by J A Armitage
“What if the people starve before then?”
“They won’t,” she said. “Alder has been running projections and budgets nonstop. We have enough grain in storage to last the people a while, and Enchantia and Draconis have already agreed to provide us with regular shipments of fresh fruits and vegetables. The cost will go up, but the palace is prepared to subsidize the imports. We can do that, thanks to Lilian’s marriage.”
“That should buy us enough time to figure out how to grow in the greenhouses,” I said.
She nodded. “I heard about those. They were a clever idea.”
“It was all Hedley.”
“And the Gilded Lily was all you,” she said, her smile returning. “I heard about that, too. Congratulations.”
“The win is being contested.”
She rolled her eyes. “It won’t hold. Minister Yarrow is furious that anyone even brought their judgment under question.”
A long-standing tension in my shoulders unknotted itself a little. “That’s good to hear.” I shifted a little. “Your Majesty, where is the king? We need him here.”
The temptation to tell her about the duke and his hideous parents flared inside me, but I ignored it. I’d promised Lilian, and unlike some people, I respected Lilian and thought she could make her own decisions.
The queen pursed her lips a little. “He’s in Urbis,” she said, which I already knew.
“Looking for a cure to the blight?”
A tiny dimple appeared at the corner of her mouth. “Looking for a wig,” she admitted. “I have to appear at Lilian’s wedding. I can’t do it wearing a scarf.”
She laughed at the look on my face.
“A wig?” I said. “That’s why he keeps disappearing?”
“He’s talking to magicians too, of course,” she said. “But yes, a lot of it’s about the wig.”
“You have servants for that kind of thing.”
“Servants gossip,” she said. “I can’t risk it.”
“Can’t he find wigs in Floris?”
I realized the idiocy of the question as soon as I asked it. Wigs could be found in every kingdom, but none that would pass for Queen Rapunzel’s famous locks. Outside of the queen and Lilian, I’d never seen hair that gleamed like sunlight or shifted like a waterfall of gold with their every move. The queen’s hair was special; her wig would have to be, too.
“Never mind,” I said. “Forget I asked.”
“We’ve rejected human hair, horsehair, silk, enchanted cornsilk, Enchantia cotton strands, and hammered gold threads,” she said. “Alder is now pursuing pegasus mane and elf-spun gold. Failing those, I’m going to have to find an absolutely spectacular scarf or risk wearing a witch glamour for the day.”
She made a face, clearly not liking this last idea. I wondered whether her adopted mother had ever used glamours.
Footsteps sounded outside the door, along with Lilian’s raised voice and the lower tones of the guard.
“I’d better go,” I said.
The queen glanced at the door. “I can just add you to my list of permitted guests,” she said. “It seems you know everything anyway.”
“No,” I said, too quickly.
She looked startled, and I shook my head.
“It would be better that no one sees me coming and going,” I said, coming up with the excuse as I said it. “If people know I’ve seen you, they’ll ask questions.”
“Just help me back to my room,” Lilian said, much too loudly, from outside the door. “But let’s walk up and down the corridor here for a few minutes first. I don’t think it’s actually sprained, and I don’t want to trouble the court physician until I’m sure.”
The queen raised an eyebrow at me. I smirked.
“She’s a good accomplice,” I said. It would take the guard at least ten minutes to get to Lilian’s quarters and back--more if Lilian managed to stall him as long as I knew she’d attempt. “Is there anything else you can tell me? Anything that might help me stop this blight?”
“The blight is my fault,” the queen said, lines appearing on her forehead again. “I’m responsible for fixing this. Just please, do what you can to get the greenhouses built quickly. You’re the Head Gardener and the winner of the Spring Flower Festival,” she added, forcing a smile. “If anyone can get the rest of the kingdom on board with this new way of doing things, it will be you.”
Not when I get fired next week, I thought, but the queen didn’t need to know about that. Not yet. She had enough on her plate, and I couldn’t go into why Duke Remington hated me without going into his troubled relationship with Lilian.
“Thanks, Your Majesty,” I said.
Impulsively, I leaned in and gave her a quick hug. She squeezed me back, the embrace as warm and loving as the rest of her.
“Thank you, Deon,” she said. “I’m so glad we have you.”
“Can I ask you a question?” I said. “Since we have a few minutes.”
She pulled back, but we stayed sitting close together, and she kept her hand resting lightly on my forearm. She was so like a mother, even if she wasn’t really mine.
“Of course, Deon,” she said.
“How did I come to the palace?” I said. “I’ve been wondering lately. About me, about where I come from.” I swallowed, debating on how much I should say. But I already knew too much about her. It only seemed right that she should know about me, too. “I think I have magic,” I said. “Just a little. I think it’s how I managed to keep the Gilded Lilies alive.”
Her gray eyebrows shot up, and delight illuminated her face.
“Did you know my birth parents?” I asked before I could lose my nerve. “Do you think they were magicians, or something else, maybe? Elves?”
“I don’t know.” Her face tightened in concentration, and her gaze grew distant as if she were looking for memories in the space behind my head. “I don’t think they ever told us,” she said at last.
“They?”
“The people who brought you to the palace.” She reached for my hand and held it, her skin warm against mine. “You were brought in the middle of the night, right at the end of Alder’s and my wedding celebration. We had no idea what to do with a baby at first.” She laughed a little. “Of course, Lilian arrived nine months later, so we figured it out pretty quickly. But those first few days, we just stared at you.”
“Why did you keep me?” I said. “Why didn’t you send me to an orphanage?”
“I couldn’t,” she said wide-eyed. “Goodness, I wasn’t about to let you go. Complete strangers brought you to me--to us. It seemed cruel to send you back out into the world. You were so tiny, and trusting, and…” She trailed off, and finally shrugged with a little laugh. “I don’t know, I suppose you were cute. And Alder and I had already overcome so much. It seemed only right that we should share our good fortune with everyone we could, starting with you.”
“So, you kept me.”
“We didn’t adopt you.” She tilted her head a little. “I suppose we should have, but it never crossed our minds. You were such a surprise. We decided to raise you even so, and at first, you loved tagging along behind the housekeepers--they adored you--and then you and Lilian both decided you were going to become stablemasters when you grew up, and then you discovered the gardens. You showed an aptitude for it.”
“I remember that,” I said. “It felt like I’d finally figured out what I was supposed to do with my life.”
The queen burst into laughter and patted my hand. “Yes,” she said. “Finally. After years and years of struggle, maybe as many as five.”
I flushed, but I laughed, too. I had been pretty young.
“Stars, you were a joy to watch,” she said. “The way you took to the earth and toddled after Hedley like a loyal puppy. I knew from the beginning you’d be a great gardener.”
She glanced toward the window. Not much was visible from this angle besides sky, but I knew what the grounds looked like.
The queen did, t
oo. Her smile disappeared.
“I wonder if maybe you’re connected to all this,” she said. “Somehow. You arrived just as my life was becoming beautiful. Perhaps your arrival was what gave us so many wonderful years.”
I shook my head. “Floris was pretty before me.”
“I’m afraid I’ve ruined it,” she said. “I should have stayed in my tower. It would have kept Gothel from taking out her rage on everyone else.”
I held the queen’s hand tightly in mine.
“You’re not to blame for this,” I said firmly. “We’re going to fix it. Somehow. Floris will be beautiful again.”
Her eyes filled with a sudden rush of tears. She blinked, hard, fighting them back.
“I’ll help you,” I said. “This blight won’t last forever.”
It was the height of hubris, assuring her of something like that. I didn’t know how to fix this problem. I’d tried, and every tiny success we’d had so far was thanks entirely to Hedley.
But I couldn’t bear the grief and fear on her face. She was my queen; more than that, she was the closest thing to a mother I’d ever known.
The voices outside the door grew louder, culminating in Lilian saying, “Fine. Let’s go back to my room, then.”
“I’d better go,” I said in a low voice. I met the queen’s gaze. “Floris will be beautiful again,” I said as if I could guarantee any such thing. “I promise.”
14th April
“Deon,” someone whispered.
I turned over on my unicorn manure mattress. The bags had taken my shape over time, creating a perfectly formed hollow that was good for sleeping but made it hard to sit up.
I sat anyway, though, because I knew that voice.
“Come on in,” I called softly.
The door creaked open, and Lilian peeked in. The sky was still dark behind her.
“What time is it?”
“Too early,” she said. “The maids aren’t even up. Mama wants to see you. She sent her guard on some dumb errand, so you have a while.”
I scrambled out of bed, rubbing sleep from my eyes. Lilian closed the door again to allow me privacy to get dressed, and then we slipped across the dark, empty grounds like shadows.
The queen was waiting for us in her chambers. She wore a tunic and slender trousers and was illuminated only by a few dim lamps from where she stood in front of a darkened window. Her hair was uncovered today, bound back in a tight gray braid that gave her a severe look. I narrowed my eyes to take her in better.
“Are you going somewhere?” I asked, keeping my voice down.
“No,” she said. “But I have news that might interest you.”
The queen looked to Lilian, who touched my arm lightly.
“I’ll keep an eye outside the door,” she said. The curiosity on her face was plain, and I nodded slightly at her, promising to tell her everything afterward.
Lilian closed the door quietly behind herself, leaving the queen and me alone in the deep gold darkness.
“I couldn’t sleep last night,” she said. “I kept thinking about what you said about killing Gothel.”
I stepped toward her. “We don’t have to go that way,” I said. “You said--”
“I know what I said,” she murmured. “I also know I’m letting my own feelings for her get in the way of what’s best for the kingdom.”
Her face hardened. It was the same expression Lilian wore when she talked about the duke; it was clear where Lilian had gotten her sense of duty and commitment to her people.
“I don’t want to kill her if we can help it,” she said. “That’s not the Florian way, even aside from my feelings on the subject. I’ll do what I must if it comes to that, but I’d like to talk to her first. She’s not entirely evil. She can be reasoned with.”
I raised an eyebrow. This witch had damaged an entire kingdom to get back at her daughter if our suspicions were correct, and she’d done it as the result of an eighteen-year-old grudge to boot.
But the queen knew her better than I did. I trusted her judgment.
“I have informants all over the kingdom,” she said. “They’ve kept me apprised of Gothel’s movements over the years, as well as they could.”
“Hedley said she lives in the forest,” I blurted. “He said no one can find her.”
“Hedley is not privy to all my secrets.” Queen Rapunzel winked, so quickly, I wasn’t sure I’d seen it at all. “I received a telegram early this morning. It seems Dame Gothel may be in Urbis. She was seen near the City Archives.”
I furrowed my brow as the pieces connected quickly in my head.
“King Alder is in Urbis.”
“Yes,” she said. “And I need to find out if Gothel is there, via someone I can trust.”
Her gaze bored into me, and I knew without being told what she was asking.
“I can go,” I said. “I’ll find him and tell him.”
“I don’t want you to find him.” She glanced at the floor, then up again. “I want you to find her. Confirm my suspicions. Lilian’s wedding is soon, and if Alder thinks he might be able to track down Gothel, I’m worried he’ll go running after her and miss his daughter’s big day.” She widened her eyes as if we were both in on a secret. “I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed, but Alder gets single-minded about things. I’d rather he not spoil Lilian’s wedding by getting murdered before he gets the chance to walk her down the aisle.”
I bit back a smile.
“Are you sure you’ll be able to leave the gardens?” She clasped her hands together and examined my face as if she was suddenly worrying she might be inconveniencing one of her servants. She was so much like Lilian. And whatever Duchess Annemie thought of their considerate natures, I loved them both for it.
“There’s very little for me to do in the gardens right now,” I said.
“But the enchanted glass…”
“Reed can manage it,” I said. “Hedley’s got him working with some of the magicians in Tulis.”
She frowned. “Hedley is still here?”
“He’s as worried about the blight as the rest of us. He and Hyacinth decided to stay in town while he runs tests.”
The queen’s face fell a little. “That’s kind of him. I feel terrible that he’s not able to enjoy his retirement.”
“Most of his retirement was about his garden,” I said grimly. “There’s nothing of that left.”
She bit her lip and nodded. “I’ll make sure Lilian talks to the gardening staff. We can put him back in charge and say you’ve gone to, I don’t know, do some research.”
“Tell them I’m visiting the library in Urbis,” I said. “They have a good horticulture section, or so I’ve heard.”
“I’m so grateful for you, Deon,” the queen said. “I’d go myself, but…” She waved at her head as if that was the only thing preventing the queen of Floris from traipsing off to track down a witch.
“I’ll find her,” I said.
I was full of promises lately. At least I might be able to follow through on this one.
“I’ve written you a note with instructions,” she said. “It tells you a bit about Gothel and what to do if you find her. Don’t reach out to Alder until you’ve heard from me.”
“I don’t even know where he’s staying,” I said.
“The City View Hotel,” she said at once. “Top floor. Password is tulips. It’s all in the note.”
She picked an envelope from the side table near the sofa. My name was written on it in the queen’s graceful hand.
I accepted it from her. The heavy paper brushed against my fingers like the sturdy petals of a zinnia. She handed me a coin purse, too, made of thick blue canvas embroidered with tiny silver flowers.
“That should cover your expenses. Can you leave today?”
“I can leave this moment,” I said. “Although I’d prefer to pack some clothes first.”
A broad smile spread across the queen’s face. “You’ve always been so ready to help,” sh
e said. “You’ve always been there for me, for us, for Lilian. I’m so proud of the man you’ve become.”
My face turned red. I wasn’t sure whether she could see it in the dim lamplight, but I felt the heat blooming in my cheeks.
“I’m just doing my job, Your Majesty.”
“You have never settled for just doing your job,” she said. “You’ve always gone above and beyond, and you’ve always been there for my family. You are my family.” She took my hand. “I’m so sorry to be sending you into danger like this.”
“I’d be hurt if you asked anyone else,” I said with a shrug.
“I wish we’d adopted you that night you first showed up,” she said. “We should have, and I’m sorry we didn’t understand that then. You’re better than any son I could have imagined.”
It was one of the kindest things anyone had said to me. Even so, I was glad they hadn’t taken me in as an actual son. It would have been way too weird to have Lilian as a sister.
“You’re my family, too,” I said. “I’ll find her. I promise.”
She pulled me in and held me close. Her hair, gray and dull as it was, still smelled like lilacs and honey.
“Don’t tell Lilian,” she said. “Or do, because I know she’ll pester you otherwise--but please try not to frighten her. She’s getting married in a few days, and I want this week to be as normal and wonderful as it can be.”
Again, I wanted to tell her everything--the way Duke Remington kept grabbing Lilian’s arm like he could control her, their heated conversations, his threat to fire me.
But Lilian wanted to deal with him on her own. I had to trust her.
“I don’t want her to worry, either,” I said.
The queen stood on tiptoes kissed the top of my head. She’d done that often, back when I was still shorter than her and running around the palace with Lilian on my heels. The gesture still filled me with warmth.
“I’ll handle this,” I said. “And I’ll be back before you know it.”
Lilian followed me back out to my shed. The first hints of dawn were shimmering on the horizon, so we ducked inside. Lilian lit the lamp and held it up while I went through the clothes that now lived in a wooden crate at the foot of my manure pile.
