IMPORTANT: this whole last chapter is kaelyn's point of view, but one little thing. everything written in between the *** and the *** is all a flashback. i tried to make it obvious, i just hate writing the word "flashback" and "end of flashback" 'coz that seems a little tacky to me. no offense to those who do that...
and the song on the side is the song i imagine philip and kaelyn dancing to ♥ ... just maybe without the lyrics... or with... you decide which u prefer... i just love the song
i hope you enjoy the final chapter of The Horse in the Prince's Stables!
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=33=
=Kaelyn=
Snow is falling gently down from the sky as winter is creeping over the lands. The courtyard is covered with a light sprinkling of white, soon to be ruined by the many footsteps of the servants and guards wandering across it. The stillness of the season brings a sense along a sense of peace.
I sighed as I stretched out on the little couch by the window. Snowflakes drifted lazily downwards. Memories of that day resurfaced as the torches in the gatekeeper's towers were lit. The flames blazed brightly, becoming beacons of the night as darkness descended. They looked like her watchful eyes...
Smoothing out my dress, I closed my eyes and mentally sorted through everything that had happened. It had only been a couple months ago, but to me, I felt as if it had all occurred only yesterday...
***
I woke up feeling safe and warm. My left hand especially trapped in cocoon of... something. I cracked my eyes open, blinking to focus my vision. Sunlight was streaming in through a window, allowing natural light to brighten up the room. It was furnished quite nicely. A lone armchair sat in the corner, with two bookshelves sitting behind it. Directly opposite from where I lay, a large wardrobe carved with elaborate designs sat with one of it's doors slightly ajar. The other side of the room had yet another bookshelf and a small table.
It was an awfully nice room to wake up in.
Glancing down, I noticed Philip was sitting in a chair, his arms and head resting on the side of the bed. His hand was wrapped around mine. A small smile played with my lips, and I couldn't stop the butterflies that fluttered around inside of me.
"I love you..."
He said those words to me, just before the unbelievable pain seared through my entire body. I shuddered at the memory. When I tried to remember what happened after that... There was nothing. This room, being here in the bed and with Philip sound asleep at my side... That was what happened next.
I squeezed my eyes closed. There was something else... I just couldn't quite grasp it...
Then it all came back to me.
I was shrouded in darkness, clinging to life. A low thudding noise echoed all around me. It took me a minute to realize that the sound was my very own heart beat. It was terrified me at how slow it was becoming. But, Gabriella spoke to me... Her voice giving me comfort.
While her exact final words to me remained still a mystery, I could remember the meaning of what she had done... Only now did I realize what she sacrificed... I could only sit there speechless. I couldn't comprehend it at all.
Why...
I felt him stir next to me. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed he lifted his head.
"Kaelyn?" I turned and gave him a small smile.
"Hi," I said quietly. My mind was still reeling from shock. His grin widened as he gazed adoringly at me. My cheeks reddened slightly at his attention. I didn't know if I would ever get used to it. Coughing nervously to break the silence, I asked him a question.
"How long have I been asleep?"
He glanced at the window, estimating the time.
"Oh, perhaps no more than a few hours I'd say," he replied, gently squeezing my hand. Despite the happy jitters that I was feeling, I couldn't help but worry about Henry. I didn't want him to be all alone right now.
"Have you seen Henry at all?" Philip looked a little confused to my random change of the subject. He ran a hand through his messy hair, his gaze wandering to something beyond me.
"Erm, no can't say that I have," he met my eyes again. "I've been here with you ever since I brought you in." Then he suddenly tensed, and quickly stood up. "Makus! I forgot..." Glancing down at me apologetically he said, "sorry Kaelyn, I forgot about my uncle. Drake said that he hired him to kill me."
I nodded vigorously.
"It's true. He confessed everything to me. You better catch him. I'll explain later," I added the last bit noticing the confused look in his eye. His smile turned a little grim as he leaned over to kiss my forehead. Before he could walk out the door, I stopped him.
"Make sure you check on Henry, ok?" He nodded, and then disappeared out into the hallway.
I wasn't quite sure what happened out there. The details weren't something that I had to know. According to Philip, he alerted king James about his uncle and his plot. I heard that when they went to confront lord Markus, they found him scrambling around his room trying to pack some bags. I heard there was a brief struggle, before the king was forced to kill his own brother.
It seemed that no ending could truly be happy.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see Philip much over the next several days. His parents were mourning over the loss of Markus. It grieved them that their own family would conspire something as terrible as hiring an assassin to murder his nephew. During this time, it wouldn't be right for me to take him away from them.
~~~
Matilda was told of my recovery, and she quickly came to visit me. In fact, she was slightly out of breath the first time she came to the door and poked her head in. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around me. After our heartwarming reunion, I had the time to tell her everything about what happened to Philip and I once we were captured. Although, I left out the extremely awful portions of the story, such as when Drake beat me, or the time when I almost died from a snake bite. However, I did tell her about the time when I first saw Philip naked. We both had a laugh at that.
When I told her about our first kiss, her eyes softened as she gazed at me. She reached out and patted my hand.
"You really care about him, don't you?" Matilda asked quietly.
"I do," I said with a sigh. "I do, except I feel like I shouldn't. He has Maria. They're betrothed. It's not my place to interfere with that," to my disappointment, Matilda nodded.
"It really isn't the place for a servant girl to ruin a betrothal of the future king," she patted my hand again.
"However," a new voice interrupted. My heart clenched uncomfortably in my chest as I recognized his familiar deep voice. Henry was standing in the doorway, his hands inside of his pockets. A small smile was toying at his lips, but his eyes never did quite meet mine. "You aren't just a servant girl."
What?
I looked over at Matilda, who sighed, and then gave a small shrug.
"It's true, Kaelyn," she bit at her lip nervously. "You are the daughter of a noble couple. A lady Alice and..." There was a split second of hesitation. "And lord Kurtis."
Nobles?
"Your mother died during childbirth, and nobody really knows what happened to lord Kurtis."
This was all so hard to take in. I was of noble blood?
"Why didn't you tell me any of this?" Matilda took in a deep breath, but Henry cut in before she could say anything.
"Matilda, would you mind giving Kaelyn and I a moment of privacy please?" He asked politely. She looked a little put out by his request.
"Whatever you're going to tell her, you can say in front of me," she sniffed. My eyes widened slightly. I had never seen her act defiant before. Henry, being a higher ranking servant than she was, had the power to order her out of the room. At this point however, I wasn't sure if Matilda would want to obey them. She probably thought we were still going to talk about my parents. But I knew better. I touched her arm gently.
"Matilda, it's ok. Let me talk with Henry," With a sigh she gave in. She squeezed my hand gently before she left the room.
Henry didn't move for a few moments. Then slowly he came and sat down in the chair by my bed. He still didn't meet my eye. I wanted to comfort him... somehow... someway... I just wasn't sure how to approach it. Fortunately I didn't have to wait long.
"Gabriella left some papers on her table upstairs," he began quietly, glancing down at his fingers, which he has intertwined together. "And she asked me to take a look through them," he took a moment to compose himself before continuing. "Apparently, she did a little bit of digging through your family tree. And I guess, if you never knew that you were lady Alice's daughter, then you never knew that lord Kurtis was not actually your father."
This was so much to take in. First, I'm born from a lady and a lord. Now I'm told that the lord was not actually my father? Henry finally met my gaze. His eyes were sad, and I had an urge to hug him.
"Then... who was my father?" I dared to ask. I wasn't so sure if I wanted to know.
"King Lucas."
I think my heart skipped a beat. Surely I misheard. It can't be the king Lucas. That would be too ridiculous. Extremely unrealistic. That would mean...
Henry read my expression and nodded as if he could read my mind. Once again, I was rendered speechless. There were just too many impossible things happening to me all at once. Henry merely shrugged.
"They simply had an affair... And... Well, you get the idea," he chuckled quietly.
This news opened up so many possibilities for me... It was unbelievable. I didn't feel quite so trapped anymore... But I didn't want to waste this moment with Henry. I placed my hand over his own, leaning over slightly to catch his eye again.
"I'm really sorry Henry," I murmured, rubbing my thumb over the back of his hand. When he finally looked at me again, he was fighting back tears.
"You know?" Henry asked, his voice sounding thick. I nodded. He closed his eyes, tears freely trailing down his face. Watching him cry like that... I felt his pain as well. Together we sat in silence, letting the tears flow without shame. I never let go of his hand once.
Finally, Henry cleared his throat and faced me again. The traces of a genuine smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"I just wanted to let you know that... I don't blame you at all for what happened. Gabriella made her choice, and I know why she did it, and... The last thing I want you to do is feel like it was your fault," he said kindly. "In fact, I love her even more for the sacrifice she made, even though it hurts me as well..."
This time I couldn't stop myself. I leaned over and hugged him tightly. He stiffened slightly before wrapping his arms around me and returning the gesture. Henry was just an amazing man. Philip was lucky to have him around.
"Thank you, Henry. That means a lot," I whispered, not even trying to hold back my happy tears. It must've been difficult to come right up to a stranger like me and tell me that I wasn't to blame. He didn't even know me, and here he was, offering kindness towards me when anyone else might've remained bitter or upset. When I finally released him, I flashed him a bright smile.
"Shall we be friends?" It was sort of a dorky thing to ask, but part of me wanted to make this moment official. Gabriella was our connection, and it would be foolish of us to grieve on our own when we had each other to support and comfort. Henry's grin made me even happier.
"Yes, I think that's a wonderful idea," he said with a contented gleam in his eye.
~~~
After talking to Henry for the first time, the days seemed to become brighter. Things were still a little sorrowful and mellow, but even still, the future didn't feel so intimidating and lonely as before. Henry and I agreed to keep the news of my real father's identity as secret for the time being. It was too soon to jump right into all of that, and to be honest, I still needed time to process everything.
Part of me felt glad that I hadn't known my mother. I wondered what had possessed her to be unfaithful to lord Kurtis. Surely there couldn't have been any good reasons. Still, I decided to give her a little benefit of the doubt. No human is perfect after all.
Once I began to wonder about my family, I realized a few things. For starters, if Gabriella hadn't cursed me, then I would've been living the normal life I had always desired. I would've had my mother and father, a real house, toys, friends, and a proper education... But then again, I never would have been around to protect my prince. Lord Markus would've hired Drake to kill him, and he would be dead by now. Plus, thanks to my strange aging, being a horse and all, I would still be a child.
It was so strange to think about how differently life might have been.
The second main realization to cross my mind, was that I was Maria's half-sister. That was enough to rattle my brain around for a bit. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about that. Jealousy lurked inside of me as I remembered when she had her hands all over him. Even though I didn't want to like her at first, she visited me a few times in my room. Never for very long, just long enough to tell me that she hoped I was feeling better, and she would usually drop off a few rolls of bread or a plate of fruit. Even though by now she knew that I was the girl that Philip truly loved, she didn't act mean or spiteful. If anything, she treated me very kindly.
Then one afternoon she offered to walk with me around the palace courtyard.
This is it.
For awhile, we simply walked in silence. I couldn't help but envy her perfect posture, small figure, and gorgeous hair. Her presence simply spoke of royalty, while mine sent out a more plain message.
"You were very brave, you know," Maria said, her tone sounded as if she admired me. Perhaps I was reading too much into it. "It must've been terrifying to be out here during the battle. It was scary just to be inside of the castle!" She gave a small smile. "Thank you for protecting him."
I could feel myself blush.
"I was just doing what I had to do," I replied as modestly as I could. "I couldn't let anything happen to him."
"I don't know if I could've done what you did," Maria sighed, her green eyes looking sad. "I'm not as brave as you are."
Not quite sure how to reply to that, I remained silent. Considering I didn't know Maria all that well, I couldn't give an honest judgement on how she would act in such as situation that we had endured.
"It's crazy what you'll do for the ones you love."
Did I really just say that? Oh dear...
"It is." She replied quietly. "Which sort of brings me to the reason why I wanted to talk to you," pausing by one of the benches in the courtyard, she sat down, placing her hands in her lap. Her bright eyes met mine, and I now I knew that she wasn't as cheerful as she normally appeared to be. "You're the one he loves, Kaelyn. You've been the one ever since he returned home. Well, ever since you brought him back safely," she corrected herself. I gave a tiny nod.
Everybody knew about me and my curse by now. It was no surprise either, Philip told his parents everything. It's not as if we could hide it any longer, now that I was forever a human again.
"...And so I'm stepping out of our betrothal," Maria's words snapped me back to the present. I felt horrible for missing what she had to say, so I tried my best to cover up my rudeness.
"S-sorry?" I stuttered, using a disbelieving tone, rather than a clueless one. Maria blinked.
"I'm letting you have Philip," she spoke slowly, giving me a curious look. "I don't want to compete for his affections if I know I've already lost."
"Oh..." I definitely did not know how to respond to that. How would she react if she knew that I was her half-sister? "I'm sorry, I didn't-" She cut me off.
"Don't be. Nobody can control love. I just want to know if you love him." I straightened my shoulders and met her curious stare evenly. My answer was absolute.
"I do. I always have."
Maria nodded, still looking a little unhappy, but I couldn't blame her. Instead I was incredibly impressed with how she was dealing with this. Of course, I began to feel a little guilty that I was taking away the young man she had spent her whole life believing she would be with. I didn't even want to imagine how that feels.
We parted after our conversation, neither as friends nor enemies. I hoped one day I could have her full forgiveness.
~~~
Finally I was able to see Philip more. Of course he stopped by everyday to see how I was, but his parents were needing him around more, which was understandable. Family always came first.
Every time he visited, he would try to explain what was going on between him and Maria. I listened of course, knowing full well that everything was all in the past. He seemed shocked that I wasn't angry at him for kissing Maria of his own free will when he thought he had lost me.
"I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that-" I cut him off.
"You were upset, and yes while you were acting foolishly," he winced at the memory. "But it's not exactly me you need to apologize to."
He stared at me as if I had grown a second head. Or perhaps as if my old horse-self had returned in the blink of an eye.
'What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You're not mad?" He sounded incredulous. I laughed.
"No, not really. I just feel bad for Maria, that's all." The nice thing was, I was actually being completely honest with him. It truly did not bother me that he had kissed her. I suppose I could've gotten away with yelling at him, or ignoring him, or something... But I didn't want to go through that anymore. More than anything, I just wanted a fresh start.
***
A knock on the door shattered my reverie.
Snow was still falling.
I suppose it's time...
Standing up slowly, I smoothed out my dress, savoring the silky texture with my fingers. It was simple, yet elegant. It hugged my body nicely, flowing outwards and lightly brushing over the ground with every step. The sleeves were short, and fit snugly around my arms, though at my elbow they became loose and long, leaving the rest of my arms exposed. Silver designs were embroidered around the neckline, around the hem of my sleeves, as well as up the sides of the dress. A silver belt hung just around my hips.
It was really lovely.
After giving myself a brief look over in the mirror, I quickly rushed over to the door and pulled it open. My heart fluttered as I found Philip standing in the hallway. I couldn't believe how handsome he looked in his attractive black attire! His shirt was almost made of a nice silk, and it too had designs all over it, except it embroidered with black thread rather than silver, giving it a textured look. I couldn't help but noticed that two of the buttons closest to the top of the shirt were left unbuttoned.
I blushed when I realized that he was still staring at me.
"Kaelyn, you look beautiful," he murmured, his voice slightly hushed. I grabbed his hand, and then reached around his neck with my other hand to pull him down for a quick kiss. It continued to amaze me how perfectly our lips seemed to fit together. I felt as if I could dance with the butterflies that were flying inside of me. He sighed contentedly when he pulled away.
"I think we have somewhere to be, princess," he said coolly, smiling happily down at me, and squeezing my hand gently. I gave him another quick peck on the lips.
"Thinking can be a dangerous pastime," I said teasingly as I wrapped my arm through his. He laughed as he led the way down to the great hall, where the annual winter ball was to be held. Nobles from all over were invited, as well as king Lucas and his family. Seeing him again would be a little uncomfortable I was sure, but hopefully things wouldn't be too awkward.
King Lucas wasn't exactly thrilled when Philip and Maria announced that they wanted to end their betrothal. Philip's parents were surprisingly easy to convince. Both of us were shocked until we realized that they never really wanted to force his marriage in the first place. It was purely politics at the time. Once they realized who I was however, both king and queen warmly welcomed me into the family. They did insist that we wait a few more years before exchanging marriage vows, since we were still a little bit young for that.
We didn't mind though. As long as we could be together.
Eventually, King Lucas confessed to us about the affair, and grudgingly claimed me as his daughter. He granted me the title of 'princess', and this meant that my marriage to Philip still could be considered as a way of assuring long lasting peace between the kingdoms.
I heard the music before we reached the grand hall. Excitement flooded through me as we approached the doors. This would be my first ball!
Philip caught on to my mood, and he laughed quietly.
"Ready?" He asked, leaning down slightly to whisper in my ear.
I nodded vigorously, making him laugh again.
As we entered the grand hall, I gasped in wonder. The entire room which normally looked gray and regal, was transformed into a wonderful white and blue world. Bouquets of white roses were everywhere, accompanied with hints of a deep shade of blue silk, artistically wrapped around every vase, or draped majestically over tables. A small orchestra occupied one corner of the room, their sweet music filling the entire hall.
Nothing had ever seemed so magical before.
Nobles milled about everywhere, their idle chatter flowing strangely wonderfully with the music. Maybe it was some sort of skill that royalty discovered. How to have a proper conversation without talking loudly so one cannot enjoy the music, or speaking too softly so nobody could hear one another.
Suddenly all of the talking faded to nothing as everyone began to take notice of our presence. One by one, the noblemen bowed, and the ladies curtsied as we passed. I turned to glance up at my prince with pride, only to realize that he beat me to it, with the exception that he was looking at me, and not a mirror. I quickly stifled my laugh.
After a few minutes of wandering around, and once we lost the immediate attention of everyone around us, Philip led me out to the dance floor where a few other couples were already dancing to the music. He slid his hand down to my waist. Mine crept up by his shoulder. The fingers on our other hands intertwined, and after exchanging smiles, my prince began to lead me through the steps.
I felt as if I were dancing on air. Everything was so perfect...
Everything else faded away from my world as he gently guided me through this simple dance. Even with my lack of experience, the song was nice and slow, giving me time to learn quickly without making too much of a fool out of myself. I glanced up at him, losing myself within his soft brown eyes. His black hair had originally been combed back, but he left me ruffle it up just a little bit. I complimented myself on giving his hair the perfect ruffled look.
I felt his hand slip down from my waist, and his other hand tug slightly on mine.
"Spin," he whispered.
Eagerly, I complied, turning away from him and performed a gentle spin with out fingertips still touching. Gracefully, he pulled me back again into his arms. I leaned my head against his shoulder, and he responded by slightly tightening his hold on me.
"How did I do?" I asked quietly.
"You made my heart skip a few beats, if that's what you wanted to know," he replied softly.
"Can we do it again?"
"Of course."
Now that I had a little more experience, I felt as if I were floating, the only thing keeping me grounded soundly on earth was my prince.
As the song was coming to a close, I could feel Philip's arm tense against my waist. Before I could ask him what was wrong, he slowly pushed me down and backwards, still holding me tightly. Seeing other couple do it before, I followed his lead, trusting that he wouldn't drop me. The last notes of the song were fading away, and only then did Philip pull me back up. He planted a light kiss on my forehead the very moment I was standing straight again.
Suddenly the guests were clapping. I blushed and half hid my face by turning to face Philip's chest. He chuckled and hugged me tightly.
And so the most wonderful evening went on. I danced with Philip for a few other dances, as well as with his father once, and even with Henry. It was really wonderful to see Henry without seeing any trace of pain in his eyes. I know he still missed Gabriella, but he was moving past the grief and sorrow. It was fun dancing with him. He was almost as good as Philip. Almost.
That night was a dream. The first of many dreams to come true.
I was free. Free to be with my prince, and love him with my entire being.
I had found new friends, and had become part of a larger family. They all loved me, and I loved them back.
Once upon a time I hated being cursed. I had desired to have my birth mother be the one to love me and take care of me. More than anything I had craved the life of a normal girl. Of course, that's not how it happened.. Fate had dealt me these cards, but I was more than happy enough to take them.
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The End
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i listened to The Book of Love for the entire time I was writing about the ball... ♥
well. that's it guys. :) finished just in time too! dang! this is the first story i've finished... like... ever!
THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER for your support and encouragement! all of the votes, comments, and new fans... wow! i never knew that this would go so far! literally, my mind is blown away! :D
so, this story was meant to be just the one, no sequels. sorry for those of you that were hoping.
anyways, thanks for joining me, kaelyn and philip and everybody else on this spectacular journey through The Horse in the Prince's Stables. i hope u liked it :D