The Stepsister's Lament

by S R Nulton

  Life had surprised me often of late. I never expected to be married off without my knowledge. I had never expected to marry at all and I definitely did not expect to embark on an adventure or have my curse partially broken. And yet I did. I also hadn’t expected the man who I’d married to hate me just as much as the rest of the country did. Silly of me, though. Almost everyone did sooner or later.

  It didn’t matter though. I’d protect them all anyway. I’d been working on a plan to take care of my grandmother for over a year. Once she was gone, Cindy, Portia, Mother, and the rest of the country would be safe. A year of searching had revealed that Cindy’s godmother had been right. The only way to stop Grandmother was to take myself out of the equation. Completely.

  Chapter 7: Castle of Lies

  We stopped that night to rest beneath a huge oak tree. The roots had created hollows that we used for beds and somehow fit our bodies perfectly. Reese had yet to break the silence, and I knew that I wouldn’t be the first to crack. I had once gone nearly three months without speaking a word. Summers with my grandmother were not fun for me as a child.

  It was difficult to put the past out of my mind. They say that what happens when you are just entering adulthood shapes who you will become as a person. I think that the ubiquitous ‘they’ are probably right; it’s incredibly difficult to overcome those perceptions. Those thoughts become a part of who you are, drive your reactions and color how you see the world. I could acknowledge, at least to myself, that it was unhealthy to believe that everyone I met would eventually grow to hate me. It was even more so to feel comfortable with such a supposition. Still, delving into that was more introspection than I wanted to engage in while camping in the wilds and on the run from a homicidal relative. Instead, I forced myself to try and sleep. Sleep can fix a lot of things.

  Unfortunately, I woke to find that it had begun to rain at some point during the night. The good news was that my bag prevented the thunderbird feather from drawing any lighting. Unfortunately, as the tree we slept under was high ground and partially dry, there were several unwanted critters attempting to steal away in my clothes for warmth. Nothing says ‘Good morning’ like finding a snake and three mice hidden in your bedroll. And no, I have no idea why prey and predator were both there with me. I was too busy jumping around to really think things through. After getting rid of them, it was a long, wet trek to the next dry-ish spot we could rest at. By the end of that day, I was sore, soaking wet, exhausted, and feeling emotionally numb.

  Reese still hadn’t spoken to me, or at all really. He was still angry with me and grew more and more frustrated as the day progressed. Part of that was due to our odd argument the day before, but I’m pretty sure the other part had to do with how slowly I was moving. Too many times to count, he had to stop and wait for me to catch up. His long legs could far outpace my own, looking like he was lord of the forest, come to view his lands. And he was so graceful he could have been dancing. He left absolutely no sign of his passing. In fact, he was so quiet that even the deer didn’t flee. Well, they didn’t flee for him. I wasn’t so lucky. Whenever I moved closer they would bolt away like I was a winter bear.

  And, of course, it just served to make Reese even more upset.

  When it was time to eat, he refused to take anything from my bag because the hat had touched it. Men can be amazingly childish at times! I was too exhausted to eat anything either, but I had enough energy to ignore his ire and keep the hat. It had been given to me for a reason and I didn’t want to waste any of my precious few resources. Even if it made my husband hate me, I would do everything in my power to protect Cindy. To protect everyone, really, but it wouldn’t do to dwell on such things.

  I felt a bit melodramatic as I considered my current predicament, but I couldn’t change the fact that he had to hate me by now. I don’t mean to sound like a martyr, really, but I was more than aware of the facts. There was no way of getting around the fact that I’d been forced on Reese by his friend, the friend who wanted me gone. I’d pulled Reese into a mess with my murderous family, and that same family that had set fire to his house and chased us halfway across the continent. To top it all off, at that moment he was stuck, marching in the pouring rain, without any ‘palatable’ food, without an end in sight, and heading toward the home of a queen whose stepdaughter had just died (under ‘mysterious’ circumstances). All for a woman that he refused to speak to. He either hated me or had gone insane in the few short days since he’d met me.

  Lucky for him, he would be a widower soon. It had occurred to me early on that it was unlikely I would survive this trip. All I had to do was make sure that he escaped when my grandmother cornered us again. I had very little training with magic beyond some housework spells but I’d spent the last year preparing something that would take my grandmother out of the equation. The spell was completely foolproof, never failing to take out the target, but only because it drained the life of the caster completely. It was meant to be a sacrifice, a last resort really. That’s what it was though. The last resort of someone who would die anyway. And the world would be better off without me.

  And there I go being maudlin again! I really need to learn to live up to my name. If this continues, I should just change my name to ‘Depressed’ or ‘Morbid’.

  “There it is,” my husband reported on our fourth day of tramping through the woods, voice gravely with sleep and lack of use as he pointed to a tower rising above the trees. “We should be there by mid-morning, I’d say. Even sooner if we push on. We’re lucky the storm died off earlier.”

  I nodded without a word.

  One more step closer to the end.

  ~

  Reese was right about our timing. We reached the castle just about 10 o’clock that morning. We’d been traveling since before dawn, so it was a welcome sight, despite the nagging feeling that something was wrong there. The forest was unsettled around the castle. Too quiet… Still, the chance to sit down seemed like a fair trade for walking into an unknown and potentially dangerous situation.

  That was probably my sore feet talking though. Wet socks are miserable, vindictive things.

  The tower we had seen above the trees was the only one on the castle. It had looked odd from a distance, more square than round. Things began to make more sense when we got closer and were able to see the whole structure. This ‘castle’ looked very different from the one in Alenia. It almost looked like a gigantic version of Reese’s hunting lodge.

  Instead of elegantly carved stone, the walls were built out of thick logs, interlocked carefully and sealed from the weather with something containing a lot of magic; even at a distance I could see the residue. The structure was more rectangular than I expected, lacking any architectural interest, and had two floors with wrap-around porches before rising one more story and ending in a steep chalet style roof.

  The only way it resembled a typical castle was the fact that it was surrounded by stunningly well-ordered gardens. There was even an orchard was off to one side, full of apple trees, their fruit still small and green. The land was lovely, but looking at it, I couldn’t help but feel a chill run down my spine. The castle was comfortable looking but seemed to crouch like a great beast, prepared to attack at any moment. We were walking right into its den. It was an altogether unpleasant feeling.

  Reese took off his coat and turned it inside out, activating the spell Maleficent had placed on it. Where he had once stood in a hunter’s dark leathers, the man I traveled with now towered in a fine velvet coat and buckskin breeches. His shirt was snowy white and the vest was embroidered with gold and purple threads.

  He looked like a prince. I frowned at that. Princes always seemed to draw trouble in all the stories and we had more than enough trouble as it was.

  Frustrated by the thought, I moved quickly to reverse my own coat. My travel clothes changed to a beautiful damask gown of green and black. The vest and coat had become an overdress of cream with a hood and sleeves of the same damask brocade. My ove
rdress had a tie front, cinched tight as a corset to give the best view of my waist and emphasize the square cut neckline. Just a hint of black fox fur surrounded the hood.

  It is a chilly area, after all, I thought, rolling my eyes at the ridiculousness of the clothes. The fur and my boots were the only hint of practicality in the whole outfit, and even my boots had grown three-inch heels!

  Ridiculous! Who wanders the forest in heels? And my socks are still wet, I grumbled to myself.

  Honestly, the strangest part of the whole experience was how clean I suddenly was. My mud streaked fingers and dirt crusted nails had been magically scrubbed clean. My hair was shining and braided with black ribbon down one shoulder instead of being tied in a greasy mess on top of my head. I had a nasty feeling that I’d had cosmetics added to my face as well, but wasn’t about to ask. It made my wet socks seem even stranger. I would have to write a letter to Mallie about it.

  Reese looked me over and held his arm out, wordlessly. I sighed and slid my hand through properly. It was silly to feel sad he hadn’t commented on the gown, but I did anyway. I cared what he thought of me, and it was killing me to be so thoroughly ignored, something I normally looked forward to. Nevertheless, I couldn’t show any expression except politeness. Mother may have disguised herself as a harpy, but she knew how to prepare a child for court. Your face was to be kept carefully blank and only polite interest or disinterest was to be displayed. Never show how you truly feel.

  A bang shook me out of my musings. While I was distracted, we had arrived at the front door. Reese knocked twice before taking a step back to wait. A few minutes later we heard footsteps inside. The stride sounded slow and stately as whomever it was made their way to the door. It was essentially an unvoiced statement about how important we must be to arrive unannounced. Or maybe that was just me reading into things.

  Finally, the door was pulled open to reveal a well-pressed butler.

  “Welcome, how may I help you?” he asked, dipping his head slightly in deference. He was old, much older than one expected to be still up and moving. Added to that, he felt wrong. I couldn’t tell why, but I knew that the cordial look he had on his face was a total farce.

  Why does everything feel so wrong here? It’s like I’m looking at a horse, but I know that it is actually a goose. Something here is throwing everything off! I’d always felt an innate connection to the world around me, especially enchantments, so the sense of unease the entire area was giving me had put me on edge.

  “We wish to speak with the queen, if we may,” Reese replied. “I have been sent with a message from an old acquaintance of hers. If you would please let her know that the Spinner’s grandson is seeking an audience?”

  The butler’s natural frown deepened. “Of course. Please follow me to the drawing room.” He held the door open and allowed us entrance. After shutting the portal again, he moved us very quickly to a room just off the hall. Then, with another bow, he left.

  Reese moved away to wander the room and examine the furnishings. I rubbed my arms as I watched him and then moved to look out the window. The uneasy feeling I’d had a few minutes before had increased eight-fold. There was nothing overly sinister about the room. Instead, I had the impression that the shadows were deeper than they should be. I felt pain, old but poignant. It was almost overwhelming and made me feel seasick. I wanted to walk away from that place and never come back, but I knew I couldn’t, and not just because of the vertigo. I was stuck until we got the information we’d come for.

  And broke my curse, permanently.

  Adding to my sense of unease, Reese was acting exactly like every nobleman that I’d ever met. It was even worse than when we’d met Mallie. He seemed self-entitled, self-involved, and obsessed with inspecting the most expensive knick-knacks in the room for possible conversation starters later on. I’d watched men do that while waiting for Cindy to come talk to them. It was disturbing to see the same expressions on Reese. He seemed nothing like the man who had all but pulled me into his carriage just over a week before. He’d changed. He changed personalities so frequently that I assumed I would never see his real face, if I ever had to begin with.

  I don’t even know my own husband.

  It had only been a few minutes when the sound of rustling petticoats was heard in the hall. I turned just in time to see the queen enter the drawing room.

  Caillte Lynn was stunning, in more ways than one. She had honey blonde hair and a peaches and cream complexion, although it looked a bit sallow, like she needed to spend time in the sun. Her eyes were hazel, sprinkled with little flecks of gold, which stood out against the dark circles. The royal’s figure was shaped like an hourglass but her collarbones were sticking out, as were her cheekbones. Next to her thin yet curvy form I felt like an ogre. A well-rested, well-fed ogre, but an ogre either way. This was a woman lovely enough to rival my stepsister, even looking like she was just out of a sickbed.

  She also appeared to be masking her appearance with magic. I could see a faint haze around her, something I’d only seen when I’d met a wraith visiting my grandmother in secret. It was a different intensity though. She wasn’t completely changing her appearance, more like using a glamour to become more attractive. Becoming was a tricky bit of magic that only ran in wraith blood, from what my Aunt Grace had told me, and was a lot like how shapeshifters could turn into an animal. It was never a good thing when the magical self you create looks ill. Something was very wrong.

  “Your majesty,” Reese greeted her with a nod and his best politician’s smile. Even as distracted by the queen’s illness as I was, I was aware enough to realize he hadn’t bowed! Reese always seemed to know the correct social niceties, so clearly there was something more going on. Either way, I was not about to bring up the problem if she didn’t. It is hard to insult someone if you don’t say anything.

  “You’re the Spinner’s grandson?” she asked, as she looked my husband over carefully. Her wide eyes hadn’t seemed to blink since she entered the room, making me feel a bit twitchy. “You certainly have his hair, and his eyes. I trust you have his tact as well?”

  “Of course, majesty. My grandfather sent me to bid you good day and warn you of something he only recently became aware of. One of the great mirrors resides here, does it not?”

  Caillte froze, licking her lips before nodding slightly. “Why do you ask, Spinner’s whelp?” she replied, voice light and a bit breathy.

  “Grandfather is excellent with mirrors, as you know. That is why he was so distressed to learn that the spell on yours had degraded. Not your fault at all, of course,” Reese quickly added. “They require maintenance every two hundred years or so to ensure that they do not lose their silvering. He was warned by another mirror in the network that yours was reaching degradation and he sent me to inspect it and perform the required maintenance. If you will grant me leave?”

  Her eyes were locked with his for a good minute before she finally spoke. “And who would your companion be?” She jerked while turning toward a mirror near the door, straightening her dress a little as she moved before turning back to face us.

  Reese paused for a half a moment. It seemed like the conversation would continue to be stilted between the two of them, what with all the awkward pauses.

  He showed nothing on his face, but I saw his hand clenched incrementally just before he answered. “She is my assistant on this little venture. Grandfather was quite precise when he told me to bring her with me as I completed my tasks for him, particularly as she is the sister of a princess. I hope that you don’t mind.”

  There it was. With absolutely no polish, I was introduced as an assistant. I was about as wanted as an annoying piece of baggage! In front of this beautiful queen I was not his wife. I never should have expected anything else. After all, who would want an ugly stepsister when they could have a gorgeous queen, even if she did look like she was in need of a physician?

  Well, no need to get upset. It doesn’t change much, I thought as I moved
to his side and curtseyed before the royal.

  She looked me over. “She is very plain. I wonder that you employ her.” The queen unconsciously bit her lip. “Of course, you must excuse the mess. The servants never seem to put things back properly when my husband is gone. Have you seen him lately? I know that he would have been here if he knew that you were. He does so love to entertain guests.” She rushed through the question, as if she dreaded the answer.

  Reese watched her adjust some knick-knacks. “It’s no a problem, and no, I haven’t seen your husband. Is he due home soon?”

  “Oh, not for days and days! He does so love to travel,” she told us, an edge creeping into her voice for the first time. I couldn’t blame her for being upset. I’d never heard of a king leaving his wife in charge as he went off to do who knows what. Princes are always expected to go questing but kings were meant to stay put and rule.

  “Well, we shall certainly stay and try to relieve your boredom as you await his return.” It took all that there was within me to keep my jaw from dropping. Reese had told her we would stay. My grandmother was chasing us and trying to kill us and he wanted to keep the queen company when her husband was away.

  Me, not us. She was chasing me. I needed to stop dragging Reese into this. It wasn’t fair to him.

  He continued as I ground my teeth together. “Where is your stepdaughter these days? Does she not help you around the castle?”

  The smile that had appeared when Reese told her we would stay froze on her face and I looked at him in astonishment. I had thought everyone knew that she was dead!

  “Oh, that girl is off gadding about the country, as always,” Queen Caillte Lynn told us, her voice flat and careful. “I’ll have a room set up for you.” And with that she left the room, calling for her butler as she went.