Read Puss in Boots (Timeless Fairy Tales Book 6) Online
Authors: K. M. Shea
Puss in Boots (Timeless Fairy Tales Book 6) (28 page)
Steffen tilted his head and stared at Carabas.
“Is it too much for you?”
“No.” He looked at her. “Nothing is too much for you.” He kept walking and studied the harbor as if it were a foe to overcome. “I am merely thinking I will start with Father. If he warms up to the idea, Elise will find it harder to reject, and if she doesn’t strike the idea down, my brothers will think twice about it as well,” Steffen said. He halted his horse and turned to address Gabrielle. “I don’t care if it takes years; it will be worth it to call you my wife. Sometimes I will have to place the country first, but my love will be steadfast.”
“And I will always love you,” Gabrielle said, smiling finally, as the words dropped from her lips.
“Really? I was starting to grow worried.” Steffen tossed his horse’s reins aside. He grabbed Gabrielle and pulled her close, kissing and embracing her as if he thought she might disappear.
After several moments, Puss said, “Ahem.”
“Sorry.” She pulled back from Steffen, surprised and a little knock-kneed.
“I’m not,” Steffen said. He curled an arm around her waist and lazily swiped his horse’s reins. “I was planning to stay with you in Carabas for a few days, by the way.”
“How good of you,” Gabrielle said.
“Yes, but I’ll have to return to The Turtle & Doves tonight,” Steffen said. “If I want to make you my bride in under a decade, I’ll need to begin my quest for Carabas Harbor as swiftly as possible. I need to send out dispatch riders tonight.”
“I never said the harbor needed to be rebuilt before I would marry you,” Gabrielle said.
He stopped in his tracks and looked at her, “Oh?”
“No. I just said you needed to have it rebuilt for me.”
“I see. How very clever of you.”
“She was taught by the best,” Puss said, trotting to catch up with them.
“That is so, cat,” Steffen agreed.
“That being said, you still had better try your hardest,” Gabrielle said.
“Believe me, I will. If this is what it takes me to convince you of my intentions, I will wring the best cursed harbor from my family that can be built,” Steffen promised, raising her hand to his lips.
“I look forward to it,” Puss said. “Which brings up an important topic.”
“What?” Gabrielle asked.
“Me,” Puss said. “I want you two to remain quiet about my speaking abilities. King Henrik already knows—as, I’m sure, does Prince Mikk thanks to his army of sneaks. The others, however, and the palace servants, should remain ignorant.”
“Why? The northern half of the country must know about you by now,” Gabrielle said.
“That is not so,” Puss said.
“The cat is right. You visited small villages, and Puss was not with you when you vanquished the ogre; the stray cat was. People will think the rumors exaggerate your cat’s cleverness,” Steffen said.
“Fine, but what merit is there in pretending you can’t talk?”
“Secrecy. If something ill happens and my talents are not known, I can better protect you, Gabrielle,” Puss said.
“No, there are no threats left. We killed the ogre,” Gabrielle insisted.
“I wouldn’t say there are
no
threats,” Steffen said. “This spring, the second prince of Loire was cursed by a wicked witch.”
“I am more concerned about the attack carried out against our enchantress friend and her master,” Puss said. “Evariste is one of the most powerful magic users on the continent. It does not bode well that he was attacked and captured.”
Gabrielle pursed her lips. “I don’t care.”
“It is a perfect trick to hold up our sleeve, though,” Steffen said, considering the idea. “Which reminds me, I need to look into the possibility of female guards. I shall have to ask Nick.”
“I don’t care if Puss’s silence is a great trick. I won’t ever agree to it.”
“Why, in heaven’s name, wouldn’t you?” Puss said, his ears flattening. “You haven’t even married the bumpkin-head yet. You cannot claim that his stupidity is catching.”
Steffen frowned at the comment, but Gabrielle shook her head. “It has nothing to do with Steffen; it’s
you
. I won’t see you silenced and caged up again, Puss. You said you hated that—I never want to put you through that again!”
Puss stopped walking for a moment. He purred deeply and brushed up against Gabrielle. “My dear mistress,” he said. “You are too good for this poor excuse of a prince.”
“I’m really starting to look forward to you moving into Castle Brandis,” Steffen said.
“You are right; it will be difficult,” Puss continued, ignoring the prince’s comment. “But it is a sacrifice I am willing to make, and it will be temporary—until I am certain you are safe and that there are no external threats. Besides, your prince said so himself: you and I will still go on adventures, and we’ll have to frequently visit Carabas. I will be free to talk and express my superior opinions then.”
“I don’t like it,” Gabrielle said.
“And neither will I, but for you I will do it, just as Prince Steffen will build you Carabas Harbor.”
“Thank you, both of you,” Gabrielle said, stooping over to pick Puss up. He purred and supported himself on her hip as Steffen claimed her other side.
“Of course, my mistress.”
“Anything for you, my love.” Steffen kissed her cheek.
“We will make the strangest royal family Arcainia has ever seen,” Gabrielle said.
“Our people are very accepting,” Steffen said.
“And they will want to adore you when I’m through crafting your royal image,” Puss added.
“Great,” Gabrielle said, her voice lacking enthusiasm.
“Hurrah to our bright future,” Steffen said with an infectious laugh.
“Hurrah to our restoration,” Gabrielle added.
“Hurrah to me having a foothold on the entire country of Arcainia!” Puss declared.
Gabrielle groaned as she shut her bedroom door behind her. Three years had passed since Steffen proposed to her on Carabas lands. Her marriage was a happy one—even if Steffen still fumbled with expressing love in front of others—but the past summer had been excessively hard.
King Henrik had been brain-washed and married a black witch who had—as a result of her greedy desires—cursed Henrik’s children to turn into swans. Gabrielle escaped the curse thanks to Puss’s powers, but Steffen had not.
Gabrielle had remembered her promise to Steffen—to protect Arcainia at all costs—so she sent him north to Verglas with his six brothers and his foster-sister Elise, the only other one to escape the curse. Gabrielle remained in Arcainia, trying desperately to hold the country together in his absence.
She had stolen jewels from the witch, helped Puss thwart her black magic, and did her best to aid the people while the evil queen taxed the life out of them.
But now, finally, the evil queen was defeated.
Steffen, Elise, and their siblings had returned, and Gabrielle could set aside her role as resistance fighter and manager of the royal household.
“Puss, where are you?” she called, shedding her boots. She cast them aside and fell face first on her bed before she remembered. The black and white cat had remained behind in the joyous celebration so he and Angelique could speak to Princess Elise about her budding magic—a topic that interested the nosey cat.
“I have no idea how he can find the energy,” Gabrielle groaned. She wanted to slide out of her clothes, but she was too tired to get up.
She was not, however, too tired to bolt upright when her doors were kicked open. In marched Steffen, his hair mussed and his eyes a little wild.
“Steffen, what are you doing? You might have spent the last season on a lake, but that doesn’t mean you can go around breaking doors,” Gabrielle said as her husband marched across her room. “First of all, they cost a fortune, and Elise will throw a fit—”
Steffen scooped her up into a hug, squeezing her so tightly to his chest she could feel him shiver.
“What’s wrong?” she asked in a quieter voice.
“I am so sorry,” Steffen said, resting his cheek on the crown of her head.
“For what?” Gabrielle asked.
“For not loving you as much as you deserved. For telling you to care for the country in my place. For everything I have ever done wrong.”
Gabrielle chuckled. “That is quite the list.” She hesitated when Steffen said nothing lighthearted in return. “Are you alright? Steffen?”
He didn’t answer.
She tried again, “Rune said, when you were swans, you didn’t remember your human life.”
“He’s right—to an extent. I never remembered who I was or that I used to be human. But I remembered you.” He leaned down and kissed Gabrielle deeply. When he finally pulled away, he went back to resting his cheek on her head. “I missed you so much it hurt.”
“Did it make you regret loving me?” Gabrielle asked, her voice small. This was, after all, what Steffen had feared when she first met him.
Steffen laughed before choking off the sound. “Never,” he said. “It made me realize how much I need you. You are my sense of adventure, my gentleness, and my haven. Without you…I-I can’t put the country before you.”
“You can, and we will. Being the king and queen is a calling we must fulfill. It isn’t fair to the people if we make all our decisions based on our personal whims,” Gabrielle said.
“I’m starting to think you’re my intelligence, too,” Steffen muttered.
Gabrielle laughed. “Well, we knew that already.”
Steffen chuckled into her hair, then moved his hands to her face, bringing his lips to hers again, softer this time.
After they drew apart, she continued. “Being apart from you was…harrowing. I threw myself against your step-mother for the sake of our people, but also to keep my mind occupied so I wouldn’t think about the what-ifs: What if I never saw you again? What if you were hurt?”
“You held the country together while I was gone, alone.”
“Yes.”
“But you’re up here, while everyone is downstairs celebrating Elise and my family. Without you, the country would have been smashed beyond repair. You’re the biggest hero of us all, and I don’t think anyone knows it.”
Gabrielle placed her hands on Steffen’s jaw. “Perhaps, but I prefer it that way,” she said, looking into her husband’s beautiful blue eyes, rejoicing that she
could
look into his eyes again. “Puss and I never enjoyed the fame of being adventurers.”
“That cat revels in it, and you know it. You were the one who disliked it,” Steffen said.
“Maybe,” Gabrielle agreed. “The point is, I’m happy because you’re home, not because people acknowledge my deeds. I didn’t become a princess for the riches or fame; I became a princess because I love you.”
“I know,” Steffen said. “You withstood my test: you stood by our country and protected it and sacrificed for it when I couldn’t. Thank you, my love.”
“You’re welcome, dear husband.”
“All the same, let’s never, ever do that again,” Steffen said. He kissed her forehead and pulled her close again.
“Agreed.”
“And I will do my best to become a better, more affectionate husband,” Steffen said.
“I don’t expect you to change, Steffen,” Gabrielle said.
“No, but I realize I owe it to you to do so,” Steffen said. “I have always loved you—I have. I hope you know that. But I had to become a swan to realize just how much I need you. And now?”
“Yes?” she asked, studying his handsome face.
“I will never let you go.”
The End
To read extra Puss In Boots scenes and material, check out
kmshea.com
Other books by K.M. Shea
Robyn Hood:
The Magical Beings’ Rehabilitation Center:
King Arthur and Her Knights:
Three pack (Enthroned, Enchanted, Embittered)
Timeless Fairy Tales
Puss in Boots
Coming Soon
Endeavor: King Arthurs and her Knights Book 6: November 2015
The Snow Queen: December 2015
About the Author
K.M. Shea is a book lover, champion web surfer, and all around geek. She is a fulltime independent author, and lives in the quaint Midwest with her beloved companion, Perfect Dog.
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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