A Faerie Tale, Broken Ch. 02

Chapter Seven: A Curse Circumvented

He had fallen asleep!

The bastard had kissed her, stealing away the magic of that precious moment in a drunken rage. Then, tossing her on the bed, his weight had pressed her down into the mattress and the sudden sounds of snoring had filled the bedchamber.

Gretel had struggled for long moments before she realized that his body was not going to move. Letting out an exasperated breath, she squirmed to get even a bit moderately comfortable. Closing her eyes, she found that it was not as bad as she had first expected. And, to her surprise, she drifted off to sleep.

***

The creature known only as Ravynth stood at the side of the bed with a thoroughly disgusted look on his handsome face. Having materialized directly from the shadows, his arrival came without detection. Looking down upon Hansel, a sneer touched his lips. This was the male that had caused his precious Marianne to return home in tears.

He had wanted to tear the human's throat out badly enough when he found she was to be wed. Yet the bloody magic that had entrapped him to her could deny her nothing. It was that very reason why he stood looming over the King's bed without his sword shoved in the man's back.

"Please, make them happy, Ravyn!" Marianne's voice filtered through his mind, sweet and tempting. His fingers twitched slightly before his face pulled into a cold mask. Now was not the time to bode on the fate of his little redhead. Right now, he had to ensure that the King would marry the poor scrap of a thing he was sleeping on.

With a twist of his fingers, Ravynth summoned a small bit of his magic. Witches may certainly have a fantastic grasp upon curses, but the Fae could change the very fabric of existence if one were inclined enough to do so - or prepared enough to pay the consequences. However, for an Unseelie Prince, this little bit of mischief would cost him little. It was almost a pity the girl had not gotten herself into this mess sooner. She may have spent fewer years in abject misery.

A soft flash filled the room and when it faded a pair of matching bands fit snug around the marriage finger of the bed's occupants. Settling into a winged back chair, Ravynth picked through the mess of bottles until he found one with some remaining contents. Pouring himself a glass, he leaned back to wait for the King to awaken from his nap. Suddenly, a smile crossed his dark features and he pointed in the direction of the bed once more. A gentle glow touched the rings and Ravynth took a deep pull of his wine in satisfaction.

"So mote it be."

***

Hansel woke to a pounding in his head and the feel of wool in his throat. Groaning he shifted a bit only to hear a gently murmured protest. Opening an eye, he found his face to be buried in a very alluring set of breasts. Mind spinning, his eyes reluctantly traveled upwards to settle on Gretel's sleeping face.

With her eyes closed and her features relaxed, she looked delicate. Resisting the urge to bury his face back into her cleavage and pray that the gods take mercy on his head, Hansel slowly rose himself from the sleeping beauty.

"About time, Kingling."

Stiffening, Hansel slid his feet to the floor and looked up at the Fae sitting comfortably in his chair. Ravynth's silver eyes looked almost black as he allowed some of the potency of his rage enter his gaze.

"You broke my Mari's heart."

Grunting, Hansel stood and walked to his basin. Pouring out a measure of water, he wiped his face then lifted the pitcher to ease the burning thirst in his throat. "What you want? Marianne broke it off. If anyone should feel put out by this situation- I think I would have that right."

Turning to regard the Fae, he felt an urge to step back as the Unseelie stood right behind him. The venom practically poured from Ravynth and Hansel wondered again what he was doing here.

"She has decided to graciously forgive you and has managed to convince her uncle to sign the treaty anyway." Ravynth paused for dramatic effect before his voice continued in a dark purr, "on the one condition that you marry the girl."

Hansel stared at the Fae in shock. "Marry which girl?" Following Ravynth's gaze to where Gretel still slumbered he shook his head. "I am not going to marry that witch. She would be better off buried where no one could ever come into contact with her again."

Arching a black brow at the man, Ravynth looked to where Gretel slept. "She is harmless. Regardless of that fact, Marianne has made it very clear that you marry this chit or she will inform the King of Veryn that you betrayed her. The choice is yours Kingling, marry Gretel or cause war."

"Harmless!" Hansel raged, pacing away from the Fae suddenly. "You call sending me into a blind rage harmless?"

Ravynth's droll voice followed him, "you do not seem to be in a blind rage now, Kingling."

Scowling at the Fae, Hansel waved his hand dismissively. "She is sleeping. Perhaps the curse only works when she is awake."

With a mild bit of vicious humor, the Fae took his seat once more. "That argument could be plausible except for the fact that she is very much awake."

Eyes turning to look at her, Gretel stiffened. Caught, she blinked open eyes that were more indigo than blue and tugged the think blanket on the bed around her tightly. Lifting her voice, it carried more than a little bit of pain and anger. "What if I do not want to marry the King? Unlike him, I might prefer war. After all, he would rather marry me off to one of his enemies or drop me into a hole."

Smiling darkly, Ravynth shook his head. "As much as I am sure you would enjoy making him twist in that thought, you would be putting your own family to risk. No, you two will be married. You have two weeks to tie the knot. To your luck, the Kingling here was already prepared to have a wedding so all the invitations have already been sent. Just need to dress up the bride."

Dawning filtered through Gretel's eyes as the Fae spoke, her shoulders falling in defeat at his words. Mind jumbled, however, she suddenly looked up at him in shock. "Wait! Neither of you are acting oddly."

The Unseelie chuckled, "that is because Marianne has already sent you your wedding gifts." He motioned to her hand and Gretel lifted it, looking at the elaborate band.

Listening, Hansel looked down upon his own finger and frowned. Trying to tug off the offending bit of metal, he heard Ravynth's gloating words, "it will not come off. Ever."

Pacing closer to yell at the Fae, Ravynth lifted his hands and shrugged. "I wanted to make sure you did not ruin it for poor Gretel. Her ring dampens the curse. Makes it ineffective to those around her. While yours.." Ravynth faded off with a wicked smile, "merely reverses the effect of the curse already on her. I would highly encourage you to make sure that she wears hers at all times." Without saying any more, Ravynth faded into the morning shadows with the same ease that he had came. His voice floated behind a moment later, "you have two weeks do not forget." Then that, too, was gone.

Chapter Eight: Love of Family

Sitting in the middle of the bed, wrapped in the bedspread, Gretel lifted her knees to her chest and hugged them tightly. She felt a constriction in her chest as her breathing panted out of her. The dream she had carried with her for all of those years was finally coming true. She was going to marry her King. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes before they made a lazy path down the sides of her face.

Hansel was not in any better a mood than she. Forced to marry a girl that he would much rather forget about. Glaring in her direction, he tried to ignore the part of his mind that wanted to crawl back into bed with her and lose himself in the soft skin he had awoken to. Feeling the beginning stirs of lust, Hansel stormed over to the bell pull to summon his personal butler. Sitting in the chair Ravynth had vacated mere minutes before, it was not long before his man knocked gently on the door and was given entrance.

Moving his eyes from his King to the girl in his bed, the butler waited for direction as his mind already pieced together the best way to have her escorted from the castle without too many servants seeing.

"Have her dressed appropriately and placed in the lilac room. Send her something decent to break her fast and have a carriage ready for us by noon." Hansel's voice rose with authority though he did not even bother to look in Gretel's direction.

The butler looked shocked before his professionalism returned to him a second later. "The lilac room, Liege?" Realizing he just questioned his King, the man continued quickly, "is there anything else you wish for me to arrange?"

Not missing the minor mishap of tone, Hansel moved a level gaze to the man. "Yes, have the seamstress ready to take measurements tomorrow morning. You may leave." Nodding his head, the butler swept into a bow before turning to exit. "Miss, please, this way."

Gretel barely listened to the conversation, sniffling a bit as she rose to exit the room. When the butler's gaze moved down to the rip in her bodice, she felt her face heat and she quickly pulled the tattered mess together to make herself somewhat decent. Not saying another word, he walked out and she followed.

***

She had been deposited into a gorgeous bedroom furnished in pale colored woods with lovely lilac walls. It was quaint, dainty, and clearly had not been used in a long while. Though clean, it felt far from the rest of the occupied rooms of the castle. In reality, Hansel had put her as far from his own bedchambers as he possibly could. He did not trust the Fae's rings to work for long and did not want to end up murdering anyone when they inevitably failed.

Assigned an equally meek lady's maid, she was brought to a bathing chamber and scrubbed from head to toe. Dressed in a pale blue gown that hung a little large, and shoved into shoes that pinched too tight, Gretel tried not to let another fit of tears overwhelm her.

This was a nightmare. It had to be. She was still safe at home sleeping. When she woke up she would sit for embroidery with her mother. Her father would recite more of her history lesson while her brothers regaled her with tales of woe over the newest pretty thing that they had fallen in love with, and how they were ignored completely.

A knock on the door brought in her breakfast and the tray was set upon a small tea table before her maid curtsied to back out of the room. "What is your name?" The small thing paused, bowing her head, "Elenor, M'lady." Gretel nodded slightly, "thank you, Elenor." The maid blinked in surprise, not used to anyone in the household offering thanks for any sort of service. One did what they were told and that was that. Smiling tentatively at Gretel, Eleanor gave her a quiet, "welcome, Lady," before she hurried out of the room.

Sitting in the oak chair that matched the pretty little table, Gretel picked at her breakfast. Yet no matter how tantalizing it looked, and no matter how long it had been since she had eaten last, the food stuck in her throat and was tasteless in her mouth.

The man she loved had brutalized her, shunned her, and embarrassed her completely in the span of less than a day. What made it worse was the feeling of that kiss. She could not forget it. No matter how rough and punishing it had been, somewhere inside of her the memory caused her stomach to flutter. The man he had become was much harder than the boy he had been. In that instant Gretel realized that she had been in love with an imaginary person. Rubbing her face, she felt very tired. She just wanted to go home.

Stirring at a knock at her door, she rose to open it and looked out to see Eleanor. "Sorry to interrupt you, Lady. His Majesty said that you are to join him in the courtyard in five minutes. He wanted you to have this as well." Handing Gretel a small package, Eleanor curtsied then backed out of the door. Opening the paper slowly, Gretel revealed a fine velvet cloak within. Unlike the gown and the shoes, it fit her perfectly and was a deep shade of blue. Clasping it at her throat she sighed slightly, trying not to enjoy the gift. "Please, Lady, we should not keep his Majesty waiting." Nodding once more, Gretel followed her maid back through the maze of corridors that would lead outside.

When she stepped into the courtyard, Hansel was already standing near the carriage. As a footman hurried over to help her alight within, Gretel gathered what little of her spirit she had left, "where are we going?" Hansel did not answer her until he had entered the coach himself and the door had been shut. "We are heading to your father's estate. He should have the privilege of knowing what is happening with his daughter straight from me."

Gretel's features suddenly broke into happiness, a bright smile crossing her face and her eyes sparkling with joy. Impulsively moving across the carriage, she hugged him tightly. Hansel stiffened, the urge to wrap his arms around her and pull her into his lap making his fingers twitch. The instant she had smiled he had wanted to kiss her. Scowling, he wondered what Rayvnth had done to him. Yes, she was a pretty girl, but he barely knew her- and he was in love with Marianne. Much to his relief and regret, Gretel came to her senses and gasped softly, scrambling backwards to her own seat. "I apologize, Majesty."

Pulling her cloak around herself, she tucked into the corner as tightly as she could. He merely grunted and crossed his arms, turning to look out the window as the carriage began to move. Truth be, he wanted nothing more than to pull her back again.

***

Somewhere along the way Gretel had found a comfortable enough position to nap. It was the jar of the horses' halt the brought her slowly awake to find Hansel's hooded eyes staring at her intently. Blushing slightly, she sat up as the door of the carriage was opened and the step lowered for their descent. Unfolding himself first, Hansel exited to turn and offer her a gentlemanly hand down. Taking it with more than a little hesitation, she stepped out delicately and found herself looking upon her home. Tucking her hand into the crook of his arm, Hansel began to walk forward, his herald announcing his presence to those gathered within. Gretel could not help but glance up at him sideways through her lashes. After all that had happened before she could not believe that he would want to be near her, let alone touch her as he walked her in. Surely allowing her to precede him slightly would have been enough.

As her father and mother gathered in the courtyard to see the King, Georgio's eyes widened to see his daughter and her mother let out an honest to goodness yelp before she rushed forward to embrace Gretel. Her happiness at seeing her daughter alive overrode the years of trained distance. It was only when she held Gretel in her arms that the realization occurred to her. "Gretel! The curse!" Moments later she found herself drawn into the house within a whirlwind of skirts and curious servants. Behind her, unseen to Gretel, Hansel's eyes followed her with an intensity that frightened Georgio. Clearing his throat slightly, Georgio lead his King within, "come, Majesty, let us retire to my library where we may take some refreshment and discuss to what we owe the honor of your presence."

It took a good half hour of fussing before Gretel could get down to telling her mother what had happened. Of course, the part about being drug up to the King's chambers in the middle of the night and waking in his bed were left out.

"Married?!" Her mother took her hands then gave her a large hug, holding her tight. "How wonderful for you!"

Gretel forced herself to smile, trying to enjoy the company, "yes, I suppose." Looking at her daughter now with concern and confusion, Gretel dropped her gaze. "It is all wrong. I do not want him to be forced to marry me. He hates me, Mother. Ha made that clear more than once. I know that this will be a political marriage; I know that- I will have duties to attend to. I had hoped that whomever I married would have at least a little affection for me." Gretel rambled her thoughts, "I suppose that I had become accustomed to the thought of being alone. All of this is too much," she hiccupped then on the tears that suddenly choked her throat and caused the world to become blurry.

Frowning, her mother engulfed her daughter tightly in her arms, shushing softly. "It will work out in the end, sweetheart." Rocking her gently, Lady Georgio motioned for one of the servants. "Please have a room prepared for my daughter. It has been a long ride and she needs some rest before dinner." Smiling gently, she stroked her daughter's hair, "head on up to bed dear for a nap." Nudging her to stand, Gretel gave her mother a weak smile and did as she was told, too exhausted from this whole thing to argue.

Chapter Nine: Wedding Bells

The days passed by quickly. Her visit at her parent's estate had gone smoothly after her rest. She had performed the role she knew she was supposed to take with calm dignity. The days that followed were filled with bridal fittings, final selections on flowers and platters of food. Marianne had excellent taste and much of the time Gretel found herself merely agreeing to what had already been selected.

Despite the face she put on, she felt the odd eyes from the servants. To change brides so suddenly was an odd thing to do. Of course, rumors of what had occurred on the Georgio estate had not stayed there for long. She could feel people staring at her almost constantly. Gretel had arrived in chains and would soon be queen to them all.

Her interactions with Hansel were even less than she had expected. She would only see him briefly at the evening meal. He was formally polite, but nothing they ever said in conversation held any weight. A week into her stay there she had found herself brought to the library. There she was drilled by an assemblage of tutors on her education. Both her academics and political know were tested. Though she was well read, her curse had rendered her useless in the political field and the men seemed to take great pleasure in showing how little she knew about the inner workings of the royal beast. It was determined that her education was incomplete and that she would be best suited for being seen and not heard.

Feeling defeated, Gretel began to withdraw into herself. Even the arrival of her parents did not seem to help any. She stopped eating, picking idly at the luscious foods offered to her. Breakfast and lunch trays would be returned to the kitchens untouched. In all the fuss, only her personal maid seemed to notice the difference. Seeing her lady's distress, she tried her hardest to bring little things to brighten Gretel's day. None of them mattered, though. She viewed the world with hollow eyes and a broken heart.

Then the day was upon them. Frowning, Hansel paced a bit outside of Gretel's chamber before knocking on the door. As it was opened, he stepped inside and his brows drew together, "are you unwell?" Gretel looked paler than he remembered. Deep hollows had formed beneath her eyes and the brightness that had followed her was gone.

Standing, Gretel curtsied deeply, "thank you for your concern, my King. I am well enough and shall be prepared appropriately." Her voice was flat and Hansel blinked slowly in surprise. This was not the girl he had expected to see this morning. Coughing a bit, he sat a large box down on a nearby chair. "These are for you, a wedding gift. I shall see you in a few hours." Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked out of the room. As Hansel headed to his own chambers, he could not understand why his chest pained him so much. Nor why his stomach was so suddenly twisted in knots.