When Michael Carruthers arrived at the crowded square, he was hardly surprised by the massive collection of high-spirited people; men, women and children, gathered by the steps of the cathedral, giddy with excitement at their Prince’s sudden nuptials. Michael made his way through the throng of bodies, but froze upon seeing the cathedral surrounded by Knights of the Realm on horseback, their sheathed swords handles glinting brilliantly in the glittering sunlight. He’d been laying low for days, as some sixth sense told him that the Prince’s knights were looking for him, and not to exchange pleasantries or sympathies on his total expulsion from the Queen’s army. His suspicions had been confirmed yesterday when his belligerent, drunken landlord had demanded to know what kind of trouble he was in that had Realm Knights knocking on the landlord’s dwelling asking for Michael’s whereabouts. And so Michael knew they were looking for him and was not about to let them find him now. He melted in with the crowd outside the Westminster Abbey and waited. Waited for the chaos to erupt within . . .
Behind the resplendent stained glass windows of the Westminster Abbey cathedral, the wedding guests tittered with laughter as the Bishop had to for the fifth time pose the question to the breathtaking young bride.
"Let us try this again, shall we?" The Bishop said glancing at the innocent-looking Brenda and then at his exasperated looking nephew, Jax.
Brenda nodded solemnly, trying not to smile with glee at the mild annoyance she was causing her almost-husband. She heard her little sister giggle however, and that nearly set her off, but she managed to keep up her facade of serious concentration on the regal matrimonial ceremony. Brenda cast a quick glance over at Kayla who had a sleepy-looking smile on her darling face as she leaned against their father, looking oddly worn out, Brenda thought with a tiny frown. Brenda’s attentions were turned back to the Prince and the Bishop as both men cleared their throats to get her attention.
"I am sorry," she said with a smile that would have made them forgive her anything.
"All right, my dear. One more time," The Bishop said. "Do you, Brenda Veronica Barrett, daughter of Sir Harlan Barrett and Lady Veronica Wilding Barrett take His Royal Highness Jasper Andrew Xavier William Jonathan Philip Christopher Jacks, beloved son Her Majesty Queen Jane, beloved son of His Majesty King John, adored brother of Her Highness Princess Georgina, Prince of all Fahrlane, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and cherish, to honor and obey, in the eyes of god and all witnesses herein for as long as you both shall live?"
Brenda was really having a problem with this ‘obey’ part.
"I . . .choo!" she said sneezing for what was now the sixth time.
Jax rolled his eyes and looked as if he would like to ram his head into a wall. The wedding guests were once again atwitter with amused laughter at poor Lady Brenda’ inability to say "I do" to their beloved Prince.
"Bless you, my child," The Bishop said, his own lips twitching at this most unusual, rather humorous cause of delay in the wedding ceremony. What unfortunate timing for the lady Brenda to come down with a bit of summer cold. Although, the vast amusement in her lovely gold-flecked eyes combined with the exasperation in the prince’s stunning blue eyes made the Bishop wonder about the true source of Brenda’s strategically timed sneezes.
"Uncle, might I have a private word with my bride, please?" Jax said quietly to his uncle.
"By all means, Your Highness," The Bishop said, doing his best to control his desire to grin as he stepped away somewhat to give the almost-marrieds a bit of privacy for the little sparring match he anticipated was about to quietly erupt between them.
Jax placed his hands on the slender waist of his bride who was a pure vision in shimmering white, and learned forward, whispering to her. "All right, what are you doing?" Jax asked her.
"I believe it is called sneezing, Your Highness."
"I believe it is called *stalling,* your Almost-Highness," Jax countered.
"Would you like me to stop it?" she asked sweetly.
"Yes!" he said, trying to rid himself of the urge to strangle her beautiful little neck.
"Very well then. All you have to do is admit to me right now the plot you and Simon and Malvodio have been hatching to get me to marry you. I have a list," she said, pulling a tiny scroll of paper from the bosom of her stunning wedding gown, to Jax’s incredulous surprise, "and I would like you to confess to them. As soon as you do, and apologize to me for your trickery, I will happily say my "I do’s" to you, Jax."
Jax blinked. "You have a list?!" he whispered incredulously.
She shrugged. "Well, I did not want to forget anything. Now, shall we begin?"
Jax stared at her, still incredulous. "Brenda . . ."
But Brenda was gazing down at her little list of accusations. "Did you instruct the sorcerer Malvodio to speak to me of destiny that first night that I met him in the forest?" she asked. "And to then convince me that I had a malady known as love sickness for which you were both cause and cure?"
Jax sighed, realizing he would have to endure this litany of nonsense to appease her.
"No," he said.
"You must answer me truthfully, Jax,’ she reminded him.
"I would never answer you untruthfully, Brenda," he said quietly.
"Then truly the answer is no?" she asked, gazing up at him with eyes that made his heart shiver with love for her.
"Yes," he said. "The answer is no."
Brenda frowned a bit. "Did you instruct the sorcerer’s son, Simon, to enchant my shoes at the Danvers Ball so that I could only move in your direction?"
Jax grinned, seeming to find that very amusing. "No. Did he do that?" he asked with another grin. He had strictly forbade Simon to use any magic that night. Not that Simon *ever* listened to him. Or to anyone.
"And you did not instruct Simon to further enchant the bangle that was given to me that night? To render it incapable of staying upon my wrist? To make it roll along the floors of the ballroom and lead me . . .straight to you? Or to tell me that the only way to cure the love sickness was to kiss you?"
Jax’s grin got sexier. "No," he said. "Although, if he did in fact do these things, I do believe he is part genius, and I am forever in his debt."
Brenda looked stunned that Jax truly had no idea that Simon and his father had been advancing their relationship with the aid of magical spells and playful trickery. "And sot hen, you knew nothing of the silver rain?" she asked softly.
"I know what it is," Jax responded., "I know what it does – it makes one tell the truth. Is that what you are asking?"
She bit her lip and shook her head feeling full of regret for delaying the wedding to accuse him of a barrage of things he had no idea about! "But you knew nothing of Simon instructing me to kiss you in the silver rain in order to end my love sickness. And I do not suppose you had anything to do with the awful dream I awoke to this morning? The dream I had about . . . losing you?" she asked as she crumpled up the list of accusations in her hand.
Jax’s eyes lit with understanding. "You dreamt of such a thing? That would explain your delightful behavior this morning when I saw you," he murmured. "Brenda," he said, taking her face in his hands, "don’t you know nothing like that can ever happen? You losing me, or me losing you. It can not ever happen," he promised her. "You needn’t ever worry about such a thing."
"Jax," she said, curving her hands around his wrists, "you knew nothing of any of these things that Malvodio and Simon were up to, and yet you seemed so certain that I would marry you. Why?" she asked, trying to make sense out of it.
"Because you are my destiny," he said softly. "You always have been. I have known that from the moment I looked into your eyes and my heart took flight – I needed no further proof . What is destined to be together cannot be kept apart, Brenda. Malvodio taught me that and I know it to be the truth. You were always mine, and so of course I knew you would marry me," he shrugged as if it were quite elementary.
Somehow the arrogance of his words were greatly outweighed by the powerful, unwavering force of love behind them. Jax saw her face light up with a beautiful dimpled smile, and she impulsively leaned forward to happily kiss him, but he stopped her, chastising her gently against kissing him in front of everyone without first asking his permission to do so, as was the royal custom.
Brenda rolled her eyes. "That custom needs to be struck down. I can not *possibly* abide by it," she informed him, knowing she would wish to kiss him in public and private every minute and that she would never remember anything as silly as obtaining his permission to do so in public first!.
"Marry me first," he said with a grin, "and we shall see to ridding ourselves of that ancient custom as soon as possible." Jax gestured for the Bishop to continue the ceremony, certain that this time they would get the required "I do" from his lady love.
"Jax," Brenda said, just before the Bishop began, "About this vow I am expected to take about obeying you. Do you think we could possibly rephrase that somehow? For instance we could say that I shall obey you only when I think you are right. For what, truly, would be the point of obeying you if I think you are wrong? And while we are at it, what exactly constitutes honoring you? Please do not look at me like that, I truly would like to know. I mean, I fully intend to honor you, I can assure you, because I do love you with every breath in my body, but what if my idea of honoring you does not quite match what these vows are implying? I think we should be specific."
Jax prayed for patience and his eyes beseeched his grinning Uncle to finish up the ceremony post haste before Brenda got any more ideas!
A scowling Michael stood outside of the palace gates along with crowds of celebrating Fahrlane subjects as within the grandeur of the palace walls the Wedding celebration was carrying on. The little girl had not had the good sense to die at the wedding ceremony as Michael would have liked, but he had gotten a peek at the child as the wedding party had filtered out of the cathedral and she had been very lethargic, although smiling quite adorably and tossing rice at her sister and the swine prince. Michael stiffened with fury as he recalled the sight of Brenda -- *Princess* Brenda as she had walked out of that cathedral with Prince Jasper. Lord in heaven, never was there a woman more deserving of the title goddess on earth. He had been struck with a rush of breathlessness at the sight of her in the dazzling wedding gown. She was a vision of hypnotic enchantment in the midst of all of that sparkling white. And as the red-headed lad had claimed, she bucked conservative fashion by wearing her glorious dark hair down, spilling over her bare shoulders and scattered with diamonds instead of coifed up. Atop her head was a stunning diamond crown sparkling with royal gems, and signifying her new position as the newest princess of Fahrlane; chosen one of the royal son.
The cheers that had greeted the Prince and his bride upon their exit from Westminster Abbey had been thunderous. And for that Michael was grateful since it easily drowned out the roar of outrage that he’d bellowed out at the sight of his Brenda looking simply resplendent and gloriously happy, her breathtaking smile gracing the crowd, but her most besotted gazed saved for the blonde Prince who was by her side.
And now the crowd had gathered at the palace, unable to walk inside beyond the gleaming golden gates, but enjoying the celebration all the same, as the palace windows were all open and the joyous celebration inside floated out into the streets where the royal subjects danced as happily as the celebrants inside. But Michael Carruthers did not dance. He glowered with hatred and started at the palace walls willing that child to die and for that family in there to experience pain and sorrow beyond the imagination as they struggled to save her life and realized they could not. And then he would step in and play hero – not by saving her life of course, as that was impossible, but by leading the swine Prince to the culprit whom had poisoned the little girl. The fool Michael had set up to take the fall. The King of Kent. As a show of peace between Kent and Fahrlane, the King of Kent had attended Prince Jasper’s wedding and was even now sincerely enjoying the newfound friendship of the two kingdoms as he partook of the wedding celebration with everyone else inside. He was a sitting duck, the weak-willed fool, Michael thought with something that resembled a smile. Impatiently, Michael waited for his plans to fall into place beginning with the child’s death. He made sure to stay in the midst of the crow, for he knew the Knights were still looking for him. He stared coldly at the gleaming stars in the beautiful night sky, loathing all things beautiful at the moment, sickened by the joyous celebration that floated out into the night from the palace, and salivating over the morbid sorrow that would soon wreak misery upon the celebrants and end the revolting joy.
Laughter and music filled the air in the royal ballroom as toast after toast was made to the Prince and his new Princess. Geneva had just made a beautiful, heart-felt toast and was so relieved to feel true happiness for her fraternal twin sister. Gone was the envy and jealousy, for Geneva could clearly see how much Prince Jasper passionately loved Brenda. He would never have chosen any of the other sisters. His heart had belonged to Brenda from the very start, and they were meant to be together for all eternity. Anyone could see that now. Yes, this was exactly as it should be, and Geneva found that she could happily celebrate her sister’s joy. The same could not be said for Victoria and Miranda, both of whom soothed their burning envy of Brenda’s glorious marriage match by gorging on the sumptuous wedding feast and imbibing heavily of the sweet tasting wines.
Prince and Princess were all but inseparable, although Brenda did dance with her father, and her new father-in-law, as well as several of Jax’s cousins. But when the palace musicians played the lovely song that Jax and Brenda had first danced the Window Waltz together to, for Kayla’s benefit that very first night the Barretts had arrived in the palace, Brenda excused herself from Jax’s cousin Philip and hurried to snatch her breathtaking husband from the arms of sister Geneva, who laughed at Brenda’s impulsive actions.
"Was I dancing too closely to him?" Geneva teased her.
Brenda grinned. "Jax has promised this dance to Kayla and myself," Brenda responded, plucking her little sister out of her father’s arms and placing her into Jax’s.
"Still sleepy, little one?" Jax teased Kayla, kissing her cheek. "What is it that you do all day that tires you out so, muchnkin? You could sit this one out, you know."
Kayla shook her head, her tiny arms clasping around Jax’s neck. "You promised," she reminded him, which evoked Jax’s deep, sort laughter.
"Yes, I did," he agreed, and then, he drew Brenda to him with his free hand. "You, my princess, are the most beautiful thing in this entire room," he whispered to Brenda, his lips brushing against hers.
"I do not know about that," Brenda said, "but I am certainly the happiest," she confessed and missed his wicked little smile of satisfaction at her admission. "Jax, why did you kiss me just now?"
Jax laughed at her silly question. "Because I wanted to. Because your lips are more intoxicating than the finest wines in the far lands. And because I adore you and the feel and taste of you." That said, he kissed her again, his lips lingering deliciously against hers. "I will likely kiss you very, *very* often without warning."
She smiled at him. "Yes, but, did you not tell me earlier that I must ask you permission before I kiss you in public?"
"Yes, Brenda, that is so," he reiterated.
"Then shouldn’t you have to ask *my* permission before you kiss me in public?"
Jax shrugged. "No. It is you who have to ask mine. It is my mother who has to ask my father’s permission to kiss him in public. That is the way it always has been, love."
Brenda gave him an adorable scowl. "Only the women must ask permission? I do not at all like that, Jax."
He smiled at her and nodded. "I believe my mother and sister said the exact same thing to my father."
"Your mother, sister and I really must have a long, chat," Brenda murmured, ideas whirring her head, as Jax gazed at her knowing that that look in her beautiful eyes meant headaches for him and his father.
Their dance was thrown off balance by the sudden dropping of Kayla’s arms from about Jax’s neck as the child slumped in his arms, her head rolling back away from his chest. Jax’s reflexes were such that he caught her before her slack body could just tumble out of his hold.
"Kayla?" he said, alarmed by how oddly lifeless she suddenly felt.
Brenda had at first thought her sister had just drifted off to sleep, but this was no sleep. She looked pale and unnatural, her sunshine-bronze complexion seeming to have vanished in the blink of an eye. And no amount of shaking or cajoling could awaken her. "Jax! What is the matter with her?" Brenda asked urgently, as she and Jax both rushed the limp child over to a nearby chaise lounge.
The panic seemed to set in almost immediately as Harlan and Veronica saw their six year old daughter laid out on the chaise lounge looking as pale as alabaster, as still as stone. Soon both families and the fretting guests surrounded the prone little child, the festive air departing the room as if a cloak of sorrow had been cast upon it.
"Jax, what is wrong? Do you know?" Brenda's voice was shaky and full of fear against his shoulder, her hand holding his in a death-grip that she probably wasn’t even are of. They were both kneeling in front of Kayla while her father tried to rouse the little girl and two of Jax’s relatives, who were physicians, also tried to get the child to come round into consciousness. But Jax could see that their efforts were futile. He turned to Brenda, cradling her face and forcing her to look at him. He saw the gleam of tears in her eyes and it touched his heart like nothing else.
"Listen to me," he said, softly. "Go and get Simon, Brenda." Jax slid something off of his neck and pressed it into her hand. She saw that it was the golden key that would open the gates of the Enchanted Forest.
"Simon?" Brenda repeated, alarmed that Jax thought a sorcerer had to be called in.
"Yes, Simon. Go and get him, Brenda. Now," Jax said trying not let her see how worried he was.
But Brenda did see the worry and alarm he was trying to conceal in his jewel-like eyes. Something was terribly wrong and Jax was trying to protect her from that devastating knowledge, she realized. Forgetting the rule about asking permission, she kissed him quickly and then, the key clutched tightly in her hand, raced out of the palace towards the Enchanted Forest. When she was gone Jax motioned for the Knight Steven to come to his side. Steven knelt next to Jax.
"Yes, Your Highness," Steven said, looking somberly at the little girl who looked a hairs breath away from death.
"Seal off all the streets," Jax said quietly. "Whomever is in the palace courtyard beyond the gates is to remain there. No one is to be allowed to come or go. Do you understand me?"
Steven nodded.
Then Jax gazed over at the King of Kent who looked as worried about Kayla as everyone else in the room. "Brenda's sister has been poisoned," Jax revealed very quietly to Steven.
Steven looked stunned. "How do you know this?"
Jax gazed in the direction of Kayla’s lips which were turning a pale, tell-tale shade of blue.
Steven now not only looked stunned, but horrified. "Poison from the Gaela flower!" the knight said. "That grows only in . . ."
"The swamps of Kent," Jax finished for him.
Steven’s eyes turned murderous. "We should slay the pig where he stands! Jax, look at him! He stands there pretending to be as concerned as everyone here, when he is the vile orchestrator of this heinous thing! Good god she is but a little child!"
Jax took hold of Steven’s hand which was already reaching for his sword. "Hold, Steven. Something troubles me about this in that, while I do not think the King of Kent a particularly smart man, neither do I think he is completely stupid. Surely he knows this could be traced right back to him. Surely he knows he would never leave here alive if anything should happen to my wife’s sister."
Just then Jax saw Brenda racing back into the ballroom, Simon right behind her, and to Jax’s shock, Malvodio right behind him. Malvodio never showed himself in front of strangers. NEVER. And yet he was here. Not only that but his former captor, the King of Kent was here, yet the wizard seemed not to care. Jax’s eyes met the eyes of the wizard as the man drew nearer.
"I am needed. Simon can not handle this," was all Malvodio said, as he ignored the curious stares of the wedding guests and the stunned gaze of the King of Kent who could not believe that Malvodio was showing himself thus.
"It is the Gaela poison," Jax said to the wizard.
"I know this," Malvodio said, taking a quick look at the little girl’s lips that were that tell-tale shade of pale blue associated with the rare and outlawed flower that only grew in the treacherous swamps of Kent.
"Please tell me you can save her from this," Jax said.
"What I can do for her is only temporary, Jasper," Malvodio confessed. "I can sustain her life for another week – no more than that."
Jax looked stricken, but made sure Brenda did not see him. "A *week?* I do not want her to live for merely another week! She is a child – she – this cannot happen to her! You cannot come in here and simply tell me that all is lost!"
Malvodio placed a hand on Jax’s shoulder to calm his growing agitation and anger. "I did not say all was lost," the sorcerer responded quietly.
"Then there is a cure for her?" Jax asked, jumping on the information.
"Yes," Malvodio said. "However, this little girl’s cure could cost someone their life," he said solemnly.
"Who?" Jax asked just as solemnly.
"Whomever goes to get the cure."
"It must be gotten then?"
"Yes, Jasper."
"From where? Tell me and I shall go there. No matter where it is."
Malvodio sighed. "The Endless Forest. Your Highness. The dragon’s lair in the endless forest," Malvodio said and he saw the look of morbid understanding pass over Jax’s stunning blue eyes. "*You* cannot go there, Jasper," Malvodio cautioned him. "You are the heir to the throne – the future of this kingdom -- and nothing can happen to you. Do you understand this?" he asked sharply. "You cannot go."
In response Jax simply motioned for his knights to move Kayla upstairs to the privacy of a bedchamber where Malvodio could use his mystical talents to help her. The guests assumed that the unusual looking man with the long silver hair and odd robes was some kind of special doctor needed to cure the ailing little girl. No one but those who knew, guessed that a great sorcerer – two sorcerers – were in their presence.
As Malvodio passed by Jax on his way up the stairs he reiterated his warning. "You cannot go, Your Highness. Send one of your men, if you must send anyone."
"They will not come back alive," Jax said quietly.
"Neither will you," Malvodio said.
"We will speak no more of this," Jax said. "I will not allow her to die like this, do you understand that? She is but a child, who has barely known six years of life! More than that she is a child that I love as if she were my own little sister!"
Malvodio nodded and quickly went up the stairs with Simon following.
"He is going to go," Simon said softly to his father.
"Yes, this is know," the sorcerer acknowledged wearily.
Michael felt excitement well up in him as he heard the music stop and everything become deadly quiet inside of the palace. It must have happened. The child must be dead at last, he realized letting out a satisfied breath and feeling as if he could dance a jig down the gold paved street. By now the tell-tale sign of her being poised by the Gaela flower would be in evidence and the royal family Jacks probably already had the idiot King of Kent locked away in a dungeon. Or perhaps Prince Jasper had just outright slain the man, Michael thought. Goodness knew Jasper was lethal with his weapon and could dispatch the best swordsman within mere minutes. It would hardly take him any effort at all to put down the likes of King Thomas of Kent who was weak on swordsmanship.
As the subjects in the streets began to whisper and wonder what was going on that seemed to cast some kind of awful pall over the wedding festivities, Michael slowly began to weave his way thorough the throng to make himself scarce. He doubled back as he saw several Realm Knights cordoning off the streets. Damn! They were not going to allow anyone to come nor go! Determined and desperate to find a way to evade the barricade, Michael made his way to the left quickly seeing an opening he could slither through before the Knights made their way to that section. Quickly he moved, rudely shoving elderly women and young children aside in his haste. One old woman took great offense to his rudeness and whacked him on the back with her cane. Michael turned to curse at her and shove her down, and when he once again turned to make his way to his destination, he felt the prick of a sword at his throat. He dared not expel a breath lest the steel pierce his flesh.
He made great effort not to move his body even an inch and slowly rose his eyes to see who had him in such a dire position. He knew who it was before he even met his eyes. The jewels of the sword handle cast magnificent colored reflections all about and only one person had such a magnificent weapon.
Michael could not hide his malevolence towards the young prince even despite his fear of the man who’s brilliance with the blade could end Michael’s life at any moment.
"Well this is hardly a cheery greeting for one of your knights, Your Highness," Michael said, hateful eyes raking over the Prince.
"Ex-knights," Jax reminded him. "And is this greeting more to your liking?" he asked as he cracked the flat end of the heavy sword against the back of Michael’s head knocking the man silly. "Pick up this filth and take him to the dungeon," Jax ordered the four knights behind him as he went in the opposite direction towards the Enchanted Forest. Once there Jax made his way past massive trees to a very dark part of the Forest. The only illumination was the haunting glare set off by the blowing silver vines – the entry way into the Endless Forest. A place no one had ever returned from. Jax stood, swishing his sword back and forth absently as he gazed at the eerie silver vines as they seemed to blow, swirl and beckon foolish entrance into the perilous land beyond.
No one had ever come back from this place.
"But I will come back." Jax whispered to the night wind. "For I have something – someone – so worth coming back for."
"Jax! Jax are you here? Jax!" Jax was pulled out of the strange hypnotic effect of staring at the silver vines by the sound of Brenda’s voice. She sounded excited. And happy, he noted. He quickly made his way towards her and as far away from the vines as possible not wanting her to be anywhere near it or even know of it’s existence.
"Hello," he said stepping out from in between two trees with glittering pink leaves. "Are you, per chance, seeking *me,* milday?"
Brenda ran to him and tossed herself into his arms. He held onto her as if she were everything in the world to him.
"Jax, Malvodio has done it! Kayla – she is all right! She is a bit weak, but she is all right!’ Brenda said ecstatically, hugging him even tighter.
"She will always be all right. I promise you this, my love," Jax whispered as he held her in his arms and felt her heart racing against his own.
"I love you so," Brenda said softly, happily. So happy that this day had turned out all right.
Jax pulled away from her slightly so that their eyes locked in a compelling gaze. He traced one hand slowly along her face. "Show me," he whispered.
Song Credit: "Storybook" written by Frank Wildhorn and Nan Knighton, available on the album entitled The Scarlet Pimpernel on Angel Records.