She took Carina’s arm and walked with her back to their rooms. They reached their corridor. Carina didn’t let go of Lina’s arm. She glared at the guards, daring them to stop her from going into Lina’s room.
They didn’t.
“I’m fine,” Lina said. “I can walk now.”
“You’re clearly not. What happened to you last night? You can tell me now that we’re alone.”
“You heard the queen. She put a pea under my mattress.”
“Lina, do you honestly expect me to believe that? This has to do with the danger, doesn’t it?”
Lina sighed.
“Carina, you wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.”
“Try me.”
Carina stood by Lina, arms crossed.
“Carina, go back to your room. You’ll get yourself disqualified.”
“Good. Now tell me what is happening.”
She sat on Lina’s bed. The tower of mattresses had been removed. Lina sat beside her.
What could she say? Carina watched her with bright blue eyes, daring her to lie.
Lina sighed.
“I-”
A grating sound interrupted her. The wall beside the fireplace slid open. Carina jumped up and moved in front of Lina.
“I knew someone was attacking you! Don’t worry, Lina. I’ll take care of them.”
Lina pulled herself to her feet.
“Carina, don’t be silly.”
“You think you’re the only one who can fight? You’re clearly not great at it, judging by how bruised you are. I’m from Santelle. I can handle myself.”
Carina kicked off her shoes and took a fighting stance. Lina bit back a laugh. Carina’s face was serious, but the overall effect was comical. Her fierce pose didn’t match her lacy yellow gown and glossy blond curls.
Hilda stepped out of the hole in the wall. She took one look at Carina and stepped back in.
“We’ve got the wrong room, Your Majesty.”
“What are you talking about, Hilda?”
Queen Marta slipped around Hilda. She frowned when she saw Carina.
“Lina, I don’t think getting help from another princess is a good idea.”
Lina limped over to the fireplace. Carina followed just behind her, still ready to pounce.
“She’s been helping me. I told her about the danger.”
“Is the queen the one who attacked you?” Carina asked.
Marta bristled.
“Of course not. It would be better if you left, Princess. This is a serious matter.”
“And I’m too delicate to handle it?”
Marta studied Carina. She laughed.
“Well, you certainly have more mettle than I thought.”
“She’s just been trying to blend in,” Lina said. “She’s actually very clever. I’d like her to help us.”
Marta shrugged.
“If you insist.”
Carina turned to Lina.
“So they aren’t the ones who hurt you?”
“No,” Lina said. “In fact, they’ve been healing me. Please don’t attack them.”
Carina dropped her arms and resumed her normal bland expression. She curtsied to Queen Marta.
“Please, everyone have a seat,” Queen Marta said. “And keep your voices down. It would be a disaster if anyone found us here. Lina, drink this potion. It will help your stiffness.”
Lina took the tiny vial and drank it in a single gulp. It tasted bitter and made her tongue tingle. Carina darted across the room and blocked the door with a chair. Then she sat beside Lina looking as unremarkable as ever.
“The king and Alaric couldn’t join us?” Lina asked.
Marta shook her head.
“I couldn’t pull my husband away from the Council meetings without creating suspicion. Alaric and Stefan have left the castle. I’m not sure where they’ve gone.”
Lina nodded.
“What is this about?” Carina asked. “What is this danger?”
“A goblin.”
Carina raised an eyebrow.
“Like in the play? Does he dance?”
“No. Goblins don’t dance. They’re hulking brutes. They’ll smash anything. Eat anything.”
Carina swallowed.
“But goblins aren’t real. They’re legends. Fairy tales.”
Queen Marta cleared her throat. Lina took a deep breath.
“They are real. They haven’t been seen for over a century because they were sealed away. I sealed them away. Carina, I know this is hard to believe, but I’m-”
“Evangelina Shadow-Storm,” Carina said with a nod.
“What?”
Lina jumped out of her chair. The potion seemed to be working. She wouldn’t have been able to move that quickly before.
“How could you possibly know that?”
Carina shrugged.
“I only know of one goblin sealing warrior. If goblins are real, and you’re fighting them, it makes sense. You’re certainly not a princess from anywhere near here. You know magic but not The Snowbell Song? You sneak away from the test to search the castle? That isn’t typical princess behavior.”
Lina sank back into her chair. Her muscles protested from the sudden movement of jumping.
“Besides, you didn’t get those bruises from a pea,” Carina said. “Did you sneak away and confront the goblin last night?”
“Something like that. He ambushed me in the realm of shadows.”
Queen Marta tapped her chair.
“Now that the princess has proved her cunning, we need to make a plan. From what I understand, goblins are weak during daylight hours. Is that true?”
Lina nodded.
“A very strong dark creature might be capable of attacking in daylight, but they prefer to wait for night. They gain physical strength and magical abilities when the sun goes down.”
“So we attack it now,” Carina said. “We rally the army and destroy it before sunset.”
Lina laughed.
“And you accuse me of not being a typical princess? I wouldn’t think fighting goblins was your idea of a good time.”
Carina shrugged.
“I know my way around a battle. Military training is standard for everyone in Santelle.”
She looked at Queen Marta and flushed.
“Oh. I mean- Blast, it isn’t like it was a secret anyway. Alaric would never have chosen me if he didn’t know I was from Santelle.”
Marta winked.
“I won’t tell anyone. We can’t have Fiora demanding your disqualification.”
“Talk about militant,” Lina said. “Anyway, I don’t think we’ll be able to find Nog in the daylight. His magic will be weak. He probably won’t be able to manifest a physical form until evening.”
“So we wait?” Marta asked.
Lina shook her head.
“No, I still want to go back to the cave and investigate. That’s where Nog would have appeared if he was strong enough last night. I want to check the seal in the realm of light. I may find something that will help us.”
“The Society of Evangelina can investigate,” Marta said.
“No. I want to go myself.”
“We’re in the middle of a Princess Test,” Queen Marta said. “But perhaps you could miss the carriage after the picnic and stay on the mountain to search. I can have one of my sons help you.”
“I’ll just get Fiora to disqualify me. Defeating Nog is more important than a Princess Test.”
“There’s no need to do anything drastic,” Queen Marta said.
“You haven’t seen a goblin! You don’t know what they’re capable of! I need to get to the mountain and investigate!”
“And so you will. But wait a few hours. Wait for the picnic. We’ll all take carriages up there together.”
“Queen Marta, please reconsider the picnic. What if Nog attacks? I can’t guarantee everyone’s safety.”
“We’ll be away long before sunset. Now, I’d better make sure everyt
hing is ready.”
Queen Marta and Hilda slipped through the secret tunnel before Lina could protest. Carina gave her a sympathetic look.
“I’m sure they’ll bring guards. It will be alright.”
“Guards won’t be much good against a goblin.”
They had no idea what they were dealing with. They were bigger donkeys than Luca! Lina pulled the pea from its hiding place under the mattress and tucked it into her sash. She had a feeling she would need it.
33
The carriage jolted as it turned onto a narrow mountain road. Alaric turned to Marta.
“Is it wise to take the princesses so far from the castle? It isn’t too late to cancel.”
“Alaric, relax. This was your idea, and it’s a good one. A picnic will give you a chance to interact with the princesses in a less formal setting.”
Alaric narrowed his eyes.
“Marta, I’ve already made my choice.”
“Of course you have, dear.”
Alaric stared out the window. Blast. This was all his fault. He had been the one to suggest a picnic on the mountain.
“Where exactly are we going? What part of the mountain?”
“I told the drivers to stop at the hill just below Evangelina’s Temple. That way you can have a romantic stroll to the top with the lady of your choice.”
The proposal. Alaric grimaced. This was it. His final chance to propose in private before he faced the Council of Kings to announce his choice.
It had to be done.
“Will that be alright, Alaric?”
Alaric shrugged. He just wanted to finish this whole ordeal.
Stefan poked his head in the carriage window. He rode a horse alongside it, leading the guard that surrounded the caravan of carriages.
“He’s just mad that he couldn’t find anything about Lina at the archive.”
“Stefan, don’t stick your head into a moving carriage,” Marta said. “That’s dangerous.”
Stefan smirked at Alaric and removed his head. Alaric leaned back against the seat, trying to relax. Marta studied him like she had so many times when he was a young child. He knew that look. She was assessing the situation. Deciding what was wrong and what was the best way to solve the problem.
“Don’t,” he said.
“You’ve been researching Lina?”
“You have to admit the circumstances around her arrival are suspicious.”
“Unusual, perhaps.”
“No. Suspicious. I’ve seen her several times in the archive looking for something. She’s sneaked out of the castle. She’s bruised overnight and won’t tell anyone how it happened.”
Marta opened her mouth.
“Don’t tell me the pea story again. No one with sense believes that. Besides, she was bruised before the pea test.”
Marta smiled.
“You’re more taken with her than I thought.”
Alaric sat straighter.
“Of course not. If there’s a security threat to Aeonia, I need to investigate.”
“Alaric, she is a princess. I was expecting her. I had a room ready for her. Gowns for her to wear.”
“Yes, I’ve been wondering about that. Only twenty princesses responded to the invitation. How were you expecting twenty-one?”
“I told you. She’s a princess.”
“Marta, please. Tell me the whole story.”
Marta shook her head.
“The story is Lina’s to tell. I’d rather you hear it from her.”
“Marta, we’re in the middle of a princess test! She’ll be disqualified if she tells me who she is! Anyway, she won’t. I’ve already asked.”
“She might. Try asking again.”
“When? This is the last day of the Princess Test. I told the Council I’d announce my choice tonight.”
Marta started.
“Tonight? Alaric, you have the rest of the week to consider your choice. That is traditional. No one would question it.”
Alaric shook his head. If he delayed once, he might not work up the courage again.
“I’ve already told them it will be tonight. I’ve made up my mind. Carina may be bland and boring, but an alliance with Santelle will secure Aeonia’s future.”
Marta laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Alaric asked.
“I’m not sure Carina is as bland as you think.”
“Marta, don’t try to twist this around. I don’t want a boring wife. I’m just stating a fact.”
The queen glanced out the window, still smiling.
“Marta, whatever you’re planning, stop it right now.”
“I’m not planning anything, Alaric.”
“Yes, you are. You’ve been trying to convince me to choose Lina since she got here. Why?”
“Alaric, I’m a simple goat herder, not a matchmaking courtier.”
“Is that so?”
Marta smiled innocently at him.
“Of course. But since you brought it up, Lina is a charming girl, isn’t she?”
“I can’t afford to fall in love, Marta. You know that. You know I have to make a strategic match.”
“I just want you to be honest with yourself, Alaric. If you weren’t crown prince, who would you choose?”
“It has only been three days. I don’t know any of them well enough to marry if I didn’t have to.”
Alaric turned to the window. He watched the familiar scenes roll by. Fields of snowbells. Herds of goats.
If he was honest with himself, he knew exactly who he would choose. But it bothered him that he didn’t know exactly why. He barely knew Lina. They had shared only a few conversations. He didn’t really think she was a spy anymore, but she was certainly more than she seemed.
Was that what intrigued him?
Alaric frowned and took a deep breath. He couldn’t afford to think like this. He didn’t have a choice in this matter, so why pretend that he did? It would only break his heart even more.
34
Lina watched the scenery pass as the carriage rumbled up the mountain path. Much had changed while she had slept, but the mountain felt the same. The same sweet scent of snowbells.
Mixed with the not so sweet odor from the goat herds.
Smelly, but it felt like home.
She leaned against the seat, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. All was just as it should be. She was on a mission with her team. Playing tag with Luca. Picking flowers for her mother.
“Do you think they’ll have another official test at the picnic?” Fiora asked.
Lina closed her eyes tighter. She tried to hold the daydream, but Fiora’s voice destroyed it.
“I doubt it,” Eirwyn said. “It is traditional to have one competitive test per day. We have had three.”
“But one of them was at night. I’m not sure that counts.”
Lina opened her eyes just wide enough to glare at Fiora. The healing potion had helped, but she still had enough bruises to prove her victory if Fiora questioned the results of the pea test. It was a ridiculous story, but if it helped her stay close to Marta and the Society of Evangelina, she was willing to defend it.
“Of course it counts,” Carina said. “You heard Queen Marta. Delicacy is the mark of a true princess.”
Everyone laughed.
“As if a former goat herder believes that,” Fiora said. “What really bruised you, Princess?”
Lina closed her eyes again.
“A pea under the mattress. Couldn’t you feel it? The bed was so uncomfortable that I tossed and turned all night.”
“I didn’t sleep well, but it had nothing to do with the pea,” Eirwyn said. “I was too afraid I’d fall off the bed.”
The carriage halted without warning. Eirwyn screeched as she flew out of her seat.
“Get off me!” Fiora said.
She pushed Eirwyn off her lap.
Lina stuck her head out of the carriage window. Queen Marta had set up a pavilion with tables in the middle of a field of
snowbells. She smiled in spite of herself. The waving flowers smelled even better from outside the carriage.
The door opened. Someone took her hand and helped her down. Alaric.
Lina nodded at him. She was still stiff from her bruises. She accepted his hand and stepped down. He leaned close as if to whisper in her ear. She pushed his hand away and hurried out of reach.
Alaric frowned at her and turned to help Eirwyn from the carriage.
Lina examined the terrain. It wouldn’t be easy to sneak away. She would have to climb over a rolling hill of snowbells before she was out of sight.
“Eat lunch first,” Queen Marta whispered as she walked past Lina.
“No, I want to investigate immediately.”
Marta slipped something into her hand.
“I thought you might say that.”
Lina glanced down. Marta had packed her a separate picnic basket. She held it against her side and wrapped her skirt around it.
At the carriages, Alaric reached to help her Carina to the ground. Lina caught her eye and gestured for the hill. Carina nodded. She jumped into Alaric’s arms.
“Oof!”
He stumbled under her weight.
“Oh, forgive me, Your Highness! My foot slipped.”
Carina clung to Alaric’s neck like a barnacle on a ship. He tried to extract her from his arms while maintaining some sense of decorum. Carina made an equal effort not to be extracted.
Everyone in the camp rushed over to help. Lina tore her eyes away from the spectacle and ran up the hill. She made it to the top and collapsed on the other side to catch her breath. She was safe now. Out of sight. She pulled an apple from the basket and ate it while she walked to the cave.
35
Alaric struggled with the mass of princess and gown clinging to him. Blast Carina! It was like she was trying to get tangled in his arms.
Stefan tried to help. He grabbed Carina’s waist and pulled. Alaric pushed on her shoulders. She didn’t budge. Had she wrapped her legs around him? Surely not, but it felt like it under her voluminous skirt.
“Princess, please let the prince help you down,” Queen Marta said.
“Is it safe?” Carina squealed. “I don’t want to fall!”
The Princess and the Pea (Fairy Tale Adventures Book 1) Page 18
