Authors: V. Ashenden

A Tale of Two Princesses (38 page)

BOOK: A Tale of Two Princesses

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Betilly was next, hugging her and promising she would visit. Kathree had no words. The three of them, along with the priest, the chancellor, and the steward, stepped into another carriage and departed.

Mrs. Crockery was all that was left. She just shook her head in disbelief. Then Banyan returned from the tavern, a bag under his arm, stopping by her side.

"Well, my little niece, I've finally found my fortune, and who knew all along I'd have you to thank for it."

"Spend it wisely, Uncle," she said. "Don't gamble it all away on the first man who asks to play cards."

"That's good advice. Come give your uncle a hug."

She did, wrapping her arms around him. He patted her back.

"Now, don't think you're stuck with that prince," Banyan said. "I got me money now, and I mean to collect. If you need somewhere to stay, I'll help you. I figure you got it comin', few years worth of back wages."

"Thanks, Uncle. And make an honest woman out of Mrs. Crockery, okay?"

He smirked, glancing at Mrs. Crockery. "I might just do that."

Sienna smiled. "And visit, okay?"

He patted her head and then walked off, looking back at Mrs. Crockery, who was still standing there.

"You're a foolish girl," Mrs. Crockery said. "I always said it, didn't I? Well, I might have figured it would take an equally foolish man to win your heart." She shook her head. "You and your prince are welcome to this dump. Good luck to you, girl."

Sienna scrunched up her eyebrows. "Bye, Mrs. Crockery."

And then Sienna was alone, standing there in the field, the afternoon sun warm. She returned to the barn, picking up her rake, finishing her work. She was slow with it. She knew what was next. She would have to go into the tavern, clean up, scrub the floors. And she would have to see Court.

When she came out of the barn, it was sunset. She filled her bucket with water, dropping her brush in, and then headed to the tavern. She pushed the door open very quietly. The kitchen was empty. There were no plates in the sink. She cracked open the door to the tavern, peeking through. There were no patrons tonight, not even one. Court was the only one there, wiping down the bar, his bar. He turned to her and she immediately closed the door.

There were butterflies in her stomach, making her nauseous all over. With no dishes, she had to get started on the floor. She took a deep breath, and then pushed the door open, saying nothing as she passed the bar, keeping her head down, feeling his eyes on the side of her face. She set her bucket on the floor, falling to her knees, now out of his sight. Then she picked up her brush and began scrubbing.

He disappeared into the kitchen and she took a breath, relieved he was going to let her work in peace. She was going to have to talk to him afterward though, tell him that she would stay on and continue working for him as she had worked for her uncle, if he would allow her to stay in her stall.

Then he came out of the kitchen, walking over to her. She stared at his shoes for a moment, wondering what he was going to say. He climbed down to the floor, right beside her, dipped a brush into the bucket, and then began scrubbing.

"What are you doing?" she immediately demanded.

"I'm cleaning the floor," he said, looking up.

"That's my job."

"I'm helping."

"No. This is my job. You mind the bar. I clean."

"There's no one here, Sienna."

"I don't care. Get behind your bar. They're my floors."

"They're not your floors. They're our floors."

"What?"

"Fifty-fifty. Everything I take in, you get half."

She sat up on her knees. "I don't want half. I just want my stall. That's all I want."

"Then I'll put your half in your stall."

"No!" she said angrily. "I clean. You serve. That's how it works."

"I'm not your uncle. I run things differently. And I say we're running it together. And you're not sleeping in that stall anymore."

"What?" she shouted.

"You're upstairs."

"I'm not sleeping with you!"

"I meant you can have one of the other rooms."

"No. We might have guests and you might need all eight rooms. You'll lose money if—"

"I don't care about money, Sienna. Lord above, what are you talking about? A king is on his knees scrubbing a floor because he wants to be with you, and you're angry because he doesn't want you to sleep in a stall? What more do you want from me? Is that stall so great you'd rather wake up next to it than to wake up next to me?"

"You see, that's why I can't be with you, that, right there. You'll always see yourself as a king."

"Oh, so not only must I throw away my crown, I must change the past so that it was never placed upon my head? Look at my hands, Sienna! They are dirty, like yours! Is that not good enough for you?"

"No! It's not good enough! Because I know what's going to happen! The moment I give myself up to you, you're going to regret it!"

"I will not!"

"You will! And you're going to hate me for letting you do this, because you're going to hate it here, like I do. So, no, it doesn't matter if you give up the crown or that you own this place or that you scrub floors, because you'll want to leave one day. And when that day comes, you can leave without having to worry about me, because they'll be nothing for you to stay here for. You'll say, 'Sienna, I hate it here and I'm going to get my crown back from Wellington,' and you'll go. But if we're together, you won't go. You'll stay because you feel guilty, and you'll hate me, and you'll be miserable, and you'll regret it."

He threw his brush at the wall, standing up, shouting. "Then you're telling me it does not matter what I do? I have done everything for nothing? All because you believe it is not enough!"

"Yes!" she shouted up at him. "So, good! If you see it was for nothing, leave! Get out! Go back to Wellington and get your crown!"

"I don't want the damn thing! I want you!"

"You can't have me!" she screamed, her tears falling.

"Then I will stay!" he shouted. "I will stay and stay and stay until even you do not believe your own words! I will stay so long you will marvel that I was telling the truth, that I want nothing but you, and you will forget that ever I was a king, and perhaps by that time, we will both be so old and gray we will have time for nothing but to die together, but still I will rejoice that at least I have that!"

"Why?" she cried. "Don't you know how hard that will be for me, seeing you every day? Please, Court, if you love me, just let me go. Let me have my stall and you can have your castle. Please, just leave me alone."

He stomped away, and for a moment Sienna thought he was leaving, but he just picked up his brush, came back, dropped to his knees, and began scrubbing again. Sienna cried softly as she started scrubbing, sniveling and wiping her eyes. She could not even see the floor anymore. She dropped her brush and covered her face. Court's arms came around her, his hands moving over her back. She did not hug him. She merely kept her face covered as she cried.

"Sienna," he whispered. He pulled her hands away, lifting her jaw, putting his forehead against her forehead, looking into her wet eyes. "Sienna, I'll never regret choosing you over a crown. But I would always regret choosing a crown over you. I have to wait for you. I will wait for you. I don't care how long it takes to prove it to you. I just hope you don't regret it."

"Me?" she whispered.

"Yes. You're going to find out one day that I haven't left, that I'm still here, and you're going to realize that I'm never going to leave, that you're never going to be alone. And that's the day you're going to regret it, regret that you wasted our time waiting for something to happen that never happened, and you're going to run into my arms and you're going to apologize and I'm going to forgive you and kiss you and tell you I knew all along. And even then, it won't be too late."

Her lower lip trembled. "I've been alone for so long, Court. I'm scared. I'm so scared you're going to leave me."

He held her cheek in the palm of his hand, their noses touching. "I'm not. You're not alone anymore, Sienna. You'll never be alone."

And then he kissed her. She whimpered into his mouth, and then her whole body melted into his arms. She had no more power to refuse him. Her arms slipped around his shoulders and she drew him in deeper.

"I'll never be a queen or a princess."

"Good. Because I only like stable girls."

She kissed him again, her fingers gripping the back of his neck to hold him in place, her head turning so she could open her mouth wider, breaking again after a moment.

"If your family ever visits," she said, "I'll probably embarrass you in front of them, and you'll have to make excuses for me."

"I already have my excuse picked out. I will tell them I'm madly in love with you."

He kissed her once more. It was making her lightheaded. Her heart was so warm and happy. It wasn't something she was used to. She wanted to shout it out loud, do something to express her bliss, but it was all she could do just to catch her breath.

"We'll struggle," she whispered. "In the winter, they'll be no guests, and we'll be so hungry, and we'll have to sell the cow, and we'll lose half the chickens, and the stable will be freezing cold."

"We'll keep each other warm all winter long, making love by the fire."

She gulped. "I've never done that."

"Neither have I," he said.

It was her turn to kiss him, her breathing turning into moans that vibrated through their bodies. Her hands were gripping him harder, running down over his back.

"Think we can close the tavern early tonight?" she asked.

"Only if you think our customers can do without drinks."

"We don't have any customers."

"Then it'll be a very quiet night," he said, his arms moving down her body, slipping under her legs and her back. He picked her up as he stood, moving toward the door. She turned the lock, and then he carried her up the stairs and took her into his old room.

"At least," she whispered, "we'll have a full eight rooms if we share."

"That's good," Court said, laying her down on the bed, "because I am so very greedy and I shall not wish to lose even a single coin when I could have you in my room with me."

"I'm not going back to my stall?"

"Never."

"And you're going to help farm the eggs?"

"Every morning."

"And you're going to help clean the stables?"

"Every afternoon."

"And you're going to help scrub the floor?"

"Every evening."

"And you're going to make love to me?"

"Every night."

The End