Carly’s POV:

Well it’s happening. I once thought I could only daydream about this, but now it’s real. I’m getting married to Gabe! I still feel giddy about it. I’m living in Coltbridge now and the wedding is coming up.

Lilyana, Gabe’s gorgeous mum, beams at me and holds out her cloud white wedding dress she used for her own wedding.

“Carly, dearest, try this on.”

Little Elmaya is clapping her hands and skipping excitedly. “Yay! Carly’s gonna be my new sister!”

“Thank you, thank you…” I try on the dress and look at myself in the mirror. OK, it’s a super elegant dress, but my gaze is irresistibly drawn to the shiny green face of my reflection. Shiny and bright green because of the mask I can never take off. “Aww, this dress is beautiful.” I sigh as I look at my reflection. “But why does my green face have to ruin everything?”

Elmaya grins up at me. “I liked your green face as soon as I saw it.”

I beam at her. “Aw, thank you.” I can always rely on Elmaya to be sweet.

Lilyanya scratches her freckled nose. “You will look stunning on your wedding day, my dear.”

I feel a flutter of happiness in my chest as Lilyanya compliments me. “Thank you… I hope so.” I gaze at myself in the mirror again, trying to see past my green face and focus on the beauty of the dress.

00O00

The next day

It’s time to meet Gabe’s five brothers. He’s bringing them all round to see me and I’m nervous. Fortunately, I’m playing with Elmaya and can take my mind off things. I laugh as I chase little ‘Maya around the room in our game of witches and fairies. She’s wearing her fairy costume.

I grab Elmaya. “Gotcha! You’re my prisoner now, little fairy!” I lift Elmaya up in the air before playfully rubbing my nose against hers.

Elmaya laughs delightedly. I grin. “You’re such a cute little fairy.”

I set Elmaya down and continue to play with her. I stretch out my rubbery green nose so it’s about six inches long. “Woo-hoo! Time for this witch to catch a cute little fairy!” I grab Elmaya, cackling like a witch. “Mwahahahaha! I’ve got you now!” I pucker my lips as if I’m going to kiss Elmaya, but pull back because of my long nose. “Oh darn, my big ol’ nose is in the way!”

Elmaya laughs and giggles. “It’s OK, Miss Witch. I’m not afraid of you.”

I grin and give a playful growl. “Oh, you’re not afraid, huh? Well we’ll see about that!” I playfully chase the little girl around the room again, making monster sounds and pretending to try and catch her. We run out of the room and come to a halt as we run into a whole crowd of very handsome young men. Blue eyes, freckled, with sculpted faces. All devastatingly handsome. Gabe and his five brothers.

The brothers all get a load of me with my grotesquely long nose and shiny green face. I feel a twinge of self-consciousness as all five of Gabe’s older brothers stare at me. “Uh… hi guys.” I give an awkward wave, feeling a bit nervous under their scrutiny.

Elmaya grins up at her brothers. “This is Carly an’ she’s sweet ‘n funny.”

I relax a little as Elmaya vouches for me. I smile gratefully at her. “Thanks Elmaya.” I’m acutely aware the brothers are eyeing my ugly green face, so I push my nose so that it shrinks to be a cute green button nose.

“Do not stare, my brothers,” says Gabe. “Why in the world are you surprised? I have told you all about the Masked Maiden. The unconquerable warrior woman and now my bride-to-be.”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

I bet I’m blushing under my mask. My face moves underneath my mask to form a shy smile. The brothers all look surprised for a moment, but they seem to accept the news without protest. One of them grins and nudges another. A very handsome guy, one of the older ones, with lustrous black hair and well marked freckles all over his face smiles at me. “So, you are the one who will marry our littlest brother?”

“That’s right, Glor,” says Gabe. “This is Carly, everyone.”

I nod and smile at the handsome guys, feeling a bit more comfortable now. “Nice to meet all of you.”

The brothers nod back and offer various greetings. I grasp each of their hands in turn and gaze up at their handsome faces. Oh gosh, since when was I last surrounded by this many guys who were this handsome? I’m not the only one who can’t look enough. The brothers keep stealing glances at my shiny green face. Elmaya holds up her arms which is her way of requesting that I pick her up. I grin and scoop her up in my arms. “Aww… someone’s getting tired?” I nuzzle my shiny green nose against Elmaya’s freckled one affectionately, making the little girl giggle with delight.

“Can you stay with me forever?” asks Elmaya.

I smile at her. “I’m marrying your brother, so that means I’ll be part of the family too.” I touch my forehead to Elmaya’s and look at the older brothers who are watching the interaction with amused expressions. Are they gonna be as welcoming as Elmaya?

00O00

The next night

It’s a special Coltbridge festival tonight. It’s the Fire and Blood festival. Sounds intense. It’s kind of like a celebration where there’s a bonfire and effigies of the city’s historical enemies are burned. It’s passed Elmaya’s bedtime, but I’m here in a wide field with Gabe and his brothers and I look around in awe at the huge crowd gathered near the roaring bonfire. “Wow… this is quite a gathering.” I can feel the warmth of the flames on my skin.

Gabe and his brothers stand around me protectively and I feel grateful for their presence as we wait for the main event to begin. I bombard them with questions. “So how does this usually go? Is there some kind of ceremony before the effigies are burned?”

Glor, the second oldest answers me. “Our Mayor will speak and pray for the people of Coltbridge. Then he lights the fire with a flint and iron tool.”

“Sounds pretty traditional. Um…” I can feel the weight of the brothers’ protective gazes on me, making me feel both flattered and a little self-conscious. I try to focus on the mayor’s speech, but find myself distracted by their handsome faces. Even through the mask, I can feel the warmth of the fire on my face. I watch as the effigy of an evil warlord is brought forward. I look at its pterodactyl shoulder plate and medium helm with a visor like a portcullis. “Wow. He looks scary. Is he someone who attacked Coltbridge?”

“That’s the Duke of Death!” says Orrian the fourth brother. “He planned to purge all life.”

My eyes widen. “That sounds dreadful. I can see why they’re burning an effigy of him here.”

I look around at the sculpted faces of the brothers again, noticing their intense expressions as they watch the effigy being prepared for burning.

The Mayor calls out, “let us send him to Hell.” Then he lights the effigy with a match. The crowd cheers and someone is passing around horns brimming with mead. The six brothers are all cheering and distracted and waving their arms in the air. Someone slips me a horn of mead while they’re not looking. I feel a warm, fuzzy feeling as I sip on the mead and watch the burning effigy. I suddenly have an idea and tug on Glor’s sleeve. “Hey, can you lift me up so I can get a better view?”

Glor looks down and nods, before effortlessly lifting me into his arms. “Thanks!” As I’m being held by him, I feel giddy from the alcohol and at how close my shiny green face is to his handsome freckled one. My heart flutters as I look into the eyes of the second oldest brother. Feeling bold from the mead, I lean forward and plant a soft kiss on his cheek. I giggle and grin, feeling the heat rising to my cheeks. I want another kiss, so I kiss his other cheek. I smile into his face and decide to go for one more kiss, this time on his forehead. I feel all warm and tingly from his closeness… I plant a kiss on his freckled nose and giggles at how cute he looks. I feel a rush of boldness and decide to go for a kiss on his lips. I pull him closer and press the lips of my mask against his in a gentle, but passionate kiss. His brown eyes widen in surprise. I pull back from the kiss with a smile, looking at him to gauge his reaction. I notice his freckled face is blushing pink and I smile, knowing he enjoyed it. I reach up and gently caress his cheek with my hand, feeling a warm glow of happiness. I’m a little put out when Glor hands me off to Jandar, the oldest brother. But I regain my composure and smile at him.

“Hey there! Looks like I’m your responsibility now.” His arms are so strong. I feel a tingling sense of excitement and nervousness as my shiny green face is so close to his freckled one that I can see every difference between him and Glor. Jandar has more freckles clustered about his nose and he has such limpid blue green eyes that I just stare into them like I’m hypnotised. “You’re so beautiful,” I blurt out, and then I hiccup. Feeling bold, warm and fuzzy from the mead I smile into his face and say, “give a poor green-faced girl a kiss, handsome.” I lean forward and kiss him on the mouth. He tastes like strawberries and cream. I giggle at my own boldness.