Once Upon a Time: New Fairy Tales Paperback

Alethea, who will become your bride. A royal wedding will attract

tourists to the city, which will help with the rebuilding effort.”

Princess Alethea crossed her arms and looked out the window.

Even from the back, she seemed angry.

“Forgive me, your Majesty,” said Ivan, “but I have no wish to marry the Princess, and I don’t think she wants to marry me either. We don’t even know each other.”

Princess Alethea turned and looked at him in astonishment.

? 379 ?

? Blanchefleur ?

“Thank you!” she said. “You’re the first person who’s made any sense all day. I’m glad you slayed the dragon, but I don’t see what that has to do with getting my hand in marriage. I’m not some sort of prize at a village fair.”

“And I would not deprive you of a kingdom,” said Ivan. “I have no

wish to be king.”

“Oh, goodness,” said Alethea, “neither do I! Ruling is deadly dull.

You can have the kingdom and do what you like with it. I’m going to university, to become an astronomer. I’ve wanted to be an astronomer since I was twelve.”

“But . . . ” said the King.

“Well then, it’s decided, “ said the Lady. “Ivan, you’ll spend the rest of your apprenticeship here, in the palace, learning matters of state.”

“But I want to go back to the wolves,” said Ivan. He saw the look

on the Lady’s face: she was about to say no. He added, hurriedly, “If I can go back, just for the rest of my apprenticeship, I’ll come back here and stay as long as you like, learning to be king. I promise.”

“All right,” said the Lady.

He nodded, gratefully. At least he would have spring in the

mountains, with his pack.

Ivan and Blanchefleur rode north, not on a farm horse this time, but on a mare from the King’s stables. As night fell, they stopped by a stream. The mountains were ahead of them, glowing in the evening

light.

“You know, before we left, Tailcatcher asked me again,” said

Blanchefleur. “He thought that my time with you was done, that I

would go back to the Castle in the Forest with my mother. I could

have.”

“Why didn’t you?” asked Ivan.

“Why did you refuse the hand of the Princess Alethea? She was

attractive enough.”

“Because I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life with her,” said Ivan. “I want to spend it with you, Blanchefleur.”

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? Theodora Goss ?

“Even though I’m a cat?”

“Even though.”

She looked at him for a moment, then said, “I’m not always a cat,

you know.” Suddenly, sitting beside him was a girl with short white hair, wearing a white fur jacket and trousers. She had Blanchefleur’s eyes.

“Are you—are you Blanchefleur?” he asked. He stared at her. She

was and she was not the white cat.

“Of course I am, idiot,” she said. “I think you’re going to make a

good king. You’ll have all the knowledge in the world to guide you, and any pain you cause, you’ll have to feel yourself, so you’ll be fair and kind. But you’ll win all your battles. You’ll hate it most of the time and wish you were back with the wolves or in Professor Owl’s tower, or even taking care of the lizards. That’s why you’ll be good.”

“And you’ll stay with me?” he asked, tentatively reaching over and

taking her hand.

“Of course,” she said. “Who else is going to take care of you, Ivan?”

Together, they sat and watched the brightness fade from the

mountain peaks and night fall over the Wolfwald. When Ivan lay

down to sleep, he felt the white cat curl up next to his chest. He

smiled into the darkness before slipping away into dreams.