Puck grinned. “I have to party with that guy.”
As everyone watched Mordred subdue the evil water tower, Prince Charming and Mr. Seven approached. Sabrina had never been so happy to see them. Charming needed a shave and a bath, but he was still staggeringly handsome, even wearing his trademark scowl. Mr. Seven was as friendly as ever—perhaps even more so. He was as filthy as Charming, with his shirtsleeves rolled up and yellow sawdust all over his clothes and shoes, but his smile looked exceptionally big.
“Hello, Grimms, Canis. Ladies, a word, please!” Charming growled as he turned to face Goldi and Beauty. “I thought we had an agreement. No one leaves the castle without my approval.”
Beauty gave him a smile and batted her eyelashes. “We were only gone for a little while.”
“Don’t try the ‘calming the savage beast’ nonsense on me, lady,” Charming said. “The rules are here to keep everyone safe.”
Sabrina rolled her eyes. It seemed as if she wasn’t the only one in town sitting at the kids’ table.
“We needed Henry. He’s the only one who can reach Jake,” Goldilocks explained.
Charming threw up his arms in surrender. “Jake is hardly the biggest of our problems, but fine. It’s not like I can control the two of you, anyway.”
“I’m glad you finally understand,” Goldi said.
Beauty nodded. “We were wondering when you were going to catch on.”
“Interesting. Some people break the rules and it makes things better,” Sabrina muttered within earshot of her father.
Henry flashed her a warning look that said it was much too soon for sarcasm. Sabrina mimicked locking her lips with a key, then tossing it behind her back.
“It’s so good to see you too, Billy,” Daphne said, wrapping him in a big hug. The prince stood patiently, if uncomfortably, while the little girl clung to him like a monkey. Daphne adored the stuffy, overbearing man, even if the feeling was not mutual.
“Um, yes, let’s get you to your uncle,” Charming said, pushing her gently aside. He turned and led the group along the castle wall, where there were even more log cabins.
“So you’re going to try to fight them again?” Henry asked the prince.
“We don’t have much of a choice,” Charming said. “Most of the citizens of this town joined the Scarlet Hand either by pressure or force. Those left in this camp are the ones the Hand didn’t want. We fight or we die. We could use some help if you’re willing to stay.”
Henry looked to Veronica. “No. We need to rescue my mother and then I’m taking my family far away from this place.”
“So you’re leaving us to clean up the mess, Henry?” Charming said. Henry ignored him.
“It’s good to see you girls,” Mr. Seven said to Sabrina and Daphne with a big, toothy grin. “Lovely day, huh?”
“Mr. Seven, we can always count on your good mood,” Sabrina marveled, looking around at the dirty castle and the drizzling rain.
“Of course he’s in a good mood,” Charming said. “The fool has gone and fallen in love.”
“And it’s spreading,” a voice said from behind them. Sabrina turned and saw Morgan le Fay approaching with a basket of herbs and berries. Morgan was a curvy beauty and quite glamorous, with the kind of face you might see in an old black-and-white movie. Even wearing a hard hat and overalls, she was a stunner. Seven rushed to her side and when the woman knelt down to his height, he planted a kiss on her that made everyone blush.
“Mom, please!” Mordred groaned from the corner, where he’d finally subdued the water tower. “Can you two give it a rest?”
“Sorry, honey,” Morgan said. “My darling boyfriend has swept me off my feet. In fact, he popped the question last night. We’re getting married!”
“As soon as everything calms down,” Seven explained.
Puck flapped up to the happy couple. “Wait a minute! You have to ask someone to marry you? No one told me that! I thought you just hit them with a club and dragged them back to your cave!”
Henry put his arm around Sabrina. “You’re officially grounded from ever getting married.”
“Thank you,” Sabrina whispered sincerely.
Charming grumbled. “All this kissing and hugging is becoming quite tiresome. There is serious work to do here. The west wall needs fortifying. The armory is still not ready. The stables need cleaning. We can’t move into the castle until it’s complete. And these two are running off at the drop of a hat to stare into each other’s eyes!”
“I seem to recall a certain handsome prince doing the same with me last night,” Snow White said from the doorway of one of the cabins. It seemed you couldn’t throw a rock without hitting some gorgeous princess or exotic enchantress around here, but Snow White was in a class all by herself. Her skin was creamy and flawless. Her hair was as black as night and her lips were full and pink. She wrapped her arms around Charming and planted a kiss on his cheek. He looked as if her touch made him dizzy.