The pasty chefs were rolling out the enormous birthday cake from the kitchen and into the ballroom, when Brenda and Prince Jasper came back inside the palace. They stood by the door as the pasty chefs quickly wheeled the stunning birthday cake into the ballroom, and when the chefs were gone, they stepped inside, closing the huge double doors behind them.

     Brenda pushed back her wet hair and gazed up at Jax.

     "I would just like to clarify something," Brenda said. "We are *not* getting married."

     Jax just gave her a disbelieving glance and said nothing.

     "Did you hear me, Your Highness?"

     Jax nodded. "Yes, I heard you. Now ask me if I believe you."

     Brenda rolled her eyes, and decided to get clarification on something else. "I would like to make certain of something else," she said gazing at him, then gazing away, then gazing back at him again. "Out there in the rain . . .did you tell me . . well, did you actually say . . . that you loved . . ."

     "Are you ready to go back into the ballroom now? I am sure everyone is looking for the missing birthday girl," the Prince interrupted her. Then he gave her an intimate little smile that made her heartbeat accelerate rapidly, and answered her question at the same time.

     "We cannot go in there," she said, shaking her head. "We are all wet," she reminded him, touching his wet chest.

     Jax shrugged. "It's only water."

     Brenda bit her lip to keep from smiling. "You know perfectly well what I mean, Jax. How are we to explain why we are both soaking wet and . . .umm . . ."

     "Breathless?" he suggested.

     She grinned.

     "Flustered?" he added softly, brushing her lips slowly with his own.

     "Ohhh," she murmured, immediately falling, enthusiastically into the heavenly kiss.

     Jax drew back from her, a sly, cocky grin on his delectable lips. "I wager you *will* marry me, all right," he bragged.

     "I do not know," Brenda said aloofly, trying to act as if the entire thing was of little consequence anyway.

     Jax rose a blonde brow slightly. "You do not *know*?"

     "What I mean is . . . I cannot say," she amended.

     Jax laughed. "You cannot *say*?"

     Brenda scowled at his teasing manner.

     "Well, I do not see why you contend that we must do this. . .this… thing!" she insisted.

     Jax nodded. "This thing. You are referring to getting married, I presume?" he asked her.

     "Yes."

     "Well, Brenda, it is the next natural step for us, that is all," Jax said simply, his marvelous blue eyes sending delightful messages to her heart.

     "No, it is not," Brenda contradicted. "You see, you are ignoring that fact that I barely know you, nor you me."

     "On the contrary. No one knows you better than I do, and the same can be said for the way you know me," Jax said. "Trust me on that."

     For some ludicrous reason, she felt she could offer up no argument for that statement. "Well then there is the fact that you are bypassing the importance of the entire courting phase, Your Highness," she charged.

     Jax’s enigmatic, hint of a smile made her knees melt. "You and I never required such a phase," he informed her. "Besides, what would you call this past week? We’ve had breakfast together nearly every morning, dined together nearly every evening, attended several social gatherings together, danced exclusively with each other at one of them, as I recall . . ."

     "Excuse me, but that was *your* doing," she reminded him.

     "Yes, so it was," he agreed, "but you enjoyed every moment of it, did you not? Do not bother to deny it," he said, tapping her chin softly.

     She could hardly deny it, so she merely glared at him and said nothing, which caused a slight grin to touch his lips.

     "Now, where was I?" he continued. "Oh yes, this courting nonsense. You and I have had a picnic in the garden, horseback rides along the beach, you’ve fall asleep in my arms on numerous occasions, you even saw the inside of my house – and spent the night there -- in a very compromising position with me, I might add," he said, gracing her with a sinfully sexy gaze.

     Brenda rolled her eyes at him and turned her face to stare with great interest at the royal tapestry on the wall rather than recall how wonderful it had felt to fall asleep with him like that. Jax laughed softly and gently took her face in his arms, turning her eyes back to face him. "And frankly you and I have shared countless passionate kisses and gazes that say more than words are capable. I am not making any of this up, Brenda. You know it all is the truth. Now, that sounds like an excellent courtship to me," he concluded.

     "But we have only known one another for one week," Brenda protested. "And yet we are talking about spending the rest of our lives together?"

     Jax shrugged. "A whirlwind courtship then," he acquiesced.

     "That does not ring of sheer absurdity to you?!" Brenda demanded.

     "It is only absurd if you do not love me," Jax responded holding her captive in a gaze so divine that it surely should not be permissible by law. "Or if I do not love you – and you know perfectly well that I do. Beyond all reason, I confess it." Then he touched his lips to her forehead and whispered to her: "We are so phenomenal, you and I, Brenda. Don’t you see that? You do love me, I know you do."

     She could hardly argue with him on that point. They *were* phenomenal together. She could not deny his first point either. The whirlwind nature of what was happening between them was only absurd if she did not love him and he did not love her. And she *did* love him. And she truly believed that he loved her too. When he said the words everything within her melted in some kind of perfect way that filled her heart to a strange overflowing. Blast it, those words of love spoken from his lips were more powerful than any spell the most accomplished sorcerer could ever hope to cast upon a woman. *Why* in heaven’s name he would love her so much, was an entirely different matter she would have to try to figure out.

     Jax stood there waiting for her to say something. With a sigh, Brenda finally said, "I may love you, but I do not understand you."

     Jax laughed and replied. "And you think I understand *you*? He brushed his fingers against the softness of her cheek. "All of this melodramatic protesting over something you bloody well know you want as much as I do -- *that* I do not understand," he added, shooting her another one of those cocky smiles of his that could make her heart leap with joy at the same time that it made her wish to hurl something at his head. "Sometimes I think you are just stubborn for the sake of being stubborn, and nothing else."

     Jax watched in amusement as she struggled between wanting to laugh and wanting to act thoroughly annoyed with him. In the end she finally seemed to make a sort of compromise. "And sometimes *I* think that you are without question the most arrogant man I have ever encountered in my entire life," she said, but she sent him an utterly breathtaking smile even as she made the crack about his perceived ego in being so sure of her feelings for him. "In fact it would not at all surprise me if 'Arrogance' was your true name."

     Jax shrugged. "I shall be quite willing to go by such a name; if you in turn will go by one of *my* choosing," he challenged with a playful spark in his blue eyes.

     Brenda drummed her fingertips against her chin thoughtfully. "Insufferable brat?" she guessed.

     "Extremely tempting and not entirely inaccurate," he confessed, getting a giggle out of her. "But I was thinking more along the lines of love of my life, mate of my soul, gatekeeper of my heart. That sort of thing," Jax responded.

     Oh drat! The man’s words were positively bewitching. He made it so impossible for her to stay upset with him for any length of time. This being madly in love with him business was going to drive her quite . . .well mad . . . she decided, pursing her lips as she mulled over the problem of her heart being so wholly captivated by him in so short a time. She stood on her tip toes and gave him a quick, but passionately arousing, kiss.

     "I do love you," she whispered. "I will not deny that. Now, I really think I should change out of this wet gown," she decided, "and then when I come back downstairs you and I can discuss this silly marriage business like two rational adults. . ."

     But Jax was shaking his head. "There is nothing to discuss," he interrupted. "Either you will, or you will not. I *am* going to ask you, Brenda. Whatever transpires from there is entirely up to you," he told her, sealing it with a kiss that burned a slow and sensuous path from her lips straight to the center of her heart and left her expelling excited little breaths. "I shall see you in the ballroom, birthday girl," he murmured as he spun her around and gently shoved her in the direction of the stairs to go and change her attire.

     As Brenda was making her way back downstairs several minutes later, she saw Simon and Princess Georgina at the foot of the stairs sharing laughter over something.

     "So you *did* enchant Brenda’s shoes that night of the first ball!" Gina said gazing up at Simon with laughing blue eyes. "I knew you did!"

     "I was only doing my part for the cause of true love," Simon said with a grin. "She does love your brother, you know. As madly as he loves her, in fact. She is just the extremely, extremely, *extremely* stubborn sort who needs a push in the right direction every now and then."

     "Yes, Brenda certainly is uncommonly stubborn," Gina agreed.

     "No more so than your brother, really," Simon murmured. "She certainly gives him a run for his money."

     "I *love* that about her, actually! Gina confessed with a wink.

     "They certainly are a match made in heaven," Simon agreed, winking back at her.

     "They are not the only ones," the Princess said gazing into his eyes.

     Simon just smiled at her and nodded.

     Gina cleared her throat then. "Your father told Jax that he and Brenda are destined to have the greatest love of all time -- that it would be written about in history books, for heaven's sake," the princess added with a dimpled smile. "Do you think he was just exaggerating wildly?"

     "Not in the least," Simon responded. "But in order to have this greatest love they need to actually be *together.* It is the getting them together part that is cause for the greatest of headaches."

     Gina laughed. "I would say they have actually been doing a splendid job of winding up together in all circumstances whether they want to or not. With a little help, I am sure. Were you responsible for the runaway bangle that led her to Jax out on the terrace as well?" Gina asked, thinking Simon was wonderfully romantic.

     "Guilty as charged, Your Highness," he confessed with a bow of his head.

     "And for making Brenda forget that other man’s name?" Gina asked, eyes wide with admiration.

     "No. Now *that* I had nothing to do with," he said. "And the love sickness thing, brilliant as it was, was not my doing either. I believe my father concocted that one, but I did play along with it," Simon said with a grin. "And I do think the credit goes to me for giving your brother an enormous bit of assistance in snaring the lovely lady’s heart this evening," Simon added. "I made sure that they were together during the silver rain," he revealed to her with a wink.

     Georgina smiled brilliantly up at him. "The truth rain?"

     "That’s right," Simon acknowledged. "Unless something went completely awry, Brenda was surrounded and confronted head on with every feeling she has for Jax tonight. And the rain would have sang of those truths to her making it absolutely impossible for her to ignore them or pretend they do not exist," Simon explained as he and the princess headed back into the ballroom.

     "He simply adores her, you know," Princess Georgina was saying. "They *have* to get married."

     "They will," Simon said. "It is a thing of destiny. There is nothing that can prevent it."

     Brenda stood at the top of the steps feeling steam coming out of her ears. So! Jax and his spell-casting wizard friends had been manipulating her this entire time! It had been a plot hatched between the three of them all along to make her fall in love with him in the space of a week. No wonder Jax was so confident that she would marry him, what with all of this trickery and sorcery they had been using to force out feelings she would have liked to kept to herself, he had every reason to be so certain his plan would work. It was destiny, Simon said. Nothing could prevent it, he said. Well! She would show him, all right! Yes, she had the perfect plan of revenge for the Prince she both loved madly and wanted to strangle the life out of at this very moment. She would let him go right ahead and espouse his love for her to the blasted high heavens and then ask her to marry him in front of his entire enormous family, and then . . why then she would just as publicly and coldly inform him she did not remotely return his affections and would not marry him if he were the last living male in the entire universe!

     Taking a deep breath to control her emotions, Brenda smoothed down the soft velvet of the stunning violet gown she had changed into, and made her way slowly down the stairs and into the ballroom.

     A hush fell over the room as she entered. She had looked beautiful before in the emerald gown, but now, in the violet creation, she looked simply bewitching. The light from the chandeliers caught the amethysts in her hair making them appear as dazzling points of purple lights against the lush, dark beauty of her tall, lustrous curls. The chandeliers also reflected brilliant sparkles of the scattered diamonds sewn into the hem of her gown.

     Jax, stood, transfixed, his golden chalice of wine arrested on it’s way to his lips as he stared at the girl entering the room as if no one else existed but her.

     Brenda, tried not to, but could not keep her gaze from connecting with his. She noticed that he too had changed his clothing. The word magnificent did not do him justice. And the radiant love she saw sweeping every inch of her in his eyes made her heart hammer wildly against her ribs, and made her reconsider her plan to adamantly refuse his marriage proposal. But her stubborn nature reared up within her and she refused to back down from her plan. He had manipulated her feelings, she reminded herself. Nevermind that her love for him had obviously, impossibly, *always* been there and that it was more profound than anything she could ever remember in her entire life. Nevermind that she now knew this destiny nonsense was undoubtedly truth and that she could never love anyone but him anymore than he could ever love anyone but her. Nevermind that refusing his marriage proposal would be sentencing them both to a life of emptiness, unhappiness and unquestionable misery with other people. It was the principle of the thing! He had coerced and tricked her! He . . ..he had forced her to deal with emotions she had not wanted to. He . . .he had made her love him so very much that it just consumed her heart, damn him!

     Jax was slightly confused by the fiery storm of emotions he saw in Brenda’s eyes, and he went towards her to ask her what was the matter. But he was interrupted by her sister Geneva linking arms with Brenda and dragging her over to the cake.

     "Where have you been, Brenda? We’ve all been waiting for you so that we could cut our cake! Isn’t it glorious?" Geneva breathed looking at the beautiful birthday cake the pasty chefs had took such great pains to create for them. The eighteen candles were lit upon the cake and the lights in the ballroom were dimmed as everyone ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ at the effects. Then Geneva glanced over at Brenda and whispered. "You look perfectly breathtaking. But then again, you looked breathtaking in the emerald gown too. Why did you change?"

     But Brenda never had to answer that question as everyone suddenly burst into a chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’. Then the cake was cut and served with wine and champagne and the twins received their gifts and opened them. Everyone noticed Brenda’s cool detachment, especially in comparison to Geneva’s warm, effusive excitement over the festivities in their honor. And then a hush fell over everyone as Geneva opened up her present from the Prince, a lovely set of sapphire earrings that made Geneva gasp in astonished delight. Even more astonishing, however, was that there appeared to be no gift from the Prince for Brenda.

     Miranda was quick to jump on this fact. "Oh dear, Brenda. It seems that you were forgotten," she murmured sympathetically.

     "Or perhaps the earrings were for both of you," Victoria added, using that same tone of false sympathy her sister was using. "One earring for Geneva, one for you, Brenda."

     Jax sent both sisters a look that felt like ice washing over them.

     "It would be wise not to speak if you are only going to utter complete nonsense," he advised them as both women blushed furiously in embarrassment. "Brenda was most certainly not forgotten," Jax informed them, and everyone else. "I could no sooner forget her than I could forget to draw my next breath."

     Brenda averted her gaze from him, determined not to allow anything he said to affect her and change her mind. She was going to refuse him. Yes she was. And profusely at that! He would never forget the cutting set down she had in store for him tonight.

     Everyone watched as Jax motioned to the Knight Steven, who approached the Prince, knelt in front of him in a bow, handed him a dark velvet box scattered with some kind of shimmering silver gem-dust, then rose to his feet and went back to his post by the ballroom doors.

     Everyone watched in fascinated silence as Jax walked over to Brenda, who along with Geneva was seated amidst their gifts. Jax knelt in front of Brenda as Princess Georgina bit her lip hopefully as she saw the love in her brother’s eyes all but illuminating the entire room. Brenda, for her part, dared not look into those ocean blue depths. Seeing that love would undo her, she knew it.

     "This is my gift to you, Brenda," Jax said. "If you shall accept it." He opened the little velvet box and everyone saw the dazzling diamond ring surrounded by brilliant tiny rubies which had belonged to Jax's great, great, great grandmother, Queen Anastasia. Everyone knew the significance of this particular ring being offered to a woman by the Prince. It was only to be given to the woman he wished to marry. No one else.

     Brenda, despite herself was momentarily spellbound by the breathtaking crown jewel and it's profound meaning in being offered to her. But then she lifted her eyes to his and he saw the gorgeous defiance in them. She was going to refuse him, he realized, an incredulous sensation seeping into him at the thought of such an unthinkable thing happening. Brenda was indeed about to issue the coldest ‘no’ she could muster, when Jax suddenly continued, not allowing her to speak just yet.

     "I dreamed of you – all my life," he told her, and everyone else within ear shot. "And all my life I have searched for you everywhere. Everywhere, Brenda," he said, tilting her chin and forcing her to look at him when she once again quickly tried to glance away.

     He saw her swallow. He saw the stubborn defiance seem to fade ever so slightly.

     "Yes, it is true that you were foretold to come into my life. Yes it is true that, despite what I told you, it was always you that I wanted from the day we met," he told her. "That first look in your eyes . . . . I can’t ever forget it. You melted me, Brenda. No woman has ever done that to me before. My heart surrendered to you instantaneously. That is unheard of to me, and yet it happened. I felt it. I knew then, that you belonged to me, and you must understand that it is not in my nature to let go of things that are mine."

     He saw her chewing on her lip, undoubtedly trying to retain her resolve to refuse him.

     "I promise you, as I give to you, my heart, that nothing in this world shall ever come between us as long as I live and breathe," Jax said bending his head to kiss both of her hands. "You already know that you are my happily ever after, I think I have made that quite clear to you" he said, blind-siding her with that smile that everyone always thought was something sent by the gods themselves. "But only you can tell me if I am yours."

     He felt her chin quiver in his hands.

     "I love you with all of my heart, Brenda. All of it. You complete me, and you know this." He paused and kissed his trademark heart around her face. Then he gazed at her, deeply into her eyes, his eyes imprisoning her heart. "And I complete you too, don't I? So what else are we do to, really?" He held her face in his hands, their eyes connected in a deep, captivating gaze. "Will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?" His thumb brushed softly along her lips and his eyes simply seduced her soul. Then he mouthed the words 'Say yes,' accompanied by that little grin and flash of dimples that she always found utterly irresistible, and she knew she had been done in.

     Oh, he was IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!

     She chewed on her lip harder as if that would somehow hold the word she was about to say back. It didn’t of course. "Yes," she said, appalled at how quickly she had crumbled. But then his eyes were lit with happiness and that adorable boyish, cocky ‘I told you so’ grin was touching his lips as he slid the beautiful diamond and ruby royal ring on her finger, and she just couldn’t help but laugh with glee as she tossed her arms around him and he lifted her up in a happy twirl as everyone in the room cheered wildly.

     Her sisters stared at each other in amazement. Brenda had said YES?

     Despite her disappointment in herself for chucking her plan so unceremoniously like that, Brenda could not help but be thrilled to have Jax’s arms around her as he spun her about, his laughter and hers filling the room, along with the continued cheers and clapping of Jax’s family and her own. Oh well, she decided, she would enjoy this. Enjoy this happy moment and the absolute heavenly sensation of being held in his arms like this. After all, it was sure to be a long engagement and it was common knowledge that royal wedding plans took forever to be completed. She could call it off anytime in between this engagement and the actual ceremony she reminded herself, feeling much better about caving in so shamelessly.

     "Well congratulations, my son!" King John said and then tipped his champagne chalice at Brenda as well. "And my daughter to be," he added, smiling at her. "When would you two like to be married?" he inquired calling over his squires to take down the news to spread the proclamation to all of the subjects of the kingdom this very night.

     "Well, we have not really discussed . . . " Brenda began.

     "Tomorrow," Jax interrupted her, stunning everyone, most especially his new fiancee, who stood next to him, her mouth open in astonishment, that stubborn defiance back in her eyes. Jax saw the spark of defiance return and said: "Yes *definitely* tomorrow."

     Brenda, who’s hand had been intimately linked with Jax’s tried to yank her hand out of the intimate entwining of their fingers, but he held onto her tight.

     "Jax!" she said, all but glaring at him. "I cannot *possibly* . . ."

     "Wait until tomorrow?" he finished for her. "Very well then, my love. We can do it tonight. We can do it right now, in fact, " he said with a raise of his eyebrows. "Isn’t that right, Uncle James?" Jax asked, directing his gaze to his uncle, the Bishop of Canterbury.

     Brenda felt the world spinning insanely out of control as the Bishop began to nod in assent to Jax’s request. "N…no, no, no," Brenda said quickly. "It . . er . . would not be right nor fair to rob the kingdom of seeing their Prince’s royal wedding. T. . tomorrow will be fine," she said, shooting an ‘I shall kill you!’ glance at her devastatingly handsome fiancee.

     "Oh marvelous! Simply marvelous! Granted, one days notice is a monumental challenge that will likely kill me, but your dear old mum is up to it, my boy. I'm sure it can be done," she assured Jax, as she glanced over at Simon, who she realized, along with Malvodio could easily make this sensational royal wedding come to life in the space of one day. "We've plans to make, then, *so* very many plans!" the Queen said cheerily as she grabbed a hold of Simon and breezed out of the ballroom with several attendants, giving instruction to every one of them.

     Jax smiled sexily at Brenda. "Tomorrow it is then," he said raising a glass in toast to her and handing her one too. Brenda considered smashing her glass against his gorgeous head instead, but managed to smile sweetly and clink her glass gently against his own.

     Jax bent to kiss her cheek and she kissed his in return and then took the opportunity to whisper fiercely "If you actually *think* there is going to be a wedding tomorrow . . ."

     "Oh, there will be," Jax said with certainty.

     "Stop it!" she said. "Stop being so *sure* about everything! For your information, Jax, I . . I have just now, just this *very* minute, changed my mind about marrying you!" she informed him as she glanced at him, then glanced away, then glanced at him again.

     He began to laugh softly which enraged her. "Why are you laughing?!" she demanded, still managing to keep her voice in an admirable whisper as she kissed his cheek again, closer to his lips this time, so that no one would wonder what they were whispering about. She very much wanted to kiss his lips directly, honestly. Preferably for a very long, very slow, period of time. And without an audience, of course.

     "I am laughing, because I do not believe you, Brenda. You always glance away from me when you are uncertain or being untruthful," he pointed out. "Would you like to dance with me?" he said, as the palace musicians struck up a lovely melody of celebration and Jax slid his arms around he and led her into the center of the ballroom as everyone watched them, thinking they were simply the most beautiful couple there ever was.

     "Jax!" Brenda said, even as she felt that heavenly sensation of being in his arms again. "I shall have you know that I am *on* to all of your manipulations, and further more you do yourself a grave disservice by assuming I shall marry you in the morning!"

     "No, not in the morning, sweetheart. In the afternoon. 3 o’clock," he notified her. "And what manipulations are you talking about?" he asked curiously.

     Brenda wanted to choke him. "Oh you . . you are impossible! Impossible I tell you! Impossible!" she fumed.

     "I do not deny it," he agreed with a shrug. "In fact, I think you are quite right. My mother often calls me impossible. My sister certainly bandies the word about in my presence on a daily basis. Why, even the trees in the Enchanted forest have been known to tell me that I. . ."

     "Jasper Andrew Xavier William Jonathan Philip Christopher Jacks, I shall have you know that you are not funny!"

     "No?" he asked, looking wounded.

     "No! And . .and . . I will further have you know that you will be very lucky if I decide to show up at this blasted wedding of yours tomorrow!" she warned him.

     "I was very lucky the moment I met you," he corrected her, kissing the tip of her nose.

     Brenda opened her mouth to shoot off a retort to him, but then she realized what he had just said to her and gazed up into this eyes in exasperation.

     She sighed as her arms slid around his shoulders as they danced. "What is it that you do to me?" she groaned, her head resting against his chest as her heart beat gently next to his.

     "I believe it is called loving you with every fiber of my being. But, do not hold me to that, for I could be mistaken."

     He felt her laughing against him, and then felt her soft, warm lips glide intimately along his cheek several times.

     "I do love you. And we *are* getting married tomorrow, Brenda," he informed her.

     "I know," she responded with a sigh.

     Jax kissed the top of her head, wondering with mild suspicion at her sudden relenting, and also wondering how long it would take her to once again change her mind between now and tomorrow.

Song Credit: "Storybook" written by Frank Wildhorn and Nan Knighton, available on the album entitled The Scarlet Pimpernel on Angel Records.