by Caroline Lee
How to explain that she hadn’t even considered that route as an option, until just a few days ago? Zelle couldn’t and, after being banished to her room like a naughty child, didn’t want to.
Mother kissed her head again. “That’s something that your father and I will have to face. But for now…” She wiggled, and Zelle sat up, and Mother gracefully extracted herself from the window seat. “For now, you’re still our little princess, and we love you very much.”
Zelle sighed, and watched her mother cross the room. “I love you too, Mother.”
The older woman blew a kiss, and then let herself out. And if Zelle hadn’t been listening for it, she would’ve missed the sound of a key very quietly being turned in the lock.
At this point, it wasn’t surprising. It wasn’t even disappointing. It just…was.
Later that night, Zelle sat at her window seat once more. This time, her knees were tucked underneath her, and her hair was pulled over one shoulder. It was golden, and straight as an arrow, and rarely tangled. But for as long as she could remember, she’d been soothed by the evening ritual of unbraiding her plait, carefully brushing the long strands, and dividing it for bed. Tonight, however, she was still…antsy. Full of energy. Thinking about Dmitri.
She’d asked him to go walking tomorrow. She so wanted to show him Everland and Lake Enchantment and all of the things about her home that she loved. She wanted to grab his hand and see if he’d let her hold it; wanted to hear all about his home. Going walking with Dmitri would be an adventure.
But she was stuck here in her room, condemned by loving parents who expected her to rest. She dropped the brush with a sigh, and rested her elbows on the sill of the open window. She could always defy them, sneak out again. She’d done it often enough. But they’d expressly forbidden it this time, by locking the door. And she loved them too much to openly disobey them like that.
The stars were bright tonight. She’d always loved to sit here and stare at them, but they didn’t seem to calm her tonight. Tonight, she wanted to run and jump and yell and maybe kiss a boy again and—
What is that? Zelle leaned as far out the window as she dared. There, over the distant mountains, was a new star. Or something bright and white and sparkling. Had it been there yesterday? Or last month? She’d sat here often enough brushing her hair that surely she’d remember seeing it.
No, it was a new star. A new star, and somehow she knew that it was here for her, to comfort her. The thick night air didn’t seem quite so cloying anymore, and her pulse didn’t beat quite as strongly in her temples. This was her star, and it was here for a reason.
She closed her eyes tightly, thinking of Dmitri, and when she opened them the star was still there. And so she smiled, and whispered her wish. “I want to be able to go walking with Dmitri tomorrow. That’s it.”
And when she went to sleep—the lace curtains billowing slightly in the gentle breeze that had blown in across the Lake—the star was still there, twinkling down on her.
The next morning, her door was unlocked. But since she didn’t have any place to go, besides downstairs for a glass of milk, it didn’t really matter. Papa was in his office, at the front of the house, and would surely notice if she snuck out. She could always go work in her garden again…maybe, if no other opportunity presented itself by noon, she’d try that, and then just quietly let herself out the back gate. Except, she knew that Mother had locked the back gate, which was her way of telling Zelle she wasn’t to leave without her parents’ knowledge.
It was just so frustrating!
Mid-morning, while she was sketching new plots for next spring’s plantings, a small rock sailed through her window and clattered against the desk. She was smiling when she stooped to pick it up; it was an old sign she recognized. Sure enough, Briar was standing beside the garden wall, behind the house. Zelle leaned out the window, just enough to call out in a quiet voice, “I’m so glad to see you!”
“Are you okay? Max told me what happened.” Briar—who was never fond of subterfuge—pressed her back against the stones and tried to look in all directions at once. Zelle assumed she knew she wasn’t supposed to be back there talking to her friend.
“I’m fine. Truly. Mother and Papa think I should be resting, but we all know that’s just their excuse to keep me safely locked inside.”
“Safe, Zelle. Safe is a good thing. A runaway horse isn’t safe.”
She rolled her eyes. “Are you siding with them, now?”
“No!” Apparently alarmed by her outburst, Briar peered towards the windows in the lower story. “I mean, you know I love you, but maybe you should just relax for a little bit. Not get into any more adventures. Just until they forget about this one, I mean.”
Zelle didn’t want to have to admit that her friend was right, so she managed a frown. “Did you sneak over here to lecture me from twenty feet away?”
“I came to visit you.” Briar shifted uncomfortably. “Your mother met me at the door and told me that you were feeling poorly. But…” She looked towards the kitchen windows once more. “She seemed like she wasn’t…you know, telling the truth.”
“So you came to check on me? Thank you.” Zelle smiled down at her best friend, forgiving her for her unwelcome logic of a moment before.
“Your mother’s having her own breakfast—I think she just got home.”
“Mrs. Muffit must’ve been laboring all night.”
Briar flushed, as Zelle had known she would; her friend always blushed at the thought of babies and how they were made. “I mean, she’s inside, that’s why I’m whispering. I don’t want her to catch us.”
Or what? What could Mother possibly do to punish them for talking? On the other hand, this hanging-out-the-window wasn’t very much fun, either. Zelle sighed. “Fine. I understand. I’ll see you tomorrow, hopefully. Sunday at the latest.”
Briar looked worried, but blew her a kiss and hurried off anyhow, and Zelle settled back into her work. At noon she went downstairs to fix luncheon for herself and Papa—who was seeing patients in the front parlor he’d converted into an office—but the meal was mostly silent. He looked like he wanted to speak, but every time he tried, he lost his nerve. For her part, she still hadn’t forgiven him for refusing to let her see Dmitri again.
After, she retired to her room again, and pondered how she was possibly going to leave the house. And more importantly, did she want to? She wanted to see Dmitri, yes, but was it worth disobeying her parents? Worth making them worry, worth making them disappointed?
She thought about Dmitri’s smile, and the way his arms felt around her, and the way he was showing her new possibilities for the future, and decided: yes. He was worth it.
When the stone sailed through her window a second time, she immediately worried that something bad had happened to bring Briar back so soon. She threw herself towards the window seat, and poked her head out… Only to see a stranger standing below. A stranger holding a ladder.
The woman was gray-haired and tiny, in a lime-green hoop-dress a few decades out of date, and a little reticule dangling from one wrist. And was carrying a wooden ladder, perched on one shoulder, as if it was another out-of-date accessory. When she saw Zelle, she smiled and waved jauntily, and then swung the ladder against the side of the house. Zelle could only watch, mouth agape, as the old lady began to scramble up it, hoop skirt and all.
When the gray head poked above the sill, Zelle backed away from the window, not sure if she was doing it out of fear, or to give the stranger more space. The little old lady swung one leg over onto the window seat, holding her hoop petticoat up practically over her head to manage the feat, and then tumbled onto the cushion with a mighty ooof!
But, just as Zelle shook herself out of her shock and moved to help the mysterious house-breaker, the old lady pushed herself upright amid a litany of good-natured mutterings, and began to straighten her gown. When everything was in place, she looked up at Zelle— “up,” because she was a full head shorter—a
nd smiled brightly. “Hello, dearie.”
“Um. Hello?” Who was this woman? “Can I help you?”
“Oh, goodness, no. I’m here to help you, Zelle. I’m Helga, your Godmother. But you can call me ‘Happy.’ All the others do.”
“The other who?” Was she batty, then?
“The other Godmothers, of course! There’s a whole slew of us, you know.”
“I didn’t,” Zelle said weakly. “Is there a reason you’re here?” And how soon can you leave? This tiny old woman had just climbed into her bedroom. Her actual bedroom, and was claiming to be…what? Godmothers only existed in stories. Maybe she was deranged…but Zelle hadn’t ever seen her before. Someone’s sick granny who never came to the church socials, maybe?
“I’m here to help you, of course. That’s what we do. The Godmothers, I mean. We help!”
“Oh. Good.” Surreptitiously, Zelle peered at the ladder resting against her sill, wondering if she should try to convince ‘Helga’ to climb back down, or just escort her out the front door. Could she sneak her past Papa, or should she try to come up with an excuse of how she’d apparently acquired a little old lady upstairs? On the other hand, anyone claiming to be a Godmother should probably visit with Papa in his office, just to be safe. “I can see how having a Godmother would be useful.” She winced a little to see the way Helga’s face lit up as she humored the woman.
“So!” The woman clapped her hands together. “I know that you want to go walking with Dmitri, but we need to find you a way out of the house. Wishing on stars? Honestly, you were at your last resort, weren’t you? Besides, that was a planet. Jupiter, if I’m not mistaken.”
Zelle’s mouth had dropped open. Helga knew about Dmitri? Helga knew about the star-wishing?
“Ooops, sorry, dearie. Probably shouldn’t have mentioned that last bit, it just gets confusing. Anyhoo, we need to get you out of the house for a few hours, don’t we? Without your parents noticing. You have plans to meet Dmitri in front of the inn soon, don’t you?”
“How do you know all of this?” Zelle’s voice sounded as weak as her knees. Who was this woman?
“Godmothers have to know all sorts of things, dearie. It’s my job to make sure you get your Happily Ever After. That all your wishes come true, you know. I’ve been a little distracted by my other clients, but now it’s your turn.”
Zelle heard the capital letters when the little old lady said Happily Ever After, and felt her eyebrows raise. Such a thing existed? Maybe her doubt showed, because Helga’s smile slipped a little, until she looked almost pitying. “Don’t worry, dear. I really am a Godmother, and I really am here to help you see Dmitri today. It’s a simple enough wish you made, you know, and I can make it come true.”
“How?” Zelle felt like things were getting away from her, so she just focused on the fact that apparently, this strange little happy lady could make sure she went walking with Dmitri.
Helga clapped her hands again. “Well, we need to get you out of the house, don’t we? Your father is in his office for the rest of the day, a full docket of patients. Your mother is in her room—Mrs. Muffit’s daughter was born right before dawn, healthy and strong, in case you were wondering—catching up on her sleep. So I think the logical thing to do is send you out your window.” Zelle’s mouth was open again, looking from the woman to her ladder. She certainly knew a lot of things, for a batty house-breaker. “Now, how to do that? Well, obviously you can’t just climb down, or use your hair as a rope or something.” A high-pitched giggle. “Don’t be absurd! That would never work! The follicles aren’t nearly strong enough, and would cause split-ends, I’m sure. But I thought: Aha! A ladder!” She gestured grandly towards the window. “And there we are, dearie.”
“You want me to climb out of my window and go see Dmitri?”
“Why not? You’ll have until supper. Four hours to stroll and chat and maybe even hold hands, eh?” Helga’s wink was comical, and Zelle was suddenly glad that the old woman wasn’t close enough to poke her with an elbow, which was what she looked about to do.
“My parents—“
Helga was still smiling. “Don’t worry about them, dearie. I’m telling you; I’m your Godmother. This is what I do. I promise that, if you climb down that ladder and go to see Dmitri, and then climb back up within four hours, they’ll never find out. They’ll be busy, and I’ll make sure they don’t know.”
Zelle found her doubt wavering in the face of the woman’s upbeat certainty. “But the ladder…”
“Dear, I’m a Godmother. If I don’t want anyone to see the ladder, they won’t! I promise.” She made little shooing motions with her hands. “Now, the longer you stand here arguing with me, the less time you have to spend with Dmitri, and the fewer chances you have to make him fall in love with you.”
“…What?” She didn’t want Dmitri to fall in love with her, did she? She just wanted to talk to him, to learn about his mission and his home. He wasn’t her future; he was just an adventure.
“Oh no, I probably shouldn’t have said that. Oh well.” She waved dismissively. “Just pretend it never happened, like with Jupiter. Don’t mention it on my performance review.” More shooing motions. “Now, go! Go show him how wonderful Everland is! Go have an adventure with him. Fall in love! Oops, never mind about that part, dearie. Just wipe that last bit from your mind!”
Zelle studied the woman a moment more, thinking about her words. An adventure with Dmitri. That’s what she wanted; that’s what she’d wished for. And now a stranger had showed up and given her a perfect excuse. Even if she was batty, and Zelle’s parents did find out, did it matter? She’d already decided on defying them, in order to see him…
She was already moving towards the window when Helga clapped again. “Yay! Oh, I know you’re going to have so much fun! Maybe he’ll kiss you again! Oooh, I hope so!”
A Godmother? Zelle didn’t quite snort as she swung her leg over the sill and onto the ladder, but she wanted to. Helga certainly knew all sorts of secrets, and she didn’t seem like a bad sort. Besides, she’d given Zelle a way to see Dmitri, and that was important. So the young woman paused on her way down, and smiled up at the gray-haired head poking out the window. “Thank you, Helga.”
“Call me Happy, dear.” Her smile stretched ear-to-ear, and it was easy to see where the nickname had come from.
“Then, thank you, Happy.”
Helga wiggled her fingers down at Zelle. “Have a good time, dearie. Give him a kiss for me!” And then she pulled her head back across the sill, and Zelle chuckled and continued down the ladder.
She was off on another adventure, and this time she’d be with Dmitri! Maybe she would kiss him again, just to see if he was as good as she remembered. She had no doubt.
CHAPTER SIX
He felt ridiculous. Just looking around would show him that he was completely over-dressed for a place like Everland; the cow-folk ambling along the streets were wearing dirty trousers, for heaven’s sakes! But one should dress properly when stepping out with a lady, and that included shined boots, his best gold frogging, a top hat and cane. Didn’t it?
Chert, being in Everland was messing with his surety, apparently. Dmitri knew that he was better than these cowboys, knew that he was better-dressed, better-mannered. Didn’t he? Yes, surely.
So why did he feel so silly, standing here on the inn’s porch, watching them snickering at him? He’d tried to peer down his nose at them, the way he’d learned from Court, but it hadn’t worked, and now he felt even more at odds. At odds with his surroundings, and at odds with himself.
A sharp jab between his shoulder blades had him whirling, to confront the sleepy old proprietor of the inn. A gnarled finger was still pointed at him.
“Mr. Rip, yes? What do you need?”
The man’s answer was a series of yawning mumbles, his eyelids already half-closed.
“What? I’m sorry, I don’t…”
Another mumble, and a few noises that might’ve been throat
-clearings. Or perhaps the old man was dying. Either way, Dmitri didn’t understand, and could only shrug helplessly.
Rip yawned again, and then gestured in a manner that was probably meant to be emphatic, but came off looking—to someone who lived his life at a normal speed, at least—as lethargic.
Dmitri shook his head firmly. “I’m sorry, but I am meeting a lady.” He was, wasn’t he? She was late. “I have no time for distractions.”
Another gesture, this time involving a thumb hooked towards the interior of the inn, and another mumble. Glancing up and down the street, and not seeing Miss Carpenter anywhere, Dmitri gave in. “All right. Just a moment, though.”
The old man led him back into the dim foyer, past the stairs, and towards a back hall. There, he sunk down in a wooden chair placed by the door that led to the alley, and mumbled twice more. He opened the door for Dmitri even as his eyes were closing, and as the younger man peered around the jamb, wondering what he was supposed to be looking for, he heard Rip begin to snore.
How in the world could a man fall asleep in the time it took—?
And then Dmitri forgot all about Rip and the inn and the way being properly dressed among all these peasants made him feel, because she was there. Zelle was sitting—sitting?—on some kind of railing, her feet swinging back and forth under a simple pale purple dress, a pleased grin on her face. And the absolute only thing that he could do in return was return her happy smile.
She hopped down from the railing, as if it was a perfectly natural activity for a young lady. “Hi.” Her little wave was sweet, welcoming.
“Hi.” Bozhe moy, he sounded like an idiot, but it was all he could manage right then. His brain just didn’t seem to want to work properly. Not since seeing her.
