The Bravest Princess (16 page)

“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.”

“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.

“That's beautiful,” said Annie. “And you all look so happy!”

“It's very good,” Snow White said with a catch in her voice.

“What is that place?” asked Nasheen. “It looks like a woodcutter's cottage.”

“It's my home,” Snow White replied, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. Rather than smiling when she glanced at Maitland, she gave him a look that showed a truer emotion than she had all evening. It was a look of yearning so strong that Annie felt tears come to her own eyes. “It's where I spent the happiest days of my life,” Snow White added. “I didn't know anyone knew how much I loved it, but this says it quite clearly. I miss the cottage and the dwarves so much! Thank you, Maitland.”

Maitland didn't say anything, but they shared a look that made Liam clear his throat and Nasheen scowl.

“I would like to share my gift with you, but it is outside, so I think I should go last,” said Nasheen.

“I wanted to go last,” said Tandry. He looked petulant for a moment, but when he saw everyone looking at him, his expression became serene once again. “But I will be next if you would like, Princess. I, too, have a poem for you.” He opened a piece of parchment and read in a clear voice,

A pretty girl is like a flower

That blooms in the summer.

She stands alone

In a garden of weeds.

“Uh …,” said Snow White, for once at a loss for words. She gave Tandry a halfhearted smile.

“At least it was short,” said Digby.

Annie didn't like it, certain that Tandry probably considered her one of the weeds. Liam must have seen her expression because he reached for her hand and squeezed it under the table.

“Thank you,” Snow White finally said to Tandry. “Now,” she said, turning to Nasheen, “why don't you show us what you've done?”

“It would be my pleasure,” said the prince as he rose to his feet. “Please, follow me.”

Liam still held Annie's hand when they walked outside. “Do you have any idea where he's taking us?” she asked as they descended the steps into the courtyard.

“I think I do,” he said. “Nasheen spent all day loitering in the great hall. I never saw him actually work on anything, so I have my suspicions, especially if we turn left and … yes! We're going to the stables.”

“Here she is!” Nasheen said as a groom led a horse out of the shadows. “I chose this beauty for you out of my own stables, Princess. I was going to present her to you when we announced our engagement, but I believe that she expresses perfectly how I feel about you, so I am giving her to you now. I have renamed her Purity in your honor, for she is as fair and pure in her way as you are in yours.”

Annie loved horses and had to admit that the mare
was beautiful, with her creamy coat and flowing mane and tail. But Nasheen hadn't put much effort into the test if all he had done was rename a horse he'd already intended to give to Snow White.

“She's lovely,” said Snow White. “But I haven't ridden a horse in eight years. I'm not sure we're well suited for each other.”

“Nonsense!” declared Nasheen. “I myself will instruct you in riding! See, I am giving you the best gift, a horse and the exhilaration that you will feel when you race the wind on her back for the first time!”

“That is a very nice gift, Nasheen,” Snow White said. “Thank you all for everything you did,” she continued, turning to speak to all of the princes. “I will announce your next test tomorrow morning. Be in the small dining hall by eight o'clock. Good night, everyone. Sleep well.”

“Bravery, huh?” Liam said to Annie as they drifted back inside. “That should be interesting.”

“I know,” Annie replied as he put his arm around her shoulder. “Especially with this group of princes.”

Annie woke early the next morning. She had decided during the night that she needed to talk to Liam before Snow White announced the princes' tasks for the day, so she hurried to his room as soon as she had washed and dressed. He had already left his room, however, so she ran down the stairs, still hoping to catch him before he took his seat in the small dining hall. She found him in the corridor outside the hall, talking to Maitland and Andreas. As she approached, Nasheen came out of the room and saw the three princes talking.

“I hope you are not helping these gentlemen,” Nasheen said to Liam. “I understand that they are friends of yours, but such assistance would be unfair, and the rest of us would not take it kindly.”

“We weren't discussing the contest, if that's what you mean,” said Liam.

“Actually, we were talking about the increased
number of crows outside the castle,” Maitland told Nasheen. “We think we're going to get some archery practice in later today.”

Andreas nodded. “You may join us if you'd like. We could always use another strong arm good with a bow.”

“Is this a private competition, or do you really hate crows so much?” asked Nasheen.

“We don't have anything against crows in general, just these particular crows. As for a competition, it may end up becoming one. You never can tell,” Andreas said with a grin.

“Liam, may I have a word with you?” Annie asked him.

Liam turned and greeted her with a smile. “Good morning! What would you like to discuss?” he asked as he and Annie drifted farther down the corridor.

“In a little while, Snow White is going to announce the princes' task for today. When the princes leave the room, I'd like to have a guard follow each one, but they need to be discreet. I don't want the princes to know that they're being followed. Although I'm sure the princes are men of great integrity, it wouldn't hurt to have someone keep an eye on them to tell us what each one actually did. I've often found that events tend to get exaggerated when men talk of their bravery. I don't want the guards to interfere with what the princes do, but I suppose they could step in if the young men get into trouble.”

Liam nodded. “That's an excellent suggestion. I'll speak with Captain Sterling right away.”

“I didn't mean for you to miss breakfast,” said Annie.

“This shouldn't take long. I'm sure I'll be back before everyone finishes eating.” Giving her a quick kiss on her cheek, Liam strode off down the corridor past the men filing into the dining hall.

Annie took her regular seat beside Snow White, making sure that Liam's chair, on her other side, remained empty.

Milo sat down across from her. “I don't suppose you could give us a clue about what we're supposed to do today?” he said, sounding hopeful. Annie liked Milo, although she wasn't sure he was right for Snow White. He looked and acted younger than the other princes, and the only things he seemed to take seriously were ships and sailing.

Annie looked up as Snow White entered the room on her father's arm. “Snow White is here now,” she told the prince. “She'll tell you what you need to know.”

“I was just wondering if we'd be going outside,” Milo said, glancing toward one of the windows. “It's a beautiful day, with enough wind to fill some sails, if there were any real ships around here.”

When Snow White reached her place at the table, she remained standing while her father sat down. “Good morning, everyone,” she said. “Today's test is for bravery. You are to find a way to prove that you are brave and come back to tell me about it at supper. Good luck, and I'll see you tonight.”

“I will need someone to fight,” said Nasheen. “I have proven my bravery many times in combat.”

“I'm my best at tournaments,” said Cozwald. “You should have seen me at the tournament last spring, Princess!”

“Are there any trolls around that I can chase off?” asked Andreas. “I've never actually seen a troll, but I've always wanted to give it a try.”

“I suppose I can look for dragons. Do you know if there have been any in the area lately?” Maitland asked, glancing at his companions. “What? No one knows? Ah, well, I can always ask in town. Maybe someone has been carried off.”

Only Tandry and Digby remained silent. While Tandry stared out the window as if he was contemplating some deep mystery, Digby held his head and groaned.

“Digby had another late night,” Maitland said, following Annie's gaze. “He'd probably still be asleep if Snow White hadn't said that we needed to be here.”

“Oh, good! Here's the food!” said Milo. “I'm so hungry I could eat a shark! I don't suppose you have any shark meat?” he asked the serving girl.

“Just kippers and whitefish, Your Highness,” the girl replied. “I might be able to get you a good piece of eel tomorrow.”

Nasheen was the first prince to leave the table. “I will go into town to find a way to be brave. Perhaps I
will find a maiden in distress or hear of a monster terrorizing some local village. I am sure that I will come back victorious. Farewell, Your Majesty,” he said, bowing to the king. “And Your Highness,” he added, bowing to Snow White.

He had been gone only a few minutes when Liam joined them. “I've taken care of it,” he whispered to Annie.

“Nasheen already left,” Annie whispered back.

“Good,” Liam told her. “There are guards waiting by the gate watching for the ones who leave early. They all volunteered, even Captain Sterling. They're tired of standing around watching for witches.”

“Is everything all right?” asked Snow White.

Annie noticed that everyone was looking at them. She nodded and smiled. “Yes, of course. We were just talking about how much fun it will be to spend some time outside.”

“That's what I was saying!” said Milo. “If you'll excuse me, I want to get started. I liked Maitland's idea. I'm going to look for a dragon!”

“Do you mind if I join you?” asked Andreas, following Milo to the door. “I've never hunted a dragon before.”

Liam set some kippers and crusty bread on his plate as the other princes left the room. “That corridor is going to be crowded until they finish talking about what they're going to do. We might as well get something to eat while we wait for them to go. Here, these look good,”
he said as he passed a bowl of berries to Annie. “There's something I wanted to say,” Liam told her. “Last night I thought about your contest for bravery. I don't know how well it's going to work. You can go about life and find yourself in a situation that requires bravery, but it would be much harder to go out looking for a situation that demands it—unless you actually find a dragon or manticore to fight, which isn't easy these days.”