Page 94 of Royal Guard

And yet we’d both changed, in ways people couldn’t see. There were no more nightmares for me, not when I had Garrett to cuddle up to in the night. And while he had a long way to go, he’d made the firststeps to putting things behind him: the flashbacks were under control and he was talking to the therapist who’d helped me: gruffly and reluctantly, but they were talking.

Garrett was talking to his dad, too. He’d flown home to Texas as soon as the situation in Lakovia was stable. His dad had begun to recover and apparently the pair had had a serious heart-to-heart. From what Garrett said, his dad understood his problems far better than he’d expected. Turns out, he hadn’t come through the marine corps emotionally unscathed either. Both of them were a lot happier for talking.

Something that helped both Garrett and me was riding. Once Garrett’s wounds had healed, I’d re-opened the royal stables and we’d started going for long rides in Lakovia’s cool, misty forests. Garrett was right: there was something incredibly calming about being around horses. Calming... andromantic. Both times, when we’d been out, he’d given me this sudden, heated look. I mean, I wasn’t doing anything special, just riding alongside him in a long, white dress with a tight bodice, my hair streaming out in the wind. But suddenly he was sweeping me off my saddle and onto his horse and galloping deeper into the trees, where the guards couldn’t see us. And then, up against a tree, my skirts hoisted up around my waist….

I flushed and grinned.

We’d have more time for that, now. I was looking forward to just being a princess again. For now, at least. Someday, hopefully far in the future, when my father grew too old, I’d have to reign again. The night before, in bed, Garrett had asked me, “Is it less scary, now that you’ve done it once?”

“Now, I know how much I still have to learn,” I’dtold him seriously. I’d survived a few weeks of being queen, but when it came time to do the job permanently, I wanted to do it well. I’d learn everything I could from my father, but I wanted to visit other countries, too, to see how they did things. And our country had been dangerously isolated for too long. I wanted to fix that. I wanted to build alliances, especially with the US.

Emerik and Jakov were still guarding me. For now, Emerik was still on active duty: after everything he’d done, no one was suggesting he was ready to retire. But I’d had a talk with him and reassured him that when that day did come, there was a position available training and supervising the next generation of my guards. It was Garrett’s idea, and Emerik loved it.

Jakov, meanwhile, was helping to ease the tensions between our people and the Garmanian communities who lived in our country. He’d helped to set up a football league for kids, with Lakovian and Garmanian kids playing on the same team, and it was already getting very popular. If we could get them making friends when they were young, maybe we could inoculate them against hatred in the future.

We were making progress at other levels, too. The Prime Minister of Garmania was our guest of honor at this ceremony, the first time he’d made a state visit to our country since the war. We’d come so close to disaster, it had encouraged both countries to reach out. I caught his eye as the cheering finally died down and we exchanged respectful nods. Peace wouldn’t be easy or quick but then nothing worthwhile is. It helped that Aleksander, General Novak and Silvas Lukin were all in prison and would be for the rest of their lives. People in both Garmania and Lakoviaunderstood that this had been an attack on both our countries by people from both sides who couldn’t let go of the past. This time, when my father talked about moving forward, they’d listen.

When the speeches were over, we made our way to the waiting limos for the trip back to the palace. A string quartet was playing in the lobby: my father had flown them over from New York and they were fantastic. They finished the Lakovian national anthem just as we walked past them. In the brief pause, I heard the violinist whisper, “Whydothey speak English, here?”

“It’s a funny story,” said the cellist excitedly, and pushed her glasses up her nose. “Three hundred years ago—” Then she had to start playing as they launched into the Garmanian national anthem.

We walked on. Outside, Garrett held the door for my father and then my mother as they climbed into the first limo. She gave him a little smile—she smiled a lot more, now. “Thank you, Garrett.”

Ever since that day at the Carlonian border, she’d really changed her mind about him. She’d even defended him: a few of the stuffier newspapers had dared to suggest that Garrett wasn’t royal suitor material, and they’d suffered the full force of her wrath. When I’d asked her about it, she’d said, “You’re like your father. I’m not sure I ever realized how much, until all this.”

I’d frowned. “So?”

“So: when your father met me, they saidIwasn’t suitable, either.”

I’d blinked at that. She was always so reserved: it was hard to imagine her as a disreputable wildchild.

“I changed, to fit expectations,” she’d said, readingmy expression. “Garrett won’t. And that’s a good thing.”

And then she’d hugged me. A full-on, proper, motherly hug, even though it creased her suit.

We climbed into our limo, along with Caroline and Sebastian. The pair were inseparable and were enjoying not having to skulk around anymore. I’d ended the ban on staff relationships, which Jakov was also happy about. I’d finally brought out the cherry candy from America. I’d had to pretty much push him all the way through the palace to Simone’s room in the maids’ quarters and knock on the door for him. But, blushing and mumbling, he’d handed over the gift and asked her out. She’d said yes before he even finished the sentence.

The limo pulled away from the curb and we sped off towards the palace. There was a champagne reception for the Prime Minister of Garmania but, the second I felt I could slip away, I was going to whisper in Garrett’s ear and we’d sneak off up to my bedroom. Actually, I had a feeling he might just pick me up and carry me all the way up the tower, when I told him I was wearingthatcorset underneath my dress. Then, tomorrow, Caroline, Sebastian, Emerik, Jakov, Garrett and I were all booked on a flight to Texas. Garrett’s dad was out of the hospital and the rebuild of the ranch—paid for by the palace—was complete. A week away from the cameras, helping him move in and riding horses, was exactly what we all needed. Plus, I was looking forward to eating ribs and wearing jeans again.

Caroline held something out to me: a velvet box. When I opened it, my jaw dropped.My tiara!

“I saw it on the floor, after the SUV crashed on the highway, and I thought I’d better grab it,” she said. “But then you were trying to be incognito and then you were queen, so I’ve held onto it ever since. I thought you might want it back.”

Garrett picked it up and gently slid it onto my head. Then he just sat there gazing at me, and the look in his eyes made me melt. “What?” I asked shyly. “I’m back to looking like a princess again?”

“No,” he said. “You never stopped.”

And he put those big, warm hands on my shoulders, drew me close and kissed me.

The End

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