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“THEY LEFT ME,” CHARMAINE whimpered to himself. “I can’t believe they... they left me. They left me all alone in the tower... completely forgetting that it was I, Prince Charmaine, who ultimately saved the day!” There was no one around to see his theatrics, but he clasped his webbed hands over his goggle eyes in sorrow. When their business in the tower was done, everyone left. Charmaine was the only one who remained. They left him behind.
“Aurora would have been dead if not for me!” Charmaine complained to himself. “She would have been fried, sizzled... and, of course, Blackbeard wouldn’t have forgiven Medea, because that would have made her his daughter’s murderer and I’m sure that wouldn’t have settled well with him. Medea wouldn’t have had her change of heart, and she certainly wouldn’t have recursed Noxor who, in effect, would have been a hideous, armless wastrel!” Charmaine grumbled a few curse words, and it made him feel better—but only for a moment. “They owe all their happiness to me, and no one realizes it!”
“WHY?!” Charmaine cried to the ceiling. “Why, cruel world, why?! Am I to be a frog forever? Is this all there is for me? Should I learn to adapt to my amphibious ways?!”
While Charmaine was busy whining, a small figure appeared in the doorway. She ran over to him, sat beside him, and lifted him off the ground.
Greta turned him around and smiled. “Good froggy.”
“Ahhh, Greta,” Charmaine sighed. “I guess it’s back into the pocket for me, isn’t it? I might as well stay with you forever. You were the only one who was good to me. And I guess I should learn to eat flies, because—”
Before he could finish, Greta kissed him on the head.
* * *
AURORA PACED ACROSS the floor as she waited for an audience with the king and queen. Seeing as she was a guest of immeasurable importance, they didn’t keep her waiting long. After a few minutes, the butler reappeared.
“The king and queen would like to see you now,” he starchily announced.
Aurora turned to Lyric with panic in her eyes. “Oh my God,” she uttered. “I can’t do this...”
“Yes you can!” Lyric wrapped and arm around her shoulders and started to guide her toward the door. “This is the moment you’ve been waiting for, right? Well, it’s one of the moments you’ve been waiting for.”
“One of the moments?”
“Well, you know... finding Mebb and Murrr was the other one.” He mumbled.
“Who?!”
“You know...” Lyric raised a fist to his mouth and coughed into it. “Meff and Murff...”
Aurora rolled her eyes. “You’ve forgotten their names, haven’t you?”
Lyric winced. He couldn’t help it if he was terrible at remembering names.
“Meg and Mary.”
“Right. Meg and Mary. Meff and Murff. That’s exactly what I said!” Lyric steered her to the throne room door and changed the subject as quickly as he could. “Alright, are you ready?”
“No.”
“I‘ll take that as a yes. I’ll be right outside the door if you need me!”
“Okay.” Aurora took a deep breath. Finding out that Blackbeard was her father was stressful enough. Now she was supposed to meet her mother, and a king who potentially had every reason to hate her, the same king who banished her when she was a child? The prospect made her weak in the knees.
“Go on then.” Lyric opened the door and shoved her inside. When she stumbled into the throne room, he closed the door behind her, cutting off her retreat.
Aurora had no choice but to go forward. She walked along the plush red carpet, heading toward the thrones where the king and queen were waiting for her. When she was close enough to see their faces, she stopped. And bowed.
The queen, an austere woman with familiar copper hair, rose from her throne and looked upon her daughter. She studied Aurora for a few seconds, waiting, watching, holding her breath.
Then she extended her arms. “My child!”
Aurora looked up. She noticed the queen’s open arms, but she didn’t fly into them. “Hello, uh... Your Majesty.”
“Please, no child of mine should have to bow to me!” The queen exclaimed. “And you certainly have no need for formalities when you address me! You’re my daughter, the princess of this kingdom!” She stepped closer to Aurora, arms still extended. “Welcome home.”
Home? As she wrapped her arms around her mother, Aurora kept her eyes on the king. She was waiting for him to protest. He was supposed to hate her, was he not?
“Why did you...?” Aurora stopped. She wanted to hear, in their own words, the reason for her banishment. In fact, the question was on the tip of her tongue.
But she changed her mind.
“Never mind.”
“What is it, darling?”
“Never mind,” Aurora stepped away from the queen and smiled.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
It was pointless to dredge up sore spots. No matter what their reason was, she was glad they sent her away. She had the best childhood in the world because of it, and it made her the person she was today. As she looked at the queen, who was elated to see her, she realized there was no need to act bitter.
“Anyway...” Aurora hugged her mother again. “It’s really nice to see you.”
“And it’s wonderful to see you too!” The queen exclaimed. “We have so much to catch up on... so much to talk about! I do hope you’ll decide to stay in the castle. If you decide to stay here, nothing would make us happier.”
“Really?” Aurora’s gaze went back to the king; she was still expecting him to protest. “Are you sure?”
The king finally spoke. “Yes. We’re very sure. The whole kingdom is thrilled about the return of their princess. It would be a shame if you left us now.”
When she heard the king’s words, Aurora felt a huge burden lifted from her shoulders. So he doesn’t hate me, her thoughts whispered. It was a huge relief.
“So...” The queen wrapped an arm around Aurora’s shoulders. “Tell me about yourself. What sort of foods do you like? What do you do in your spare time? I’ve heard you liked archery. And you’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”
“Well, I...” Aurora scratched her head. She didn’t know what question to answer first.. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t have time to figure it out, because the starchy butler returned with a message.
“The carriages have arrived,” he announced. “Your friends are ready to depart, Your Highness.”
It took Aurora a few seconds to realize the butler was addressing her. Your Highness? That would certainly take some getting used to. “They’re leaving already?!”
“I believe that is their intent, Your Highness. The carriages should depart while there is still daylight.”
“Oh.”
Lyric was leaving. That was the first thought that crossed her mind. After everything they’d been through, their journey was finally over. He’d done what he’d promised: he rescued her aunts, he delivered her to the castle, and now he was leaving. When she came to that realization, Aurora swore she could feel a fist clamping down on her heart.
“Are you alright?” The queen asked, noticing her daughter’s face was suddenly drained of color.
“Oh... yeah.”
But she wasn’t alright. Lyric was leaving. It was almost too much to bear. She wished she could summon the courage to tell him how she felt, but she knew it would be impossible. She didn’t want to expose herself like that, or subject her heart to breaking.
“I’ll be right back,” Aurora informed the king and queen. “The people I’ve been traveling with... they’re going to leave. I kind of wanted to see them off.”
“Well, that’s understandable.” The queen gave her daughter’s hair a gentle stroke. “Take as long as you’d like. We have all the time in the world, don’t we?”
Aurora turned around and ran—literally ran—out of the throne room. When she threw open the door, she nearly knocked over Lyric, who was standing on the other side.
He reeled backward with a gasp. “Good God, woman! Are you trying to kill me?!”
Aurora suppressed a smile. “No, I just... I just didn’t want you to leave without saying goodbye.”
Lyric shook his head with disbelief. “And you honestly think I would do that?”
“I don’t know.”
“The answer should be obvious, you silly girl.” Lyric coiled an arm around Aurora’s waist and started to guide her to where the others were waiting. “So, how did it go with the king and queen?”
“Not bad.”
“Not bad?!” Lyric exclaimed. “Can’t you give me more details than that? The king didn’t turn you over his knee and paddle you or anything bizarre like that, did he?”
“No!”
“Well, that’s good to know.” Lyric winked at her. “Because if he did, I would have had no choice but to give him a piece of my mind!” He pushed open the door to one of the castle’s many sitting rooms, where everyone was waiting for Aurora to arrive.
Blackbeard, Charmaine, Greta, Meg, Mary, Noxor and Rachelle. One by one, they were all going to depart.
Blackbeard, her father, stepped forward first.
“Hello there, daughter.”
“Hello there, uhh...” It didn’t feel right to call him her father. She just couldn’t bring herself to do it. “Thanks for coming when you did.”
“Hey, no problem!” Blackbeard exclaimed. “It was Noxor who arranged it. I’d been trying to track down Medea for years, but she was always moving around, and I was always busy. If I’d have known her change of heart would’ve come about so rapidly, I would’ve tried harder to find her.”
“Soo... what about Medea?” Aurora asked. “Where is she?”
“She belongs in a dungeon, of course,” he said. “Unfortunately, my soft spot for her is still rather large. She’s a wicked lady, to be sure... but that’s always what I liked about her.”
Aurora sneered. In her eyes, there was nothing even remotely likeable about Medea.
“I’m taking her aboard my ship,” Richard explained. “I’ll have her swab the deck for a few years as punishment. It’s the least she can do. And if you ever want to join us for another excursion on the Hell’s Chariot, let me know.”
“Um... I’ll pass, thanks.”
“But you’re my daughter, so you’re always welcome.” After a few seconds of silence, Richard raked a grieved hand across his beard. “And, uh... sorry if it seemed like I was flirting with you. You know... I didn’t know you were my... ugh... I’ll never live it down...”
“It’s alright!” Aurora said with a chuckle.
“Well then.” Richard stepped toward the door and took a bow. “I better get going before the king realizes I’m here. I’m a wanted pirate and I’m the queen’s old flame. He’d rake the skin from my bones if he knew I was here! Farewell, Aurora.” Richard took her hand and kissed it.
“Goodbye.”
As she watched her estranged sire disappear through the doorway, Aurora wondered if she would ever see him again.
Charmaine came forward; he was holding Greta’s hand.
“Hello Aurora.” He didn’t sound amused.
“Hello, Charmaine.” She stared at him for several seconds, silently assessing his intentions. “It’s good to see you back to your... old self.”
“No thanks to you!”
“I was mad at you!”
“I’m mad at you!”
They glowered at each other for several seconds, not quite sure what to say to mend the rift. They weren’t even sure they wanted to mend the rift.
“We shouldn’t get married,” Aurora said.
“No, absolutely not!” he adamantly agreed.
“So what are you going to do now?”
Charmaine looked down at Greta, who clutched his hand like a lifeline. “Greta’s told me a lot about herself. She has no parents. She’s been living on her own, off the goodwill of others, for over a year. So I’ve decided to adopt her.”
Aurora was nearly bowled over by his admission. “Seriously?!”
“Yes. Seriously. She’s an orphan and she saved my life, so it’s the least I can do.” Charmaine lowered his eyes to the ground. “I’m... going to try to make amends with Cydney, too.”
“Oh. Good. Tell her I said hello.”
“I will.” Charmaine sighed. “But I think she might be angry with me.”
“Well, she shouldn’t be. Deep down, I think you’re a good guy, Charmaine.” Remembering what a cad he was, Aurora added, “Deep, deep down...”
“Thanks. I’ll take that as a... semi-compliment.” As they moved toward the door, Charmaine looked down at Greta. When the little girl realized they were about to leave, she waved.
And then they were gone.
Mary and Meg ran forward and tackled Aurora in a hug. She wrapped her arms around both of them, and they stayed huddled like that for over a minute.
“Are you guys really going to go?!” Aurora asked with a sniffle. “Can’t I come stay with you?”
“Of course you can, dear.” Mary brushed a finger across Aurora’s rosy cheek. “You’ve always got a home with us. Whenever you want to come back, our doors are always open.”
“Okay.” As much as she wanted to return to the cottage, staying at the castle seemed like the right thing to do. She had to begin her life as a princess at some point, and there was no time like the present. “I’ll miss you guys so, so much!”
“I know.” Meg wrapped her meaty arms around Aurora and gave her a squeeze. “We’ll miss you too.”
“It doesn’t seem fair. I just found you guys, and now you’re leaving.”
“We’re not far. The cottage is just a stone’s throw away,” Mary assured her. “Take care of yourself, Aurora.”
“Okay...” She told herself not to cry. This was a new phase in her life, and she couldn’t cling to their apron strings forever. “I’ll come visit you in a couple of days. Is that alright?”
“Of course it’s alright!” Meg exclaimed. “It’ll be interesting to see how many fancy castle guards you’ll have to take with you when you come!”
“I hope zero!” Aurora laughed.
The three of them embraced each other in another lingering hug.
And another hug.
Then they departed.
Aside from Lyric, Rachelle and Noxor were the only ones who remained. They stepped forward together, as if they were a unit. Aurora stared at Noxor for several seconds, still unable to believe her eyes. His exterior wasn’t the one she remembered, but she hugged him nonetheless.
“Thanks for everything, Noxor.”
He slowly wrapped his arms around Aurora; he wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of affection. “Say nothing of it.”
“No, I mean it!” Aurora insisted. “I would have been dead three times over if it wasn’t for you! You saved me so many times! I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere if you weren’t there.”
“Okay!” It was Rachelle who spoke up. She wriggled an arm between Noxor and Aurora and pried them apart. “Your praise is nice and all, but would you stop hugging my boyfriend?”
Boyfriend? First Charmaine adopting Greta, and now this? Aurora was lucky she was still standing upright after all the shocking news. “Wow, really?”
“Uh-huh. When we get back to my kingdom, he’s officially my one-and-only beau!” Rachelle’s gaze flickered over to the other man in the room. “Sorry, Lyric.”
Lyric threw up his hands. “Hey, no apology necessary!”
“Well... uh... I wish you guys all the happiness in the world.” She tried to let it sink in, but Aurora could hardly believe what she was hearing. Rachelle. Noxor. A couple. Fate worked in mysterious ways indeed!
Rachelle coiled both arms around Noxor, as if staking her claims on him. “I just hope I won’t be too overbearing. You know how I can be sometimes.”
Aurora wasn’t going to protest.
“Well, then... we should get going.” Noxor said. “It was an honor to have met you, Aurora, and to have assisted you. If you ever need me, I will return immediately.”
Aurora smiled. “If you and Rachelle break up, you could always come back here and be my personal bodyguard! I’m sure I’d feel a lot safer with you around!”
Rachelle glared at Aurora. “We’re not going to break up!”
“Of course you’re not.” Aurora was tempted to give Noxor another hug, but she was intimidated by Rachelle’s heated gaze. “I’ll miss you. Both of you.”
“We’ll miss you too,” Noxor said with a nod.
“Come back and visit whenever you’d like!”
Noxor bowed his head in appreciation. “Of course. We’ll definitely do that.”
Rachelle and Noxor took a step in the direction of the door, but lingered there for a few seconds, as if reluctant to leave.
“Goodbye,” Noxor uttered again.
“Goodbye.”
And then she was alone with Lyric. He walked across the room and stood at the window. She wasn’t sure what he was looking at, or if he was looking at anything at all.
“I guess I’m the last one,” Lyric noted.
“I guess you are.”
“It’s just you and me. Just like it was in the beginning.”
Aurora clasped her hands behind her back. If she didn’t restrain them, she would have been tempted to run toward him and toss her arms around him—in an embrace that was very different than the one she gave to Noxor. “Yeah. I guess so.”
“The evil queen’s heart melts, and the princess returns to her castle in triumph. It’s like the end of a fairy tale, isn’t it?”
Aurora laughed at his suggestion. “Yeah. Kind of.”
He turned away from the window, and their eyes met. For several seconds, she stared at the face of the man she had grown to love. She tried to soak in his visage with every ounce of her being.
“Well then, my job’s done,” he said. “I guess it’s time to go home... finally! It’s been a long time coming, hasn’t it?”
Aurora could feel her stomach churning. All of the day’s farewells had been difficult, but this one was the worst. By far. “Yeah. I guess you’re glad, aren’t you?”
“To be honest, I am. I’m exhausted. And I’m am emperor! I’m not cut out for stuff like this!” Lyric walked toward Aurora and took her by the hand. “That’s not to say I haven’t had an... interesting time.”
Interesting time? Is that all he could muster? She fell in love with him, but he had an interesting time? To hear him demean their time together was too depressing for words.
He kept holding her hand. “Please come visit me sometime... won’t you?”
Aurora nodded. She could feel tears behind her eyes, but she begged herself not to let them fall. “Yeah.”
“Well, then...” He looked toward the door. “I guess it’s time for me to take my leave?”
Aurora nodded again. If only she was braver. If only she could have had the strength to throw her arms around him and beg him to stay!
“Goodbye, Princess,” Lyric whispered. He let go of her hand and let it drift back to her side.
“Goodbye, Lyric.”
He lifted a hand in friendly salutation, bowed to her, and fled.
Lyric was gone.
Several minutes after he left, Aurora was rooted to the spot. The most naïve part of her mind was trying to convince herself that he would return. But he didn’t. He was truly, completely, officially gone.
Aurora fell her to her knees and sobbed.
Medea might as well have killed her after all.