“There is some civil strife near the Northern Border. Your father is calling all of his knights to help settle the matter, and so I won’t be able to come during my normal schedule. If I return from the border unharmed, the deliveries should resume the normal pattern… But in other news, your father does send his best wishes for you on your birthday today,” Sir Ellis said, and Corinna frowned. It was Alexander’s birthday? By Sir Ellis’s voice he hoped this news would make everything forgiven. By Alexander’s replying growl, it did nothing of the sort.
“My birthday?” Alexander huffed. “He does understand my birthday is not for another two weeks, doesn’t he? That was the purpose of setting up the deliveries during the second week of every month. Has he decided he can’t even be bothered to remember when his own son’s birthday is?”
“N-No, Sire. Of course he remembers your birthday. I must have gotten the message wrong. Here, he wrote this letter for you.”
The sound of paper being ripped through the air.
“A letter? Is that the only gift deemed worthy for the king’s dog? No grand visit by the king himself? No new horse? What could he possibly tell me in that letter that I don’t already know from his others?”
“My prince, please calm yourself,” Sir Ellis said, and Corinna was torn between thinking the man was angry and thinking he was desperate. “I have no say in the king’s orders. I just follow them.”
“Then you are as much a dog as I am, Ellis. A dog of Paesaggia. And you can give that sentiment to my father when you return to him with your tail between your legs,” Alexander sneered.
Sir Ellis cleared his throat nervously.
“Your father wishes to know if you have come any closer to a cure,” he said.
“Me?” Alexander asked. “I thought my father was looking for my cure out there.”
“W-well, forces are spread thin. We can’t really expend the manpower anymore than we -,” Ellis tried.
“So he has no time to come visit and no plans to search for my freedom… Tell me, Sir Ellis, does my father even want me back? Or is he content to rule without his son?... or has he created a new heir to replace me?” And was that fear Corinna noted in Alexander’s voice?
“Your father remains childless without you,” Ellis said. “He has had a few lovers these past years, but two were barren and one died of illness.”
“Wonderful,” Alexander growled. “Well best of luck to him. I hope his next whore is a better replacement for my mother than the last three. Now unless you have something more to report, I politely ask you to get out and leave me in peace to live out my exile.”
“No. That was all.”
Corinna peeked through the crack in time to see Ellis standing up from a low bow, even deeper than the one he gave Belle, deeper than the ones Niviene and Alastar gave out. Then Corinna pulled back into hiding while the knight pushed his way back through the door and out into the hall. He pushed the door shut with more force, but only had eyes for the stairwell. Lucky, or he would have spotted Corinna easily.
Before she could move again, Corinna heard the shattering of something glass in Alexander’s room. From her memory of the set up, Corinna had no doubt that had been the clear vase that sat on Alexander’s mantle. Pressing her lips together, the dark haired girl made her way back down the stairs. Crates of preserves and food sat laid out in the main hall and were now being moved back to the kitchens. Corinna saw meats contained in animal hide sacks, vegetables in boxes, and grains in woven bags.
Through the still open door, she watched as Sir Ellis climbed up into the saddle of his horse and made for the front gate. His cart was now empty, and he moved with unusual speed. His fear of Alexander must have been what spurred him on, for he was down the trail and out of sight, without even a glance back, before the iron bars of the gate could come together again.
“What did he want?” someone asked, and Corinna turned around. She expected it to be Veronica, but it was Belle who was standing there, holding a sack of grains, and waiting for an answer.
“What is Alexander’s favorite meal?” Corinna asked, completely serious. She was pretty sure the prince could use a good meal now more than ever.
- -
Almost an hour later, Corinna stood before Alexander’s door as Sir Ellis did – nervous and preparing herself to be rudely ignored. She took a deep breath and rapped her knuckles four times against the wood. She didn’t have to wait very long for the booming voice to cut off any attempt to announce herself.
“Go away!” Alexander ordered harshly through the door.
“But I brought you dinner,” Corinna said. She moved the plate back and forth in front of the door, as if Alexander might be able to better smell it that way. Ridiculous.
“I don’t want it, and don’t start telling me I do, because I don’t. Now leave me alone!”
Corinna frowned. Alexander must be trying to sound angry, but after being at the front of the prince’s anger a few times, Corinna could tell this wasn’t truly anger. Alexander was upset, but it was a sad growling inside the prince that fueled all of this current outburst. Corinna squared her shoulders and puffed out her chest. She took another deep breath.
“Well I made this dinner for you all on my own, and I’m not leaving until you change your mind and eat it. I don’t care how bad of a mood you’re in. I can be just as stubborn as you. Now open the stupid door. It’s your favorite,” she said and shifted to hold the plate in both of her hands and drummed her fingers against the bottom of it as best she could without dropping it.
There was a tantrum sort of stomping vibrating out from Alexander’s room and up through the soles of Corinna’s shoes, and then the door opened.
“And how do you know what my favorite is?” Alexander asked. He was eyeing the dinner plate suspiciously.
“Don’t give me that look. It’s completely edible. And Belle told me. Look.” Corinna pulled the towel off the plate and revealed the meal being kept warm beneath it. Nice, thick cuts of turkey, a pile of freshly mashed potatoes, and two slices of bread brought by Sir Ellis which were only a day old. After Alexander’s eyes had been given enough time to devour the meal, Corinna replaced the covering and gave the prince a slightly annoyed stare. “Now are you going to let me in?”
Instead of replying, Alexander grunted and spun around, leaving the door wide open. He moved over to his mantel, where he seemed to suddenly care that there was still glass lying on the floor. Corinna had guessed right for what had been broken. She set Alexander’s dinner down on the man’s desk and took a step back from it. She watched as Alexander picked up every shard and carefully carried them all to the waste bin. He dusted off his hands to knock the glass from his fur and frowned down at the mess. Corinna saw Alexander mostly from the back, and it suddenly occurred to her that something was missing.
“Alexander,” she said. “Why don’t you have a tail?”
“Why? Should I have one?” Alexander grunted in answer. He stomped over to the desk and pulled himself to his full height beside Corinna.
“No. I just finally noticed you didn’t have one.” Corinna shrugged and then smiled warmly, her whole face glowing from some internal idea. “I thought it might be fun to mess with.”
Alexander’s wolfish ears flickered back and forth before setting very flat against his head. His eyes darted to the side and down at his food. And Corinna didn’t have a clear view, but she was rather sure the prince could be blushing under all his fur.
“Well, then I count myself lucky not to have a tail,” he said. “Now get out. I don’t want to be watched while I eat.”
“Wha? But we eat together all the time,” Corinna reminded. Alexander shook his head.
“I don’t care. I would rather you not stare at me while I eat,” he said.
Corinna frowned cutely and pursed her lips to the side. Her right hand slid into her pocket, and she felt something solid there. Corinna smiled and shifted her weight between her feet.
“Alright. Bu
t I have a present for you first.” And from her pocket she pulled one of her juicy, red apples. “It’s the first one of the month. My mother always says the first of the season is the best, but your apples don’t follow seasons, so I think the first of the month should be sufficient.”
And although it had been picked almost a full day into the month, long after plenty of other apples had grown, the apple in her fingers seemed to grow more luscious just at her words. Now it glimmered like the ripest first apple one could believe was real. Corinna smiled at it and held it out for Alexander.
“I promise it will be delicious. Promise me you will eat it?” she asked.
Alexander looked between Corinna and the apple and then wasted no time in closing his fingers around the fruit. He nodded and liberated Corinna’s hand of its burden.
“I promise. Now get out,” he said. Corinna smiled broadly and bowed her head to the prince before vacating the room. She had merely wished for the apple to become riper and it had worked. No doubt the apple would taste better because she had promised it would.
Corinna felt a surge of strength and pride in her chest. She was a sorcerer, and she could potentially be very good at it. She hadn’t even said a spell for that apple to grow. Just imagining what she could do with magical incantations made her chest pound with excitement. She would definitely find time to practice a few small things in the future.
Oh! But first she had to plan a surprise for Alexander’s birthday.
-- --- --- ---
Corinna decided not to blindfold Alexander two weeks later. For one thing, it would have made it unbearably hard to get the prince down the three flights of stairs without slipping and falling to their untimely deaths. For another thing, Alexander wasn’t one to just let himself be weakened by losing his sight. It was safer all around to simply invite the prince down for an average day dinner an hour early.
The whole day prior to that moment was filled with Corinna and Belle in the kitchen, cooking. Belle was making the largest turkey they had in stock, something she said she usually saved for special holidays, and Corinna was cleaning and polishing the best of the dishware. Corinna fetched Veronica from the stairwell two hours after lunch, and together they polished the dining room’s floor, table, and chairs. Veronica was quicker than Corinna, and while Corinna finished up the edge of Alexander’s decorated chair, Veronica polished the wall-mounted candlesticks.
“Veronica, do you all have any special decorations we could put out?” Corinna asked when she was finished. “Even just a fancy cape would do. We can put it on Alexander’s chair.”
“I think we may have some holly growing fresh outside. Do you want me to go pick some?” she asked.
“That would be wonderful. Thank you very much, Veronica,” Corinna said and smiled pleasantly. Veronica bowed her head with a light tinge of pink on her cheeks and skittered her way out of the room.
When the door closed securely behind her, Corinna turned around and scanned the whole room. She was alone. The scent of meats drifted in from the kitchen, but the door was only open a crack, and Belle was most definitely still cooking her heart out. Corinna nodded to no one and looked about at all of the candlesticks on the walls and the great candlestick on the table. She took a deep breath and smiled.
She closed her eyes and thought of the magic book up in her bedroom, hidden under the mattress. The page she was thinking of was meant more for fighting than what she was about to do.
“Æledfýr,” she hissed out. She opened her eyes, and they burned a bright, electric gold – nearly white. There was a warm, rushing sensation through her body, right out through her arms and then her hands and down to her fingertips. Then her nails seemed to glow with an internal light, and she aimed them up at the nearest candlestick.
Flames ignited on the wicks. Corinna took a step back from them in shock and then grinned. The heat was gone from her fingertips now, but she still felt the power inside of her. She filled her chest with air, held out her hands, and imagined all of the candlesticks waiting to be lit. It would take much too long going one by one way. She smiled.
“Æledfýr,” she spoke clearly, determinedly, and yet quietly so as not to be heard. She felt the surge of energy press out of her body like ripples when one drops a large rock into a lake. She opened her eyes in time to see the last of the candles catch fire and cast brilliant glows all around the room. The only ones left dark were the ones on the table, the only ones she had not thought of when imagining the room.
She lit his only match and walked over to the table with the intent to light them as well. The door to the room opened up, and Veronica reentered from her search. She stopped just inside, a slight gasp coming from her throat. Corinna could hear her slow and soft footsteps as she walked further into the room. She must be doing the math. Corinna couldn’t help herself. She smiled so wide that she could almost swear it touched her ears.
“Corinna…,” Veronica spoke softly and took a few more cautious steps into the dining room. “Who lit the candles? Morgana?”
“No.” Corinna watched the last of the three candles in the stand catch light and then she turned to Veronica. She took the girl’s hands in her and held them tight. “I did it.” And as she said it, she felt her glee burst in her chest, and she just couldn’t hide it. She pulled Veronica away from the table and spun them in circles. “I did it!” she called out and laughed.
Veronica laughed gently too and didn’t care that the holly she’d collected was now on the floor. She spun until she tripped over her own feet, then stumbled to the nearest wall and caught herself before she could fall over. Then she looked at Corinna and gave her a sad smile.
“Oh Corinna. You lit all these candles in such a sort amount of time? That’s just not possible without -,” the serving girl began but was cut off by her friend.
“Magic,” Corinna finished for her. “I know. Oh, sorry. Please don’t tell the others. I’m kind of new at this, and I don’t want them to think differently of me. I don’t want you to think differently of me either. Why are you just staring at me? Did I accidentally light my hair on fire?” Her head didn’t feel hot. Light, yes, but not hot.
“Oh, no. Nothing like that,” Veronica rushed out. She covered her mouth and blushed. She turned her staring eyes away and shook her head. Still looking flushed, she turned a shy smile to Corinna. “No. I think it’s wonderful. It’s just… a shock. You have the skill to light an entire room of candles so quickly? How long have you known about your magic?”
“I don’t know. Three weeks now?” Corinna guessed. “But I’ve been eating the apples. Belle said they help strengthen sorcerers. I thought it might help me help Alexander, you understand?”
“Th-three weeks,” Veronica murmured and held her head as though she suddenly didn’t have enough air. “Oh, Corinna… If you can’t help Alexander, no one can.”
Corinna grinned. “Well thanks. I’ll take that as a large compliment.”
Veronica looked perhaps in awe of Corinna, and she laughed through her stunned state. Corinna chuckled a little as well, and then the kitchen doors opened and both shut up instantly. Belle walked into the room, pushing the door with her back. She sighed in relief at the sight of them.
“Oh good. Could you two help me out? I’m just finishing up the final pieces. Veronica can you help me set up the food? And Corinna, could you get started on decorating Alexander’s cake?” she asked, maneuvering away from the door while she balanced a stack of plates in her arms.
Corinna and Veronica exchanged a looked of understanding, to both keep quiet about the candles. It was their little secret, their topic to gossip about. Veronica was Corinna’s confidant. So Veronica nodded to Belle and went to fetch another serving plate while Corinna moved to find whatever cake Belle was talking about.
After setting up the table, icing the cake and placing the holly, Corinna was sent to fetch Alexander – no blindfold included. Belle sent Veronica to get Gavin while she quickly put out the food and then r
ushed to the nearest reflective object and ran her fingers through her tight, curly hair. Corinna laughed at her antics and then made her way to Alexander’s room, where the prince was probably still holed up despite having no visitors there all day.
On the second floor, Corinna stopped. Someone was playing instruments in the music room. Corinna stepped curiously over to the door and pressed her ear against it. It was definitely the piano, but who would be playing piano? It couldn’t be Alexander, could it? He only ever played well at midnight. This wasn’t nearly as refined, but it was definitely good and most positively better than Corinna despite her practicing.
Corinna gently took hold of the doorknob and turned it slowly. She eased the door out of its hold and looked over to see who could possibly be playing and saw none other than the prince of Paesaggia himself. He was still a beast, still hairy and large, but he was playing out a novice piece of music wonderfully. Corinna smiled.
“See, I told you you could do it,” she said. Alexander missed several notes and then pressed his hands down on the keys all at once to stop the ruckus only to cause more. He ripped his fingers back from the piano and the sound cut off instantly, then he spun on his seat to look at Corinna.
The Rose Chateau Page 20
