A Poisoned Apple

by Caryn Pinkston

  She paused a moment. “I should move on ahead to when Audric came stumbling into the cottage. You all noticed that I went running into my room when he was brought in. My plan was simply to stay out of Audric’s sight until he left, but, as you know, that’s not how it happened.

  “After he woke up, I pressed my ear to my door to listen. When he got to talking about how much he missed me, I couldn’t take it anymore, and all at once I realized that I had a way of explaining to him why I left.

  “You see, shortly after I was cursed, I became curious about exactly how it worked, and I kissed a vine of ivy just so see if anything would happen. Sure enough, it immediately shriveled. I tried it again with a pear, and that wilted, too, but the wooden chair I tried next didn’t change, not surprisingly.

  “Anyway, you all watched me show Audric I had survived, then explain my problems the best I could. I had been hoping that, understanding why we couldn’t be together, he would leave and find a bride who wouldn’t kill him, but of course he had to play hero and march off into battle to destroy the evil witch. That night, I listened carefully until I was sure you were all asleep and the rains and wind had quieted, then I went out into the barn and found myself an old pair of boots to keep the mud off myself. They were a little small, but they worked better than my own shoes had.”

  I blinked a few times, now feeling a bit sheepish. I should have known better than to think magic had carried her away just because she happened to wear different shoes when she left.

  Snow went on, “I ran as fast as I could in the direction I thought Audric’s men would be and started to blow the whistle I had been given. When he found me, the captain of the guard, as you could understand, was astonished and very confused.

  “After I had drawn him some pictures, I made him understand that he was to take me to the castle, and once there I disguised myself and crept inside. I told the men to wait for Audric outside the castle.

  “I had originally been planning to somehow get close enough to Vulpine to kiss her and have things well in hand by the time you made it here, but I never got the chance. If I tried, her attention would have been drawn to me and she would have known who I was, in spite of all this mud I’ve smeared on myself.

  “When you all came in and Audric’s men started to work their way inside the castle, at first I thought I was too late, but then I realized that the chaos created the perfect distraction. While she was boasting, she wasn’t paying any attention to me.”

  Snow grimaced. “I really wish I hadn’t had to be the one to kill her, but the entire kingdom will be much safer with her off that throne. And at last, I get to marry my prince.”

  Audric gave a wide grin. The thought of marrying her obviously made him blissfully happy.

  Snow leaned back in her seat and gave a wild laugh. “Goodness, now that I’m queen, what should I do next? I suppose I should repeal the taxation, have that draft in the servants’ quarters repaired, and send out a general announcement about the last queen’s demise without any self-incriminating details, of course, but first I want to go home with Audric for a while. After that, I’ll come back and—oh!”

  Snow broke off abruptly, raising a hand to her forehead. “If the queen’s home country wanted to go to war before she and Father got married, what’s stopping them now?”

  My stomach sank at that. My father had told me stories about the last war our country had fought, and his tales were rather horrifying, ever though we had won.

  Audric gave a snort. “I’ve met your stepmother’s eldest, and he’s far too lazy to go to war. Unless he finds out that his mother died at your hand, I don’t think you need to be worried about him.”

  Snow seemed to relax a little. “Well, I’m going to be watching him carefully anyway, just in case.” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “Is there anything I need to do before we leave, aside from washing the mud out of my hair and changing out of these rags?”

  “You should choose someone to look after the kingdom,” I asserted. “Even a few weeks without leadership can’t be good for a country.” Given all that had happened and how overwhelmed Snow must have been, it wouldn’t have surprised me at all if she had entirely forgotten the most obvious problem with her leaving.

  “Oh, you’re right. Normally, the head of the council would take charge, but Vulpine turned the entire council and corrupted it. That will take some time to sort out, so leaving one of them to run the kingdom is out of the question.” She thought for a moment. “Reymond, I’m leaving you in charge.”

  I blinked rapidly a few times. “What?” I must have misheard that—I was as much like a king as Cedric was like a daisy.

  “I said I’m leaving you in charge while I’m gone,” Snow repeated. “All Father’s original advisors left when Vulpine took the throne, and you’re the only other person I can think of who wouldn’t make a mess of things. Come on now—if you can handle raising six rambunctious boys not much younger than yourself, I’m positive you’re capable of keeping the kingdom more or less in one piece until I return.”

  I stared at her. I couldn’t think of one reason why Snow thought running my family meant I was capable of ruling a nation, even briefly.

  Audric understandably looked more than a little concerned. “Won’t your subjects want to know why you put a commoner in charge?”

  Snow didn’t miss a beat. “I’ll have Reymond and his brothers formally given titles before I place him in charge. A duke watching over the kingdom will sound far less disconcerting.”

  “Duke?” I repeated dazedly, but I doubt anyone heard me because all my brothers started talking at once.

  “Quiet!” Snow shouted. When the room fell silent, she continued, “Yes, you will all be living in the castle from now on, if you can bear to part with your cottage, and you will all be legally known as my brothers, although I will remain queen, and you will have riches above anything you’ve ever imagined, if you want them, and your new titles will make finding willing brides far easier than it would be for you otherwise. Are there any other questions?”

  There was a long moment of silence. Snow had effectively answered nearly all of my concerns, and I felt downright dizzy trying to process what had just happened. Royalty? Us? And living in a castle?

  Darren asked very quietly and timidly, “Will you ever have time to spend with us now?”

  Snow blinked, then placed a hand on Darren’s shoulder with a compassionate smile. “I know I’ll be very busy, especially at first, but I’ll make the time for you all, as Father did for me. The last thing I want is for us to start living as strangers.”

  “Just what do you expect us to do in a castle all day, anyway?” Cedric demanded. “I’d hate to get all soft and stuff.”

  Snow gave a little laugh. “You may work as hard as you want. In fact, I think you should see about training with the knights—I’m sure you’d be excellent at it.”

  Cedric looked pleased and didn’t have any further complaint, but Keaton was looking distinctly uneasy. “I would like to go back to the cottage, if that’s all right. I’ve never been very comfortable indoors, and this entire city makes me downright nervous.”

  Snow gave a laugh. “I knew you’d have an objection about staying inside these walls. I’m not bothered by your request, but you’ll have to visit sometimes.” She glanced at the rest of us, waiting for our next question.

  Godwin, blushing, said, “You’ve made finding a bride sound so simple, but I wouldn’t have the faintest idea how to begin.”

  Cedric gave an uproarious laugh, obviously gearing up to tease Godwin mercilessly for his marital ambitions, but I kicked him to quiet him. Normally I would have allowed for some good-natured ribbing, but this was a fairly important question.

  Snow waved a hand. “It is that simple. I think you would get along well with Ruby, who works in the kitchen, or Agatha, my lady-in-waiting. It’s a little odd for a prince to marry a servant, but I don’t think you’d be as happy with a noblewoman.”

&nb
sp; I blinked slowly a few times. Snow had already chosen some possible matches for my brother, when we all thought no one would want us, what with our size. Was finding wives for ourselves really going to be as simple as Snow had made it sound? The thought was so strange that I plain old couldn’t make myself understand it.

  “Can I get someone to teach me how to read?” Landon asked, not very hopefully, as if expecting Snow to tell him that only very intelligent people could do it, or some other such denial.

  “Absolutely,” she replied at once. “I’ll arrange for a tutor.”

  Landon beamed while Jeffrey asked wistfully, “Is the food here be as good as the meals you made for us back at the cottage?”

  Snow gave a lighthearted laugh. “The food the castle cook makes is far better than mine ever was. I don’t know why you all praised my cooking skills so highly.”

  We all started protesting her previous statement—the notion that she didn’t cook well was downright ridiculous—but Snow ignored us, standing up from the table. “If those are all of your concerns, I should be preparing for my journey, and my wedding.”

  I felt a dull thud of dread at this, remembering that I would be in charge while she was gone. I was looking forward to being placed in charge about as much as someone would look forward to having a tooth pulled. I was sure I was going to make a horrible mess of my leadership, no matter what Snow thought.

  She paused, studying my face. “Reymond, will you stop worrying? So long as you don’t increase the taxes or offend a dignitary from another kingdom, you’ll do just fine. You won’t be attending any meetings or doing anything complicated—you’re on the throne mostly to listen to commoner complaints and pacify any concerns they may have.” That sounded comparatively simple, but I still didn’t like it.

  Apparently no longer concerned about my apprehension, Snow turned and left the room, patting Audric on the shoulder and telling him to wait for her as she passed. He stared after her with a happy, dazed expression on his face. “I still can’t believe she will shortly be mine. This is like something out of a dream, a crazy, wonderful dream.”

  Cedric fixed Audric with a hard look. “Well, it is no dream, and you have a responsibility to her. Be good to her, or I swear I’ll come after you myself.”

  I had expected Audric to be offended or disconcerted, but instead, he gave a hearty laugh. “Spoken like a true brother. I really owe a debt to you all for watching over her—I don’t like to think about what could have happened if she hadn’t found you.”

  I didn’t like to think of it either—if she had happened upon the wrong house, she could have very well found herself in a situation even less pleasant than her servitude at the castle had been.

  Audric stood up from the table, giving a brief explanation about needing to talk to his men about their upcoming journey, and I found myself alone with my brothers. For once, none of us had anything to say. What more could we have discussed? Our respective futures had just been laid out in front of us, we had all been given far more than we had ever dreamed of receiving, and I found that I was almost afraid of Snow’s generosity, as if I thought that it would be taken away again. After all our years of struggling to make enough of a living to support ourselves, all this seemed too good to be true.

  I was struck by a thought that was so foreign to me that for a moment, it seemed as if I was considering some fairy story rather than fact. After my brief period as ruler, I would no longer have any responsibilities. My brothers would be more than looked after, and that would leave me without any duties whatsoever. The thought frightened me, even though I had spent the past several years wishing that I wasn’t so terribly burdened. Just what was I going to do with myself now?

  With so much free time, I supposed I could carve as much as I wanted, but I knew I wouldn’t find it fulfilling to do nothing but woodwork all day and every day. I supposed I could pursue an education, but I didn’t think I had enough patience for more than a little bit. The thought of joining the knights with Cedric didn’t appeal to me, and the idea of marriage was so strange that I knew it would take me a while to get to considering it. From the time Snow retook the throne, I would be a man without a purpose, and that thought scared me almost as much as the prospect of facing the evil queen.

  We were still seated quietly, most of us of us eating, when Snow walked up to our table wearing a dress that I suppose she thought was casual enough for traveling, but it was at least five times nicer than the one I had been able to provide her with. Her face was clean now, and her expression was positively glowing with happiness until her eyes met mine. “Must you sulk, Reymond? I didn’t think I saddled you with enough of a burden to make you miserable.”

  “I’m not sulking,” I replied indignantly. “I was thinking about my future.”

  Snow looked confused, but I didn’t really have much more of an explanation. She stared at me for a few long moments, then all at once, her eyes lit up in understanding. “Oh, you don’t know what you’ll do with yourself now that you don’t have to provide for your brothers. I should have guessed you would be worried about this—your thoughts have revolved so much around keeping order in your house that you must not have thought about much else. I daresay you don’t have a clear idea who you are outside of being the oldest brother.”

  I stared at her in some astonishment. I didn’t realize that she knew me well enough to guess my thoughts, let alone put words to something I didn’t know how to express. It made me wonder just how much she knew about us—I had definitely underestimated her ability of perception.

  Snow looked thoughtful for a moment, then clapped her hands together. “I’ll put you on the new council as one of my advisors. Of course, you may have to be tutored for a while in politics before you feel confident enough to contribute much, but I’m positive that you’d do really well. Trying to keep a council from bickering excessively really isn’t unlike keeping a group of young boys in line. It couldn’t hurt to have a few more level heads in my meetings, and I’m sure you’ll have insights that my other advisors simply couldn’t emulate. After all, most of them come from very wealthy families and can’t possibly understand the challenges of the everyday commoner.”

  “I’m not exactly an everyday commoner,” I reminded her. “And are you certain that adding me to the mix is a good idea? I don’t have experience with anything of the kind.”

  Snow rolled her eyes. “Quit underestimating yourself. I’ve seen you reason through issues that would leave most well-educated men stumped.”

  I allowed myself a moment to think before replying. I still wasn’t altogether certain where Snow’s confidence in me had come from, but I was starting to like the idea of being on her council. The idea of giving advice that mattered not only to her, but to the kingdom, was appealing, if I could get over my apprehension about mistakenly saying something foolish in front of the rest of the group. “If I don’t like the job after a few weeks, would you let me off?”

  Snow nodded. “Yes, of course. I wouldn’t want you to be unhappy, but I really think you’ll like this once you get used to it.”

  “All right, then.” I wasn’t quite sure what I was agreeing to, but somehow I found myself getting a little bit excited.

  She gave me a bright smile. “I’m glad that’s settled.” She went around the table, giving each of us a warm hug in turn. “Goodbye, my brothers. I’ll be leaving the castle now.” She paused, then wrinkled her nose. “Or I will be as soon as I figure out where Audric has gotten to.”

  She had barely spoken when Audric came back into the room and scooped her into his arms. She laughed. “Well, what is this? Did you really miss me that much these past fifteen minutes?”

  Although Snow had been teasing, Audric answered seriously. “Yes, my queen, I did.”

  She stared a moment, then gave a delighted smile, blushing. “Well, I don’t like to think how unhappy you will be next time we have to be apart. You won’t be able to see me for hours while I’m getting fitted for my w
edding gown.”

  Audric gave her a fond smile. “I’ll manage somehow.” He gave a happy sigh. “Oh, Rhoslyn, to think you’re to be my bride.”

  She beamed. “Yes, it does all seem like something out of a story.” She paused thoughtfully. “But will you please call me Snow? Rhoslyn belongs to the old me, the selfish creature I was in my childhood.”

  Audric seemed surprised by that. “Of course, if I can manage to break the habit.”

  He carried her out of the room. Both of them positively radiated happiness, and it was clear that they were very much smitten with each other.

  I stared after the girl. It was hard to believe we had only known her a short time. It almost felt as if we had known her forever, and it was odd to realize that it had only been two months. It was even odder to realize that our roles had suddenly been reversed. My brothers and I were her protectors and benefactors when we first met her, but now it was Snow who would be providing for us, and repaying her debt so much more generously than I thought we all deserved.

  If there was one thing for certain, it was that our Snow was full of surprises.

  About the Author

  Caryn Pinkston has been writing stories since she was six years old, and published her first children’s picture book in 2012. She has now published three picture books and one middle-grade book, and is working on a Rapunzel retelling as well as a science fiction novel.

  She lives in Idaho, and when she's not writing, she likes to crochet, cross-stitch, or do one of her many other artistic hobbies Often, she'll read for hours at a time with her Chihuahua terrier mix, Belle, curled up beside her.

  You can reach Caryn by emailing carynpinkston@gmail.com. Find her on Facebook, or visit her website. Don’t forget to join her mailing list to stay in the loop about her upcoming releases!