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It had been five years since that terrible event with the mirror. Queen Blueberry loved herself. She was kind. She was a benevolent ruler who did everything she could to help her subjects. More than that, she honed in on becoming a more devoted mother. After all, her sweet prince Larry was now 21.
21.
The same age she had been when she’d been crowned Most Faire. Ascended to the throne. She’d taken over from her own Granberry. The beauty decree, of course, had been about inner beauty. She never bothered to change the law. After all, had she not had her own rude awakening, she would not have been fit to rule herself. No, the inner beauty decree, it made sense. And she was feeling more and more beautiful on the inside with each passing day.
But to think, her own son...the age he was now was the age she was when she was coronated...
One day, she would go the way of her Granberry. And what would happen to poor Larry then? The kingdom, was, of course, a matriarchy.
Queen Blueberry was lightly shaken out of her thoughts at the sound of giggles floating up to her window.
Sweetpea’s father had made some sort of trinket, a miniature wooden carriage, of sorts, that Larry and Sweetpea took delight in racing down the hill. Upon sticking her nose out the window, it looked as though the two toy carriages had crashed, and the laughter was coming from the pair now racing down the hill to push the vehicles to their make believe finish line.
There was a childish amazement in how the two interacted. There always had been. Prince Larry…he was a bit… immature . But Sweetpea matched that childlike wonder and naivety with a profound sweetness and amicable nature. Like they were made to have met.
The Queen watched on as the pair hopped alongside their wooden toys, cheering them on as if it would affect their performance, giggling all the while. Larry’s had won the race, and his little “Woo hoo!” was met with another onslaught of giggles as Sweetpea loosely embraced him…
…perhaps a little too long.
Their eyes locking and soft smiles spreading across their faces in a way The Queen hadn’t really picked up on before. She’d always assumed , but…
…The Queen stepped back from the window, enlightened, and ready to brew a plan. She knew exactly how to keep Larry in the life of fabulousness he was accustomed to. She’d just need to pull a few strings.
Later that evening, after dinner, she asked her son to sit and have a talk with her. “The castle has been a bit empty, hmm? With just you and I? And the servants, of course. How would you feel if our family was to…expand?”
The Prince raised an eyebrow cautiously “You’re getting married?”
“Not me.”
“Huh?”
With a knowing smile, the Queen switched directions. “You know, I was your age when I ascended to the throne. But before that, my Granberry gave me beauty lessons. Inner beauty lessons. Ways to help your outside so that your inside shines even brighter. I studied at her side for two years, learning how to rule kindly and confidently. Sweetpea seems like the next in line for the throne…”
“Sweetpea?” Prince Larry repeated “ My Sweet- I mean- my best friend Sweetpea?”
“She is one of the kindest maidens in the kingdom.” The Queen gently reminded him. “She definitely has a sweet heart, I think if I could help her learn that relying on that kindness can provide a genuine confidence from inside…she’d be ready. When it’s her turn.”
“I guess that makes sense.” The Prince nodded. “An-and you’re really gonna help her? Not force her out of the kingdom again?”
The Queen’s smile faded, as she downcast her eyes, admitting “We all have moments where we’re weak. Where we forget what’s truly important. But I’ve been praying, and I have gotten better, so much better, I daresay, it helped me become a better queen in the end. That’s why, if it’s alright with her father, I’d like for Sweetpea to come and stay with us here. As long as that’s alright with you.”
“Of course it’s alright!” Larry smiled casually. “She’s my best friend! Why wouldn’t that be-”
“Oh you know,” The Queen batted her eyelashes coyly, “An unmarried maiden in the residence of the young bachelor prince…people may talk…”
His cheeks flushed immediately, the heat only rising as he bashfully stuttered out “Th-there’d be nothing to talk about. We’re friends. We know that. You know that. God knows that.”
“ Just friends?” The Queen raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smirk playing at her lips.
The Prince shook his head, defending “Well, we’re more than just friends. We’re best friends!”
“More than friends.” The Queen repeated in a tone her son couldn’t quite decipher. “Perfect. We’ll have a maid makeup a room for her as soon as her father agrees.”
He was still letting this conversation swirl around in his brain as Sweetpea gushed “Oh, isn’t it wonderful? It will be like a sleepover but every night! Remember when we were kids and we’d camp out under the stars…staying awake for far too long because we wanted to keep talking…”
“We still do that now.” Larry laughed awkwardly. Normally it would have been a softer laugh. More genuine. More charming. But his mother had gotten into his head. “Only now we’re not meant to be out together that late at all, just one of us goes over to see the other, and we don’t realize how late it’s gotten until someone is sent for us.”
“It’s nice to know some things never change.” Sweetpea smiled warmly. “They only get better, stronger, with time.”
Any response Larry may have had was silenced by his mother greeting “Oh Sweetpea! I’m so honored to take you under my wing.”
“It was so kind of you to ask, Your Majesty-”
“Now now,” The Queen interrupted. “There is no need for such formalities. Do you call your best friend His Royal Highness?”
Sweetpea smiled bashfully. “I suppose not…”
“Do send for me once you’re unpacked, dear.” Queen Blueberry smiled. “I want to have a one on one before we start our lessons.”
“Then I’ll start unpacking right away!” Sweetpea beamed, before turning to Larry, asking “Would you like to keep me company?”
The instinctive ‘yes’ on his tongue was held, once again thinking of an unwed maiden alone in a room with him. He’d never thought about that aspect of their friendship before. Were people already talking? Did the subjects think he was of an indecent sort?
Before he could even pull his thoughts together, his mother answered for him “Of course he would! You’ll be quite the charming host to our new castlemate, won’t you?”
“Of course.” he smiled at his mother, eyes fluttering back to Sweetpea if only for a moment.
“Besides,” The Queen continued to speak nonchalantly. “It will one day be her palace. In a way, you’re sort of her guest.”
Neither of the pair really knew what to make of that statement.
But he did accompany her, as promised. To her room. Her bedchamber.
This was silly. He’d been to her room at her Dad’s plenty of times! They were friends! A fact that thankfully eased the tension as Sweetpea started telling a story about the mess Gaspard had gotten himself into yesterday with some poison ivy. Just like normal. Nothing had to change. It was natural. It was nice. It was a relief.
But maybe. Just maybe. As the sun pouring in from the window illuminated her face and her mellifluous voice melodically floated to his ears as she told the story…
…maybe he wanted things to change.
Maybe he had wanted things to change for a long time.
He’d been aware for years, since before the mirror incident, that his feelings for the redhead were more than simply platonic. She was smart. She was beautiful. She was kind. She made him feel seen and heard and understood since the first day they met. He couldn’t imagine his life without her. And she might have been the reason he hastily changed the subject anytime courting nearby royals came up in conversation.
Still, he kept that to himself. His friendship with Sweetpea was far too precious to spoil. He’d never dream of even trying to…
To…
To…
…well. Maybe he did. Back in February.
But that was just once! And he apologized!
The Prince shook his head. She was living here now. He was a good host. And her best friend. Nothing else. Nothing more.
“...don’t you think?”
Her words stirred him out of the thoughts. “Huh?”
“I said that it’s lucky it was Gaspard and not me, don’t you think? Since he wouldn’t have been able to to prepare a zinc bath for me, with his little paws.” She giggled.
Oh, he loved that giggle.
He loved. That was the problem.
Eventually, Sweetpea had finished settling in, and was summoned to a private tea with The Queen. It was a brightly lit room with a very large window, but a small, intimate space. “So, my dear Sweetpea, I just wanted to talk to you before we get too in depth with lessons, the same way my Granberry did for me before I started mine. I was your age when I was crowned, you know.”
“Oh?” Sweetpea gasped curiously. “I didn’t know. That’s such a large responsibility for such a young woman to take on.”
With a nod, Queen Blueberry smiled “But it was thanks to all the time my Granberry put into mentoring me that made me confident I was ready to be crowned Most Faire. I will eventually have to step down from the throne. I want you to feel as ready as I did when it’s your turn.”
“While I appreciate the sentiment, really, I do,” Sweetpea’s eyes were downcast on her cup of tea. “There are other faire maidens in the kingdom-”
“Not like you, Sweetpea.” The Queen smiled kindly. “You have such a good and honest heart. You’ve always done whatever you can to help others. That’s the sort of Queen the subjects need. I wouldn’t be offering to help if I wasn’t sure you were the perfect fit. And I’m not going to hand over the reign tomorrow or anything. It won’t be until you’re ready, confident, able to do a better job than I.”
“I don’t think I could ever rule better than you could-”
“Sweetpea,” Queen Blueberry interrupted. “I once tried to have you banished because of my blind envy and vanity.”
“We all make mistakes sometimes.” Sweetpea smiled softly.
After a sip of her tea, The Queen spoke once more. “I am not getting any younger. The kingdom of Most Faire needs to continue on without me. And no one is better suited for this than you.”
“Thank you.” Sweetpea said graciously. "I’ll do my very best to learn everything I can.”
“And if we may talk woman to woman for a moment,” The Queen smirked a bit. “I was already courting with Prince Larry’s father when I was crowned. I would assume a maiden so lovely as you must have had a few gentlemen callers by now?”
Immediately, the redhead’s cheeks brightened “Not really. The closest I’ve ever gotten was what happened at the ball this winter and, well, that ended the way it had to.”
“The ball?” The queen questioned, genuinely confused. “You were glued to Prince Larry’s side the whole time, same as any other we’ve thrown-”
And as quickly as Sweetpea’s cheeks had reddened earlier, the color drained completely. Uh oh. Had Prince Larry not told his mom of the accident? “Never mind.” she tried to brush it off.
“This seems like something we ought to talk about…” The Queen tried gently.
“It’s silly.” Sweetpea muttered, eyes on the hem on her skirt, on the floor, anything but up. “Just a silly misunderstanding, is all.”
The Queen eyed her carefully, before conceding “If you ever want to tell me, my ears open any time.”
“Thank you.”
“Now, go get ready for dinner.” she instructed, “You’re a resident of the castle now, you’ll dine with Larry and I.”
Sweetpea had, of course, had dinner with The Queen and The Prince before. After all, she and Larry were best friends. She’d been invited to stay for dinner many times before. But somehow, this felt different. She wasn’t being invited to stay for dinner, this was her home now. One day, it would be her castle. That still seemed surreal.
Per the advice of one of the servants, she dressed up for the occasion, donning a silver ball gown in her closet, one of many that The Queen had placed in the room prior to her arrival. Something about feeling confident coming from looking your best. When you feel pretty, you naturally move with more assuredness, The Queen had…well…assured her. It was not as important as being beautiful on the inside, but, according to Queen Blueberry, it made your insides feel good, too, making it easier to spread that same love and kindness to others.
“Sweetpea!” The Queen gasped as she entered the royal banquet hall. “You look simply breathtaking. And the way you move in the gown, so regal! So poised!”
“Thank you.” she giggled. She did like the way the dress moved. It was fun to swish and twirl around in. Perhaps she was walking with more confidence because of that.
“Larry, doesn’t she look lovely?” Queen Blueberry tried to push.
Larry smiled warmly to his friend. “Of course. Sweetpea always looks beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Sweetpea repeated, though her cheeks were now tinging pink.
“She is, isn’t she.” The Queen smiled knowingly. “Inside, and out. She’s certain to have quite a few royal suitors once she takes the throne.”
“Suitors?” Prince Larry repeated, his voice trembling with nerves.
“Of course, she’ll have to be trained in the proper art of royal courting.” The Queen spoke nonchalantly.
Sweetpea grinned sweetly, assuring The Queen “I’d be honored.”
“And Larry, my dear, you’d be an excellent partner for her to learn with.” Queen Blueberry instigated. “You learned from the best, after all.”
“I dunno…” The Prince muttered bashfully. “...Sweetpea probably doesn’t even need the lessons. She’s been coming to our balls and stuff for years!”
“And while she’s certainly far more skilled than any of villager,” The Queen spoke kindly, casting a warm smile at the young woman. “She’s not quite at royal level. But we’ll get her there in no time.”
“Y-yeah but…” Prince Larry tried to interject.
Unfortunately, his mom was too quick. “No buts! You will be an exceptional partner. We’ll start tomorrow, after our mentoring sessions.”
And with that, The Queen closed the conversation. She moved onto royal duties and goings on of the kingdom, though Larry could hardly concentrate. He could hardly eat, either. He felt nauseous, dry mouthed…
… "Hey Mom?” he called as soon as he was sure Sweetpea was out of ear shot. “Can we talk? Alone?”
“Of course, my charming son.” she assured him, before asking “What’s on your mind?”
“If we’re really gonna do…you know…courting lessons…with Sweetpea…I gotta tell you something.” He could feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead. “About…the ball…In February?...I...I messed up. Big time.”
Queen Blueberry knitted her eyebrows in concern “What happened?”
“You have to promise you won’t be mad at me.” The Prince pleaded.
“That depends on what you did.” The Queen narrowed her eyes.
“Mom,” he implored “Please.”
With a nod, she conceded. “Of course, Larry. I will always love you, no matter what.”
Larry took a deep breath. He still felt shaky. He never admitted this to anyone, except God, and while he was doing his best to follow His directions, sometimes he needed an extra clue from his mom. He winced, as though he was ripping off a band aid, and the words rushed out, almost as if they were all one “I kissed Sweetpea.”
There was silence, for a beat. The Queen waited for Larry to open his eyes again. And then, calmly, she asked “Is that all?”
“I kissed Sweetpea. An-and I didn’t mean to! Not that I didn’t want to, but that she probably didn’t want me to…” he began rambling “...anyway, before she could say anything, I lied. I made something up. Told her that I was taught that in courting lessons, and I forgot I was dancing with my best friend. But now, now she’ll know! You don’t go kissing people willy nilly in royal court!”
The Queen nodded, better understanding the dilemma now. “You know, there is an easy way to fix this.”
“There is?” The Prince asked, his eyes wide and hopeful.
“Mmhmm.” She smiled softly. “All you have to do…is tell Sweetpea the truth.”
“I can’t do that!” He gasped. “Then she’ll know I like her! Like her like her! An-and she’s an unwed maiden staying in my home!”
“Have you ever considered…” The Queen ventured “...Sweetpea may return your affections?”
“Yeah. Right.” He rolled his eyes. “She’s…so odd. And awesome. And smart. And beautiful. She’s everything. And I’m just Larry! Sure, I look fabulous, as per family tradition, but-”
“Do you remember the mirror incident?” Queen Blueberry interrupted. “How brave you were, running off to save your friend? Braver than any knight or duke I’ve ever come across. You can use that same bravery. Tell her how you feel.”
Larry nodded slowly, before quietly asking “...but…what if she doesn’t like me the way I like her? She’s my best friend. I don’t want her to be…like…weirded out, or anything.”
“She’s Sweetpea.” His mother reminded him gently. “She may be the nicest person in the kingdom. If she does turn you down, why would she be anything but kind? You are her best friend too, after all.”
“I guess.” The Prince sighed sadly. Despite the sad sigh, however, a small smile flickered onto his face as he added “Thanks, Mom.”
It took a few deep breaths, but he didn’t eventually knock at Sweetpea’s door.
She was in her pajamas when she went to answer the door. She looked so cute, all cozy and ready for bed…
“Hey, um, can I sit down? I have to tell you something.” The Prince admitted. “Something…kinda important.”
“Of course.” She ushered him in, shutting the door behind him. “Is everything alright?’
“Yeah, yeah.” He nodded, perching himself on the edge of her bed. “Or, at least, it will be. I hope.”
Sweetpea did not sit on the other end of her bed. She instead sat down right next to him, brushing against him ever so slightly. “What’s going on?”
“I…I lied to you. And I need to apologize.” He confessed.
“You…you did?” She asked, partially hurt, but moreover, simply confused. “When? About what?”
Closing his eyes, he took another deep breath before asking “Do you remember the ball in February?”
If his eyes were open, he’d see how red her cheeks had gotten, how bashful and coy she was as she smiled “Yes, of course.”
“How I…you know…at the end of our slow dance.” He continued.
Sweetpea nodded, but soon realized his eyes were still closed. She instead verbalized “Of course. Part of your royal court training.”
“Except it wasn’t.” He confessed. “You don’t…you don’t kiss every maiden you dance with. That’s actually very bad show. I kissed you because…because I wanted to kiss you , Sweetpea. Because I…you know…like you. Like, like you, like you. But I wasn’t thinking about our friendship, or-or what you wanted, so I made up a lie. So that things could still be…you know, the same.” He finally opened his eyes. Her expression seemed attentive, gentle, caring, sympathetic. Not mad. He swallowed “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you, and I shouldn’t have lied about why I did. And I hope you can forgive me.”
“Of course I forgive you.” She muttered quietly. “Larry…you were very brave, just now. Telling me that.”
“I should have told you before.” he sighed.
Sweetpea shook her head. “I know how scary it is. Having…feelings for someone you’re close to. Not wanting to ruin the beautiful friendship you have, but not being able to shake the butterflies when that special someone holds you close or smiles at you…”
“You…you do?” He asked, swallowing a lump in his throat. Sweetpea had feelings for someone else. It was like a shot through his heart. But she’d called him brave. So he’d continue to be brave.
Sweetpea nodded, before admitting “And I suppose I owe you a confession, too. About what happened that night.”
“Sweetpea,” he tried “You don’t have to-”
“Shhh,” she gently hushed “I want to. It’s important.”
He nodded, slowly, before granting. “Okay.”
“When we danced,” she sighed dreamily. “When you kissed me…for those few moments before you said anything…I’d never felt more light. Like…I was floating on a cloud. When you told me it was unintended…I crashed. Because I…like you too. Like you, like you. But I thought, because you were so quick to correct the kiss, that you didn’t…”
“But I do!” He quickly gasped. “I do, oh I do like you Sweetpea! More than a friend!”
“More than a best friend?” She asked, wanting to make sure. Despite the mutual confession, it almost didn’t seem real to her.
“More than anyone.” He confessed. “For years now. Before the whole mirror thing, even.”
“Really?” she squeaked.
He nodded gently. “You know how I’m always calling you odd and awesome? That’s…kinda been my way. Of saying that I love you. Without telling you. Although I guess I kinda just told you know.”
“I’m glad you did.” She gently assured him. “I don’t know when I realized it. It was never a dawning of friend to crush. It grew slowly. But I’ve loved you for such a long time, too. I kind of wish I would’ve told you earlier.”
In a bold move, Prince Larry pushed forward, quickly, leaving a light peck on her hairline. “Better late than never.”
Giggling, Sweetpea teased “You missed.”
“I missed?” he ventured, raising an eyebrow playfully.
“You missed,” she repeated, before smiling “my lips are down here.”
“I am alone in an unwed maiden’s room and she’s in her night clothes!” He gasped, pretending to be scandalized. “How dare you suggest such a thing!”
He did, of course, follow up his fake protest with a kiss. Soft, chaste, sweet. Even better than the first.
“You know,” Sweetpea smiled. “Your mother says when I take over the throne, you’d be the guest in my castle. But…there’s a chance that doesn’t have to be entirely true.”
“Oh?” Larry asked, genuinely surprised and curious. “How so?”
“It’s entirely improper for me, an unwed maiden to ask,” she teased “but perhaps…I wouldn’t have to be unwed when I take the throne. And it could still be your castle, too. If you’d like that.”
“Are you kidding?!?” Larry gasped excitedly, quickly planting another swift, chaste kiss on her lips. “I’d love that. And so would my mom.”
The Queen agreed, listening in from the other side of the door, not that she was going to tell them this was her plan all along. Perhaps they’d figure it out on their own eventually.
After all, they figured this part out.