Prince Charming [Mischievous Fairy Tales 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 9

  “Randulf is always fair. He always listens to all sides of everything and makes his judgements based on all information. I’ve even seen him put a judgement on hold until he could gather more details on an incident. While he can be vicious in battle, he is always fair after to those that are injured or wronged.” The king turned to lean back against the stone. “He has a good heart, one that can easily be broken, Princess. His mother’s passing nearly broke him. For a long time he was hurting and wouldn’t let anyone, even me, near. He didn’t speak for nearly a year his grief was so great. If not for that rapscallion Cedric I don’t know if Randulf would ever have gotten out of the depression he’d fallen into.”

  “If you are worried that I will break his heart, don’t. I love him. He is my everything. To me he is my world. I would never, could never give him up. Not in this lifetime or the next. He is mine for the rest of our lives and every life thereafter. He lay claim to my soul and I to his. We belong together. We simply work together.”

  “I know you’d never hurt him, Princess, but I do worry about him being hurt in other ways. He does have a soft heart so you need to be there for the times when outside sources are not feeling so kind,” he murmured. Sighing he looked toward the hills. “He will be a great king but he needs an even greater queen to be there when he needs her to be. Which I think you will be, Cinderella.”

  Cinderella blushed and bowed her head. “Thank you for that vote of confidence.” Licking her lips she added, “I will be there for him in any way that I can. I will always stand at his side, except for the times that I need to stand before him in order to protect him. He is mine. I love him and I will always be there for him.”

  “Good.” He nodded and let out a breath. “All right, now that we’ve discussed the serious stuff I should tell you some stories so you know just what you may be in for when you have children of your own. And if they are ever up to no good, look no further than their father and his friend Cedric. Those two will likely be at the root of most of your children’s antics.”

  Cindy laughed and nodded. “Oh of that I’m very sure. Those two are thick as thieves and I think that’s a wonderful thing. I hope and pray that if we have children one day they will have friends as good as Cedric is to my Randulf.”

  “If they are anything like Randulf they will easily find the most crazed friend they can that will give you grays before your time.” Tipping his head down, he pointed at his temples and near the top of his head. “All these are just from the time that Cedric and Randulf raced around the countryside getting into one thing after another. I’d still have all my normal hair if not for those two lads.”

  “And life would have been far more boring than it has been. Admit it, you are very, very happy that you have not only Randulf but Cedric as well to keep you busy and keep you guessing as to what will happen next.”

  “Oh ho.” He grinned at her. “You’ve found me out, Princess, very smart of you.” He chuckled. “I do admit that when I wasn’t ready to take a strap to their bottoms they were extremely amusing. Though I do wish they hadn’t done at least half of what I know and likely a lot more that I know nothing of and that they will likely never divulge. As their philosophy goes, if no one is the wiser, do not share.”

  “Well I just know that no matter what happens, I’m very happy that they are in my life. They are both amazing men.” And hers, but she didn’t think she should tell her future father-in-law that. “Do you think that my father will object to me marrying Randulf?”

  “I knew him well in my early years as king. He gave me some great advice that is fitting I believe.” He looked to her. “Follow your heart and listen to your gut. Others can always advise and give you their opinion but it is only what you feel that truly matters. If you believe beyond any doubt what you are doing is right and just and represents you the best, do it no matter what the naysayers may spout.” Smiling he shrugged. “Follow what you believe in, Cinderella, and let your father see that love you have for my son. If he is still the same man that gave me that advice than he cannot say anything to dissuade you. Not saying he won’t, you are after all his daughter.” He chuckled.

  Cindy smiled and nodded. “His only daughter, only child at that.” She frowned and added, “What will happen to my father’s kingdom? Since I’m marrying Randulf and he will be taking over yours when you step down as king, what will happen to my father’s kingdom? Who will rule?”

  “Randulf and yourself in the interim if your father doesn’t intend to remain on the throne and, eventually, one of your children would take it over just as one of your children will one day take over my kingdom when Randulf steps down,” he said softly. “It can be done, Princess. It will be a bit of a stretch but as my kingdom is more stable for the time being you and Randulf would likely rule here for a time and then split your years between here and there. Again, this depends on your father of course,” he reminded her.

  “I really hope that he’s willing to stay on the throne for a time because his people truly need him. The kingdom needs him as well,” she admitted with a sigh and then smiled. “I hope to have many children, and if possible, I would love to keep them close.”

  “I’m not suggesting you pop out a child and once he’s potty trained throw him onto the throne, Princess.” He chuckled softly. “He would need to be educated, grow and learn the ways of both war and peace so he, or she, would know just when each was needed.”

  “Oh, heavens no. I don’t want to burden my child with the throne until they were ready for it, not a moment before. My father had to take his father’s throne because of his passing but father was only sixteen summers. That’s far too young and I do believe that is part of why he fell in with my stepmother so soon after my mother passed. He was lonely because he hadn’t had time to forge those forever friendships like Randulf and Cedric have.”

  “I would not worry too much, Princess,” he said softly. “Your father is a young man still. Your children won’t need to take his throne any time soon.” Turning his head he looked toward the growing cloud of dust. “I think we should go and find something cool to drink and relax.”

  “That sounds like a good idea to me,” Cinderella said with a smile and slipped her arm into her future father-in-law’s arm. “Would you like for me to lead the way to the Hall, my lord?” And hopefully by then Randulf and Cedric would be there as well.

  “It is always an honor and privilege to escort a gorgeous woman anywhere,” he said with a huge smile. Walking with her slowly he took a slow breath. “There is much here that needs to be healed but I think, soon enough, everything and everyone will once more truly be happy and secure in their lives with their king home.”

  “I hope that you are right. My poor father has a great deal to overcome. His upset at being a part of it only a small sliver of what has to be done. I love my father, but he should never have left as he did, leaving a woman he barely knew as his queen.”

  “I think he may have realized his error in wedding her as he did but didn’t know how to fix it and hoped he was wrong,” he said quietly as they walked across the courtyard. “I could be wrong, though. I can’t read his mind or presume to know his thoughts, I can only guess.”

  “Well the only thing to be done then is ask him,” Cinderella said confidently. “After I’ve given him a massive hug that is. And then give him grief for being away for so long.” She was caught between happiness that her father was back and anger at him for staying away as long as he had.

  “Do not be too hard on him, Princess,” the king warned softly, gently. “I would wager that the news he got from and about his kingdom came from the queen. Which translates into whatever load of crap she had to feed him to keep him as far away from here as she could.”

  “Oh of that I am very sure. I’m certain that the missives that I sent to him never left this castle. I’m absolutely positive that woman has done everything that she possibly could in order to ensure that my hurt, my frustrations, and anger, as well as sadness nev
er once made it to my father.”

  “If she had let them through, he would have returned and ousted her from the place of prestige and power she had craved,” he said in agreement. “But he is returning now, Cinderella, and you will be able to tell him all that has occurred so that he can make an accurate judgment on her fate.”

  “I just hope that it won’t give him pause when I ask him to allow me to be wed to your son. I love my father, but he is a virtual stranger to me because of how long he has been away, and I would buck against him if he tried to force me to remain unwed.”

  “He may be resistant to how quickly Randulf wishes to marry you, but I think he will allow it. He knew my boy when he was younger, before his mother’s passing, and I’m sure after a time with him again now he will see the love you have for one another,” he told her, stepping into the coolness of the hall at her side.

  “I agree. I don’t think that he would be willing to stand between true love, and that is what I feel for Randulf. A real and true love. A deep and forever love.” One that she had never dreamed she would have and was so happy she did have it.

  “My son is easy to love, but he’s always been very cautious of his own heart and giving of it. I had greatly despaired he would never find someone to open his heart to.” He shook his head. Leading her to the fireplace, he sat only when she had in one of the many chairs there. “I am glad though that he finally found someone that he can love and someone that can love him back.”

  Cinderella smiled. “I do love him, greatly. I was worried that one of the stepsisters would have somehow trapped him into marriage. I’m ever so grateful that he was able to bypass them, however. If not, the first child of their union would not have been his.”

  “Randulf told me all about that and your part in it, as well as your subsequent whipping, which had him rather murderous at the time of the telling. I had to physically restrain him from going down to the dungeons to give the queen, soon to be removed from the throne, the same treatment.”

  “It would have done no good at all. It’s best to simply ignore her and allow my father to deal with her. I just hope that he doesn’t go off the deep end when he learns how many times that she has had me whipped.” She heard his gasp and looked to the king. “No, that was not my first time that she had me whipped.”

  “Randulf said the same but I was hoping he was wrong,” the king murmured. Letting out a breath he shook his head. “I am so sorry, Princess. Had I known, had any of us known we would have come immediately to aid you. While I’m glad it was Randulf who found you and your love, I still feel like I need to shoulder blame for not coming to visit more often.”

  “No one could have known, and even if you had come she would have simply locked me in the dungeons as she had when any other came to visit. The only reason that I was out when Randulf came was because she didn’t believe that he would find out about me. She was confident that she had finally broken me, because I allowed her to think that.”

  “Well then I am grateful for the fact she knew no better or I’d have to force my son to wed someone he could never truly love,” he murmured. “I’ve been on his back about wedding someone so I knew he would have someone to turn to. His reasons for never marrying were always sound and while I despaired greatly I knew I could never truly force him into something he didn’t believe in. I am doubly grateful for you because of that, Cinderella. You’ve shown him hope and love once more.”

  “No more than he has me,” Cinderella whispered softly. “Now, enough of this. Let us only think of happy things. We have a wedding to arrange, after I’ve met with my father of course.” She didn’t speak it aloud, but every move she made whispered at not only her pain, but also her nervousness.

  “I think you should go and rest,” the king told her eyeing her up and down. “You look uncomfortable and I’m betting you are hurting as well. Go and have a nap free of the bindings of your gown and I will send someone to wake you before your father reaches the gates.”

  “You see far more than you let on, don’t you?” Cinderella asked softly. “But I will not argue, sire. I do believe that I will go and have a small nap and let my back breathe without the stays of this wretched gown.” Leaning up she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you again, my lord,” she whispered and turned and was off for her room.

  “I always see more than I let on,” he commented as she walked away. Getting up he went to find his son and let him know that his future bride was in pain. Then he would go and sit on the wall to await the return of this realm’s king so he could smack the younger man upside the head for being a fool.

  Chapter Thirteen

  It was the sound of the horns that woke her, the blast from trumpets that announced the arrival of her father. A smile curved upward as she rose from the bed. Quickly she pulled her gown on and then tugged the bell. When her maid came in she smiled. “Father is home. Please, Helena, hurry and get me tied in so that I can see him?” Helena had been a friend to her and Cindy had worked beside her for a very long time so she asked, not demanded, for help.

  Once she was tied back into her gown Cinderella forced the pain to the back of her mind and raced down the curving stone steps. She heard the laughter of her father’s men first, but didn’t hear him. Stepping into the large open space, she looked for her father but couldn’t find him. Remaining in place because these men, men she had known well as a child, now felt like strangers to her and it made her fearful.

  Moving up at her side, Cedric smiled. “Hi, sleepyhead,” he murmured softly. “We looked in on you earlier but you were snoring much too loudly for us to stay. If you’re looking for your father, he, Randulf, and Randulf’s father are over in the far corner talking. The kings are discussing why we called your father back and are trying to hold Randulf back from doing something stupid. So if you feel the need to go and wrap yourself around him now would be the time, Princess.” He smiled at her.

  Cinderella found them at once and nodded. “Would you mind walking me over there? I know that these are my father’s men, but they aren’t the same men that left here so long ago. They are harder, leaner, meaner looking,” she whispered. “And honestly I’ve never been overly fond of being around so many people at once anyway.”

  “Of course not, Princess.” He smiled. Taking her hand he put it on his arm and led her through the crowd toward the kings and the prince. “Sorry to interrupt but this young lady was looking for her father,” Cedric said, giving a bow to the king he’d only met a few minutes before.

  Cinderella looked up at her father and felt her chest tighten. “Daddy,” she whispered. “Is it really you?” Tears now fell from her eyes. “You’ve been gone so long,” she whispered. “You look so much older.”

  “Cinderella?” the king breathed out staring at her. “Baby?” he whispered opening his arms. Crushing her to him as she flew against his chest he let out a sob. “God you have grown into a woman while I’ve been gone. How can this be?”

  Cinderella pulled back out of her father’s arms and kept him at arm’s length with the pretense of looking at him. Smiling she nodded. “That happens when you are gone as long as you were.” She squeezed his hands. “But you are back now, Daddy, that’s what matters, right?” She was in agony, her back feeling freshly opened from the intense squeeze her father gave her, but it didn’t show on her face one small bit.

  “Absolutely,” Randulf said from behind her touching her hip lightly. “We’re all grateful to have you home, sire, your daughter most of all but your people as well.” Drawing Cinderella back slightly Randulf looked down at her. “We’ve been catching him up on much of what has occurred during his absence under the queen’s rule with the people of his kingdom,” he murmured to her. “He does have questions of your treatment that we felt you should answer since you know better than we do how you’ve fared under her rule.”

  Cinderella leaned into Randulf and looked to her father. “What is it that you would have me tell you, Father? She was”—Cindy paused
for a moment and wrapped her arms around her middle—“she was mean not only to me but the people of the castle as well. She was a terrible, terrible person, Father. Is a terrible person.”

  Rubbing her arms lightly Randulf moved his hands to rest on her shoulders. “The woman had your daughter working in the kitchens and laundry,” he said softly. “She also had her beaten several times over the years, the latest not long after my arrival here in the kingdom.”

  Cindy nodded. “Most recently with the cat-o’-nine-tails,” she whispered. “Which is why I had to pull back. My back is still raw and hurts.” She decided to be blunt with her father. “If not for Randulf and his father.” She shivered. “I’m sure that you would have received word about my unfortunate demise.”

  Pressing a kiss to her temple Randulf watched as her father stared at her for a long time before looking to his father. “You’re safe, love,” he murmured to her quietly. “She can’t touch you or hurt you ever again, not without going through me.”

  “How could this happen?” her father demanded. “How is it I never once heard of this?”

  “Your daughter’s letters were intercepted, Harold,” Randulf’s father murmured. “And the letters you received from the queen were lies to ensure you had no reason to turn your men around and come back to discover all she’d done to your people, the land, and especially Cinderella.”

  Cinderella nodded. “She’s orchestrated everything, Father, so that you would never know. She’s all but emptied the coffers of our kingdom, Father, with her lavish lifestyle. She’s all but killed the villages with her demands for more taxes. You have come home to a mess.”

  “My God,” Harold breathed out and stumbled to a chair to fall into unsteadily. “How could she have done that? She never had the right, not even a little. In all things Cinderella had to sign, it’s how I told the Council it was to be.”