The Wild Swans (32 page)

She would have to tell Falk. She didn’t look forward to this, he would be hurt. However, Elise knew her antisocial foster-brother had a warm heart. He would learn to love another.

Elise had made her choice. Rune would be her true love from now until she died. The hero and the banker was something of an odd combination, but—Elise realized with a start— perhaps she was a hero, too.

Either way
, it didn’t matter. Rune chose Elise, and Elise chose Rune. For the first time in months, perhaps since the death of Queen Ingrid, Elise looked forward to the future.

“You may tell Advisor Withold
that I will certainly take his advice under consideration, but the return on investment of a merchant fleet hardly seems worth it when we can tax our country’s imports and exports, saving us the expense of building and outfitting ships and stimulating our economy by investing in diverse merchants,” Elise said as she marched down a hallway, scribes and couriers scrambling at her side.

“B-
but Princess,” the scribe protested.

“
Furthermore, we have a Navy to complete. Three more ships are being built as we speak. It seems silly to build merchant ships when we already have a flotilla of boats,” Elise frowned.

“Princess
, your brother wishes to speak with you,” a new courier said, jostling in the crowd.

“Which one?” Elise asked.

“Crown Prince Steffen.”

Elise sucked in air through clenched teeth. “No. No
, that is too bad. Tell Steffen that no, I will
not
be the master of ceremonies for the anniversary celebration of Clotilde’s defeat. It’s tacky.”

“
But the people, Princess, they long to honor you,” the courier wheedled.

“They can honor Captain
Meier, or Gabrielle, or her cat. They did just as much as I did,” Elise said, adjusting the red sash of her customary work uniform.

“Princes
s,” the courier protested.

“Princess El
ise,” a young page boy shouted at the top of his lungs as he skidded into the hallway. “Princess Elise!”

“Yes?” Elise asked
, directing her gaze to the small boy. This shift of attention earned the young boy many glares from the scribes and couriers.

“He’s home!”

“Rune is?”

“Yes! He’s just arrived at the stables.”

The scribes and couriers groaned, knowing their lady well enough to predict what would happen next.

“Thank you
, Wulf,” Elise said to the young boy as she lifted her skirts several inches off the ground. “If you will excuse me, ladies, gentlemen,” Elise said before she, in a most undignified and certainly
not
Perfect Princess fashion, ran down the hallway.

Elise tore through the castle
, dodging maids and footmen. She flung herself into an open air corridor and cut across the gardens, slipping through a gap in the hedge that walled the gardens in. She skidded into the castle grounds just as Rune left the stables. He was dusty and dirty from traveling and camping in the woods, but Elise never thought him more handsome.

“Rune!”
Elise said, throwing herself at him.

Rune
, who was carrying several saddle bags, dropped his load and swept Elise up in a whirling bundle of skirts and laughter. He laid a solid kiss on Elise’s lips that was so long, the servants in the area clapped and catcalled.

Elise hid her blush
ing face in Rune’s shoulder as Rune laughed and held her close. “I will never grow tired of returning home to you. It almost makes the separation worth it,” Rune said, tugging the ribbon that held Elise’s hair in a low ponytail until it released, spilling her wild curls about her shoulders.

“I am glad you are home
,” Elise said, recovering enough to smile.

Rune kissed the palm of her hand
before he adjusted the beautiful engagement ring on her finger. “And I am glad to be home. Only two months,” he said before he threw the saddle bags over one arm and twined his free arm around Elise. “Any trouble with the wedding plans?”

“Falk has been crusading against the cook to convince us to serve pilaf at the
banquet. He thinks we can hook the foreign guests on the taste and increase our rice exports,” Elise said.

Rune sighed. “I almost wish you hadn’t introduced him to
that little secretary minion of the Commerce Department. Since those two started courting he’s been nagging me to crack down on monsters to create safer trade routes for food exports.”

“
There’s more: Gabrielle’s belly has exploded,” Elise said.

“I thought she
wasn’t due for three months?”

“She is
, but according to her, their baby has the same fat head as his father and is going to be quite large. She fears she will have to be wheeled down the aisle,” Elise said as they entered the castle together.

“What does Steffen
have to say of that?”

“Not much. Gabrielle
has banned him from speaking of their baby in her presence. Apparently he has been hovering, and she grows tired of it. Last time she hefted herself into a saddle for a horse ride, Steffen suggested it wouldn’t be good for the baby.”

“What did she do?”

“She threw Puss at him.”

Rune winced. “Ouch.”

“Indeed. But I don’t think he will question her activities again,” Elise said, a mischievous grin twitching across her lips.

“
That’s probably—my word, what is
that
?” Rune asked, almost dropping his saddlebags again when they entered the portrait gallery. He stared at several giant monstrosities of art and embroidery. Hung on the walls were tapestries and life-sized paintings of Elise and Rune. Instead of being the typical portraits, each piece had Rune battling some kind of monster, usually wearing a gaudy set of armor or brandishing a shining sword, and Elise at his side, glowing and wielding magic like a top-notch enchantress.

“Oh
, yes,” Elise frowned. “Steffen has decided since we are marrying, together we can be the perfect public relations image for our subjects to rally under. He means to portray us as some kind of heroic duo with you as the monster killer and me as a magic user. Since I killed Clotilde, our ‘image’ has reached new heights of admiration from the commoners. Steffen wants to make the most of our marriage.”

“It’s fitt
ing,” Rune said, looking at the various pieces of art. “He’s gone all out, hasn’t he?”

“It just about killed him
that we had to downplay my magic before the Shimmer Conflict,” Elise wryly said.

This time Rune did drop his saddlebags again and pulled Elise into a close embrace. “It
was to keep you safe.”

“
It’s no longer something to worry about,” Elise said, listening to the steady thud of Rune’s heart.

“I cannot wait for our future together
,” Rune said, entwining his hands with Elise’s before kissing her. “I love you. I missed you,” Rune said, resting his forehead against hers.

“I love you
, too.”

“We’re go
ing to live happily ever after,” Rune said.

“As the Monster Killer and Magic Tamer.”

“Sometimes I think our epic combination is the only reason Steffen agreed to our marriage,” Rune said.

Elise chuckled and picked up one of Rune’
s saddlebags. “It doesn’t matter what Steffen thinks. It’s what we feel that makes the difference.”

Rune gathered the rest of his saddle bags. “Two months. I cannot wait
,” he said, entangling his free hand in Elise’s wild curls before leaning in to kiss her.

The kiss went on for several moments
until a door to the portrait gallery opened.

“Rune
, you’re home—hey! You get your paws off my sister,” Nick shouted from the far end of the room.

Rune ended the kiss
, but leaned his forehead against Elise’s and sighed. “
Two months
,” he repeated in a long-suffering tone.

Elise giggled.

“What are you doing? Stop giggling. I said, what are you doing? Mikk! The love-birds are at it again; we’ve got to stop Rune!” Nick said before he ran at Elise and Rune like a mad bull.

“I would like to see you try
,” Rune said, bracing for impact.

“No
, let’s run,” Elise said, grabbing Rune by the arm and pulling him along.

“Stop! I’ll tell Father you’re eloping
,” Nick said as he tore after Rune and Elise.

Rune stopped running. “That’s a great idea
,” he said, his face serious.

“What? No! Mikk!” Nick roared.

Elise almost tripped, she was laughing so hard as she and Rune fled the portrait gallery and ran.

Marrying her personal hero was a happily ever after Elise had never dared to hope for. Being fully embraced by the royal family—for now she
really
would be her foster brothers’ sister—was a dream come true.

There was a chance a creature like Clotilde would surface again
, but with her fierce husband and her wonderful family, Elise thought there was nothing they couldn’t handle.

[Fluffer Nutter]

Other books by K.M. Shea

Life Reader

My Life at the MBRC

Red Rope of Fate

Princess Ahira

Robyn Hood:

A Girl’s Tale

Fight for Freedom

King Arthur and Her Knights:

Enthroned

Enchanted

Embittered

Timeless
Fairy Tales

Beauty and the Beast

The Wild Swans

Coming Soon

Cinderella
: a Timeless Fairy Tale
: Since her country was invaded by the country of Erlauf, Cinderella, the daughter and only child of a rich duke, has been cast from opulence into squalor. In order to keep her lands intact and her servants gainfully employed Cinderella has reduced her chateau—once a shining jewel of luxury—into a barely self-sufficient farm. To supplement her income and keep the chateau afloat, Cinderella manages a produce stand and works a variety of odd jobs. Cinderella’s carefully constructed world is about to fall to pieces, though, with the new taxes and rules the Erlauf monarchy seeks to impose on Cinderella and her countrymates. Unless she can snatch a moment with the Erlauf Prince and convince him otherwise, Cinderella will lose everything.

About the Author

K.M. Shea is a book lover, champion web surfer, and all around geek. She’s been writing for over ten years and has worked as librarian and a newspaper reporter. K.M. lives in the quaint countryside with her pets: Perfect Dog and Fat Cat.

Follow K.M. Shea on Twitter: KM_Shea

Visit her blog:
www.kmshea.com

Visit her Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005ANPMZU

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