What was left of his hair had been cut recently, and his jacket seemed to have new buttons. His late wife had always stitched his clothes before, and I wondered who was taking care of him.
He started to rise and greet me, but I motioned for him to stay seated. I carried myself to his chair and sat on the floor beside him.
“I’m looking for a book on old magic, particularly curses.”
“Got yourself in a bit of trouble, eh?” he asked. I grinned. Old Mr. Walters was a bit of a strange man, and not many folks stopped by to talk to him. He had always been a dear friend to me, however, as we shared a similar spirit. He owned the largest collection of books in the town and was always quick to share them with me.
I slid a few coins out of my pocket, grateful that I remembered to grab them that morning. “Any information you can find. It’s important.”
He got up slowly. “Are you looking to cast a curse, or break a curse? Because those are two very different books.”
I laughed at the glint in his eyes. “Break one. A very old one.”
He nodded as if he knew just what I was talking about. He moved around me and toward his books. “The old king from that castle of yours?”
My head whipped around to him as my mouth dropped open. “How did you know?”
Now it was his turn to laugh. “Many from my time spoke about his curse. When I was a lad, the young king was going crazy trying to break his curse. I never knew what became of him, but I figured he settled down in the castle to wait out his punishment.”
I had so many questions for him, but the most important one came out first. “Do you know how to break it?”
He moved away from his books and disappeared into his room without another word. Confused, I waited for a few moments as I heard his shuffle around. A while later he reappeared with a book in his shaky hands. “I know how to break some curses, but I’m not sure about his. That was strong magic that caught him. Still, you might try a few tricks in here. True love’s kiss might work.”
I tilted my head and wondered if Rumpel tried that. His wife was already dead before he was cursed, and I doubted he had fallen in love since then. I shook my head as I reached out to help him back to his seat. “I don’t think that will work on him.”
Old Mr. Walters nodded. “Closed off his heart, has he? Well, there’s not much that can be done for him then. My guess is he needs to find a way to make his sins right again.”
I furrowed my brow as I took the book in my hands. The sun was higher now and shed more light on the cover. It was a beautiful book, deep green with painted ivy running down both sides. There was a ring in the middle of the page, with sparks flying from it as if it was on fire. I tucked it under my arm as I looked over Old Mr. Walters.
“What sins are you talking about?”
He clicked his tongue and his back cracked as he leaned forward off his chair. “You’re making me move a lot this morning,” he complained with a smile. He shifted his feet over to the bookshelf where he spent a few minutes looking through his supply. Finally, he clicked his tongue again and pulled a short book out.
He held it up for me to see. “This book will tell you the things he didn’t.”
Confusion washed over me as I reached to help him back again to his seat. He patted the book lovingly. “This was one of my favorite bedtime reads when I was a younger man. It’ll give you some answers.”
My curiosity was itching but I held myself in check until he was ready to pass up the book. Even then, I tried not to appear too hasty as I clutched both books to my chest.
“Knowing that sorceress, breaking the curse is going to involve more creativity than strength.”
My head snapped up and the books that I clung to and I almost fell to the floor. “You know the sorceress?”
He grinned at my surprise, rocking his frail body back and forth in the chair with delight. “Oh yes. Yes, yes, yes. I know her. Knew her quite well, once upon a time.” A wink. My eyebrow raised. “But it’s been many years. So many years.”
“Mr. Walters?” I crouched down next to him, balancing the books on my knees and cupping his hand in mine. “Do you really know the sorceress?”
I couldn’t trust his frail mind, but something in the way he nodded at me convinced me that he did. My next question was the most important. “Can you contact her?”
Another nod.
“Would you be willing to send her a note for me?”
One more nod. I dropped my books and wildly searched for a pen and paper. I brought them to him and told him what to write. It took him a while to pen the words with his shaky hand, so I kept it short. When he was finished, I folded it up. I bent my head bent low again and adopted a serious tone. “Please get this to her. Please.”
I patted his hands and he nodded back as if that was clear. I studied him for a few moments more, trying to find the truth in his soft eyes. I wasn’t sure if he was crazy, or if I was crazy for believing him, but I released my grip on his hand and stepped back, thanking him repeatedly.
I stayed for a cup of tea until the sun reached a point where I needed to go home. I’d left Conrad alone with my family for long enough. Hopefully, my trip would prove a success. Even if he didn’t know the sorceress, perhaps a clue hid in these books.
Wishing I brought a bag to hide my books, I hurried back home and counted down the moments until I could slip away and read the secrets hidden in their pages.
* * *
Conrad was sitting with his ankles crossed on my papa’s favorite barstool, his head thrown back in laughter. Beside him was Anika, her smile matching his own. I froze for a second, hardly believing my eyes. Very few people could make Anika laugh.
My shadow lingered at the window. Conrad’s wild red curls were out of control and he wore what looked to be one of Papa’s shirts, with his dress pants rolled up. If I hadn’t known he was the prince, I would have mistaken him for any common village boy.
If the people didn’t know he came into town last night, they would think he was a visiting cousin. Surely the news had reached the curious ears of the village gossips by now and would be spreading quickly to the barn boys and kitchen girls. The chatter would grow, and it would take a few months to fade away. Around the time that Rumpel’s curse was finalized, the people would lose interest in the prince’s visit.
As far as I knew, Conrad had never visited our village before. Perhaps that was for the best, if he truly did lure boys into the army. But the boy I saw now didn’t look like the kind who would hurt a soul. If it weren’t for Rumpel, I would have trusted Conrad with my life.
I clutched my books to my side, hiding their covers. My hand pushed the door open and I feigned surprise at seeing my family up.
“Went to visit some friends this morning, sorry I took so long getting back!” I closed the door behind me and smiled widely at Conrad and Anika. Mama came around from the kitchen with two plates in her hands.
“I didn’t know you were close to anyone, honey,” Mama said as she put the food before Conrad and Anika.
Anika chuckled. “Just anyone over seventy.”
Conrad hopped up to get another stool and brought it next to his own. “Not a problem, I was just getting to know your family a little better,” he said graciously.
Apologizing again, I promised to be right out. I practically ran back to Anika’s room and stashed the books under the bed before returning to regulate the conversation. Despite my indifference to Conrad’s potential feelings, I didn’t need Anika telling embarrassing stories about me.
We gobbled up breakfast before taking off to the village square. We would be out in the heat of the day, but I doubted it would hold the people back in their homes. Everyone would want to come outside to see their beloved prince.
No one would be coming to see me. Most people still didn’t know who I was. For those who did know me, it was as the girl with no Gift. That was about to change. Suddenly, I would be the girl with the prince. The girl from the castle. The
girl who spins straw into gold.
I had been uncomfortable meeting the King, and that feeling never fully went away. But this was different. This was my home. These were my neighbors. These were folks who I would come back home to live with, and who would continue to have an opinion about me for the rest of my life.
For me, this was bigger than meeting the King.
Unaware of the butterflies in my stomach, Conrad held out his hand to me and walked with me to the village square, to all the eyes that waited.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Guards stood at strategic spots around the square. One was in front of the shoemaker, one the toymaker, and another by the baker. Lolly was standing there talking sweetly to the guard.
I had been right; the heat of the day didn’t stop anyone from coming out. If they hadn’t heard the news last night, they knew soon enough. I spotted boys running by on my way home from Old Mr. Walter’s, shouting out that Prince Conrad was in town. They would have reached the outer farms by now. Never before had the whole town gathered for such an occasion.
I recognized half of the people, even if I couldn’t put names to them. Most folks stopped by our tavern from time to time, so we had a way about knowing everyone. What I didn’t recognize were their clothes. It seemed everyone donned their finest for the occasion. There was no need to wear fancy clothes to the tavern, so I’d never seen the village like this before.
My feet faltered as I took it all in.
Hair was braided, collars turned, and shoes polished, all to impress their prince. As soon as we got close enough to be spotted, a cheer started, and it lasted until we reached the center. A few guards came quickly to escort the prince. Uncertain, Anika and I stepped back and watched as they walked forward into the mass of people.
“Is it always this bad?” Anika asked. She crossed her arms and turned up her nose as she inspected the scene. People reached forward, crowding Conrad and the frantic guards. The prince simply laughed and picked up a child.
I wasn’t used to seeing the people like this, but I also wasn’t used to seeing this side of Conrad.
Back at Westnut Castle, Conrad was respected but known. We were used to seeing him every day, and he went out of his way to greet everyone, even the gardener and cooks. They knew him, they loved him, but they didn’t scream his name when he walked by.
I searched for the word. Adored. I had never seen Conrad so adored.
“Aiden’s coming,” Anika warned me. My eyes darted to where she nodded. Aiden was perhaps the only one not fawning over Conrad. He turned his shoulders and weaved through the crowd to reach me. Anika slipped away before I could thank her.
I took a deep breath as I prepared for this conversation. I had given too much thought to Rumpel’s curse this morning and not enough to what I would say to Aiden.
He stopped several paces away. “Are you ready to talk now?”
Jumping right in, I see.
I nodded, and Aiden motioned his head around the bend. I followed him behind the shoemaker’s shop to a quieter, shaded place. Aiden leaned against the shop in the shade of the tree and sighed, looking at me with gentle eyes. I’d missed those eyes.
“I’ve missed you,” he said.
“I’ve missed you too,” I told him, though I was sure we meant it in different ways. Aiden pushed off the building and wrapped his arms around me as I breathed in the comfort of his touch.
It had always been easy, with his arms around me, to ignore the rest of the world. I blocked out the cheers of the people as I stood in his warmth. My arms tightened around him and he did the same. It was a security I hadn’t felt in months. But I pulled back from his embrace, not wanting to give him the wrong impression.
“Marry me,” he breathed.
I gulped. It was too late. “Aiden, I can’t.” My feet shuffled back and my chest tightened.
He moved forward to close the space between us again. “We love each other, that’s all there is to it.”
My head dropped into my hands. “I can’t keep breaking your heart.”
“Then don’t!” His hands flew to the side of his head before he ran them through his hair. “I’ve been playing your words through my head since I proposed, how you told me you wanted more, and I was mad—so mad. I was angry with you for wasting my time when you didn’t want me, and for choosing the night I was going to ask for your hand to tell me you didn’t want to marry me. I was mad at you for not loving me as much as I loved you. But seeing you yesterday, I don’t feel mad anymore, because I realized none of that matters. That’s all part of our story, and it’s going to make us stronger. The only thing that matters is that we love each other.” Aiden’s eyes were searching mine, looking for a glimmer of hope.
For so long I’d struggled with this concept of love, and how I could love Aiden but not want to marry him. Now, the answer seemed clear. The love I had for him was reserved for a best friend, or a brother. It wasn’t the love of a husband and wife.
“Don’t you want more? Don’t you want someone who loves you with all the breath in their chest? Someone who puts you first above all else, who would do anything for you, who would give up everything to be with you? We would be happy together, but we would never have that passion.”
As I spoke of love, a name came to my mind, tugging on my heart and causing me to stutter for a moment. Overwhelmed by the sudden feeling, I pushed the name down as I focused on the glint in Aiden’s eye.
“That’s the way I love you.” His words were soft and etched in pain. I closed my eyes to shield myself from the hurt I caused. When Aiden spoke again, his voice was choked. “It’s all those books you read that paint an unreasonable expectation for love. Nothing you find is going to live up to that. I can’t promise to be waiting around when you change your mind.”
The cheers of the villagers sounded like mockery to my ears, and I tried to block out the noise. Aiden shifted back against the building with his lips turned down.
I took a shaky breath. “I don’t want you to wait for me.”
His eyes narrowed as he cocked his head toward the main square. “Is it him?”
Unsure of what he meant as first, I looked toward the people. “Conrad?” I thrust a finger around the shop. “You think this is about him?”
“C’mon Cosette, why else would he come back here with you? I don’t understand why he’d pick a village girl, but I know I can’t compete with a rich prince.”
Suddenly my heart hurt from a new angle, and I took a step back. “A simple village girl? There’s nothing I’d have to offer a prince?”
Aiden raised his eyebrows at me. “Really, Cosette? What could you offer the heir to Westfallen?”
My mouth gaped open. True or not, it wasn’t a polite thing to say. “I have plenty to offer. And besides that, do you think that I’m shallow enough to want him simply because he’s a prince?”
“I never said that.”
“You did! You said you couldn’t compete with a rich prince, as if that’s the only thing that matters to me.”
“If it’s not him, then there’s someone else. You’d have no other reason to say no to your only marriage prospect.”
His words felt like a knife cutting into me. I didn’t need his help remembering that I had no other options. “I won’t be guilted into a marriage.”
“No, but it looks like you can be bought into one. Whatever the prince is offering you, he only wants you for your gold, which isn’t real anyway. No one will ever love you again the way that I loved you.”
I held back tears, turning my head so they wouldn’t be spotted. “I want you to leave.”
“Cosette,” Aiden said as he reached for me. “Please think about this.”
I couldn’t raise my head to look at him, the boy who used to be my best friend and my safe place in this village. Aiden was everything to me, and I never imagined his words could hurt me in such a way; but now rejected, his frustration lashed out and stung my heart, leaving me short for breath. Confus
ion swirled within me, along with anger, and desperation for something that made sense. In a way, it was only fair. I left him with difficult words when we last spoke, and now it was his turn to hurt me.
“Please. I need a minute by myself.” My voice came out as a whimper, and I willed myself to be stronger. Aiden waited a moment before giving up and leaving me alone.
Still keeping my tears at bay, I jogged further away, under the cover of trees so I wouldn’t be bothered. A few slipped from my eyes and rolled down my cheeks, and I sniffed as I hugged my chest. Out of sight at last, I pressed my back to a tree. Something like a snort came out of my mouth and I couldn’t hold the tears back anymore, so I let out a pitiful sob.
Once started, the tears flowed freely, releasing the emotions that built up inside.
Though I tried to forget them, Aiden’s words pushed themselves into my mind and coursed through my thoughts. No one will ever love you like I loved you. You’re making a mistake. The prince could never want someone like you.
I knew these things weren’t necessarily true, but that didn’t lessen the sharp pain that gripped my heart. An added disappointment came when I realized that the conversation likely took our friendship away, and that was something that I would miss terribly.
Frustration and emotional exhaustion fueled my tears and I couldn’t control them. Out of nothing, Rumpel appeared and wrapped his arms around me. I should have known he would follow us, but I couldn’t be mad at him. I leaned into him as my body shook with sadness. He held me tight, stroking my hair as I soaked his shoulder with tears. He didn’t say anything, but let me cry in peace. Every few moments he would stroke my shoulders or my back; otherwise he stood still and strong as he held me.
All the while, I continued to cry. I felt foolish for doing so, having recognized for myself that my feelings for Aiden were not strong. But it still hurt to hear his words, and it hurt to lose him. My body ached with the stress of the past few months. I longed to be free of the King’s reach, to be back at home. I longed to understand Conrad, instead of analyzing his intentions every time I saw him. I longed to free Rumpel from his curse. I longed to know my place in this world, and I longed to understand my feelings.
The Storyteller’s Daughter Page 14
