The Carnelian Legacy (41 page)

“Oh.”

“I told you that afternoon by the lake that I loved you and I knew no other woman would do.”

He took her face in his hands and covered her soft lips with his firm ones. It was a kiss so tender that it made her want never to be apart from him.
This is not a dream—this is actually happening.

“Just tell me one thing,” she said. “That first day we met—why did you seem so disgusted with me?” She searched his face. “You seemed to hate me with everything you had. I couldn’t understand what in the world I’d done to deserve it.”

He smiled, shrugged. “I don’t know, I was in shock, I suppose. When I saw you there, lying on the road unconscious, I honestly believed my eyes were playing tricks on me.”

“But how did you even recognize me after so long?”

“You looked exactly how I remembered your mother, Queen Elyse. In my heart, I wanted to believe it was you, but the reason in my head told me it couldn’t possibly be you.

“Those first few days, I hated you for owning the face I’d lost so long ago. But by the time I knew with absolute certainty it really was you, it was too late. I had already fallen deeply in love.”

She smiled softly.

“Then Savino appeared in your life. When I saw him kissing you near the waterfall, I was sure I’d lost you forever. And when he proposed marrying you instead of Adalina, my torment was complete. And I had no one else to blame but myself.

“From the very beginning, I had made myself utterly unavailable to you. I’d convinced myself that I had to shut you out for my own protection. Because I could not yet reveal your true identity, I also could not make any promises. I tried to conceal my feelings, but I failed miserably.

“Knowing I’d locked myself away for far too long, you had every right to refuse me in favor of Savino. But I still prayed that even if you could not love me, you would never marry him. I had to wait for you to make your decision about Savino before I could even try to win your heart.”

She shook her head. “Incredible.”

“You have really tried my patience, woman.”

“I think it’s gonna take me a while to get over the shock of all this.”

His face softened. “You have no idea of the agony I suffered that day you informed me of your plans to marry Savino. But I knew I only had myself to blame.”

“I just can’t believe what I’m hearing,” she said, shaking her head. “I have been searching nonstop ever since I came to Carnelia for some kind of guidance—for some sort of direction in my life. But on the day I think my entire life is falling apart, the pieces are flung into the air and they all fall neatly into place. It’s just too good to be true. There’s gotta be a catch.”

“There’s no catch. With Garon, all things are possible, and everything happens for a reason. I know this.”

“So you’re saying there’s no such thing as coincidence?”

He cocked his head at her. “Just what do you think the odds are of us ever finding each other again after all these years? And after living in separate worlds?”

“Hmm, I see your point. Probably about a million to one.”

“I’d say about a billion to one,” he said with a smile.

“Darian, I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know how to be a queen. You’ve grown up in the palace, but I haven’t.”

“Don’t worry, I will help you. We’ll take it step-by-step, and you will learn everything at your own pace. Don’t forget you’ll have my mother, Adalina, Cinzia, Arrie, and your uncle to help you too.”

“But it’s such a huge responsibility. How am I supposed to rule a country I don’t know anything about?”

“You won’t be the first ruler to have asked those very same questions. But I do have a quick answer for you—pray for wisdom,” he said.

“Why are the Knights of the Crimson Court gonna want to listen to some eighteen-year-old girl from another world?”

“Just think of it. You are part of an extraordinary legacy that has managed to transcend worlds and survive against all odds. That never could have happened without the blessings and protection of Garon. You are the rightful heir to the throne of Crocetta and
this
is your birthright. You must step up and claim it.”

She just stared at him, unconvinced.

“Marisa, I love you, and you have what it takes to be queen. I’ve seen it. Your father saw it, too. We have our whole lives ahead of us and we shall accept this challenge together. We’ve got each other and we’ve got Garon. Both of those things can carry us through.”

“I love you, Darian,” she whispered. “It almost killed me when I thought we could never be together. But now that I know the truth, I can only do this if you’ll be there with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Remember, it was you who left me, after all.” He chuckled, pulled her in a tight embrace. “This has been a highly emotional day for you, and now you need to rest.”

“What an understatement.”

“There is much to be done in the coming days, weeks, and months, but we shall take it one day at a time,” he said as he led her back inside. “Your Royal Highness, I bid you good night and shall see you first thing in the morning. Sleep well, my beautiful princess.”

“Good night, sweet prince.” She pulled him close to kiss him one last time. Darian grinned at her as she slowly shut the door.

Marisa fell back onto the bed feeling drained and exhausted. She wriggled out of the dress, ripped off the corset, and pulled her nightgown over her head.

As she snuggled deep under the covers, her mind began to replay the most fantastic birthday she’d ever experienced. A wave of exhaustion quickly consumed her, and for the first time in weeks, she sank into a deep and restful sleep.

CHAPTER 30

MARAYA

THE
NEXT
MORNING
,
MARISA
awoke to a light tapping sound in the hall. She grabbed the earpiece from the nightstand and slid out of bed. She tiptoed across the cold stone floor and peeked out in the hall. There was a young man hanging a picture on the wall and as soon as he saw her, he bowed.

“I apologize, Your Royal Highness. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

She shook her head and gave him a reassuring smile. As she closed the door, the events of the previous day came flooding back. The fact that she had no memory of ever being a princess totally boggled her mind.

She climbed back into bed and snuggled under the warm covers. What was it that Darian had said the night before?
Only if you want to be
was his response when she’d asked him if they were still engaged.

She gazed down at her mother’s ring. It seemed to be glowing and pulsing from within. Curiously she removed it and saw it return to its clear diamond color before she slipped it back on again and watched it transform into a deep purple. So many questions swirled in her head. Now that she and everyone else knew she was a princess, it was going to be a busy day.

After she had bathed and dressed, she took one last look in the mirror before heading down the corridor toward the dining room. Once she had sat down at the table, members of the kitchen staff practically fell over one another as each one tried to please her. Obviously they had recently become aware of her position and had no intention of screwing things up for themselves.

Darian had told her from day one that he always questioned the motivations of the people surrounding him. Marisa wondered if people would be falling over themselves for her all the time now. She had only been a princess for a few hours but was already beginning to understand the complexities of Darian’s life as a royal.

The door creaked open as he entered.

“Good morning, Your Supreme Highness,” Darian said. His baritone voice echoed in the airy hall as he leaned down to kiss her.

“Okay, we’re going to have to make some kind of deal that you don’t call me that. I can deal with hearing it from just about everybody else, but not from you,” she said, returning his smile.

He laid the napkin in his lap. “Yes, dearest, but actually, protocol demands that I address you as such because now you outrank me,” he teased, tugging a lock of her hair.

“This is gonna take some getting used to,” she said with a sigh.

“Of course you shall start right away with the language lessons. That will be a challenge in itself,” he said in a mock serious tone.

“Language lessons?”

“But of course. How else are you supposed to communicate with your subjects? You shall learn Crocine as well as three other dialects,” he said, spreading butter on his toast.

“Okay—stop! Too much information already,” she said with a laugh, lifting her hand in protest.

“Stop what?” Uncle Al asked as he sat down at the table.

“Darian was just telling me I’m gonna have lessons in at least four different languages. I’ve already got English and French—don’t they count for something?”

“Neither of those languages will do you much good here, darlin’,” Uncle Al replied, stirring his tea.

“Where’s Mark?” she asked.

“Do you mean
Prince Marcus
?” Uncle Al corrected. “He’s still asleep, I think.”

Okay, I need some answers,” she said. “And I need them now.”

The two men exchanged glances. “Fire away,” said Uncle Al.

“First of all, how did our family get to Earth?”

Uncle Al stared down at his plate for a moment. He took a sip of tea and leaned back in his chair.

“You were only four and Mark almost three when your parents, Queen Elyse and King Alano, set out on a diplomatic mission to the neighboring kingdom of Terracina. Your father and I were born there, and it was the desire of many in both houses that we would foster an even tighter alliance with our uncle, the king. With our kingdoms combined, we could better defend our lands from the kings of the east, who were determined to annex and rule both our countries.

“My wife, Cinzia, and I were both asked to join the voyage while Arrie stayed behind. But knowing it would be a long trip both ways, your mother refused to leave you and your brother in Crocetta. The night before we were to set sail, Cinzia became terribly ill, and only after I insisted she wasn’t in a state to travel did she decide to stay here in Crocetta.”

“Cinzia is my aunt, right?” Marisa asked.

“Yes, and she’s really looking forward to getting to know you.”

She smiled. “I’ve always wanted an aunt.”

“Anyway,” Uncle Al continued, “the next day, the
Carnelian
set sail to cross the Sea of Pyrgos. We’d been gone for about four days when the ship hit a severe storm in the early evening. It lasted for several hours, and we were tossed and turned violently by the sea.

“I was so relieved that Cinzia had stayed behind. But your mother just sat on her bunk, hugging you and Mark, trying to calm you both down. You were so frightened. Later that night, a member of the crew spotted a maelstrom, and before we knew it, we were being sucked down. There was terrible thunder and lightning all around us. Every last man and woman on that ship began to pray to Garon for mercy.”

Marisa became engrossed in the story as Uncle Al recounted the haunting images burned on his retina forever. Adalina, Arrie and Cinzia entered the room one by one and quietly and sat listening to Uncle Al’s account.

“Just as the ship was being sucked down into the maelstrom, there were these strange blue-light flashes of lightning. The wind swirled all around us and the last thing I saw was a shining full moon and a high wall of black seawater coming straight for us.

“Just when I was sure it was all over, the ocean suddenly became calm—just like that.”

He snapped his fingers and his eyes widened. He stared at Marisa with a look of disbelief. “Although we didn’t know it at the time, the ship, passengers, and crew had all passed through a vortex.”

“All of you? Everyone survived?”

He shook his head sadly. “Not everyone. A young couple and their baby were swept overboard and drowned. We weren’t able to save them,” he said sadly.

“So what happened then? What did you do?”

“Well, fortunately, when we came through the other side of the vortex, the ship was not far from shore. In the early hours of the morning just before dawn, someone spotted a rugged coastline only a few miles away. We had no idea where we were. At that point, it didn’t matter. Everyone was just glad to put their feet on solid ground once again.

“When we got close to the shore, your father sent four men out as a landing party. They came back and reported that although it seemed to be a remote area, there was a road running parallel to the sea. The ship had landed off the coast of Oregon in a place called Cape Ferello. Although we didn’t know it at the time, not only had we landed in a different country, we had wound up an entirely different world,” he chortled.

“So what happened next?”

“Lucky for us, the
Carnelian
ran aground near a secluded stretch of beach, and we were able to salvage enough food and supplies from her to survive for the next few months. It was summer so we didn’t have to worry about freezing at night. Thankfully, nobody spotted us down there in the cove, or they could have alerted the police.