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“Yes,” he says. “Just like in those movies.” His lips quirk as he says the word movies, as if he has not said it before, or at least, not said it in a very long time.
“So it might be best if I just stay here.”
He gives a broad shouldered shrug. “It might be.”
I still don’t trust him, but he’s made sense. If I keep moving there’s no way for Charming to find me, and I have to assume he is looking. He did sail between planets in a flying galleon to find me. I don’t see why he would abandon all hope of marriage and love just because I’ve gone a little bit missing.
“Thank you,” I say. “Thank you for reminding me that I am loved.”
“Is that what I did?”
“I wish I knew your name,” I say. “Then I could thank you properly.”
“I could tell you my name,” he replies with a wink. “But that would unwind the fabric of things a little more, and I am not sure how many threads are left that can withstand the pulling, if you get my drift.”
I think I do understand. There is an undercurrent of madness that is quickly becoming more like a torrent. As curious as I am about this stranger who clearly has an agenda, I am happy to believe him when he tells me I do not want to know more about him.
Instead of continuing on my journey, I sit down right where I am and pluck idly at the grass around me, acting not like a lost princess at all, but more like an innocent relishing nature. I find when I stop that the salty breeze from the not-so-distant sea plays bracingly against my face, and the sun warms my face and I start to feel like things might not be so very desperate after all. What will be will be. I am the princess of this piece, and that means I get my Happily Ever After, one way or another, no matter what I do. Right? Maybe? It’s worth a shot, anyway.
“EMMALINE!”
After several hours of sitting about in a princess-like way, I hear Charming’s roar over the trees and across the mountains. His words boom like a fighter jet hitting the sound barrier, but with far more primal fury.
A huge smile establishes itself on my face. I have never been so very happy to be yelled at before, but hearing Charming’s regal tones is so very reassuring. I am flooded with happiness and relief.
“Here! I’m here!” I cry out, though my voice seems too thin and weak to be heard.
“EMMALINE!” He cries out again, and I know he did not hear me the first time. There is every chance he will pass by without seeing me, because I had to go off the beaten path and wander around precisely the way they tell you not to do when you think you are lost.
“SHE’S HERE!” The stranger raises his voice, and I am shocked to learn that he is capable of shouting with just as much booming authority as Charming. He does me the kindness of clapping his hands over my ears before he makes the universe shake, so though I can hear him, I am not deafened.
Charming comes dashing through the trees a moment later. He has never looked as handsome as he does now, his eyes flashing with ardor, the lines of his face hard with the effort of his hunt. He is wearing armor with his royal insignia, chainmail and tabard replete with the symbol of a green dragon rampant. He swings me off my feet and holds me close.
“I thought I had lost you!” he declares.
“I thought I had lost myself,” I reply. “That Balthazar…”
“Will die,” Charming says simply before kissing me with such passion and desire that I forget about the world outside the pair of us and melt against him.
“You should be more careful with your princesses, my liege,” the stranger interjects.
Charming breaks the kiss and laughs. “You! I should have known. Thank you for your aid, I know I did not deserve it.”
“You did not, and nor did she, but I was amused by her antics, so here we are,” the stranger explains.
“You know this guy?” I ask Charming.
“By many names,” Charming says with a sidelong glance over at the smirking male. “But today, as Luck.”
“That’s your name? That’s what you’re called, Luck? I bet it’s literal. Everything here is literal. So that’s what you were doing? Bringing me Luck? Why were you so annoying, besides dramatic tension?”
Luck smiles at me in that rakish way he has. “People do not appreciate good luck when they receive it unless they are also very well aware that they stand a decent chance of being ruined without it. Good fortune should always be appreciated.”
“I appreciate it greatly,” Charming says. “May you always be by our side.”
