The Marriage of Princess Lingonberry

"Yes," Solange agreed, reaching over to take one of Suki's ropes into her hand to wrap it gently around her dear Princess Lingonberry's wrist. "Very sweet. Almost as if they planned it together with Suki." The two princesses were grinning madly.

"Here's another," Lingonberry said. "It's from Auntie Luna."

"Don't you mean evil step-auntie Luna?" Solange teased.

"Perhaps not, my princess. She has proved that she has a good heart, even if her methods were a bit -- misguided." Lingonberry held a rectangular gift in her hand that looked about double the thickness of Macy and Clara's gift.

"I say it's another of her boring personal finance books, what do you think?" Princess Lingonberry looked down at Solange, her lover's head still resting on her lap. She ran a finger through the short hair over Princess Solange's ears.

"I say it's something fun." Solange smiled. "What do I win if I'm right?"

Princess Lingonberry picked up the goose trussing book and a coil of rope in her hand. She showed them to Princess Solange who nodded and smiled. Lingonberry began tearing at the paper that concealed the gift. It was then that she noticed that the card said it was from Luna and Claudia together. Lingonberry took a deep breath and continued tearing at the wrapping paper.

"I think I win," Solange said, grinning.

"What is it?"

"Read the note, baby."

"Claudia introduced me to this. And don't worry, I got it wholesale." Lingonberry set the note aside and held the package in her hand, mouth agape. "Ride your lover to ecstasy night after night," she continued, "with this realistic-feeling strapless ... O My word! Solange, you wouldn't seriously ..."

Solange said nothing for the moment, just held up the cookbook and coil of rope, grinning madly. "And you thought Auntie Luna wouldn't give us anything fun. Shame on you, Lingonberry my love."

"Promise to be gentle, my dear princess."

"Always, my love," Solange replied. "Always."

*

On the bearskin rug, later that same night.

By the dimming light of the once roaring fire, Princess Lingonberry's creamy white skin took on an orange glow as she lay spread in front of the hearth. Her wrists were bound and currently thrown about Solange's neck as she arched her back, crying out in ecstasy. Nestled between her thighs, Princess Solange thrust in and out of Lingonberry with enthusiastic abandon.

Solange reached down to cup her lover lover's generous breast in her hand and take a nipple between her finger and thumb. She gave a little pinch before moving her hand down to stroke Lingonberry's thigh, which had been trussed together in parallel with her calf, effectively doubling her leg over. The cookbook from Macy and Clara lay still open at Lingonberry's side.

Solange gripped Lingonberry's knees firmly and continued plowing into her. A quartet of finches that had been perched on the window ledge flew off, feeling their song would most likely not be needed this evening, and frankly a little frightened by the guttural moans emanating from the two women at the moment.

"O Solange! O My word! Solange!" Lingonberry cried out. "O You are an animal tonight, my love. O Yes! Take me! Claim me! O, I am yours Solange! I am yours!"

"Who's your princess, baby?"

"O You are Solange! You are. You shall always be mine, and I shall always -- O My word! -- I shall always be yours, Solange. Sure as the rising sun, my love. O Yes! Yes! Alwaaays!"

Princess Lingonberry shuddered and spasmed, still crying out for a long while even as Solange gently slowed her pace, becoming more tender in her ministrations. In fact, Lingonberry was still twitching occasionally even after Solange had untied her and held the shivering woman to her chest under a cozy blanket.

"Too much?" Solange asked as she gently brushed a clump of perspiration-soaked hair from Lingonberry's smiling face.

"Just right, my love." Lingonberry wrapped her arms around Solange's neck and pulled the woman to her still heaving chest. "I don't think I could do that every night." Lingonberry smirked. "But it was a most glorious feeling to have you claim me so."

"I'm glad." Solange settled onto Lingonberry's chest and began caressing her shoulder. "I love you, Princess Lingonberry."

"O And I love you Princess Solange. I love you so very much."

*

In the royal dining room, mid-morning

A fine white linen cloth had been spread over the large oaken table of the royal dining room. The table had been set with eight places, six of which were currently occupied.

"There they are." Solange's mother clapped her hands together and then stood up with arms wide. "Come, come and sit. We were just having a chat with your mother and father, Lingonberry, and it seems we have much in common."

"Yes," Solange's father put in. "Your dad and I seem to share a love of good barbecue and locally crafted beers." The two kings looked at each other, raised their glasses in the air and laughed heartily. Each man's beard has just a bit of hollandaise sauce stuck in it which annoyed their wives to no end.

"And Claudia's been showing us the sketches of Luna's tower renovations." Lingonberry's father turned his head to Luna and smiled. "I have to say it is awfully tempting to renovate the old castle."

"Honey, we don't need to add any more debt." Lingonberry's mother patted her husband's arm.

"Perhaps, if you were willing to have an audience present during the renovations," Claudia offered, "we could work something out."

Lingonberry's father perked up and turned to Claudia.

At that same moment Clara, the cooks assistant, arrived carrying two plates piled high with a generous helping of breakfast casserole, fresh fruit and pastries still steaming from the oven. "I made these special." Clara winked at Lingonberry and Solange. "A little bird told me your energy might need some replenishing this morning. I'll be back with your latte, Solange."

Solange and Lingonberry both laid a hand on Clara's arm and mouthed the words, "Thank you."

"And where will you two be off to for your honeymoon?" Solange's mother asked.

"O Here and there," Lingonberry said. "Just touring the countryside on horseback. Nothing too exotic." She turned to Solange and smiled. Princess Solange responded with a peck on the lips.

The two princesses turned their attention to the plates before them, for they were well and truly famished after the previous day's, and night's, activities. And after putting away every single morsel they excused themselves to Solange's bed chamber to begin packing.

As Solange and Lingonberry traipsed down the hallway, hand in hand and giggling, they paused when they heard a squeal in the distance. Listening closer they could just make out Macy's voice. "Yes!" she cried. "Yes, of course I will, Clara."

Just then a quartet of finches flew by, all of them with their top feathers slicked back.

*

A park in Seattle, some 1500 years later

A young goldfinch by the name of Scout sat in a tall oak, enjoying the warmth of the summer sun and absentmindedly tweeting a song she had learned in her fledgling years. The song was sung to her each night at bedtime by her father who said it was the same lullaby his father sang to him, and his father before.

As Scout was happily chirping away, a young Mary Lambert happened to be taking a walk through the park to get her mind straight after hitting a creative roadblock in a recording session. It just so happened that she sat down to think on a bench beneath the branches of Scout's oak. Later as Mary got up to walk away the song stuck with her, and she found herself humming the tune almost constantly for well over a week.

The tune was so firmly lodged in her head that the only way she could get it out was to write it down and add some lyrics to go along with it. And despite the fact that Lambert was not a princess, and she did not speak bird, she did a remarkable job of coming up with much the same words as the original composed by young Atticus so many centuries before.

Of course, the copyright would be long since expired by then so neither Scout nor any the finch's family would collect any royalties despite the song becoming a top-forty hit in multiple kingdoms and being nominated for a Grammy Award. But such is often the way of things in this world.

* * *

Afterword

I hope you enjoyed what is to be the final installment in the Princess Lingonberry fairy tale. Eight-thousand words, baby! Between this and part one I think that constitutes a novella, and that's a lot. At least that's what my typing fingers keep telling me. It was quite a task trying to add onto the original story and keep it fun and interesting, but I found it to be a very rewarding labor.

And in case you missed the song lyric hints that were dropped here and there, the finches song that caused everyone to swoon was the chorus of Mary Lambert's She Keeps Me Warm. Both Macy and Solange make this observation about their lovers over the course of the story. It's a good song and worth checking out on your favorite streaming service if you are not familiar with it.

You may have also noticed that Luna's wolf-hound did not make an appearance in this story. Sadly large breed dogs like wolf-hounds often have a rather short lifespan. I like to think that he's off chasing squirrels in a sunny meadow somewhere.

Until next time.

-WP