My Happily Ever After (Part 2)

“His Majesty was worried about you yesterday,” Jasmine said as she walked beside me, guiding me in the direction of the dining room.
         “I didn’t mean to worry anyone,” I said. “I didn’t even mean to fall asleep.”
         “I know, Princess,” Jasmine laughed.
         “Princess…” I murmured.
         “Tyler was asking about you yesterday,” Jasmine said.
         I turned to stare at Jasmine. “He was?”
         “Yes,” Jasmine nodded.
         “What was he asking?” I asked as I began walking again.
         “Well, he wanted to know if you were all right,” Jasmine answered. “He asked repeatedly if you’d woken up yet because he needed to talk to you.”
         “Wow,” I murmured.
         When we entered the dining room Henry and Tyler were sitting at the table. Tyler quickly jumped up and pulled out a chair for me. Henry smiled at me as I sat, and I began wondering just what he and Tyler had been talking about.
         “Did you sleep well?” Henry asked.
         “Yeah,” I nodded. “I’m sorry I slept so long. I didn’t realize that I was so tired.”
         “It’s all right,” Henry said.
         “We were worried about you,” Tyler said.
         “You were?” I asked. I had always imagined this moment, wondering how I would feel when Tyler finally talked to me, indicated that he might like me too. To my surprise, it was nothing like I had thought it would be. There were no butterflies. My heart didn’t flutter. There was... nothing. “I didn’t mean to worry you,” I murmured.
         “Are you feeling better?” Tyler asked.
         “I wasn’t feeling bad,” I said.
         “Wulf said that you were,” Tyler said.
         “Where is Wulf?” I asked.
         “Still in bed,” Tyler answered, rolling his eyes.
         “Oh,” I nodded.
         Tyler grinned at me and my heart fluttered. I smiled shyly back, wondering why the butterflies hadn’t come. They always came when I saw Tyler smile, and he wasn’t even smiling at me then. Maybe it was jealousy that caused the butterflies to come, but I didn’t think so.
         Tyler continued to smile at me as we ate breakfast. For some reason, it didn’t make me as happy as I’d thought that it would. I couldn’t concentrate on Tyler’s smile. My mind kept wandering to Wulf and what had happened yesterday.
         “Are you sure that you’re all right?” Henry asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.
         “Yeah,” I lied. It didn’t sound right even to me. “I’m fine.”
         That’s when I saw Wulf standing in the doorway. He didn’t say anything, but he came in and bowed to Henry and then to me. He sat down and ate silently, not looking at any of us. For some reason, the fact that he wouldn’t look at me really bothered me.
         “Jess, do you want to go horseback riding today?” Tyler asked.
         I took my eyes from Wulf to stare, horrified, at Tyler. Not only had he called me by the nickname that was reserved only for Wulf, but he had asked me to go horseback riding! “Horses? No way! I hate horses!”
         “Why?” Tyler asked.
         “They’re big, and scary!” I answered.
         I thought I heard Wulf snicker. I glared at him, and he grinned lopsidedly. So maybe he wasn’t so angry or sad that he wouldn’t look at me after all. I did see something in his eyes, though. What it was, I wasn’t sure.
         “They aren’t that scary,” Tyler said. He hesitated a moment before saying, “You could ride in front of me. I wouldn’t let you fall.”
         I wondered if I looked as surprised as I felt. Henry and Wulf both certainly looked shocked. Wulf gave me an I-told-you-so look and went back to eating his breakfast.
         “Well?” Tyler asked, looking at me expectantly.
         I stared at Tyler. “I-I don’t know.”
         “Please,” Tyler begged, giving me puppy-dog eyes.
         “Well…”
         “Good,” Tyler grinned. “I’ll be waiting for you outside.”
         I watched Tyler run out of the room. I was horrified, once again. I hadn’t agreed to anything! I groaned, wondering how this day had turned out so badly.
         “Well,” Henry murmured. “I may just get my daughter back right in time to lose her again.”
         “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, my voice high-pitched.
         “Calm down,” Henry said. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
         “I’m sorry. I’m just a little on edge,” I murmured.
         Wulf stood and motioned for me to follow him. Slowly I stood and walked out of the room with him.
         “Jess, promise me something,” Wulf said as we walked down the hall.
         “What?” I asked.
         “Promise me… Promise me that you’ll be careful,” Wulf said. He frowned a moment, then added, “and happy.”
         “Why do you want me to promise you that?” I frowned slightly.
         “Because I’m leaving tomorrow,” Wulf answered.
         “What?” I yelled.
         “Please,” Wulf said, turning to me. “I have to go and see my parents. I can’t be here to watch over you and make sure you’re not tripping over yourself forever, you know.”
         “Wulf… you just started talking to me, actually talking, and now you’re saying that you’re leaving me?” I asked in disbelief.
         “Jess…”
         “No, Wulf! We just got here! I don’t have anyone here to talk to, or to sit with to read!” I said. “I’m going to be all alone!”
         “You have Tyler,” Wulf said with a small shrug.
         “But-“
         “It’s what you’ve always wanted,” Wulf said. “Be happy. He’s waiting for you outside.”
         I nodded glumly.
         “I’m going to go ahead and leave today maybe,” Wulf murmured. He looked down at me, hesitating. “Jess…”
         “Promise me something now,” I said.
         “Anything,” Wulf said.
         “Promise me that you’ll come back,” I said.
         Wulf smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I promise.”
         I nodded. Before Wulf could see the tears stinging my eyes, I turned and ran away from him. I wiped my tears on my sleeve before I went outside. Tyler stood by the horse waiting, a smile spreading across his face when he saw me. I forced a smile. I had my prince. Why was I worrying about the knight? I groaned. That was the wrong thing to think of.
         “Jess, you ready?” Tyler called to me.
         “I'm coming!” I called back.
         A half hour later, we were still standing out in front of the castle. Though Tyler had tried his hardest to convince me that it was safe, I wouldn’t get on the horse. The horse was just too tall and too scary.
         “C’mon,” Tyler said. I could tell that he was getting annoyed. “I’ll hold onto you, don’t worry.”
         “Tyler…”
         “C’mon,” Tyler took my hand in his, smiling.
         I felt my heart flutter again. Before I knew it, Tyler had boosted me up onto the horse’s neck with my legs dangling over its side. I screamed as Tyler mounted up behind me and wrapped one arm around me.
         “This isn’t so bad, is it?” he asked.
         I buried my face in his shoulder. “Yes it is!”
         Tyler laughed as he flicked the horse’s reigns. When I gathered up enough courage to lift my head up and look around, I thought that I saw Wulf standing at one of the castle windows. When I blinked, he was gone.
         “We need to do that again sometime,” Tyler grinned at me as he swung me off the horse’s back a little while later.
         “How did you learn to ride?” I asked, my voice shaky. I scolded myself for being so silly and afraid.
         “I had lessons, remember?” Tyler said. “They thought that I needed a safer hobby than riding a skateboard down a busy street.”
         “Oh, right,” I murmured. “Horses are much safer.”
         “There you are!”
         I turned to see Sarah walking towards us, wearing a beautiful pink dress covered in flowery lace. Her hair was curled and she wore some type of silver circlet in her hair. I noticed that she even had makeup on, a luxury even she hadn’t had at the orphanage.
         “I’ve been looking for you, Tyler,” Sarah said, smiling at Tyler. “Wulf left,” she told me, her smile turning to a frown.
         “I know,” I murmured.
         “We were riding,” Tyler said lamely.
         “I saw,” Sarah said. I heard some anger in her voice, but why she was angry I wasn’t sure. “So, are we going to do anything, like, fun?”
         “You could have come out to ride with us,” Tyler said.
         “Well, horses smell bad,” Sarah wrinkled her nose.
         “They don’t smell that bad,” Tyler said. “Am I the only one here who likes horses?”
         “Yes,” Sarah and I both said at the same time.
         Sarah glared at me. I stepped behind Tyler, afraid of what Sarah would do. I had forgotten that the horse was behind Tyler. It stuck its nose in my ear and I screamed. As I spun and stepped back away from the horse I tripped over Tyler’s shoe. I grabbed Tyler’s sleeve as I fell backwards. We both ended up on the ground.
         “Brilliant, Jessica,” Sarah laughed.
         Tyler stood up, a look of disgust on his face. I stared up at him from my place on the ground, and finally his look softened. He reached down to help me up.
         “Be a little more careful, all right?” Tyler said, still sounding annoyed.
         “I’ll try,” I muttered.
         “Good,” Tyler nodded.
         “Kids, come inside!” Henry called from the castle. “I have a surprise for you!”
         Sarah and Tyler headed towards the castle. I followed behind them, trying to keep my distance. Neither of them seemed very happy with me right now. Why it didn’t bother me more that Tyler was upset with me, I wasn’t sure. All I could remember was the way his hand had felt in mine when he had helped me up. For some reason it hadn’t felt… right.
         “Did you get a chance to say goodbye to Wulf?” Henry asked as I stood beside him in the doorway.
         “He… He left already?” I asked.
         “Yes,” Henry nodded. “He didn’t tell you?”
         “He told me that he was leaving tomorrow,” I muttered. “No, I didn’t get to say goodbye. I was… riding.”
         “Oh,” Henry nodded. “Well, come along. I’m sure you’re going to enjoy this surprise. It’ll cheer you up.”
         I nodded. Henry tucked my arm under his and patted my hand. I smiled up at him. It didn’t matter what was going on with Wulf and Tyler. I had my family now, didn’t I? Why did everything feel so wrong?
         “Here we are,” Henry led me into a large room.
         I stared at the room, amazed by how large it was. Four houses the size of the orphanage could fit in here! The tile floor shone brightly, and the walls were painted in bright colors like red, yellow, and blue. The ceiling was especially beautiful; a mosaic of angels dancing around the sun, moon, and stars covered the entire ceiling.
         “Is this the surprise?” Sarah asked, yawning.
         I frowned at Sarah. She apparently didn’t think this was as spectacular as I thought that it was.
         “No, but it is part of it,” Henry answered.
         “Then what’s the surprise?” Sarah asked, turning and frowning at Henry.
         “Just like her mother,” I heard Henry mutter. He smiled and said, “A ball!”
         “A ball? Like one of the round things that you bounce?” Tyler asked.
         I couldn’t help laughing. Sarah just rolled her eyes.
         “No,” Henry laughed with me. “A ball is a dance!”
         “Oh,” Tyler nodded. “I knew that.”
         “I don’t know how to dance, though,” I told Henry once I had stopped laughing enough to talk.
         “Oh, don’t worry about that. Jasmine will teach you. We’ll have the ball at the end of the week. Three days should be enough time,” Henry said.
         I gulped. I was supposed to learn how to dance in three days when I could barely walk without tripping after seventeen, almost eighteen, years? Apparently Henry hadn’t been told about my complete lack of balance.
         “Just so long as I get the first dance with Jess,” Tyler winked at me.
         I blushed. Sarah glared at me.
         “Well, that can be arranged,” Henry said, smiling brightly.
         I sighed softly, hoping that Henry wouldn’t hear me. My first dance with Tyler… I would be lucky if I didn’t break both of our ankles.
         “Will we get special dresses?” Sarah asked.
         “Yes! Jasmine is actually waiting for the two of you right now,” Henry answered. “She’ll help you pick out patterns and colors and all of that. It’s not exactly my area of expertise.”
         I smiled at Henry. Maybe this would be fun. A ball…
         Three days passed by too quickly. Jasmine helped Sarah and me pick our dresses. We had fittings with the tailor and played around with hairstyles until we found ones that we liked. Jasmine also taught us to dance. Tyler was a natural, of course. Me… Well, by the time three days were up, I still had two left feet.
         The morning of the ball I was so nervous that I couldn’t even look at my breakfast without feeling sick. I excused myself from the table and went outside, hoping to go for a walk.
         The morning sun was bright when I walked outside. I took a deep breath and smiled. I hadn’t been outside the castle walls since we got here, so I decided to walk down the road a little ways. I was surprised when a soldier followed me out the gates, but then I thought that maybe that was a very good idea. I didn’t want to get lost before the ball.
         As I walked I looked at the houses that were spaced out along the road. They were all little log and stone houses with thatch roofs and little round windows. It wasn’t until I was about a mile down the road that I saw something different in one of the yards. There was an old, blue truck parked in front of the house.
         “Strange,” I murmured, walking up to the truck.
         The door of the house opened and a little Mexican man walked out. “What are you doing?” he asked.
         “I’m sorry. I was just looking at the truck. I miss seeing cars, I think,” I said, shrugging slightly.
         “You… You aren’t from here, are you?” the man asked.
         “No, Sir. I’m Jessica, King Henry’s daughter,” I said.
         “Ah, Princessa” the man smiled. “I am Raold.”
         “Hello,” I murmured, curtsying as best I could.
         “Why are you not at the castle, Princessa?” Raold asked.
         “I… needed a walk,” I sighed softly.
         “You have something on your mind,” Raold said. He smiled. “Why don’t you sit with old Raold and talk about it?”
         I smiled. “Thank you.”
         I told Raold about how we had been at the orphanage. I told him about how Wulf had always looked out for me, and about how I’d always liked Tyler. I decided that it was best to leave Sarah out of the conversation.
Raold understood what the orphanage was, he had lived in our city before. He told me about how his friend had come into the forest many years ago. When his friend never came back, he came to get him. They had both ended up staying because they liked it here.
         “Now I know that this change in scenery is not all that’s bothering you,” Raold said softly.
         “Well, Wulf… he left. He told me that he cared about me, and I didn’t care about him that way, so he left,” I said softly.
         “You didn’t like him that way?” Raold asked.
         “I’m not sure what I feel about him now,” I sighed. “Tyler’s the most awesome guy I’ve ever met. He likes me too, now. It just doesn’t feel… right.”
         “Maybe what you wanted changed,” Raold said.
         “Princess,” the soldier called to me. “We need to get back to the castle.
         I was happy that the soldier had come. I would have stayed here talking to Raold all day. “Thank you,” I called to the soldier.
         “Princessa, remember something,” Raold said as I stood up. “Sometimes you think that you’re heart is telling you something when in reality it’s telling you something totally different.”
         I smiled. “Thanks. I’ll remember that.”
         Raold smiled and nodded. I promised to visit again and turned to follow the soldier down the road. Before I knew it, we were back at the castle and I was being rushed to my room where Jasmine waited to help me with my dress and hair.
         “Jasmine, I’m not ready for this,” I said as Jasmine was working on putting my hair up. “I can’t dance at all, and I’m just going to make myself look like a complete idiot out there.”
         “Don’t worry,” Jasmine said with a laugh. “Tyler will take care of you.”
         As Jasmine said that, I wondered if it was really true. Would Tyler look out for me and take care of me? Or would he just be upset and embarrassed by me like he had been when we rode the horse? I sighed when I realized that it would most likely be the second.
         The dress that had been made for me really was beautiful, I thought. It was much too beautiful for me. Jasmine had told me that it should be yellow, to highlight the golden specks in my eyes. I wasn’t sure if it helped me look any prettier, but I went with it to make Jasmine happy. Jasmine put my hair up in curls on top of my head and put some silvery sparkles on my face and in my hair. As I stood in front of the mirror, I couldn’t help comparing myself to Sarah. She would most definitely be the star of the ball.
         “You look beautiful,” Jasmine said when she was satisfied with my hair.
         “Thank you,” I murmured. I looked at myself in the mirror again and sighed. “Not as pretty as Sarah.”
         “Oh, don’t say that,” Jasmine said. “You are more beautiful than any girl here. Now, Tyler’s waiting for you. Go have fun.”
         I tried to smile as I walked out the door. Tyler grinned when he saw me. He didn’t seem to notice that I wasn’t truly happy. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking that Wulf would have noticed.
Tyler’s hair was combed back and his eyes sparkled brightly. I wondered why he was so happy. Then I remembered that he was dancing with a princess in front of a lot of people. Why wouldn’t he be happy?
         “Tyler, I have a question,” I said as we began walking hand-in-hand down the hall.
         “What?” Tyler asked.
         “Why do you like me now and you didn’t before?” I asked, dreading the answer he would give.
         “Jess, I was stupid,” Tyler said with a small shrug.
         “It’s not because things have changed?” I asked.
         “Well, maybe that has something to do with it,” Tyler said slowly.
         My heart sank. “How much does it have to do with the changes?”
         “Jess, does this really matter?” Tyler asked, frowning. “You’ve always liked me, right? Does it really matter why I like you now?”
         “Yes,” I answered, surprised at the tremor in my voice.
         “All you need to know is that I like you, not Sarah, all right?” Tyler said.
         I nodded. It wasn’t all right, though. I was crushed. He didn’t really like me. He only liked what I was. How could that not bother me?
         “Let’s just get through the first dance, and please try not to break my toes,” Tyler said.
         Tears stung me eyes. I nodded, wishing that I could be with anyone other than Tyler right now. Not only did he not truly like me, but he was insulting me. Could this get any worse?
         “Hello!” Henry said cheerfully as Tyler and I joined him in the ballroom. Guests were already arriving, standing around the room talking to each other and laughing while they waited for the music to start. “Why don’t I re-introduce you to your parents, Tyler?”
         “That would be cool,” Tyler grinned.
         I walked with Tyler and Henry to where Tyler’s parents stood. I had no other choice. Tyler wouldn’t let go of my hand.
         “Tyler, these are you parents, Michelle and Lance,” Henry said, stopping beside a man who looked exactly like Tyler.
         “Son!” Lance said, holding out a hand to shake Tyler’s hand.
         “It’s wonderful to have you home,” Michelle said softly. I was surprised to see that she had black hair and green eyes, totally opposite of Tyler. I wondered if her personality was as different from Tyler’s as her looks were. “And you must be Princess Jessica. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
         I curtsied. “You too,” I murmured. Maybe this was a stepmom.
         “Sarah and her parents are getting along splendidly as well” Henry said, smiling.
         “Is Wulf here?” I asked.
         Tyler squeezed my hand. “Let’s not worry about him, all right?” he said.
         “But…”
         “Darling! Do you want to remain here in the service of the king or return home with us tomorrow?” Michelle asked Tyler.
         Tyler winked at me. “I’ll be staying here I think.”
         I groaned softly. If only he would have said that he would go with them. I would be much happier then.
         “It's time to begin the dancing!” Henry said cheerfully, taking my free hand and pulling me out to the center of the room with Tyler right behind me. He still hadn’t let go of my hand.
         “Great,” Tyler said.
         Tyler held onto my hand, putting his other hand on my waist. I held my dress with my free hand like Jasmine had told me to do. She’d said that it may help me not to trip over the hem like I tended to do.
         “Remember, don’t step on my feet,” Tyler whispered as the music began.
         To my horror, and Tyler’s, I stepped on his toes as soon as we started dancing. His smile was forced, I could tell. That made me even more nervous and I continued to step on his toes. Finally he stopped dancing, let go of me, and stood frowning at me.
         “Tyler, I’m sorry,” I whispered.
         “Why are you so clumsy?” Tyler asked.
         “Tyler, you’re making a scene,” I said, fighting tears.
         “I don’t care,” Tyler hissed. “I don’t see why anyone would dance with you.”
         “I’d like to dance with her, if she doesn’t mind.”
         I turned to Wulf, my eyes wide open. He had come! I nodded slowly, and he stepped up to take my hand. Tyler stepped back, glaring at Wulf.
         “Put your feet on mine,” Wulf whispered when he put his other hand on my waist.
         I put my hands on his shoulders and my feet on his. Luckily my dress was long enough to cover up both of our feet. Wulf began to dance slowly, moving his feet along the floor. No one seemed to notice that I wasn’t actually dancing.
         “You’re crying,” Wulf said softly.
         I nodded. I looked up into his eyes and saw that they were full of concern. My knight… 
         “Did he hurt you?” Wulf asked.
         “A little,” I tried to smile.
         “Remind me to punch him later,” Wulf said.
         “Wulf, can I ask you something?” I asked.
         “You just did,” Wulf gave me the lopsided grin that I liked so much.
         “Something else,” I said, giggling.
         “Sure,” Wulf nodded.
         “When did you realize that you liked me?” I asked.
         “I’ve liked you since I first met you,” Wulf answered softly. “Why do you think that I was always there, always ready to catch you?”
         “I thought it was just coincidence,” I said.
         “Jess… What can I do to make you smile?” Wulf asked.
         “Answer me one more question,” I said.
         “All right,” Wulf nodded.
         “Is it too late for me to be your princess?” I asked.
         Wulf looked confused for a moment. Then he smiled. “It would never be too late, Jess.”
         I sighed and rested my head on Wulf’s chest. I smiled as I listened to his heart beat “Good.”
         “Do you feel better?” Wulf asked.
         “Yes,” I murmured. “My knight came back to rescue me. I couldn’t be happier.”
         Tyler ignored me the rest of the night. I didn’t care, though. Wulf stayed by my side, dancing with me whenever there was a slower song. By the end of the night I could actually dance without having to put my feet on Wulf’s.
         The night passed all too quickly, and Wulf was taking me back to my room. We walked hand-in-hand, my head resting on his shoulder.
         “Do you like your parents?” I asked.
         Wulf nodded.
         “Are you leaving with them tomorrow?”
         Wulf nodded again.
         “Will you come back soon?”
         Another nod.
         I turned to Wulf and frowned. “You’re not going back to not talking are you?”
         “No,” Wulf laughed. “I just like hearing your voice.”
         “Oh,” I said. “What are you thinking?” I asked when Wulf just stood smiling at me.
         “You’re cute when you’re confused,” he said.
         I smiled. “I’m happy you think so. Considering I spend half my life confused…””
         Wulf laughed. We walked in silence the rest of the way to my room.
         “Promise me you’ll come back soon,” I said as we stopped in front of my door.
         “I promise,” Wulf nodded. “I’m not going to leave you unprotected with Tyler… He’s not the guy he used to be.”
         “Yeah,” I nodded.
         “Are you disappointed?” Wulf asked, looking uneasy.
         “No,” I answered.
         “Good,” Wulf smiled. “Get some sleep.”
         “Good night,” I said.
         “Good night,” Wulf kissed my forehead before turning to walk back the way we’d come.
         I smiled and went into my sitting room. To my horror, there was a man sitting in the chair in front of the fireplace. He turned to smile at me.
         “Hello, Princess,” the man said.
         “Who are you?” I asked.
         “I’m Sarah’s father, Jake,” the man answered.
         “What are you doing here?” I frowned.
         “I’m here to get you,” Jake said with a smile.
         I stared at Jake. Though I knew that I should run away, my feet wouldn’t move. I wanted to scream, but no noise would come out of my mouth.
         “Are you going to ask any more questions?” Jake asked.
         “Why are you taking me?” I asked.
         “Because if you disappear, then it will be easier to get Sarah the throne,” Jake answered as though it was the simplest thing in the world to understand.
         I gasped. “Are you the one who threatened to kill me before?”
         “Yes,” Jake laughed. “All I had to do to get you back was set up some men who looked like they were the ones who threatened you. Henry put them in prison, and I’m still free. Now I just need to complete my plan. It was a shame about your mother. I didn’t mean for that to happen, but she learned too much.”
         “What are you going to do with me?” I asked, shaking in fear as I backed against the wall.
         “Well, I have a friend who’s agreed to hold onto you,” Jake smiled.
         All I could do was stare in horror as Jake came nearer and nearer to me. I was standing with my back against the wall. I looked around desperately for something that I could use to hit Jake, but there was nothing near enough for me to grab.
         Jake was only a few feet away now. He looked like Sarah, I realized. It wasn’t only her mother that she had gotten her looks or personality from.
         Just as Jake was reaching out for me, my door banged open and Wulf rushed in, followed by Henry and someone that I didn’t know. Jake took a step back and Wulf quickly moved to stand between us while Henry and the other man walked towards Jake.
         “What are you thinking?” Henry yelled.
         “Sire,” Jake bowed. “I was…”
         “Trying to kidnap my daughter!” Henry finished the sentence.
         “Well, I…”
         “I trusted you!” Henry yelled.
         “We all did,” the other man muttered.
         “Jess, my dad, Colby,” Wulf said.
         “Hi,” I said, though it came out barely above a whisper.
         “Hello,” Colby bowed slightly then turned back to Jake. “Jake, you are hereby under arrest!”
         “Wait, you can’t do that!” Jake, yelled.
         “I can,” Henry growled.
         “Sire, I can explain,” Jake said.
         “You were trying to take over the throne,” Colby said. “I always knew it, but Henry wouldn’t believe me, until now.”
         “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you before,” Henry sighed. “I thought that I could trust him.”
         “Next time please trust my judgment,” Colby said.
         “I will,” Henry nodded.
         “Guards, come take this man away,” Colby told some soldiers who had been standing outside the door.
         Wulf moved beside me and wrapped his arms around me. “Are you all right?” he asked.
         “I was scared,” I answered, my voice shaking. “How did you…”
         “I came back to tell you that I actually wasn’t leaving,” Wulf said. “I heard another voice and went to get help.”
         “Thanks,” I murmured.
         “Are you all right now?” Wulf asked.
         I rested my head on Wulf’s chest. “Yes.”          
         “Good,” Wulf murmured, kissing my hair.
         I looked up into his face, suddenly scared. “You aren’t leaving, right?”
         “No, I’m not leaving,” Wulf answered, smiling.
         “All right,” I sighed contentedly. “Then I’m definitely all right.”
         

         I sat on the bench in my little garden reading one of the new books from my bookshelf. It was a month after the ball, and everything was going well. Jake was going to go with Sarah out to Dublinshire in a few days. Henry didn’t trust Jake to not hurt me, so he was sending him far away. Since Sarah knew how to live in Dublinshire, she was going to go with him for a few months. When she got back, she and Tyler would celebrate their engagement. They weren’t going to get married for a long time still, but Sarah’s mom wanted to have a large party to celebrate the engagement anyway.
         “Are you done with this page?” I asked, looking up at Wulf.
         He sat on the top of the wall reading over my shoulder like he used to do at the orphanage. “Yes,” he answered, smiling.
         I looked down to hide my own smile and turned the page. Henry had appointed Wulf as my guardian. I’m not sure if he knows yet that Wulf is actually my boyfriend too. Jasmine will get around to telling him sometime soon. I’ve found out that she’s the castle gossiper.
         Raold comes every now and then to talk to me. Wulf has gone with me to visit Raold, but after I nearly fell off the horse that Wulf had finally convinced me to ride, we don’t go out that often. It wasn’t my fault, really. The horse tripped. Well, no one else believes that it tripped. Wulf thinks I just lost my balance, but I’m sure the horse tripped over a root.
         “I think we should do something today,” Wulf said suddenly.
         I looked up at him. “What?”
         “Well, Dad told me about a lake that’s nearby. I was thinking we could ride out there and have a picnic. Your dad may want to come, and I’m sure my mom would,” Wulf said.
         “Ride, as in horseback riding?” I gulped.
         “I won’t let anything happen to you,” Wulf said, smiling.
         I smiled back. “I know. That sounds like a good idea.”
         Well, I don’t know what my future holds for me, but there’s one thing that I do know. I’ll always feel safe as long as Wulf is by my side.
My knight won’t let anything happen to me. Raold was right. The prince wasn’t what I had truly wanted. I had wanted my knight, and now he would always be mine. Now I just had to wait for my happily ever after.