by C S Patra
It’s going to be worth it in the end.
~ ~ ~
Alice could feel some jitters inside of her when she went to work the next morning. A part of it was excitement on Vinnie’s news and the other part of her was nervous because of the thief. He had struck the castle again and managed to escape before anyone could get a hold of him. This time, however, he was unable to take as many jewels. All he was able to take was a necklace and that didn’t sound like his style. He was getting scared and a little sloppy with his move. That didn’t mean, however, that they were safe.
Thank goodness he doesn’t seem to be interested in the bakery. She thought as she entered the shop and greeted all the workers. Everyone was already here and preparing for the day as she made her way to the back. She needed to see how Princess Lavinia’s baked goods were coming along.
“Good morning, Miss Alice!” Kian chirped as she walked past him. “I made more of those rosettes like you asked. I think we’ll have enough for the cake.”
Alice stopped long enough to see what he meant. Not only did he make enough rosettes for the main cake, he made enough for at least ten more. She gasped and shook her head. “Oh, Kian! You didn’t need to make all this!”
“Did they come out wrong?”
“Not at all! It’s just that you made too many. I mean, we’ll have uses for them and put them wherever we can. It’s just that you didn’t need to make all this. Your hands must be tired.”
“They’re fine, Miss Alice. See?” He held up his hands, all covered in flour. “Besides, I did ask others if they needed help in something else, but they were all fine working on their own. With nothing else do, I just started to make rosettes.”
“Well, I can take it from here. In fact, I may need your help with making some cookies,” she suggested. “I want you to go clean yourself up and meet me back here. We’re going to mix up some batter.”
“Okay.” He looked over his shoulder when the door of the bakery opened up. An older couple entered and he relaxed his body. “Oh, it’s someone else! I was expecting another person.”
“Such as Vinnie?” Alice asked. “I know what you mean. She told me she had something to tell me but didn’t show up last time. I guess she got held back by something, so I think she’ll come today. I wonder what she has to tell me.”
“It’s something big. I know it,” Kian nodded. “I have a feeling the favor she’s going to ask you will be something that isn’t baked goods.”
“You seem very certain about that.” Alice gave him a look and the bridge of his nose turned bright red. “What are you hiding from me, Kian? Did Vinnie tell you a secret?”
“No, Miss Alice! I haven’t seen her today!” He shook his head, the rest of his face turning the same color as his nose. “I, um... I should probably get back to work. What would you like me to do?”
“Well, if you could get me some flour, butter, sugar, and cream, we can get started on something.”
“Yes, Miss Alice! I’ll bring them right away!”
Alice watched as he bounded off and wondered what was going on. Ever since Vinnie came into the shop, he had been acting very strange. No doubt he knew she was the princess but so did most people that were in the town square. He had been acting this way the moment he was introduced to her. He went from being confident and friendly to nervous and withdrawn with a few minutes.
“What is up that boy?” She asked Tamara as they tried to set up her area. “I don’t think I understand why he’s acting this way.”
“Well, I’ve seen this happen on two occasion. It’s either he is in love or he has something to hide,” Tamara said. “Now I don’t think it’s the former. He assures he’s not in love with the princess.”
“And you believe him?”
“Yes, I do for one reason; he doesn’t look at her the way you do,” Tamara chuckled. “He is nervous but not because he’s in love. He’s nervous because he knows something that we don’t know. He wants to tell someone but he’s afraid. I’m not sure of what though.”
“Me neither. He’s not the kind of boy to get scared that easily. Okay, he knows she’s the princess but she’s not a terrible person. Given how she’s treated us and how she helped that innocent man escape death, she can’t be all that bad.”
“No, she’s not bad but I do wonder why she’s been hidden for so long,” Tamara murmured. “If I were queen, I would want to show off my child. I would want them to see this world and get to mingle with the people in my kingdom. I just don’t understand why she comes out now.”
“Maybe she wasn’t allowed to leave until now,” Alice thought out loud. “In that case, why would the king and queen keep her in the castle? What are they afraid of?”
“Well, maybe they were protective of her the way your parents were protective of you. I know you haven’t forgotten about your abilities.” Tamara looked down at Alice’s gloved hands. “As beautiful as it is to bring life, you can’t bring it everywhere. You have to be careful with what you touch.”
“Don’t remind me,” Alice sighed, wishing she could take the gloves off. “I wonder if there is a way to remove this ability. I want to be able to touch someone without destroying them. Is there anyone who can help?”
Tamara thought for a second about this. “I’ve heard of druids and witches up north that might know what you have. They would probably be the ones who could help you remove this curse. Unfortunately, they live far away and it’s a long and dangerous journey to their hiding places. They don’t come down here often because of the noise and lights.”
“So I’d have to go to them,” Alice realized. “How do I find them? If they are in hiding, how do I find their hiding places?”
“I wouldn’t know, dear. I just know they exist. Still, it would take a lot out of you just to go there. You’d have to deal with long roads, harsh weather, dangerous creatures, and bandits along the way. Not only that, witches aren’t the friendliest people to deal with. If they want to get rid of you, they will. You have to fight to get that curse removed.”
That didn’t give Alice much comfort, but it did form an idea in her mind. She did need to go on a journey in order to remove this curse. Somehow, she would be able to deal with all the dangers along the way. She could win over the soul of a witch and get them to remove it. The only issue she had was that she couldn’t do alone. She needed someone to give her company and guide her. She had never gone far from the kingdom and certainly new nothing about what was up north. Tamara was right about the weather as it was constantly snowing and raining down there.
“This is not going to be as easy as I thought,” she murmured. “I don’t suppose a witch will walk through our doors, do you?”
Before Tamara could say anything, the door opened and Vinnie stepped inside. Alice gave her a warm smile and welcomed her inside. The rest of the bakers politely acknowledged her but said nothing. They all knew who she was and didn’t want to step out of line.
“Welcome back!” Alice greeted her. “I’ve been thinking about you.”
“Really?” Vinnie perked up at that. “I know I was supposed to meet you yesterday, but something held me back. Do you have time now to see me?”
“Um…” Alice looked over at Tamara. “What do you think? Can I take five minutes to speak to her?”
“Go on! I could never stop you from doing anything.” Tamara waved them off. “You can go out in the back, but you only have five minutes.”
“Thank you!” Alice led the way and passed by Kian who was bringing back a bowl full of ingredients. “Oh, Kian! Vinnie’s here!”
Kian’s face went pale when he saw her. He bowed his head and clutched that bowl close to his chest. “It’s good to see you again, my lady. Miss Alice, I’ll go ahead and set everything up for you.”
“Ah, Tamara’s done most of that, but you can help her get started,” Alice told him. “Come on, Vinnie. I don’t have much time.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t w
ant to keep you from your work.” Vinnie looked over at Kian who hurried off to give Tamara what he had. “He’s such a nervous, quiet thing.”
“He really isn’t like this. I guess he couldn’t help it though. He’s in the presence of such a beautiful woman,” Alice blushed, realizing what she had said. “I’m sorry. That just slipped out of my mouth!”
“No, it’s all right! I’m flattered you think that way about me.” Vinnie followed her to the back where no one else was. The bakery had a large backyard as well as some ovens where they fired bread and other goodies in. Flowers and grass were growing everywhere. No one had time to trim anything, so it continued to grow as time went on. “Oh, this is so big!”
“It’s very empty right now but that’s good! We have all the privacy we need.” Alice closed the door behind her. “Now what was it that you wanted to tell me?”
“Well, for starters, I was wondering if you’ve ever gone anywhere outside of the kingdom before.” Vinnie began. “If so, how far have you gone?”
It was a strange question, but one Alice could answer easily. “In truth, I’ve only been the neighboring kingdoms and those were when I had to deliver cakes and other pastries. I never got a chance to spend time in one and enjoy what they had to offer. For years, I’ve been wondering what it’s like to step out of Themasa. I wonder what else is there.”
“I’ve been wondering the same thing,” Vinnie nodded. “I have never gone very far but I want to do that. I want to be able to see things I’ve never seen. I don’t really know much beyond Themasa and I want to step out. I’m just afraid to step out alone. I’m afraid if I go too far, I may never be able to come back.”
Alice understood what she was getting at. “You want someone to travel with you. You’re afraid of going alone and that’s why you’re asking me.”
“Well, that’s part of the reason. The other part is that there is something I need to do. I have lived my life with this and I think it’s high time I get rid of it. No one deserves to live with such a curse.”
“A curse?” Alice was afraid to ask what this was. “What kind of curse are you talking about?”
“I can’t touch anyone, Alice. Don’t you see me wearing these gloves, no matter how warm it is?” Vinnie murmured, slowly starting to pull one off. “It’s because I can’t hold anyone. I can’t shake hands or hug them or even brush my hand against theirs. If I were to do that, something awful would happen.”
Alice felt this dark pit starting to form deep inside of her. Vinnie’s problem sounded very familiar. “By any chance, do you bring things to life?”
“No,” Vinnie murmured, as the glove came off. “I can’t bring anything to life. I…”
“Take it away.” Kian finished off from behind. Alice turned around to find him standing in the doorway, holding a bowl with some dough. “I’m sorry, Miss Alice. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but I know all about this. I’ve seen it before.”
“What do you mean?” Alice was confused. “What have you seen before? How do you know what Vinnie is talking about?”
“He does know because he’s seen me do it.” Vinnie turned to him and she gave him the look to tell them that she knew. She knew his secret and he knew hers. “He knows that I’m not the kind of person who brings life.”
“Then what are you?”
Vinnie swallowed. “I’m the princess that takes life away.”
Chapter 8
Alice was confused by the revelation that Vinnie had given her and by Kian’s serious demeanor. He wasn’t acting like the shy boy who couldn’t get his words together. “I don’t understand any of this! Kian, how would you know about Vinnie’s abilities? How have you seen her do anything?”
He turned red again. “Miss Alice, I’m so sorry you had to find out this way. I never meant to hurt anyone. Believe me when I say I have my reasons for doing these things!” He looked over at Vinnie and bowed before her. “Your Highness.”
“It’s all right.” Vinnie motioned him to stand up straight. “I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised that most people know the truth about me. I only hid my identity so I wouldn’t draw attention to myself. As it turns out, I ended up doing that yesterday. It didn’t feel right to execute an innocent man for a crime he didn’t commit. I had to use my powers then. For I am_”
“Princess Lavinia of Themasa,” Alice said, feeling confident about this. Before Vinnie could ask about this, she assured her things were fine. “It’s okay, Your Highness. I saw what you did and it was very brave. You did what you should have done. Now as for you,” she looked over at Kian, “something tells me you know more than you have told any of us.”
“That’s because I did it, Miss Alice,” Kian explained. “I’m the one people have been looking for all this time. I’m the one that should be executed in the town square. I’m the thief.”
Alice blinked, trying to process all of this. “What?”
“It’s true. I figured it out last night when I ran into him again,” Vinnie added. “It would explain why he’s been acting strangely around me.”
“Did my note to come to the bakery give me away?” Kian wanted to know, taking the bread over to the one of the ovens.
“Actually, it was your eyes. I think I must have been the first person to see your eyes and I never forgot them,” Vinnie explained. “When I ran into you again, I wonder why you were so quiet around me. Now I know. You knew who I was all along.”
“I did, Your Highness. I was trying not to draw attention to both of us. Of course, I didn’t do a good job of that,” he murmured. “The only reason I didn’t come for sooner was because I was scared. I saw what you did.”
Alice kept moving her head from one to the other. Lavinia being a princess did not shock her but Kian, sweet Kian, was the thief people feared? That didn’t make sense. “I just don’t know what to make of this. Kian, why would you do something like that? What did you see that scared you?”
“I can explain that part,” Vinnie cut in, looking at a flower on the ground. She was afraid of doing this, but Alice needed to see it. “I want you to look at this flower, Alice. Stare at it long and hard. Make note of its size, the colors, the shape of the petals and leaves. Don’t forget what it looks like... because it’s about to die.”
She kneeled down and gently touched the flower with her bare hands. Within seconds, the colors disappeared and it began to wither into dust. Slowly, it fell apart and the flower was no more. It was nothing but ashes on the grass. Alice couldn’t breathe the whole time she saw this. She put her hand to her chest and tried to steady herself. This was nothing like her curse, but she understood why Vinnie kept this a secret. It was no wonder no one had seen her until now. She was indeed a princess who took life away.
“Now you see why I’ve never really revealed myself to you?” Vinnie asked. “I have struggled with this for years and I cannot live with the curse anymore. I want to venture out and find a witch that can remove it from me. I know I’ll have to go places that I never went before. I can’t do it alone because I don’t know anything beyond castle walls. That’s why I wanted your help. I didn’t know where else to turn to. You’re the only friend I’ve ever had.”
“I’m guessing that’s why you’ve asked me as well,” Kian chimed in. “I’m the only other person who has seen you do this. That and you have my fate in your hands.” He looked over at Alice who was quiet over what she had seen. “Are you all right, Miss Alice? I know it’s a lot to take in.”
“I’ll understand if it frightens you and you don’t want to help,” Vinnie went on. “This is a curse that I’m trying to get rid of, yet I don’t know where to start looking. I’m terrified of doing this on my own. My father and mother have warned me for years not to step beyond castle walls. They were afraid of what I could do if I accidentally touched someone. If my secret came out, our whole lives would be ruined. That’s why I want to go out there and find a way to remove it,” she paused. “If you never want to se
e me again, I will understand. I don’t blame you for being scared.”
“Scared?” Alice repeated. “Where did you get that I was scared?”
“Didn’t you see what I just did? That flower turned to ashes in front of you, Alice! It’s dead! It’s never coming back! I touch things and they die! Doesn’t that bother you?!”
“Actually…” Alice turned pink. “I was unsure how to say this to you. I’ve wanted to do it for so long.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t say it, Miss Alice. You should show her,” Kian explained. She turned to him and he nodded. “It’s okay. She should know.”
