Author's Note: Thanks for being so patient with the new chapter, guys! Sharing this gorgeous art this week from @enigmatic_lizard ! I absolutely love it! As always, you can send me fan art via my Instagram @captaincleanfreak if anyone has anything they want to send before the last two chapters come out!
Vandel
My eyes fluttered open. As my vision slowly came back into focus, I realized with a start that I was in my own bed.
I moved to sit up and was instantly met with a horrible jolt of pain shooting through me. Fuck...it was like every inch of my body ached.
I could hear the soft sound of breathing and turned my head, finding Ridley fast asleep in a chair beside me. My heart stirred with a rush of fondness at the sight. His hair still hadn't returned to normal, white curls falling into his eyes in gentle waves, obscuring them.
"My lord, you're awake," a voice suddenly called from the doorway. I looked to see Tuttle standing there, holding a tea tray.
I rubbed one eye, my voice rough with sleep when I finally spoke. "How long was I out for? The last thing I remember was Ridley hauling me up onto that bone horse thing."
Tuttle swallowed hard and I noticed the gleam of tears in his eyes. "You didn't wake up for three days," he began, his voice trembling ever so slightly. "I was so afraid you might never...oh, thank the Gods you're alright."
My mouth dropped open. "Holy shit. Three days? What the fuck?!?"
Tuttle glanced fondly to the sleeping Ridley. "He hasn't left your side since bringing you here. I thought I'd fetch him some tea since he's hardly eaten or slept since arriving...but it appears exhaustion finally got the best of him."
As if aware we'd been talking about him, Ridley suddenly stirred, his eyes fluttering open. To my surprise, his eyes weren't blue anymore but a pale, ivory white.
The moment our eyes met, Ridley practically sprung from the chair.
"How do you feel?" he asked quickly, his tone's slight waver alerting me to the fact that he was on the verge of tears.
I offered him a weak smile.
"A little sore, but nothing a little self care won't fix. And by self care, I obviously mean treating myself to at least several new, extremely expensive outfits."
Ridley returned my smile. Slowly, I reached out, gently brushing a few white curls from his face.
"So," I said softly, "decided to try something new with your hair, I see."
Ridley's hand moved to his hair as well, awkwardly running his fingers through it. "I think 'decided' might be a bit of a stretch. I kept hoping it would go back to normal, but I'm starting to think it may never change considering now I'm..."
"The Bone King?" I finished for him.
Tuttle gave a small bow before quickly excusing himself from the room, clearly trying to give us some space.
At last, Ridley offered me a stiff nod. "I didn't want to believe it was true at first, but..." he absently waved one hand and, before us, a large white butterfly appeared. I watched wide-eyed as it fluttered gracefully around the room. The creature was oddly beautiful for a Bone Monster. Finally, the beast returned to Ridley once more, landing gently on his outstretched hand.
"Wow," I breathed.
Ridley's gaze flickered to the ground. "This isn't what I wanted," he said softly. "The only thing I've ever wanted was to just be a knight. I don't want this kind of power..."
I reached forward, taking Ridley's other hand up in mine. "But doesn't that make you the perfect person to have it?"
"But this power is evil," Ridley countered, his voice low. "You saw the things he did with it."
"Yeah, and you're nothing like him." I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Just look at the creatures you've created." I held out a finger and the butterfly flitted over to me, landing there. "The creatures clearly reflect the creator. Instead of belonging to power hungry monsters who want to use them as weapons, they now belong to someone who wants to do good and protect people."
At my words, Ridley's jaw tightened, his mouth drawing into a hard line. He waved one hand, causing the butterfly to instantly vanish, dissipating into the air.
"You say that so confidently. But...what if I'm a monster too, just like the previous kings?" His voice was a little more than a whisper as he continued. "I couldn't protect the other knights...or you." He lowered his head, curls falling back into his eyes. "I have no memories from that night, but I think I might've...I might've..." he choked on the words. "And to think I could've killed you too--"
"Ridley," I said firmly, "look at me."
Slowly, he lifted his head once more, forcing himself to meet my gaze.
"The Bone King was controlling you, nothing was your fault," I began. "And even with that monster inside your head...the good in you was still powerful enough to defeat him. If you hadn't, the Bone King would have used you as a weapon and taken over everything. You saved us all..." I brought his hand to my lips, placing a gentle kiss to his palm. "Because, despite all the wickedness in the world, you're still insufferably good. You may have grown quite different from the cookie cutter white knight I met long ago, but that's the one thing that's never changed, not even for a moment. No matter the cost, no matter how stupid or impulsive or difficult, you always follow your heart and do the right thing. I couldn't fucking stand that about you at first, but now," I offered him a soft smile, "I love it more than anything."
Ridley let out a little sniffle, roughly wiping his eyes with one hand. "It's strange," he breathed. "Everything is so different now. Annette's queen, I'm the Bone King, and now you're..."
I swallowed hard.
"Yeah...I suppose I'm going to be king of the demons now."
The knowledge that she was really gone hadn't fully set in yet.
My mother had always been such a large part of my life, and to think that just like that...she was just...gone.
Concern flooded Ridley's gaze. "I'm sorry..." he began softly. "Losing a mother...even if you had your differences, I know it must be so hard..."
"She really did love me," I murmured. "Despite all that happened between us, all the lies and manipulations and mind games...in the end, she still sacrificed herself for me..." my voice broke and Ridley immediately leaned forward, pulling me into a tight hug.
We just sat there a moment in silence, Ridley holding me close. I buried my head against his shoulder, letting out a small sob despite myself. Ridley didn't say a word, gently stroking my hair. I could feel his breathing against my chest, the soft thrum of his heart against mine. It was calming, and warm, and I found myself unable to put into words just how much he meant to me.
I drew back a little, tilting my head up to meet his gaze. "Ridley?"
"Yes?" He answered so tenderly that it sent my heart racing.
I let out a low, shaky breath. "With everything that's happened, I've come to realize that life is unbearably short. It goes by so fast, and you never know when the end is going to be. So why have regrets? We should do what makes us happy before it's too late, shouldn't we?"
Ridley flashed me a small smile. "I suppose you're right. From the way you're speaking however, it seems like there's a point you're trying to--"
"Marry me."
Ridley's breath caught, his eyes going as round as saucers. "W-What?" he stammered, a flush spreading across his cheeks.
A wave of panic immediately came crashing down over me. Fuck! Oh fucking hellfire, why did I say that? Why couldn't I control my impulsivity for five fucking seconds?
"Sorry," I stammered, stumbling over my words as I jolted back. "I don't know why I...obviously that was..."
"Yes."
I froze.
Ridley let out a soft, breathy laugh. "Sorry, I was just a bit surprised." He leaned forward, gently pulling me into his arms once more. "But I've never felt more confident when I say...that nothing would make me happier."
I felt like my heart was singing. Like sunshine was pouring down on me. Like a million butterflies were fluttering about within my chest.
There was so much I wanted to say to him. I wanted Ridley to know I thought he was the most amazing person I'd ever met, that he'd changed me, that he was my heart, my breath, my entire world. That every beat of my heart belonged to him and him alone.
The only words I managed to formulate however, was a breathy, "I love you."
Ridley pulled me into a kiss. I could feel his smile against my lips and, despite the fact that I'd only said those three words, I knew he understood perfectly just how much they'd meant.