She sat on the bed and blinked away tears. This was the last day of the enchantment. Things weren’t going to get any better, but she couldn’t afford to back down now.
She had come this far. She just needed to fight a little harder. Prove to Gustave that she was worthy of his heart.
If only she believed that herself.
Fiora looked to the window, hoping to see Spot waiting for her. Perhaps Althea would be able to fix this. Perhaps the mermaids would find a magical way to wipe away the curse and let her start again under the sea.
But the windowsill was empty.
Someone knocked on the door, and Fiora gritted her teeth. Time to battle.
She hoped it was a servant and not whoever had broken into her room last night. Now that she knew she had enemies in the castle, she needed to watch her back.
Fiora limped to the door, slid the chair to the side, and pulled it open. A servant curtsied and entered.
“The ladies are having breakfast in the garden this morning, miss. Would you like to join them?”
Fiora scowled. She had hoped to spend the morning with Gustave. How was she supposed to win his heart if she didn’t spend time with him?
The servant backed away, intimidated by Fiora’s fierce expression.
“It’s a tradition on gala days. We can’t use the dining room because they’re decorating it for tonight. Princess Collette will entertain the ladies while King Gustave entertains the gentlemen.”
Blast it all.
She would have to play along for now. Hopefully she could find a way to see Gustave before the gala. If she had to wait until evening, she would have only a few hours to win him over.
Fiora realized she was still scowling and forced herself to adopt a pleasant expression. She nodded to the wardrobe, signaling that she would like to get dressed.
The servant relaxed a little and pulled out a simple green gown.
“Will this be alright, Lady Mer? You don’t need to dress formally because you’ll begin preparing for the gala after you eat.”
Fiora nodded again, and the servant helped her get dressed.
“I am sorry to rush you, but Princess Lenora arrived earlier than expected, so they’re already in the garden. I’d hate for you to miss any of the fun.”
Fiora frowned. She knew Princess Lenora from the Princess Tests. How many other royals would attend the gala? She had gotten lucky with Prince Edric, but would that luck continue?
She should have realized the guest list would include members of royal families from all over Myora. Of course it would.
And she would dance with Gustave in front of all of them to open the gala. She couldn’t have drawn more attention to herself if she tried.
Perhaps she should have told Gustave the truth after all.
Fiora looked back at her window one last time.
No spotted seagull.
No help from the mermaids.
So she would have to do this on her own. Win Gustave’s heart and save herself. She looked down at her ring. At the stubborn streak of gray.
Perhaps an evening of dancing would wash it away.
The servant smoothed Fiora’s dark hair back into a simple twist and hesitated before pulling a pair of matching green slippers from the wardrobe.
“I know you sometimes prefer to go without shoes, miss, but-”
Fiora scowled and nodded to the ground. The servant quickly set the shoes down, and Fiora slipped her feet into them. The pain intensified as the shoes squeezed her feet, but Fiora smoothed her features and forced herself to smile.
She was a proper lady, and ladies wore shoes.
Fiora repeated that to herself to distract from the pain as she walked to the garden in search of the royal ladies.
Dowager Queen Bernadine, Princess Collette, Lady Annabelle, and Princess Lenora sat at a table in the center of the garden. Servants bustled around them, offering an assortment of juices, pastries, and fresh fruit. Thomas stood behind the dowager queen holding a large spyglass. Collette waved and gestured to an empty chair.
“Lady Mer, please join us! May I introduce Princess Lenora?”
Fiora curtsied, gritting her teeth at the pain that accompanied shifting her weight. Princess Lenora nodded her head in greeting.
Lenora looked much the same as Fiora remembered. Light gray eyes, dark brown hair, and a pleasant face. The main difference was her clothes.
When they participated in Princess Tests, all the girls wore matching outfits to obscure their true identities.
Now, Lenora wore an orange and yellow gown decorated with stripes and spots like a butterfly. The sleeves were long and full, creating the illusion of wings when the princess moved her arms.
Her hair was piled high and decorated with fresh flowers. Fiora raised an eyebrow as a butterfly landed on Lenora’s head.
Apparently the princess of Darluna had a hobby. Or an unhealthy obsession. Difficult to say.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Mer.”
Lenora sounded like she meant it, which was as good a sign as any that she hadn’t recognized Fiora for who she really was.
Fiora swallowed a sigh of relief and tried not to stare as more butterflies landed on Lenora’s head. They stayed there, sipping from the flowers and gently fluttering their wings.
The effect was strange but rather pretty.
Lady Annabelle cast sideways glances at Lenora, clearly trying to come up with a scathing insult but not sure where to start.
“Why does Thomas have a spyglass?”
The question was for Collette, but Lady Annabelle glared at Thomas, waiting for a translation.
“Lady Mer is wondering why I have a spyglass.”
Annabelle’s scowl deepened. She clearly didn’t believe his translation was accurate.
“We’re watching the harbor for arrivals,” Princess Collette said. “Several other guests should be arriving by ship today.”
Fiora nodded her thanks for the explanation and reached for a scone. She looked around the garden, still hoping that Spot would appear. She would happily give him every bit of food on the table in exchange for a message from the mermaids.
“Isn’t the garden lovely?” Lenora said. “Princess Collette, you have outdone yourself with the landscaping this year.”
“Thank you.”
Lenora’s compliment sounded genuine, but Collette’s tone was strained. Lenora frowned and looked to Fiora for an explanation. Fiora shrugged. Even if she knew what was bothering Collette, she had no way to communicate it to Lenora.
“I oversee a small section of our garden back home, but nothing on this scale,” Lenora said. “I would love to exchange seeds sometime. Our climates should be similar enough that the same plants would grow in both our gardens.”
Collette nodded and pushed away whatever was bothering her.
“Of course, that would be lovely.”
“Is that a ship?” Lady Annabelle asked.
Fiora looked to the harbor. Yes, a ship was sailing into port.
It was the ugliest ship Fiora had ever seen. Surely no royal guests would arrive in such a vessel.
Thomas handed the spyglass to Dowager Queen Bernadine. She studied the harbor for a few moments, then passed the spyglass on to Collette.
“Santelle’s delegation has arrived.”
“Santelle?” Lenora said. “That ship can’t be from Santelle.”
Collette passed the spyglass to Fiora.
“Gustave did say that Santelle lost many ships in the kraken attack.”
“More than we realized, apparently,” Bernadine said.
Fiora looked through the spyglass and swallowed a burst of laughter. The ship looked even worse up close. It was short and fat and meandered lazily into the harbor, not in any hurry to reach its destination. The figurehead was a misshapen creature with a wide mouth that took up the entire bow of the ship. The boards were weathered and rotted in places and looked to be held together by barnacles and bad attitude.
<
br /> Faded letters on the side declared that the vessel was called the Sea Frog.
Calling it a frog seemed generous. If anything, it was a toad.
Once Fiora recovered from her surprise at the ship’s ugliness, she turned her attention to the crew. A stern woman in naval uniform stood at the helm. She wore her dark hair pulled back in a tight braid that only emphasized the severity of her expression.
Fiora didn’t recognize her, but the woman’s uniform was definitely from Santelle. Judging by the numerous pins on her jacket, she held a high rank in their navy.
A gangly boy sprinted across the deck. He moved like he had recently grown and wasn’t accustomed to his new size yet. The woman gave him a sharp command. He saluted, ran back the other way, and disappeared below the decks.
He looked young enough to still be a cabin boy, but his uniform said otherwise. Perhaps he was one of the royal children? Fiora had heard that they began their naval careers early.
“Lady Mer, you must let everyone else take a turn,” Lady Annabelle scolded.
Fiora rolled her eyes and handed over the spyglass. By everyone else, Annabelle clearly meant herself.
“Bring another chair,” Dowager Queen Bernadine ordered the nearest servant. “Princess Serafina will be joining us shortly.”
52
Gustave hurried to the library as soon as he woke, hoping to get there and do some research before the rest of the castle began preparing for the gala.
Elaine was already there. She shook her head at Gustave’s hopeful look.
“I haven’t found anything useful. I’m sorry.”
“I read the passage you marked about breaking curses. Do you think it will help?”
“It would if we had any way of knowing what type of magic was used to cast the curse.”
“Your Majesty!”
Marquis Corbeau burst into the library, calling out in triumph when he saw his king. Gustave sighed. So much for doing research first.
Elaine gave him a sympathetic look. Marquis Corbeau glared at her.
“The other ladies are having breakfast in the garden. I’m sure they would appreciate your company.”
Elaine shrugged.
“They won’t miss me. I’ll join them when it’s time to get ready.”
Marquis Corbeau sniffed derisively, but what else could he do? Elaine was a guest. He had no way to force her to behave.
Gustave wished he could say the same for himself, but he couldn’t avoid his royal duties. Not today.
“Prince Leonardo has already arrived,” Marquis Corbeau said. “He and Prince Edric are waiting for you in the stables.”
“The stables?”
“I’ve arranged for you to go on a morning ride with them. You’ll find a snack in your saddlebags, and breakfast will be served in your study when you return.”
“Is the ride necessary?”
Marquis Corbeau narrowed his eyes.
“It is a tradition to provide amusement for your guests, Your Majesty. So yes, it is necessary. Not everyone finds sitting inside and reading books all day enjoyable.”
He cast a pointed look at Elaine, who ignored the marquis and gave Gustave a sympathetic smile.
“Think of it as an opportunity, Your Majesty. Aeonia and Santelle have dealt with magical attacks recently. Perhaps other countries have as well. Or perhaps they have resources in their libraries that we could borrow.”
Gustave considered this. It was a good suggestion. Edric and Leonardo were both crown princes. They would have access to information that others didn’t. Although Edric might not have been crown prince long enough to be well-informed.
“Do not bore your guests with talk of magic,” Marquis Corbeau said.
“And what are we supposed to talk about instead?” Gustave asked.
It was meant to be a hypothetical question, and he walked out the door without expecting an answer.
Marquis Corbeau followed him.
“You could inquire if Princess Lenora is attached to anyone. I had not considered her because she has a reputation for being rather eccentric. But at this point, our options are so limited that she could be worth pursuing.”
“You want me to ask Prince Leonardo if his twin sister is available for marriage?”
“Yes, exactly!”
Gustave quickened his pace. Taking a ride and getting away from the castle suddenly seemed like a very good idea.
The grooms had already saddled his horse and two others when he arrived. Prince Leonardo looked from Gustave to Edric with a questioning glance, obviously trying to ask Gustave what had happened to Crown Prince Darian.
Gustave shrugged to say he didn’t know. He raised his hands to sign further comments, then dropped them again. Leonardo didn’t know sign language. There was no way to communicate secretly with him as Gustave did with Lady Mer.
He hoped Lady Mer was having a better time this morning than he was. There was no telling what his grandmother would do in the name of entertaining the ladies.
He wished he could skip this whole ordeal and spend time with Lady Mer instead. They could walk along the beach and look for mermaids. He could find more shells for her.
Prince Edric’s crown slipped down over his forehead as he mounted his horse. He took it off, fixed his hair, and replaced it. Leonardo and Gustave shared a look. Neither of them wore their crowns. It was typical to wear them for ceremonies and official appearances, but while riding?
Definitely not.
Once Edric had adjusted the crown to his liking, Gustave nudged his horse and rode ahead to show the way. He picked a path that led up towards the mountains. There was an open stretch on it that would give them an opportunity to gallop if they wanted, and it would be less crowded than the beach.
Once they reached the plateau, Gustave slowed so the princes could catch up and ride beside him. Edric reached into his saddlebag, pulled out an apple, and began to eat.
So much for galloping. Gustave shared another look with Leonardo, then shrugged and pulled food from his saddlebag as well.
The horses walked at a leisurely pace while the men ate. Gustave stared ahead, considering Elaine’s advice. It was possible that either Edric or Leonardo had information about magic, but how could he ask them about it without raising suspicion about why he was asking? It didn’t seem wise to tell people he didn’t trust know about his father’s condition.
But maybe he was being overly paranoid. The only way the kingdoms could help each other was if they worked together.
He would need to discuss that with his council first.
In the meantime, how could he bring up magic casually? It wasn’t exactly a common topic of conversation.
“I heard you had trouble with magic in Santelle,” Prince Leonardo said.
Then again, maybe it was.
“Yes, we were attacked by kraken and mermaids.”
“What? When?”
Apparently news of the incident had not yet reached across the sea to Eldria. Prince Edric dropped his apple in surprise. He watched it roll away, shrugged, and pulled a piece of ham from his saddlebag.
Prince Edric was occupied with his ham, so Gustave turned back to Leonardo. He seemed to be the better informed of the two princes.
“There was an incident in Aeonia as well. I expect your father told you about it.”
“Yes. There seems to be a trend of dark creatures attacking, especially in coastal cities. Do you think the mermaids are angry with humans for some reason?”
Gustave hadn’t considered that most of the attacks had happened in countries by the sea.
“It’s possible. You haven’t seen anything unusual in Darluna?”
“No, thank goodness. I’m sure you’ve got your hands full rebuilding after losing the ships to the kraken.”
“Yes, although we weren’t hit as hard as Santelle.”
“If the mermaids are mobilizing kraken, that is a cause for great concern. We may need to call an emergency Council of Kings.”
>
“If the mermaids are attacking, I don’t think they are all in agreement about it. Some of them seem to be trying to stop the kraken. One of them saved my life.”
“Then why have they not come forward and offered friendship? Why is there no treaty?”
This conversation wasn’t exactly going how Gustave had imagined. Before he could answer, the ground shook beneath them. The horses pranced nervously, and Gustave swallowed.
“What was that?” Edric said.
“An earthquake. I think. Perhaps we should ride back.”
Prince Leonardo nodded, and they turned back towards the castle. Gustave pressed his horse into a trot. Perhaps that was a normal earthquake. Not a seemingly magical one like the one that had buried Lady Mer in books and boxes.
But he wasn’t willing to assume anything at this point. His pulse raced. He did his best to appear calm, but he wouldn’t be at ease until he knew that Lady Mer was safe.
“So you don’t think the mermaids are unified in their attacks?” Prince Leonardo said.
“I wish I had better information for you, but I only had a few conversations with them. The mermaid I spoke to seemed capricious. Helping one moment and threatening to kidnap humans the next.”
“You actually spoke to mermaids?” Edric asked.
Gustave had almost forgotten that Edric was riding with them. He turned to the prince, who had a strange expression on his face.
“Yes, I spoke to mermaids.”
Edric swallowed and looked nervous.
Interesting.
“Has Eldria experienced any magical attacks recently?” Prince Leonardo asked. “You’re on the coast and share a border with Aeonia.”
“A small border,” Edric said quickly.
He adjusted his crown, then realized they were waiting for him to answer the question.
“No, we haven’t experienced any magical attacks. Perhaps whatever attacked in Aeonia has moved to your side of the sea.”
“Lina said a goblin attacked in Aeonia,” Gustave said. “There haven’t been any goblins here.”
“Just kraken,” Prince Leonardo said. “I don’t know enough about magic to know how different goblins and kraken are. Besides the obvious differences in size and shape, of course. Do you think they could be working together? Perhaps coordinating with the mermaids?”
Princess of Mermaids Page 29
