Princess of Shadows: The Princess and the Pea Retold (Fairy Tale Adventures Book 1)

by A. G. Marshall

  Marcus’s eyes lit up.

  “Luca left magic behind?”

  “Here we go,” Stefan said. “You’ll regret letting him into your club.”

  “Marcus has always loved magic,” Alaric whispered to Lina. “He’s been trying to teach himself enchantments since he was a child.”

  “I don’t suppose you ever joined him?”

  Alaric winked.

  “I might have once or twice.”

  “Everyone must wear a smock in the vault!” Simon said. “The items Luca left are irreplaceable. I won’t risk getting them dirty!”

  He rushed around handing everyone white smocks. They slipped them over their clothes. The silver moonlight gleamed on the white cloth.

  “I can’t tell you how pleased I am to finally share this secret,” Simon said. “The greatest resources in the Aeonian archive, and I’ve had to keep them hidden away!”

  “They won’t be for public display,” Queen Marta said. “You know that, right? We’re the only ones allowed in.”

  Simon bowed to the group.

  “This is more than enough. And to have Evangelina Shadow-Storm to help us interpret the documents will be invaluable. I must apologize again for not recognizing you the first time you came into the archive.”

  Lina nodded to him. She was having trouble pulling her smock over her head. It had been a few weeks since her battle with Nog, but her arms were still stiff. Alaric took the smock from her hands and slipped it over her head and shoulders. She thanked him with a quick kiss.

  Queen Marta and King Noam smiled and shared a kiss of their own.

  “I am so glad you woke up, Lina,” Marta said. “It is wonderful to have you here.”

  “It is wonderful to know the truth,” King Noam said.

  Stefan pulled his smock over his head and made a face.

  “I was looking forward to not doing any more research. Is it really necessary for all of us to go to the vault?”

  “Yes, it is,” Marta said. “Together, we are the new royal family of Aeonia. We all need to understand what the previous one left behind.”

  Cael, Henry, and Benjamin ignored Stefan’s protests and walked towards the center of the room. They gathered light magic in their hands and aimed it at the ceiling.

  “Of course,” Prince Marcus said. “The mirrors that reflect sunlight and moonlight also reflect light magic. Do you think you could teach me?”

  King Noam laughed.

  “Let them open the vault in peace, Marcus. If it is possible to teach you, I’m sure they will.”

  Marcus smiled at Lina.

  “I found some scrolls at the school archive that might interest you,” he said. “I could request to have them transferred here if you want to look at them.”

  She nodded.

  “Yes, that would be helpful. Simon, how does the vault door work?”

  The archive keeper shrugged.

  “I’m not sure exactly. Light magic must be mixed with moonlight for the doors to open. It will take about an hour to activate the enchantment.”

  Stefan choked.

  “An hour? We’re going to sit here for an hour while they blast those mirrors with light?”

  “Yes,” Marta said. “We are. Be thankful all three of them are here. It takes much longer for one person to open it. This is why we weren’t able to fetch enchanted gems quickly enough for Lina when she fought Nog. It took too long to open the doors.”

  “Moonlight,” Lina said. “I wonder if the spell was originally meant to be aided by shadow magic. I can’t imagine Luca having the patience to spend an hour opening a door.”

  She walked to the middle of the room and shot a blast of shadow magic towards the mirrors. The archive shuddered, and a section of the floor slid away to reveal a winding set of stairs.

  “Remarkable!” Simon said.

  “Thank goodness,” Stefan said.

  Simon led them down the stairs. Lina’s heart pounded as she walked. It smelled like her old workshop. Like potions and gems and parchments. Like magic.

  “All this time,” Alaric said. “Proof was here this whole time. Do you know how many hours I searched scrolls for evidence of Evangelina? You could have given me a hint, Simon. Some encouragement.”

  Simon sniffed.

  “I would not risk the safety of Lady Evangelina Shadow-Storm to satisfy the curiosity of a young prince.”

  “Or two princes,” Marcus said. “I spend more time in the archives than you do, Alaric.”

  “I’m older. I started before you.”

  They reached the bottom of the staircase. A huge room supported by marble columns stretched as far as Lina could see in every direction. Enchanted gems in the ceiling illuminated the space.

  “Oh,” she said. “This is amazing! I had no idea it would be this big!”

  “We don’t know what half of it is,” Marta said. “Luca’s cataloging system isn’t very organized.”

  Marcus ran to the nearest table and surveyed its contents.

  “These are communication charms, right, Lina?”

  Lina glanced at the table and nodded.

  “Yes. How did you know that?”

  Marcus smiled.

  “I’ve spent a lot of time researching ancient magic. I recognize most of this. I could have helped Marta catalog it if she had told me.”

  “Well, you can help me,” Lina said. “How would you like to be my research apprentice? I’ll need a lot of help to take inventory of everything.”

  Marcus beamed at her.

  “Truly? You would let me help you?”

  “I’ll need you to help me. Do you accept?”

  “Yes! Of course!”

  Marcus ran from table to table examining the magical objects.

  “You’ve made him very happy,” Alaric whispered.

  “He’ll be very useful. We can use this magic to protect Aeonia once we know what we have.”

  Alaric kissed the top of her head.

  “I’m glad.”

  “I’m not helping,” Stefan said. “I’m done with research for a decade at least.”

  Lina grinned at him.

  “I won’t ask for your assistance, then. From what Alaric has told me, you’ve already helped me quite a bit.”

  “More than you’ll ever know. This oaf refused to acknowledge his feelings for you. He might have ended up with that bird brain Carina if not for me.”

  “She isn’t really obsessed with seagulls,” Lina said. “She was helping me. Distracting Alaric.”

  Stefan shrugged.

  “So you keep saying. Ugh. The only one worse than her was Fiora.”

  “Stefan!” Marcus called. “Come look at this! I found armor and swords!”

  “Excellent!”

  Stefan bowed to Lina and rushed to join Marcus.

  “Lina, come with me,” Marta said. “I want to show you something.”

  Lina took Alaric’s hand. Together they passed tables full of magical items. Marta paused in front of a small silver door.

  “I think you’ll want to look at these first.”

  Lina pushed the door open and gasped. Shelves of scrolls filled the room.

  “Are these-?”

  Marta nodded.

  “Letters from Luca. He wrote to you every day. The earliest are over here.”

  She led Lina to a small shelf in the corner. Lina pulled out the bottom scroll and checked the date.

  “He wrote this the day I fell asleep.”

  Tears gathered in her eyes. Alaric wrapped his arm around her.

  “Do you want me to leave you alone?”

  “No, please stay.”

  Lina unrolled the scroll. Her heart pounded as she read Luca’s familiar scrawling script.

  Dear Goat-Face,

  Blast it all, Lina. It isn’t any fun calling you names when you can’t answer. I’m tempted to call myself donkey just so it feels like you’re here.

  From what I can tell, your enchantment was a success. At least,
I haven’t been ambushed by any goblins today. I reported as much to King Dacian, and he seems pleased. I’ve been promoted, and he’s agreed to give me whatever resources I need to make sure the seal holds.

  I plan to use them to wake you. Don’t worry. I won’t do it unless I know the seal will hold without you. Well, I might do it if I know only a few goblins will slip through. We can deal with those.

  I miss you, Lina. It has only been a few hours, but I miss you.

  Lina lowered the scroll. She couldn’t see it any more. Tears streamed down her face.

  Alaric held her close while she cried. He stroked her hair.

  “I miss him,” Lina said. “I’m sorry, but I do.”

  “Don’t be sorry. Of course you miss him. He was your brother. Your best friend.”

  Lina looked at the long line of shelves.

  “He missed me for a lifetime,” she said. “I’ve only been without him a few days. It feels so wrong. So strange to be out of sync. We did everything together.”

  “I can’t imagine. Lina, I would make it right if I could.”

  “Make it right? No, Alaric. Don’t think that way. Luca and I chose this. We made this sacrifice to keep Aeonia safe. I miss him, but I wouldn’t change it.”

  “You are too perfect, you know. Too brave.”

  Lina rolled the scroll up and returned it to its place on the shelf. Her heart ached. She couldn’t read any more right now.

  It was too painful to have Luca’s words and not Luca. She would read the letters later. A little at a time. She wanted to know Luca’s story.

  But she also wanted to discover her own.

  Lina wrapped her arms around Alaric and pulled him into a kiss.

  Want more?

  Want to know how Luca and Lina ended up with such strange passwords? Get the short story Gemstones and Gremlins to see what happened. It’s included as part of my free bonus library!

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  KEEP READING for a preview of Princess of Secrets, Book 2 in the Fairy Tale Adventures Series.

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  Princess of Secrets

  Chapter 1

  A twig snapped. A small sound, but it pierced the dark forest like a cannon blast.

  Carina froze. She could just see her feet, and they rested on solid ground. Whatever cracked the twig, it wasn’t her.

  And it had been close.

  She leaned against a tree and checked her cloak to make sure no golden hair or pink silk had escaped. The black fabric hid her as long as it covered everything. Without it, she would glow in the moonlight.

  Another twig snapped. Farther away this time. Whoever else was in the forest, they were walking away from her.

  Carina took a deep breath to steady her nerves. It could be anyone. A merchant traveling to morning market. A farmer taking a shortcut to the next town. A sailor enjoying his shore leave.

  If they hadn’t noticed her, they weren’t her concern. She patted the pouch that held her communication charm. It was still there, nestled against her hip.

  She glided through the woods like a ghost, careful not to step on twigs or rustle branches. Carina had a lot of practice moving silently, and it showed. Her heartbeat quickened when she saw the castle’s lights in the distance.

  Guards paced the massive wall around the castle. They carried loaded crossbows and scanned the open field between them and the forest. The field Carina would have to cross.

  This was the trickiest part of her journey, and timing was key. She had to start running across the field before the guards were out of sight. If she waited until they were around the corner, they’d finish their round before she made it to the wall.

  And they’d shoot her.

  Carina crouched and waited. Almost time. Just a few more steps.

  A twig cracked behind her.

  Carina’s stomach dropped. It couldn’t be. She couldn’t have been followed. No one had ever caught her.

  She stayed still and waited. Maybe it was an animal.

  Another twig cracked. And another. Someone heavy was walking through the woods and moving towards her. Carina fought the urge to look back. There was still a chance she hadn’t been seen.

  The footsteps got closer, and Carina’s heartbeat quickened. The steps were definitely human. The figure cast a long shadow in the moonlight as he moved.

  Carina glanced at the castle. She’d waited too long. The guard would round the corner before she crossed the field.

  She gathered her nerves and turned. A man stood behind her, his body silhouetted against the moon. He wore a dark cloak that covered his face, but his eyes gleamed yellow.

  Carina’s breath caught. There was something unnatural about those eyes. Something feral. She met his gaze and waited for him to speak, but he didn’t. He just walked towards her like he had all the time in the world.

  She’d rather risk archers than whatever this man had planned.

  Carina dashed towards the field, but the man caught the edge of her cloak. He pulled her back and grabbed her shoulder. She glimpsed his face as he spun her into his arms. The hood obscured most of his features, but his mouth curled up in a reassuring smile. As if he was telling her not to be afraid.

  Afraid? Ha. Carina threw herself backwards. She smashed the back of her head into what she hoped was his nose.

  No, she hit his chin. He was taller than she’d expected.

  He grunted and loosened his grip just enough for Carina to escape.

  She sprinted into the field. He had pulled her cloak loose, and her pink skirt glistened in the moonlight. So much for hiding.

  Her head start wouldn’t last long. Carina was fast, but the man was much taller. Not to mention her clothes slowed her down. She pulled her bulky skirt up as far as she could and ran towards the castle.

  The guards would come around the corner any second. She needed to make it to cover before-

  An arrow zipped past her. Carina gave up trying to escape the man and ran in a crooked line to confuse the archers. Another arrow stuck in the ground by her feet. Warning shots. They wouldn’t give many more.

  Carina looked back. Arrows flew past the man, but he still pursued her. He either hadn’t noticed them or didn’t care.

  Time to switch tactics.

  She dove and punched him in the gut. He stumbled back and wrapped his arm around her waist. She twisted until he stood nearest the wall and she had her back towards the forest.

  His glowing eyes narrowed in frustration, and his breath came in uneven gasps as he pulled a rope from his cloak.

  Carina almost laughed. He’d have to knock her unconscious before she let him tie her up. And he didn’t have that much time.

  “That rope won’t do you any good.”

  He raised an eyebrow and reached to wrap the rope around her waist.

  An arrow hit the man’s leg, and his eyes widened with pain. He let go of Carina to grab his bleeding calf. She jumped back.

  “That was a warning shot. I’d run before they shoot to kill.”

  Carina wrapped her cloak over her skirt and sprinted to the woods. The man pursued her, but he couldn’t match her pace. Judging by his limp, the arrow had done some damage.

  She didn’t wait to see if he escaped the archers. She just wanted to get home. Carina slowed and studied the castle wall. Flickering torches lit the perimeter. The guards were on high alert now. Searching for intruders.

  She’d have to take the long way around.

  Chapter 2

  “Stefan, you’ve got to help me!”

  Stefan ignored his brother and kept his attention focused on the mirror in front of him. His tailor, Heinrich, continued to trim Stefan’s short brown hair as he had before Alaric’s interruption.

  “Stefan!”

  The prince motioned for Heinrich to stop and turned around.

  “You shouldn’t barge in without knocking, Alaric. It is very unbecoming for a future king of Aeonia to-”

  A burst
of laughter swallowed the rest of Stefan’s sentence. Alaric’s tailor had a tendency to design outrageous outfits, but his brother looked even more ridiculous than usual. Embroidered flowers covered his tunic, and his long blond hair was decorated with a multitude of pale purple ribbons.

  “You look-”

  Stefan had a million insults, but he was laughing too hard to get any of them out.

  “It is very fashionable, Your Highness,” Heinrich said.

  But even his voice quivered with amusement. Heinrich was usually unshakable. A talent the diminutive man had developed after years of working with Stefan.

  “Fashionable for a five-year-old girl, maybe!” Alaric said. “Bastien wants me to wear my hair like this for the wedding! Stefan, what do I do?”

  “Have Lina carry your dolls for you instead of flowers?”

  “Stefan, this is serious! Heinrich, can you talk some sense into him? You’re a tailor.”

  Heinrich shrugged.

  “Bastien is several years my senior and the head tailor. I don’t dare contradict him.”

  “What if I made you head tailor instead?”

  Stefan stepped in front of Heinrich.

  “Don’t you dare! Really, Alaric. Stealing my tailor from me is not behavior that befits a future king!”

  Alaric groaned.

  “Not to mention Bastien saved father’s life when we fought Cassandra. Father would never let me demote him.”

  “Trying to demote a war hero. Shameful.”

  Alaric glared at his brother.

  “Bastien deserves our respect and gratitude. I know that. I just- This isn’t what I pictured wearing on my wedding day.”

  He gestured to the outfit. To the purple lace trim that matched his hair ribbons. The tunic wasn’t the worst thing Bastien had ever designed, but Stefan could see his brother’s point.

  And his hair really did look ridiculous.

  Heinrich peered from behind Stefan. His head just reached the prince’s shoulder.

  “Prince Alaric, you will never change Bastien’s mind by telling him you don’t like the design.”