“I know.”
Alaric looked at his reflection in the mirror and groaned. Heinrich continued.
“Instead of complaining, give him new inspiration. You fell in love with Princess Lina while surrounded by snowbells. Doubtless, that is what the purple ribbons represent.”
“Actual snowbells in my hair would look less ridiculous,” Alaric said. “Besides, I didn’t fall in love with Lina in a field. We were in a cave being attacked by a goblin.”
Heinrich nodded.
“My point exactly. Tell Bastien that snowbells don’t properly capture your love. Suggest the cave instead.”
Alaric raised an eyebrow.
“What good will that do?”
“At the least, the ribbons will be black. But a cave suggests a more somber tone than Bastien usually designs. He may rethink your entire outfit.”
Alaric shook his head. The purple ribbons fluttered.
“Do it,” Stefan said. “Heinrich is clever, and he knows Bastien well.”
“This is a trap, isn’t it? You’re working together to trick me into an outfit that’s much worse.”
Stefan widened his eyes.
“Brother, would I trick you about something as important as your wedding?”
“Yes.”
Heinrich and Alaric said it together.
Stefan laughed.
“Just wait until you see your wedding present.”
Pure horror filled Alaric’s eyes.
“Stefan, please tell me you haven’t found another play.”
A few weeks ago, Stefan had produced a play that Alaric wrote when he was a child. The entertainment for the Princess Test had been a success in its way, but the performance had horrified his serious older brother.
Stefan scratched his head.
“Well, I hate to repeat pranks, but this-”
“Stefan!”
The younger prince laughed.
“No, I haven’t found another play. I don’t remember you writing one. Did you write one?”
“No,” Alaric said a little too quickly. “Of course not.”
“Hmm.”
Stefan made a mental note to dig through Alaric’s things the next time his brother left the castle. If there was another play, it would make the perfect wedding prank.
“Your Highness!”
Bastien burst into the room.
“Doesn’t anyone knock around here?” Stefan said.
“You have no room to talk about that,” Alaric said.
“I have been looking everywhere for you, Your Highness,” Bastien said. “We must complete the design of your wedding outfit. We are running out of time!”
Stefan’s eyes gleamed.
“Alaric was just telling me how much he loves what you’ve done with his hair. He couldn’t wait to show me.”
Alaric glared at his brother. Bastien beamed with pride.
“Ah, yes. The ribbons represent snowbells, you know. Since they fell in love on Mount Evangelina.”
Stefan nodded, looking overly impressed. Alaric took a deep breath.
“You know, Bastien, I’m not sure I ever told you the complete story of how I fell in love with Lina.”
Bastien bristled.
“The whole kingdom knows the story! The whole world! The hero Evangelina Shadow-Storm awoke after a century of enchanted sleep. You two fell in love while fighting a goblin on the mountainside. Hence the snowbells, a mountain flower.”
“Yes, but I first realized I loved Lina when we were hiding in a cave.”
Alaric winced as he said the words. He watched Stefan and Heinrich for a reaction. For any kind of indication he was walking into a trap.
Bastien gasped.
“A cave! Why did Your Highness not tell me? You can’t wear purple ribbons in your hair if you fell in love in a cave! Come with me right away. We must rethink your entire outfit!”
Alaric breathed a sigh of relief and gave Heinrich a small smile. The tailor winked at him and retrieved his scissors. Bastien pulled Alaric out of the room, and Stefan sat so Heinrich could resume the haircut.
“You should have let him suffer a bit longer,” Stefan said. “Those purple ribbons were genius. Do you know how long I worked to convince Bastien they were a good idea?”
“A week and a half. Bastien told me all about it.”
Stefan grinned.
“Did you see the look in his eyes?”
Heinrich cleared his throat.
“Has it ever occurred to Your Highness that your brother is under a lot of stress right now? That these pranks may be making his life miserable?”
The prince frowned.
“Alaric knows I’m joking. He’s so serious all the time. It doesn’t hurt him to have some fun.”
“Fun. Indeed. And will your wedding present be fun?”
“Of course!”
“How much fun?”
“Enough.”
“And how much fun is enough fun at a royal wedding?”
Stefan’s eyes narrowed.
“Did Marta put you up to this? She’s more concerned with this wedding than she was about the Princess Test.”
Heinrich shrugged, which was proof enough. Queen Marta, Stefan’s stepmother, could be very stubborn. And she was determined that the wedding of her stepson to Aeonia’s greatest hero would be the grandest anyone had ever seen.
“The wedding present?” Heinrich asked again.
“Will be completely appropriate and not cause a disturbance. Everyone will love it.”
“You don’t have a present yet, do you?”
Stefan glared.
“No, blast it all! Do you know how hard it is to shop for a crown prince and a crown princess? They both have an entire kingdom at their disposal! What could I possibly get them?”
“A little peace and quiet?”
“Ha! Who wants that? There’s been far too much of that since the Princess Test ended.”
“Some people enjoy tranquility.”
“Some people are boring.”
Stefan ignored Heinrich for the rest of the haircut. He’d had so much to do during the Princess Test. He had produced Alaric’s play, helped Marta organize each day’s events, and served as his brother’s spy to help him decide which girl to marry.
Life had become decidedly dull since all that had been resolved.
Heinrich met his eyes in the mirror.
“Your Highness, there are worse things than being bored.”
“Who said anything about being bored? I’m too busy finding the perfect wedding gift.”
Heinrich’s raised eyebrow said he didn’t believe a word of it.
That was fair. Neither did Stefan.
Princess of Secrets is now available on Amazon!
Author’s Note
Thank you so much for reading Princess of Shadows. I hope you enjoyed reading Lina and Alaric’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
You are the reason I write, and I love hearing from you. If you enjoyed this book, let me know by leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. I read all my reviews and love seeing what you think.
If you’d like to connect further, drop me a note on social media, check out my website, or send me an email.
Happy Reading,
A.G. Marshall
www.AngelaGMarshall.com
[email protected]
Princess of Shadows: The Princess and the Pea Retold (Fairy Tale Adventures Book 1) Page 27