Page 19 of If the Shoe Fits (Rainbow Tales #2)

The next morning, Xander woke with aches everywhere.

Not only did his body hurt from sleeping on the stone floor, but his heart did as well.

He knew that the only salve for it was Leo.

He wanted Leo. Not just as a lover. He wanted forever.

Just the two of them. To have to watch Leo stride around with his wife on his arm would kill Xander. He couldn't do it.

Nevan said he could help Xander get everything he wanted with magic, but Xander was too new to magic to know what was possible. He just couldn't imagine how a spell could make it possible for him to marry Leo.

Still, he got up and hurried to the stable as he'd been doing every morning lately.

Hope can bloom even in a wounded heart. Xander didn't expect to find Leo there.

It was far too early for the lord to arrive.

Correction: Leo was a prince, not a lord.

A lot of things made sense now. Like how Leo couldn't stay the night with Xander and how he often had a time limit on the length of his visit.

So, no, Xander didn't expect to see Prince Leovar in the stable that morning. But he did expect to see Nevan.

There was no Nevan in the stable.

Xander tried not to be disappointed. It wasn't unusual for Nevan to show up later, sometimes even an hour after Xander got to the stable.

Xander sat down on a horse blanket and unpacked his meager breakfast of a hunk of stale bread and a slice of cold meat pie.

After taking a deep breath and focusing on the bread, he did as Nevan had taught him and called upon the magic inside him.

It still shocked Xander every time the tingling feeling rose in him.

Even more amazing was that it left him and went into the bread.

In seconds, a shimmer coated the bread, and when the glittering light retreated, a steaming bowl of porridge sat there, speckled with berries and drizzled in honey. Xander grinned in delight.

“Porridge?” Nevan bent over Xander's shoulder and scowled. “Again? I don't understand your fascination with stewed grain. What happened to the scones?”

Xander's grin broadened, but he didn't confess how happy he was to see Nevan. “It's warm and delicious when you blend it with honey and berries. Plus, it fills me up longer than scones. Plus, it's very comforting on a cold morning like this one. Warms me up from the inside.”

Nevan shrugged and picked up the cold pie. As he sat down across from Xander on the blanket, he asked, “What about this?”

“I think I'll save that for lunch.”

“Kid, have I taught you nothing?” Nevan tossed the pie back on the blanket. “You don't have to worry about saving things like food when you have magic. Eat your fill. We can always make more.”

“But don't I need to have some food to change it into a different type of food?” He picked up his bowl and pulled a wooden spoon out of his pocket.

“Is that bowl food?” Nevan tapped the clay bowl.

Xander paused in scooping up the porridge. “No.”

“No, it's not. Transforming things is a minor magic and has few limitations. You could change a piece of hay into a feast if you had enough focus and magic available to you.”

“Truly?”

“Oh, yes. A lot of magic is limited here since it comes from the first realm, but transformation is easy.” Nevan grinned. “Which leads me to my solution to your princely problem.”

“Solution?”

“Yes. You want a prince who can only marry a woman. And his father happens to be throwing him a party to find that bride.”

Xander scowled. “Yes. A party to gather all the women for Leo to pick from.”

Nevan grimaced. “Like buying a horse.”

“A bit. Yes. But the horses are eager for the sale.”

Nevan leaned closer to say, “And you will be among them.”

Xander ate a few bites of porridge and stared at Nevan, waiting for him to continue.

Nevan waited for Xander to ask.

One of them had more patience than the other. Xander would have said it was he, and normally, it would have been. Except that in this instance, Xander really was as eager as one of Leo's potential fillies.

“What's the plan?”

“I thought you'd never ask,” Nevan drawled and leaned back against the stall wall.

He picked up a slim piece of hay and waved it through the air. The hay became a diamond earring, a teardrop-shaped stone dangling from a large round one. Nevan angled it so that the weak morning light caught it and sent sparkles dancing around the stall.

“It's lovely, but not my style,” Xander drawled. Then he blinked. “Hold on. I can make treasure?”

“You just thought of that?” Nevan grimaced. “Sometimes, I am shocked at your wisdom, but most times it's the reverse.”

“The reverse, as in I'm shocked at your stupidity? Yes, absolutely.”

“Oh, well done. That was witty.” Nevan chuckled. “You're very amusing once you've been fed. But this earring isn't a joke or treasure for you to sell. And it will absolutely be your style when I turn you into a woman.”

Xander sputtered and choked on his porridge.

Nevan leaned in and smacked Xander's back. “Are you all right, kid?”

Xander jerked away and glared at Nevan. “That's your solution? You want to turn me into a woman?”

“Only for a night. And you won't be transformed. I just said that for effect.”

“It has definitely affected me.”

Nevan snorted. “Recall how I said there are limitations to most magic cast here?”

“Yes, and you said transformation has no limitations.”

“No, I said transformation is easy. Most of it is, at least. You see, transforming living things is a different kind of transformation magic. You have to work against flesh and blood that knows what it is. " It can't be done here, in the mortal realm.”

“So, you're not turning me into a woman.”

“No.”

Xander waited.

“I'm making you look like a woman. It's illusion magic. We call it a glamour.”

“A glamour.”

“Yes.”

“I'll be under a glamour that makes me appear to be a woman?”

“Yes.”

“While I'm still a man?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, I'm going to need a little more explanation than that.”

“All right, so, from what I overheard yesterday, the King of this land wants his son—Leovar—to marry a woman and produce heirs.

He doesn't care who this woman is as long as she comes from a noble family.

He doesn't even care if Leovar keeps a male lover. He just wants a few heirs popped out to ensure the line of succession.”

Xander blinked. “Yes?”

“So, here's my plan—you will attend that party as a mysterious, gorgeous lady of noble birth, dressed in sparkling jewels and the finest gown in all the land. Even your shoes will be remarkable. I will ensure you get the Prince's attention. Or at least, his father's. ”

Xander snorted. “Great. And once Leo is interested in a sparkling woman, then what?”

“Well, that's the point. You will attract his attention, but it won't be sexual.

He isn't interested in women. No matter what they wear, Xander.

But the Prince will see all the attention you garner and realize that you'd make the best bride.

He'll approach you, ask you if you would consent to his arrangement, and you will agree.”

“I still don't see how this will—”

“Shush!” Nevan tapped the bowl of porridge with the earring. “Eat up. Maybe that will stop you from interrupting me.”

“Fine. Go ahead and tell me how being a woman for one night will help me.” Xander huffed and resumed eating his breakfast.

“You will agree to the Prince's arrangement and dance with him the rest of the night. Keep those other fillies at bay.” Nevan waved his arm about and hummed a tune. Then he stopped to point at Xander. “But you will remain mysterious. If the Prince asks your name, you will give him a fake one.”

Xander swallowed and said, “As if I could use my real name.”

“Actually, I think it might be fun if you used something similar. Kind of like a clue.”

“Like what? Xanderina?”

Nevan snorted a laugh. Then he cocked his head. “How about something that's similar to your other name?”

“What other name?”

“The one the bitch calls you. ”

“You want me to use the name my monster of a stepmother calls me?”

“Monster.” Nevan chuckled. “Your stepmonster!”

Xander just stared at him.

“Why not make a mockery of it?” Nevan tapped Xander's nose. “I see a certain poetry in using it to gain the hand of the Prince while you escape hers.”

“And how would you make Asher sound feminine?”

“Maybe not Asher. That's too spot-on. What else do you call ashes? Embers? Emberine maybe?”

“No, embers are still lit. Ashes are cold.” Xander looked down into his porridge and pushed it around with his spoon. “Just like my breakfast.”

“Stop being so dramatic. You know you want to change that slop into scones.

And you know you want to make enough for your amazing, brilliant Shining One mentor to enjoy with you.

Never mind, I'll do it.” Nevan tapped the bowl, and the porridge turned into a plate of scones complete with containers of jam and clotted cream.

“Oh, I know! Cinders. They call them cinders. What was that other name you used? Xanderina?” Nevan snickered.

“How about we put them together? Cinderina.”

“That's awful. Cinderella would be better.” Xander fixed himself a scone, took a bite, and thought it over. “It's not terrible.”

“Plausible, even. And unique! When they go looking for you, they won't mistake another woman for you.”

“Wait. What do you mean 'when they go looking for me?'”

“Pay attention, kid.” Nevan tossed Xander the earring and picked up a scone.

Xander caught the earring and turned it over in his palm. “This is beautiful.”

“Thank you. Now, aren't you the teeniest bit interested in seeing the dress I’ll come up with?” He slathered jam and cream on his scone and then groaned as he ate.

“I'm not going to wear a dress.”

“Oh, get over yourself! You'll look magnificent.”

“I still don't understand. You want me to go to the party, semi-seduce Leo, get him to choose me to be his bride, and then what? Run away?”

“No, you have to stay until the end of the party so that he can't choose someone else.”

“Uh huh.”

“You must sign an engagement contract.”

“Right.”

“And then you run away.”

Xander sighed.

“Look, Leo will choose you, and his father will approve of the match.

Once the contract is signed, they'll announce it.

Make sure they announce it at the party.

Once it's announced, word will spread. Then, when you vanish, they'll have to look for you. It will be a huge thing. The King will need to find you to save his reputation even more than he needs to provide a bride for his son.”

“But he'll never find me.”

“Ah, but he will.” Nevan spun his finger. “Right when they're about to lose all hope, you show up at the castle in another fancy dress. But then you reveal who you truly are—in private—and make your demands.”

“Huh?”

Nevan rolled his eyes. “Xander, after all the searching, the King will need Cinderella. He will need her specifically, and you will be the only one who can give her to him. At least, partially.”

“How?”

“I'll teach you how to glamour yourself, of course.”

“I thought you said I'd only have to be a woman for one night?!”

“At first.” Nevan held up his hands. “Look, kid, do you want this boy or not?”

“I do. But I want him as myself.”

“And you will be yourself. Most of the time.” Nevan held up a hand before Xander could interrupt.

“You will bargain with the King. He'll get the royal wedding and his beautiful new daughter-in-law. She will be available for any royal appearances that must be made. But the rest of the time, you will be yourself, and you will have your prince.”

“But I won't give him children. That's the only reason his father wants him to marry a woman.”

“Yes, which is why we must go through all of this and put the King's pride on the line.

It's the only thing a king values more than heirs.

Besides, it's not unheard of for women to be infertile. Sometimes even the most perfect brides cannot produce heirs. Cinderella will simply be one of those sterile women. How sad.” Nevan pouted.

Xander put his scone down. “Do you really think it will work? ”

“Of course, it will work! I came up with the plan myself.”

“But what about Leo? I don't know if he'd agree to deceive his father like that.”

“That's why you're not going to tell him.”

“I can't do that to him!”

“Why not? He did it to you. He didn't tell you he was your prince.”

Xander went still.

Nevan lifted his crimson brow. “How long have you two been together?”

“A while.”

Nevan stared.

“Almost two months. And that was before you came.”

“And during all that time, he never told you the truth.”

Xander cursed.

“It will just be for that one night. After the plot is underway, you can tell him. It will make things easier to have him helping us. He'll be able to tell you when the best time would be to approach his father.”

“I don't know, Nevan. I thought you could just magic us together.”

“That would be an impressive spell indeed.” Nevan shook his head. “Maybe one day you'll be capable of such, but not here, Xander. You'd need the power of the first realm for that.”

“That's the second time I've heard you call it the first realm. ”

“That's its name. Because it was the first. The human realm branched off from it. Or so our legends say.”

“Right, so I can't just cast a spell to remove the obstacles between Leo and me.”

“Not here.”

“Have you forgotten that I can't go to your first realm?”

Nevan grimaced. “Yes, I guess I did.

“I can't cast the spell because I will never have access to the magic in the first realm.”

“What a waste of power.” Nevan grimaced. But then he brightened. “But you will be powerful here, Xander. Just as I vowed. And until you are, I will use every trick I know—magical and not—to get you your prince.”

Xander looked at Nevan. Saw his earnestness. His obvious desire to help. He really wanted Xander to be happy. “Thank you, my friend. I don't know if this will work, but I love you for putting so much thought into your plan.”

Nevan's smile trembled. “I, uh. I care about you too, kid. And you're welcome.” He tapped the plate of scones, and steam rose from them. “Now, come on. It's as if they're fresh from the oven.”