Eternal Faith - Book 4 (The Ruby Ring Saga) Read online

  He handed me a newspaper.

  “No. I already have a job. Seems it’s you who needs to be looking at the help wanted ads.”

  Without a word, he opened it and showed me an ad he’d already circled in red, a call for actors and actresses to audition for a local dinner theater.

  I lifted a brow and smiled. “This could work!”

  He kissed my lips. “I believe it might...for both of us.”

  I grabbed my purse. “Let’s go apply right now.”

  As we were driving, I felt a strong urge to go to the bathroom, so I pulled into a fast food restaurant.

  He shook his head and smirked. “You just used the bathroom.”

  “I’ve gotta go again. It’s like the baby is sitting on my bladder.”

  “I’ll wait here, if you don’t mind,” he said.

  I bit my lip. “Uh, baby...”

  “Yes, My Queen?”

  “I’m kinda hungry too.”

  He cocked a brow.

  “I’m really hungry.”

  “Didn’t you just eat?”

  “I’m eating for two.”

  “Fine. Get a burger if you want one.”

  I grinned. “How about a five-course meal?”

  “Can’t have you grumpy when we put in our applications now, can we?” He smiled and hopped out of the car, then looped his arm in mine.

  I met his gaze and smiled, knowing I had the best husband in the whole wide world.

  * * *

  After lunch, we headed to the theater.

  Gripping my steering wheel firmly, I smiled when I saw the castle turrets from the freeway. “There it is!”

  “It’s really a castle?”

  “A dinner theater. Just remember not to use your brute strength when auditioning, okay? You’re supposed to be acting.”

  He smiled. “Relax, Sarah. I, uh...I’ve got this.”

  “Gosh. You sound just like me.”

  “I learned that from you.”

  Grinning, I pulled into the parking lot. When we walked through the doors of the place, I was transported back to the eleventh century. The medieval décor was spectacular, with flags, banners, friezes, crests, swords, and coats of arms. I was sure Victor felt right at home.

  The owner, a woman in her thirties, had short black hair, and she was wearing glasses. I quickly explained to her our extensive knowledge of medieval times, and she seemed impressed.

  “This is a family dinner theater,” she said. “We feature staged medieval-style games, sword-fighting, and jousting on horseback. Our cast consists of seventy actors and twenty horses. People cheer for the good guys and boo the bad guys, and lots of knights die in fake battles. It is all scripted and carefully choreographed, of course. You will notice that each section of the theater is color-coded, relative to the jousting knight’s colors so diners know which knight to cheer for during the jousts and competitions.”

  “We’d love to audition,” I said.

  “Can you make us believe we’ve stepped back in time, to the era of kings, queens, and knights?” she asked.

  Victor smiled. “I can play the part so efficiently that you will think I was born in medieval times.”

  “Great,” she said. “I love your enthusiasm.”

  She handed each of us a thin script and gave us thirty minutes to study them. Victor and I aced our auditions. But in order for Victor to land the role of king, he needed to prove he could fight and properly ride a horse. He was more than anxious to prove those skills and abilities.

  “As long as Victor can handle the horse, the job is his,” the owner said. “Our horses can gallop up to thirty-five miles an hour in this enclosed space.”

  I smiled, knowing Victor would easily ace that part of the audition. “Victor has been riding horses for a long, long time. He knows how to handle them safely, and he’s quite the horseman.”

  She gazed at the arena. “We’ll see.”

  I was ready to root for my valiant and heroic king, especially when he came out dressed like the knight in shining armor that he was, gleaming beneath the dramatic arena lighting, with background music for even more effect.

  Victor sped toward the knights and hit one with a powerful blow to the chest, and the man almost tumbled off.

  “Let’s see if he can stay on the horse if you do the same thing back,” the owner said to one of the knights. “Can you handle it, Victor?”

  “Yes, milady.”

  When the blow hit Victor’s armor-covered chest, he didn’t even flinch.

  “Good!” she said. “Victor, drop the lance.” She looked at one of the workers on the sidelines. “Give him some different weapons.” When the man nodded, she continued. “Okay, men, once Victor is ready, please proceed.”

  Victor rode the horse like a champ and wielded a mace and sword. His sword-fighting skills were amazing, and he put on quite the display as he successfully jousted with five other knights from the realm. I anxiously watched the knights wage mock battles, galloping toward Victor at full speed. Swords clanged, shouts echoed, and sparks flew as the blades crashed into one another. A chorus of cheers for Victor came from other workers on the sidelines.

  “He’s amazing!” the owner squealed. “Where’d he learn to fight like that? It’s like he’s been doing it his whole life.”

  “Um, Victor really gets into this kind of stuff.”

  “It’s as if he was born for it.”

  I grinned. “One would think that.”

  “He’s definitely fits the part. He has the shoulder-length hair, the bright blue eyes, the muscular build, and he can ride a horse, fight, and act. The women are going to swoon when they see him.” She grabbed my arm. “I hope that’s not a problem.”

  “Absolutely not,” I said.

  Suddenly, a woman screamed when a two-year-old ran into the arena, right into the path of an oncoming stallion. I tried to use my powers, but they wouldn’t cooperate. Somehow, a bubble suddenly incased the child, and the horse ran right over top of him.

  Everyone ran over to the crying boy and examined him for injuries. Since they were merely human, none of them could see the bubble.

  “He’s okay!” someone shouted.

  “How’s that possible? That horse trampled him.”

  “It’s a miracle,” someone else said.

  “How did this child get in here?” the owner said.

  A woman dressed like a princess glanced up at her. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t have a babysitter,” she cried. “I promise it won’t happen again.”

  “It better not!” the owner yelled.

  I glanced up at Victor on his decorated horse. He lifted his visor and winked at me, and I grinned, knowing he had saved the child. “Thank you,” I mouthed, and he grinned.

  So, just like that, we both had more suitable jobs at Fairfield Castle. Victor had landed the role of the lifetime, to play a king, and I would be his queen. We were both thrilled they let us keep our own names.

  Victor lit up every time we went to work. He enjoyed wearing the elaborate, fancy costumes. It reminded him of home, and it was something he could connect to in a world that was still foreign to him. We even accessorized to make us look more realistic. I wore necklaces, earrings, brooches, and rings, and I even went to great lengths to braid my hair in the most popular medieval styles, something I’d learned back at our real castle as a real queen. I usually wore a long, velvet gown, and a beautiful crown adorned my head.

  Everyone loved Victor’s charismatic personality. He was so handsome in his medieval outfit: gold crown and a fur-lined, red cape that screamed royalty. His blue tunic stretched across his broad chest, and a detailed family crest was stitched into the material. He wore brown boots, and a matching belt circled his lean waist. He played the part to a tee, just as I had suspected he would, and he instantly became the most popular actor, a real fan favorite who was surrounded by people after every show.

  Lynn, one of the maidens, seemed jealous of all the attention we receive
d, and I often spotted her rolling her eyes at me. “You wouldn’t know medieval glamour if it bit you in your pompous butt,” she said to me one day.

  “Trust me,” I said, “I would. I lived and breathed it—literally.”

  “You’re a poor choice for a queen. You don’t know the first clue about it.”

  I smirked at her comment, for I was a real queen and had lived as one for more than a year in Tastia’s royal castle. “There are some things books and the Internet just can’t teach you, Lynn, I said. Not even acting classes are guaranteed to help. I know more from firsthand experience than you’ll ever know.”

  She laughed. “I doubt that. I’ve spent ten years in theater.”

  Just as I started to really tear into her and tell her off, Victor pulled me back, and the woman slipped into the approaching crowd. Nothing pissed me off more than petty people, but I was glad he stopped me before the whole thing turned into a hair-pulling, scratching royal cat-fight.

  The production manager motioned us over to the stairs, and we climbed up to the tiny stage and sat in oversized, throne-style chairs with red velvet cushions. The manager made an announcement that all patrons were to stay down on the platform and that we would answer as many questions as we could. Even though we had a script, we also knew enough to do a little improv and some ad-libbing of our own. With my poofy dress, nobody even suspected I was pregnant. I had informed the owner and she was fine with it. She even said I could take off up to three months afterward if I so desired. Before we knew it, the questions and comments were coming from every direction.

  “Queen Sarah is, without a doubt, very beautiful,” a man with a black beard said, “but she’s just another pretty face. What made you choose her out of all the fair maidens in your vast kingdom?”

  Victor stared deeply into my eyes and reached his hand out.

  I slowly stood as my gaze connected with his.

  “She has a spirit like no other woman in my kingdom. She is compassionate and kind, and she touches lives wherever she goes. She also put me in my place like no maiden has ever dared to.”

  I smiled, and he shot me a wink.

  Victoriously, he held my hand up high. “This woman is my world!” he shouted, and everyone cheered.

  “King Victor, you’re so convincing as a medieval warrior king!” a man said. “The fight scenes were amazing. What theater experience do you have?”

  I smiled and answered on my husband’s behalf. “King Victor has no acting experience. I assure you he is just being himself.”

  “How did you meet your king?” an old woman asked with a big smile.

  “It was love at first sight, but he did kidnap me, throw me in a dungeon, and force me to marry him,” I said in the most dramatic voice I could muster.

  The woman’s brow shot up. “He did what?”

  “I most certainly did not force her,” Victor said. “She was after an ancient piece of jewelry.”

  “A thief!” someone shouted.

  “No, I planned to return it. I just needed to borrow it.”

  “Borrow what?” a woman with a long ponytail asked.

  I held up my hand. “This ring. I duped him out of it and ran.”

  The blonde woman couldn’t stop staring. “It looks so real.”

  “Nah, it’s just costume jewelry,” somebody mumbled.

  “How did you get away with the ring?” another asked.

  “I devised a plan, then escaped from our wedding reception,” I said.

  “I chased her because I wanted her, but also because my enemy wished to kill her.”

  “He literally saved my life,” I said, meeting his gaze, “and although I fought him the entire time, he never gave up one me.”

  Victor squeezed my hand. “The two of us grew close while running from a common enemy who wished to destroy us. We were poisoned and left to die, but through a series of, uh...chance events, we survived. I knew then that Queen Sarah was the love of my life.” He kissed my lips. “I knew by the look in her eyes that she loved me just as much as I loved her.”

  “So, Queen Sarah, you forgave him for kidnapping you?” a thin woman asked.

  I lovingly looped my arm through his. “I did. Who could say no to such a handsome king?” Victor sweetly kissed my lips before I continued, “I had always been a hopeless romantic and dreamt of becoming a princess. Imagine my surprise when I actually became a queen! And now our storybook romance is complete. We are living happily ever after,” I declared.

  “I love you with all my heart, my beautiful Queen,” Victor said.

  Emotion poured from my voice. “I love you, too, My King.”

  “Ooh!” and “Ah!” erupted from the crowd.

  “They’re not reading the script,” the producer whispered to the owner.

  “Don’t worry about it. This is entertainment, and the people are loving them!” she said.

  “There they are!” a young man shouted. “That’s them!”

  As I turned to meet his gaze, I smiled. It was the same guy we’d met when we came through the portal, the one who gave us a ride to town in his pickup. They found it odd that we were in medieval clothing, so we told them we were practicing for a theater production. Now, being there only confirmed our fib.

  “Hey! It’s them!” the girl said.

  The young man nudged her. “They’re so good!”

  I smiled at the irony.

  “Is it true you only bathe once a year,” a teen girl asked, “if at all?”

  “Does it take a chisel to get the layers of dirt off?” another yelled.

  “That’s only a myth,” I answered. “We use soap made from animal fats, so getting clean is easy. For those who aren’t fortunate enough to have a tub in their home, we provide bathhouses that are open to all. In the warmer months, some people bathe in the lakes and rivers nearby. Some people bathe weekly, some daily, but it takes a lot of time and labor to fill a tub. Personally, I opt to bathe every night, as I’ve got no wish to stink to high heaven.”

  The crowd chuckled.

  “We don’t have modern plumbing, but we do use hot water. We just have to heat it up ourselves,” Victor said.

  I shot him a look. “We? Dear, don’t you mean your servants?”

  More chuckles erupted.

  “King Victor, do people cover their meats in sauces to hide the rotten stench?” a man asked.

  “Would you?” Victor asked.

  “Not a chance.”

  “Then neither would we. We have means to keep our meat edible. It is salted, dried, pickled, and smoked.”

  “We also preserve all kinds of vegetables and fruits,” I added, “and we eat and enjoy many fresh meats too.”

  “Such as?” the man asked.

  “We enjoy fish and shellfish, rabbits, chickens, doves, pigeons, and—” Victor started.

  “Do not eat the pigeons!” I cut in.

  Everyone laughed.

  “They’re very tough, the nastiest poultry one could ever eat.”

  Sitting in his big throne, Victor stayed in character simply by telling the truth. “Venison, pork, and duck are my favorites.”

  “How do you move around in all that armor?” a man asked. “I read somewhere that chainmail, plate, helm, and a sword can weigh over a hundred pounds.”

  “It isn’t a problem for me. I began training for battle at age twelve, and I can do everything from riding a horse to fighting in a heated battle.”

  “So chainmail is completely functional?”

  “Yes,” Victor said, “and in it, I don’t feel there is anything or anyone I can’t conquer.”

  I winked at him. “Unless you go for a casual swim, Highness.”

  He laughed. “Of course! I suppose then I’d sink like a lead dragon, my love!”

  “And be gobbled up by a sea serpent,” I kidded.

  A wave of laughter drifted through the air.

  “Do you brush your teeth?” someone asked.

  “Of course not,” I said, and t
he crowd stared at me as I broke into a fit of laughter. “Surely I jest! Just be lucky you have toothpaste in this century. We are forced to use mixtures of herbs and abrasives or even burnt rosemary ashes. It is rather nasty, and sometimes I feel compelled to down some medieval ale just to get the taste out of my mouth.” I made a face, then frowned at the memory. I had scolded Liz about wanting to meld too much of our world into theirs, but I had every intention of taking a large supply of toothbrushes and toothpaste back with me when we returned to Tastia.

  The crowd roared with laughter.

  “She’s so good!” the production manager said. “If I didn’t know any better, I swear she’s really brushed her teeth with herbs a time or two.”

  The woman who ran the theater smiled. “Yes, she’s definitely a natural. I’m gonna have to give these two a raise. If we’re not careful, we’ll lose them to some big-time Hollywood agent.”

  We answered questions for the next hour. By then, my feet had swollen up like balloons, and I was dying to get home so I could lift them up in the recliner and snuggle with my medieval hottie. I was just glad we had Colgate instead of burnt rosemary, because that made kissing him all the more delightful.

  Chapter 8

  We rented a house in the woods, surrounded by quite a bit of land, and we even bought a yellow Labrador for a pet. Liz and Charles lived down the street and got jobs at the theater too. I enjoyed showing Victor around, sightseeing in California, and teaching him all sorts of slang. Before long, he began to sound and look like everyone else, a real California boy if there ever was one, except that he still insisted on exercising with heavy logs instead of weights.

  My life felt perfect. I had everything I’d ever wanted, from my friends and family to my kind, sweet husband to the perfect house with the little white picket fence. Nobody ever suspected our true identity, and we lived quite incognito. Victor fit in more and more every day, but I knew he had no intention of staying in my world. He’d promised me he would stay until our baby turned eighteen, but I knew the second that happened, we would have to return to his kingdom. I tried not to think about it so I could just enjoy my time in my world. I would watch my baby grow up, spend time with my family, and make the most out of every single moment I had in California.