by Kris Black
Ella curtsied and offered Alina a smile.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Milady. This way.” Ella motioned towards the palace and bid Alina follow.
The beauty of Ella intimidated Alina, even after having grown up with her fair sisters. Ella’s skin was a sepia, reddish-brown that provided a striking contrast to the winter wonderland around them. Her dark hair shone like obsidian compared to Alina’s dull, chestnut brown.
“Are you coming, Milady?” Ella called out behind her.
Alina rushed to catch up before they both entered the palace together. The opulence struck Alina. The entry was open and… almost glittery. It was a stark comparison to what she was accustomed to. It seemed too open, too bright to be homey and comfortable.
“Why do I have a Lady-in-Waiting?” Alina demanded as they marched through the hallways.
“For companionship, I would imagine. I’ll show you how to navigate court life here and introduce you to the other ladies. My father may not be a duke but being the daughter of a baron is well enough for me to be your Lady-in-Waiting.”
“That’s… that’s not what I meant. Wait, navigate court life?” Alina pressed a hand to her diaphragm, her breath catching. She halted her walk and, noticing the lack of echoing footsteps, Ella halted a few steps behind her. “Am… Am I expected to stay here long enough that I need to understand how to navigate court life?”
Ella smiled at her as they stopped at the door. “That’s something you must take up with the king. These are your quarters. If you like, I’ll have something sent up for you to eat.”
“That would be wonderful, thank you.”
“Excellent. Please rest, Milady. Everything will make more sense in the morning, I’m sure.”
With a gentle squeeze on Alina’s shoulder, Ella left down the hallway in a swish of skirts. Alina stared at the closed door, remembering a time only a few months ago when she’d been in the same position: in an unknown castle with no idea why she was there or what they meant her to do. Then too, they left her at a bedroom door and told her to rest with uncertainty cloying at her as surely as though it were trying to burst from her insides. She closed her eyes and taking a shaky breath, Alina opened the door and stepped in.
Ella arrived mid-morning the next day with a swath of ladies to make Alina ready to meet the king. The first thing on the agenda was a bath, sorely needed after being on the road. The ladies filled the tub with steaming water as the fragrance of roses, lavender and sweet things drifted towards her. It reminded her of the last time she’d seen Elizabeth, her dearest friend, and had spent the day preparing themselves for the Yule Ball.
It seemed so long ago now, but it had only been about a fortnight since then.
Two other girls waited in the room, holding towels and hanging out clothes. Alina wanted to protest to help and an audience while bathing; however, after taking care of Charles for a week and being on the road, she could only concentrate on how enticing the hot water was. In record time she stripped down and submerged in the liquid heaven.
Alina’s eyes fluttered closed while the ladies washed her hair and body and massaged therapeutic oils into her arms and hands. Perhaps she died in the blizzard and was now in heaven.
Too soon Alina rose from the waters. The ladies dried her off and guided her into an adjacent room that rivaled her bedroom at Christian’s castle.
Alina glanced down at the ring on her finger, glowing dimly in the light of morning. She needed to keep her head on straight. She needed to conclude whatever business the King had with her and make her way back to Christian, their people, and Charles.
Alina watched the ladies do her hair in an elaborate braided updo and decorate it with jeweled hair fasteners before they adorned the top with… a tiara.
Why were people always trying to put a damn crown on her head?
“Is that appropriate?” Alina questioned as she watched one girl pin the jeweled devil to the top of her head.
“I am only doing as instructed.” The girl continued with her work.
“Instructed by whom?”
“It looks beautiful,” Ella changed the topic and Alina scowled at her.
The tiara was beautiful, Alina couldn’t deny that. Yellow gold embedded with white diamonds and pearlescent lapis stones. The three peaks, each with intricate engravings, coming to a point, the one in the middle being the highest.
Once the tiara was secure, the ladies ushered Alina up and over towards the dressing area, hidden behind a dressing wall.
They fastened Alina into a gorgeous gown to rival anything that Christian had given her, save for the golden ball gown. The powder blue dress had a sheer lace overlay and a full skirt. The bodice formed a heart shape, accentuating her chest. Lace traveled up to her clavicle and made its way down her arms in delicate floral patterns, ending at her wrist in full sleeves. With the dress and the tiara, she looked like a princess.
It made her uncomfortable.
“Well, it looks like you are fit to see the king now.” Ella gave her a sweet smile. “Follow me. I hear he is looking forward to seeing you.”
Ella exited the room, expecting Alina to follow in that quick, sure-stepped march Ella entered the palace with the day before. Alina lifted the hem of her dress just to keep pace.
“But why does the king want to see me?” Alina demanded as she matched Ella’s stride.
“You’ll find out soon enough. No one in the castle seems to have any idea. It is the best-kept secret this palace has ever had.”
Alina huffed in irritation and continued on her path with Ella. They descended a grand staircase and took a left to stop at two large doors.
“This is the throne room; they instructed me to bring you here. I’ll see you tonight at dinner.”
“I-what?”
But Ella just turned and walked back into through a doorway off to the side, leaving Alina standing in front of two large, closed doors.
Was she supposed to knock?
She looked at the door, then down the hallway, waiting for someone to tell her what to do. No one was around. Hesitantly, she pulled her right fist up to knock on the door when the handles turned, causing her to startle and tuck the fist into the folds of her dress.
The double doors opened slowly, allowing her full access to the room.
She peered into the room and froze in horror.
There were at least a hundred people in the room, perhaps more, each person dressed in finery and jewels. They were parted right down the middle, making an aisle straight to the front of the room. Her eyes roamed over the people. She saw Felix to the left, standing in full regalia. Ella was there, standing near the back on the right side of the room. Alina turned her head to the focal point of the room.
The throne.
The king sitting on the throne.
King Belmont.
Startled, she recognized him. And not just from the profile stamped on the coins that served as currency for the kingdom.
No, she’d seen him before… in the mirror weeks ago. Hadn’t that been him in this exact position? Had the mirror somehow shown her the future? Could it do that?
Beside him, on a smaller throne, sat a beautiful woman. The queen. She was even more beautiful than Alina’s sisters, who always received praises for their looks for as long as she could remember. The queen had pale skin and dark, auburn hair pulled up into an intricate updo. A golden crown rested on her head and she was in a tight, velvet dress the color of pine. Her expression was blank as she stared down at Alina.
Everyone turned to look at Alina and she stood at the doorway, startled and almost shaking with nerves. What was she supposed to do? She glanced back to the king who beckoned her forward with one hand.
Alina took a deep, steadying breath and put one foot in front of the other, stepping into the room. Her hands squeezed into white fists within the folds of her skirts. Her heart pounded in her ears as she continued up the aisle. The surrounding people began to whisper and stare more.
The whispers diverged and merged with her rapid, unsteady beating heart like a cacophony of war.
It seemed like an eternity before Alina stood before the king and the whole room went quiet as a tomb. The sudden silence was jarring and terrifying. Alina didn’t know what to do, or what to say. Only that she found herself before a king with no prior knowledge on how to act around nobility.
And she couldn’t act the same as she did with Christian. She blushed.
So, she did the only thing that came to mind. She swept her gown out to the sides with her hands and curtsied low to her king.
“Rise,” the King’s voice rang out through the silent room. It was a deep baritone, commanding and sure.
Alina raised her body and head up until she was standing, back straight and staring at the king of their kingdom.
“I am very pleased to see you,” King Belmont said from his throne, his voice carrying out around the room like an amphitheater. “But I suspect that you’re confused about my summons.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Well then, let me clear some things up.” He stood and descended the dais. He was as tall as a tree, she was sure. He towered above most everyone in the room. His shoulders were broad, as though he could carry the whole kingdom upon them. His hands looked rough - they told the story of a king who fought with and for his people rather than sitting on his throne. Chestnut hair with flecks of silver adorned his head, peeking out from beneath the crown sitting atop it.
King Belmont stopped directly in front of Alina and laid one of his weathered hands on her shoulder.
“May I present to you all my only child, the long-lost Princess Alina.”
He grasped her other shoulder and turned her to face the crowd. Her shocked face, she was sure, was ashen and mirrored the look of the nobility as their stunned silence erupted into harsh and furious whispers.
“Bow,” the king demanded of his nobility.
One by one the whole room bowed to Alina.
Chapter Three
Queen Breena
Alina wished she could convince herself that this whole crazy day had been a dream. Some warped and twisted fantasy of an overstressed brain. Instead, she remained planted in front of a hundred strangers with a crown on her head, standing beside the king.
A princess. An actual princess. The heir to the throne.
A wave of dizziness swept over her. This couldn’t be right.
The king gestured with his hand and a few of the ladies ushered Alina out a side door, down a corridor and into a study with dark oak furniture and olive-hued walls. Above the fireplace hung the royal family coat of arms glistening in the firelight.
Her family coat of arms?
No.
Her parents were Edward and Danielle Everston. How could she think any different? This whole thing had to be one giant misunderstanding. Anything else was ludicrous. The king was mistaken and took the wrong girl. If there had been a princess, surely rumors would have run rampant. More importantly, how could someone lose a princess?
Alina slumped into a chair beside the fire, placing a weary hand over her eyes. When the king strode into the room a little while later, Alina almost knocked over her chair in haste when standing.
“Don’t trouble yourself about that in private,” King Belmont said, his voice weary as he dropped into a chair opposite of her. He took his crown off and tossed it onto the table between them like a useless paperweight. The wood made a resounding thud when the weight of it hit. “You’re my daughter. I’ll not stand on formality when it is only us.”
Alina sat back down in the chair and tucked her trembling hands in her skirts once more.
“I think you are mistaken, Your Majesty,” Alina said. “There must be a mix-up. I am the daughter of-”
“Edward Everston and Danielle Townsend?”
“Well… yes.”
The king sighed and ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stick up in disarray, showing more of the silver underneath. He looked like he needed a strong, stiff drink. Alina might have offered, and made hers a double, if she spotted where the liquor cabinet was.
“What do you know about the late queen?”
“Um, not a lot,” Alina replied. “She passed when I was still a baby. My mother used to work in court. I’m not even sure anyone told me what the queen’s name was.”
His face looked stricken for a moment before he composed himself.
“Breena,” he whispered it like a prayer. “Her name was Breena, and she was the love of my life.”
“I’m sorry.”
“And she was your mother,” he continued on. “Not Danielle Townsend. Danielle had been one of Breena’s Ladies-in-Waiting here at the castle. She had not been born nobility, but Edward’s immense wealth opened doors to them in the upper classes.”
“I- I don’t understand. If my moth-Danielle had been a lady here in court, how did I end up with my family - the Everstons?”
“I suppose I should start at the beginning.” The king stood. He walked over to the sideboard and opened it, revealing an impressive display of fancy liquors. He picked a dark amber bottle, pouring himself a healthy helping of brandy. “I apologize if I am a bit off-kilter. It is not every day you meet your grown daughter whom you last remember as an infant.”
The king swallowed the drink in one gulp before pouring another and returning to his seat.
“I met Breena during the last war,” he began his tale. “She was the most beautiful thing I ever saw in my life. Breena had hair spun of pure gold and glistened in the sunlight, it stopped me dead in the middle of the battle. I caught her in the crosshairs between us and the other kingdom fighting. We caught her people between us. When she fled the battle, I followed her.”
“Her people?”
“The faeries. Your mother was a faerie,” the king said. “You, dearest one, are half-fae I suppose.”
Breena. Faeries. She remembered that name now. In the book of faerie lore, Christian made her read, The History of the Fae Folk. Breena was one of the last faerie princesses. Her, and her sister Maeve. She couldn’t be that Breena. It was surely a popular name among the fae. People followed the naming trends among the monarchy in the human world. She supposed it was the same on the Isle of the Fae.
Wait. Isle of the Fae? Did he say she was a faerie?
“I can’t be!” Alina gasped. “There is no way. I would know! I don’t… I don’t have pointed ears!”
The king chuckled at that. “You have had nothing strange happen to you? No strange animals following you around? A supernatural knack with gardening and planting? Hastened healing? Unusual speed or strength? I’m not sure what all half-fae can do, but your mother and I talked about it a little while she was pregnant.”
Alina didn’t respond. She just looked down into her skirt folds and went through the unusual occurrences that happened to her over the course of her life. The weird healing that happened when a pack wolf bit her in the woods. The overwhelming sense of peace as she healed Charles. Her green thumb, an uncanny knowledge of plants though she never studied agriculture or botany. The fireflies. It all added up.
Still, she refused to believe it.
“One night when you were only weeks old, a dark faerie intruded on our peace. She was screaming and raging. Some soldiers murdered a den of faeries on the latest battlefield and she was beyond reasoning. She placed a curse on the other kingdom and came here after your mother, who she felt did not protect their people.”
A dark faerie… a curse on the other kingdom. Christian? Was Christian’s kingdom the one they’d been fighting? Alina leaned in towards the king as she listened. Were they finally going to get answers?
“Your mother always had a sense; she knew something dark was coming for her. So, to protect you from the dark faerie and her vengeance your mother gave you to her trusted friend, Danielle Townsend. Danielle just lost a baby about the same age;
you took over her identity. It was meant to last until you were old enough to protect yourself.”
“She… she made me a changeling?” Alina remembered reading about the archaic act. The faeries would steal or kill a human child and place their child there instead for the humans to raise.
The king winced. “Not in so many words.” He hesitated a moment. “We didn’t exchange you for another child. That child passed; you filled the void. Not only for your own protection but the kingdom’s protection. You are the sole heir.”
Sole heir. Surely there were others better suited to ruling than she was. Perhaps a first cousin?
“Even if that is so, I would never have known,” Alina countered, her hands trembling. “Surely my… my father would have appealed to you when we were destitute if he knew he held the heir to the throne in his possession.”
“No one foresaw that both Breena and Danielle would perish before you grew.” The king glanced out the window. The snow was falling again—slow, but steady. “Edward was never told so he wouldn’t treat you differently from the others. The ladies and I were the only ones who knew of your true identity. Danielle’s babe, being as young as it was, stayed with her at the castle. Edward was never told the difference when you took her place. They led me to believe that he spent most of his time at his offices and barely saw the baby.”
He took a steadying breath and then looked back to Alina. “Your name was Rhiannon at birth, you took the name of the babe you replaced. I kept track of you over the years and received steady reports of the Everston family until one day you all just… disappeared.”
“Father lost all of our wealth and we fled town overnight.” Alina wondered how different her life would have been if her father hadn’t fled town. Would the king have absolved the debts under the cloak of the night? Would he have swooped in and saved her from destitution and the servant-like life she’d led afterward?
But if he did, she wouldn’t have met Christian. She would not have met Elizabeth or William or Louis and his family. She wouldn’t have tried to break the curse.
“I know now what happened. I was aware that Edward was gambling both with his business and in the halls. But I didn’t realize until too late how desperate the situation became, and for that, I am sorry. He hid from the debt collectors well, even my people couldn’t track him down. It was like you vanished off the earth.”
