Sanguine After Story - Short Sequel - Part 7

Dear Readers, I feel I must warn you. Remember how I said that I added quite a bit of non-erotica to the story, well because of that, this chapter is sex free. I still feel it's worth reading because it sets up what is to come, so please enjoy :-D

All three of my lovers were overflowing with happiness! I was happy just watching them bounce in excitement. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that someone had granted each of them their greatest wish!

Instead, they were all watching intently as a huge and ornate carriage grew ever closer. It seemed to take forever, but eventually, it rolled to a stop in front of us. A footman hastily scrambled to open the door.

“Announcing Her Royal Highness –”

“Oh shut up!” My mother insisted curtly as she climbed out of the carriage.

“Sanguine!” The three wards of Clan Blood squealed before smothering her in a group hug.

“By the Gods, I've missed you!” Mom cried out, taking turns squeezing each one tight. “Holy Goddess of Motherhood, you're all huge!”

“I know!” They all wailed in unison, each blurting out things like: “I'm the size of a house!” Or: “I just keep getting bigger!”

The four of them devolved into a strange laughter that was an equal amount of crying. Baffled, I focused on helping my sisters out of the carriage. They both watched our mother and her wards with an expression of aww! This made me wonder if there was something unique to girls that made this situation interesting rather than awkward.

To my relief, my father finally exited the carriage and pounded on my back proudly. “I missed you, son, and am glad to see you're doing well.”

“I missed you too!” I confessed, very happy to have him home at long last. I had so many questions to ask him when I got a chance for us to speak in private!

My mother and my lovers were once more babbling rapidly and at the same time, but apparently this was another girl thing, because my sisters were also babbling along just as fast. I had a hard time following the conversation and scrunched up my face in concentration. As I gathered, they were talking about the babies, about Sandra's wedding, and about everyone's feelings...

My father laughed at the expression on my face. “Come on, son. We're probably better off waiting until they've caught each other up on all the little details of the past few months. Let's go grab a bite to eat.”

I nodded enthusiastically in agreement, suddenly realizing that I had rudely neglected to notice or greet Prince Collin. “Welcome to my Castle, my Prince,” I stated with a respectful bow.

“Delighted to be here, my boy!” Collin replied joyously, linking one of his arms with mine. “I never did get to see this place properly, so please, give me a tour!”

“Don't you dare let them out of your sight!” My mother stopped her conversation abruptly to shout a command to my father.

“I won't!” He promised.

Prince Collin groaned in disappointment. “But I promised to behave, my dearest.”

“And while I believe you meant your promise when you made it, I am certain that you will forget it if no one is around to remind you!” Mom stated firmly.

I looked at Prince Collin in surprise, then decided to give into the devious imp sitting on my shoulder, whispering in my ear. “Really? Perhaps I should show you something Glacèe once forced a prisoner to do...”

Glacèe squealed in sheer delight. “Ah!!! Only if I am there to watch!”

“Are you talking about that thing?” Ardent demanded intensely. “I want to see that!”

Prince Collin looked like his deepest wish had just come true. “By all means, I'd be fascinated to see anything you cared to show me,” he stated with a grin.

“Collin,” my mom growled menacingly.

I burst out laughing. “Don't worry mom, I'll behave too.”

“What's this thing you are talking about,” Lily wondered with interest. “And can I see it too?”

“No!” Everyone but Sandra and Lily blurted out. By the look on my older sister's face, she had a vague idea what I might be talking about, but was confused by the prospect.

Lily looked positively murderous. “Why do I never get to do anything?!”

I pulled free from Collin's grasp and then gathered Lily in a squeezing hug. “Don't worry, Lil. I'm just being silly. I didn't mean anything by it.”

“You promise?” Lily asked, her eyes suspicious that I was trying to pull one over on her.

“I promise,” I stated firmly.

She grinned happily, satisfied by my answer. “In that case, I'm going to bring Goliath to visit our grandparents!”

A deeply booming woof called my attention to the fact that her puppy was now a huge dog! I ruffled her hair playfully. “Have fun!”

“Tell them I'll be by a bit later,” Sandra called after our sister as Lily raced her dog across the Castle grounds.

“Will do!” Lily called out in return.

Turning back to Prince Collin, I allowed him to link arms with me once more. “So... what is this intriguing thing you were talking about?”

“I'll tell you about it later, maybe,” I promised evasively, not wanting to upset my mother again.

Mom and the girls wandered off to do whatever they wanted – the nanny and baby Prince following them – while I led Collin and my dad to the family dining room. Quick-witted maids had refreshments waiting for us. I filled a plate for Collin, but wasn't hungry enough to grab anything for myself.

“So, why in the world did Sandra want to have her wedding here?” I asked my dad.

He smiled at me in commiseration. “She wanted to have it here to emphasize the point that she is not a royal Princess. That she's actually a simple girl from Clan Blood who happened to get really lucky. I think she wants to give her groom a chance to change his mind and run off screaming in terror before the big day!”

Collin laughed, nodding in agreement. “I do believe you are right!”

“Who's this man she's planning to marry?” I wondered curiously.

“Lord James of Clan Badger,” dad replied, but a shrug let me know that he could say much beyond that because he didn't know anything more.

Fortunately, Prince Collin did. “Lord James is the sole heir to Clan Badger – his father having died in an accident when he was a baby. The Clan is not very prosperous. Oh they do well enough, and are well respected among their peers, but their wealth has more to do with their fertile grasslands than any material possessions.”

My father stroked his chin in thought. “Hmm... Please tell me that the young Lord isn't trying to marry a wealthy heiress...”

Prince Collin shook his head. “I really don't think so. I've had a chance to meet with him in private – not like that, I assure you!” He added at a glare from my father. “In any case, I think he is well suited to darling Sandra. As much as he wanted a properly bred Lady, he far prefers a bride who knows how to manage land. Didn't you see the way his eyes lit up when she talked about your orchard?”

Dad nodded in agreement. “Yes, I did notice that.”

Collin made a gesture that plainly stated: you see? “What I find the most interesting is that Lord James was clearly the best suitor from almost the very first day, and that even Lily saw it, but dear Sandra seemed oblivious to this until just recently.”

“I think she was simply confused by that weasel from Clan Lightstone!” Dad observed with a derisive snort.

Prince Collin sighed dreamily. “Auric...” He stared off into space for a moment before shaking free of his reverie. “Don't be so hard on him. He has a pure and loving heart...”

“And apparently the ability to charm the dress off just about anyone!” Dad added, obviously disliking the idea.

“Or pants!” Prince Collin added with a grin

“Does your wife know how you talk about him?” Dad wondered dryly.

“How could she not?!” Prince Collin blurted out. “I talked with her about him for days after I first saw him!”

“Hmm...” dad remarked with a hint of disapproval, but otherwise said nothing.

“So...” I began, curious about something. “You're attracted to men?”

Prince Collin grinned at me in a way that left very little to the imagination regarding what he thought of me.

“I see...” I murmured, looking into my mug of tea with a faint smile.

“Gavin,” my dad growled softly. “This is your mother's husband. No matter how...” he pursed his lips as he searched for a word. “Curious,” he settled on hesitantly. “You might be; such a thing would be wrong.”

“Spoilsport,” Collin muttered grumpily, trying not to be heard.

I chuckled wryly. “I'm sure I do lots of things that may be considered just wrong, but don't worry, dad, I'm not really all that curious.”

“Damn!” Collin muttered in profound disappointment, not caring who heard him.

I chuckled again. Some perverse imp made me want to tease him. “Besides, I know things that would surely cause the poor Prince's heart to fail. I wouldn't dream of committing such treasonous acts!”

Dad rolled his eyes and shook his head at me. “You've been spending far too much time around your lovers...”

Collin looked devastated. “You simply cannot make such intriguing statements, and then not provide me with proof!”

“Sorry, my Prince,” I murmured contritely in response to the look on my father's face. “I shouldn't tease you like that.”

Collin sighed, disappointed all over again. He actually looked a tiny bit cute as he pouted in dejection. I was tempted to laugh, but maintained a serious expression so that I didn't ruin my apology.

“Figures,” Collin muttered even as my father sighed in relief.

Changing the subject, I decided to ask all my pressing questions. “So... is there anything I should know about babies before they're born?”

Happy to have a neutral topic to discuss, my father launched into tales from my infancy. I listened to him for hours, glad to have my father back. Gods I've missed him!

That night, I decided to avoid the hopeful looks Collin kept casting my way by going to bed early. Mom and my lovers were still so busy talking about life and everything under the sun that they simply wished me goodnight. Lily was bored by the conversation too since she grabbed my excuse and made it her own.

“I'm going to bed too!”

After a round of hugs, I walked Lily to her room. “How were our grandparents?”

She grinned proudly. “Happy to see me! They say that you should come by more often...”

I nodded and sighed. “I know...” I used to go see them at least once a week, but I'd been more or less avoiding them ever since my lovers got pregnant. I was afraid that they wouldn't understand...

Lily gave me a smirk that reminded me a lot of Glacèe. “Nana Mareth would like me to remind you that our mother is their daughter...”

“What does that mean?” I asked in confusion.

Lily laughed. “Just that she's already done so many weird things that they have learned how to keep an open mind.”

“I suppose,” I murmured gruffly, trying not to seem happy to hear that.

Lily smirked again. “Now! Just you keep your antics in mind when I finally am old enough to do weird things too!”

“Lily!” I exclaimed in shock. She's only 12! Not old enough to be thinking about weird stuff...

She laughed and waved as she walked to her bedroom. Suddenly, I think I understood how my dad must have felt when he was talking to me about my lovers. He must have thought I was so young...

I trudged to my bedroom, feeling far older than I actually am. Sandra surprised me by slipping through the door just before I shut it. She looked weird, and gave me a frantic hug.

“I missed talking to you!” She blurted out.

“What's wrong?” I wondered, worried.

“I did something... bad...” Sandra confessed. “And I haven't been able to talk about it with anyone!”

“What did you do?” I asked, knowing my sister well enough that I was pretty sure that it couldn't be too bad.

“I...” she began but then nothing else came out. She sighed, took a deep breath, and then tried again. “I...” With a groan, she pulled on her hair and walked away from me.

“What?” I pressed, dying of curiosity now.

“Fine, it's like this; mom told me not to be with someone that was just using me, and I totally agreed with her. I did! Oh Gods, I swear I did!” Sandra wailed, sort of crying, but only a tiny bit.

“Are you telling me that you've...” I gulped and forced myself to say it out loud to my sister. “Had sex?”

“Yes!” Sandra gasped out, and then covered her mouth guiltily.

“Wait!” I roared angrily. “Against your will?!”

“No!” She replied frantically. “I was willing, I promise.” She sighed, feeling a bit better now that she'd confessed the big bad secret. “What happened was that I found out that he likes to play around and I shouted at him and slapped him in the face and then stomped away.”

“And then changed your mind?” I wondered since she had already confessed to being willing.

“Well, sort of,” Sandra stated with a wince. “I actually put him out of my mind for weeks. I got to know Lord James and realized that he would make a good husband. He is a perfect gentleman, however, I kept dwelling on something mom said. She said that girls should be allowed to take lovers before they got married too –”

“She said that?!” I blurted out incredulously.

Rather than argue with me, Sandra simply rolled her eyes and continued her explanation. “Because there's no way to know if a man might be abusive unless a girl has something to compare it to. So, I told Lord James that I wasn't sure he'd make a good husband. That I was scared that he would hurt me, and he promised that he wouldn't. I knew he was telling the truth, but I acted like I didn't...”

“Huh...” I murmured, more than a little confused. “So, what you're saying is that you coerced your future husband into making love to you?”

“Well, yes,” Sandra admitted. She smiled for the first time since entering my room. “It was nice, a little painful, but I had already been told that's normal. I liked it...”

“Gooood for you...?” I remarked uncertainly.

“Yes,” Sandra nodded in agreement, and then sighed. “But that's when I did the bad thing!”

It took me a moment to work this out, but then it hit me. “Oh!”

“Yeah, oh...” Sandra agreed. Finally feeling comfortable, she flung herself into a chair and gave me the candid details. “After I knew what loving, mutually respectful sex was like, I just had to know what it would be like to have sex with someone I knew was just using me! I couldn't think about anything else!”

I sat down in a chair across from her. I couldn't blame her, I'd felt something a lot like that when I first started being with Glacèe. With a commiserating smile, I tried to let her know that I wasn't judging her.

“And?” I pressed, sensing there was more.

“And by all the Gods in the universe!” Sandra blurted out emotionally. “I could never have imagined anything like that! It was... powerful! And... amazing! And...” She faltered, unable to come up with a better description.

“Magical?” I asked, smirking in amusement.

“Yes!” Sandra cried out in agreement.

“So...” I paused to let her finish whatever thought was making her look so dreamy. “Are you sure you want to get married to this Lord James fellow?”

She sighed, her dreamy expression changing to one of confidence. “Yes. I think I love him. I can see myself growing old with him, and I cannot imagine anyone else as the father of my children.”

“Then what's the problem?” I asked, confused again.

She burst out crying. “I'm afraid that he'll find out! I'm afraid that after he finds out, he'll hate me! I'm afraid that if he learns that I had magical sex with someone else, he'll never want to touch me again!”

I had no idea what to say, because I didn't know her betrothed, and what she was afraid of was a real possibility. Some men have been known to murder their wives for such an offense. Marriage was absolute in our Kingdom, and in olden times, the punishment for female infidelity was death... If her husband so desired. Pulling my sister into a hug, I stroked her hair and made sounds of comfort.

“What do you think I should do,” Sandra asked, sniffling.

“I think you should tell him before he marries you,” I advised. “If he still wants to marry you, then you know you have nothing to be afraid of.”

“But what if he doesn't want to marry me?!” Sandra protested. “I'll have ruined everything!”

“Better that than have him hate you if he does eventually find out,” I murmured, feeling certain that I was right.

“I suppose...” Sandra murmured, thinking my suggestion over carefully. She lay her head on my shoulder once more, and simply remained in my embrace.

I squeezed her extra tight for a moment. “I missed you,” I mumbled. Long before I became a Lord, Sandra was the one I talked to at night. She was the one who knew all my boyhood secrets, just as I know all of hers.

“I missed you too!”

“And for the record, I don't really think you did such a bad thing,” I informed her. “And mom might be right, girls probably should be allowed lovers before they get married. I guess I never really thought about it before.”

Sandra laughed softly. “I know, things are just done the way they always have been. We don't really think about them until something changes.”

I nodded in agreement. “Like growing up.”

“And falling in love,” Sandra added, smiling wistfully.

The door opened to reveal my lovers and my mother. “We wondered where you went!” My girls exclaimed, referring to my sister since I had clearly announced my plan to go to bed.

“Is something wrong?” Mom asked, frowning at us.

Sandra smiled at me, kissed my cheek, and then pulled out of my embrace. “Nothing at all, I just needed to talk to my big brother.”

I smiled at her in return. “Anytime!”

“Hmm...” Mom murmured suspiciously, but then decided to let the matter drop. She gestured to Sandra. “Come, my love, let's get you ready for bed.”

Sandra looked around the room with a smirk. “Good night, Gavin. Sweet dreams!”

I laughed, fully understanding her not so subtle innuendo. Ardent burst out giggling: “You have no idea!” She purred as she stroked my chest suggestively.

“Maybe you'll tell me about it sometime,” Sandra suggested with a mischievous glint in her eye. “After I'm married!”

“The very next day!” Ardent promised.

“Well that's no fair!” Glacèe protested, crossing her arms in front of her breasts. “Shouldn't that kind of information be shared the night before she gets married?”

“And spoil the surprise?” Sandra asked, acting scandalized by the very thought.

Our mother was not as clueless as we'd like to believe. “Uh-huh...” She murmured knowingly. “Come, my love, I think it's time we had a certain talk.”

“Uh-oh!” Sandra squeaked, looking guilty again.

Ardent and Glacèe both gasped in astonishment, but Sang-Soif merely chuckled in amusement.

“Good luck!” I called out after them as my mom guided my sister out of my room. My lovers rounded on me with devious grins, and I knew that one or all of them was suddenly in the mood to have their way with me. I chuckled softly in anticipation.

A week before Sandra's wedding was set to take place, her groom and his family arrived. This was a big event that had cost Clan Blood a lot of money. Not only was everyone under our jurisdiction invited, but Clan Badger had invited everyone they thought necessary and the King had invited all of the Lords and Ladies in the Kingdom. This meant that my castle was soon to be overrun with guests, most of whom would have to camp in a nearby field.

Sandra watched the large entourage from Clan Badger arrive so nervously that I thought she was going to vomit! “Oh Gods, please let him understand,” she muttered so softly that only I could hear her.

“I'm sure everything will be fine,” I murmured encouragingly in her ear.

“I hope so...”

Most of Clan Badger had to camp – the first of many guests to stake a claim in the field – but Lord James was given a room in the castle. My mother – no longer able to stay in the Chamber I had taken over, decided to stay in Sang-Soif's bedroom. Sandra, who had previously shared a room with our sister Lily, stayed in Ardent's bedroom, and Glacèe's bedroom had been dedicated to store all the wedding clothes. It was going to be the room they readied themselves in the morning of the wedding.

Sandra looked almost miserable by the end of the day, so I really couldn't blame her for deciding to go to bed early. Lord James seemed like a likeable fellow, and I felt bad that he seemed mystified as to what the problem was. Even though he was already 21, he came to me for advice. I led him to my study for a bit of privacy.

“Do you know anything about women?” He asked, clearly anxious.

“A bit,” I murmured. My lovers had been introduced as wards of Clan Blood, so it was not yet common knowledge that they were all carrying my children. I didn't blame him for not knowing.

“I'm so confused!” He burst out. “I don't really know anything at all about women!”

“Well, surely you've had a few lovers by now,” I stated, figuring that it was traditional.

“Well, no...” he admitted, looking away from me in embarrassment. “My mother taught me to focus on other things until I was ready to take a wife.”

“Oh,” I murmured in enlightenment. “So then... What do you want to know?”

“Sandra seemed so happy when she accepted my proposal – I mean she had to think it over for a few days, but when she finally accepted, she seemed... happy...” he sighed in frustration. “But now she looks miserable, and I have no idea why!”

I groaned because I knew why but I couldn't tell him because it was not my secret to tell. “You'll have to ask her that, but I can tell you that she's worried you won't want to marry her.”

“Why wouldn't I?!” James burst out incredulously. “She's so wonderful and smart and...”

I could tell that he could easily have gone on and on, but was trying to restrain himself for my sake. I smiled, deciding that I liked him and that he might just be perfect for my sister after all. Before I could think of anything to say, there was a soft knock on the door.

“Yes?” I inquired, a bit frustrated that I had come in here for a private talk, but was being interrupted anyway.

The door opened to reveal Sang-Soif and Ardent. They walked into the room in a sensual way that set my blood on fire! I grinned at them.

“Gavin...” Sang-Soif purred, stroking my face with her hand.

“Are you ever planning to come to bed?” Ardent asked, rubbing my shoulders.

“Glacèe wants you to rub her feet,” Sang-Soif informed me.

“And she's preparing a bath for all of us as we speak,” Ardent added.

I held Sang-Soif's hand to my lips so that I could kiss it. “I'm planning to come to bed in just a few minutes.”

“Don't take too long,” Ardent warned, kissing me on the cheek. “I have something special planned to do before our bath, and we wouldn't want it to get cold...”

“Oh really?” I asked with interest.

“Mmmhmm,” Ardent promised with a luscious smile.

“Besides,” Sang-Soif added, kissing me on my other cheek. “If you're not in our room soon, I am certain that Glacèe will coming looking for you and drag you to bed by your ear.” She smirked at me significantly. “Or other body parts...”

I laughed throatily. “I'm sure she will; now go on!” I commanded with a smack on Sang-Soif's shapely rear. She responded with a small shriek of delight. “I'll be there in a few minutes, I just have to finish something first.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Sang-Soif murmured obediently, smiling at me in a way that made my toes curl.

Ardent held onto my hand as she walked away, as if reluctant to let me go. I thought of something, and tugged on her lightly. “Hey, will you find my sister and tell her to come here for a moment?”

“Which one?” Ardent asked curiously.

“Sandra,” I clarified.

“No problem,” Ardent agreed with a smile. She purposely swayed her hips as she followed Sang-Soif out of the room. I watched them go with a grin, and then sighed.

“I'm not fooled by them!” I exclaimed, returning my attention to my future brother in law. “They say they have something special in mind, but ever since they got pregnant, all they have really wanted was for me to rub them, constantly!”

Lord James was staring at me with an expression of disbelief. “What just happened?”

“My lovers were simply trying to entice me by promising something fun, but I know better,” I replied with a smirk. “The three of them are due to give birth any day now, and none of them has really been in the mood for a while.”

“Huh!” Lord James remarked, biting his lip as he thought very carefully about all possible meanings of the words lovers and all three of them.

I let him muse over this in silence since it was better than trying to evade his questions about my sister. Only a few minutes passed before there was another knock on the door. It opened immediately to reveal the arrival of my sister.

“You wanted to... see...” Sandra faltered, her smile fading as she discovered her betrothed sitting with me.

“Sandra, I thought it might be... wise,” I shrugged, not sure the word fit the best. “To give you an opportunity to talk in private.”

She smiled at me gratefully. “Thank you.”

Considering the fact that she was wearing a thick robe over a nightgown, I was pretty sure that she had officially gone to bed for the evening. “If anyone should happen to ask me, I'll say that you're in bed.”

“Can you actually distract mom for me?” Sandra asked hopefully. “She plans to come check on me on her way to bed, and I don't want her to go looking for me and alert dad that I'm not where I'm supposed to be.”

“No problem,” I agreed with a light chuckle. “But if Glacèe kills me, I'm holding you responsible!”

Sandra laughed, sounding like it was the first good laugh she'd had in a long time. “Don't worry about that! They all three promised me not to kill, maim, or harm you in any way until after my wedding! They wouldn't want to spoil my special day...”

“Good to know!” I replied with a smirk, got to my feet, and then kissed her on the cheek. She squeezed my arm, and then nudged me in the direction of the door.

I left the room and ran into mom almost immediately. Perfect timing!

“Hey mom?” I called for her attention before she could head towards Sandra's room. “I just came from talking with Sandra, and she already half asleep. She wonders if you'll talk to her in the morning.”

Mom twisted her lips suspiciously, looking behind me to note that I had just come from my study rather than Sandra's room. With a deep sigh, she nodded. “Alright. I'll go tuck Lily in and let Sandra sleep.”

“Thanks mom!” I murmured, hugging her.

“Go on!” She ordered me with a nudge. “Go to bed before your women get upset!”

“Gladly!” I agreed with a grin.

“Hey wait,” mom held me back, contradicting her order to go. “I just have to ask, what is this thing everyone keeps talking about that you offered to show Collin?”

I blushed about a hundred shades of red. “If you really want to know, ask Glacèe! She's far more likely to be able to talk to you about it without dying of embarrassment!”

Mom laughed knowingly. “Aha, so it's something my husband would just love, I'm sure!” She kissed me on the cheek. “Do me a favor and not flirt with him anymore. I really don't want to have to think about that!”

I shrugged. “I'll try, but I make no guarantees!”

Mom harrumphed, but let me go. I returned to my room to find that I was right. Their special plans for me included rubbing their backs and helping them bathe. I didn't mind in the slightest!

The next morning, I left my lovers – even Ardent – sleeping in bed. To my surprise, they had each wanted to take a turn before falling a sleep, so I was starving! Making my way towards the small family dining room, I ran into my parents and Prince Collin in the hallway.

“Good morning,” I murmured.

“Morning,” the all mumbled in response. Before we got three steps closer to the dining room, Sandra's bedroom door flung open and she ran until she could throw her arms around me. She was fully dressed, but had obviously been in the middle of brushing her hair.

“The wedding's still on!” She gushed happily.

I returned her tight hug, lifting her off her feet for a moment. “Good for you!”

“When was it ever not on?” My mom wondered, aghast at our giddiness.

“This is the first I've heard of it,” dad mumbled to mom.

Sandra giggled, pulling free so that she could look at them. “Oh, it was always on, I was just afraid that Lord James would call it off once he got to see the real me.”

“But he didn't,” I reiterated, kissing my sister on the cheek.

She giggled again. “Nope!” She hugged me again, and then pushed me away. “But I have to go finish my hair. I'll see you again in a few minutes.”

The rest of us continued on our way in silence for about half a minute.

“Why didn't you mention Sandra was having doubts?” Dad wondered.

“Probably because it seemed obvious, even to me,” Collin murmured. “Poor Sandra was simply beside herself with worry!”

“I thought that was just nerves,” mom remarked, biting her lip. “I'd asked her what was wrong a couple of times, but she wouldn't tell me.”

Dad looked away from mom, but I could still see that he was thinking something along the lines: that's because she tells me everything! But he also seemed really disappointed that she hadn't told him either. I put an arm around his shoulder and attempted to cheer him up.

“Sometimes, there are things that we just don't want to discuss with our parents,” I informed him. By this time, we had made it to the dining room. To my surprise, James was inside waiting for us.

He chuckled, amused by my statement. “At least you're lucky enough to have a sibling to talk to. I've only ever had my mom...”

I held out my hand to him, impressed that he hadn't gotten angry and dumped my sister. “And now, you have me.”

“I suppose I do,” James admitted with a pleased smile. He shook my hand and thumped me on the back.

The rest of the week passed in a blur, with people flooding into the castle from across the Kingdom. The day of the wedding dawned gloomy and wet, but cleared up into a beautifully sunny day. Sandra looked stunning in her wedding gown, and James wore an expression that he was the luckiest man on the planet! Seeing them actually made me sad, and I stared longingly at Sang-Soif. She caught my look and shook her head slowly. I sighed but didn't press the matter.

Go To Part 8