Princess without a Palace: A King Thrushbeard Fairy Tale (28 page)

A
few hours later, Liesel sat with Roderick on a bench near the stables with her
head nestled comfortably against his shoulder. It was a chore to keep her eyes
open when the moonlight kept beckoning her to surrender to sleep, but she
resisted, determined to stay awake at least a little longer. She wasn’t ready
for sleep to steal any part of this magical night.

She wanted to savor every moment.

Feeling her eyelids drooping again, she
blinked rapidly to shake off the heavy weights of the drowsiness that consumed
her. It had been an exhausting evening. She had danced for hours, and after
King Carl had kept his word and announced their engagement at midnight, there
had been even more dancing. Although she had danced most of her dances with
Roderick, there had been dozens of other nobles who had whisked her away so
they could properly convey their congratulations to the future queen of
Brenhausen. She supposed she should have endeavored more diligently to remember
at least a few of their faces or names, but she could spend the rest of her
life attending to that.

Tonight was her night.

And the only man she cared to think
about right now was Roderick.

She was grateful when he had finally pulled
her along with a group of departing guests to slip away to find some privacy
outside. The hectic night made her realize that she had taken the last month of
living a quiet life with him for granted, and she was glad to have him all to
herself again. They sat in the shadows, snuggled close together for warmth, and
watched the local guests trickle from the castle and depart in carriages for
home.  

The stars were now fading, and Liesel
knew there was not much more time before the sun would begin to creep over the
eastern hills. She sighed and snuggled further into Roderick’s embrace. She
felt like she was living a dream and it pained her to see it end.

“Are you happy?” she murmured a few
moments later against his shoulder.

She could sense him smile into her hair
as he answered, “Most definitely.”

Liesel looked down at the gold ring he
had placed on her finger earlier that night and she shook her head. “I still
can’t believe that I am really going to marry you.”

“We’ve been betrothed for a month,”
Roderick reminded her. “Surely you must be used to the idea by now.”

“I can assure you that when I awoke this
morning, I thought that this was the very last way this would all end.”

“That reminds me,” Roderick answered,
shifting in his seat. “I wanted to ask you … Why did you leave? And why didn’t
you tell anyone where you were going?”

Liesel inhaled a deep breath and then
answered, “Maria told me that the betrothal was fake … and that you didn’t
really love me.”

“And you believed her?” he asked,
tilting her chin up to make her look at him.

“You were gone,” Liesel answered. “There
was no way to ask you and I was too embarrassed to stay.”

“But what about the note I left for
you?” Roderick argued. “I wrote my feelings quite plainly.”

“I never found any note,” Liesel
refuted, sitting up straight.

His eyes narrowed. “I most certainly
wrote you a letter. I wouldn’t have left without …” his words trailed into
silence and his mouth clamped shut.

Their eyes locked and they declared in
almost perfect unison, “Maria.”

Roderick shook his head, and Liesel
rested her head again on his shoulder as he hugged her close.

“I am sorry I didn’t realize I couldn’t
trust her …” Roderick eventually whispered, breaking the silence that had
settled between them. “It pains me to know that you ever had to doubt that I
cared for you.” 

“I’ll never doubt again,” Liesel
answered with confidence, returning his embrace.

They sat like that for quite some time
until the sound of approaching horses caught their attention and Liesel turned
in Roderick’s arms to see a few riders nearing the stables.

When the riders finally neared enough to
see them in the flickering light of the castle’s torches, Roderick called out a
greeting, “Albert! I’m relieved to see the soldiers were able to find you!”

“And I’m glad to see that you have
finally found your princess,” the old man returned.

“I have,” Roderick answered, coming to
his feet and pulling Liesel up with him. “Thank you for your assistance. But I
am sorry it led to such a long night for you.”

Albert dismounted from his horse and
handed the reins to one of the soldiers before he turned back to face Roderick.
“I am always happy to be of service, Your Highness.”

Hearing the affection in the old man’s
voice, Liesel looked at Roderick and then back at Albert again. There seemed to
be more to their relationship than they had previously let on. She was sure of
it. “I am quite certain that I wasn’t the one to introduce you two,” she
observed. “How long have you two known one another?”

Roderick’s mouth turned up on one side.
“He was my father’s old captain of the guard. I grew up seeing him in the
castle every day. He is retired now, but he agreed to keep watch over you in
the marketplace since I couldn’t always be there.”

Liesel shook her head. “How many more
surprises are there? I’m a little in awe of the great efforts you were willing
to put into your scheme.”

“And it was all worth it,” Roderick
answered with a wink, reaching an arm around her again.

The kitchen door then opened, and they
all turned to see Hilda step outside. “Albert, is that you?”

“Yes, Hilda, I am finally back.”

“Did they tell you the happy news?” she
called out as she walked down the path to join them.

Albert looked at Roderick expectantly
and the prince explained with a smile, “We announced our engagement tonight. We
will marry at the end of the month.”

“I am happy to hear it,” Albert
answered. “I’ve been hoping it would all end this way since shortly after I met
your princess. You have my congratulations.”

“And thank you, Albert and Hilda, for
everything you did to help me,” Liesel added. “I wouldn’t have had time to fall
in love with Roderick if you hadn’t given me a reason to stay.”

“It was our pleasure,” Hilda answered. “I
just feel bad that I had to keep you confined to that tiny room the whole time,
but as you can see now, I had to keep you away from the kitchen gossip as much
as possible. I really am grateful I had your help these past two weeks though.
You are a good, hard worker, Princess.”

“Thank you, Hilda. I’m glad I can stay
so we can remain friends.”

Hilda smiled and then tucked her arm
around her husband’s. “We should probably return home now. This has been a long
night for us both.”

Albert nodded and then Roderick and
Liesel watched the old couple depart down the hill together.

After they disappeared from view, Liesel
tugged on Roderick’s hand and suggested, “Should we finally make our return to
the castle now?”

Roderick shook his head. “No, not yet,”
he replied. “The sun is about to rise. We might as well stay a little longer so
we can enjoy it.”

Roderick then pulled Liesel back to the
bench to sit beside him, and she sighed with happiness. The stars were fading
and various yellows and oranges were painting the horizon, paving the way for
the sun’s grand entrance.

The night was over, but Liesel wasn’t as
disappointed as she thought she would be to see the sun begin to rise. After
all, as perfect as the night had been, she was excited for all of the future days
that waited to be lived with Roderick at her side.

Tilting her head back to look into his
eyes, she froze when her forehead brushed along his jaw, and she reached a hand
up to feel the scruffy beginnings of a beard.

“Are you growing your beard again?” she
asked, a little surprised.

Prince Roderick rubbed a hand against
his prickly skin and admitted, “I did promise my father I would once I returned
to the castle.”

“Hmm …” Liesel replied as she considered
this revelation. “I suppose it
is
important since it’s tradition in
Brenhausen …”

She traced his rough jaw with her finger
and then added, “But perhaps you might grow your beard out a little shorter
this time?”

Roderick looked down at her in mock
surprise and questioned, “Don’t you want me to show you just how deeply I am
committed to peace and staying home with you by the length of my beard? How
else can I possibly put your fears to rest?”

“I trust you,” Liesel answered without
hesitation, eliciting a laugh from Roderick. She then assured, “I’d be more
than willing to accept your word on the matter.”

He leaned down to kiss her and she
silently admitted that she could trust him without words too.

When she at last pulled away, she
settled herself again under the arm Roderick had draped across her back and
turned her eyes toward the horizon to watch the sunrise. With all of the
carriages now gone and the rest of the guests quietly sleeping inside, a peaceful
tranquility hovered around the castle, and the only sounds they could hear were
the sounds of the nearby birds joining together in their dawn chorus.

Above all of the various songs that wove
through the air, Liesel’s attention was most arrested by the distinct song of a
song thrush somewhere nearby.

She listened as the little bird
faithfully repeated his phrases, the notes of his tune speaking straight to her
heart. His song no longer annoyed her. Instead, she only felt gratitude for the
little bird’s faithful persistence to sing the song he wanted her to hear.

Her arms tightened around Roderick, and
she realized that Roderick had more in common with the thrush birds than she
had originally thought.

How grateful she was that he had not
given up on her!

Liesel’s eyes then turned again to the
breathtaking sunrise playing out before them and she doubted that any day had
ever dawned brighter.

Stealing another glance at the man at
her side, her heart quickened, and she silently noted that her future had never
looked brighter as well.

One month later …

“Y
ou
look perfectly lovely, Liesel,” Queen Marlena praised, squeezing Liesel’s
shoulders as she moved to stand at her side.

Liesel studied her reflection in the
long mirror in the room, and ran a hand over her silver dress to smooth the
shimmering fabric. The month since the ball had seemed like it would never end,
but at last her wedding day had finally arrived.

At the thought, her heart took flight
within her. She could hardly wait to see Roderick again. Since arriving in
Brenhausen the night before, she had been confined to her room to prepare for
the wedding, and it had been torturous to be so near yet unable to see him.

But that would soon change. Any minute
now, the castle’s bells would ring, and it would be time for the wedding to
begin. And then it would hopefully be a very long time before Roderick and she
would ever have to endure a separation again.

She smoothed her dress once more and
tried to will the bells to ring. She hoped the bell ringer hadn’t fallen
asleep. The sun was setting and she knew the appointed time was drawing near.
Why couldn’t the bells just ring?

She caught her mother’s eye in the
mirror and she smiled at the queen’s reflection. She was immensely grateful to
have her mother at her side today after she had missed the engagement the month
before. Her absence had been keenly felt on that wonderful night. But now, with
her mother at her side, everything was perfect.

Gretchen approached to stand behind them
and began adjusting a few stray curls at the base of Liesel’s neck.

“Hold still, Princess,” the maid
ordered. “When you put on your dress, you mangled my masterpiece.”

“Liesel’s hair still looks stunning,
Gretchen,” Queen Marlena assured. “And as beautiful as Liesel has always been,
I don’t think she has ever looked prettier than she does today.”

“Thank you, Mother,” Liesel replied,
leaning her head against her mother’s shoulder as she gave her a quick hug.

“I’m not done yet, Princess. Hold still,”
Gretchen barked, taking hold of Liesel’s head and forcing it upright again.

 Liesel scowled at having her head
handled so roughly, but her expression softened when her mother gave her an
empathetic smile through the mirror. They both knew Gretchen was as excited
about the wedding as anyone, and she couldn’t be faulted for trying to help
Liesel look her best.

“Ow,” Liesel winced as she felt a prick
against her scalp as Gretchen secured another curl higher on her head.

Gretchen started to apologize, but
Liesel held a hand up in the air to silence her. What was that she was hearing?

The voice grew closer and Liesel’s heart
began to accelerate. What was Roderick doing singing right now when he was
supposed to be preparing for their wedding?

Ducking away to escape Gretchen’s reach,
Liesel rushed to the nearby window and looked down to see Roderick’s bearded
face smiling up at her from below.

Her own smile grew as he strummed his gittern
and continued with his song.

“The princess was blessed

With an abundance of grace.

Her stubbornness could rival a mule,

But she had a most beautiful face.”

Liesel shook her head at him and then
shouted, “What are you doing here right now? You’re supposed to be preparing
for our wedding!’

But Roderick ignored her protests and
continued:

“Suitors sought her hand,

But she never gave them a chance.

So finally one tricked her,

And stole her heart with a dance.

Liesel fought back a smile, but lost.
That dance in the stables had indeed been her undoing.

“Now that man stands before her,

Madly in love for all the world to see.

I offer her my hand and my heart.

Will you please marry me?

Will you please marry me?

The memories his song elicited flooded
through her mind, and she rested her forearms against the windowsill and called
down to him, “Your song sounds familiar, sir. But I’m surprised you dare to say
those words aloud again after what happened the last time you sang that last line.”

“Despite my acting at the time, I’ve never
regretted them,” he assured her. “And just the last part is the same. The rest
I’ve improved.”

“Yes, I was quite enchanted by that part
about the mule …” she answered with a pointed look, and then continued, “But
really, Roderick, what are you doing here right now? You better not miss the
ceremony!”

“I won’t miss it,” he promised. “But I
just couldn’t wait to see you again.”

She had to catch her breath when he said
that. Oh, how she loved him!

Behind her, she heard the door open and
Liesel tore her gaze from Roderick to turn and see Queen Emma entering the
room.

“Are you ready?” Roderick’s mother
questioned. “I came to personally offer you a warning that the bells are about
to sound.”

“I’m ready,” Liesel assured, standing
straight again. She then nodded out the window, and added, “But your son is
presently outside gallivanting with his gittern again.”

Queen Emma crossed the room to join
Liesel at the window and then declared, “Roderick, you can sing to Liesel as
much as you like at any other time of your choosing, but I’m afraid I must
steal her away. She actually has an appointment right now to be married.”

“I wouldn’t want to keep her from that.”

“I thought not,” his mother replied,
pulling Liesel away from the window.

“That boy,” Queen Emma sighed, shaking
her head. “He was always tinkering with that silly instrument when he was
younger. I remember the minstrels being quite unsettled by it. They worried he
would put them out of their work.” Queen Emma patted Liesel’s cheek and added,
“I am glad he has finally found a good use for his talent.”

The queen then looked Liesel over and
smiled. “You look beautiful, my dear. I am very happy for you and Roderick. You
will make a wonderful pair.”

“Thank you,” Liesel answered, relieved
to hear such welcoming words from a member of Roderick’s family.

“Even my Carl has moved past mere
resignation. He has a hard exterior, but you’ll find that he’s really soft
inside for his children. And he’s seen how happy you have made Roderick. We all
have.” The queen paused and then added, “Even Maria.”

Liesel looked at her with a questioning
look, and the queen elaborated, “Oh, she still has a few more hurdles she needs
to navigate to overcome her jealousy, but she’s making progress. She needs to
come to terms that it shouldn’t matter to her how beautiful you are or how much
her dear brother cares for you. I hope you will forgive her for any harm she
might have done to you. She has always loved Roderick very much, and I’m afraid
her protective nature and insecurities drove her to near madness.”

“That is all in the past,” Liesel
assured, forcing a smile.

Queen Emma patted her arm with
appreciation. “I am glad to find you so charitable.”

The bells finally pealed, and Liesel’s
gaze swung to her mother.

“Are you ready?” Queen Marlena
questioned.

Liesel nodded. She was undoubtedly
nervous, but she had never felt more excited in her life.

After Gretchen conducted one last
inspection of Liesel’s hair and gave her final approval, the queens each took
one of Liesel’s arms and began escorting her down to the main hall.

When they approached the large oak doors
that led into the room, Liesel stole a glance at her mother, and her eyes
filled with tears when she saw the excess moisture in her mother’s eyes. Her
mother grasped her hand and then pulled her into an embrace.

“I love you, Liesel,” Queen Marlena
whispered. “Like I’ve always said—you were born to be a queen—and I couldn’t be
happier for you.”

“Thank you, Mother. I love you too,”
Liesel whispered back.

Queen Emma then hugged her as well and
after the queens each gave her a reassuring look, they slipped through the
doors and into the great hall.

A nearby servant passed her a bouquet
and Liesel twisted it in her hands while she waited for the music to begin. The
seconds seemed to drag on, and she shifted from foot to foot as she stared at
the great doors before her.

When the royal guards finally pulled the
doors open, Liesel inhaled a deep breath as the crowd quieted and turned to
look at her. She had never felt so many eyes upon her before, and her courage
began to falter until she finally found Roderick’s eyes at the end of the room.

The light she found there chased away
all of her fears and her nerves settled enough to return his smile.

The wedding melody began to play and she
clutched the bouquet in her hands. She hesitated in the doorway until a servant
stepped behind her and gave her a gentle nudge. With her eyes locked with
Roderick’s, she then took her first steps forward and then had to strain to
pace her steps appropriately.

Now that she was walking toward her
prince, she couldn’t help her impatience.

She couldn’t wait to begin the rest of
their happily ever after.

THE END