Riding to Vanity Fair

I Like it Up Here Anyway...

Stella's POV

The fashion show had almost been over, and I really didn't want to leave, I was having so much fun showing all the dresses off. But I'd always be happy to reunite with Mary and dad. Wonder how he is right now-

My inner thoughts were interrupted by the rings of my phone. Good thing it's break time, or I'd be in big trouble.

"Hello?"

"Stella!!!"

"Mary!!! I say, you couldn't have called me at a more perfect time. I'm on break. Then just a few more to show off and I'm on my way home!"

"Oh, thank goodness! I'm sure we've all missed you."

"I know dad probably has. He adores us. He'll be so happy to see me come back from the airport. Knowing him, he'll give me the biggest hug ever. Sweetheart."

"Well, you see, Stella, that's really why I needed to call you..."

"What? Is something wrong with dad? Is he sick? Oh, please tell me that's not the case..."

"No, not exactly...it's more so that he's gone..."

"Gone?! He ran away?! Again?! Like when he did it the first time all those years ago?!"

"Apparently so. And he must've taken Rose with him because Nancy said that she ran away too."

"Just like with Martha..."

"Right."

"Miss McCartney, we've got to continue the show now."

"Sorry, Mary, but I've got to go. I've still got the remains of the show to finish up. I was having fun, until I heard about this. Look, I won't be long. Meet me at the airport in a few hours and we can all look for him, ok?"

"Sounds good."

Nancy's POV

"Well, what did she say?" I fearfully asked, wanting to get as close to my Paul as I could.

Mary sighed. "Looks like you're on your own for a bit. I've got to go pick her up. Then it'll be all of us and one of us is bound to find him...I hope."

I nodded, watching her drive away to grab Stella. Well, I guess it's up to me-

"You know that deep deep feeling when you love someone so much you feel your heart is gonna burst?"

Wait...is that...

"Sometimes I wish it would stay, sometimes I wish it would go away, emotion..."

It is!!! Paul's voice! I can recognize from miles away...I'm coming, my baby.

A few valleys and hills later, I find myself in the midst of a city with a giant, almost out of place looking castle in the distance. Strange.

"Excuse me? Has anyone seen my husband?" I call out, hoping for some sort of answer.

Eventually, these villagers take notice of my stressed calls. "Sorry, ma'am, we can't help you with that. Maybe take it up with our king."

I nod, and someone took me to up to the castle. I felt like a partial princess, honestly.

"This is as far as I can take you. You have a visitor, my king!"

And just like that, there he was. My Paul? Worshipped as a king in a village? And Rose, beside him, in her fancy queen like outfit? What happened in the span of a few days that I'm not aware of?

Paul looks out the window happily, not even facing his own wife. "Why, Nancy, it's you...lovely to have a visitor."

"Paul, what is all of this? Why are you a king? Why is Rose a queen? What-"

"That's King Paul to you, King Paul and Queen Rose. You see, Nancy dear, I didn't mean for all of this to happen. I don't do well under stressful situations. That's why I ran away all those years ago. And so, here we are yet again. I ran away because I've got to have my mind set on something, no limitations, and when it was announced that Covid-19 was spreading across the universe, it sent shivers down my spine. I can't handle something like that. But I knew that my frail bones couldn't stay in a garden again. I'm almost 80 after all, can you believe it? So I ventured off into the distance, just trying to find something, and Rose tagged along. Poor girl must have separation anxiety. When we did, we found this village, oddly enough named "Vanity Fair"...sound familiar, Nancy? They worship me. They treat me like a king. And now, I'm not just out in the wilderness like the last time I ran away, but here, not only do I have a roof over my head, but I have protection. I've written an entire album's worth of songs just because I've felt so relaxed. I could never in the stressful world of today..."

"Oh...but, Paul, the way you're putting it, you're making it sound like you're not happy to see me..."

"No, no, I'm glad you're here. Nobody visits me, I'm just here in my own little bubble. But I know what you're gonna ask. You want me to come home."

"Paul, I miss you. Your daughters miss you."

"Sure, I miss them too. But I have a rightful place to be. I'm sorry to do this to you, my Valentine, but..."

Rose barks loudly, calling in the guards.

"Sire, would you like us to take her away?"

He briefly looks at me, a gentle, regretful twinkle in his eye knowing that he shouldn't, but he nods anyway.

The guards pick me up and away from the love of my life and my dog.

"Come on, miss, let's go..."

I try to struggle out of their grip. "This isn't fair! That's my husband! I want him out of here! I'm trying to help him!"

"Likely story. Out you go."

I'm quickly thrown out of Vanity Fair, where I proceed to run away crying. I sigh to myself. "The girls won't be happy with this result..."

"Hmmm....maybe our king's not so friendly after all..."