She stared at one that seemed familiar. It was a man with a curled beard. An older version of Gustave with streaks of gray at his temples. His eyes crinkled in a smile, and his expression was kind.
“My son, King Francois,” Dowager Queen Bernadine said. “I had his most recent portrait moved from the hallway to my room when he disappeared. Perhaps I should have given it to Gustave or Collette instead. They do miss their father.”
Something once again teased at Fiora’s memory. She had seen this man before. Recently.
“Where was he last seen?”
“He was sailing to Gaveron, but his ship was blown off course and never recovered. We would have assumed it had been lost at sea if not for Gustave’s ring.”
“Gustave is determined to find him,” Fiora signed.
“We all want to find him, but it has not been easy,” Dowager Queen Bernadine said. “Francois would not want Gustave to risk his life searching for him. Or to put his life on hold. Although I think you have made him a little less reluctant to move forward. He’s stopped acting stiff as a statue since you joined us.”
“Your Highness, I-”
Fiora stopped mid-sign.
She remembered where she had seen King Francois.
He was the statue. The one that Leander had placed in the garden the day the kraken attacked. She recognized the beard.
She studied the painting, checking every detail. Yes, it was the same man. They must have commissioned the statue before King Francois disappeared. Perhaps it had been on one of the ships that was lost in the kraken attacks.
“Are you well, Lady Mer?” Dowager Queen Bernadine asked.
Fiora nodded, not willing or able to explain her revelation.
First a statue of Gustave, then one of his father. It seemed she was fated to run into this family even when she was under the ocean.
Fiora bit her lip. The painting of King Francois brought Dowager Queen Bernadine comfort. Perhaps the statue would do the same for Gustave.
It would also be a good way to catch his attention. Elaine could offer help finding enchanted objects, but Fiora could offer a gift.
Not to mention this family had been kind to her. She would like to do something for them in return.
She would give the statue to Gustave as a birthday gift. It wouldn’t be the same as having his father back, but it would be something. A comfort.
That and the beautiful gown were the only advantages she had at the moment. And in the fight for her life, Fiora needed all the help she could get.
Something crashed into the window. A seagull streaked with black. He landed on the ledge and tapped at the glass with the shell in his beak.
“That bird certainly seems fond of you, Lady Mer,” Dowager Queen Bernadine said.
“Perhaps it was a mistake to feed him.”
She tried to stay calm, but she couldn’t help fidgeting as Spot continued to tap on the glass. The mermaids wanted to meet her. Perhaps they had found a way to break the enchantment, and she could stop worrying about being proper and winning Gustave’s heart.
She refused to feel disappointed that finding a cure would mean leaving Gustave and the human world behind.
How long would the mermaids wait for her to come? How long would it take Marie to alter the gown?
“I’ve never seen a bird with markings quite like that,” the dowager queen said. “He looks like he found a bottle of squid ink.”
Fiora froze as Dowager Queen Bernadine cast a knowing look at her hair.
“I used squid ink for dye when my hair went gray. Unfortunately, that was a losing battle.”
She gestured to her white hair with a playful gleam in her eyes.
Fiora took a deep breath and tried not to panic.
Bernadine knew. The dowager queen had somehow figured out that Fiora was in disguise and her hair had been dyed.
What else had she guessed? It seemed Bernadine had the sharpest eyes in the castle regardless of her age. Or perhaps because of it.
Whatever else she knew, the dowager queen didn’t seem inclined to share it. Instead, she winked at Fiora.
“Dress fittings are rather dull, aren’t they? Have you pinned enough to finish the hem, Marie? We can keep the shoes here to measure the height.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Then let’s help Lady Mer change and set her free.”
38
“Your Majesty, this is most inappropriate!”
Marquis Corbeau paced around the room as Gustave ripped the paper off packages and muttered a quick comment to the scribe, who scratched out as suitable a thank you note as he could manage under the circumstances.
“If there is an enchanted object here, we need to find it. Our safety is more important than propriety.”
Marquis Corbeau waved his hands in the air in frustration and turned his attention to correcting thank you notes over the scribe’s shoulder.
The door opened, and Gustave looked up. This would be a lot more fun with Lady Mer assisting, but it was Kara who entered the room.
“I thought I might be able to help?”
She looked hopefully at Gustave. He turned to Elaine, who nodded.
“We’re pulling out all the smaller boxes first. They seem more likely to contain gemstones. If you bring packages to Gustave, I can focus on checking the items.”
Kara nodded and walked over to the jumble of gifts. The boxes had been pushed back against the bookshelves in haphazard piles. She searched the nearest stack, pulled out a small box, and brought it to Gustave.
“From Gaveron,” she said with a shy smile. “The dwarfs there know magic, so this seems like a good place to start.”
Gustave took the box. His fingers brushed against Kara’s hand as he did so, and her face flushed. She looked quickly around the room, and Gustave followed her gaze. Marquis Corbeau was arguing with the scribe about the wording on a thank you note. Elaine was studying a pile of delicate purple glass that had probably been a vase before the accident.
No one was paying attention to them. Kara spoke rather quickly.
“Gustave, there’s something I need to tell you while I have the chance.”
Gustave hoped he didn’t look as panicked as he felt. He motioned for Kara to continue. She swallowed before speaking.
“Thank you.”
That seemed to be the extent of her speech. Gustave blinked at her. What was she thanking him for? And why did it leave her so flustered?
“When I was nine, I sprained my ankle in the garden while I was here visiting Collette. You carried me back to the castle. It was a hot day, and I know I was heavy. But you never complained. Never said a word. And I was too shy to thank you then. So I’m thanking you now.”
“I don’t remember.”
He truly didn’t. His head didn’t ache from the golden fog or his injury. His mind was clear for once, letting him search his memories. And they didn’t include Kara.
She ducked her head.
“It was nothing special for you. Of course not. That’s just what you do, isn’t it? Help people. That was just one incident in many.”
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize.”
Except there was, because Kara looked absolutely crushed. Gustave stammered a little, trying to think of something to say. Perhaps he should have lied and said he remembered.
But he had a feeling that would have caused an entirely different problem.
“Oh, is that from Gaveron? They’re known for enchanted objects because of the dwarfs.”
Elaine hurried over to examine the box. Kara smiled sadly at Gustave and moved away. He tried to ignore the disappointed slump in her shoulders as he opened the gift.
It contained a ruby brooch. The red gem and gold clasp glistened in the sunlight. Elaine let her breath out in a slow hiss.
“Enchanted?” Gustave asked.
Elaine tapped her finger against the stone as if checking to see if it were hot. When nothing happen
ed, she picked it up and cradled it in her palm, then pulled it close to her mouth and whispered something that Gustave couldn’t quite make out.
When she lowered the gem, it looked exactly as it had before.
“It doesn’t seem enchanted,” she said. “Just extremely generous.”
“You’re still suspicious?”
Elaine nodded.
“Gaveron must have some reason for giving you such a valuable present, but perhaps it has nothing to do with magic. I suppose we should keep looking.”
Gustave sighed and turned his attention back to the mountain of gifts. Kara had disappeared.
“What would Your Majesty like to say about the brooch?” the scribe said.
Marquis Corbeau gave Gustave a look, as if daring him to make an inappropriate comment. Gustave stared at the glittering ruby, trying to organize his thoughts.
Why would Gaveron give him such a valuable gem? They were on decent terms with Montaigne, but had never been a close ally. Gustave wanted to say that the gift was as baffling as it was beautiful. If Lady Mer had been there, he would have signed it to her. She would have said something clever that would help him make sense of the situation.
But she wasn’t there, and Gustave swallowed his words as he always had before he met her.
“Tell the King of Gaveron that I am truly grateful for such a generous gift,” he said instead. “It has left me speechless.”
39
“Squawk.”
Spot flew circles around Fiora as she limped barefoot through the garden. She tossed the crust of bread she had grabbed for him into the air. The seagull dropped the shell and dove for the food. Fiora caught the shell, checked to confirm that it had Zoe’s song carved into it, and walked through the garden towards their usual meeting place.
“Squawk.”
Spot flew towards the beach instead. Towards the place where Fiora had taken Gustave when she rescued him after the kraken attack
She changed course and followed the bird, wishing that she had stopped to find shoes before leaving the castle. She had left the golden heels in Dowager Queen Bernadine’s room and gone barefoot without thinking about it. Which meant everyone in the castle had seen her once again behaving improperly, and she now had to climb down the rocks without protection for her feet.
Blast it all.
Fiora walked carefully, trying to avoid sharp edges and balance her full skirt while she moved.
This climb had been easier without clothing.
She reached the sand and followed Spot to the enormous rocks at the end of the beach. They would provide a nice hiding place for a more private meeting
“Fiora!”
Zoe sang her name, sending a spray of mist and rainbows dancing in the ocean breeze. Fiora grinned in spite of everything and walked to the edge of the water. The waves washed over her toes, numbing the pain. Fiora waded until she was ankle deep, pulling her skirt up to keep it dry.
As the water danced against her skin, she could almost forget she was cursed. The roar of the wind and waves made her heart soar. For all that she had tried to escape it, the ocean was home. Whether she was on the coast or beneath the surface, it had always been there for her.
“Come around to the other side of the rock so we’re hidden.”
Fiora lifted her skirts and waded deeper until she was completely hidden behind the enormous boulder in the water. She sat on the driest stone she could find and dangled her feet in the ocean.
“Have they found a way to break the enchantment?”
“They’re still working on it, but Althea isn’t hopeful. She sent me to see how you’re getting along with King Gustave.”
Zoe nodded towards the pearl ring. Fiora held her hand forward to show her cousin.
“It’s working!” Zoe said. “It’s gleaming more than it was last time.”
Fiora squinted at the pearl. It was difficult to tell in the bright sunlight, but the pearlescent streak did look a little wider.
“Althea said you should try singing the counter-charm every few hours. She’s not sure how much love you will need before you regain your voice, but it might not take all of it.”
That was a little comforting. Maybe giving Gustave the statue of his father would win enough of his heart to return her voice so she could return to the sea.
“I brought you some jewelry for the gala tomorrow. I overheard some humans on a ship talking about it. It sounds very fancy, and I know humans like to decorate themselves for fancy events.”
“It will be fancy.”
Zoe beamed.
“The humans said the king might choose a bride there.”
“They’re celebrating Gustave’s birthday. Some of his advisers want him to choose a bride, but he doesn’t want to.”
“Of course he does!” Zoe said. “At least, he will once he sees you in all these jewels.”
Fiora expected Zoe to produce something recovered from a shipwreck, but the mermaid pulled a simple strand of pearls and coral from her hair. Fiora ran it through her fingers before slipping it over her head.
“Thank you, Zoe. It’s lovely.”
“I made it myself to bring you luck. I’ve been trying to think of ways to help. Oh, speaking of help, I should probably warn you-”
Before Zoe finished her thought, Madam Isla burst through the water. She carried a soggy lump of something that Fiora eventually realized was fabric.
The mermaid stretched the fabric out, and Fiora laughed in silent surprise. It was a dress. A waterlogged dress retrieved from the bottom of the ocean. The fabric had probably been green once, but exposure to sunlight and saltwater had faded it to a sickly yellow. The thread was holding on as best it could, but it had disintegrated in places, leaving one of the sleeves dangling precariously from the shoulder
“It’s the best I could find,” Madame Isla said. “It should be dry by tomorrow night, but I’m not sure how the humans will react to it. Perhaps you would make a better impression if you followed mermaid custom and went in your natural skin decorated with oysters.”
Fiora pressed her lips together, her eyes watering with silent laughter as she imagined attending a formal gala in the nude. Yes, that would certainly make an impression. Then Gustave could offer the Aeonian sweater to her instead of Annabelle.
“The humans have already loaned me a dress.”
“Oh. Well, I hope it’s suitable. It’s a good thing I brought some other supplies.”
Madame Isla tossed the dress against a rock, where it landed with a sickly squelch. Then she hauled up a fishing net overflowing with items.
“You may not realize this, Fiora, but human courtship rituals are long and complicated. They cannot usually be completed in a matter of days.”
Fiora rolled her eyes. She did not need Madame Isla lecturing her on yet another aspect of being human. It was the forks all over again.
“But the king already loves her,” Zoe said. “Look at the ring!”
Madame Isla looked and nodded in approval.
“He has some feelings for her, but not enough yet. That’s why I’m here to help.”
“How could you possibly help?”
Madame Isla pulled the fishing net onto a flat rock and sorted through the items inside it as she spoke.
“Human courtship rituals take a long time, but human seduction may be completed in a matter of hours. I am going to help you seduce King Gustave.”
Fiora blinked.
“Seduce him?”
“Yes, seduce him. We are going to make you irresistible to this human man.”
“Is that a dead fish?”
“There is a human saying. You get to a man’s heart through his stomach. If you cook him food, he will be more likely to view you as a future mate. I wasn’t sure if you knew how to cook, so I also had our chef prepare some things.”
She set the fish down and pulled out a few lumps of mermaid food, which looked like greenish mud mixed with fish scales. Madame Isla set them beside the fish,
where they slowly began to flatten out and ooze green liquid.
Fiora gagged. Spot noticed the dead fish and hopped closer to investigate. Madame Isla waved the seagull away and continued.
“We will build a fire and roast the fish. Then we will decorate your hair with gems and flowers so you sparkle and smell nice. Once the man sees you sparkling, smells you, and eats the food, he will be yours.”
Fiora wasn’t sure if she should laugh or cry.
“It’s not that simple.”
“Come closer so I can arrange your hair. We need to win him over before the gala so he doesn’t have the chance to change his mind once he sees all the other girls.”
Other girls. Gustave was with Elaine right now, and Fiora was sitting on the beach with delusional mermaids, a dead fish, and a hungry seagull.
She was doomed.
Madame Isla picked up a large fork and held it so it gleamed in the sunlight. Fiora swallowed and turned to Zoe. Maybe she could still salvage this situation.
“Zoe, there is a statue in our summer garden that is a likeness of Gustave’s father. Could you bring it to shore so I can give it to him as a gift?”
“Ah, gifts,” Madame Isla said knowingly. “It is more common for the man to offer them to the woman, but that’s not a bad plan. Go fetch the statue, Zoe. You might be a little young to witness seduction, anyway.”
“I am not seducing King Gustave, and I’m certainly not letting you help.”
“You most certainly will. Or I’ll go back and tell Queen Gallerus that you’re stealing a statue from her garden.”
Fiora glared at the mermaid. Madame Isla glared back. Finally, Fiora sighed. She wanted the statue, and hopefully she could undo whatever work Madame Isla did before anyone saw her. She shrugged to signal her defeat.
“Which statue is it?” Zoe asked.
“One of the new ones placed close to the mirror garden. It has a very detailed beard.”
Zoe dove under the water, splashing Fiora and Madame Isla as she disappeared. Spot took advantage of the distraction to swoop down and snatch the fish. He carried it to the beach and pecked furiously, eating as much as he could before the other seagulls noticed his prize. The globs of mermaid food had flattened into puddles of green liquid on the rock. Madame Isla scowled at them as if they had done it just to annoy her.
Princess of Mermaids Page 23
