Chapter 29 #3
“Will you … be able to help me?” Thorn asked hesitantly. She shouldn’t ask more of Rose than she’d already given.
“I hope so. I will try. After all, if you and Sebastien have babies, I’ll want to be a doting auntie.”
“But how can you, if only one of us can live?”
“As in the tale of Witch Gornicka,” Rose mused absently.
“Yes. Moriah told me that story.”
“Did she now? How interesting. But I have ideas there too. After I deal with Clotaire, I need to go away for a while.”
“But you’ll come back.”
“I will try.” Rose stood, smoothing her skirts. “And now, I should go. I have to get back to school. You need your graduation certificate, after all.”
Thorn stood also. “I feel really bad, Rose—all of your hard work for nothing. I just get to have the benefits.”
“Not for nothing, Lilythorn,” Rose replied with a warm smile. “Never for nothing. And hard work lies ahead for you. I know you’ll be brilliant and make us all proud. Remember to use your power for good.”
“How will I know what good is?”
“You’ll have to muddle through like the rest of us. And Sebastien will help. He has a good heart.”
“Yes.” Thorn felt misty. “He really does. Words are inadequate, but … thank you, Rose. I owe you everything.”
Rose gave her an odd smile. “I owe you more than you know. This isn’t how I thought my life would go, but sometimes opportunity arises from catastrophe.”
“If anyone can be the phoenix rising from the ashes, it’s you,” Thorn said fervently.
“What a lovely image,” Rose murmured. “Goodbye for now. Have a wonderful wedding. I wish I could be there. My wedding gift is me not being there, however.” Her dark eyes danced with wicked humor.
Thorn laughed, a little watery. “That might be awkward.” She knotted her fingers in her skirt, wishing she could hug Rose in truth.
Then Rose opened her arms and pulled Thorn into a gentle embrace. Thorn squeezed her sister tightly, grateful for the connection. “I wish we had more time to get to know each other,” she whispered.
“Only one of them could live,” Rose whispered back, then set Thorn away from her, holding her by the shoulders. “But you and I are writing a new tale.”
“I like that idea.”
“I do, too.”
When Sebastien arrived a few days later, riding up on Kismet, with his cloak flying, Bunny galloping at his side, everything else fell into place.
He looked so beautiful, all in cream velvet trimmed in gold, his equally golden locks spilling around his face, green eyes bright with love and welcome as he spotted Thorn coming down the steps of the lodge.
Bunny and Nonna raced each other to greet her first and Thorn crouched, laughing, rubbing their ears in turn and accepting the lavish licking of her face, only belatedly remembering she wore makeup now.
Sebastien followed with a grin, bearing a bouquet of tulips, bowing to give them to her. “Not roses,” he said. “I thought no to those, but…” He gestured to the rose jewelry she wore. “Maybe I was wrong?”
“I love tulips,” Thorn replied, clutching them to her breast. “They’re so hopeful. But I’m Rose now, so I have to look like her,” she explained, touching the choker and then the earrings. “Do you—do you mind?” she asked, wondering too late if her looking too much like Rose would pain him.
“I don’t mind at all,” he answered with sincere warmth. “Whatever it takes for us to be together.”
She smiled back, feeling radiant. “I’m so happy. This feels good and right.”
“It is.” He cast an odd glance at the hunting lodge, a shadow in it. “Though I could wish for a better venue for this.”
She turned to look, wondering what he saw that bothered him. “Is something wrong with it? I think it’s a grand place. Like a castle!”
He stroked a hand over her hair, letting it settle and giving her an indulgent smile. “That’s one of the things I love about you, how you embrace the world with such joy. I had a bad week here once. It can be my one story for the day.”
“I look forward to hearing it.” It was so good, so right being with him again.
“You are everything to me,” he murmured, and bent to kiss her.
She gave herself over to the kiss, drowning in the scent and texture of him, the profound and joyous knowledge that he belonged to her now, forever and always.
Her prince, the wish of her heart granted.
“I love you, Sebastien,” she said, when he at last ended the kiss, drawing away gradually, with small, affectionate nibbles of her lips.
“I love you,” he answered. “I loved you before I knew what love was.”
She sighed for the delightful truth of that. “Same.”
“Do you have your ring?”
“Yes.” She fished it out of her pocket where she’d been keeping it with his sapphire embedded in the wax. Some of the wax had gotten on the opal and Sebastien cleaned it off with a cloth, mock-frowning at her.
“As soon as we get to Castle Vega, I’ll have the court jeweler set this stone in the ring for you. Meanwhile, if only to keep it clean…” He slipped the ring on her finger. “Now everyone will know.”
“I’m so glad.” She felt radiant with happiness.
“So am I.” He kissed her. “Let’s replace the bad memories with the good.”