring him a small basket, which he dropped the hair into before grabbing another chunk and cutting it.  He continued doing that until the hair that once rested in the middle of Willow’s back only reached the bottom of her ears.  Gus brought over a small hand mirror so she could look at Edric’s handiwork.

“I… don’t hate this,” she said, running a hand through the pieces of hair framing her face.

“You’re welcome,” Edric said, a smug grin on his face.

He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and used it to cover the basket full of hair, which he then put in an armoire near his bed.  “If we run into Indy, remind me to tell them to take that out to the compost tomorrow morning.”

“Can’t you just burn it?” Willow asked, gesturing to the fireplace that kept the quarters warm.

“No, the smell of burnt hair lingers for a long time,” Edric said.  “Adrian is sure to recognize it.”

“You’re bringing him in here once I’m gone?  Why?”

“He was mine and Emira’s tutor as kids.  I invited him here in a bit to reminisce on old memories and whatnot.  And to drink until he spills the beans about what Luzura’s final test is going to be.”

Both Gus and Willow stared at him dumbfoundedly.  “That’s… actually not a terrible idea,” Gus said.  “You’re smarter than we give you credit for.”

“I know, I know,” Edric sighed.  “Such is the curse of the middle child.”

Harsh knocks landed on the door before they could continue their conversation.  Alador walked into the room, dressed in the same burlap robes as everyone else and carrying a metal censer filled with smoking incense.

“Good thinking, Dad,” Edric said.  “That’ll definitely help us sell the bit.  Now, hoods on, everybody.”  They flipped the hoods over their heads, disguising their faces, and walked out the door in a single file line.  The hallway was dark and mostly empty, and for the most part, the servants they passed didn’t acknowledge them, instead focusing on lighting the sconces along the walls.

Willow couldn’t help but feel like their plan was working a little bit too well.

Eventually, they reached the gatehouse, where they were supposed to climb down one side of the castle walls and take a makeshift raft across the moat.  Normally there wouldn’t be many guards or lookouts around, since very few visitors arrived at such a late hour.

But nothing about that day was normal.

Not only were the sconces in the gatehouse itself fully lit, not only was the drawbridge down, but Odalia herself was there, giving orders to nearly a dozen guards holding stacks of mattresses in their arms.

“Put those over there,” she said.  “No, no, no, over there. ”

Those must be for Luzura’s final test tonight, Willow thought.  But what kind of test would need that many mattresses?

Suddenly, Odalia paused.  “Is that… incense?”  Her stomach dropped to the floor.  She wanted nothing more than to bolt for the drawbridge, but her body wanted nothing more than to root itself where she stood.

She just hoped the queen wouldn’t turn around and see them.

It seemed like the world wanted nothing more than to prove her wrong at every turn because Odalia turned around and saw them.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.  “We haven’t needed any rites or blessings for months.”

Edric cleared his throat.  “Hello, we are the brothers of the… order of the… Sacred Stones, and we’re here to bless your… bricklaying!”

I’m going straight to the dungeon, Willow thought.

Odalia let out a chest-deep groan.  “We know that’s you, Edric.  All of you, show your faces this instant!”

She reluctantly took the hood off her face, too afraid to meet Odalia’s icy stare.  She didn’t even need to.  “Lady Willow.  Trying to escape us, were you?  Just like your cowardly fathers.  Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“Your Highness, I–”

“Your Highness, I have a dire confession to make.”

A gasp escaped her lips before she could stop it.  Gus was kneeling right in front of Odalia, his face to his knee.  A classic pose of supplication.

“Well then,” Odalia said, “confess.”

“Lady Willow is not leaving this castle willingly.  I am her captor.  Someone is plotting against my and my father’s lives and they demanded a young noble lady as the price of not going through with their plan.  I persuaded King Alador and Prince Edric to help me under threat of blackmail.”

The entire room fell silent.  Even the guards stopped carrying away mattresses to listen to what Gus was saying.

“Lord Augustus, this is quite a grave offense you are confessing to.  Kidnapping a noble alone would award you considerable imprisonment time, but blackmailing royalty?  We consider that more than enough justification for banishment. ”

Willow felt like the blood in her veins was turning to ice as she stared down at Gus.  He reached out to lightly grasp Odalia’s hand and looked up at her.  “I would gladly accept any punishment you deem suitable for me, Your Highness, so long as you have mercy on Lady Willow.  She has done nothing to wrong you.”

Odalia mulled his request over for a moment and sighed.  “Very well.  We will not lay any charges on Lady Willow.  You, however, will be banished at morning’s light tomorrow.  Guards, take him to the dungeon.”

Two guards who weren’t holding any mattresses walked over to Gus and lifted him up by his shoulders, marching him right past where Willow was still standing.

“Why are you doing this?” she whispered.

“I promised Hunter I’d protect you no matter what it took,” Gus whispered back.  “I’m sorry.”

“NOOOOOOOO!” Hooty sobbed.  “HE JUST WANTED TO PROTECT HER!”

“Hooty, calm down,” Eda said.  “You’ll scare the neighbors.”

“We have neighbors?” Raine said to themself.

“Alright, does anyone else want to pick up from here?” Eda asked.  “I think I could use a break after all that.”

“On it,” Raine said, continuing the melody where they’d left it off.  “While Willow and Gus conducted their failed escape, Luz was being tested on her strength by Amity and Hunter.  All seems to be going well at first until they’re interrupted…”

“...eight, nine, and ten!”  Luz lifted the bar above her head and handed it to Hunter to put back.

“Impressive form,” he said.  “Want to add more weight?”

“Nah, I think 200 pounds is enough for now,” she said, sitting up and wiping the sweat from her brow.

Amity’s flush turned from pink to crimson.  “That was 200 pounds?!”

“Yeah, but it’s not the heaviest I can bench.  I did 300 once back at home.”

“Oh, wow, strength training,” she sighed, leaning back on the bench she sat on like it was a fainting couch.

“Careful, you’re breaking Amity,” Hunter said.

“Eh, she’ll be fine,” Luz said.  “Can you get me some water?”

“Sure thing,” he replied.  But before he could leave the knights’ barracks to get a pitcher of water from the kitchen, someone ran into the room.  He almost didn’t recognize her at first, but he quickly realized that it was Willow, although someone had cut her hair down to just short choppy layers.  And was she wearing a burlap sack?

“Willow?” he asked.  “What are you doing here?  I thought–”

She wrapped her arms around his torso and started crying into his chest before he could finish the sentence.  He instinctively ran his hand down her back as Luz and Amity got up from their benches to see what was going on.

“What happened?” he asked.

“It’s Augustus,” Willow sobbed.  “He… he…”  She couldn’t even finish her sentence without crying more.  This time, Amity awkwardly started patting her shoulder.

“Um, what’s going on?” Luz asked.

Hunter gestured for Amity to close the door to the barracks, which she did without question.  In the meantime, Luz offered her handkerchief to Willow, who accepted it gladly to wipe the tears and snot from her face.  Once she was done, she took a deep breath.

“I think we should start from the beginning,” she said.  “Two years ago, Odalia passed this law that said no one could get married until Amity did.  But every suitor who’s come here seeking her hand has been banished for not meeting her ridiculous standards.”

“At least that explains how… weird and petty she’s been towards me,” Luz said.  “How many suitors were there before me?”

“Twelve.  Each of them only lasted a few months.”

“Oh my…” Luz turned towards Amity.  “That must’ve been so hard for you.  I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Amity said.  “I… had to get used to it after a while.”

“Wait a second,” Luz said.  “This sounds like a good way to make a bunch of powerful enemies.  Have any of these kingdoms… retaliated after their princesses were banished?”

“Oh, we’re sure nearly all of them have tried,” Hunter groaned, “but Marquis Graye serves as Odalia’s second-in-command and an ambassador for the kingdom, and it’s pretty much common knowledge that he’s also a talented sorcerer.  Everyone has their own theories on how he’s kept all those kingdoms quiet.”

“Don’t even get me started on Marquis Graye, he’s the whole reason I tried to escape here in the first place,” Willow said.

“That’s why you were missing all day!” Amity said.  “But why did you try to escape?”

Willow pulled Luz and Amity closer to her.  “Before I tell you this, you have to promise you won’t tell anyone else.  If the wrong person finds out about this, I could spend the rest of my life rotting in the dungeons.”

They nodded in unison.  “You can always trust me, Willow,” Amity said.

“...I’m pregnant.”

“Wait,” Luz said, “I don’t see why that would be a problem at all, unless…”

“Yep, my mother is a gigantic hypocrite,” Amity said, gritting her teeth.

“You said it, Am,” Willow sighed.  “So, anyway, my father owns this empty island in the middle of the ocean for reasons he has never explained to me, and I was planning to hide out there until the baby comes, but Hunter convinced me to stay here while he found a new suitor for Amity.”

“You must mean me,” Luz said.

“Yeah.  I thought things were going well, but then Marquis Graye stopped by and gave me this creepy talk about ‘compromising my position’ and whatnot.  He’s in Odalia’s pocket, and if my suspicions are correct, under her skirts, so I just knew she’d be the first person he’d tell if he figured anything out.  Hunter told me to bring Augustus with me, but just now when we tried to escape with Alador and Edric’s help, we ran into Odalia, and he…”  She let out a few dry sobs before regaining her composure.  “He told her he was kidnapping me to make sure I wouldn’t get sent to the dungeon for trying to escape.”

Everyone gasped.  “That definitely wasn’t what I had in mind when I told him to protect you,” Hunter said.

“They’re banishing him from the kingdom tomorrow morning,” Willow said, streams of tears flowing down her face.  This time, Amity pulled her into a tight embrace, a look of immense guilt and sorrow on her face.

“Oh, poor Gus,” Luz said.  “Isn’t there anything we can do?”

“I’m sure Duke Porter already knows what happened to him,” Willow said.  “If anyone can get Odalia to concede, it’s him.”

“In the meantime, we should get back to training,” Amity said.  “We need to make sure Luz passes the final test now more than ever.”

“Wait, I might be able to help you with that,” Willow said.  “Odalia was directing a crew bringing a bunch of mattresses into the castle when we ran into her.  They were probably for the test.”

“What kind of test would involve mattresses?” Luz asked.

“I’m not sure, but we should train for every possibility,” Amity said.

“Can you guys go somewhere else to do that?  I need to talk to Hunter privately.”

The princesses shared a look and nodded, promptly leaving the barracks.  Hunter couldn’t help but notice how quiet it got once they left.  Normally, the barracks were the exact opposite of quiet, but everyone except him was either running late-night drills with Darius or partying with the lower nobles.  It made the room feel extremely liminal, like he could walk out the door and instantly forget everything that happened in it.

But right now that was the last thing he wanted.  Because Willow was here.  Here, and not on her way to an empty island or wasting away in a dungeon.

“Hunter.”  And now she was speaking to him.  “You were right.  Leaving was a terrible idea.  I should’ve trusted you more.”

“No, you were right to be worried.  I was just too stubborn to admit it to myself at the moment.”

“Words can’t even describe how sorry I am that Gus has to pay such a heavy price for one of my stupid decisions.  I don’t know if I can even forgive myself for it.  But I do know that I understand completely if you can’t forgive me.”

“Willow, stop.  None of this is your fault.  Neither of us is perfect, and besides, this is clearly Odalia’s fault.  If she hadn’t…”

He had a rant about the queen fully prepared in the back of his mind for a long time, but once he started it, he realized his enthusiasm for it had run out over the course of the day.  He and Willow stood across from each other in silence for a few moments, neither of them ready to meet each other’s eyes.  Then Willow spoke up.

“Hunter, do you still love me?”

Those six words nearly shattered his heart into a thousand pieces.

“How could you ask me that?”

“I need to hear your answer.  Do you still love me?”

A few tears escaped from his eyes as he answered.  “Of course I do.  Willow, I…  I…  Titan, why am I so bad with words…  I love you so much.  I love you more than I love… salt!”

Willow couldn’t help but smile at that.  “You love me more than… salt?”

“Have you ever had a meal with no salt in it?  It’s so bland and flavorless it’s downright inedible.  And that’s what being without you is like!  Oh, Titan, I love you.  I love you even more than I loved you yesterday, and tomorrow I’ll love you even more than that, and the next day even more than that–”

Before he could continue ad infinitum, Willow pulled him in for a kiss.  He held her close and kissed her back like he was lost in the desert and she was his first sip of water.  They pulled apart after a few minutes and she sighed.  “Just so you know, I love you too.  More than salt.  More than life itself, even.  And more than I loved you yesterday.”

“Cool, glad to hear it,” Hunter said.  He swore he felt himself blushing like he was a teenager with a crush again.  Willow giggled and stood on the tips of her toes to kiss the apples of his cheeks, where the blush was the strongest.

“Um, there’s one more thing I should really tell you.”

Willow raised an eyebrow.  “What is it?”

“Odalia actually threatened to demote or banish me if Luz failed the tests.  I didn’t want you to worry any more than you already were, I’m sorry–”

“Don’t be.”  Willow reached up and started fidgeting with a silver chain she wore around her neck, hidden under the burlap robes.  “I think Amity is finally going to be a bride soon.  I can feel it.”

There wasn’t a dry eye in the room by the time Raine stopped playing.  Even Lilith had to wipe away a few tears caught in the corner of her eyes.

“You really outdid yourself this time, Rainestorm,” Eda said.

“Glad to hear it,” they replied.  “But I can’t help but feel like I made Hunter a bit too awkward.”

“Are we talking about the same kid?  If anything, you didn’t make him awkward enough .”

A full laugh made its way out of the bag.  King peered at it suspiciously, but luckily Lilith managed to distract him by clearing her throat.

“I’d like to narrate for a short while if you don’t mind,” she said.

“Alright,” Raine said, raising their bow, “the floor is yours.”

“Now how do you guys do this…  Hold on.”  She cleared her throat one more time.  “While Hunter and Willow shared apologies and affirmations, Luz and Amity were on a quiet walk through the castle, thinking of how to train for a test they had no way of knowing the purpose of.  Of course, the fair Luzura couldn’t help but point out just how unfair their situation was.”

“It’s just so unfair!” she said.

Amity turned toward her, eyebrows raised.  “You’re gonna have to be a bit more specific.”

“Think about it,” Luz said.  “Think of all the princesses in the fairy tales.  Want to know how I know we’re not in a fairy tale?  Because all the fairy tale heroines had help!  If not for some crazy lady with a wand, Cinderella would’ve been stuck in an abusive household for her entire life!”

“You mean her fairy godmother?” Amity said.

“It doesn’t matter, because I don’t have a fairy godmother!  I’m not sure I even have a godmother.  I just have a mother, who’s not only hundreds of miles away, but an ordinary person who hardly stands a chance against your tyrannical mother.  And Snow White had seven men working for her!  Sure, they were dwarves, but there were seven of them!  That’s practically a regiment!”

She sighed and massaged the dent forming between her brows.  “All of this for happily ever after .  What is “happily ever after”, anyway?  Nothing bad ever happening to us for the rest of our lives?  Well, newsflash, that’s just not how life works!  Plus it’s a boring and generic way to end any story, but that’s beside the point.  Not to mention, “happily ever after” almost always comes after the heroine gets married.  Don’t you think that makes the whole concept kind of sexist?  Not to mention that it completely disregards the fact that plenty of people are happy in life without getting married at all!  Does that mean a person is just… excluded from a “happily ever after” if they don’t experience romantic attract–”

Lilith cut herself off with a sip of water.

“Apparently that’s a trigger for me,” she said.

“Yeah I noticed you were getting a bit… heated there,” Eda said.  “Wanna tap out?  I can pick us up, no problem.”

“Yes, thank you.  I’m sorry I got so off-topic, everyone.”

“Happens to the best of us,” Eda said before continuing the story.  “While… all that was happening, Prince Edric was carrying out his plan of getting Marquis Graye to tell him about the final test planned for that very night…”

Chapter Text

“Edric, I love you, but this is an absolutely horrible idea,” Indigo sighed.

“What are you talking about?” he said, putting the bottles of whiskey he was holding onto a table.  “You know how chatty Adrian gets normally, adding alcohol to the equation practically doubles that.  He’ll be blabbing about the final test in no time.”

“I see your logic, but your ‘flawless escape plan’ ended with an innocent man in the dungeon.  There’s no way getting your mother’s right-hand man to talk will be that easy.”

“What can I say?  Life is unpredictable, my love.”  He blew them a kiss and Indigo couldn’t help but roll their eyes and smile.  Sure, their husband was a huge dork, but he was their huge dork.

“In any case, I won’t be drinking a drop tonight.  One of us needs to be sober if this is going to work.”

“You do make a good point.  I’ve been told I’m quite an insufferable drunk.”

Before Indigo could make another snappy remark, someone knocked at the door.  They opened it to find Adrian at the other side, with his usual slightly annoyed expression on his face.

“Good evening, sir,” they said, leaning into a slight curtsy.  “We’re so glad you were able to join us tonight.”

“Whatever,” he replied.  “I’m just lucky this gave me the perfect excuse to leave Her Majesty’s office before Duke Porter could come in crying about his banished son.  It would have ruined the fabulously good mood I’m in.”

Indigo raised their eyebrows.  If this was how Adrian acted while in a good mood, they hoped they’d never have to encounter him in a bad one.  The marquis took the fur stole he always wore off his shoulders (Why did he even wear it in the first place?  It wasn’t like their kingdom ever got super cold.) and draped it over the edge of one of the chairs.  “Let’s make this quick.  What business have I been called here for?”

“Oh there’s definitely no business,” Edric said.  “I just wanted to… reminisce with you a bit.  Is that so wrong of me?”

He poured out two glasses of whiskey and offered one to Adrian, which he reluctantly accepted.  “I suppose I could reminisce a bit.  Although, I must question your taste in liquor–”

“What’s there to question?  After all, this is the last of a rare blend only produced in the fields of western Dusnia.”

Adrian swirled the brown liquid in his glass skeptically.  “I suppose I’ll give it a try then if it’s truly as rare as you claim.”  They clinked their glasses together and each took a sip.  Luckily, Adrian’s eyes widened at the taste, and he muttered about its “complex flavor profile” before downing the rest of his glass.  Edric winked at Indigo before taking another sip of whiskey.

“Hey, Indy,” he said, “be a good host and pour out another glass for Adrian, will you?”

Indigo resisted the urge to roll their eyes before picking up the open bottle and filling up Adrian’s glass.

Just two drinks later, Edric and Adrian started gossiping about the other inhabitants of the castle.

“Now, you didn’t hear this from me,” Adrian said, slurring his words ever so slightly, “but do you remember Sir Luke?”

“Lady Jess’s brother?” Edric said.  “‘Course I member him.  Dude had the best stash in the castle.”

“Well, I heard a rumor about him.  Apparently, he’s shacking up with some lady jouster.”

“No fucking way.  Tell me errything ya know.  But first, more whiskey!”

And so, Indigo topped off their glasses.

After two more drinks, the conversation devolved significantly from their intended topic.

“I– I– I’m telling ya,” Edric slurred, “I can do a… I can do a pirouette for… for like a super long time, man.  Watch!”

He couldn’t even get up from his chair without falling straight to the ground.  Luckily, Indigo was there to catch him and put him back into the chair.

“Your pirouettes are lovely, dear,” they said, “but you’re in no state to show them off.”

“Aw…  I wanted to go spinny…”

He tried to make a cute expression, but with how drunk he was, he just ended up looking constipated.  Indigo glanced over at Adrian and saw that he wasn’t in much better condition, slouching in his chair and mindlessly swirling what little whiskey was left in his glass.

“Top me off one more time, will ya, Freddy?” he said.

“That’s not my name, sir,” they replied.

“Um… Ember?”

“Nope.”

“Vivi?”

“Not even close.”

“Indiana?”

“Okay, I’m cutting you off.”

Adrian let out a noise somewhere between a whine and a groan as he slouched even further down.  “Please don’t do that.  I’ll tell you anything you want to know for just one more glass.”

Oh, you have got to be kidding me, Indigo thought, getting him to talk was that easy?!

“Really?  You’ll tell me anything I want to know?”

“Of course!”

“Even if it’s about the test tonight?”

“That’s all you want to know about?  I was starting to get worried.”

They made sure to fill up his glass to the brim before he could change his mind.

“Okay, so… Odalia told me some weird story about her feet which gave her the idea for the final test,” he said.  “She bought forty super-soft mattresses to place in Luzuzu’s room and then… then she’s gonna put a pea under ‘em.”

“A pea?” Indigo asked.

“Yeah, yeah, just a tiny little pea.  Small enough that no one would notice it under forty mattresses.  No one except someone truly delicate and fair.  A true princess, in Her Majesty’s words.”

The description fitted Odalia’s modus operandi down to the letter.  They took a moment to wonder why she hadn’t thought of such a convoluted test sooner, before snapping out of it.  “So… if Luz sleeps all the way through the night, not even noticing the single, tiny pea hidden under the forty mattresses she’s sleeping on, she’ll fail the test?”

“Precisely.”   Adrian tried to take another sip of whiskey but ended up spilling most of the glass on himself.

“Alright, that’s enough, you should probably get back to your own quarters now,” Indigo said, pulling Adrian to his feet and walking him out the door.

“Hey, tell Edric to tell me where he got the stuff,” he said before turning around and stumbling back to his quarters.  Indigo could’ve sworn they heard him bump right into Sir Steve after they closed the door.  They definitely heard him tease the poor guy about a hickey on his neck and the fact that he was coming out of Lady Jess’s room.

Once they cleared away all the leftover bottles of booze and found a large pitcher of water to make Edric sober himself up with, they nearly sprinted out of the room and into Alador’s study.  As promised, he was at his desk having a cup of tea with Viney.

“Let me guess, Edric’s plan to get Marquis Graye wasted utterly failed?” Viney said.

“No, it actually worked,” Indigo said, “and I know just how we can make sure Luz passes.  But we’ve got to hurry!”

And with that, they ran straight out of the room and to the guest quarters.

“Oh man oh man oh man I’m on the edge of my seat!” Hooty exclaimed.

King sighed.  “Hooty, you can’t sit.  Unless you have a secret set of legs I don’t know about.”

“Actually…”

“Never mind!  I don’t want to know, ever!”

Eda cleared her throat.  “Hey, quit interrupting, or else we’ll be sitting here all night.”

“Funny enough, I was waiting for an opportunity to narrate again,” Raine said.

“Well, in that case, the floor is yours,” Eda said.

With that, they picked up the melody they were playing before.  “Just as the stars started appearing in the night sky, so too did the inhabitants of the castle start retiring to bed, and so too did the fair Princess Luzura and the wicked Queen Odalia prepare for the final test…”

“Let’s see how much you remember,” Amity said, looking down at her well-worn poetry book.  “Shall I compare thee…”

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” Luz replied.  “Thou art more lovely and more temperate: rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, um… and summer’s lease hath all too short a date!”

“Great job,” Amity said, closing the book.

“Wait a second, there’s no way your mother’s going to test me on sappy old poetry.  You just wanted to hear me read it to you, huh?”

Amity hid her face in her hands to hide her steadily growing blush.  “You have a really nice reading voice, okay!”

Luz chuckled.  “Well, then I’ll be sure to read you all the poetry you want once I pass the test tonight.”

Just as she finished that sentence, there was a knock at the door of the royal library.  It was Emira, holding a cottony nightgown in her arms.

“It’s time,” she said, gesturing for Luz to follow her.  Amity gave her a shy wave goodbye before retreating to her own quarters to prepare for bed.

“What’s that gown for?” Luz asked Emira.

“It’s for you, of course,” Emria replied.  “My mother wants you to wear it during the test.”

“Oh… that’s… oddly nice of her.”

Emira didn’t respond.  Once they were at the guest quarters, she handed the gown to Luz and practically shoved her into one of the rooms.

“Hand me Skara’s dress once you've changed, alright?” Emira said from the other side of the door.

Luz stuck a thumbs up through the crack in the door before taking a good look at the gown she was given.  It was a light seafoam green color, with puffed sleeves and tiny embroidered stars along the hems.  When she slipped it over her head, the material felt substantial enough to keep her warm but light enough to feel breathable.  It was far too nice for a nightgown, in her opinion.

After handing Skara’s dress back to Emira, Luz decided to take a good look at the room she was in.  Clearly, it wasn’t the same room Amity led her to that morning, since as far as she could remember, its ceilings weren’t nearly high enough to hold the sheer mountain of mattresses piled in the middle of it.

Looks like Willow wasn’t lying… she thought.  She stared at the mattresses for about a minute longer until someone knocked on the door.  When Luz opened it, a servant was on the other side, holding a tray with a small tea set on it.

“Good evening, Princess,” they said.  “Her Highness is a bit… held up at the moment, but she wanted you to try one of the finest tea blends our kingdom has to offer before you go to sleep tonight.”

They set the tray down on a short folding table and filled one of the cups with steaming tea.  Luz picked it up and blew away some of the steam before taking a sip.  It tasted strongly of chamomile, with notes of lavender and magnolia added in.  By the time she was done with the cup, her eyelids were heavy and her entire body felt loose.  She handed it back with a yawn and the servant picked up their tray and headed back the way they came.

A few more minutes passed in silence and Luz felt like she could fall asleep standing up when Odalia’s voice echoed through the hallway.

“We’ll explain this one last time, Porter, your adult son confessed to a crime.  We are just enforcing the punishment that a person guilty of said crime would receive.”

“I understand, Your Highness, but I’m just asking you to reconsider the punishment you’re giving him.”  Duke Porter’s voice sounded like he’d been arguing for hours and desperately needed a sip of water.

“And we’re telling you, there is nothing to consider.  Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have a test to administer.”

The queen’s footsteps got closer and Luz instinctively shrunk away from the doorway.  But it wasn’t long before Duke Porter’s footsteps followed in a run.

“Just, let me remind you of one thing, Your Highness.”

Odalia turned around.  “What is it now?”

“It isn’t just my son you’re banishing tomorrow morning.  You’re also banishing Lavinia’s son.”

The whole hallway fell silent.  “...What could you possibly have to gain by mentioning her name?”

“Well, I remember you two being quite close friends–”

“Close friends?  Close friends?!   You knew exactly how I felt about her, and now you’re trying to use that fact for your own selfish means!”

“Lavinia was loved by everyone in this castle.  I’ve always suspected part of the kingdom itself died with her.  I suppose you’ve just proven me right.”

Another long stretch of silence.  Then Duke Porter spoke up again.  “Your Highness, if you banish Augustus, you’re also banishing the last trace any of us has of your beloved.”

Suddenly, Odalia let out a deep, primal scream.  “Mention her again and I’ll banish you along with that groveling worm!  Am.  I.  Understood?!”

“...Yes, Your Highness.”  And then Duke Porter’s footsteps slowly faded into silence.  Luz made sure to look like she wasn’t eavesdropping when Odalia walked into the room, still red in the face.

“Let’s just get this over with,” she said, snapping her fingers for another servant to walk in holding a stepladder and an instrument case.  Once they set everything up next to the mountain of mattresses, Luz climbed all the way up the stepladder and onto the topmost mattress, which had tons of pillows and blankets piled onto it.

“That’s right, get nice and comfortable,” Odalia said.  “We want to make sure you have an especially restful night.”

“Is that–” Luz yawned as she burrowed under the blankets.  “Is that why you sent me that sleepy tea?”

“But of course.  Any esteemed guest of ours deserves nothing but the best possible treatment.”  The clack of Odalia’s footsteps echoed up to the ceiling.  “Well then, we’ll leave you to your rest.  Crane, play her some of your most soothing lullabies, will you?”

Someone snuffed out most of the sconces in the room as the servant played a few soft notes on a harp and sang in a buttery baritone.  Luz felt her eyes get heavier and heavier until they closed and she felt like she was sinking into the mattresses.

Then something sharp poked her in the back.

She shrugged it off as just a loose spring and turned onto her other side.

Then the exact same thing happened.

She grabbed a small pillow and put it right under the spot where she kept getting poked, only for something else to poke her in the leg.  So she put another pillow there.  But then something poked her shoulder blade.  So she put a pillow there, too.  Eventually, she ran out of pillows and just decided to try and go to sleep anyway.

But alas, sleep seemed to elude her, despite how tired she was.

Luz tried counting sheep, counting griffins, counting selkidomuses, even reciting as much of that boring tome of aqueduct protocol as she could remember, but nothing worked.  She tossed and turned a few times, trying to find a position where she didn’t get poked, but that didn’t work either and only served to make her more exhausted.  It would take a miracle for her to get some rest.  So Luz spent the whole night hoping that a miracle would come.

“Speaking of rest,” Eda said, “I sure am glad we decided to do this early tonight because I’m sure we’d all be tuckered out by now.”

“You said it,” King yawned.  “That description of how tired Luz was is making me tired.”

“Hmm,” Raine said, “in that case, we should stop if you’re getting tired.”

“No, don't do that!” King whined.  “You promised to tell me how the story ends today!”

“Alright, alright.”  Raine turned to Eda.  “Are you ready to take us to the end?  I’m sure you’ve got something great planned.”

“Trust me, I do,” Eda said.  “But first… I think I need a cup of coffee with a few splashes of apple blood.”

She pushed herself up off the floor and headed down the stairs, King following after her in protest.

“Do you seriously need a cup of coffee now?” he said.  “I think you’re just stalling for time.”

Eda took her sweet time filling a filter with coffee grounds, putting it in the machine, and turning it on.  “Am I?  Would I ever do such a thing?”

“Yes!  You’re doing it right now!”

“Doing what?”

“Stalling!”

The coffee machine beeped and Eda pulled the carafe out and poured the fresh coffee into a mug as slowly as she could.  “That is a ridiculous accusation, King.  Me, stalling?  Would I ever stoop so low?”

“Yes, you would!  You’re doing it right now!”

She grabbed a tiny bottle of apple blood and poured some into the mug, making sure to stir it with a spoon before taking it upstairs.  “See, I’m not stalling.  Now I’m going to go back upstairs because my cup of coffee is ready.”

“Your cup of coffee that you only made because you were stalling!”

“I was stalling?”

“You were stalling!”

“Stalling?”

“Stalling!”

By the time Eda and King made it back up the stairs, Raine and Lilith had just finished stuffing something back into Lilith’s carpet bag.  Luckily, King didn’t seem to notice, since he was still hung up on the whole “stalling” thing.

“Alright everyone,” Eda said, “before we get to the end, I’m going to take a moment to savor the cup of coffee I have made so perfectly–”

“QUIT STALLING!” King said.  A few muffled laughs came out of the carpet bag, which Hooty shoved out of King’s view just in time.

“Okay, fine, I’ll get to the ending.”  Raine played some extended climactic notes on their violin.  “The entire castle anxiously awaited the news of whether Luzura passed Odalia’s final test.  At sunrise the next morning…”

Chapter Text

Practically everyone who lived in the castle huddled around the door to the guest quarters.  Most of them at least had the time to get dressed and make their hair presentable, but a few were still in their nightclothes.  But all of them shivered from nerves.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I hope she passes,” Boscha said.  “At least then we’ll never have to go through this whole ordeal again.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with Boscha,” Willow said.  “I could use a vacation or something.”

“Ha, where would you even go?  Some run-down cottage in the middle of nowhere?”

“And the moment of camaraderie is gone just as quickly as it appeared.”

Darius groaned.  “Speaking of ordeals , where is Odalia?  I thought she reveled in our collective misery?”

And just like that, Odalia walked down the hallway to announce the final test results, a slight grin on her face.

“What’s the occasion?” she said.  “It’s quite an early hour for most of you.”

“We’re here to watch Luzura pass your stupid test,” Edric said.  “Duh.”

“Oh, is that so?  Then we’re afraid you’ll all be disappointed.”

Several people’s faces fell, including Amity’s.  “But, Mother,” she said, “Luz can pass any test you could possibly give her.  What’s so different about this one?”

“Excellent question, Mittens.  Marquis Graye actually helped us come up with it, perhaps he’d like to explain how it worked to everyone?”

For a few seconds, the maligned Marquis was nowhere in sight.  Then he came shambling down the hallway, using his fur stole to cover his head.

“Your Highness,” he said, “is there any way you can… turn the light down?”

Odalia raised an eyebrow.  “Marquis Graye, it’s past sunrise and all the sconces are out.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.  I’m asking you to turn the light down.  Maybe get it to shut up, too.”  Adrian wrapped his stole more tightly around himself and winced.  “I swear to the Titan that I am never drinking again.”

“Ugh, this is simply disgraceful,” Odalia sighed.  “Go to the infirmary at once and find something to treat your… condition.”

“Yes, right away, Your Highness.”  And with that, Adrian stumbled back the way he came.

“Woah, that was one hell of a hangover,” Lady Jess said.  “This is why you should make sure to stay hydrated if you’re planning on drinking alcohol, kids.  Also, never drink on an empty stomach.  Learned that the hard way.”

Hunter turned towards her.  “Who are you talking to?”

“It doesn’t matter who she was talking to!” Odalia said.  “What does matter is that there is no way a brute who, may I remind you, swam through our moat, could have been able to feel a tiny pea under forty of the softest mattresses in the kingdom!”

Amity’s heart sank into the soles of her feet.  No wonder Mother acted so haughty and self-assured since Luz arrived.  She was sure she already won.  Why did she let herself think Luz wouldn’t end up banished like all the others?  How could she be so naive?

Right away, Odalia scooped her into an embrace, resting her head against her collarbone.  “Oh, Mittens.  Don’t be sad.  There is bound to be at least one genuine princess worthy of you somewhere.”

“Do you really think that?” Amity said.  “Luz was number thirteen.”

“And you know thirteen is an unlucky number.  This was never meant to work out.”

Before Odalia could turn her thoughts into a spiral of despair, the door to the guest quarters opened.  It was Luz, looking even worse than Adrian had.  The dark circles under her eyes gave Hunter’s a run for their money, not to mention that she swayed from side to side like a breeze was blowing her around.

“One sheep, two sheep, red sheep, blue sheep,” she yawned, stumbling out of the room.  Once she was in the hallway, her upper body slumped forward like a rag doll, leaving her arms hanging in front of her.  She started to sway again and giggled, mumbling something about how she had snakes for arms.

“Did Luz get… any sleep?” Willow mused.

“I doubt it,” Hunter said.  “You remember what I was like back when I pulled three all-nighters to study for the knight’s exam.”

“This is likely just for show,” Odalia said.  Then she stepped towards Luz and pulled her head up and leaned down to her eye level.  Which just made Luz giggle.  “After all, we did give her our famous chamomile tea blend, with some sleeping draught added for good measure.”

Even though she said the last part of her statement in a whisper, nearly everyone gathered there heard it.

“Are you serious?” Darius groaned.  “This is too far, even for you.”

“Yeah, is this all some kind of sick joke to you?” Skara added.

“What’s the point of doing any of this?” Steve said.  “Do you enjoy making your subjects miserable?”

“Because that’s exactly what they are, Mother,” Emira said.  The hallway fell silent for several seconds, then she added, “Were you honest about any of the suitors failing your little tests?”

From there, everyone started talking over each other.  Some raised more objections to Odalia’s laws, some questioned the legitimacy of the test, and others demanded the release of imprisoned or banished friends.  Eventually, Odalia snapped.

“ENOUGH!” she shouted.  “I am your Queen!  If any one of you dares to question my authority again, forget banishment, I will have your head on a spike!  Am I understood?!”

No one was brave enough to answer.  Odalia turned back to Luz.  “Now that the little… misunderstanding has been cleared up, let’s continue.  By royal decree of the House Blight, Princess Luzura of the Marshlands is hereby banished from–”

“STOP!”

Everyone gasped.  “Mittens,” Odalia said, “don’t be dramatic–”

“I’m not being dramatic,” Amity continued, “I’m just saying what I should have said two years ago.  For as long as I can remember, you’ve controlled my life with an iron grip.  Everything I did depended on your approval.  All I’ve ever wanted was to choose my own path, and you robbed me of that simple desire every chance you had.  And even then, none of the choices I made were ever good enough for you!  Not my appointed ladies-in-waiting, not my birthday jubilees, not even the suitors asking for my hand!  That’s no way to live.  I don’t know how my life is going to turn out or what exactly the future holds, but what I do know is that I’m never going to let you control it again!  And just for the record, I want to marry Luz one day.  It will probably be years in the future, but I’m doing it whether you like it or not.”

The speech stunned everyone in the hallway into silence.  No one else dared to speak or even breathe too loudly for another minute.

“I was starting to worry you didn’t have it in you, Mittens.”

Amity turned towards her father with wide eyes.  She couldn’t quite believe what she’d just heard.  Was that his voice?

Alador couldn’t believe what he was hearing, either.  “Wow.  After all these years, the curse is broken!  The mouse–” he gestured to Amity, “–devoured the hawk!”  He gestured to Odalia and then started laughing.  “It was a metaphor the whole time!”

For a minute, everyone in the room was too stunned to speak.  Then Darius cleared his throat.  “This is the one and only time you will ever hear me say this, but I am so glad to hear your voice, Alador.”

“So am I.”  Then he brought Amity into a tight embrace.  “Oh, Mittens.  I’ve never been prouder of you than I am right now.”

That statement stirred Odalia to respond.  As soon as Alador and Amity parted, she grabbed Amity’s shoulder and started to yell.  At least, she tried to yell.  But no noise came out.  Her eyes went wide when she realized this and covered her mouth with both hands.

“Interesting,” Alador said, “ very interesting.”

The crowd started to chuckle at Odalia’s predicament, which caused Luz to break out of her sleep-deprived trance.  “Whatta we laughing at?”

“It seems that the turns have tabled and now our dearest mother is the mute one in the family,” Edric said.

“Sometimes I wish it was you,” Emira whispered.

“What?”

“What?”

“OH I think I know what’s happenin’,” Luz said.  “Sometimes, when an especially powerful curse is broken, all that magic has nowhere else to go but to the person who placed the curse in the first place.  Cool, right?”

And with that, Luz fell half-asleep again and would have hit the floor hard if not for Edric and Emira catching her.  Meanwhile, Odalia went pale as Alador stared her down.

“I always thought it was suspicious how eager you were to take on my authority after I was cursed,” he said.  “Speaking of which, I’m taking it back, effective immediately.  After all, someone who can’t even speak isn’t worthy enough to rule.  Your words, not mine.”

“Karma,” Lady Jess sang.

“And also, this whole curse situation gives me more than enough cause to banish you from the kingdom for treason against the crown.  Not that I wouldn’t have banished you anyways for severing nearly all of our alliances for petty reasons, passing unjust laws, and punishing dozens of loyal citizens without fair charges.  Guards, put her on the next ship headed for Edessa.  I’m sure her brother, the king, will be thrilled to see her with her tail between her legs.”

Two guards stepped out of the crowd and dragged Odalia away, locking her arms behind her back so she couldn’t break free.  Unfortunately for them, that didn’t stop her from kicking at their shins.  But they didn’t even budge.

Once she was out of earshot, Alador let out a deep sigh.  “I’ve wanted to do that for years.”

“Haven’t we all?” Darius added.  Everyone there murmured their agreement.

“Alright,” Alador said, “now that my rightful authority has been reestablished, I have a few more things to announce to all of you.  The first is that Princess Luzura of the Marshlands is no longer banished, and in fact, is welcome to stay in the castle for as long as she desires.”

Luz mumbled a thank you from where she was still hunched over between Edric and Emira.

“Secondly, Lord Augustus Porter is formally pardoned of all charges brought against him.  I can personally attest to the fact that he did nothing wrong in the first place.”

Hunter, Willow, and Duke Porter collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

“And, lastly, the law forbidding anyone in the kingdom from getting married before Princess Amity does is officially repealed.”

The crowd applauded for about a minute before dispersing to go about the rest of their day as normal.  Just Luz, the royals, and Amity’s coterie remained.

“Titan, I forgot how nervous public speaking makes me,” Alador sighed.

“If it makes you feel better, you did well after not being able to speak for twenty years,” Hunter said.

“While we’re on the subject of public speaking,” Willow said, “I have something to say.”

She reached for the silver chain around her neck, pulling it out from under her dress and revealing two matching engagement rings.  “I commissioned these two years ago from the same jeweler who made my fathers’ rings.”  Then she turned towards Hunter and got down on one knee.  “Sir Hunter Wittebane, will you marry me?’

For a few seconds, all he did was stare down at her, a blush steadily growing across his cheekbones.  Then he remembered how to form words and said, “Yes!  Of course, I’ll marry you!”

Willow stood up and pulled Hunter in for a kiss.  When they broke apart, everyone there was smiling, even Boscha, if relaxing her usual scowl counted as a smile.  Luz even let out a small cheer, still half-asleep.

“So,” Emira said, “when do you guys want to make it official?”

“Ideally, right now,” Hunter answered, “but I also really want to have a wedding here in the castle…”

“Oh!  A wedding!  I can’t believe that slipped my mind this whole time!” Willow said.  “Looks like I’ve got a lot of planning to do.  Skara, you did an absolutely phenomenal job with Amity’s last jubilee, can you–”

“YES!” she shrieked.  “Sorry, I’ve just always wanted to plan a wedding!  This is so exciting!”

“Then let’s get started right away!” Willow said.  “But first, we should go get Gus out of that miserable dungeon, now that he’s been pardoned.”

“Great idea,” Hunter said.  The three of them practically sprinted away, eager to get started.  The rest of Amity’s ladies-in-waiting decided they had better things to do than to stand around without any dialogue and left.

“I’m still confused about one thing,” Amity said.  “How did Luz manage to not fall asleep?  By all accounts, the test should have been impossible.”

“Well, you didn’t account for your loving family rigging the test back in her favor a little,” Edric said.  “When Indy and I invited Marquis Graye over for drinks last night, a few bottles of cheap whiskey was enough to get him to blab about how the test worked.”

“Basically, I grabbed all of the pointy weapons and jousting equipment I could find on such short notice and then Alador and Indigo stuffed them in between all the mattresses,” Viney said.

“It was the most stressful thing I’ve ever done in my entire life,” Indigo added.

“Ah, I could’ve sworn there was a cattle prod poking me in the–” Before Luz could finish her sentence, she took a step forward and nearly fell flat on her face when Amity caught her.

“You definitely need some actual sleep,” she said.

“Sure thing, pretty girl,” Luz mumbled, causing Amity’s entire face to turn pink.

“Alright, then,” Alador said.  “But we’re going to need all the help we can get to set the mattresses back how they were.”

Viney and Indigo nodded and walked into the guest quarters, Edric, Emira, and Alador following close behind.  They made very quick work of the mattresses, walking out two minutes later, arms full of equipment.

“The room is all yours,” Alador said.  “Mittens, it would probably be a good idea for you to watch over Luz while she sleeps.”

“Yeah,” Amity said.  “I can’t imagine that sleeping on top of forty mattresses is very safe.”

Alador handed the equipment he was holding to Emira and Edric, then brushed some dust off his sleeves.  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have twenty years’ worth of laws to repeal and pardons to hand out.”

And with that, he left.  Emira, Edric, Viney, and Indigo walked towards the stables to put all the equipment back where it belonged.

“Okay, Luz,” Amity sighed.  “It’s time for you to go to sleep for real this time.”

“Aye, aye, captain.”  Luz did a groggy version of a military salute before Amity led her back into the guest quarters, making sure to close the door behind them and pull the curtains shut so very little daylight could seep through.

“Do you need help climbing this ladder?” she asked Luz.

“Actually, that’s a stepladder.”

She raised an eyebrow.  “What’s the difference?  They’re essentially the same thing.  Although, maybe it’s a bigger deal in the Marshlands…”

“Nevermind.”

After a bit of struggle, Luz managed to make it to the very top of the mattress pile, with Amity holding the ladder steady behind her and making sure she didn’t fall.  She burrowed into the pile of blankets and pillows, closing her eyes.

“Oh, this is much better,” she yawned.

Amity smiled as she watched over Luz from where she stood at the bottom of the mattress pile.  But then Luz roughly turned onto her side, nearly falling off.

“Titan, Luz!  Are you okay?  What happened?”

“‘M fine.”  Luz let out a loud yawn.  “It’s just… I think they might’ve missed something.”

“Where was it?”

“...Felt close to the bottom, right in the middle.  It was like a nail pointed right in the center of my back.”

“I’ll see if I can get it out.”  So Amity lifted the bottom-most mattress just enough so that her arm could fit under it, and felt around for whatever Luz described.  After a few seconds, she found something, but it wasn’t what she expected from the description.

“Huh, this is just a pea.”  She put it in one of her dress pockets, then looked up at the top of the pile.  “Is that any better, Luz?”

No response.  “Luz?”

Amity climbed up the ladder and found Luz right in the middle of the bed, eyes closed and breathing deeply.  As still as a stone.

“Wow.  She really did pass the test.”  She considered heading back down the ladder and to her own quarters to have some breakfast, but then the stress of the past few days caught up to her and she yawned.  Or maybe she just noticed how comfortable sleeping on all those mattresses looked.  Either way, Amity unlaced her gown so she was just in her silk shift, lifted the edge of the blankets, and slid in next to Luz.

I could sleep for a hundred years up here, she thought.  Luz felt warm next to her, and she couldn’t help but shift closer as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

“Wait a minute!” King exclaimed.  “Is that seriously how the story ends?”

“I don’t follow,” Eda said, then took a sip of coffee.

“Amity just falls asleep with Luz at the end?  They already do that all the time in real life!  Where’s the excitement?!”

“Oh, you want excitement?  Well, here it is!”

As it turned out, while King wasn’t paying attention, Lilith and Raine opened up the carpet bag and someone special climbed out.

“LUZ!” King said, running over to her and launching himself into her arms.  Luz just chuckled, scooping him up and tickling him on the spot he couldn’t reach behind his skull.

“So… what do you think of the surprise?” Raine asked.

“I love it so much!” King said once he recovered from the tickles.  “But Luz, I thought you were supposed to be at human school today?”

“I have a three-day weekend, silly,” Luz replied.  “And when Eda asked me if I wanted to spend it with my favorite little guy, I just couldn’t say no!”

King turned towards Eda and pointed an accusatory claw at her.  “So this is why you were stalling with the coffee!”

“I wasn’t stalling, I swear!  I don’t know why he keeps saying that,” Eda sighed.

Luz put King back down on the floor and sat cross-legged in front of the carpet bag.  “Alright, so I spent all day binge-reading the transcripts Lilith gave me–”

“Uh, you’re welcome, by the way,” Hooty said.

“–and obviously I was here listening to the end, and I think King has a bit of a point.  We can’t end there!”

“Yes, we can,” Eda said, “because I am officially out of ideas.”

“If we’re being honest, so am I,” Raine added.

“I might just have the opposite problem,” Lilith said.  “There are so many loose ends that need to be tied up, so many potential new directions the story could take…  But, what we need is an ending , and I don’t know if I can make one that fulfills all my expectations.”

For a moment, they all sat there in silence, looking down at the floor, until Luz snapped her fingers.

“Guess what?” she said.  “I have an idea!  I’ll write the ending to this story!  I’ve been writing fanfiction since before I had an email address, so it should be a breeze!”

Eda raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly.  “You know what?  Now I’m intrigued.  Show us what you’ve got.”

“Hmm…” Luz said, scratching her chin.  “Raine, play some wedding music or something.”

They nodded and picked up their bow, playing a joyful little march.  “Now that King Alador’s curse was lifted, all the lovers in the kingdom were free to get married once again.  But what’s a marriage without a wedding?  One couple who we all know well dared to ask this question for themselves a mere month after the decree banning weddings was lifted, and they invited the whole kingdom to celebrate with them, along with a few guests of honor…”

Queen Camila’s carriage rolled to a stop right in the middle of the castle gatehouse.  When someone opened the door, she gathered up the bottom of her gown and stepped onto the cobblestone floor, followed by Vee and their partner, a page named Masha.

“We are all very glad you could attend, Your Highness,” King Alador said from the palace entrance.

Camila gave him a slight curtsy.  “I am glad we could attend, as well.  Even if this wasn’t the wedding I was expecting …”

“True, but sometimes the things you expect the least are what you end up treasuring the most.  I think that’s the lesson we needed to learn from everything that’s happened lately,” Alador replied.

“I couldn’t have said it better myself, Father,” Emira said as she walked through the gatehouse doors with Edric.  “Luz has told us so much about you, Your Highness.  I’m Crown Princess Emira.”

“And I’m Prince Edric, Bellefair-by-the-sea’s new official ambassador, as well as the Marquis of–”

Emira groaned.  “Just ignore that last part.  He only has that title until we find someone worthy enough to have it permanently.”

“Well, at least I can say I’m worthy of the ambassador title, considering Father gave it to me after Adrian confessed to everything.”

Alador rolled his eyes and stepped closer to Camila as his children continued bickering.  “I love both of them dearly, but sometimes they can be… a bit much, you know what I mean?”

“Of course I do,” Camila said.  “Vee here isn’t even related to Luz by blood, but from the way they argue, you’d never be able to tell.”

“Mamá!” Vee protested.

Both of them started to giggle, before walking into the castle proper and making their way to one of the inner gardens.  Nearly everyone in the castle was heading the same way, dressed in their finest summer attire, giving the monarchs tiny bows as they passed by.  Eventually, they reached the garden, where Indigo’s butterfly topiary was in full bloom and pews were lined up for people to sit at during the ceremony.  A small orchestra played cheerful ballads as people talked amongst themselves.  They started walking up the center aisle, looking for a place to sit, when–

“MAMÁ!  VEE!  YOU GUYS ACTUALLY CAME!”

Luz practically sprinted toward Camila and Vee and pulled them into a crushing hug.  Alador smiled to himself at the sight and decided to make their reunion a bit more private, gesturing for Edric and Emira to follow him.

“Of course, I came, mija,” Camila said.  “I love weddings.”

“Don’t worry, I brought extra handkerchiefs,” Vee added.

“We’re definitely going to need them,” Luz said, leading her mother and sibling to their seats.  “I nearly ruined the makeup Amity put on me during the rehearsal yesterday.”

“Speaking of which,” Camila asked, “where is Princess Amity?  Based on what you said in your letters, I was looking forward to meeting her.”

“Oh, she’s probably in Willow’s room with the other bridesmaids.  But we can leave a spot for her to sit at during the ceremony.”

Suddenly, a trumpet fanfare rang through the courtyard.  People quickly finished their conversations and sat down, turning their heads to the back entrance.  The orchestra played a classic march as the large doors to the garden slowly opened and the procession walked in.  First was an older man in long black robes, with a burgundy-colored miter on his head that almost looked like a pair of horns–

Eda nearly choked on her coffee, some of it spraying on Lilith’s face.

“What’s so funny?” Luz asked.

She swallowed the sip of coffee in her mouth and said, still giggling, “You’re really having Bumpikins officiate this wedding?!”

“Hey, pretty much everyone else we know is in this story already, so pickings are a bit slim.  Unless you want Hooty to officiate this wedding?”

“I’m actually an ordained minister, hoot hoot!”

Everyone ignored that comment and shrugged.  Eda gestured for Luz to continue the story.

The officiant stood in front of the butterfly topiary and turned to face the aisle.  Next was the bridal party, walking up the aisle in pairs, the bridesmaids in olive green silk gowns and the groomsmen in silver tunics and breeches.  Amity and Gus walked in last, as the maid of honor and best man.  Once everyone was in the courtyard, they split up and found seats among the crowd.  Luz waved Amity over and slid closer to Vee to leave room for her.

“You look very beautiful,” she whispered.

Amity blushed and nervously twirled a lavender lock of hair around her fingers.  “I’m just glad the dress color Willow picked doesn’t clash with my new hair.”

“Even if Willow made you wear a potato sack, you’d still look beautiful.”

That made Amity’s blush even stronger.  Another trumpet fanfare rang through the courtyard and Hunter started walking up the aisle.  His outfit was completely golden, especially shiny bits catching rays of sunlight, almost making him look like he was glowing.  There was also a single red rose pinned onto his doublet.  He stepped over to the officiant’s right side when he made it to the front of the aisle and turned around, a euphoric smile lighting his face once he saw Willow.

She smiled as she started walking down the aisle, her fathers flanking her sides.  Her dress was made of deep green velvet, with long open sleeves and an even longer train that a young attendant held onto.  An emerald necklace sat right on top of her collarbone, with a matching jeweled belt cinching her waist, and a ring of red roses rested on her curly hair.  When she reached the officiant, her fathers kissed her on the forehead and the attendant carefully arranged the dress train behind her.  Hunter and Willow looked into each other’s eyes in silence before the officiant cleared his throat.

“Over the past two years, I often worried that I’d never get the chance to officiate a beautiful ceremony like this one ever again.  The joy of joining two souls in love is truly a joy like no other.  I could not be more glad that the days of the restrictive marriage law are behind us and we can all experience that joy again, together.”

The officiant reached into a pocket of his robes and pulled a small red book out of them.  “Forgive me, it’s been so long since I’ve done this,” he said, then cleared his throat.  “Sir Hunter Wittebane, do you take Lady Willow Park as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” he said, a slight blush appearing across his nose.

“And do you, Lady Willow Park, take Sir Hunter Wittebane as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” she said, leaning forward and taking Hunter’s hands in hers.

“Alright then, now the couple is going to exchange rings and vows.”

A squire brought the rings up to the front and Willow and Hunter took turns putting them on each others’ fingers and reciting their vows to each other.  Camila started quietly sobbing midway through and Vee silently handed her a handkerchief.

“Thank goodness Vee brought handkerchiefs, am I right?” Luz whispered to Amity.

“Yeah,” Amity sniffled.  “Can you get one for me, too?”

Luz nodded and handed her a handkerchief, which she immediately used to dab at her eyes as the officiant pronounced Hunter and Willow married.  They pulled each other into a kiss and the entire crowd cheered, some even standing from their seats.

Amity turned to Luz, tears still running down her smiling face.  “I’m glad you came here.”

She watched Willow pull Hunter into a dip and kiss him silly as the crowd kept cheering.  “Yeah, me too.”

Afterward, the wedding feast was held in the castle’s main ballroom.  The orchestra played merry tunes as the guests ate their fill of the Marshlands’ quail recipe and drank goblets of Edessan spiced wine.  And when the sun began to set, lovers and friends alike made their way to the ballroom floor to dance.

Hunter and Willow, as the newlyweds, were the first ones on the floor, but others quickly joined them.  Emira and Edric pulled their spouses onto the floor, Vee and Masha shyly joined in, and a few guests even asked Camila for a dance.  But, of course, Luz and Amity were bound to join them.

They took turns spinning each other around, stopped to talk to other dancing couples, congratulated the newlyweds (and wished them luck on their upcoming months-long honeymoon), and often took in the joy and merriment of the occasion and each other.

Eventually, the moon started to rise above the horizon and stars started dotting the blackened sky.  Slowly, guests started leaving the ballroom, heading back to their own residences or rooms in the castle until only close family and friends remained.  Even so, Amity wished for a bit more privacy.

“Luz, can we be alone for a bit?” she asked.  “There’s something I want to ask you.”

“Of course.”  So, Amity took Luz by the hand and led her through the castle’s stone hallways until they reached the royal library, which was currently empty, save for Ghost taking a nap on a plush velvet sofa.

“Woah, this place is beautiful,” Luz said, admiring the stacks and stacks of books adorning the walls.

“Yeah, it is,” Amity said, admiring Luz.

“So, what did you want to ask me?”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  “Okay, you know how Edric told us about the diplomatic tour he and Indigo are going on soon?”

“Oh, definitely.  He would not shut up about it during the feast.”

“That’s Edric for you.  Anyway, my point is… I’m going to be joining them since this is… uh… a way for us to officially reconcile with my former suitors and their kingdoms… so what I’m saying is…”  She took one last breath and tried to steel her nerves.  “Let’s dress up and travel together!”

Luz blinked.  “Wait.  Were you trying to ask me to come with you on the diplomatic tour?”

“Yes,” Amity groaned.  She walked over to the couch Ghost was napping on and laid face down on it, her head on top of his white fur.  “Why did I say it like that it was so awkward and unnatural ugh whyamIlikethis–”

“Hey, hey,” Luz said, sitting down on the floor by the couch and patting Amity’s head, “it’s fine.  I still got what you were trying to say!  Besides, since it is an official diplomatic tour, we are going to be dressing up and traveling in a very literal sense.”

“Wait.”  Amity suddenly sprang up and looked down at Luz, spooking Ghost off the couch.  “You’ll come with me?”

“Of course, I will!  I’ve always wanted to see the rest of the world outside the Marshlands, and there’s no one I’d rather see it with than you!  I’ll have to tell Mamá and Vee to go back home without me, but–”

“I think we should stop talking for a bit,” Amity said.  Then she slowly leaned in and kissed Luz.  And for that moment, as moonlight streamed in through the library window, everything was right in the world.

“The end,” Luz said.  Everyone gave her a short round of applause (at least, everyone with hands).

“What a sweet ending,” Raine said, putting their violin back into its case.

“Did Luzura say ‘crikey’ after Amity kissed her?” King teased.

Luz gasped.  “Hey!  You promised you’d stop bringing that up!”

“I made no such promise!”

“Eh, it’s not that embarrassing, Luz,” Lilith said.  “You should read some of that awful poetry Eda wrote back when she first met Raine.”

“Lily!” Eda said.

“Is this what having siblings is like?” Raine asked.

“Yes,” everyone said in unison.

“Well, at least I know what I missed.”

They all laughed together for a few minutes before King started to yawn and habitually curled up on his bed.  Lilith gave him a few pets behind the head and said goodbye to Hooty before making her way down the stairs.  Everyone else followed shortly after and curled up on the couch.

“You know, I wasn’t so sure about this whole ‘storytime’ idea at first,” Eda said, “but I do think we came up with something special.  Maybe I could change all the names and a few of the story elements and sell the rights to schools and community theaters or something.”

“That sounds… complicated,” Raine said.  “But if we do end up doing that, can I expand a few moments into songs sung by the characters?  There’s a lot of potential there, especially with the moment when Luzura first arrives–”

“I knew I married you for a reason.”

“Wow, we just finished writing a profound, heartfelt story together, and you guys are already selling out,” Luz said in mock offense.  “This is Ruler’s Reach all over again.”

They all laughed at her remark, before sinking further into the couch and cuddling closer to each other.

“Titan, I missed you, kid,” Eda said.

“Me too,” Luz sighed.