Of Werewolves and Curses by Emma Hamm

Chapter 28

They didn’t leave for another week, even though Freya wanted her father home as soon as possible. But Eldridge reminded her that they needed to stay and help. Two court leaders needed guidance, and they were the only ones who could provide that direction.

Or, well, Eldridge was the only one who could provide that. And no one else could return home without him. Apparently.

Freya packed her last item into the trunk and sat down hard on it. The clothing within might be a little wrinkled when they got home, but she was returning with so much of it. The elves had made certain she had all the beautiful dresses she needed for giving them back their Summer Lady.

Not that Freya had wanted any of it. She’d go right back to wearing pants when they returned to the Goblin Court, though she appreciated their candor. At least they were kind enough to see what she’d done for their court.

The door to their room opened and Eldridge strode in. He held a pile of papers in his hands, then set them on her vanity with a heavy thud. “These all need to go with us, apparently. Is there room in your trunk?”

She looked underneath her, then back to him. “If I stand up, the trunk will open on its own. I can’t latch it.”

“They gave you that much, did they?” He shook his head with a wry grin. “Elves.”

“They’re very kind,” she corrected, but then smiled as well. “But maybe a little overzealous in their gratitude with what we did. I don’t think I need any of these dresses. They wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“Rarely does any elf even know the word no.” He glared at the papers and then shrugged. “They’ll stay here, then. I don’t need them, but Leo insisted I take them and look through all his accounts. Apparently he’s not very confident as a capable leader.”

“That’s why he has Cora. I think she’ll round out his weaknesses rather well.” She hoped, at least. The both of them had a lot to learn about ruling an entire court.

But if Eldridge could do it with grace and poise, then so could the new leaders of the Summer Court.

She sighed and stood up, holding out her hands in case the lid to her trunk popped open again. The last time it had blasted open like something within had exploded. This time, thankfully, it stayed down.

“If we’re lucky,” she muttered, “We can escape before the clothing attacks again.”

“Again?” Eldridge gave her a bewildered look.

“Yes, again. It’s already tried to take over the room like it was spreading. I don’t believe this is the same amount of clothing the elves gave me, and such a curse could be quite dangerous.” She hoped her joke was landing, but of course, the Goblin King took everything rather seriously.

With a burst of movement, she grabbed his hand and ran from the room. He sprinted with her, concerned at first, but then laughing as they raced down the stairwell covered in flowers and sunlight. Freya wanted to sneak a quiet moment before they went back to the real world where they both had a lot of responsibilities.

For now, the sun was shining, and the beach waited for them.

She slowed down when they exited the castle, breathless with laughter. “I’m sorry, Eldridge. I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought maybe we could enjoy a little sunlight before we left.”

“How strange, I had the same thought.” He placed her hand on his forearm and guided her down a stairwell to the garden that led to the beaches. “I believe this is the last task we have before we return to our actual lives.”

“I suppose so.” She tilted her head back and let the sun play over her features, eyes closed with the confidence that Eldridge would guide her around any obstacles. “Have you seen my father today?”

“I have.” His arm shifted in her grip as he guided her around a fallen log in their path. “He’s in good spirits, although a little nervous to see your mother.”

“If I remember right, they had a love that burned hotter than the sun. I don’t think he’ll have any issues when he sees her again.” She opened her eyes and blinked at the bright light. “Although, she might slap him the first time she sees him. She’s quick to anger, but at least she’ll be nice after that. He made her run around the entire faerie realm to save him, after all.”

“Sounds familiar.” He walked down a few stairs and paused at the bottom, just before the longer stairwell that led to the beach. “Arrow has taken good care of introducing your father to this realm again. He said it was the least he could do for you, so you don’t have to worry about your father any longer.”

Freya sighed. “I don’t know what I’ll do next. First, I was worried about Esther, then mother, then father. Who will I worry about now?”

The sunlight played in the dark strands of his hair. He looked so handsome standing a few steps down from her, with his finely pressed dark suit and silver skin that the sun had burnished. Even his eyes seemed a little brighter. They twinkled with lights that never failed to capture her attention.

He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You could worry about yourself for a while. After all, you’ve saved everyone you love.”

Ah yes, she had told him that she loved him. The words danced between them, as if he feared she would try to take the statement back. But of course she wouldn’t.

Freya wanted to shout the words to the high heavens and let no one take them from her again. She placed her hands on his shoulders and dipped low to press a kiss to his plush lips. “I do love you, Goblin King. With all my heart and soul.”

“Good,” he muttered against her mouth. “Because there’s something I have been trying to talk with you about since before we left the Goblin Court, but things keep distracting us.”

Her stomach tied into a knot. She’d been avoiding this conversation for so long because she was so afraid it would be something that tested her love for him. What could he possibly have to say to her that was so important? She didn’t want to question her choices now, not when there was so much love in her chest that beat only for him.

Damn it. She’d been having such a good afternoon.

Freya supposed she owed him this, though. If the Goblin King thought there was something so important that he needed to tell her this now, then she had to listen. That was the way of things.

“All right,” she replied with a shaky smile. “What is it then?”

He looked around them and a muscle jumped in his jaw. “Not here. I don’t want anyone to hear this.”

Right, because that eased her fears so well. She was going to fall apart at the seams. Hadn’t he just said she could worry about herself for a while? What insane quest were they to go on now?

She didn’t say any of that, though. Freya allowed him to guide her down the stairs to the sandy beach. She licked her lips and went over and over in her head how she would respond to something bad. That she would always love him, no matter what the cost might be. That he didn’t need to worry about her leaving him in difficult times. Their love was strong enough to last through all that.

“Freya,” Eldridge said with a chuckle. “You don’t have to stare at your feet. I’m not leading you to your death.”

Of course she was staring at her feet. She wasn’t focused on where they were going. She was bracing for the moment he’d open his mouth and let out all the things she feared. “I’ll keep staring where I want, thank you.”

“Yes, but if you don’t look up, then you won’t see what’s in front of us.”

“Is that so important?”

Eldridge snorted. “I think you’d like to see it, yes.”

Oh god, what had he sprung on her now?

Freya looked up at the beach and her heart stopped in her chest. Someone had opened a portal on the beach, that’s the only way she could describe it. A giant circle of green grass filled with butterflies had appeared in the center of the white sand. Edges of magic fluttered like sparkling dust. Rose petals decorated the entire ground and floated through the air on a breeze that danced lazily with its prize.

She stepped up onto the grass, standing in the center of this magical summoning. A blue butterfly twisted in front of her face, then landed on her offered finger. Its wings were so clear, it looked as though they were made of crystal.

“This is beautiful,” she whispered. “Eldridge, did you summon this?”

She couldn’t imagine why. Freya turned around when he didn’t answer, searching for her sweet Goblin King who had only wanted to make her day a little better. To remind her why they loved the Summer Court before they left.

Eldridge crouched behind her on one knee. In his hand, he held a tiny box made of a seashell. He offered it to her with a smile on his face so big, she wondered how it didn’t split his cheeks.

“You kept running from me,” he said. “I know this might not be the right time, but I fear no time will ever be right.”

She let out a little shocked sound that sounded like a sob. Tears had already built in her eyes, which she dashed away because she wanted to remember every single detail of this moment. This perfect, wonderful, surprising moment that made her heart sing.

Eldridge opened the seashell to reveal a beautiful black ring. The twisted metal curved up to hold a dark orb that reflected a thousand colors wherever the sunlight struck it.

“I love you,” he said. “From the very first moment I saw you, when you walked into my life like a storm. I knew that every day without you would be dull, colorless, and soul crushing. You reminded me how beautiful life could be, if I would only be courageous enough to leap into the unknown. You reminded me what it was like to not be the best at everything. But most of all, you showed me how my heart could glow in the darkness if I let someone be my light. Freya of Woolwich, Defeater of the Goblin King, Queen Killer, and all your other well-earned titles…”

He paused for a breath and Freya saw her entire life unfold before her. A life of happiness, love, and adventure.

“Yes,” she blurted.

He lifted an unimpressed brow. “Let me say it first. That’s how this works.”

“Oh, sorry.” Freya pressed a hand to her mouth and gestured with the other for him to continue.

“My love, my life, my Freya.” Eldridge’s lips twisted into a sideways smile. “Will you marry your Goblin King?”

“Yes!” she shouted again, then threw herself into his arms.

Eldridge caught her, tugging her against his heart and kissing her until she saw stars. And why wouldn’t she? The man she loved, the one she would now marry, was made of galaxies and magic. She intended to spend the rest of her life loving him until she couldn’t any longer.

Loud cheers interrupted their kiss. Freya broke away to see all the people in the Summer Court who had made her time here so dear and so wonderful.

Arrow shouted so loudly that people in the castle heard him, “Finally!”

Laughing, Eldridge released her to hold out his hand for Leo to shake. “Did you ever think we’d both get to this point in our lives?”

Leo shook his head, but pulled Eldridge in for an embrace. “No, my friend. I thought we would hate each other until we died, and then the both of us would die alone as old men.”

She turned toward Cora, who was already reaching to hug Freya tight. “Congratulations, my dear. When Eldridge asked how he should do it, I told him something like this would make any woman fall madly in love with him. I hope it wasn’t too much.”

“It was perfect,” Freya whispered. “Thank you for all your help.”

Though guilt twisted in her stomach because she’d believed the other woman to be interested in Eldridge, too. She should have known better. Cora was too kind for that. Cora wasn’t competition. She was a friend.

The last person on the beach stood apart from the others, but he was the only person Freya wanted to see. She walked away from the faeries to give her father a tight hug.

He sighed into her hair, then chuckled. “He asked for my permission this morning. I told him it was a little late to be asking, but that I’d come around to the idea of my daughter being married to a faerie. Besides, he seems like a good man.”

Freya couldn’t believe Eldridge had even asked her father’s permission. He had been planning this for a very long time. “He is a good man,” she repeated. “And I love him more than anyone I’ve ever met before.”

“Good. That’s how it should be.” He kissed the top of her head, then pushed her away. “Go to your Goblin King, daughter of mine.”

She didn’t have to be told twice. Freya tucked herself underneath Eldridge’s arm and listened to the faeries joke with each other. But it didn’t take long for Eldridge to turn his attention only to her.

He kissed her again and whispered against her lips, “My Queen, let’s go home.”