Chapter Twenty

Freddy

F reddy had been prepared for many different scenarios when he finally revealed his identity, but he had not expected to hold his wife through a raging hurricane of tears.

His heart broke at the sobs that racked her frame, knowing that he could do nothing more for her pain than simply be there. And yet, at the same time, he said a prayer of thanks for every tear that fell, knowing that it meant his Lizzie was finally free.

His jacket and shirt were completely soaked through by the time her sobs had quieted into sniffles and hiccups, but he found he didn't care. He pulled Lizzie onto his lap, and he thought his heart would burst as she looped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be. This jacket could have used a wash, anyway. Besides, a very wise woman once said to me that if you only share smiles, you only share part of yourself. I want all of you, Lizzie—your smiles and your tears."

She sniffled.

"Of course, another wise woman also said to me, ‘The tears of a woman are dried with a snack and her anger soothed with a soft pillow,' and I am afraid I have brought no snacks."

Lizzie's laugh was watery, but it was like music to his ears. "A true oversight."

She was quiet for a moment. "Do you really love me, Freddy?"

His arms tightened around her. "Every day and always."

"But I was so horrible to you."

He could feel the shudder of tears working through her once more, and he dropped an arm to rub slow circles on her back. "You were cursed. All is forgiven. Besides, I'm much more interested in what's happening now and in the future than in what happened back then."

"What is happening now?"

"Well, for starters, I'm hoping you'll come to our wedding tomorrow. I had to do it alone with Shea last time. He's pretty good-looking, but he really didn't want to wear the dress."

Lizzie snorted. "I like Shea. I'm glad he's your friend."

"So am I, but you're still avoiding the question."

"Which question is that?"

She was teasing him, and Freddy thought he would die of happiness. He grinned. "Will you marry me tomorrow?"

"I need to check with Mrs. Pearce about my schedule."

"I'm sure she'll give you the day off. We don't want you to be overworked, after all."

"In that case, yes. I'll marry you tomorrow…even though I was told we're already married."

"Oh, we are. I have the certificate."

She sat up suddenly, her eyes wide as if realization were suddenly dawning. "You have the certificate! You showed it to Mormor and Norva. Do they know who you are? Why didn't they say anything?"

"As dear old Mormor said to me, ‘Words are not cheap, but silence is golden.'"

A smile played about Lizzie's mouth as she shook her head. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Freddy was mesmerized by a strand of hair by her chin that danced in the breeze. He touched it, twirling the soft strands around his finger and then tucking it behind her ear. "It means that I think they knew that if you knew, you wouldn't have come with me."

"Is that why you didn't tell me who you were?"

"I was hoping at first that you would recognize me, and you did—as the minstrel with the horrible beard."

"It was quite a memorable beard."

"And then when I realized that you only knew me as Kai, I decided that I would try to make my bid for your heart with a blank slate. There was a lot of history between you and Freddy, but Kai was just a man with a lute and a heart full of love."

She quirked an eyebrow. "You sound quite proud of that line."

"I have a whole song about it. It's a crowd favorite."

Lizzie laughed, and then inexplicably burst into tears. Freddy quickly looked in his pocket for a handkerchief, belatedly realizing he should have handed it to her the first time. Lizzie must have come to the same conclusion, for she took it and dabbed at her eyes with a chuckle.

"Lindy did say that breaking the curse would be painful, though I didn't realize this was what she meant."

"You have ten years of pent-up emotions stuffed in there; I'm sure it will take some time to get through them all." He waited a beat. "It was Lindy who gave you the curse?"

"Yes, but I was the one who asked for it." Lizzie was fidgeting with the handkerchief, twisting and weaving the fabric around her fingers. "We were both just trying to survive, and she helped me the only way she knew how. I know it led her down a path that ended with what happened in Anura…but she really did start with good intentions."

Freddy pulled the handkerchief from her hands so that he could hold them instead. "I believe you. And speaking of your family." She winced at the mention of them, and he gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze. "I sent a letter to Alfred as soon as we got home, informing him that because of his actions, our former trade agreement has been nullified."

"But what about the trade routes? Without access through Nedra, you'll have to send everything by ship up the coast, which will take almost twice as long."

He shrugged. "So it will take twice as long."

"But your economy—"

"Might wobble a little, but it will bounce back. You're far more important than any trade routes, Lizzie. You always have been. Besides, I've already spoken with some of the guild leaders, and they agree. They don't want to do business with a country whose king will so callously treat his own child—not to mention the fact that he broke the agreement first."

Lizzie hesitated. "What about Philip?"

"When Philip becomes king, we'll reevaluate.

"You don't think Father will be mad when he finds out that you were the one who married me?"

Freddy shrugged. "He might be, but I don't really care. I have the marriage certificate that he signed, which states that there will be no extraneous benefits given to me because of the marriage. I would definitely file trade agreements under ‘extraneous benefits.'"

"Are there any other kinds of benefits you do get?"

"Oh, several." Freddy held up his hand and began ticking off his fingers. "I get to make sure you're warm when we go on extended camping trips. I have it on very good authority that you will now spin me yarn whenever I need it. I can trust you to manage my pottery collection. I get to rescue you when you're kidnapped and held for ransom."

"Alright, alright, I get it." Lizzie grabbed for his hand and tried to push his fingers down.

Freddy pulled his arm away and held his hands up and out of reach. "I'm not done yet. I get to claim you for every dance at balls now, instead of having to fight through the hordes of fan-speaking young ladies. I get to bring you flowers whenever I want, just because I know they make you smile. I get to see the way your face lights up when you spot a bird you've been looking for. I get to watch you grow old with me. I get to love you."

There were tears in Lizzie's eyes again, but they were happy ones this time. "Those are some pretty good benefits," she whispered.

"They are." He lowered his hands between them and looked at his fingers. All of them but one pinky were extended. "But those are only nine benefits, and I have ten fingers."

"What's the last one?"

"I get to kiss you." Freddy slowly unbent his pinky, staring into her eyes as he answered. "But I said I wouldn't until you asked me."

Lizzie ran her hand over his jaw. "Pixie did say that I should wait until the beard was gone, but I think there's some left."

He shook his head. "It's not a beard. It's a Facial Embellishment. It really enhances my jawline."

Lizzie threw her head back and laughed, and the sound warmed him clear down to his toes. Her smile was wide as she asked, "Will you kiss me, Freddy?"

One hand slipped around her waist, and with the other he framed her face as her eyes fluttered closed. "Every day and always."

Kissing Lizzie was like tasting sunshine, and once Freddy started, he knew that he would want to keep doing it for the rest of life.

Lizzie smiled against his lips. "Definitely a worthy benefit."

"Indeed." Freddy leaned her back and kissed the tip of her nose before standing up. "But it is late, my lady, and we have a big day coming up. I think it's time we get some rest."

She reached for his hand and swung it between them as they walked back to the cottage. "Are you sleeping on the floor again?"

"Of course. We're not getting married until tomorrow. But that shall be benefit number eleven: no more sleeping on the floor. Despite what Shea says, it's really not that comfortable."