The Bravest Princess (10 page)

The wolf that had tried to hop toward them made another awkward attempt, but his paws went out from under him and he sprawled face-first in the leaves.

“Liam, when was the last time you saw a wolf?” Annie asked.

“I haven't seen a real wolf since I traveled to the Misty Mountains,” said Liam. “But there was that man the dwarf turned into a wolf. Do you remember him?”

“Yes,” Annie replied. “He told us that when he first turned into a wolf, he didn't know how to act like one or even walk like one. It looks as if these wolves are having the same problem.”

“So you think they're men?” asked the captain.

“Not really,” Annie said. “But we'd know for sure if we could catch one.”

“If they're not really wolves, I can catch you one, Your Highness,” said Horace.

“You're too old!” cried one of the younger guards. “Just leave it to us able-bodied men!”

“Hah!” cried Horace, setting his sword on the ground so he could dig in his knapsack for a piece of rope. “I'll have one of these pretend wolves hog-tied before you can say your auntie's name three times backward. Get out of my way and let an expert handle this.”

Four of the youngest guards grinned and reached for their own ropes. In just moments, the five men were chasing the wolves around the fire, trying to snare the animals, which, strangely, were unable to move very fast.

“Got one!” Horace shouted just as a younger guard tackled another wolf. The two men dragged the wolves
toward Annie, who hurried to meet them partway. While Horace held his captive still, Annie laid her hand on the animal's side. The change began immediately, and in less than a minute, a rabbit lay where the wolf had been, its eyes wide in terror. When Annie took her hand away, Horace let go and the rabbit hopped off into the forest.

“Can you see what this one is, too, Your Highness?” the other guard asked. “He's a wiggly fellow, but he hasn't tried to bite me even once.”

At Annie's touch, the wolf faded away as the animal's true self emerged. It was a chipmunk and was so small that Annie could have held it in one hand. When Annie and the guard both stepped back, the little creature scurried into the underbrush.

“I don't think this spell was meant to last,” said Annie, glancing at the other animals, all of which were also looking less wolflike. A moment later a deer bounded toward the woods, a raccoon climbed a tree, and a skunk ran off, its tail in the air.

“Or the witch isn't as powerful as we thought she was,” Liam replied. “Either way, that was a close call, but they're gone now, so I think we should try to get some sleep.”

“A close call because they weren't really wolves?” Annie asked as the returned to their places by the fire.

“No,” Liam said. “Because that skunk could have done some real damage if it hadn't run off just then!”

They spotted the capital city of Grelia after only a few hours of riding the next day. A high stone wall enclosed most of the city, but Annie could see the castle towering above it when they were still miles away.

“Beldegard grew up in Grelia, and he told me all about it,” said Liam. “It has one of the oldest castles in all the kingdoms. The wall you see is the newest. It dates back only a few hundred years. There are other walls inside from when the city was older and smaller. There are three or four walls altogether, but the guards close only the outside gates at night.”

“Do you think King Berwick and his family have returned home yet?”

“Probably. I think they left the same day we did. The princes who want to court Snow White were traveling with them, so the question is, did all the princes get here yet? Some of them are slow travelers.”

“Especially Andreas,” said Annie. “Although the thought of winning Snow White's hand might have made them move a little faster.”

They rode past prosperous farms for a time, which eventually gave way to cottages and even a market outside the city walls. The guards standing on both sides of the open gate into the city were alert but polite, letting them through as soon as they identified themselves.

The roads inside the first gate were broad and straight, but when they passed through the second gate, the roads became narrower and angled off in different directions. After the third gate, the roads became a maze they might have gotten lost in if Horace hadn't known his way around.

“I was born in Grelia,” Annie overheard him telling another guard. “My family lived here until I was twelve. That's when they moved to Treecrest. My dad got a job on one of the linder tree farms up north. My sisters still live there with their families, but my aunts and uncles and cousins all live in Grelia. Except my nephew Niko. He lives in … ah, good! There's the gate,” said Horace, interrupting himself as he pointed to an ornate archway with a room above and a row of narrow buildings on either side.

They were riding under the arch when Horace gestured to the wall behind the buildings. “That's actually the curtain wall for the castle. There's a huge black pot
filled with oil kept just above us and logs ready for lighting under the pot should an invader get this far. My dad had buddies in the castle guards, and they let him take me on a tour once.”

As they entered the courtyard beyond the gate, Annie was reminded of her home. The layout of the out-buildings seemed to be the same, although these were older.

“Your Highnesses, you'll want to go up those stairs right there while we take care of the horses and I show the captain to the guards' quarters,” said Horace.

The guards rode off as Annie and Liam started up the stairs. “Don't you get the feeling that Horace thinks he's in charge sometimes?” Annie asked Liam.

“True. Especially on this trip. I think he believes it's his personal responsibility to take care of you, but then I think we've all claimed that job,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

A thin man wearing a gold medallion on a chain waited at the top of the stairs. He bowed when he saw them, and immediately began to herd them through the door that led into the great hall. “Welcome to Grelia! I'm Stanford, the royal steward. You are probably hungry after your trip. The royal family eats together in a smaller hall during the day. They just sat down for their midday meal and are anxious that you join them. This way, if you please.”

“Wonderful!” said Annie. They had eaten very little
that morning, and her stomach had been rumbling so loudly that she was afraid everyone could hear it.

High windows filled the great hall with light, making it a pleasant room. A little boy dressed as a page ran by with a small dog barking at his heels. Two girls dressed in the fine clothes of noblemen's daughters sat side by side, smiling behind their hands as they eyed a handsome young man at a nearby table. A group of middle-aged women sat gossiping over nearly empty tankards, the scraps of their just-eaten meal in front of them. It was a friendly place, and everyone seemed content. When they saw the steward leading Annie and Liam through the hall, they watched with curious eyes, and more than one smiled and nodded.

“I liked Beldegard's parents when we met them before the wedding, but you need to see what a person's home life is like before you really know them,” Annie told Liam under her breath. “People here seem happy. I think Gwennie married into a good family.”

“I could have told you that,” said Liam. “Beldegard told me a lot about them.”

“Right this way, Your Highnesses,” the steward said, leading them into a corridor, where he opened one of the first doors. “Please let me know if I can be of service in any way.” The steward bowed again, but Annie and Liam were already peering into the room.

Although the room wasn't nearly as big as the great hall, it was still quite large. Only one of the three round
tables was occupied, and even that table wasn't full. Annie spotted King Berwick, who was as big as his son Beldegard, sitting beside Queen Nara and their two daughters. The princes Cozwald, Emilio, and Andreas were also there, but neither Maitland nor Digby were present.

Everyone looked up as Annie and Liam entered the room. “Oh, good!” cried Tyne. “Now you can see what we were talking about, Mother. Anyone who gets near Annie starts to look ordinary!”

Queen Nara smiled weakly, then told her daughter in a quiet voice, “It isn't polite to point that sort of thing out.”

“But she was just saying—” Willa began.

“Willa!” her mother snapped.

King Berwick smiled indulgently at his daughters, then glanced at Annie and Liam while gesturing to two empty chairs. “Come join us. There's plenty of room!”

“We expected you to arrive yesterday,” Cozwald said as Annie and Liam took their seats.

“We ran into a few … delays,” said Liam.

Annie noticed that Queen Nara was leaning down to talk to Tyne. The twins were both looking in Annie's direction.

Annie made herself turn to Emilio, who was seated beside her. “When did you arrive?”

“Yesterday afternoon. We would have gotten here sooner, but one of the twins was carriage-sick and we
had to keep stopping. I understand you were going to drop the old witch off at the tower. How did that go?”

“Not as smoothly as we would have liked, but she's there now,” said Annie. “Where are Maitland and Digby?”

A serving girl came by to offer a platter of smoked sausage. “I assume they're still in bed,” said Emilio. “I haven't seen either one all morning.”

Annie forced herself not to turn around when she heard the twins giggling. “Digby was up late again last night,” said Andreas. “I went to ask him if he wanted to join us for breakfast, but he was feeling under the weather. Maitland wasn't there when I stopped by his room.”

When Andreas turned toward the queen as if she would know where her son might be, Queen Nara sighed and set down her fork. “Maitland didn't want it to be general knowledge yet, but I told him I wouldn't lie for him. He left early this morning. He's on his way to Helmswood.”

“He left without us?” said Cozwald. “I thought we were traveling together.”

“Apparently he wanted a head start with the princess Snow White,” Emilio said.

Andreas pushed his chair away from the table and stood. “Then we should leave right away. Maitland has already met the princess. He doesn't need an even greater advantage.”

“But Princess Annabelle and Prince Liam just arrived. Surely they'll need time to rest,” said the queen.

“I'm ready to go if you are, Annie,” said Liam.

Annie sighed. “We can go, but I really would like to eat first.”

“You can finish eating while I send word to the captain that we'll be moving on sooner than expected. May I trouble you for some provisions?” he asked the king.

“Of course,” said King Berwick. “Annabelle is family now that my son is married to her sister. Is there anything else you need?”

“We are short of arrows,” Liam replied.

“Really?” said Cozwald. “Since I assume that you set out from Treecrest well supplied, you must have run into some trouble. What happened?”

Liam glanced at Annie, then back to the prince. “We had a run-in with some crows. They've followed us most of the way.”

“What kind of crows?” asked Willa.

“I think they're probably ordinary crows,” said Annie, “but a witch is controlling them.”

“Really?” said Tyne. “What does the witch look like? Do you know her name?”

“We haven't seen her yet, but we think her name is Terobella,” said Liam.

The king and the queen exchanged glances. “We've heard of her,” said King Berwick. “She used to live in Montrose, but she moved away not too long ago. If she's
involved, you should be careful. She's got a reputation for being truly malicious. Liam, perhaps you and I should take a look in my armory and see what else you might need.”

“And I'll go see about Digby,” Emilio said. “Under the weather or not, it wouldn't be right to leave him behind.”

“Plus it wouldn't hurt to have another man along,” said Andreas. “I'm pretty good with a bow myself. I'd like to go with you to your armory, if you don't mind, Your Majesty.”

“Of course you may join us,” said the king. When a serving girl offered him fresh bread, he shook his head and turned back to Liam. “Would you like some of my knights to travel with you?”

“I don't think that's necessary,” said Liam. “We brought guards with us, and with the princes and their attendants added to our number, we should have plenty of eyes to keep watch and strong fighters if we need them.”

“Can we come, too?” asked Tyne. “I've never seen a real witch.”

“And I hope you never will,” said her mother. “At least not an evil one like Terobella.”

They left Grelia a few hours later with Liam and Cozwald in the lead. Digby, who still wasn't feeling well,
started out beside them but soon drifted farther back in the line. They formed a large party now, as each of the princes had brought at least two attendants with him. Like the guards who had come with them, both Annie's and Liam's horses were outfitted for travel, so no one gave them a second glance, but the other princes were all dressed like royalty and rode warhorses wearing their most impressive trappings. Waving, cheering crowds gathered in the road before the party reached the second gate. Riding farther back in the line, Annie could see how each prince reacted. Andreas was friendly, waving back to the people who waved to him. Emilio looked as if the attention made him uncomfortable, but Cozwald acted as if it was his due. When Annie looked behind her, she saw that Digby was enjoying himself, preening when pretty girls called out to him. Their progress through the city was slower than before, and Annie was relieved when they finally passed through the last gate.