Banished: Book 1 of The Grimm Laws

by Jennifer Youngblood

  Chapter Five

  The Forgotten Girl

  The apples were starting to get heavy. Needing to rest, Cinderella placed them down in a grassy spot beside of the road and turned her attention to the white daisies that were growing wild in the field. A particular patch of daisies atop a gentle sloping hill caught her attention, and she left the apples and skipped over to them. She plucked a daisy and brought it to her nose. From a distance, looking out over the field, the daisies looked like fancy maidens wearing their finest caps. She rubbed a hand down the rough-spun frock that had faded to a dull brown. For a fleeting moment, she wondered what it would be like to have a soft, beautiful dress like the blue one her stepmother had sewn for Josselyn, but alas, she was but a mere servant, and fine clothes were only for the nobility. Despondency flooded over her until a flock of birds flying overhead caught her attention, and she raised her arms up to them and began twirling in a circle. She began humming a lullaby that her mother used to sing, but the words sank deep into her heart. She was unprepared for the hurt that washed over her. First her mother and then her father. It was nearly too much to bear. She fell to the ground and began weeping in long gulping sighs. No one understood how she felt. She was alone. If only she could make her stepmother love her. What she would give for an accepting smile or kind embrace. A thought came to her mind, causing her to wipe away the tears. Her stepmother had ordered her to go to the market to sell the apples. The last time she went to town, she was only able to sell one bucket. Seraphina had been sorely disappointed. Cinderella shuddered, remembering the way Seraphina’s mouth had turned down into a deep frown. “I’m sorry, Cinderella, but there isn’t enough broth for thee tonight,” she had said. “Unfortunately, when your father died, God rest his soul, he left us heavily in debt. Much like thee, he lacked the intelligence and good sense to make sound business decisions. It’s because of him that we’re nearly destitute, and it’s because of thee that we don’t have enough broth tonight.” Cinderella had gone to bed sick at heart, her stomach churning in hunger. She sat up. Today, she would sell all of the apples, and on this evening she would feast on warm broth and crusty bread. She would show Seraphina that she was worth something! In a small way, she could help make up for the mistakes her father had made.

  She stood, dusted off her clothes, and began walking back to the apples. She heard the laughter before she saw them. She let out a cry of dismay and began running. The boys from the village had dumped out the apples. Two of them were stomping them flat and the other two were pelting them at each other. She ran in the midst of them and began flogging their arms. “Stop!” she shrieked. “Thou art ruining my apples!”

  The largest of the boys pushed her to the ground. “Look at what we have here. The milk maiden is worried about her apples.”

  Cinderella glared up at him. “Ye have no right!” Her eyes went to the ruined apples all bruised and smashed. She’d spent all morning gathering them. The sun was now high in the sky. There was no time to gather more and take them to the market. Her eyes filled with tears.

  “The maiden is crying.” He made a sucking sound with his lips. “She needs her mama.” He gave one of her braids a cruel yank.

  “Stop!” she cried.

  He bent down and grabbed her shoulders. His putrid face was a fraction away from hers, so close that she could see the pores on his oily nose. His eyes took on a peculiar light. “Thou art pretty,” he sneered, “for a milk maid. How’s about giving me a kiss?”

  Her nose crinkled in disgust. “You smell like a pig sty,” she said backing away. This brought chortles of laughter from the other boys.

  His jaw tensed. “Filthy maid! Dost thou not understand to whom you speak? I am a squire in training. Any maiden would be honored to give me a kiss. That which ye do not give, I will take, and then I’ll rub thy face in cow dung for the insult!” Roughly, he pulled her to him. Panic overtook her, and she clawed him across the cheek, drawing blood. He let out a yelp and backed away, holding his face. When he looked at his hands and saw blood, his face turned purple. “I’ll teach thee …” He raised a fist, and she braced herself for the impact.

  “Lucas, enough!”

  She looked up. One of the boys had caught the brute’s fist and was holding him back.

  “Leave her be. You’ve had your entertainment, and now it’s over!”

  The brute turned on the boy. “Dost thou dare question me?” The brute stood a head taller than the boy and was about two sizes larger, but the boy remained undaunted. “Ye will leave her alone!” he said firmly, “or I will be forced to teach ye a lesson you’ll not soon forget.” The brute lunged at the boy, and they both went sprawling onto the ground where they rolled in the dirt, punching. After a moment, they got to their feet, breathing hard.

  “Thou wouldst ruin a friendship over a worthless milk maid?” the brute said.

  “No human being is worthless. She has given us no offense. We are the ones at fault. We destroyed her apples, and then you attempted to do far worse.”

  The brute threw a punch, but the boy easily sidestepped it. He circled behind the brute and caught him in a chokehold, sending him to his knees.

  “Dost thou yield?” the boy said.

  The only sounds coming out of the brute’s mouth were gulping and grunting as he struggled in vain to get free.

  “I’ll ask only once more. Dost thou yield?”

  Gasps. “Yea!” came the strangled reply.

  “By honor of the King, Give me thy word!”

  “Yea, I give thee my word!”

  He tightened the hold. “Swear it!”

  “I swear!” he croaked.

  He released him. The brute sat on the ground, gasping for breath and clutching his neck. He looked up at the boy, hatred burning in his eyes. “You will pay for this!”

  The boy laughed. “Obviously.”

  He turned to the other two boys. “Take Lucas back to the castle where he can nurse his wounds … err … pride.”

  Cinderella watched in eerie fascination as they immediately complied with the order. She’d assumed that the brute, Lucas, was the one in charge, but she was mistaken.

  The boys grabbed Lucas under his arms and helped him to his feet. As soon as he could stand, he pushed them away.

  They started walking when one of the boys turned. “Rushton? Aren’t thou coming?”

  He shook his head. “Nay, I’m going to try and right the wrong we’ve done to this good maiden.”

  The boy shrugged and they continued walking away.

  He turned, gave her a curt bow, and then held out his hand. “Allow me, Mi’ Lady.”

  She scoffed and refused his hand. “I can manage on my own.” She got to her feet and shot him a hateful glare. “Thou and thy friends have already done enough!”

  He seemed to duck a little beneath the tongue-lashing and had the decency to look embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Mi’ Lady. We were just having some fun, and it got out of control.”

  “Yea, at my expense! My apples are ruined.” Angry tears filled her eyes as she started picking up the few apples that were salvageable.

  “What were ye going to do with the apples?”

  “Sell them. I was going to sell them, but thanks to thee and thy heathen companions that’s no longer possible!” There would be no going to the market and no apples sold, hence no supper.

  She saw his expression soften. He reached into his tunic and pulled out a handful of coins. He held them out to her. “Here, take these for thy trouble.”

  Her eyes widened. Two schillings? That was more than she could earn in a month selling apples. Seraphina would be so pleased. They would have enough to buy a chicken and some cheese to go along with the vegetables in the garden. She reached for the coins and then stopped. “I can’t take them. It’s too much.” The words cut as they came through her lips.

  He placed the coins in her palm and clasped his hands around hers. “Take them.”

  She was so unaccustomed to kindness t
hat she couldn’t fathom that he would offer the coins wanting nothing in return. She eyed him suspiciously. “What dost thou want in exchange for the coins?”

  “Thy friendship.” And then he smiled a smile so pure that it encapsulated the cloudless sky and everything else that was good and true on the earth. He bent down and plucked a daisy from the field and held it out to her. “Please accept this daisy as a token of my friendship, Maiden …

  “Cinderella,” she inserted.

  “Cinderella, wilt thou allow me to earn thy trust?” His eyes held hers, and she thought about how they were as blue as Suncrest Pond in the height of the summer. He gave her a crooked smile. “Please.”

  He seemed genuinely sincere, and she needed a friend. How desperately she needed a friend! A smile played at the corners of her lips as she tentatively reached for the daisy. “I’ll think about it.”

  He laughed. “Fair enough, Lady Cinderella, I can live with that.”

  * * *

  “Elle, wake up, dear.”

  The voice was coming from far away.

  “Wake up, Elle.”

  She opened her eyes. “Where am I?” She looked up to see Adele standing over her with a concerned expression. She sat up in the chair. “What happened?”

  “You fell asleep. The fire was so nice and toasty that you dozed off.”

  The fire. She jumped up as everything came tumbling back. “You started the fire with a flick of your hand, and then you opened the book. I went to another land. I was there. I saw the girl, and the apples, and him,” she finished excitedly.

  Adele patted her on the arm. “Take a breath, dear.”

  Elle looked at her. “What are you? Some kind of wizard?”

  Adele gave her a nervous laugh. “Now, now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. You have quite the imagination.”

  “But I saw it!” Elle protested. She stood. “You know I saw it!”

  She held up the silver tray. “I saved you a truffle.”

  “I’m not hungry,” Elle grumbled. “I don’t understand why you’re acting like none of this happened—”

  “Eat the truffle,” Adele said. There was an edge to her voice.

  She blew out a breath. “Okay.” She plopped the milk chocolate truffle in her mouth and practically swallowed it in one gulp. “Now, about what I was saying. I don’t know how you did that book thing, but it was cool! Super cool! I can’t wait to tell Rae …” A wave of dizziness enveloped her, and she stumbled.

  Adele grabbed her arm. “Here, sit down. I’m afraid meeting your aunt for the first time after the accident was a little much for you.”

  Elle blinked hard and looked at her. “You’re Adele, my father’s sister.”

  “Yes, that’s right, Elle. I’m your aunt. What do you remember about our visit today?”

  “You hugged me when you came around the bakery cases, and then we came up here, to your study, where we had hot chocolate.” She pointed to the empty cups.

  “Very good. See, you remember everything.”

  “Yes,” she said slowly. Why did she have the feeling that she was being manipulated? There was something she was supposed to remember. Something very important, but she couldn’t figure out what that was.

  “We had a nice little chat about your father. You’ll have to come again soon, but now … oh drats, a storm is brewing. A terrible storm. You’d best get home before it hits.”

  “Okay.” Elle stood. “Thanks for the chat.”

  Adele smiled. “Come back anytime.”

  * * *

  As Elle opened the door of The Chocolate Fountain to leave, a tiny black bug crawled out. The bug traveled down the steps and into the grass. A minute later, it transformed into a bird. It lifted its wings and flew upward. When it had gotten a safe distance away so as not to be noticed, the bird transformed into a giant condor. It stretched out its wings and began gathering the air in quick, smooth strokes. The condor was headed back to give a report to the mighty sorceress who had sent him on this errand. There was no time to waste, for it had begun.

  Chapter Six

  Alexander and Wisteria

  Alexander looked up at the ominous dark clouds churning overhead. A storm was coming. Hallelujah! It was about time. He was ready. His pulse quickened with a feverish intensity. Waiting for it all to unfold was maddening. How he’d wanted to find her before now. To steal a glimpse of her, if only for a moment. Knowing that she was somewhere in the world, living her life independent of him, had been excruciating, but Merek had forbidden him from making first contact. “You must wait until the first segment of the plan is put into motion,” he warned. “If you disobey me on this, Alexander, then the entire plan will be null and void. You must follow the rules with exactness. No divergence.”

  “How will I know when the first segment of the plan is put into motion?” he’d asked.

  Merek gave him that enigmatic smile that was both wise and chastising. “Your blood will run blue, and the waters of understanding will issue forth in abundance.”

  As usual, he couldn’t make sense of Merek’s cryptic riddle, but this morning, he understood. Merek allowed each of them to bring one token with them to this new realm, and he’d chosen the ring—a token of her love for him, a gift that she’d tearfully thrust in his hand all of those years ago, just before he went off to war. He’d worn it on his right finger for many years, but when things between them turned ugly, he removed the ring from his finger and wore it on a chain around his neck. Once he’d entered this world, he placed the ring on his right finger again. It was faded gold with a ruby inset in the center. “The red is a symbol of our love and strength,” she’d told him. “The fire will forever burn between us.” How right she was. The fire between them forever burned, but the trick was how to avoid getting consumed by it.

  This morning, the stone had turned blue. If he had any doubts that the turning of the stone might’ve been a coincidence, the dry creek running beside his home had mysteriously filled with gushing water. The neighbors were stupefied, as the creek had been dry for as long as any of them could remember, but Alexander knew it was a sign. He left his home this morning feeling more rejuvenated than he had in years. He would now be able to find her. What he didn’t expect was for her to find him first.

  He’d been preparing for an afternoon staff meeting with the teachers when it happened. The phone on his desk rang. “Principal Kingsley, you have a call on line one. Her name is Wisteria Porter, and she says she’s looking for a job. I told her that all of the teaching positions are filled, but she insisted that I let her speak to you,” his secretary finished in a crisp, professional tone.

  Alexander jumped and nearly spilled his mug of coffee. For a second, he was speechless, as if his throat were trying to swallow his tongue.

  “Hello … Principal Kingsley, I can’t hear you. Are you there? Would you like for me to take a message?”

  “No, I’ll take it,” he squeaked, and then attempted to clear his throat. “Thank you, Jenna,” he said, finally getting control of his voice. “Put her through.”

  * * *

  He’d arranged to meet her at his favorite restaurant. Understandably, she was surprised by his request.

  “Are you sure it wouldn’t be better if I stopped by the school instead?” she asked.

  His hands went sweaty when he picked up on the wariness in her tone. He hastily explained that he would be tied up in meetings the remainder of the week but that he had a couple of hours open this evening. When she still seemed hesitant, he added. “Normally, I would suggest that we reschedule for next week, but I have an immediate opening for an English teacher, so I need to speak to you right away.” That had sealed the deal. Of course, it was a lie. He didn’t need a new English teacher. Miss Caskill had been there for at least twenty years and didn’t have any intention of going anywhere else. He would have to figure out a way around that. In the other world, he would’ve simply gotten rid of her—problem solved. But unfortunately, that was aga
inst the rules in this realm, so he would have to think of another way. As he approached the door of the restaurant, he pushed all thoughts of Miss Caskill aside. This night was about him and Wisteria. It was a night for reunions. A night for rejoicing. Of course, Wisteria wouldn’t recognize him. He smiled. It was a night to begin anew. “Thank you, Merek,” he whispered. “Thank you for giving me a second chance. I won’t blow it this time.”

  Time seemed to slow when he spotted her, sitting at a table in the back of the restaurant. Fear gripped him like nothing he’d ever felt, surpassing all wars and battles with men and beast he’d ever fought. He trembled at the realization of how this woman could affect him.

  The warm glow of the restaurant lights made her look innocent and vulnerable, the way she had so many years ago when they’d first met … before everything bad happened between them.

  Her hand went to her wavy raven hair and she tossed it over her shoulder as if she knew someone was studying her. He squared his shoulders and took a step closer, then paused and rubbed his clammy hands on the sides of his pants. What if Merek was wrong? What if she recognized him? What if she remembered everything and was just waiting for him to appear so she could exact her revenge? He closed his eyes for a second, chasing the negative thoughts out of his mind. He could do this. He would do this.

  Wisteria stood and extended her hand to Alexander when he stopped at her table. “Good evening. You must be Alexander,” she said in that husky voice that forever haunted his nights. He could tell from her relaxed expression that she thought they were meeting for the first time. Relief and disappointment flooded through him simultaneously.

  “Thank you for coming, Wisteria.” He bowed slightly and raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.

  A puzzled expression flashed across her face and then disappeared. He cleared his throat and cursed himself, instantly recognizing his blunder. It wasn’t customary to bow and kiss a woman’s hand in this world. Merek had warned him about such things, and at the first sight of Wisteria, he’d forgotten everything.