Myths and Gargoyles by Jamie Hawke (interesting books to read in english txt) 📕

“There’s a spiritual or magical way of telling more than any other way,” Pucky said, but then waved off her own comment. “The point is, we do. And…”

She paused, looking at the other ladies.

“We have a question for you,” Elisa said, and then nodded. As one, they went to one knee each, then Pucky held out a ring, each of them putting their hands on her arm.

As one, they said, “Jack, will you marry us?”

I nearly choked on my surprise. Maybe I should’ve seen it coming, but in the normie world, it didn’t happen this way. My father was smiling wider than I’d ever seen him smile.

“You knew about this?” I asked.

He winked. “Son, we live in an age where a woman proposing to a man isn’t what it once was. Being wanted isn’t a bad thing, and being wanted by four stunning women? I’d say you have to be an idiot to turn this down.”

My mom hit him.

“Not that I’d ever want more than one,” he added quickly. “Hell, how you’ll manage is beyond me.”

She hit him again, but laughed. “I’m not arguing, but your father likes it when I hit him, so I go along.”

“Ah, too much information.”

“Jack…” Elisa said, voice low, eyebrows raised. “We’re kind of waiting for an answer.”

“Oh, damn,” I chuckled. “I mean, of course.”

Sharon looked up at me, eyes wide. “Wait, that was a yes, right?”

Pucky, even Red and Elisa were there, waiting for an answer. The others would maybe join in too, in time. I had no idea—it was all too confusing. But one thing wasn’t confusing in the slightest, and that was my answer.

“Of course, yes.” I said. “YES!”

I went to them, helping them up and we were all kissing, then the others were stepping forward, congratulating us, kissing me as well. The whole scene made me feel like I was flying again, so much joy bursting forth that Roar jumped out, soaring around the sky above and roaring, nearly giving my mom a heart attack. My parents were doing fairly well, considering all of this was so new to them, and I looked forward to sitting down with them over a bottle of wine to tell them everything. Well, of course not everything, but as much about this world as I could to help explain.

Fairies appeared around Maleficent, flittering about us with their glowing purples and greens, and a flock of crows flew overhead as the Queen of Crows laughed, throwing her arms around Red.

A lot of these women seemed the most unlikely of friends. The idea of the goth mistress herself, Red, being my lover—or in a shared marriage—with Elisa and Pucky didn’t fit, but here it was, happening. Her and Sharon, though? Yeah, that actually seemed like a match. Throw in the queens of fairies and crows, a half goose or whatever Huera was, and the cat and lioness goddesses, and I had one interesting future in terms of relationships. A future I wouldn’t change for anything.

Epilogue

We didn’t waste any time with the wedding—why would we? It was all done per the old ways, with Mowgli making it official and doves released into the sky and all that. No Church or State, since they would’ve ruled a marriage of this size illegal and the whole idea of the fairy tales existing to begin with was a murky one.

It went by in a blur, me in fancy robes of a Protector that reminded me of a combination between what Prince Aladdin and Prince Charming would’ve worn at the height of their fame. Flowing robes of royal blue with gold lining, and all that brouhaha that I couldn’t give two shits about. What mattered to me was the ladies, and boy did they bring it.

They redid the gardens of Elisa’s mansion—I guess our mansion, now—and had a whole crowd of fairy tales gathered. My parents were there in the front row and Chris nearby with his witches, the other members of my team acting as brides maids. Music started and I couldn’t tell where from, until I noticed some of it was coming from fairies, but also from several fauns I could just make out sitting amongst the trees.

First down the aisle was Pucky. A diamond studded tiara had been placed just perfectly to cover her recent horn injury, and it complimented the green and blue of her many layered dress. It moved like the wind, with tiny fairies adding an effect like the stars. Nearby, Maleficent gave her a nod, and I figured the two had worked together on the garment.

Next came Elisa in sky blue with white swan motif jewelry and tiara. What struck me the most about her, though, was the way the veil and dress shimmered, reminiscent of the way a cool breeze blows across an otherwise calm lake.

Sharon emerged in a stunning gown of gold and black. Very not what one would expect in a wedding, but for her I thought it was the perfect display of her new life, a mixture of the shadows with light I was glad to see she had already healed from her wounds, completely, as not a scratch showed on her exposed arms or shoulders. Her eyes met mine and the joy that showed there made my knees buckle, so that I had to focus on my breathing. I was actually going to be with these women for the rest of my life! Tingling warmth spread through me, my smile wide.

Finally, Red entered, totally surprising me. No red or even black today, but a very traditional white wedding dress. The only sign of her moniker was the red lipstick, standing out strong against the white. Her breasts—already large—were pressed up for full cleavage effect, but in a classy way that reminded me of what a medieval wedding dress might have looked like. As she drew closer, I realized that was exactly what this was, only pristine. Arthur was looking at it