by E. D. Baker
Adara smiled and nodded. “It’s quite simple, really. My great-grandfather King Snodgrass was married to a princess from Greater Greensward. I believe her name was Ermingarde.”
“Ah, yes! Ermingarde was my great-great-aunt,” said Grandmother. “I understand she was very lovely.”
“Her portrait hangs in our Great Hall. I’ve been told I look just like her,” Adara said, looking pleased with herself.
“How charming!” Grandmother declared. “I believe I have a small portrait of her myself. I never expected to see her likeness in real life!”
For some reason, this seemed to make Adara uncomfortable, and made my grandmother smile.
“Queen Olivene collects such things,” my mother explained. “The old portraits were stored in the dungeon until I had it cleaned out. She took them all and cleaned them for us so they’re all as good as new.”
“Indeed,” said Grandmother. “I’m afraid I must ask you to excuse me now. I have some urgent business to attend to. Emma, I’ll need your help with this.”
“But I was just …,” I began, then saw the look on Grandmother’s face. Whatever she needed me for, there was no getting out of it.
I glanced at Adara one last time before leaving the Hall. She was looking at Eadric from under her lashes, which seemed to make him nervous.
Grandmother led the way down the corridor to a quiet room where we could talk. “I think that girl is a little liar,” she told me once the door was closed. “That portrait is one of my favorites, and I know exactly what Ermingarde looked like. She had red hair like yours and was missing a front tooth from when she fell off a swing as a child. No one ever called her a beauty. I’ve kept all the family records I’ve come across over the years. I’m going to dig through them and see what I can find. In the meantime, don’t trust Adara. She has her eye on your Eadric. It’s easy to see that she means to get him for herself. But don’t worry. Our family will take care of the girl. I know just what to do to give her a special welcome. She’ll be gone before you know it.”
Grandmother started from the room wearing a determined look. Curious, I was following her to ask what she had planned, but a pink-haired fairy wearing a gown of water lily petals stopped me just outside the door.
“Are you the Green Witch?” she asked, planting herself in front of me. “Because if you are, I need your help.”
I nodded, still thinking about Adara and Eadric and what Grandmother had in mind. “I am. The Green Witch, I mean.”
“And I’m Water Lily,” said the fairy. “The pond where my lilies grow is drying up. The springs that feed it haven’t given me a drop of water in weeks. If I don’t get water soon, my roots will be exposed! Is there anything you can do?”
“We’ve had plenty of rain,” I told her, wishing she hadn’t stopped me. I really wanted to talk to Grandmother before she did whatever she had planned.
“I know, but it hasn’t made much difference,” the fairy replied.
“I’ll come see you as soon as I can, but first I want to do a little research. In the meantime, ask around and see if this is happening to anyone else. I need to know if this is widespread or an isolated incident.”
“I will!” said the fairy. “I’ll ask everyone in my neighborhood!”
Three
When I returned to the Great Hall, Eadric was talking to my father’s knights about going outside for jousting practice. My hopes that Adara would find this boring and not want to go were dashed when she perked up and said, “I love jousting! I can’t wait to see you practice! Are you going to hold a tournament soon?”
“My father held one to celebrate my birthday a few weeks ago,” I told her. “I doubt we’ll hold another for a very long time.”
The tournament had been a way to get Eadric’s parents to visit so my parents could meet them. Because of the magical mishaps and the subsequent early departure of King Bodamin and Queen Frazzela, I was sure it would be many years before we held another tournament in Greater Greensward. Eadric still liked to practice, however, because the same skills used in jousting were often used in real combat.
“Oh,” Adara said, sounding disappointed. After a moment’s thought, she seemed to brighten. “Maybe we can change the king’s mind!” Hooking her arm through Eadric’s, she walked beside him to the door. Eadric glanced back at me, wearing a desperate look. Taking pity on him, I took his other arm and gave it a squeeze as we walked down the corridor. Because the doorway to the courtyard wasn’t wide enough for three people to walk side by side, Eadric removed his arm from Adara’s with a murmured apology and walked through holding on to me. When I glanced at Adara, she looked annoyed, but her expression turned into a smile when she saw me looking her way.
Eadric’s stallion, Bright Country, was saddled and ready by the time we walked around the outside of the castle. The horses belonging to the other knights were also there, but only Bright Country seemed happy to see his owner.
Adara and I watched Eadric and the knights take turns charging at the quintain. Eadric was one of the best, but I couldn’t help remembering how he could have been killed at the tournament when Prince Jorge had used a sharpened lance. I was relieved when they finished practice and Eadric handed Bright Country’s reins over to a stable boy.
“I need to do some research,” I told Eadric as we were walking back to the castle.
“Sounds good to me,” he said, yawning. “I could use a nap.”
Eadric had gotten in the habit of joining me in my tower when I worked. He found my window seat very comfortable and often took a nap on it. I enjoyed his company even when we didn’t talk.
Adara always seemed to listen in on our conversations, so I was sure that she knew we were going to be occupied. Even so, she followed us up the spiral stairs to my rooms at the top of the tower.
I went to work right away, taking out the parchments and books that I thought might hold information about withered trees or dried-up springs. Eadric had already started to stretch out on the window seat when Adara sat down next to him, forcing him to sit up. Adara moved closer, making him scoot sideways. Each time he tried to put space between them, she inched closer, until he was wedged against the wall that flanked the window seat. Scowling, he jumped to his feet and walked a few steps.
Adara’s gaze never left Eadric. “What’s your favorite food? Is it eels? Your mother says that your father loves eels, but I don’t care for them myself. They make me break out in a terrible rash. Does anything make you break out in a rash?”
“Not really,” said Eadric.
“Who was the first girl you kissed? Was it Emma? Are you a good kisser?”
“Uh,” said Eadric.
“Do you wear a nightshirt when you sleep? I’ve heard that some men don’t.”
Eadric looked stunned and didn’t say anything.
“Do you snore? I don’t mind if you do. My father snores every night. I can hear him all the way in my room, which isn’t anywhere near his. He sounds like a bull snorting in his pen.”
When I glanced at Eadric, I could tell that he was becoming increasingly annoyed and uncomfortable. Her chatter was annoying me, too, and I found it really hard to concentrate. I was trying to think of something polite that I could say to get her to leave when a sparrow flew through the window just over Adara’s head, carrying a slip of parchment.
When Adara let out a small shriek and jumped to her feet, Eadric took advantage of her absence and lay down, claiming the window seat for himself. The sparrow brought the parchment to me, dropping it on my desk before flying out the window.
My grandmother had sent me a note.
Come down to the Great Hall. I’m holding an impromptu party. Bring Eadric and that princess!
“Eadric,” I said as I rolled up the parchment I’d been studying. “You need to get up. Grandmother has invited us to a party. Apparently, it’s starting now.”
“What? She’s never had a party before,” Eadric said and got to his feet.
“Pe
rhaps it’s in my honor,” Adara said, looking smug.
“Maybe,” I said, wondering if this was part of grandmother’s plan to get rid of her.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when we went downstairs, but I would never have expected what we actually found. My grandmother had invited all her friends from the Old Witches’ Retirement Community, and quite a few of them had come. Grandmother had lived there for many years; she’d been under the family curse for most of that time. I had broken the curse the day of my birthday party, so she was no longer horrible. Her friends, however, were horrible without a curse, and not people I’d ever want to spend time with for very long.
The noise was deafening when we entered the Hall, and it looked as if prisoners from a very nasty dungeon were rioting. There were witches of every description: tall, short, fat, thin, young, old, dressed in rags, or the epitome of elegance. The only thing that they seemed to have in common was that they were all witches.
Frightened-looking serving girls stood behind a long table at one end of the hall, serving mugs of cider and bite-sized pieces of food. A few of the witches were actually drinking the cider, but the rest were drinking some smelly green stuff that they had brought with them. There was music, although no actual musicians, and the stench of perspiring bodies was nearly overpowering.
I was glad that my parents weren’t there. They would have been appalled to see witches dancing on the tables with their skirts hiked up to their knees, and to see others casting spells on each other, giving their friends snuffling pig snouts and wagging dog tails. Even my grandmother looked slightly uncomfortable, until she saw Adara walk into the room. Her face lit up then, and she walked toward us, saying, “I’m so glad that you could come.”
Taking Adara by the hand, she led her farther into the room. “I want you to meet my friends. Ladies, this is Princess Adara from Lower Mucksworthy. She’s our guest and I want you to treat her accordingly.”
“Come with me, Princess,” a skinny woman with a beak-like nose called out, grabbing Adara by the elbow. With the help of some other women, they hefted her onto a table and jumped up to dance beside her.
“That’s not the way we usually treat guests,” Eadric shouted into my ear.
“I know,” I shouted back. “Grandmother has decided that Adara deserves special treatment.”
While Eadric and I sat on the sidelines, the witches made Adara dance until she could barely stand. “Is she dancing because she wants to or because your friends cast a spell on her?” I finally asked my grandmother.
“Does it matter?” Grandmother said with a shrug. “She seems to be enjoying it.”
“Is this your plan to make Adara want to leave?” I asked, gesturing to encompass the entire Hall and all the witches.
My grandmother laughed and shook her head. “It would be nice if this was all it took, but this is only part of what I have in mind. Just wait. You’ll see.”
When they finally took a break, the witches handed Adara a mug of the green drink. She took a small sip, made an awful face, and passed it to the witch next to her, who gladly chugged it down. They started dancing again then, as wildly as before. I saw the princess looking toward Eadric more than once, but every time she tried to leave, the witches pulled her back into their merrymaking.
“Contest time!” shouted a stout witch with a wart-covered nose. “What will it be this week?”
“Grossest food!” shouted a witch.
“How about ugliest face!” yelled another.
“You’d win that hands down without even trying, Turinna!” shouted a tall witch with the biggest stick-out ears I’d ever seen. “Think of something harder!”
“Stinkiest feet!” a hoarse voice suggested. Everyone laughed, but then they all agreed that it sounded like the best idea.
“And our new guest can be the judge!” hollered the tall, thin witch.
I glanced at Adara, who turned pale when the other witches agreed.
“Everybody, sit on the benches and take off your shoes and socks,” ordered the skinny witch. “Princess, come with me! You have lots of sniffing to do!”
Rushing to the benches, the witches pushed and shoved until they all had seats. A lot of elbow-jabbing and name-calling followed as they took off their shoes and socks. Suddenly the Great Hall smelled like rotting cheese and something dead that one of the dogs might have dragged in.
Adara looked sick as the skinny witch dragged her down the line, making her stop to take a deep breath next to each and every witch. After a while, Adara’s face was slightly green, but it wasn’t until she stood before an older witch with stringy hair and soiled clothes that she made a soft sound and fainted.
“We have our winner!” shouted the skinny witch, and the rest began to cheer. Two witches jumped up from their seats. After rolling Adara onto her back, they set their shoes and socks on her stomach. One grabbed her hands and the other grabbed her legs so they could carry her over to us. She was coming around when they dropped her on the floor.
“Good little princess!” one said, patting Adara on the head before walking to a nearby bench to put her socks and shoes on again.
Eadric had his hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh. I shook my head and helped Adara to her feet. “That must have been truly awful,” I said, expecting her to agree.
“No more than I’d expect from a place like this,” she replied, quenching even the tiniest hint of sympathy I might have felt.
The party wound down about an hour later. A number of witches had already gone home when Adara was finally able to escape from the Great Hall, looking tired and disheveled. For the first time since she’d arrived, she came over to talk to me. “I’ve never danced so much in my life! Could you tell me where I’ll be sleeping tonight? I need to rest for a little while.”
I sent for the steward, who escorted Adara to her room. Eadric and I were happy to spend the rest of the afternoon in my tower, doing what we had tried to do before. I found some books about trees, and one that mentioned dried-up springs, but nothing that could actually help. Eadric took his nap on my window seat, snoring softly.
The shadows were lengthening in the room when I finally looked up from my studies. It was time to get ready for supper. Leaving Eadric still sleeping, I went through the door into my bedchamber. The water in the basin was cold, so I said a quick spell to warm it before washing my face and hands. After changing into a nicer gown and brushing my hair until it shone, I returned to my workroom, where Eadric was sitting up, looking groggy. His hair was flattened on one side and he had a crease in his cheek from the cushion, but I thought he looked very sweet.
When he saw me, he patted the window seat, saying, “Can you sit with me? There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
I nodded and took a seat, turning to look into his eyes.
“Ever since we met that girl, she hasn’t left me alone,” he said, frowning.
“Yes, I know,” I replied.
“She keeps pestering me and it’s really annoying.”
“Yes, I know,” I said again.
“There’s only one girl for me,” he said, pulling me into his arms.
“Yes, I know,” I whispered.
“You know that I love you with all my heart, right?” I would have answered, but then he kissed me.
Suddenly someone was pounding on the door. We pulled apart and turned to the door, but before we could answer, it opened and Adara walked in.
“I have got to renew the ‘keep out’ spell on that door,” I muttered to myself.
“It’s almost supper time. Aren’t you going to the Great Hall to eat?” asked Adara.
“Yes, we are!” Eadric and I both said, then turned to smile as we looked into each other’s eyes.
Four
The Great Hall was already crowded when we walked in the door. I was surprised to see that my grandmother was still there, because she usually didn’t stay for supper. My aunt Grassina was sitting beside Haywood. Three empty chairs had
been left between my father and Grassina; enough for Eadric, Adara, and me. Eadric took his usual seat beside my father, but when I went to my seat, Adara pushed past me and sat there instead.
Eadric frowned, saying, “I’m sorry, but Emma always sits there.”
“I’m sure she won’t mind if I do,” said Adara. “I’m your guest. In my kingdom, the guests always get the best of everything!”
I must have looked unhappy when I took the seat between Adara and Grassina, because my aunt patted my hand. “Don’t worry,” she said in a soft voice. “Olivene told us everything. Leave it to us.”
Adara had turned her back to me so she was facing Eadric and didn’t notice Grassina flick her fingers. The front legs of the chair Adara was sitting on abruptly lost two inches and dropped with a loud thunk. Adara slid forward and would have fallen to the floor if the table hadn’t stopped her.
“What was that?” she asked, pushing herself farther back on the seat.
“What was what?” I said, and reached for my mug of cider. I was sipping my drink when the roast boar was set on the table in front of Adara. I thought this was odd, because my parents were usually served first, but no one else seemed to notice.
“It looks delicious and smells even better!” Adara declared. “I want the apple and the choicest cut of meat!”
I felt my aunt stirring beside me. A moment later, the roasted pig rolled its eyes and spit the apple onto Adara’s trencher. The princess gasped and pushed her chair back. Grassina flicked her fingers again and the back legs of the chair lost three inches, making it lower than the front. When Adara pushed again, the chair toppled over backward, crashing to the floor.
All the men at the table jumped to their feet. “Are you all right?” asked Eadric as he helped her up.
“I’m fine,” she said, clinging to him like a limpet. “Did you see what the pig just did?”
“What pig?” he asked as he detached her arms from around his waist and set her chair upright. Somehow the chair seemed to be its normal height when he touched it. “Do you mean the roasted boar?”