Love Revisited: Juditha and Prince Valen from Prince of Dreams

Excerpt

Love Revisited: Juditha and Prince Valentin
from Prince of Dreams
By Megan Hussey

The ebullient rays of the Florida sun shone with both warmth and brilliance on a heather-strewn field, raining its beams across a group of young ladies who—in their varied finery of silk and velvet, lace, and the finest satin—looked akin to a mystical fairy band in all its golden glory.

They had to go and spoil the scene by opening their mouths.

A history teacher at Jennings Community College, Juditha Collins also supervised the school's annual Renaissance Fair. And while she was more than pleased by the picture her students presented at their first dress rehearsal this term—indeed, their flowing gowns of scarlet, gold, lavender, lilac, and deep, forest green both dazzled and impressed her—their words failed to project the tender chivalry one would expect from ladies of the court.

"Ms. Collins, this whole thing sucks!”

Juditha cringed at the shrill tones of Holly Newen, her resident princess for four years running at the Jennings Renaissance Fair.

A golden-haired lass of ethereal beauty, Holly resembled the actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

And sounds like a royal pain in the arse. Juditha gritted her teeth, adding aloud, "In your esteemed estimation, Holly, what exactly 'sucks' about this year's fair?" She shrugged. "Do your slippers still pinch your toes, as per our annual festival tradition?"

Holly shook her head.

"No, my costume is perfect." She gestured down the length of her festival gown, a work of fine, lilac silk with glittering lavender accents. "It's you I'm concerned about, Ms. Collins."

"Me?" Juditha frowned, conducting a quick assessment of her own attire: a decidedly individual ensemble that consisted of a royal red tunic, circa the Middle Ages, a pair of tattered blue jeans, circa a rather unfortunate 1989 retro hippie phase, and two mismatched sneakers. "Um, yeah, me. Good point."

Drawing a sustaining breath, she fixed her silent group of students with an apologetic smile.

"As you know, ladies, my life has gotten a lot more complicated in the past year or so." She folded her hands before her. "I've met a wonderful man who enjoys making me a little late for our classes once in a while . . . and more than a little distracted at times." She shrugged. "Even so, you must admit that my guy, Valentin, makes a great addition to our Renaissance study unit at Jennings. He has become a resident lecturer in our studies department. And he puts on some great jousting and riding demos at our festival each year."

"Right-on!" Lillibet Mars, a lady in waiting with a charming, pageboy haircut and a Metallica tattoo, stepped forward to engage a smiling Juditha in a spirited high-five. "Valentin is a smart dude. I swear he knows more about the renaissance era than anyone I've ever met. Plus he's hot—H-A-W-T. To the extreme."

Juditha giggled in spite of herself.

"I concur with that rather thorough analysis, Lillibet." She winked. "And I look forward to welcoming him back as the resident jouster and court dancer this year."

Lillibet nodded, shuffling her slippers in the dewy grass that lined their practice field.

"Actually, Ms. Collins"—she tilted her head—"we were wondering if Valentin would play an even bigger role in this year's fair."

"Lillibet, we've been over this before." A sighing Juditha fixed her hands on her hips. "This is a family fair. Valentin cannot and will not perform suggestive nude dances to medieval flute compositions, covering his naughty bits with a strategically placed fig leaf or cod piece."

"Okay, I'm resigned to that fate." Lillibet raised her hands before her, though Juditha swore she saw actual tears of defeat fill the eyes of the younger woman. "What we had in mind was something even more romantic, and in a pure, sweet way." She charmed Juditha with a shy smile. "Like, I don't know, a renaissance wedding?"

"A wedding?" Juditha stroked her chin thoughtfully. "That's actually a great idea, Lillibet. An authentic renaissance wedding ceremony would make a nice addition to the festival—and heaven knows Valentin would make the perfect period groom." She scrunched her nose, perplexed. "Only, who would be the bride?"

A frustrated-looking Lillibet ripped her silver headpiece from atop her dark hair and tossed it to the ground.

"Duh, Miss Collins!" She gritted her teeth. "You would be the bride."

"Only promise you'll ditch the sneakers." Holly sneered.

Juditha thought a moment, then nodded.

"This sounds like a lot of fun." She raised a finger for emphasis. "I have to make sure, though, that Valentin is agreeable to the idea. I'll discuss it with him tonight."

Looking over her shoulder, Lillibet parted her lips in a slow, broad smile.

"You may not have to wait that long, Ms. Collins."

Turning slowly in the direction of her students, Juditha suspended a breath as she beheld the sweet prince of her dreams.

His velvet black hair flowing like a banner behind him, the tall, muscled Valentin sat astride an ivory-hued steed that charged into the field; man and horse together formed a picture of power that made Juditha's heart race.
And hers wasn't the only heart that seemed to go all pitter-patter . . . .

"You know, Ms. Collins"—Holly pursed a set of perfect lips, her gaze glued to the flawless figure of the gentleman on horseback—"if at any point you feel uncomfortable in the role of princess bride, I'd be happy to stand in." She licked her lips as Valentin came to a dead stop before them, gazing down at Juditha with warm, gem blue eyes and a breathtaking smile.

Ignoring her student's generous offer, Juditha focused instead on the carved face and broad-chest of the man she'd referred to as her boyfriend for the past year. But then her gaze drifted lower and she took in the Wonder Woman lunchbox he held in his manly grip.

"You forgot your lunch today, darling." Valentin leaned forward to hand the lunchbox to a beaming Juditha, pausing as he did to sear her lips with a hot, passionate kiss. "I also wanted to show off the horse I'll be riding in this year's renaissance fair."

"She's beautiful!" Juditha reached out to pet the sleek, ivory mane of her lover's prized mount. "I must tell you, though, the ladies here have other plans for you this year."

Looking out at the crowd of drooling girls who watched his every move, Valentin looked a little puzzled, and his bronzed skin reddened to a shade that matched his scarlet-hued tunic.

"What exactly do they have in mind, love?" he asked, his tone lined with evident fear.

A laughing Juditha took hold of his arm, swinging up easily onto the back of his horse, as the girls sighed in unison.

"Let's discuss it over a picnic lunch." She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and dug her heels in the horse's sides, urging them onward.