43. Just Rewards
Just Rewards
Scarlet
T he carriage bounces along the road, taking me back to the place I once called home. Beside me, Remme radiates a comforting strength, our hands entwined. I'm grateful for his presence today.
Returning to my stepfamily fills me with more dread than joy. The wounds from them run deep, and seeing Stepmother marry the decrepit Duke Geralsh provides only cold comfort. After she tried to marry me off to that decrepit old man, he seems truly fitting for her.
I stare stonily out the window as we roll up the drive towards the sprawling manor that will soon be mine. What I’ve fought for for so long. It looks the same, yet feels foreign now. I’m not the same and I don’t need it in the same way I once did.
Remme helps me down, keeping one supportive hand at my back. I stand tall, head high, as we proceed to the gardens. Inside I am a turmoil of emotions, but I won't give Stepmother the satisfaction of seeing it.
My horrid stepsisters Prunella and Starla preen nearby, shooting me envious glares which I pointedly ignore. They are beneath my notice on this day. All my attention is focused on the kindly woman waving at us from beneath a flowered trellis - Fairy Godmother.
"Godmother!" I embrace her warmly, blinking back tears. She was more family to me than my real ones ever were. "I've missed you."
"And I you, child." Her sharp eyes examine me fondly. "Chin up, today's a celebration. You look lovely."
I manage a brittle smile. "What do I have to celebrate? Stepmother being rid of me?"
Godmother pats my hand consolingly. "I know it's difficult, my dear. But it gets better."
She leans in conspiratorially. "Besides, I believe I've managed to give your step family a little taste of their own foul medicine."
I raise my eyebrows in surprise. Godmother chuckles. "Oh yes, I simply couldn't resist getting a bit creative behind the scenes. A few shifted finances here, some forged correspondence there." She winks.
"With a touch of magic, I ensured the good Duke received many desperate invitations in your stepmother's hand. She thought she was losing her wits when she couldn't recall sending them!"
Despite myself, I have to laugh. Trust Godmother to find a way to subtly punish Stepmother through her own schemes and run them all out of my house once and for all.
Godmother smiles indulgently. "I decided your stepmother deserved to learn how it feels to be manipulated and trapped. This marriage will be just reward for how she treated you, my dear. Besides, the Duke has always driven me mad and he is much too old to be after a young bride anymore. The man walks with a cane for goodness sake."
I squeeze her hand, gratitude swelling in my heart. Godmother has looked out for me as the mother I lost. And with this revelation, I feel the shadows over this day lighten just a little bit.
"Now chin up," she encourages gently. "Today marks the first step towards a bright new future for us all."
I sigh, unconvinced but appreciative of her optimism. Taking our seats, I pointedly avoid looking at Stepmother. I have no desire to see her here playing the radiant bride. She does not deserve such joy after poisoning my childhood.
The ceremony passes in a blur. I try to take strength from Remme's steady presence beside me, focusing on the feel of his hand holding mine.
At the reception, music plays gaily but I have no urge to dance. Remme seems to sense my mood and leads me away into the gardens seeking solace. We come to a secluded grove surrounding a small fountain that I remember from my childhood.
Bittersweet nostalgia washes over me. "Father used to bring me here," I confide softly. Remme squeezes my hand in wordless support. I know if he were here, Father would tell me to have courage and stand tall.
His voice breaks gently into my thoughts. "He would be so very proud of you, Scarlet."
I offer a trembling smile through the sheen of tears. "Thank you. I wish he could have seen this day." Remme's faith has given me strength I did not know I possessed.
We hold each other close beneath the dappled sun. In this moment with Remme, the future no longer seems so bleak or uncertain.
Drawing back, I meet his tender gaze. "What happens now?"
His answering grin warms me like sunlight after winter's chill. "Anything we wish."