The Bravest Princess

  “Really?” said Annie. “Then perhaps you can help me.”

  Horace’s eyes lit up. “Whatever you need, Your Highness. How may I be of service?”

  Annie glanced up and down the corridor. She didn’t see anyone, but it was better not to take chances. She gestured him into her room, then waited until she’d shut the door before saying, “Snow White’s stepmother is a witch and can use magic to change her appearance. We think she’s in the castle disguised as someone else.”

  “Niko and Marta told me all about Queen Marissa, and none of it was good. There’s a lot of fear in this castle, and it’s all because of her.”

  “Maybe I can do something about that. I’m trying to locate the queen by coming into contact with every woman in the castle. I hope to touch her and show what she really looks like.”

  Horace nodded. “I can see how that would work. But she’s an evil woman, so you’ll need protection when you find her. I’ll stand by your side just in case.”

  “That’s a good idea,” said Annie. She hadn’t really thought about what would happen when she located the witch other than that the woman couldn’t cast a spell on her. She hadn’t even told Liam what she was doing, something she probably should have done at the very beginning. Now that she thought about it, she decided that it probably would be a good idea to have someone armed nearby. Even if Annie could negate the witch’s magic, Marissa might be dangerous in other ways.

  “There’s something else I need you to do for me,” she told Horace. “I want to talk to the women who work in the castle as well as the women of noble birth. Could you and your relatives bring the women who work here to me one at a time so I can make sure they are who they say they are?”

  “We should be able to manage that!” said Horace. “Should I bring them to your chamber?”

  “No, we’ll find an empty room somewhere else. I don’t want Snow White’s stepmother to know what we’re doing until we’ve found her, if she doesn’t already know, that is,” Annie said, thinking of the falling gargoyle. “I know! We’ll tell the women that we’re looking for ideas to surprise the princes. Then they won’t be able to tell anyone what we’re really doing.”

  “I think I can get Marta and Tesia to help, but I might have to tell them the truth. They hated the queen and will do whatever it takes to make sure she leaves for good. They’re honest women and can keep a secret if we ask them.”

  “If you really think it will help and that they won’t tell anyone,” said Annie.

  “I’m sure of it. Why don’t I go locate a room while you freshen up. You have a bit of a smudge here,” Horace said, rubbing his cheekbone. “And your hair—well, I’m sure you know what I mean.”

  “Yes, thank you, Horace,” Annie said, knowing that she must be a real mess if Horace felt the need to point it out. “I’ll wait for you here. Come get me when you’ve found a room we can use.”

  Liam had insisted that she send for him, but she didn’t think he’d mind if she took Horace instead. All Liam had wanted was that she have someone with her. If Horace’s relatives could help, her task would be that much easier.

  As soon as she shut the door, Annie checked her reflection in the mirror. She had dirt on her face and a piece of hay tangled in her hair. Her clothes were rumpled and dusty, and she had a great dirty patch on one side of her gown. “Mother would have a fit if she saw me like this,” she murmured, pulling the hay from her hair.

  Annie didn’t have time to send for water to fill a tub, so she used the washbowl that the maids kept filled, even though the water was cold. After washing her face and hands, she brushed her hair until it shone. Hearing that Annie had lost many of her things in the carriage accident, Snow White had given her some of the new gowns that the castle seamstresses had made for her. Although Annie was a little smaller than Snow White, the gowns fit fairly well.

  Annie had just pulled on a soft blue gown when there was a knock on her door. “Just a minute!” she called, thinking it was Horace.

  “It’s me, Snow White!”

  When Annie opened the door, Snow White hurried into the room and perched on a chair by the window.

  “Where were you yesterday?” Annie asked her. “I thought you were going to help me.”

  “Was I?” said Snow White. “I spent the entire afternoon with my father. We had so much to talk about, although he did most of the talking. He loved my mother very much and never intended to marry again until he met Marissa. He didn’t intend to marry her, either, but he thinks she must have used magic on him. I don’t know how many times he told me that he was a fool for marrying her and that she was a terrible wife even when she wasn’t drugging him.”

  “I believe him,” said Annie.

  Snow White was wearing her long black hair loose down her back. She picked up a lock of hair that was draped across her shoulder and began to inspect it. “We talked about Maitland, too,” she said. “Father likes him, but then he wasn’t the one who overheard Maitland talking to his friends. Do you know what I wish?” Snow White said, dropping the lock of hair and turning to Annie. “I wish Maitland had never come here! I get so confused when he’s around.”

  “Then you must have some sort of feelings for him,” said Annie. “If you truly hated him, you wouldn’t be confused.”

  “But I really can’t stand him! He said some awful things, and I don’t want to have anything to do with him.”

  “He’s here as one of your suitors, and you didn’t tell him that he couldn’t compete in the contest,” Annie said.

  “I know,” said Snow White. “And I don’t know what to do. I probably should have told him to go away when he got here, but I just couldn’t. It wouldn’t have been fair to turn him back after he traveled all the way here, and one thing I’m determined to be is fair. So many things aren’t fair, you know, but if you complain about it, people always say, ‘Life isn’t fair!’ Well, it should be! And now Maitland is here and in the contest, and I don’t want to talk to him even though he keeps sending me flowers and notes and asking to see me.”

  “I don’t know what he said to make you so upset, but I do know that he’s sorry he said it,” Annie told her.

  “Then he shouldn’t have said it in the first place!” cried Snow White.

  “Haven’t you ever said something that you later regretted?” Annie asked. “Something that you would take back if you could, but you can’t and it makes you miserable?”

  “I suppose,” said Snow White. “Although I never said anything half as bad! Honestly, this whole thing makes my head hurt. I wish I could go home!”

  “But you are home,” said Annie.

  “I mean the cottage in the forest. It’s the only place where I was truly happy. I miss the cottage, and I miss the seven dwarves. They were like the brothers I never had.”

  Both princesses turned around when there was a knock on the door. “That’s probably Horace,” said Annie. “He was taking care of something for me.”

  “I need to leave now anyway,” said Snow White as she got to her feet. “I promised Father that I’d walk with him in the garden.”

  Snow White nodded at Horace as she left the room. “I’ll be right with you,” Annie told him while she gathered her list, a quill, and a pot of ink.

  “I’ve found a room we can use,” Horace said when Annie finally joined him. “Marta and Tesia are going to help. They’ll bring the women to us one at a time.”

  “You’re very efficient,” Annie said, closing the door behind her.

  “When I told them what you were doing, they got excited. They promised not to tell anyone, but they can’t wait to get rid of Marissa once and for all.”

  “I’m glad they’re glad,” Annie told him. “I was worried that they might be so afraid of the queen that they wouldn’t want to talk to me in case she found out. I was even worried that someone who lived here might have been the one to help Marissa get free.”

  Horace shook his head. “That would never have happened. No o
ne wants her loose in the castle ever again.”

  The room Horace had found was in the same corridor as the steward’s office. It was a small room with a large table, a few chairs, and a single window facing the guards’ barracks. When Annie walked in, two plump, middle-aged women turned from the window and curtsied so low that Annie was afraid they’d fall over.

  “Your Highness, I’d like you to meet my nephew’s wife, Marta, and her sister, Tesia,” said Horace. “Marta, you can fetch the first woman.”

  “If it pleases Your Highness, I thought I would be first,” said Marta.

  “And so you should be, Marta. Thank you so much for helping us with this. May I touch your hand?” asked Annie.

  “What? Oh, why, yes. That’s how you do it, then. I wasn’t sure,” Marta said, extending her hand to Annie. “How long will this take?”

  “No time at all,” said Annie, releasing the woman. No magic had been used to change Marta, so Annie’s touch had no effect on her.

  “That was it?” Marta asked, looking confused.

  “That was it!” Annie smiled and turned to Marta’s sister. “Tesia?”

  When nothing changed about Tesia, either, Horace shooed the two women out the door, sending them to fetch others. Annie spent the rest of the day seeing one woman after another. By the time the shadow of the barracks blocked the sun from the window, she had seen over half the women on her list, and it was time for her to get dressed for supper.

  “I never did see the scullery maid wearing the fur,” said Annie, scanning her list.

  “A scullery maid in furs?” said Horace. “Now, where would a girl like that get the money for such things?”

  “Not nice furs like the nobles wear, but little scraps like rat or mice or squirrel all sewn together. Liam and I saw her when we were outside today.”

  “I’ll ask Marta,” Horace told her. “We’ll get her to bring the girl tomorrow.”

  Chapter 12

  Annie took the list back to her room and tucked it away under some clothes in a trunk. It took her only a few minutes to change her gown and start for the stairs. She was surprised to find snow White waiting for her outside the great hall.

  “There you are!” said Snow White. “I wondered why I didn’t see you today. What have you been up to?”

  “Checking people off my list,” Annie whispered back. “Do you have a moment to talk before we go in?”

  “Yes, but just a moment. The princes are going to give me their gifts tonight, and I don’t want to be late.”

  Annie pulled Snow White down the corridor so they were out of the way of the people entering the hall. “I thought of what we can do for the honesty test.”

  “Is that all?” said Snow White. “I thought you might have found Marissa. Oh well, don’t give up. I’m sure you’ll find her sooner or later.”

  “Yes, but the test for honesty …”

  “Whatever you decide will be fine. We don’t have time to go into that now. Just let me know who passed the test when you’re finished. We should go to our seats. Father will be here any minute, and I’m dying to see what the princes brought me!”

  Annie followed Snow White into the great hall, annoyed that her friend couldn’t be bothered to listen to her plan. Even if Snow White didn’t care, she could pretend to be interested, at least!

  “Father!” Snow White said when they had taken their seats and the king finally appeared. “Will we eat first or see what the princes have done?”

  King Archibald chuckled. “We’ll eat, of course! A little more suspense will only make the food taste better! Don’t you agree?” he said, turning to the princes seated across from him.

  The princes nodded like a group of dolls, and a few smiled brightly at Snow White. Maitland looked miserable, as if he was sure he was going to lose, while Tandry seemed calm, his face a serene mask that betrayed little of what he was thinking. Most of the others fiddled with their tankards or tore pieces of bread into little bits. Although Nasheen seemed relaxed and confident, he frowned when he looked at Annie. Something told her that he had learned why the princes who sat near her changed.

  Liam chuckled when Milo reached for another piece of bread to crumble. “I’m sure they wish this evening were over,” he whispered to Annie. “I can’t wait to see what you girls have come up with for the next test. What superior trait are they supposed to show tomorrow?”

  “Two, actually. Bravery and honesty,” Annie told him, giggling when she saw how frightened Milo looked. “I think some of them could use a little bravery right now.”

  Although the roasted venison, goose, and trout were delicious and plentiful, the princes ate very little, picking at the food they took and turning most away. Only Nasheen, Liam, the king, and the two princesses seemed to have any appetite. When a servant carried off the last platter, the princes became even more nervous.

  “Now, then,” said Snow White. “Who would like to go first?”

  “I should,” said Digby, “because mine is part of supper. Girl!” he called, waving to a serving girl carrying a large platter. “You may serve it now.”

  The girl hurried forward to set a small iced cake in front of each person at the table. Piled high with icing, the confection looked like snow mounded on a rooftop and sparkled with sugar crystals.

  Snow White was the first to taste it. “Did you make this yourself?” she asked. “It’s delicious!”

  “Me, slaving away in a kitchen?” said Digby. “Not likely! But I did find out what your favorite dessert is and told your cooks how to change it with a few ideas of my own. I call it Frosted Snow, in your honor, my lady.”

  “How thoughtful,” Snow White told him with a smile. “Now, who would like to be next?”

  “I would,” said Cozwald, getting to his feet. “I have written a poem to express my love and admiration.” Taking a piece of parchment from his pocket, he held it up and read:

  Hair as black as night,

  Skin as white as snow,

  Lips as red as blood,

  Makes my own heart glow.

  Beauty so unique

  Is a real treasure.

  If I made you mine,

  I’d love you beyond measure.

  “What did you think of it?” Snow White whispered to Annie. “You’ve spent your whole life at court and know more about these things.”

  “The last line was a little off,” Annie began.

  “The whole thing was a little off, if you ask me,” Liam said, smiling behind his hand.

  “I’d like to go next,” said Emilio. Nodding to two musicians waiting behind the table, he bowed to Snow White, saying, “I have prepared a dance that I thought would best express my feelings.”

  “You’ve got to be joking,” Liam whispered to Annie.

  Nasheen snorted when Emilio struck a pose. The instant the musicians started to play, Emilio began to twirl. His dancing was choppy at first, but it soon became more fluid. Annie thought he was good at expressing some emotions, like longing, fear, and joy, but she didn’t understand most of it and got a little confused when he jumped into the air and almost landed on another table.

  “That was very energetic,” Annie whispered when Snow White leaned close.

  “I rather liked it,” Snow White told her. “It reminds me of the way I danced when I was alone in the woods.”

  “Which is exactly how a dance like that should be performed,” whispered Liam. “Alone. And in the woods.”

  “I made you something, Princess,” Milo said, gesturing to someone in the shadows. A man came forward carrying something covered with a cloth and set it on the table in front of the prince. Milo whipped the cloth off with a flourish, uncovering a twisted, knotted rope worked into the shape of a face. “See, I used knots to make a portrait of you. Those are your eyes and this is your nose.” He pointed to each of the features as he spoke. “I unraveled some rope for your hair.”

  “I can see that,” said Snow White. “It’s quite inventive.”

&nb
sp; “Pictures like this are a treasured art form in my kingdom,” Milo told her. “Everyone in Gulleer learns how to tie knots at an early age.”

  “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Annie told Snow White.

  “And you probably never will again,” said Digby. “Imagine, giving a princess a pile of rope!”

  Milo scowled at him, but he looked more cheerful when Snow White gave him an encouraging smile. “And who will be next?” she asked, turning to the other princes.

  “Perhaps some more music is in order,” said Andreas. “I’ve prepared a song and will accompany myself on my lute.”

  “I didn’t know Andreas could play,” Cozwald said.

  “Shh!” said his cousin. “I want to hear this!”

  Strumming the first few notes, Andreas began to sing:

  I held a contest to find my bride,

  But I was led astray.

  I kissed a beauty sound asleep,

  But she loved someone else.

  I traveled far to reach your side,

  Though danger tried to stop me.

  And when I saw you the first time,

  I knew we were meant to be.

  Oh yes—We were meant to be!

  Oh, we were meant to be!

  “That song is meant to be over,” declared Digby.

  “He has a nice voice,” Annie told Snow White.

  “The best thing you can say about his lute playing,” said Cozwald, “is that someone used some very nice wood to make the instrument.”

  “You’re being awfully quiet, Maitland. Are you all right?” Annie asked him.

  Maitland nodded and reached for something under his seat. “Yes, of course. I was just enjoying the entertainment. Here, Princess, I made this for you.” He handed Snow White a large piece of parchment and sat back to watch her face.

  Annie leaned toward Snow White for a closer look. “Oh!” she said when she saw what her friend was holding. It was a drawing done in ink of Snow White and the seven dwarves in front of the little cottage in the woods. Although Maitland had to have done it from memory, every detail was accurate, from the features on the dwarves’ faces to the flowers nodding beside the front door.