The Bravest Princess (20 page)

“Because I'm not going to look for women who are living openly in the castle,” Liam said. “I'm going to look for witches hiding in dark corners somewhere out of the way, just as we hunted for the evil fairy before your sister's sixteenth birthday.”

“Ah!” said Annie. “Do you need my help?”

“Probably, but I have a few things to do first. I'm taking Dog and some guards. We'll come get you when we're ready.”

Annie watched as Liam headed for the great hall. His answer had surprised her; she hadn't expected him to say that she could join him. It had taken a while, but she'd finally realized that he became angry with her because he feared for her safety. Apparently, he was less afraid of facing a horrible monster than he was of seeing something bad happen to her. If he was going to let her join him in his search for the witch, he must have something in mind that he hadn't told her about.

Annie turned toward the kitchen. She was still determined to talk to the fur-wearing scullery maid, and the kitchen was the only place where she thought she might find her.

The kitchen was a large room with fireplaces and a huge wood-burning oven set into the wall at one end. Located partway below ground level, it was a nest of activity with all the cooks and their helpers scurrying around. While some cleaned up from breakfast, others were already preparing the next meal, washing vegetables, cutting up haunches of meat, and taking round loaves of bread out of the oven.

Annie stood for a moment, looking for the fur-wearing girl. When a cook noticed Annie, she stopped giving orders to her helpers and curtsied. In an instant, everyone else was curtsying as well.

“Your Highness,” said the cook. “How may we help you?”

“I'm looking for one of your scullery maids. The one who wears furs,” said Annie.

The cook looked around until someone piped up, “She left just a minute ago to fetch more eggs for the cake.”

“She's gone outside,” said the cook.

“Thank you,” Annie replied, and started toward the door.

Everyone watched in silence as Annie walked the length of the kitchen. She was closing the door behind her when she heard someone say, “Now, what do you suppose a princess wants with the likes of Hey You?”

Annie stood just inside the door, not sure if she really wanted to step outside. Liam had been adamant that she stay indoors, and she did think that the crows were waiting for their chance to come after her. She was holding the door open a crack when she saw a figure moving between the outbuildings. Certain that she might not have another opportunity to talk to the girl, she pushed the door back and hurried across the open space. When she saw the girl enter a long, low building filled with clucking, rustling chickens, Annie followed her inside. She was about to call out when a rooster burst from a group of hens and rushed toward her.

“Grab the broom!” shouted the scullery maid. “Whack him with it if he gets close!”

Annie looked around. Spotting an old broom leaning against the wall, she grabbed it and held it with both
hands. When the rooster launched himself from the dirt floor with his spurred legs aimed at her, she swatted the broom at him, knocking him to the side.

“Good one!” shouted the scullery maid as the rooster landed on the ground with a squawk. “I couldn't have done better myself! Hold on to that for now. He may come back.”

Annie and the bird watched each other warily as he righted himself. Chickens pecked and scratched at the ground, crowding around her feet.

“Did you come here for a reason or just to see the birds?” asked the scullery maid.

“I came to see you, actually,” said Annie.

Now it was the girl's turn to look wary. She held her basket in front of herself in a protective gesture and said, “Why? What do you want?”

Annie sighed. She was tired of wondering if every woman she met might be a witch. And she was tired of worrying that she might actually find the witch who wanted to kill her and not have any defense against whatever she tried to do. It occurred to her that she'd been foolish to follow anyone to an isolated coop, but after meeting the girl, she really didn't think she was a witch. She doubted very much that the witch would actually do any real labor, or dress in such obviously uncomfortable clothes.

“I just want to touch your hand, and then I'll leave you alone,” said Annie.

“Why? What will that do? I know people have been going to see you, but nobody says why, at least not when I've been around.”

“I'm just trying to make sure that everyone is who they say they are.”

“And what if I don't want you to touch me?” asked the girl.

Annie blinked. No one had refused her touch before, and she certainly didn't want to force the girl. “I just want to touch your hand,” said Annie. “I'm not going to hurt you!”

“What exactly are you looking for?”

“Oh, for goodness' sake!” Annie said. “I want to make sure you aren't a witch pretending to be someone who is supposed to live here.”

“Is that all! Well, in that case, here,” the girl said, thrusting her hand toward Annie.

The moment the girl was close enough for Annie to get a good look at her, it became obvious that she was no ordinary scullery maid. Although her furs were filthy and smelled horrible, her face and hands were smeared with dried dirt, and her hair was an uncombed, unwashed rat's nest, Annie could tell that under it all she was undeniably beautiful. Touching her hand diminished her beauty, but not by much. “You're a princess, aren't you!” exclaimed Annie. “What on earth are you doing here?”

Snatching her hand back, the girl tucked it behind
her. “Why would you say such a ridiculous thing? Look at me! How could I possibly be a princess?”

“You're dressed like that because you don't want people to know who you are!” Annie exclaimed. “That's some disguise, although I can't imagine why anyone would go to such lengths. Don't worry,” she said, seeing how fearful the girl had become. “Your secret is safe with me!”

“How can you tell?” asked the girl. “No one else has ever looked past the dirt or the furs.”

“I suppose it's because I'm used to looking for the real person behind the magic, or mud, for that matter,” said Annie. “Why are you here, dressed like this?”

“I'm hiding from my father,” the girl replied. “He's a king across the sea, but even here he has friends who would be happy to return me to him. I left the kingdom a few months ago when I turned sixteen, the day after he announced that he was going to make me marry his best friend, a cruel, old man with a shriveled heart and no hair except for the tufts in his ears. I left as soon as I knew and hid in a ship that brought me to Gulleer. I made this disguise and came here by foot after I saw one of my father's friends near the docks. Did you mean it when you said that you wouldn't tell?”

“I promise!” said Annie. “But Snow White and her father would help you if they only knew.”

“Then others would find out, word would spread, and my father would come after me!” the girl cried.

“No one needs to know who you really are, but you should at least come up with a name that people can call you. I was told that everyone here refers to you as Hey You! Can't you think of another name?”

“I've always liked the name Lilah,” she said.

“I like that!” said Annie. “I'm Annie, by the way.”

“Princess Annabelle, you mean,” said Lilah. “Everyone in the castle knows who you are. You're engaged to that handsome Prince Liam.”

“I am,” Annie said with a smile. “Speaking of Liam, I'd better get back. He'll be looking for me soon. I'm glad I got to meet you, Lilah. If I can help you in any way, let me know.”

“I will,” Lilah said. “And thank you!”

As Annie left the chicken coop, she was thinking about what she could do to help the unfortunate princess and didn't notice the crows until the sky overhead blackened and the first of the birds descended on her. When one flew at her head, she threw up her arm, forgetting that she was still holding the broom. The crow veered away, but others came at her to beat their wings in her face, reaching with their gripping, tearing claws and snapping beaks.

Annie screamed and flailed at the crows with the broom, ducking her head when they got too close. She was fighting them off when Lilah appeared, tossing her stinky, dirt-encrusted cape over Annie's head.

“Run!” Lilah shouted. “There's a door over here!”

With Lilah guiding her, Annie ran to the closest door. Lilah flung it open, and they both dashed inside, slamming the door in the faces of more than a dozen crows. As the crows screeched their displeasure, Annie turned to Lilah. “Thank you so much for helping me! I'd still be out there trying to get away if you hadn't come to my rescue.”

“I'm glad I could help!” said Lilah. “That could have been really nasty.”

After handing the broom to Lilah, Annie pulled off the cape and handed her that as well. “Ouch!” Annie said when the cape touched one of the scrapes on her wrists. “I don't understand. The crows didn't bother me at all yesterday, but today they're awful. I wonder why?”

“I've never seen birds act like that,” said Lilah. “Did you do something to make them angry?”

“No, although it seems that the witch who controls them doesn't like me one bit. I need to go now. Thanks again for helping me.”

“That's quite all right,” said Lilah.

Annie examined the cuts and scrapes on her hands and wrists on the way back to her chamber. Her hair was a tangled mess when she brushed it back from her face, and she knew she smelled, both from wearing the cape and from contact with the crows. When she saw a
footman on her way down the corridor, she sent for bathwater, and asked him to hurry.

Opening the door to her chamber, Annie paused for a moment at the threshold. Something was wrong, but she wasn't sure what it might be. The room was on the west side of the castle and wouldn't benefit from direct sunlight until later in the day. There was light from the windows, of course, but the room was still gloomy with deep shadows in the corners and above the bed's high canopy. There was a musky smell, though, one that hadn't been there before, as if some great mangy beast had taken up residence under her bed.

“What is that?” Annie murmured as she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. She was still trying to place the smell when something moved on top of the canopy. Annie glanced up and was startled to find crows perched there, watching her. A tiny skittering sound drew her gaze to the wardrobe placed against the back wall. Two crows were perched there as well. When she heard a sound behind her, she spun on her heel and found a row of crows atop the doorframe only a few feet away.

The room was silent until a crow near one of the windows cried, “Caw!”

Suddenly, the air outside her windows filled with crows. They poured through the openings like a flood of black water. Annie stood, frozen for a heartbeat, then flung herself at the door, wrenching it open even
as the crows that had been perched on the doorframe flew at her. One beat its wings in her face, but like the crow at the tower where they'd left Granny Bentbone, the moment it touched her, the witch's control over it vanished, leaving the bird confused. Annie screamed, as much in surprise as in fear, and the crow flew out the window. There were others to take its place, however, and a whole stream of crows followed her into the corridor.

Annie slammed the door, but crows were already there, tearing at her arms with their beaks and claws as she tried to protect her face and eyes. Each time a crow touched her, it left the fray, flapping aimlessly around the corridor as if it wasn't sure why it was there. Finally there was only one crow left. Ignoring the searing pain as it ripped at her arms with its claws, Annie grabbed it by a wing and whirled, smashing the bird against the wall. The black form slid to the floor, limp, while the other crows flew down the corridor to the nearest window. The birds inside her room hurled themselves against the stout wooden door with enough force to shake it.

Within moments the corridor was filled with running guards and people from the rooms near hers, summoned by her screams. Maitland, whose room was only a few doors away, tore past them all. “Annie! What happened? Your arms …”

“I'll be all right,” Annie said, although she was
shaking and suddenly felt cold and clammy. Blood dripped down her arm when she pointed at her door. “My room is filled with crows. That one attacked me.” When she pointed at the crow on the floor, the people standing near it stepped back.

“Let me see that,” Maitland said, taking a clean handkerchief from his pocket and wrapping it around Annie's wrist where the bleeding was the worst. “You!” he barked at one of the guards. “Take Princess Annabelle to Princess Snow White's chamber, and then fetch the royal physician. You and you, come with me,” he said, pointing at other guards. “And you, lend me your sword.”