Page 47 of My Princeling Brat (Tales from the Tarot #2)
Slamming my palms together, I formed a magnetic shield that repulsed the storm. Bits of metal rained down and collected on the ground. From the fallout, I fashioned a single spear made of mixed metals, one that would end his life, if I must.
Kane’s jaw clenched, eyes flicking from the point of my spear toward the cell where Cedrych was imprisoned.
With a twist of his hand he produced a single star-shaped blade, its edges razor-sharp.
I realized too late his intention. Another flick of his wrist sent the blade flying in the direction of my beloved prince’s lily-white throat.
Not knowing what else to do, I threw the spear with all my might.
It clashed with Kane’s murderous blade and both fell to the ground with a clatter.
“Cheating bastard,” I uttered and then Kane was advancing, lifting me from the ground by my throat with his armored fist. His gauntlet’s grip was too strong to break, so I used my remaining strength to summon what remained of my vanadium rod, sharpening the end of it to a fine point.
My vanadium knew my heart’s intent and, like a loyal pet, it obeyed its master.
With as much power as I could muster, I drew back my blade and stabbed Kane in the side.
I felt the crunch of his armor, then something softer gave way.
Simple methods may show a lack of talent and imagination, but they get the job done.
The pressure around my neck relented and I fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Cedrych was rattling the bars of his cell while hollering his head off. Kane, badly injured and bleeding out, dropped to one knee, lifted his hand, and aimed his wicked sorcery at the prince.
“Absolutely not,” I uttered. I summoned a scrap of vanadium from the pile of debris and brought it down on his wrist, severing his hand.
Kane threw his head back and howled like the devil that possessed him.
My guards rushed in at that moment, took in the scene surrounding us, and immediately set to making arrests.
The Keepers tried to flee in all directions, but my guards were already blocking the exits in anticipation of their escape.
The queen’s soldiers took flight and swiftly chased down any stragglers.
I rose and strode over to the prince’s enclosure, laid one hand against the metal bar and bent it, allowing him enough room to shimmy through.
Immediately I was engulfed in the biggest, most heartfelt hug of my life.
“My lord,” Cedrych said.
“Cedrych.” I pulled back to inspect him from head to foot. “Are you harmed?”
“No. I am healthy and whole and your nemesis will never harm you again.”
“Nor you,” I swore to him.
For too long, I’d let that despicable man isolate me from my people, shutter me inside my cold, lifeless fortress without a friend or companion.
Without Cedrych, I might have continued that joyless existence, living in fear of the next attempt on my life, putting my heart on ice because to love someone, and potentially lose them, was too great a risk.
Never again would I be at the mercy of such a person or hold myself back from what I wanted out of fear. And what I wanted stood before me now.
“Cedrych, there’s something I must tell you,” I began, gathering my courage. I’d waited too long already, and had nearly lost him, first to his mother’s politicking, then to Kane’s malicious scheming. I wouldn’t allow anything–not even my own fears of abandonment–stand between us again.
“Yes, Mercier?” he said, staring back at me with his eyes of elvish blue, patiently waiting.
I dropped to one knee and presented him with the ring from my own right hand. It had belonged to my father, his wedding ring, and now I hoped it would belong to him.
“My prince, I am not your owner, but I am your guardian, your protector, your steward, and beloved attendant. I have been entrusted with the safekeeping of something precious, someone whom I cherish above all else. What I protect is not my property, it is a piece of my soul. You are my soul, Cedrych. And I’d like to devote the rest of my life to serving you, until I draw my last breath.
Please, if you’ll have me, be my husband and my royal consort?
Stay with me here in the elvish realm and rule alongside me for the rest of our lives? ”
Cedrych, smiling wide and with merriment in his eyes, held out one hand. “Mercier, my lord, of course I will marry you.”
“Do you love me, sweet prince?” I asked, for I wanted our union to be one of passion and sentiment, not simply a political match.
“I love you more than I could possibly express in words, and I hope to show you the depth of my affection every day for the rest of my life.”
“I love you too, sweet boy.” I could scarcely believe my good fortune.
Cedrych stared at me expectantly, then cleared his throat. “The ring, Mercier?” he said with a mischievous smile on his face..
Dizzy with happiness and surrounded by applause, I slid the ring onto his finger and kissed his hand. Then I kissed his mouth, not caring in the least who might be watching. I wanted to bite him too, but not with his mother around, since Cedrych had a habit of losing control.
“You will be mine forever,” I told him, then I thanked the Goddess Imogen for this rare blessing and promised to always cherish the gift I’d been given.
“Forever your brat,” Cedrych said with a twinkle in his eyes. “Tell me, have you tamed me yet, my lord? Or is my tutelage to continue?”
I shook my head and smiled wide. “It will take a lifetime to tame you, my prince, and I see no end in sight with regard to your tutelage, but your love has surely set me free.”
The prince smiled softly, radiating so much tenderness and love.
“Then we are both better for this union.” He gripped me tightly and I buried my face in his neck, scenting his joy and his pleasure while mouthing the betrothal bite that had set these events in motion.
It was my first commitment to him, the first of many.
From across the cavern, I noticed his mother watching us, an inscrutable expression on her face. If I did not have her blessing, then there was always the other option.
War.