The Best Bride

16. PLAN

"Father! What's going on?" asked Prince Felix. "Why are you with my kidnapper?"  

King Mackaral twirled the wand in his hand, his rosy face looking bright. "Rivera isn't a real kidnapper, son. Actually, her name isn't even Rivera. She's someone you know." 

"Who is she?" 

Rivera took off the veil from her face causing Prince Felix exclaimed. "You're Fiona! Royal painter!"  

There I got the name of the royal painter who had made all those beautiful paintings and portraits we had seen in the hall during the party reception. With her full face showing, she didn't look mean anymore. Her nose was straight and cheeks little chubby. Her small mouth formed a smile, but none of us smiled back at her. For us she was still the kidnapper. 

King Mackaral pointed a wand at Red-Faced-Demon. "And he isn't really who you are seeing." He flicked his wand, gold dust dropping from its tip, and next second Red-Faced-Demon transformed into an elegant gentleman, as tall and good-looking as Prince Felix himself.  

"Axel!" cried Prince Felix; apparently he recognized the gentleman too. By the tone Prince Felix pronounced the gentleman's name; I got the feeling that both of them were best of friends. 

"But we don't understand -" said Jewel.  

"Just know that everything from kidnapping of my son to setting you two to face the dragon was a plan, love," said King Mackaral merrily.  

It was then I recalled two lines from his speech; actually Prince Felix isn't choosing the bride himself. I'll be choosing her for him. He'd given us a hint, to which we'd never given our thought. 

"A plan?" said Jewel; she sounded as if she had misheard the word. 

"Yes, love," King Mackaral confirmed. "Everything was my plan, and Axel and Fiona were the only two who knew about it and helped me find a good wife for my son." Prince Felix flushed, yet he didn't interrupt the king. "And we've found her. My son will marry you." King Mackaral indicated Jewel with his wand. She looked as if she would pass out with happiness, and Prince Felix just stood there looking shy. I got the impression that he was used to doing what his Father told him to do. "What's your name, love?" 

"J-Jewel, Your Majesty."  

"Jewel? What a good name." King Mackaral turned to me. "You've been very good and brave too, my child. We know you don't want to marry my son. We heard everything you two said in the cell."  

I wanted to know how. But King Mackaral continued before I could even open my mouth. "We'd put tiny cameras everywhere; in the cell, in the passageways, in the whole of castle, in the woods and in the tower. We've been watching you the whole time from this control room. In fact, we've been tracking you two and your other companions who came to this human world from the first step. Just check the back of your Sunshield and you'll see the tracker."  

"But, father, you could have pick any lady present in the party," said Prince Felix. "Why did you choose to go all through this drama?"  

Yes, why all this drama? 

"Son, I didn't want to pick up just any lady for you," said King Mackaral. "You know how most fairies are these days; they smile at your face but stabs at your back. I didn't want you to marry someone like your mother. As I'd told already before, I wanted my daughter-in-law to be beautiful, brave and intelligent and non-alcoholic, and all these qualities are in Jewel." And don't forget about her sulky manner.  

"After the kidnapping, almost nobody bothered to look for the boxes that I'd asked the pixies to place them somewhere where the fairies cannot see them easily,' continued King Mackaral. "That proved only six fairies really wanted you from heart. Of those six fairies, one turned to be the male, three turned out to be bank robbers -" So King Mackaral knew about it too. Of course he knew everything. He was the one controlling the tracker and the one who sent Red-Faced-Demon to follow me. "One loves human and the last one luckily turned out to be exactly the kind of daughter-in-law I was looking for."