A Happily Ever After of Her Own Read Online Free Page A

tangerines sat on the smooth ivory counter-top, and several bananas were missing since last night. She usually loved the little pick-me-up of color and light in the morning, the citrus scent and openness of the area, but this morning there was a sense of grim purpose and suppressed longing -- probably only on her part -- inside.
    "Want some?" she said, the coffee-pot in her hand.
    He shook his head, eyeing the dark liquid suspiciously. "What is that vile looking brew? Poison?"
    "No." Poison, indeed. "It's coffee."
    "What is 'coffee'?"
    "An elixir that jumpstarts millions of Americans in the morning."
    "An elixir." That he understood. "And you must drink it?"
    "It's either this or sleep."
    He sighed. "Very well, then. Gulp it down."
    "Thank you, Your Most
Kind
and
Gracious
Highness."
    "Not at all."
    She closed her eyes briefly, then poured the coffee into a huge mug and sipped.
Ahhh...
She felt almost human. "Northeast, right?"
    "Yes."
    "Could be anywhere..." Then an idea hit her. Edward had come to this world in a T-shirt and jeans thanks to Fairy Godmother's sense of style, but... "Do you think your aunt is dressed to fit in?"
    "What do you mean?"
    "You know. Is she wearing a peaked hat with a wide brim and some long flowing dress, or is she in sneakers and a pantsuit?"
    He frowned. "She eschews hats unless her hair is in disarray, and she favors closely fitted garments that display her...figure. Beyond that I cannot say with surety. We were never very close."
    "I think I know where she might've gone. Especially if she came with Beauty, who looks like a Renaissance Faire character."
    "Looks like a what?"
    It was going to be impossible to explain everything. "There's a theme park called Tudor Land, northeast of here. The summer Renaissance Faire is going on there as well. Don't worry about what it is, it means that there will be lots of people, many of them dressed like Fairy Tale characters. It would be very easy for her to hide, and I bet that's where she is. It even has a huge haunted mansion. The Tudor House."
    "The mansion is...haunted?"
    Did he look a bit pale?
Melinda almost giggled. Maybe he didn't know that malicious spirits didn't exist in her world. "Don't worry. If any big mean ghosts attack us, I'll protect you."
    A royally condescending glower snapped back into place. "I am a prince of the realm. I do not require a woman's protection."
    She shrugged and hid her smile behind her coffee cup. It was going to be fun at the Tudor House.
    *** *** ***
     
    Protect him indeed.
    The idea was so preposterous Edward couldn't decide if he should be truly insulted or not. The silly woman was a head shorter than he and weighed nothing. He'd felt the fragile bones of her arms, seen how vulnerable and soft she was. She couldn't protect him against a butterfly, much less a ghost.
    Still, he admired her courage. Not many had withstood his anger or stood up to the judge and the prosecutor. And nobody tried to bargain with Fairy Godmother, unless...well, unless it was one of her offspring. Even then it was not advisable, as she always imposed conditions on her help.
    It wouldn't make for an interesting fairy tale if you didn't face an obstacle. After all, dear, obstacles build character.
    Ugh. Expediency was of value, not some ridiculous life lesson one had to learn from struggling for the amusement of the masses. Fairy tales should have the following three lines only: "Once upon a time there were a girl and a prince. They met, fell in love and lived happily ever after. The end."
    *** *** ***
     
    Edward called for her to "prepare Arabian horses" for the ride to Tudor Land. Feeling much perkier after her coffee, Melinda patted his forearm and said sweetly, "I'm afraid I don't have any Arabians just now, Edward. But I do have a Charger."
    "A
warhorse?"
Edward said, blinking. "Excellent!"
    *** *** ***
     
    The traffic was light so early. Nobody was likely to be at Tudor Land at this hour, but Edward had insisted on going immediately