White Witch, Black Magic

She’s magic. It’s all I can think about. Maybe not very powerful, but magic nonetheless.

I’m in my room, tucked into my bed. I assured the princesses that I was walking down the hall to my room and tripped, that I heard almost none of their song, and that I don’t know what they were singing about. I don’t know if they believed me, but it wasn’t like they could do anything.

I roll over again. I just know I’m never going to be able to fall asleep. They lyrics from their song keep running through my head. Six little daughters are we/good and obedient as a princess should be… I sigh and turn onto my back.

I’m still staring at the ceiling hours later when the sun rises. I get up and dress in my freshly laundered clothes. I pull on my boots, which, despite numerous scrubbings, still carry a fair bit of mud. I’m glad. After all those days in the forest, the trees seem more real than Flumen.

I slip out of my room and walk down the hall. I head off in search of the kitchen, stifling a yawn. Jake, Bella, Wren, and I have been promised a full tour of Flumen today. I think Alex might be acting as tour guide, but I don’t know for sure. Avaysia has to stay behind. Carlotta needs her for dress fittings.

I catch a whiff of some delicious fragrance and follow the smell. Sure enough, it leads me straight to the kitchen. I pilfer some rolls from a huge breadbasket. No one notices me as I settle myself in a warm corner to eat. They’re all bustling about, no doubt cooking an elaborate breakfast intended to impress Avaysia.

I eat the rolls and a piece of bacon a young girl drops. She doesn’t realize it’s missing. Once I’m full, I curl myself into a ball and fall asleep.

l l l

“Founda! Founda, founda, founda!”

I open my eyes and stretch. Pansy is looking at me, eyes round as she claps her hands. Victoria comes around the corner, her red hair sticking out in every direction.

“You found her, Pansy?” she asks.

“Founda! Found Ee-ma!”

“Emma,” I correct.

“Found Emma,” Pansy amends.

“You scared the whole castle,” Victoria tells me. “Everyone is searching for you. They thought somebody stole you or something.”

Her face conveys that, though she’s glad I’m okay, she thinks it would have been more fun if she had rescued me from some sort of peril. Personally, I agree. It’s rather anticlimactic to put the whole castle on red-alert, only to find the missing person sleeping in a corner of the kitchen.

“Sorry, Vicky.”

“I wanna tell!” Pansy shrieks.

She takes off into the hall, calling for the members of her family. I rise and stretch again. Judging by the sunlight streaming through the windows, I slept for several hours. I feel much better.

“You interrupted breakfast. Father said we had to find you before we could continue eating, and the bacon is getting cold.”

“Sorry.”

“Why were you sleeping in the kitchen? Were you here all night? Is your bed uncomfortable? Did you get hungry? How come you don’t get in trouble for sneaking around at night, but I always do?”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I came here to find food. I’ve only been here since sunrise. And my bed is comfortable, I just…couldn’t sleep.”

“You were thinking about it, weren’t you.” From her tone of voice, it’s clear it’s not a question.

“Sorry?”

“You couldn’t sleep because you were thinking about it.”

“About what?”

“The song.”

Six little daughters are we…

“I told you last night, I hardly heard any of your song.”

…good and obedient as a princess should be…

“It’s okay, though. I trust you with our secret. Maybe you can help us.”

“Help you?”

“Get control of our own lives. So what’s happening to Avaysia and Alex doesn’t happen to us. We’re trying to add reasoning—”

“To the rhyming.”

“So you did hear the song!”

“I was sort of…eavesdropping.”

Vicky smiles and bounced on her toes. “I was right! I was sooo right!”

“Vicky, tell me something. You said ‘what’s happening to Avaysia and Alex’. Does that mean Alex doesn’t want to get married any more than Avaysia does?” I realize my mistake a fraction of a second later, but the words are already out. I can’t take them back. “I mean—” I start to say. “—what I meant to say—”

“Avaysia doesn’t want to marry Alex?” Vicky is all business now. Her voice is deadly calm.

“Um…” I don’t want to lie to her, but how can I tell her the truth? I’ve really done it now.

“She’s a good actress,” Vicky says.

I wait for her to run from the kitchen and tell her family what she’s discovered. I am going to be in so much trouble. My goose is cooked. And what of my family? What will happen to them?

But Vicky doesn’t run. She stands there and smiles, letting her calm statement hang in the air.

“So…Alex doesn’t want to get married either?”

“I didn’t say that. He just doesn’t want to marry Princess Avaysia. I’m not supposed to know, but he’s in love with someone else.”

“Who?” I ask. I feel like one of the girls back home, gossiping about who likes whom.

Vicky smirks. “I’m not telling!”

“Vicky!”

She tosses her crazy red hair. “Not gonna say any more. Unless.”

“Unless?”

“Unless you promise not to tell anyone. About Alex, or the words of my song.”

“Deal.”

“And—”

“And?” I sound like a whiney little kid. But I can’t help it. I told her all about Avaysia, but I have to bargain with her for information on Alex.

“There’s a royal ball tonight. I want you to go with that boy.”

“Which boy?” I ask apprehensively.

“The one you came here with. The one with the dark hair.”

“Jake?”

She nods. “Just say yes. I’ll do the rest.”

“Quite the little matchmaker you are.”

“Do you want to know or not?”

“Fine. I can’t believe I’m bargaining with a six-year-old.”

Vicky grins. “I’m almost seven.” I give her a look. “Her name is Arista,” she finishes.

“Who?”

“Arista. You’ll meet her later today. She’s the stable master’s daughter.”

“Emma! What are you doing in here?” Jake comes bursting through the door, led by Pansy, who’s clutching his hand.

“Founda!” Pansy says. She releases Jake and grabs Victoria’s hand instead. “Bacon!” she giggles, towing Vicky away. “We get bacon now!”

“Bye, Emma,” Victoria says. “Remember about tonight!”

She winks.

I stick my tongue out.

Jake looks from her to me. “What was that about?”

I feel my cheeks color. “Nothing. Wait till you hear what I found out!”

“Can it wait?”

“For what?”

“For breakfast to finish? I’m really hungry.”

I sigh. “Sure. How mad are the king and queen?”

“I don’t think they’re that angry. They were just worried. Well, Queen Margret seemed worried. King Louis was sort of…indifferent.”

“Good to know I’m so loved.”

Jake shakes his head. “Just c’mon.”

He takes my elbow and steers me down the hall. I let myself be dragged along. I’m in no mood to argue.

Once I’m settled in the dining room, and served an outrageously large portion of eggs and bacon, the berating starts. As Jake said, King Louis hardly seems to care. But Queen Margret is treating me like one of her children.

“Where were you?”

“I was in the kitchen, your Highness.”

“Don’t ‘your Highness’ me, Missy! What on Earth were you doing in the kitchen?”

“Sleeping.”

“Sleeping? We give you one of the best rooms in the castle and you treat it like a broom cupboard! Why were you sleeping in the kitchen?”

“Because it was warm and—”

“Was your room cold?”

“No, but—”

“Then why were you in the kitchen?”

“Well, I was hungry.”

“So why not ask for some food, then go back up to your room?”

“I’m trying to tell you! If you would stop cutting me off!” We’re both silent for a moment as I make sure she’s done. “It’s warm in the kitchen, and it smells like home.”

Queen Margret’s face softens, and just like that, her tirade ends. “You miss your home?”

“Yes.” The word comes out flat, devoid of all emotion.

“And your family?”

I think of them, sitting in a dungeon, waiting for me to come home. I’ve delivered the princess, but there’s an unexpected hiccup. She loves Wren. And Alex loves the stable master’s daughter. It sounds like a happily ever after in the making, but it might lead to a war. And it might lead to my family dying.

Unable to speak, I give a sharp nod.

“Alright, Margret. Leave the poor girl alone. Let her eat,” King Louis says.

And that’s the end. Discussion over.

l l l

We’re back in my room, just the five of us. Breakfast is over, and we’ve been told to prepare ourselves for our tour. Except Avaysia. She’s supposed to see Carlotta about her wedding dress.

“Well, tell us,” Avaysia says. “I have to go soon.”

“Alex doesn’t want to marry you!”

Avaysia blinks. “What?”

“He doesn’t want to marry you!”

Her face crumples. “So this stupid necklace is ruining not only my life, but Alex’s as well!” she sobs.

“Don’t forget Wren and Arista,” I tell her.

Wren goes scarlet and Avaysia howls louder. Bella and Jake look at me.

“What?” I ask.

“Nice going,” Jake says.

“Who’s Arista?” Bella asks.

“The girl Alex is in love with.”

“How did you find all this out?” Jake wants to know.

“Vicky.”

“Who?”

“The red-haired princess.”

“The one who wants to be a seamstress, right?”

“Yes. Listen, last night I heard her and all of her sisters singing.”

“So?”

“Well, I promised Vicky not to tell anyone the song’s lyrics, but I can tell you what it was about. Gotta love loopholes.”

“Go on.”

“Basically, the girls are plotting how to overthrow the marry-whomever-your-father-says rule.”

“Speaking of that, I thought you said you could marry whomever you wanted,” Bella accuses.

“In Regnum you can.”

“But not in Flumen?”

“I don’t know.”

“The commoners can,” Avaysia says, sniffing. “But the royal families have always had arranged marriages.”

“Always?”

“Always.”

“That sucks.”

Avaysia manages a weak smile. “That’s one way to put it.”

“Sucks what?” Prince Alexander says, coming into the room.

“Um….” I’m unsure what to say.

We know what Bella meant, but we can’t very well tell Alex that she’s from another world, where ‘suck’ is something awful, not something you do to a lollipop.

“Sucks the time. Sitting around sucks the time up. There’s never enough of it,” Avaysia covers smoothly. She stands, all traces of sorrow gone. “Good day, my prince.”

As she passes through the door, Alex catches her wrist. He kisses her on the cheek. “I’ll see you tonight for the ball,” he tells her.

She gives him a sweet smile. “Have a nice time on the tour.”

They stand for a moment, faces turned towards each other, Avaysia’s body angled away and her wrist in his hand. They look like the perfect couple. Happiness is written across both their faces. But if you watch their eyes—either Avaysia’s or Alex’s—you can see the truth. They may have everyone else fooled, but they can’t fool themselves. Neither loves the other. Neither wants to go through with this.

Then Avaysia turns her head and walks away. Alex releases her wrist and lets her hand slide through his. I hear the patter of footsteps and Vicky’s voice outside the door.

“I’m to take you to Carlotta,” she says. “This way, your princessness.”

“Thank you, Princess Victoria.”

I can hear the laugh in Avaysia’s voice.

“Vicky. There’s no point in ‘princessing’ me. We’re going to be sisters, after all.”

There’s a pause. Then Avaysia says, “Vay.”

It’s the nickname she hated. It’s grown on her.

“Vay and Vicky!” the young princess laughs.

Avaysia gives a cautious sort of giggle.

“This way,” Vicky says.

I hear footsteps and their voices retreat. Alex claps his hands together and gives us a winning smile. I can’t help but think that, despite all Avaysia has told us about him, he seems like a nice kid.

“You four ready to see the sights?” he asks us.

“Uh, I guess so,” I say with shrug.

The others nod and mumble ascent.

“Oh, brighten up,” he tells us. “It’s going to be a great day. And tonight, there’s a ball.”

“Oh goody,” Jake mutters.

Alex smiles understandingly. “Are you a bad dancer?”

“Hardly. I can hold my own, it’s just that dances are always…awkward.”

“Awkward?”

“Yes. There’s always that feeling of should I ask her to dance? Should I just go hide?”

“Well, my sisters are pairing people up, so you won’t have to worry about that. Now let’s go!”

The girls are organizing the dance? That must be what Vicky meant by ‘I’ll take care of the rest.’ I think. I guess I already know who my partner will be.

We file out of my room and follow Alex from the castle. He leads us down the sweeping stone steps and towards the stables. A young man, probably about the same age as Alex, is standing there with the reins for two horses in his hands. He’s a tall kid with auburn hair and green eyes. The man waiting next to him is unmistakably his father. He has the same auburn hair, lanky build, and friendly look. His eyes are blue instead of green and he has more freckles than his son. He holds three sets of reins.

“Good morning, Prince Alexander,” the younger of the two says.

“Morning, Jason.” Alex nods to the man. “Nicholas.”

“Good day to you, Your Highness.”

Despite the formalities of ‘prince’ and ‘your highness’, I can tell they’re all good friends. I get the feeling that if it was just the three of them, they would call him Alex.

“Nicholas and Jason, these are the fine people that escorted Princess Avaysia here. Bella, Jacob, Wren, and Emma, meet the stable master and his son, Nicholas and Jason.”

We all smile at each other and exchange handshakes. I risk a look at Jake to see if he’s guessed what I have. I catch his eye and ask him a silent question: Arista’s family? He gives a slight nod.

“I hope you enjoy your tour. Alex—” Nicholas steps on Jason’s foot, and Jason realizes his mistake. “—Uh, I mean, Prince Alexander. He’ll be an excellent guide.” Jason’s face is teetering somewhere between amusement and embarrassment. Alex has his bottom lip between his teeth, trying not to smile.

“Well, here are your horses,” Nicholas says.

Alex takes his mount, a black stallion almost as big as Neverard. The others take the reins they’re handed. Jason tries to give me a tan mare, but I don’t accept the reins.

“I was wondering, well, I don’t want to be a pain, but could I trouble you to find my horse for me?”

“Which one is yours?”

“Neverard. The huge black stallion.”

“Yes, I remember the fellow,” Nicholas says. “Beautiful horse, that one. Bit wild, though. You rode him all the way here?”

“Yes.”

Wren grins at me. “She was the first person to ride him.”

Jason and Nicholas both look surprised.

“What?” I ask. “Haven’t either of you ever seen a girl tame a horse?”

They glance at each other, then grin.

“You should meet Arista,” Jason says. “She’s my little sister, and she’s trained more horses than many of the men.”

I notice that Alex’s smile has become rather fixed.

“I’ve trained them better, too,” says a voice.

We all turn to see a girl that looks a lot like Jason and Nicholas. She’s perched on the gate that leads into the stables. Her eyes are the same green eyes as her brother, and she has the same build: tall and lanky. I’d guess her brother is taller, but she has at least six inches on me. Her hair hangs down her back in a braid. It isn’t quite the same auburn color as her father’s and brother’s, but slightly redder. Her face is freckly.

She jumps off the gate and her boots hit the ground with a quiet thump. “I’m Arista, but folks call me Ari.”

“Emma,” I say.

“Nice to meet you, Emma.”

She holds out her hand. I notice that she’s wearing fingerless gloves that cover the palms and the backs of her hands and, despite the warm day, a long-sleeved shirt that covers her arms to the wrists, where the gloves begin, like she’s trying to hide something. As we shake, I catch a glimpse of dark markings curling around her fingers. She follows my gaze and neatly tucks her hand behind her back, smiling as though there is nothing unusual about such a gesture. The others, oblivious, introduce themselves.

“Now, which horse is it that your after?” Arista asks.

“Neverard. The big black stallion that we brought with us.”

“I know the one. He’s your horse, is he?”

“Yes.”

“Then why’d the princess ride in on him, and not you?”

“He was the only horse to survive the trip through the woods. We thought it would look…odd if I were to ride in and Avaysia was on foot.”

“Only one survived? What happened to the other four horses?”

Four? I think. Then I realize; she’s assuming we each had our own mount. She doesn’t know that we picked Bella and Jake up along the way.

“Those woods are not meant for travel,” I say. “There were natural forces to combat, like a huge thunderstorm that tried to drown us all, as well as a giant, an ogre, and a dragon.”

Something flickers in her eyes at the last word, but all she says is, “I see.”

I can tell that she suspects there was something else involved. However, she lets the subject drops. She gives me a warm smile and says, “Let’s go find your horse. Come.”

She turns and vaults over the gate in one graceful move. I follow her, climbing over the gate and walking into the stables. Arista doesn’t walk there so much as saunter. I doubt she ever just walks anywhere.

The stables are the sort of place I could spend all day. It smells of hay, and it’s warm. Horses poke their heads out of their stall all along the path. I pat a few as I walk past.

Neverard? I call through my mind.

Emma!

How are you doing, Big Guy?

I like it here. They have good oats.

I smile to myself. We’re going on a tour of Flumen today. You’re going to be my steed.

You’re noble steed?

I try my hardest not to laugh. I don’t want Arista to think I’m nuts. I don’t know if you’re noble.

I’m half unicorn! Of course I’m noble.

I can picture him in his stall, prancing and tossing his head. I hear a whinny and follow the sound. I know it’s Neverard calling for me.

Arista looks at me. “You can recognize his whinny?”

“Uh. Yeah.”

She looks impressed. “You must have forged quite the connection with him.”

“You could say that.”

We round another corner and my heart lightens. Neverard is standing in the hall, waiting for me. Sunlight streams in from an open door behind him, making it look like he’s glowing. In that moment, I really believe that he’s a unicorn.

“Neverard!” I cry.

I rush towards him and throw my arms around his neck. I’ve missed him. He’s so soft and warm. All the worries and concerns about Avaysia and witches melt away. Neverard lowers his head and wraps his neck around me, as if he were giving me a hug.

“How are you boy?” I ask.

Told you: the oats are good, so I am too.

They haven’t been feeding you sugar have they?

Not too much.

Neverard!

One can never have too much sugar.

“How did he get out?” Arista asks. She looks confused and awed. I’m guessing the confusion is because Neverard was standing in the middle of the hall and she’s awed at the way we reacted to each other.

Any half-wit could have busted out. It’s not like the locks were complicated.

“I guess he just opened the lock,” I say.

“Just opened the lock?” Arista repeats. “You are unbelievable, Emma. I won’t press you, but I can tell you’re hiding something.”

“And you aren’t?”

“I never said that. Everyone has their secrets. It just seems to me that yours might be…more secretive.”

“Are you girls alright back there?” Jason calls.

“Yes,” Arista answers. “We’re coming.” She turns to me. “Let’s go, Emma. We still have to saddle your…horse.”

We do, then we head outside to join the others. The rest of my group mounts up. Alex gives us all a smile and nods to the stable master and his children.

“Good day,” he says.

“Farewell, Your Highness,” Nicholas replies.

“Bye, Alex—uh, Prince Alexander,” Jason says.

Arista only smiles.

Alex turns his horse around and leads us down the road. He begins pointing out the sights, such as the towns, the ocean, and the docks. It’s interesting, but I allow my thoughts to wander. I watch Wren twisting something through his fingers while talking to Neverard, then engage a bird in conversation. The robin’s take on the city is better than Alex’s, so I listen to him instead.

“Emma?”

“What?” I jerk to attention. I realize I haven’t heard a word of what my fellow humans have been saying.

“Are you okay, Emma?” Alex asks.

“Oh, yes. I’m sorry, I zoned out for a moment. Did you ask me something?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yes.”

Jake looks at me carefully, then glances at Neverard and back at me. I shake my head no. He thinks I was talking with Neverard. The robin twitters and flaps to my shoulder.

“Oh,” Jake says. “Of course.”

I grin in an apologetic sort of way.

No one else notices anything, and the tour continues.

l l l

When the tour finally ends, I’m starving. We’d had a picnic lunch while we were out and about, but I’m hungry again. Before I can sneak off to the kitchen to pilfer some food, Vicky comes up to me.

“Where are we going?” I ask as she leads me off.

“To your room.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so.”

“Why, Vicky? Really.”

“You have to get all dressed up for the ball tonight.”

“But I want to eat!”

“After you get dressed.”

“I’ll mess up the dress,” I warn.

“You’ll just have to be careful.”

“Who put you in charge, anyways?”

“I did.”

“Of course.”

We reach my room and she opens the door for me. A tub filled with hot, steaming water awaits me.

“Bathe. I’ll be back soon.”

“Vicky—”

She pushes me into the room and shuts the door. I sigh. Someday that girl will be in charge of her own life. She’s too determined to just marry whomever her father chooses.

I trail my finger in the water and discover it’s way too hot to sit in. I pluck a book off the shelf and settle myself on the bed to read for a while instead. Vicky turns up with a platter of food, which I scarf down. When the water is cool enough to touch, I slide into the tub and scrub myself down.

Soon, Victoria—decked out in her own finery—is back again, ordering me out of the tub. Once I’m dry, she and two of her friends, a quiet little blonde girl and a boisterous brunette, get me into the most ridiculous dress I’ve ever worn. It’s frillier and puffier than the one Zoë made me wear back in Regnum. The only up side is that this dress is green instead of pink.

Most of the get-up is as green as spring grass. To stripes of lime green run over my shoulders and down my front. They connect into another stripe of the same color that encircles my waist. A matching ruffle stretches across the front. In the box made by the lime stripes are dark green swirls. The sleeves reach halfway between my shoulders and elbows. They end in a blue-green ruffle and a lime one. On the front of the skirt are two more ruffles. Both are the blue-green color. The space between them is decorated with more dark green swirls.

Vicky and her friends squeal with delight and tell me how beautiful I look. They won’t let me peek in a mirror until they’ve placed a delicate golden necklace with a green pendant around my neck. When I start complaining that my loose hair will be in my face all night, Vicky pulls it into a high ponytail with green ribbon. Vicky fluffs out my black hair and straightens the necklace. Then, and only then, will she and her friends let me see my reflection.

Even I must admit, I do look nice.

Vicky claps her hands together. “Now come along! You have to get to the ball on time!”

“Yes,” the brunette says. “Your date will be waiting.”

“Date?” I ask.

“Remember our trade, Emma?” Vicky asks.

“That doesn’t mean it’s a date!”

“It’s a dancing date!”

“You’re really irritating for a six year old,” I tell her.

Vicky gives me a huge smile. “I try.”

“I’m sure you do.”

The blonde takes my right hand and the brunette grabs my left. They tow me down the hall in Victoria’s wake. Half way to the ballroom we bump into Bella. She’s as decked out as I am. Her dress is made up of light blue, purple, and pink fabric. The bodice is purple with pink adornments. The sleeves and the very top are pink. The skirt is layered: purple, blue, pink, and purple again. The middle two layers are decorated by swirls of the other colors. Her hair is also pulled atop her head, but her ribbon is purple. Natalie and another young girl I don’t recognize are pulling her along.

“It looks like you’re getting the same treatment I am,” I say.

“Mmm.”

“You don’t look to happy about it.”

“I’m not.”

“Me neither.”

“Oh, but you both look so beautiful!” Natalie encourages us.

“I feel like a doll,” I comment.

“A living doll,” Bella adds.

“Stop,” Victoria commands us. “Are you two ready?”

Bella and I stand side by side in front of the gilded oak doors. The three girls who aren’t royalty pull them open. Vicky and Natalie push Bella and me into the room.

I stare around, taking in the room before I notice the people in it. The ceiling is high above us and sparkles with chandeliers. The floor is polished wood that gleams in the light. The walls are decorated with tapestries. The glittering candles line the room, throwing graceful shadows.

“Wow,” I say.

I hear the girls giggling and glance around. Wren, dressed in a suit and a light blue tie, is escorting Bella down the sweeping oak steps and onto the dance floor. Jake, who is wearing an outfit just like Wren’s but with a green tie, is approaching me. Maria is making sure he doesn’t wander off.

“Stop it, Maria. I’m going!” he says.

The girls all giggle some more. Jake reaches me and rolls his eyes.

“Go on!” Maria urges.

“Um, Emma, do…do you want to dance?”

“No!” Vicky says. “You have to do it right!” He looks at her blankly. “Like we practiced!” she reminds him. He still looks blank. She rolls her eyes, then leans over in a small bow and extends her right hand, her left behind her back.

“Oh, right.” Jake turns to me and mimics Vicky’s position. “May I have this dance?”

“I don’t see how Vicky would let me do anything but except.”

“Emma!” Vicky and Maria complain together.

“Fine,” I say. I place my hand in Jake’s. “I would be honored, good sir. Better?”

“Much,” Maria tells me.

Natalie adjust her crown. All the princesses wear matching, simple silver circlets, nothing fancy. Their lovely personalities make up for that. “Go on,” she says.

Jake straightens. Maria clears her throat meaningfully.

“Right,” Jake says. “Um…what am I supposed to do?”

“Put one arm behind your back and give Emma your other one.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Jake places his left arm behind his back. He offers his right to me. I hook my left elbow through his right and allow him to lead me down the stairs. We join the other couples on the dance floor. I recognize some of the people. Arista and Jason are dancing nearby, and the princesses are twirling each other around. I see Nicholas with a woman who must be his wife. She’s a ginger, which explains why Arista’s hair is redder than her brother’s and father’s.

Across the floor I see the king and queen sitting on thrones. I guess kings and queens aren’t allowed to dance. The musicians strike a new chord and Jake lifts our linked hands, spinning me beneath them. Jake is a surprisingly good dancer and soon we’re twirling our way around the floor.

As we pass Wren and Bella, I hear Bella say, “Wren? What’s wrong?”

“She’s beautiful,” he replies absently. He’s frozen in place, still poised to spin Bella.

“Wren?” she asks.

He plainly isn’t listening. He drops her hand and turns to the stairs. I follow his line of sight up the steps to the doors. Standing there, alone, is Avaysia. Her long blonde hair falls around her shoulders and is held away from her face with a pink headband. Her dress is frillier and puffier than Bella’s and mine put together. It incorporates at least four shades of pink, lots of swirls and ruffles, as well as some precious gems. It probably cost more than my whole house, but Wren’s right about one thing. She does look beautiful.

Avaysia stands with her hands clasped in front of her, glancing around. Her gaze meets Wren’s and she smiles. He starts to walk towards her, but Bella catches his arm.

“Don’t!” she hisses. “You’ll get in trouble.”

“But Alexander isn’t there! She shouldn’t have to wait for him!”

“Wren,” Bella pleads. “Don’t!”

He pulls away from her. He’s only made it a few steps before Alex appears. He taps Avaysia’s shoulder and she looks away from Wren. He bows and extends his hand, just as Jake did. Avaysia takes it. They link arms and he guides her down the steps and onto the dance floor. Unlike Jake and me, however, they’re performance glides smoothly without the little princesses directing everything. I guess formal dancing is the sort of thing you learn, when you’re growing up in a castle.

The current song ends. People stop moving and begin to clap. Wren’s shoulders drop and his head dips down. Bella touches his hand. He looks at her, smiles, and claps along with everyone else, as if nothing has happened.

The musicians play several more songs, including a waltz, a tango, and for some reason, a square dance song. That one was the most fun, but it didn’t seem like ballroom appropriate music. By the end of it, we’re all laughing and dizzy from the number of turns.

Before the next song can start, the princesses climb onto the dais where the musicians are. Lyra hands Pansy up to Natalie before clambering up herself, and Maria has to give Rose a leg up. When all six are settled, they wait for the noise to die down and for everyone’s attention to focus on them. Then Vicky clears her throat.

“For the next dance,” she says.

“We want to mix it up a little,” Lyra finishes. They must have been practicing this.

“So we want everyone,” Natalie continues.

“To find a new partner,” Maria concludes.

“New partners!” Rose giggles.

“Yay!” Pansy shrieks. “Yay, yay, dancy yay!”

“Hop to it,” Vicky says, grinning.

“Just like the Cheshire Cat,” Bella mutters from nearby. As usual, I have no idea what she’s talking about.

The princesses all jump off the dais and the older four find themselves partners. Pansy and Rose are too young to dance, so they engage a couple of other little kids in some kind of game that involves running and giggling and falling down a lot.

“Bye,” Jake says, winking at me.

“See you,” I reply.

He walks off and asks a blonde girl if she’d like to dance. She accepts. Bella, too, partners up with a person none of us have ever met. I watch Wren pair up with Avaysia and Alex with Arista. I’m starting to think that this could end badly.

I hear someone clear his throat. I turn. Jason is standing behind me. He offers me his hand. “Partners?”

“Sure,” I say.

He’s even taller than Jake. I feel very short, but he’s a good dancer. We laugh and talk as we spin around the floor. The music slows to a waltz. Jason and I slow our pace to match the rhythm. As the last strains of music die away, I hear someone shout.

“Hey!”

It’s Jake.

I jump. Jason does, too. When I turn to find Jake in the crowd, I catch a glimpse of Wren and Avaysia. Not too far from them are Alex and Arista. Judging by the girls’ positions (closed eyes and uplifted faces) and the way both boys are leaning towards their partners, Jake’s interruption came not a moment too soon.

He points out a window, asking, “Did anyone else see that?”

Everyone turns to look. I sneak a peek at Wren, Alex, Avaysia, and Arista. All four stand several feet apart and have downcast eyes and brightly colored cheeks. I want to drop my head into my hands. What are they doing? They are going to get in so much trouble! Or maybe I want to laugh, because the whole thing is so ridiculous.

“What’d you see?” asks the blonde girl Jake is partnering, her voice carrying through the silence.

“I think it was an owl, but it was huge.”

I can tell that he’s lying, but I’m grateful to him. This could have gotten really messy. I don’t know what the little princesses thought they would accomplish by doing this. Maybe they just wanted to have a little fun, and didn’t think about what might happen. It’s the sort of thing I might do, so I can hardly blame them, but something about Vicky’s all-too-knowing smile gives me pause.

We reorganize the partnering for the final dance. Alex and Avaysia partner up again, as an engaged couple well should, and Wren goes with Arista. Jason asks the blonde girl who was with Jake before. Jake and I couple up again. I don’t know whom Bella is dancing with.

We’re halfway through the final dance, another waltz, when the biggest shock of the evening comes. After Jake’s timely interruption, I’d assumed we’d had enough excitement for one night. Apparently the Fates (if they exist) disagreed.

As Jake and I turn, I notice a woman who wasn’t there a moment ago. She’s standing off to one side, ignored or unnoticed by everyone else. Her golden hair reaches past her hips and her dress shimmers in the light. The fabric is blue. Hundreds of shades of blue…like the dragon we faced. My eyes drift to her hand. Sure enough, she’s missing her left ring finger. If she were a dragon, that would be the talon I hacked off. Her fingernails are even glinting gold, the same way her claws did.

This must be the witch leader. This must be Jardaine.

She smiles when I think her name. I hear her voice in my head.

Your magic protects you, and that silly little necklace guards the princess. But the rest of your friends cannot be helped. We’ve wanted to speak with you for so long, Emma. Come to us tomorrow at sunrise. You will know the way.

I want to shout for someone to grab her, or tell her I’ll never do what she wishes, but she stops me.

Do not come and your friends will die. Bring help, and they face the same fate. Come speak with us, alone at sunrise, and they shall be safe. She pauses. It is your choice.

She’s engulfed in a smoke so dark a blue it’s nearly black. When it clears, she’s vanished. No one knows she was there. No one but me.

I feel dizzy. I loose the thread of the dance and stumble. Victoria made me wear heels, which aren’t helping. One of my shoes slips. My ankle twists and I fall into Jake.

“Emma? Are you alright?” he asks.

I want to say no. I want to tell him about Jardaine. But I can’t. I manage to get out, “My ankle!”

He scoops me up and carries me the same way he did back in the Land of the Unicorns: cradled like a baby. But where that was all play, Jake is nothing but seriousness. Very gently, he sets me down at the base of the grand staircase.

“Which foot?”

“The left.”

He undoes the tie and slides my shoe off. My ankle is slightly red and hurts, but I think it’s just rolled. I’ll be fine in a bit. I take off the other shoe as well. The last thing I need is to damage both ankles.

“Well, I guess that puts an end to the night,” Jake says.

“Guess so.”

“Can you walk?” Bella asks.

All of the dancers have gathered around, anxious to see if I’m okay.

“I don’t know,” I reply.

“Well, I’m not about to let you find out. I’ll carry you back up to your room,” Jake declares. “Bella, grab her shoes.”

He picks me up again. Bella follows us up the stairs and down the hall, my shoes dangling from her fingers. She opens my door and Jake steps into my room. He sets me on the bed.

“Help her get ready for bed,” he says to Bella. “Tell me when you’re done. I need to talk to her.”

I’m put in mind of a naughty child being lectured by a parent. I need to talk to you about putting honey in your sister’s hair…

He leaves the room. Bella unfastens my dress and pulls it off. I slide into a nightgown, then Bella untangles my hair from the green ribbon.

“Good night,” she says. “Good luck with Jake.”

“Thanks. I’m afraid I’ll need it. Good night.”

She leaves.

Jake comes in and takes her place on the end of the bed. He looks at me with those bright blue eyes. His usual, playful manner has vanished. He is deadly serious.

“What happened?” he demands.

“I tripped.”

I can tell he doesn’t believe me. “What really happened?”

“I tripped! I was the stupid heels!”

“Emma, I saw you staring at a corner of the room long before you stumbled. There was something there that scared you. Something only you could see. What was it?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t tell you that either.”

“Are you trying to protect me? And Bella, Wren, and Avaysia?”

“Not all of you. Avaysia is safe. She has that necklace.”

“What are you protecting us against?”

“I can’t tell you!”

“Or we’ll die, right?”

I don’t answer.

“You can’t tell me, but I can guess.” I say nothing but give him a wary look. “Every rule has a loop hole.” He gives me a weary sort of smile. “So…it’s the witches, isn’t it? Something about their black magic.”

“I wish I could tell you, but she said I can’t.”

“Who is she? The leader?”

I nod. Then I burst into tears.

“Shh,” Jake soothes. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

He holds me until I calm myself. Then he tucks me into bed like I’m a little kid. He brushes my hair off my face and kisses my forehead. As he turns to go, I catch his hand.

“Don’t leave me,” I whisper.

“I won’t,” he promises.

Jake settles himself into a chair next to the bed. We’re quiet for a few moments. Then Jake does something surprising. He begins to sing. His voice is soft and sweet. I close my eyes and feel myself drifting off.

Jake will stay with me all night. I know that he wouldn’t be able to do anything if the witches were to attack, but even so… Just having him here with me is enough to make me feel safe.