by Holly Hook
Irving swung on his rope and jumped away from the tree, landing in the river with a giant splash.
He had to. Just this once.
They might not even notice me gone.
It was a long walk to the castle, up the hill and through the gardens. I spotted Father’s favorite horse, Lightning, tied by the stables. Lightning had a pack on his back. My heart sank. Father hadn’t left with any luggage.
“You might not want her to spot you,” Bernice said. “Let’s go through the kitchens.”
Bernice held the door open for me and the two of us went through the steamy kitchen, where servants kept their hands in scalding water and chopped vegetables for dinner later. None of them gave us any notice as we walked across the brick floor and through intoxicating food smells. They were busy, much busier than normal, almost as if they were getting ready for a big occasion.
A thought formed, but I wouldn't finish it. Bernice guided me through the dining hall and then to the entrance hall. She waved me behind one of our large potted shrubs and motioned for me to look.
I did.
Father stood there under the chandelier in his green hunting clothes and next to his advisor, Larry. He was covered in leaf bits as if he had run through the forest for some time. He was talking, but he was too far away for me to hear. He motioned around the entrance hall and faced away from where the portraits of my brothers hung, fresh and new. The seventh space was still empty. The artist hadn’t done my portrait yet. There was still an empty space on the wall, waiting for it to go up.
“How many children?” a woman asked with a booming voice.
And then I saw her.
The woman in the red and black dress, with hair almost as dark and eyes that were sharp and piercing. She faced the paintings with disapproval.
“My sons will not be a bother,” Father said, raising his own voice. Fear made his words jumpy. “I promise. I was married once.”
The woman stepped closer to the paintings. She put her hands on her hips and surveyed my brothers. “How old is your eldest?”
Father paused. He cleared his throat. “Almost fifteen,” he said.
He was hiding my existence. He could--for now.
“Sir, do you really wish to be married tonight?” Larry asked, leaning closer to my father.
“Yes,” he said. “It must be tonight.” There was no smile. “She saved me from being lost forever. I must do what’s right.”
The woman smiled and drew closer to Father. She slung her arm over his shoulders and he cringed.
Something had happened.
Something was forcing Father into this. He must have entered into some deal.
Bernice pulled me back from the plant. “This woman doesn’t know you’re here,” she whispered to me as we walked back down the hall towards the kitchens. “I have no doubt she’s dangerous. She knows about your brothers. You need to blend in with the servants until we can figure out what’s going on.”
I glanced down at my white-blue dress, my one that shimmered in the sun, and as much as I loved it, I knew it would mark me as a target the moment Annie saw me. Servants didn't wear this. I let Bernice lead me up to the servants' quarters, to a place I had been only a handful of times. The narrow hallway was lined with wooden doors and lit with candles. I was shocked at how small the rooms were now that I was older. Bernice opened a door and pushed me inside.
"What about my brothers?" I asked. "We can't let that woman get near them." Terror squeezed my heart as Bernice opened her cabinet to reveal lots of plain gray and blue dresses with white lace.
I had almost lost one of them once.
I swore up and down I'd never do it again.
The older woman waved me closer.
"I'll have Edward tell them to stay away from the castle," Bernice said. "They won't come in until night is approaching. We have time to figure out what to do. I think they'll be safe out in the stables. I'll tell your father's bride that they are out visiting a royal cousin."
I was glad that the river was so far away from the castle. The boys would have fun all day, not knowing that our lives had been upended like this. I'd let them have this last day of no worry. The river was far and Immanuel wouldn't try anything with the five others there.
At least, I hoped. And that had been almost five years ago.
Bernice helped me to get out of my dress and change into the servant one, a plain blue one with white lace and an apron. I felt more safe, but very plain. She also removed the silvery swan clip from my hair and hid everything in the dresser. I felt so strange. Our servants were well treated, but I hadn't realized what it was like to be ordinary.
I followed Bernice back out into the kitchens, determined to blend in. I was out of my element here. Bernice found a closet and handed me a broom. "Just sweep," she told me. "All you have to do is sweep the floors. Listen to that woman as much as you can. Try to see what her plans are. I'll be staying close to you."
I felt better, knowing that Bernice was looking out for me. I had always liked her. She had stepped in when Mother passed, absorbing my tears and showing me how to take the place of Mother for the boys. She'd been my rock when Father couldn't be there, when he was too busy running the kingdom.
And now I needed to watch out for them again. I'd do whatever it took.
I grabbed the broom and swept at the floors, but Bernice had to correct me and show me how to sweep all the dust and crumbs and pebbles into a pile before putting them into the dustpan and dumping them in the ash piles outside. I got the hang of it after some practice and went around the castle, sweeping up any messes and dirt I could find. I hadn't realized the servants led such boring lives until now. I wondered when they got time to read.
I swept around the castle for some time. I hadn't appreciated how large it was, with its four stories and long hallways until now. I swept under our stained glass swan windows in the upper hallway. I cleaned up the path around our enclosed garden and our fruit trees. I even swept up around my large bedroom, around my blue canopy bed and around my wardrobe. But then Bernice appeared in the doorway, eyeing my room and frowning.
I didn't have time to ask her what was wrong. Footsteps came up the stairs behind her.
"This is where the boys sleep," Father was saying.
"I would like to see the chambers," the woman said.
"Annie, you will see them in time. It is the boys' rooms. Why are you so concerned?"
Then I realized.
If Annie saw this room, she would know I existed. Father was trying to stop her.
Bernice burst into the room. "Tell her this used to belong to the old Queen," she whispered. "And we are cleaning it out."
The two of us went to work tearing the sheets off my bed just as a flash of red appeared in the doorway.
"What is this?" Annie asked, full of suspicion.
Bernice faced her. "The former Queen's room," she said.
Father glanced at me, then quickly looked away. He stood behind Annie as if he'd become a shadow of her. "My former wife passed away not too long ago," he said, picking a leaf bit off his hunting tunic. "I kept her room tidy for a while, but since you are here, it is time to get rid of her old things, I suppose. I'm having my servants clean it out."
Annie faced him. Even from the side, I could spot the darkness in her eyes and her soul. The air felt cold as if she were sucking the life out of it. "The two of you slept on opposite sides of the castle?"
My heart raced. She would see how much I looked like Father soon. I went to work tearing the second sheet off the bed and folding it, putting my back to Annie. Bernice remained quiet and we folded the sheet.
"Our marriage," Father supplied, "was not happy in its last few years."
"I see," Annie said. She stepped into the room as if trying to survey her competition. "Are you sure she is dead?"
I didn't like the way she asked that.
"Positive," I said before Father could. The air felt sharper. It was something I'd never felt,
but it reminded me of the dark spot that was slowly growing in the forest. My brothers and I had only ventured close to it a few times, but even Irving hadn't been brave enough to step into it. The knights didn't even want to go in. This woman seemed to contain some of its essence. Father shifted in the doorway and whispered something to Larry as she drew closer and inspected the sheet. Annie passed very close to me, then opened the wardrobe to look at all of my dresses. I didn't dare give her any attention.
"Annie," Father said. "We need to prepare for the wedding. Our servants are busy getting ready and I don't want to be late."
She smiled. "Of course," she said. "We wouldn't want to miss it."
She followed Father out of the room, taking the cold and dread with her. The two of them spoke in low voices as they walked back down the stairs, Larry following.
Bernice put her hand on my back. "I didn't think she would be that intrusive," she told me. "She suspects your existence. You and your brothers need to leave this place as soon as you can. That woman is powerful. I have no doubt she'll make that dark spot outside grow faster. We'll have you hide in the stables. Annie won't look there."
I thought about that section of thick, dark forest and shuddered. I had always wondered what would happen if it spread to the castle grounds and turned everything sad and gloomy. This woman wasn't going to help matters. She was up to something and Father couldn't even use his authority to do anything about it.
We abandoned the room and headed back to the lower level. I took one last look at my bed and followed Bernice through the back entrance and to the stables. Edward was already there, dressed in his finest, and standing at the entrance. The horse smell hit me and I dreaded having to stay in there for the night.
Edward opened the door for me in silence. I stepped in.
My brothers sat together in a clean stall, one that none of the horses had ever used. All of them were still shirtless and Isaac was still wet from swimming in the river. Irving stood against the stable as if nothing were wrong and Isiah cried silent tears. Our lives had been okay up until now. One of the servants had gone and gotten them for me. I was relieved. Annie might have seen me running down the hills towards the river.
"Ignacia," Isaac said. He was skinny for an eight year old boy. "What's happening? Who's this lady?"
"She's no lady," I said. "We need to stay quiet in here."
"But what are we going to do?" Ike asked.
I had to have an answer for them. "We will need to hide, I suppose," I said. "This is the way of royalty sometimes." I said that to remind myself more than anything. The seven of us had been lucky until now. I'd heard tales of queens killing kings, of siblings warring against each other for the throne. It happened even in the light region of Fable. Unwanted marriages happened and power struggles played out behind the scenes.
"Why is that woman making us leave?" Ike asked. "We haven't even had time to gross her out yet."
I ruffled his hair, which made him grimace and push me away. "I don't know where she came from," I told him. "But she's mean and she's very strong. I think she's making Father marry her. Father doesn't want us to leave, but I think he's going to give the order. The servants will recommend that to him."
Isiah burst into full crying now. Edward closed the door, casting us in semi-darkness as if to hide the sound. I hoped that Annie wouldn't come out here and demand to inspect the stable. Maybe the smell would chase her away.
Bernice left us. She had to.
I kept an eye on Immanuel. Even though that night had happened almost five years ago, I couldn't shake it. Immanuel, running out of the castle after Mother's funeral. Me following him to the south side of the river, where rapids roared over rocks. Immanuel standing there with an eerie calm, edging closer and closer.
"I want to see Mother again," he'd said, taking a step. "The river will take me to her."
"No," I'd shouted, grabbing his arm and pulling my then eight year old brother back. "I love you. Don't leave us. I'll be your mom."
Immanuel had struggled against me, but at eleven I was bigger. I managed to pull him back and we both fell together. I had wrapped my arms around my little brother and didn't let go for what felt like ages. Immanuel had sobbed into my shoulder, letting out tears a prince wasn't allowed to shed in public.
"I promise," I told him. "I'll be your mom the best I can. Don't jump into the rapids."
I shook my head, trying to clear away the memory, but it was always there, reminding me of the words I'd said. We waited in the stable for a long time. The light got long and tired, and I dared to stand on a stool and peek through one of the cracks in the wall.
The wedding was outside. The servants had gathered and streamers hung everywhere from the trees in the courtyard. A white arch had been set up and it glistened in the dying light. Knights guarded the perimeter, facing away from us, and Father stood under the arch as the priest pulled at his collar and prepared to read. He had changed into his finery and his crown along with his pale blue cape, but even from this distance I could see the worry and the shame on his face.
"What do you see?" Ike asked. "Is it horrible?"
"It's not great," I said.
"Is Father really getting married?" Isaac asked.
"Let me see," Ivan said, tugging at my shirt.
"Leave her alone," Irving said, pulling him away.
Behind the hastily assembled wedding, the dark spot loomed worse than ever.
It had been there for years, just one of thousands here in Fable, growing a few inches each month. But the size of it now made me gasp. It had reached the edge of the forest and was touching the courtyard now, ready to take over.
And still the wedding went on.
"No," I muttered. "Father. Don't do it."
And then Annie appeared.
She emerged from the castle and marched up the split crowd of servants and knights, holding a bouquet of very red flowers, flowers the color of blood. I wondered where she found them. We had none in our gardens, only blue and white flowers like the neighboring Fox Kingdom had.
And then she stood next to my father.
Behind them, the dark spot grew.
I had never seen it grow before, but it was leaking across the grass and towards us like a spreading puddle of darkness. The knights shifted, but remained in place. The grass turned almost black and any dandelions growing out of it shriveled and died. The evil marched forward, one inch at a time, but it was unmistakable. The longer the wedding went on, the worse it got.
I wondered if it would overtake the entire kingdom.
"I can't stand here," I said. I had to stop the wedding. Annie had to be a powerful dark being. Only they could make dark spots grow that fast. I climbed down from the stool and pushed past my brothers, who were waiting for my word on whatever was happening.
"Where are you going?" Irving asked.
"To stop this."
"Wait," he said, trying to reach for me. "You can't. That Annie wants to kill us. That's what Edward told me."
"The dark spot is getting bigger." I stormed for the door. I couldn't let it reach my brothers. That might kill them just as much as Annie would. I pushed the door open, only to find Edward and Bernice standing there, blocking my way.
And both of them wore the most grave expressions I had ever seen.
"Stop," Bernice said. "Your father has ordered us to take you away now. He's given us a way to reach the other world."
"The other world?" I asked, fear blossoming. I'd only heard rumors of the other world, a place where there were far more people than here and where there were strange inventions everywhere you turned. There was even a theory that the imaginations of the other world kept this one alive, even though many skeptics in the kingdom, some of the servants included, thought that was nothing more than a story. "How are we supposed to get there?"
"Your father has an artifact given to him by a wise woman a few years ago," Edward said, maintaining his stiff composure. "A ball of yarn. It can show you t
he way to any place you desire."
Bernice reached into her pocket and pulled out the ball of yarn. It was purple and glowing in the dim light. I could feel the warmth radiating from it. This artifact was full of light magic. It reminded me of the rampion that had grown at the site of a fallen star a few years ago over in one of our villages. Bernice had taken me to go see it. I still dreamt about the gorgeous purple flower that glowed and sparkled with light.
"Your father's orders are to take you to a safe house in the other world," Edward continued. "It is deep in the forest and very difficult to find without this yarn. There is a portal to the other world miles from here and we will have to walk through the dark. We need to hurry."
My legs trembled, but I turned to my brothers and kept my face calm. "Come on," I said. "We're going to go for a long walk." At least they were getting out of here.
I left the stable. The dark spot had nearly reached the wedding by now. Despair and gloom had spread almost to the altar. Annie clutched my father's hands while the nervous priest read.
Bernice and Larry led us around the back of the castle, uphill, away from where the wedding was being celebrated. We entered the forest and Bernice held the ball of yarn in front of her. "To the nearest portal," she ordered.
I watched as the yarn unraveled itself, floating off her hand and shooting into the trees. The purple line remained floating, a beacon for us to follow, as the nine of us walked in silence. We walked for a long time and the yarn never seemed to end, as if it were infinite. The forest got darker and darker and Isiah whimpered. I reached out and held him close to me.
"We'll make it," I told him.
"We're never going to see Father again," he said.
"Yes, we will. Until we do, I'll take care of you."
We walked in a single file line through thickening trees, up terrible hills and around armies of boulders. The farther from the castle we got, the worse it got. Twigs snapped around us. Edward had a sword hanging from his belt, but I wasn't sure how much well the stableman could fight if bandits were out here. It was full night by time we reached the portal, a perfectly round pond which seemed to have an inner glow. It sat in the middle of a field with nothing but dark tree surrounding it.
