Never After

Darius looked alarmed. “Majesty! I beg you! Shall I bring you proof of my i

He made as if to dash for the door, but Harwin caught him by the collar of his jacket and hauled him roughly back. “I knew you could not be trusted to marry the princess,” Harwin growled. “I knew you were a charlatan and an opportunist. I would be glad to see you hanged for treason.”

My father’s rage was starting to subside as he saw a chance of salvaging this disastrous morning. He even managed a very unpleasant smile. “Yes, and you will be hanged,” he said silkily, “if you do not recant your testimony.”

Harwin jerked on Darius’s coat, practically choking him. “Throw yourself at the king’s feet and plead for your life, you commoner,” he said contemptuously. He dragged Darius up to the stage, while Darius continued to bleat that he was i

His smile growing, my father leaned down and took Darius’s chin in his hand. “Now tell me,” he purred. “Who exactly was meeting with the representatives of Amlertay and Newmirot? Was it you? Or was it the queen?”

Darius lifted both hands in an unthinking gesture of lèse-majesté, and wrapped them around the king’s wrist. “My liege—”

“Who deserves punishment?” my father whispered.

Darius whispered back, “You do.”

And when the brief gold flash of sorcery evaporated, Darius was holding on to the forepaw of a small, furry black dog.

There were screams. Shouts. Swords drawn, doors thrown open. Soldiers rushed in; servants dashed up and down the hallways. The little black dog snapped and howled and scurried from one end of the dais to the other, snapping some more. He was a nasty little cur, his teeth bared in a permanent snarl; if Darius had been close enough to bite, no doubt the dog would have chomped hard on the magician’s arm.

But Darius had used more of that magic to whisk himself out the door, and he was nowhere to be found.

We were left with an exonerated queen, a trio of flabbergasted councilors, and one elated princess.

And her betrothed.

Epilogue

The Happy Ending

There were any number of loose ends to tie up, of course.

Milton and Norbert instantly had soldiers grab hold of Da

“I will happily stay at the palace until my brother realizes the enormity of his crime,” she said. “I will be his living collateral.”

Perhaps only I noticed the smile that passed between her and Gisele as Da

Harwin immediately displayed his practical nature. “We must find fitting accommodations for the king as long as he is in this incarnation,” he said as he and the councilors gathered to discuss a plan of action. “For surely the ke

“Won’t they?” I murmured, loud enough for only him to hear.

“And then we must proceed with a provisional installation of the princess,” Harwin added. “She must govern the kingdom until her father is restored to his proper state.”

“I will assume my duties with a heavy heart,” I said,

“but indeed, I must assume them before the day is out.”

Neville still looked stu

“But who will the princess marry now?” Norbert said with a frown. “That fellow won the competition!”

“I will have to make do with the only other man who passed the tests my father devised so carefully to ensure my happiness,” I said soulfully. “Sir Harwin will be my husband. Very soon.”

Harwin’s father did not look in the least displeased. “Not a bad day’s work, then,” he said, earning a glare from Neville and a smile from Norbert.

“Not a bad day at all,” Norbert echoed.

I didn’t say so aloud, but I heartily agreed.

I was very busy, of course, in the intervening hours, but after lunch I did have time to slip away to the gardens, where Darius was awaiting me by prearrangement. Laughing, I ran up and flung myself into his arms.

“You were brilliant!” I exclaimed. “Magnificent! I ca

He swung me around in one full circle, then set me on my feet. “And Gisele is safe?” he asked urgently. “And Da

“The councilors have apologized to Gisele and she is totally restored to her former position,” I said. “I have noted very solemnly that I will rely on her for guidance in the days ahead, and she has replied solemnly in turn that she will do anything she can to aid me. Da

“Da

“The very notion sounds like death to you,” I said calmly. “Which is why I ca

He peered at me anxiously. “I ca

“I’m going to marry Harwin,” I said. “The thought makes me quite happy, actually.”

Now he looked relieved. “He’s a very good fellow,” he said. “No one I would rather see you with! But it seems a little unfair. I won the competitions, after all, but I don’t get to marry the princess. I never even got a chance to kiss her.”

I tilted my face up. “There’s one last opportunity.”

He didn’t need to be invited twice, and he laid a most enthusiastic kiss upon my mouth. “Oh, now,” he said, lifting his head and giving me a devilish smile, “I liked that so much I might want to stay another day.”

I laughed and pushed him in the chest. “No, you must go before someone finds you. But you must come back, you know—in disguise, perhaps, but as often as you can bear it.”

“I will,” he promised. “And whenever I return, you will have to let me know if it is time to change your father back to a man.”

“Well, I will,” I said, “but I don’t think that day will come soon.”

Hekissedmeagain,touchedafingertomycheek,and spun away into a golden sparkle. When my eyes cleared, he was gone, and not even his shadow remained.

I sighed a moment, remembering his blond curls, his happy air, his good heart. And then I shook my head and remembered my true fiancé, with his steady soul, his deep affection, and a very good heart of his own.

We would be married soon—by week’s end, if I had my way, and I always did. But before then, there was so much else to take care of! I must settle my father in his new quarters, make sure Da

And if I didn’t achieve that final goal, it damn well wouldn’t be for lack of trying.