Status: active, but not like aerobically active

Fairest

Let Me Be Your Rescue

The horse’s name was Nemesis. It was nice that Prince Maximilian had decided to embrace his title of Dark Prince in some way at least although it was too little too late, and he was already firmly affixed in my mind as the sorriest dark prince that there ever was. But then again, as Nemesis turned out to be one of the sauciest mounts I had ever ridden, maybe there was something more.

No, Prince Maximilian was obviously a failure as A Dark Prince, and I couldn’t help but wonder why the name continued to follow him. Although maybe he kicked puppies and lit widows on fire. He probably visited orphanages and told them that Queen Frostine wouldn’t be visiting this year because she personally hated every one of their little heads.

Actually, I could sort of see him doing the last one. He seemed like the type.

True dusk was settling in by the time we reached a crossroads. I’d ride all night if I had to. I urged Nemesis towards the left road, but he refused to budge other than to shake his head and shift back and forth. Nope. Not interested.

“Come on, you stupid horse, I don’t have time!” I jabbed my heels into his sides, something that might have been effective had I been wearing spurs, but mostly seemed to annoy him. “Sugar? Apples? Carrots?”

Nemesis’s ears twitched at the last, but then he was immediately back to sidling and jangling. Before, he suddenly stilled, the only movement his nostrils flaring in the cool night air. One of the bushes on the side of the road rustled.

A giant creature leapt from the bushes. It hissed. It looked like a giant rat. At least fifteen pounds and covered in a green-brown chitinous material. A giant, armored rat.

I screamed. The rat’s back arched and its back legs flexed. Nope! Nope! Nope! I hauled on the reigns. Do something! Nemesis reared. Another shout tore from my throat as I tumbled from the saddle. Landing hard on the ground knocked all my breath out of me. I groped around for my dagger and managed to unsheathe it. Coughing. Where was that terrifying rat bastard?

It hissed. Too close for comfort. I rolled over onto all fours and held my knife out in front of me as if the threat would be enough. A distant thwang, and an arrow cut through the air and landed in the ground. Fire licked up the shaft, and dark smoke curled up between us.
My worst nightmare skittered backwards away from the flaming arrow. It screeched at the bush, and three smaller nightmares scrambled out. All four of them dashed to the other side of the road and into the bushes again.

Pure relief pumped through me, and I slowly looked up at my savior. He was huge, a few inches over six feet and muscular. His red-gold hair was kept neatly pulled back into a short tail. His blue eyes sparkled as he crouched down in front of me. “I thought that shriek sounded familiar.”

Prince Robin, Heir-Apparent to the Valinor throne laughed, and offered me a hand up. I eyed it for a few moments before grasping it and twisting it behind his head.

“Ow! Snow!” He protested as he nearly fell over.

I twisted the arm harder. “Four months—no news! Eloping! I could kill you!”

“What if the rush rat comes back?”

“I’ll let it eat you!”

“While you run away, screaming? Ow! Snow!”

I let him go although he could have easily broken the hold. Crossing my arms, I glared as Robin got his feet. He brushed himself off and then swept me up into a spinning hug. Anger melted away, and despite everything, I wrapped my arms around him. I’d found him. He was safe! And probably not married yet!

Speaking of. I pushed him away and punched him in the arm. “I’m still upset with you!”

He rolled his eyes. “Of course. Did you get my letter?”

“What do you think I’m upset about?”
He laughed and draped his arm over my shoulders. “Come on. We’ll meet up with Jilliana, and you can get me all caught up.”

I sighed heavily, but what else was I going to do?

We headed down the road. Apparently, Robin and Jilliana hadn’t been far down the road at all. A slim figure closed the last several yards between us and threw herself into Robin’s arms. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He had been gone all of ten minutes. Honestly.

Blond haired, blue eyed, peaches and cream complexion: all together, she was pretty enough in a straight forward, sort of inoffensive way. Not the sort of beauty that stunned a person, demanded closer inspection, or was worth breaking up a carefully arranged political marriage if you asked me. She had better have a great personality. “Robin?”

He smiled broadly at her. “Jilliana, this is my best friend in the entire world, Lady Snow White.”

Her brows lifted delicately. “Oh, Lady Snow. Robin has told me so much about you already. It is an honor.” She held out her hand to me. “We will be like family won’t we?”

I ignored her hand as I always did when I was acting on official business. It might have been hard for me to be professional with Robin, but I had no such qualms with her. “My apologies, Lady Jilliana. I am here on business.” My gaze shifted back to Robin. “Where is it?”

“Snow.” Robin looked stricken at the same moment his would-be bride’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What is she talking about, Robbie?”

Robbie? In another circumstance, I would have laughed in her face. Robbie? Luckily, I had some professional diplomacy: I only snorted softly. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“But, Snow—”

“No!” I held up my hand to stop him. “Give it to me now, and there’s a possibility that this can all be worked out to a . . . satisfactory conclusion for all parties involved.”

Robin groaned. “Don’t use the Mediation Voice. Not on me.”

It hadn’t even registered that I had switched to the voice that I used so often in negotiations. Lower, smoother, cooler, it helped to sound like you were completely in control of the operation even if your head was spinning with new information. More than once, my carefully modulated tone had kept fragile egos from fracturing and calmed anxious parties. But it didn’t work on Robin. Heaving a sigh, I tried to force my voice back to more natural inflections. “I’m sorry, but this is official business for me.”

Robin ran a hand through his hair. “Mother?”

I nodded apologetically. “Please, Robin?” A quick grin twitched my mouth, and I punched him mostly affectionately in shoulder. “More importantly, I can’t help you smooth it all over if I’m locked in the dungeon.”

He squeezed his eyes shut and heaved a heavy sigh. “You know, she wouldn’t actually ever throw you in dungeon.”

“Says you. You have no idea what things are like back home. This time she might actually do it.”

He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as he considered, glancing over at Jilliana who was still out of the loop and obviously unhappy about it if the way she had pursed her lips was any indication. He pulled her closer and gave her a quick kiss on her forehead. “It’s in the top of my puzzle box. In my shoulder pack.”

Success! The fist of anxiety that had clutched at me since I had been told finally loosed it grip on me. We could work this out. My natural instinct was to launch myself at Robin for a hug, but his arms were already full. Awkward. “I’ll get it—maybe, you should, ah, explain what’s going on to—to her?” I didn’t want to have to deal with both the scorned bride and the unhappy queen. I didn’t stick around for Robin’s protest and instead scrambled off to claim my prize.

I stared at the marriage license. So much trouble over one piece of paper. Oh well. The paper tore down the middle with a satisfying ripping sound.

“What is she doing?!” Jilliana shrilled. “What is going on?!”

I continued to tear the paper into smaller and smaller pieces while half listening to Robin placate Jilliana. His voice was too low for me to hear exactly what he was saying, so instead I watched her face. Her scowl deepened, and she hissed something back at him. Robin’s answer actually caused her to stomp her foot and turn her back on him in a huff.

I deserved sanctification for not rolling my eyes at her show. Robin rubbed his neck as he wandered over to me.

“That went well,” I observed dryly.

He shrugged. “She’s just upset, but she’ll come around.”

“It’d be so amazing if she didn’t,” I sighed dreamily.

“Snow!” Robin

“But it would be,” I mumbled, apparently loud enough for Robin to hear because he gave a sigh of pure exasperation.

Remorse—and more influential curiosity--pricked at me. Normally, Robin took my accidentally insensitive assertions with good humor or was happy to point out one of my particular short comings in return. “What? Are you actually worried that she will?”

Robin doesn’t even have time to deny my accusation before the giggles started. In honor of trying not to be the worst person ever, I tried to cover my mirth with a cough, but that only succeed in choking me with my own spit and producing a terrible braying gasp as I struggled for air. Naturally, Robin had to laugh at my distress..

Godric, it had been awhile since I’d had a good laugh. It wasn’t that it was that funny, but I was releasing four months of stress. The relief felt too good to let it end. The next several minutes were lost to our giggles, and I actually had to wipe a tear or two from my face before we managed to settle.

“Honestly a chance at a handsome prince, a royal title, and that’s even if she doesn’t lo-” the four letter word crumbled on my tongue. This time I actually managed to cover my fumbling with a cough. “So, never mind that.”

A sly smile curled my lips before I could quite stop myself. “How’d you meet her anyway?”

A blush actually crept up Robin’s cheeks. “You are never going to let me live this down.”

I grinned and leaned forward eagerly. This was going to be good. “No, so you might as well get it over with.”

He sighed heavily. “Well, I was just you know wandering along—and an old woman asked me for a crust of a bread. Only,” he pitched his voice louder to talk over top of my snickers,”I didn’t have a crust of bread. So, she asked me to fetch her some water from a well.”

“How in the name of the Goddess did you screw that up?”

Robin shrugged. “No idea. Apparently, I didn’t do it fast enough for her liking because then—she turned me into a frog. She told me that I’d change back as soon as I found a lady who would let me eat from her plate, drink from her cup, sleep on her pillow, and show me a sign of affection dear.

“A few days later, I was in the pond when Jilliana happened along and lost her necklace in her water. I offered to retrieve it in exchange for a favor. She took me home, and let me eat from her plate and drink from her cup. But she drew the line at letting me sleep on her pillow. We argued, and eventually, she got so angry she threw me against the wall.”

“Wait—wait, wait, wait.” I held up my hand to stall him. “Threw you against the wall?”

Robin blinked.”Yes, and then I fell unconscious onto her pillow, and she felt so bad that she gave me a kiss, so I turned back.”

“That’s . . . romantic.” My tone made it very clear that I thought it was anything but. “But what about Princess Odette? I thought you liked her.”

“Of course I did. Do? But—liking someone and being in love? The two don’t compare in the least.” He twisted around, and I followed his gaze to a tree where Jilliana sat, pouting prettily.

I shoved Robin gently. “Go. Make up with her. We’ll ride back to Portsrush, and I’ll see what I can do.”

He smiled and leaned over to give me a small kiss on the cheek.
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