An opulently dressed young man opened the door of the carriage the moment we emerged from the trees.
He stuck his hand out, giving us every opportunity to admire the rings on his fingers.
I’d never seen so many. They were only exceeded by the number of jewels covering every inch of his cap.
I tried to focus on his face, recall it from the castle, only to find myself distracted by all the baubles attached to his vest, belt, and legs.
“Your Highness.” The young man tried very hard not to wince at our peasants’ attire. He almost succeeded by seizing my hand and kissing it, lingering over my fingers a bit too long.
“My lady,” he said to Oriana, clearly uncertain how to address her. He bowed to my companion, took her hand, and allowed his lips to linger above it for a moment before withdrawing with polite expediency.
“Your royal mother wished for me to accompany you on your journey home.” His watery gray eyes darted over my dress, only to flee to the pearls and tiny orange stones covering his sleeves. “For additional protection,” he added.
“Her royal mother once thought I was enough protection.” Oriana sounded more amused than annoyed. “I can see this is no longer true as the princess approaches her sixteenth birthday.”
The young man’s nostrils flared while he tried to school his grimace into a smile. “I am Lord Harold Vinegarten,” he said, with careful emphasis on every word. “Second cousin of the Lady of Clear Meadow on my mother’s side, second cousin to King Harold of Heathers Royal on my father’s side.” His chest puffed up as if it were a feathered breast. “We care for most of the land around us. All the vineyards in the realm and several beyond belong to my family.”
He started chattering at great length in exquisitely boring detail about everything his family owned.
I tried to pay attention since some of what he said might be important. Overall, I wondered what he was up to.
All my life, courtiers had talked at me, but this young man was making a serious effort to impress me.
Nor was he the only one.
On the drive back to the castle, I saw no shortage of extremely well-dressed young men. Most of them weren’t wearing as many jewels as Harold, but they made up for it by leaving their shirts open, exposing gleaming bare chests. The gleam had to be some kind of oil. Some of these young men were extremely well endowed. It was hard not to stare at their tight breeches.
Many of them seemed to be hanging around the road, waiting for the carriage to pass by. All of them tried to catch my eye. A few of them winked. A couple even swooned when the carriage approached.
“What’s going on?” I demanded. My face grew quite hot after one youth threw himself to the ground, stripped off half of his clothes, and cried that his body and soul belonged to the princess.
“Nothing but a disgusting display of opportunism,” Lord Harold said, wrinkling his nose in distaste. “Pay them no attention, Your Highness!” Indeed, he seemed quite eager to keep me away from the carriage window. “It’s understandable to be overcome by your beauty, but that’s no excuse for such behavior.”
“Well, as you say, it’s understandable to be overcome by the princess’s beauty, especially as she reaches a marriageable age.” Some of the amusement left Oriana’s face as she regarded me. “I have a feeling Queen Thea will want to have a little talk with you when you get home.”
She did.
Not long after the carriage pulled up, an army of servants surrounded it.
My foot had barely touched the ground before I was rushed off. There was no time to say goodbye to Oriana or Lord Harold. The castle staff scampered with me caught between them down the familiar corridors of the castle.
I was hurried to a room where a maid with a bucket of soapy water was waiting. Other servants came forward to undo the garment.
My peasant’s attire disappeared.
After a thorough scrubbing and brushing that left my fingers raw, two maids helped me into one of my green gowns.
The softness of its sleeves was sheer bliss. In truth, it was wonderful to feel truly clean.
It was less than wonderful to be marched into my mother’s presence.
Yes, I’d missed her, but she had an avid gleam in her eye when she surveyed me from head to toe. That particular look meant she had an idea, an idea she thought was perfect for my well-being.
The last time she’d given me such a look was right before she’d introduced me to Oriana. Not that meeting my guardian had been a bad notion, but I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like whatever she was up to. Not with such a large number of young men in tight breeches lounging around her audience chamber.
One of them wasn’t quite as young as the rest. He looked familiar. I wasn’t sure why.
My mother got up from her seat to embrace me.
I put my arms around her and pressed my lips to her cheek.
She held me at length, studying me intently.
“Calluses on your hands!” Her blue eyes were very moist. “I don’t know what you were doing, but I’m very glad you’re home, my darling!”
“I’m glad to be home,” I said, smiling at her. I meant every word, even if I dreaded whatever she had planned.
“You’ll be turning sixteen soon, my precious Rose.” She withdrew a handkerchief from some hidden spot on her person to dab her eyes. “The dawn of your womanhood will soon arise, so it’s time to think of certain womanly matters.”
“What womanly matters did you have in mind?” I asked, with a sinking heart.
Marriage. It had to be about marriage. I was a princess. Unless I could name a suitable heir, I’d have to marry and produce one.
Naming the wrong heir could lead to the destabilization of the realm if the people didn’t acknowledge my choice. Not that a blood heir would guarantee the realm’s safety, but a lot of people were more comfortable with that option.
My mother was among them.
“You know very well I’m speaking of your marriage,” my mother said, giving me a sharp look. “However, we also have to consider your curse.”
“It’s supposed to fall upon me during the late afternoon of my sixteenth birthday,” I said, recalling the exact words of the curse. They’d been repeated to me, many times.
“She shall grow up with all the beauty and promise of the dawn, but her sun will never rise. Before the sun sets on the eve of her sixteenth year, the princess shall prick her finger on a spindle. With the first drop of her blood, a sleeping curse will fall upon her, claiming her for a hundred years.”
Perhaps I could wake up earlier if someone who truly loved me kissed me. Or if I kissed someone I truly loved.
Like Oriana, I didn’t see how the latter was possible.
A shiver ran down my spine.
The tower. The mysterious princess had promised to meet me in the tower right before the curse fell upon me. She was going to tell me her story.
I wasn’t sure whether to be frightened or excited.
“Dearest, I know it’s a terrible fate that threatens you, but there is a way to escape this curse.” My mother’s eyes were bright with eagerness. She hadn’t let go of my hands.
“A kiss from someone who truly loves me will break the spell.” My unease was growing, along with the eagerness in my mother’s eyes.
“Exactly!” my mother said, beaming. “This is the perfect way to build a court of future favorites. Perhaps even to find your future husband.” She released my hands to clasp her own together as if she were praying a future husband would reveal himself.
I certainly hoped he wouldn’t.
“I’ve spread word, far and wide. If the curse falls upon you, every eligible young man is welcome to come and kiss you.” My mother pressed her fingers together in sheer delight.
“What?” I was being offered up as a kissing doll to all comers? My flesh shuddered at the thought.
“I know,” my mother said happily. “Anyone who fails is completely unworthy of you, but anyone who suc
ceeds is someone who truly loves you.” She opened her hands toward me, in benediction. “If he’s of sufficient rank, he’ll be the perfect husband. If not, well, you’ll at least get a loyal retainer out of this dreadful business.”
Trust Mother to see the curse in a positive light, a light that made me want to wince and run away.
I decided to reveal a little of the truth to her.
“Mother—” I took a deep breath and looked straight into her damp blue eyes. “I’m already in love with someone.”
“Why, how perfect! The curse is a chance to test his devotion to you, whomever he is.” My mother smiled, although her hand trembled, ever so slightly. “Tell him about your curse if you haven’t already. He’ll have his chance to kiss you, too.” She let out a nervous titter. “I don’t suppose your beloved is a prince, is he? Or a lord?”
“No, Mother.” He wasn’t a prince, but she was a princess. She was also a hundred-year-old witch, responsible for placing the curse on me in the first place. I wasn’t sure if she loved me or ever would.
I wasn’t going to reveal any of these things—not yet. I doubted any of them would be well received.
“Well, if he succeeds in awakening you, he may stay by your side.” My mother waved her hand airily. “We’ll find an excuse, although we’ll have to find you another husband.” Her gaze moved to the not-so-young man, who smiled back, a little sadly.
Something about the way the corners of his eyes and mouth turned up seemed familiar, but I couldn’t recall where I’d seen his face.
“I take it the one who frees me doesn’t get my hand in marriage. Not unless my savior is a prince or a lord.” I chose my words carefully. “No matter how anyone feels about it or how much we owe my savior.”
“Oh, darling, we mustn’t be too grateful to someone too common.” My mother shook her head. “A hundred years ago, the king of this land made the mistake of marrying beneath him. His wife was a minor noblewoman with little wealth or breeding whom the king met at a ball. He decided he had to have her.” My mother shuddered at such rash romanticism. “The marriage was a disaster. Not to mention the king already had a daughter. The new queen treated her stepdaughter very badly. I’m sure she saw the girl as a threat.” My mother bit her lower lip. “The princess disappeared, but we can guess what happened with a stepmother like that. Awful things happen when you marry someone beneath you.” She took a deep breath, allowing her nostrils to flare. “We can’t risk you marrying someone like that.”
“What if the person I loved was of the same rank as myself?” I asked.
A plan was forming in my head, a scheme of sheer madness, but it might work. “Especially if I could also name an heir worthy of succeeding me?” I met my mother’s gaze straight on. “Would you accept whomever I choose to marry? No matter whom they might be?”
“If he were of sufficient rank.” It was my mother’s turn to look wary. “If that person awakened you from the curse. If you truly love this person and he loves you.”
“Will you agree to my choice as long as my choice is of sufficient rank, is responsible for my awakening, loves, and is loved by me?” I persisted. My wording was very careful, even if it was a bit awkward. “Do I have your word that you’ll agree?”
“Well, yes,” my mother said, frowning. She knew I was up to something, but she wasn’t sure what. “I suppose your father and I can accept that.”
A smile crept over my face. My mad plan might actually work if I was lucky and clever. I’d have to do my best to be both.
For the next few weeks leading up to my birthday, I smiled at, complimented, and questioned every courtier who approached me.
Not that I neglected the ladies. I listened, flattered, and did my best to remember details about each one of them.
It was a strangely rewarding task.
The people talking at me grew more interesting as I learned to pick out individuals among them. Remembering one lady loved hounds while another adored gardens helped me to understand their motivations.
I discovered a very sharp young noblewoman named Marian Vinegarten, a cousin of Lord Harold’s. She knew every lord, merchant, and farmer, as well as every source of wealth for our realm. She could recall all of this information with a briskness I could only envy.
I asked Marian to stay at my side at court, a request that sent Lord Harold into raptures. Marian proved herself to be invaluable. She was always ready to remind me of anything I might have forgotten.
I tried not to rely on her too much. I wanted to remember as much detail as I could about my subjects myself, but it was good to have the assistance.
Lord Gerald Hargreaves proved to be invaluable as well. An old friend of my father’s, he could be relied upon to offer up sound advice. Since I was taking an interest in what was going on at court, he took more of an interest in me. A quiet listener himself, he overheard much from other nobles’ speech. Some of this, he passed on to me.
He became my informant, much as Marian was. I learned a great deal from both of them about the people who owned much of the realm.
By my sixteenth birthday, I’d made a few friends and quite a few allies.
My father took me aside to let me know I was getting a reputation for being wise beyond my years.
“All I’m doing is listening,” I protested, but my cheeks grew warm.
Praise from my father was something to be treasured. He seldom gave it, unless he thought a person had truly earned it.
“Never underestimate the wisdom of listening carefully,” he said with a grave shake of his head. “Every person who talks reveals a part of himself. Every person who listens learns about that part.” A faint smile touched his lips, although it was a melancholy expression. “I’m pleased that you’ve learned this on your own.” He cocked his head. “You seem to have grown a great deal during your time in the Forest of Tears. Or perhaps it’s your mysterious beloved’s influence?”
The heat in my cheeks increased.
My father chuckled. “Whichever it is, it seems to be good for you.”
I couldn’t tell him about my plan. I had no idea if it would succeed.
I continued to court my subjects right up to my birthday. Happily, I enjoyed courting them. I was coming to care about them a great deal, for all they shouted and talked at each other. I hadn’t forgotten my princess witch, though, or our assignation in the tower.
Chapter Seven: Promises Kept
THE DAY OF my birthday arrived.
I met with my subjects, talked with them, smiled, and laughed.
The sun kept distracting me. I continuously glanced at its beams, their position, trying to judge the time.
It moved only too slowly.
In the afternoon, I finally had a chance to sneak off.
I hadn’t been to the tower since my return to the castle. On this day, I’d expected to be watched constantly.
No one stopped me, though. I was able to make my way up the stairs to my former sanctuary.
She might have had something to do it. After all, the princess witch needed to get me alone to curse me. It would be a lot more difficult, surrounded by people.
She was sitting in the topmost tower room of the castle when I found her.
Most of the treasures were missing except for the magic mirror. It hung upon the wall opposite where she sat on a bench.
She was as elderly and wrinkled as she’d been when she left me in the Forest of Tears. No longer was she wearing her purple gown with red ribbons. Instead, she wore the peasant’s dress I’d worn while I lived with the dwarves. It fit her perfectly.
Her hands worked with some string and a sharp stick.
“You promised me a story.” I hesitated at the doorway.
Something about her kept me from entering the room. It wasn’t fear or her magic. It was reverence. Part of me was tempted to drop to my knees and bow my head.
No, I couldn’t do that. I had to meet her on equal terms or my plan would fail. Every move I made would hav
e to be made with care.
“I intend to keep that promise.” The princess witch didn’t look up at me but studied the golden thread in her hands instead. “Once upon a time, I lived in this castle. I often came to this room to watch the sunrise. The servants seldom thought to look for me up here.”
She raised her head and met my eyes.
I couldn’t look away.
The darkness in her gaze had nothing to do with its color. It threatened to pull me in.
If it did, I would drown.
I couldn’t turn away from that darkness or avoid it even if I ran the risk of drowning. Not if I wanted to save her. Not if I wanted to save myself.
It took every bit of courage I didn’t know I possessed to cross the threshold and enter the room.
It took even more to take a step closer to her.
“What happened?” My voice came out in a whisper.
I’d wanted to hear this story for as long as I’d guessed it existed. Now, on the verge of hearing it, I feared her answer.
The princess witch nodded in the direction of the mirror.
Green smoke gathered within it.
A maiden emerged from the emerald mist, which cleared to reveal the green vineyards I recognized from my ride down to the forest. The maiden looked very much like me.
She smiled in a teasing, wicked way at us from the mirror, while she stretched out her arms in open invitation.
“I met a girl whom I came to love,” the witch said softly. “She was very much like you, with hair of gold and bright blue eyes. Oriana was the very embodiment of the dawn I loved to watch every morning.” The witch’s gaze dropped to her hands. “I believed, truly believed, that she returned my love.”
As had I.
I stared at the smiling maiden in the mirror.
It was clearly Oriana, yet it was hard to believe this mischievous girl was the same woman.
The young Oriana was wearing a pretty gown of green silk. Her skirt twirled as the picture changed.
Oriana reappeared, only this time, she was dressed in rags.
She knelt on a stone floor, scrubbing it.
Once Upon a Rainbow, Volume One Page 12
