The King's Bride

The Truth-ish

A few hours later, Everleigh gets ready for the day ahead, having only gotten a couple of hours of sleep, thoughts of the night before still on her mind. She makes her way to the tavern through the already busy streets, where she knows Lucia is starting on the stew for the day, wondering if she can really trade this for a life surrounded by people that don't want her there.

Everleigh reaches the tavern and enters through the back door, greeting Lucia and grabs her apron, ready to work. She is working silently, wiping down the tables, trying to decide whether or not she is ready to give up the life she has built for herself there for a life in the Castle, when Lucia comes in the room.

-"Alright, hon, what's on your mind?"

Everleigh lifts her eyes from a stubborn stain on one of the tables, too lost in her own thoughts to have listened to what Lucia just said, looking back at her.

-"What?"

-"You have been quiet ever since you walked through that door. Something's eating at you. So, out with it. What's going on?"

There's a soft smile on her face as she takes a seat and pats the chair next to her. Everleigh sighs and walks over, taking a seat.

-"You remember when I first got here?"

-"Of course. You looked so defeated and heartbroken, that it took everything in me not to hug you as soon as you walked in."

-"You asked me what I was running from and assumed it was either an unwanted marriage or an abusive husband. Either that, or I was a working girl." - She smiles softly at the memory.

-"Yes, and if I remember correctly, you didn't give me a straight answer then. You just said that you weren't a working girl." - Lucia smiles back.

Everleigh goes silent and looks at the woman that gave her a chance at a new life, without even realizing it. She thinks that, all this time, she has hated not telling Lucia the truth and realizes that she deserves to know, or at least some form of it. She takes a deep breath.

-"The night I came here, I was running, but not from an unwanted marriage or an abusive husband. I was supposed to marry a man, a powerful man. It was a marriage that was agreed upon on my father's deathbed between him and this man's father."

"In the beginning, things weren't easy. He didn't want this marriage and made sure to keep me at a distance. But, eventually, he came around and made a real effort to make it work. We decided to take some time before we settled on a date for the wedding and during that time I fell in love with him."

"Now, under normal circumstances that would've been great, since not many people can say that they are lucky enough to marry someone they love. However, there were those around us who didn't want me to marry him and went to great lengths to keep us from spending time with each other."

"The night you and I met, we were introduced to a woman and her father. The man that introduced them to us, made sure to point out every single thing that would make her a more 'perfect' match to my soon-to-be husband than myself. If I was already questioning my ability to become his wife, after that I was sure that she would make for a much better wife than me. So, after seeing him completely absorbed into his conversation with her, I decided that I was going to leave and end the marriage agreement myself."

"He found me in the garden and I told him I was done and that I was leaving that night. He didn't try to stop me or convince me to stay. He just let me go. So I packed my things and got on my horse, riding away as fast as I could. I knew I needed to find a place to spend the night, to work through what had happened and what to do next, when I saw the tavern lights."

"For the last few months, with your help, I built a new life for myself, completely different from the one I had before and I have been happy. But yesterday his brother found me and came to talk to me. What he told me made no sense."

"According to him, his brother had pushed everyone away and was no longer the man I had fallen in love with. He was here to ask for my help to bring his brother out of this stupor he had slipped into. So... I went. I went back to their home and spoke with him. He didn't believe I was really there, he thought I was a ghost at first, which isn't very surprising considering how drunk he was. But after some convincing, he started talking, telling me how he was a fool, how he should've fought for me to stay, and how much he loved me. We ended up talking through the night and I convinced him to stop pushing people away, especially his siblings, and told him that I would return. But..."

-"But you're not sure you want to go back." - Lucia sees Everleigh shaking her head before answering.

-"I still love him, Lu. I do. And it turns out, he still loves me too. But I don't belong there. No one wanted me there then and I doubt they have changed their minds at any point during these last few months."

Lucia nods, staying silent, her eyes scanning Everleigh's face, for a few moments.

-"Hon, answer me this. Do you belong here? Is this the life you envisioned for yourself when you were younger?"

-"No offense, Lu, but no, not at all." - Everleigh chuckles sadly.

-"You know, I always knew you weren't like us. The way you carry yourself, how well spoken you are, the lack of calluses on your hands, it all told me you were raised to be a Lady, not a barkeep."

"Who cares if they think you don't belong there? You don't belong here either, and yet you made a home for yourself, you made it so as if you have always belonged here. You are strong, determined and stubborn as all hell, and if they don't want you there, then that's their problem."

"Do you want to be with him or do you want to regret for the rest of your life that you lost the chance at being with the man you love? Besides, this tavern will always be here for you, should you ever need it again. I'm not going nowhere and neither is this old place." - Lucia smiles back at her.

Everleigh doesn't say anything, thinking of what Lucia just said. She doesn't want to lose the man she loves, nor does she want to regret not giving it a chance. She takes a deep breath.

-"You really think I should go back? Even if no one else wants me there?" - She feels Lucia hold her hand and squeeze it.

-"He wants you there, hon. That's all that matters. Screw everyone else. Right now, his opinion is all that matters. If he wants you there, and if you want to be there with him, then everyone else can just go to hell. Show them that they can either accept you're there or fuck off. Either way, you're not going anywhere."

-"I'm really gonna miss you, Lu." - She smiles softly at her, tears in her eyes.

-"I'm going to miss you too, hon. But it will make me happy knowing that you're living your best life with the man you love. Real love is so rare these days that when it happens, one must grab it with both hands and care for it as if it is a rare flower, never forget that." - Lucia smiles back.

-"I won't. I will never forget you, Lu."

She leans over and pulls Lucia into a tight hug, tears now falling freely. Lucia lets go, after a few moments, wiping her own tears away.

-"Alright, now, go and get your things packed. You need to go and get that man of yours."

-"If only it was that simple. We still need to plan my return." - Everleigh chuckles.

-"Why??"

-"Because, when I left, he told people I went to look for a long lost relative, so we need to figure out how to deal with my return. It's complicated, but until we have a plan, I'm not going anywhere. You're still stuck with me for a little while."

-"Well, then, I'm happy to spend how many days you have left here with you."

Everleigh smiles and both women stand up, the sound of a bell signaling that is time to open the tavern. She watches Lucia go back behind the counter and start getting mugs ready, thinking that she will truly miss the woman.

She thinks that Lucia is right, screw what everyone else thinks, all that matters is what she and Jensen want and what they want is to be together. Everleigh smiles and opens the door of the tavern, knowing that it won't be long before she opens it for the last time.