Chapter 15: Confession; Love Prevails

    Harriette and I were chatting while I skimmed some books in the library. “I just don't know what he is up to, like, I'm glad that he released everyone, but I know he is up to something!" Harriette slammed her fists on the table.

"Well," I flipped a page in one of the books, "I don't think he is up to anything nefarious. You shouldn't worry so much."

Harriette stood up. "It's my job to worry." She walked over and grabbed my face and forced me to look at her. "How are you so calm?" She the gasped. "You know something!" She squeezed my face. "Tell me what he is planning!" She then began to shake me.

"I don't know anything!" I cried as she continued to shake me.

"Should, um, we do something?" One of my guards asked one of Harriette's.

"Oh ho, no. You do not want to get in the middle of that. It is way above our pay grade." She answered.

Harriette finally stopped shaking me. She crossed her arms in frustration. “Okay, maybe you don’t know. Think about it, why would he do this, huh?”

“I don’t know, maybe he just wants to get on your good side. You can hold a grudge.” I went back to my book.

“I do not!” Harriette huffed.

“Sis, just take the win.” I sighed. “He seems like a nice guy deep down.”

“Even after he tried to have you killed, you still think I should court him!” Harriette screeched.

“Yeah, no biggie, most of my closest friends have tried to kill me at one point or another. At least held me at sword point.” I motioned towards her with my book.

“I’m sorry, if you see someone fall from the sky, you’re going to be pretty cautious with them.” Harriette rebutted as she sat back down.

“Honestly, I think trying to kill someone in this world is a common bonding activity.” I said sarcastically.

“Hmph.” Harriette leaned over onto the table, her arms stretching out almost to the other side. “I just I don’t know what to think.”

“Let’s talk it out then.” I set down the book to focus solely on her.

“For all our lives we have been taught he is an evil, ruthless killing machine. Now that I have come face to face with him, none of that seems true.” Harriette looked up at me and pouted. “I feel like I’ll be betraying my past lives if I pursue love with him. The past mes gave their lives trying to fight him, now I want to marry him.” She sat up and shook her fists. “If he wasn’t Aldous the king of all demons I would have confessed my love long ago! But!” She looked away. “He killed the people I was supposed to protect. I’m a failure falling for my captor.” She stared down at the table as she cried.

“Harriette,” I touched her shoulder, “what if we were fighting for the wrong side? Think about it, we might have actually been the bad guys, or at least misguided. Think about it.”

“I know, I don’t think my past lives did anything that bad, I don’t want to believe I would just, do a genocide.” She rubbed her hands together nervously.

“Well,” I poked my index fingers together, “you can if you don’t believe that are actually people. If you are taught, they are less then human, an emotionless other, soulless, worthy of death by simply being. Yeah, you can, easily, without a second thought.” I took a deep breath. “We need to get past this bad blood. We swore to do what is best for Bugalas. Maybe you finally going after love, might unite her peoples and end the bloodshed.”

“It feels selfish.” Harriette admitted.

I picked my book back up. “Well then, you’ll go to Hell when you die instead of Heaven this time.”

“Alight.” Harriette nodded. “I’ll court him, I’ll see where this goes.”

“So, what were you saying about wanting to marry him.” I pried playfully.

We continued to gibber gabber for a while. Eventually we went off to go about our day. That evening, I heard that Aldous invited Harriette to the garden, alone. He had ordered that no one was to enter the garden until the next day, he also ordered that no one was to spy on him. Too bad Cloelia didn’t get the memo and immediately told me what she saw through her scrying.

Aldous and Harriette causally walked side by side, gazing at the flowers in full bloom. Aldous took a deep breath to prepared himself. “Harriette, promise me you won’t get mad at Amice, there is something we have been keeping from you, but it’s time you knew.”

“I can’t stay mad at Amice for long.” She smiled, she then narrowed her eyes, “You on the other hand…” she smiled again, “I’m kidding.” She waved her hand at him. “Go on tell me.”

“So, um, well.” Aldous rubbed the back of his head.

“Just spit it out already, or I will be mad at you.” Harriette threatened.

“Okay, um, you know that drink you had the night you blacked out?” Aldous started to fidget.

“Oh yeah!” Harriette answered chipperly. “I can’t believe you were able to out drink me. Both times I don’t remember anything after the first sip.” She laughed as she rubbed the back of her head.

“Well…” Aldous then spit it out. “It wasn’t alcohol! It was a potion that knocked you out!” He shouted as he stopped.

“What?” Harriette stopped a few stepped ahead of him. “That’s not true, King Gotthilf, he was the one who gave me that drink, he would never.” She shook her head in disbelief.

“He did, then he took advantage of you. He is Esmee’s and Biff’s biological father. Amice thought you had both just got drunk, but that day we found that bottle, her and I found out the truth. Harriette…” He reached out to touch her.

Harriette took a step back. “No…” Tears started to form in her eyes as she searched for answers on the stone walkway. “He…wait.” Her horrified eyes met Aldous’ sorrowful ones.

“Yes, it is almost certain that Esmee is the reincarnation of Princess Freya and Biff is the reincarnation of Prince Ronald.” Aldous told her with a heavy heart.

“This has to be a joke.” Harriette ran her hand over her hair. “No, no, no. They can’t be. They, no. They would have gold eyes, not pink if they were.” Tears flowed freely from her eyes.

“I wanted to execute Amice so no one could find out. I realize now that was a mistake, she has now forgiven me.” Aldous stated as Harriette began to hysterically laugh. “Harriette.”

“Please, no. No, you can’t, please.” Harriette ran to Aldous, she gripped his tunic as she shook her head. “Please, please my liege! Don’t kill them, please, they are all I have, they have done nothing, they adore you! Please I’ll do anything!” She pleaded with all her heart. “I’ll do anything.” She repeated in a whisper.

Aldous grabbed Harriette by the shoulders, forcing her to take a couple steps back. He got down on one knee, summoning a ring box in his hand. He opened the box to reveal a gorgeous diamond ring. Pink blossoms flew in the air from a slight breeze. “Then marry me.” Aldous popped the question. Harriette gasped. “As my concubine, I can’t have you gain the power of a queen, but I want to marry you. As my wife, by the laws of Ravivui, your children will be my children, therefore I can not kill them, and if anyone tries to ‘take care’ of them on my behalf, it will be an attack on me. They won’t be able to inherit the throne of Bugalas, but they will be safe.” Aldous explained.

“Yes, yes, I’ll marry you.” Harriette blushed as she stopped crying. “Not just to protect my children, but because I love you.”

Aldous blushed. “Really?”

“Yes.” Harriette nodded. Aldous stood up and they kissed.

Cloelia stopped scrying. “Well then, what do you think?” She asked me.

I punched the wall, breaking three of my fingers. “Your son is an idiot.” I growled.

“He has his moments.” Cloelia agreed with me partially. “He is acting out of fear. He is too scared to give her power, making her queen would give her too much. Don’t worry, there isn’t some tramp you need to go kill. Harriette is his one and only, he is just terrified of her.”

“Their feelings for each other are mutual. Both respects, loves and fears other more then anyone else. Harriette is worried that Aldous will reveal that this was all just an act and immediately become a tyrant once he has her under his control.” I was handed a health potion after I had finished speaking. I drank from it to heal my fingers.

“And Aldous is worried that Harriette is only trying to get close to him so she can have an opportunity to revenge kill him.” Cloelia finished my thought. “The danger of they see in the relationship is what attracts them to each other.”

“Ah so they are both idiots.” I sighed.

“Yes, idiots in love. Someday you will find love, Amice. You should see if you can catch the bouquet at the wedding.” Cloelia suggested.

What happened after the proposal, Harriette told me later on. Harriette and Aldous made their way to the twins’ room. They opened the door to see them playing with toys instead of sleeping like they are supposed to. “I swear,” Aldous put his hands on his hips playfully, “Do you two ever sleep?”

“Not as much as we should.” Esmee answered, staring up at him with innocent eyes.

“Come over here, we have something we want to tell you.” Harriette beckoned them over as she and Aldous sat down on Esmee’s bed. The twins crawled up on Aldous lap. “So, you know how we have been telling you that Aldous isn’t your dad?”

“Uh huh.” The twins nodded.

“Well,” Aldous began. “We changed our minds, we are going to get married, and when we do, I’ll officially be your dad.” He explained.

“You proposed?” Esmee asked.

“Yes, I did.” Aldous answered with a smile.

“Does this mean that Auntie Ami is going to stop giving us pearls?” Biff asked.

“Excuse me?” Harriette narrowed her eyes at Aldous. “She knew you were going to propose, better yet, the twins knew you were going to propose?” She blinked, widening her eyes, waiting for an answer.

“And Ignatius and Narcissus, also my whole family. I had Amice take me to where your parents buried so I could ask for their blessing, the twins stowed away in my saddle bags. Your parents… they were just plain rude, so I asked your uncle instead, who said I had to let your people go if I wanted to marry you. I was going to let them go anyway after we got married, but I did it a few days ago so I could have his blessing.” Aldous explained to is fiancée.

“Let me guess, Amice bribed the twins so they wouldn’t say anything until you proposed?” Harriette put her hands on her hips. “Well, all that tracks. There is a reason I’m not on speaking terms with my parents. They went a little loopy, my uncle was pretty sure drugs were involved. Thing is, they tried to kill me as a baby a few times, so they were executed when I was two. Still, I tried to form a relationship with them after they had passed on when I got older, but somehow, my uncle claims they got crazier.”

“Okay cool, I thought it was personal.” Aldous sighed in relief. “Now, let’s go tell mom and Amice about our engagement!”

“After we get these little rascals back to bed.” Harriette reached over and tickled twins a little, causing them to giggle. They tucked in the twins and came to tell Cloelia and I about their engagement. Luckily, we were able to act surprised. They were none the wiser that we had known since the moment he got down on one knee.