In the next week or so, there were still moments where Muriel closed her eyes and stayed close to Vidar so they could kiss and share intimate touches. No matter how hideous Vidar was, he still felt and smelled lovely. Once, when two hands were on her shoulders, a third patted her back, and Muriel shook and whined as if she feared pain. She didn't believe she would be harmed. She was merely reacting to the eccentricity of it. Her brain wasn't used to it. Thankfully, Vidar seemed to understand and he removed the third hand.
The purchases that had to be delivered to the castle arrived safely, including Muriel's new betrothal ring. Often distracted by the glittering thing, Muriel found herself sighing and gazing at it, holding her hand out even when it wasn't convenient.
Another thing that was delivered to the castle was a letter from King Thorvaldo Petran. He seemed to be eager to have his supposedly cursed son come to the Royal Court and explain himself. Princess Arya later confided to Muriel, "We have some evidence to present to the king. The body of the wretched fairy that cursed Vidar, for example."
Muriel gasped and whispered to her, "Why do you have her body?"
"Placing a spell on someone without permission, especially a member of the royal family, is highly illegal. It was my duty to imprison her. Eventually, she committed suicide. So, we preserved her body in case it could be used to remove the curse. That was a false hope, but the corpse is still useful, isn't it? The mark is on her ankle."
Tugging on her new ring, Muriel turned away and muttered something light.
A corpse had been in the castle all along, and she hadn't known about it.
But that didn't matter. What did matter was the fact that Vidar had to show himself to his servants.
On a morning that was whispering the threat of winter into everyone's hearts, Princess Arya gathered all the servants and most of the guards into the foyer. As all the workers lined up on both sides of the blue rug on the floor, Muriel quickly scanned their bored faces and wondered how they'd take the shock. She followed Princess Arya to the rug between the servants, and when the princess stopped a foot or so inwards, so did Muriel.
"I have a confession for all of you," Princess Arya said as she stood firm and tall. "Your master has not been physically ill. He was cursed years ago. His body is hideous. He's decided to finally reveal himself to all of you and apologize for his dishonesty."
All the workers said in unison, "Yes, Your Highness!"
Princess Arya nodded and looked back towards the curved staircases. "Vidar?! Are you there?!"
Muriel turned around and laced her fingers as she too looked at the stairs. She held her breath.
From an archway, he emerged.
Slow, cautious, tall and nearly menacing, a shadow in broad daylight. One of the prince's unevenly colored hands claimed the safety of a white railing as his plain shoes carefully navigated down the steps. Each whole foot was slightly too big for each step. He had to move each foot sideways with each step to be stable. After around six steps, Vidar made a gruff hiss in his throat. Then he literally hopped, stretched out at least five of his long arms, gripped the railing, and literally climbed down to the foyer's floor without touching the steps.
Muriel's eyebrows rose as she looked away and made an uncomfortable exhale.
More than half of the workers were gawking at the creature that was apparently their master. The rest appeared to be visibly ill, but controlling themselves well. Muriel was happy to note that nobody was running away.
When Vidar was standing beside Muriel as a normal person would, he gave a bow to everyone present, and he said with a voice that might not have been loud enough for the circumstances, "I've deceived all of you. Please forgive me."
Fortunately, nobody had been talking. It was fairly quiet. Everybody heard him.
Princess Arya addressed everyone again. Her soft hand drew a horizontal line in the air before her. "This is my son. This is the man who pays all of your salaries. He will soon go to the king to apologize just as he has done for every one of you." She elegantly positioned her hands before her belly. "If anyone objects to serving him, then now is the time to leave."
Nobody seemed bold enough to try. They just stared at Vidar.
"Well," Princess Arya said, "then it's all settled. Return to your duties." She dusted a bit of lint off her skirts as the workers dispersed. "Let's have a walk." She walked over to Vidar and tugged on his cloak. "Come along, Dear. You haven't enjoyed the daylight in so long."
***
In the cold garden, Vidar took a cloth cap from somewhere in his clothes, under the cloak, and he put it on top of his bald head. Then he ... well ... stared at everything. From the sleeping trees to the harsh pathways. Even a lonely little insect buzzing about caught his eyes for a moment.
He was so quiet.
Muriel tried to respect that quiet. The princess seemed to silently agree with that sentiment. Both women allowed the prince to simply look at anything and everything without giving any comments.
He wandered around like a sad, lost child, as if he was afraid to go anywhere but believed he had to keep going in order to find his way. While some people would say that when you're lost you should stay put, in this case, Vidar had to find his old landmarks and learn them all over again.
Each woman stayed close, but not too close, watching Vidar, making sure he didn't have a nervous breakdown or something in that vein. He was mentally vulnerable, or they assumed he was.
After maybe fifteen minutes, Vidar found a decorative boulder. He sat down on it and quietly said to the women, "It smells different."
Muriel couldn't say if that was true or not. She walked over to the boulder and put on her best smile. It was a bit easier to look at him. Half of his face was hidden. "I'm here now, and that's different from the past, isn't it?"
Without looking up, Vidar nodded.
Princess Arya perched on a nearby bench and looked at Vidar with calm eyes but also a stern mouth. "You'd best not hide again. If you do, I'll drag you by all your arms back to the garden."
Muriel lowered her head as she said, "Perhaps His Highness would appreciate a hot cup of black tea? A fruity black tea?"
With a nod, the princess said, "Sweet and thick desserts are so fine when taken with that sort of tea, and my son does have a fondness for desserts."
So, the trio left the garden and asked for some tea and cookies to have in a sitting room.
The servants behaved as if they had been rushed. As soon as one maid put the tray down, she scurried away as if she thought someone would clutch at her apron.
Muriel took a seat beside Vidar and served his tea first. Then she poured a cup for her mistress. Muriel's cup was last.
But Vidar looked down at his steaming tea and sugary cookies as if he never expected to have anything of the sort before him. Muriel knew he had always eaten whatever he wanted, so the tea and cookies couldn't have been the issue haunting his mind.
She wasn't going to have any of this.
Muriel reached over to Vidar's bulky form and pulled on his cloak. "Please, won't you bare your mouth and take your treats?"
His eyes slowly turned towards her.
Muriel blinked a few times. "Please, Your Highness. Please don't embarrass your dear mother." She reached down to carefully pick up his saucer and teacup. "If I feed you as one would a small child, would you give in?" She kept her fingers tight in the cup's well carved handle. "Please lower your cloak."
She heard his gritty sigh. Then she saw two of his arms leave the cloak. One hand put his harsh nose and mouth in everyone's sight. Then he other took the cup from Muriel.
"There," Muriel said as she sat down and put the saucer back on the table, "you'll feel warm and happy soon."
Well ... he might feel warm. As for happiness, Muriel couldn't say. Her poor betrothed wasn't just ugly in this scene. He looked frigid and morose. Even the darker patches of color in his flesh had a faded cast. This wasn't what Muriel had expected. She thought he'd relax and soak everything in like a cat under sunlight.
When the tea was finished, Princess Arya suggested a time for reading or sewing. Vidar nodded but he put his mouth and nose back under his cloak. They went to a library to pick put some books, but they took those books back to the sitting room as a few maids went to get the women's sewing kits. Once everyone had what they needed, there was another quiet time.
For a while, Vidar didn't read. He gazed out a window even though the weather was uninteresting. When he finally grew tired of that, he picked up a book and flipped through the pages.
Muriel put her project on top of her sewing kit and slid a bit closer to Vidar. She whispered a question to him, "Are you unwell?"
"Hm? No. I'm fine."
"Are you? Truly?"
He closed his book. "I haven't done this in years. It's wonderful, but it's also strange. Let me adjust in my own time."
Feeling a bit of relief, Muriel patted one of his arms through his clothing. "If you need anything, don't hesitate. You're the master here." She hummed as she returned to her sewing.
During the following days, Vidar proved himself. Even though the servants were still jumpy around him, his cheer slowly returned to him. His odd gait became bouncier. He walked more. He went outside to pet the horses. He thought he was too heavy to ride them, but he actually said aloud that he was considering purchasing a thick and sturdy horse. Muriel grinned at that.
The meals were different from before. Vidar joined the women, and he spoke more and more as time went on. Muriel loved his company. He also played music for them. Muriel danced around to the piano songs. Princess Arya often laughed at that. When Muriel played the piano, however, Vidar wouldn't dance. He only sat down and listened. He later told her that he didn't have the bravery to try to dance. Muriel understood why he thought this way, but she was also disappointed.
