Rich Girl

by Mary E. Twomey

  “Is it from you?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then I’ll love it, darling.”

  “Oh, you.” I batted my other hand at him.

  When we reached the foot of the main stage, Kerdik held my hands in his, and leaned in to kiss both of my cheeks. Dozens of people screamed – actually screamed – in terror. Like two sweet little cheek smooches from Kerdik were a potential knife in the chest. He ignored the crowd and gazed at me lovingly. Lost as I was, I basked in the glow of something incredible being beamed at me. “I haven’t been greeted so beautifully in ages. In ages, Rosie. Thank you.”

  “That’s how I greet my friends, but I couldn’t risk it with anyone else. You’re the only one who can break the stuffy royalty rules, so you got the giant hug. Lucky duck.”

  “Yes, well, speaking of stuffy royalty rules, you’ve a coronation to attend. I daresay I’ve bought myself a front row seat to the festivities.”

  Having Kerdik there gave me a little of my personality back. “I guess if we’re here and all, I’ll might as well.” I gripped his fingers when he made to drop them. “Stick around until I’m finished?”

  He looked at me as if I’d told him he was handsome. A tender expression touched his features and softened him with the simple request. “As you wish it, my dear.”

  20

  Coronation Gone Wrong

  I straightened my dress and rolled my shoulders back, though that was all a wasted effort. The people had seen me giddy and unpolished at this point. Still, Morgan seemed to need me to try harder. Her mouth was drawn in a tight line, and I noticed she was sweating and breathing in shallow pants. Her in-control demeanor faltered under Kerdik’s icy stare.

  I could tell she’d had a speech prepared, but raced through it in light of the unwelcomed guest. There was something in the address about serving the great country of Avalon, giving my heart to the good of the people, and ruling the province for Avalon’s best collective interest. There was no secret clause of signing away my soul or anything, so I decided I was cool with it.

  Demi placed a red crushed velvet pillow on the floor of the stage, and held his trembling hand out for me to take. He didn’t even have a forced smile of reassurance for me, so I knew he was freaking out.

  When terrified horror-movie-style screaming broke out in the crowd, I turned and saw Kerdik at my other side, offering his hand for me to steady myself. I didn’t fall or wobble when I knelt on the pillow, and squeezed Demi’s clammy and shaking fingers in thanks for not letting me have a clumsy moment onstage.

  “I’m watching, Morgan,” Kerdik threatened, squeezing my fingers protectively. “Choose carefully.”

  Morgan nearly dropped the tall, golden tiara with rubies as large as dimes that she held outstretched above my head. She was frozen, unsure what her next move should be. “I’m to crown my daughter, Master Kerdik. Surely I have that right.”

  Kerdik leaned forward and sniffed the crown. “Put it on your head first.”

  Morgan blinked at him in shock. “What? This is a crown for a princess, not a queen. This is for Rosalie only. Surely you don’t think…”

  Kerdik’s voice was controlled, his tone merely that of a professor reproving a wayward student. “I don’t need to tell you what I think. Put it on your head, in front of your entire country, or three breaths from now will be your last.”

  A dozen emotions flickered across Morgan’s face, worrying me that I’d missed something crucial. I blinked up at Kerdik, but he saw only Morgan’s conflict. “K? What’s going on?”

  “Just something I suspected might happen. Not to worry, darling. I’m here.” He patted my hand, but didn’t look at me. His gaze pierced Morgan so deeply that she shook where she stood, showing weakness in front of the entire nation. “I’ll not ask again, Morgan.”

  Rigby nearly dropped Morgan’s enormous crown when he lifted it from her head and placed it on the pillow. A solitary tear rolled down Morgan’s cheek, and her clenched jaw shook with trepidation and rage. I was confused as to why there was so much drama over her wearing my crown for a second. Finally my crown rested on her hair, her chin raised in defiance.

  I don’t know what I was expecting to happen, but when nothing did, I wondered what layers of deception and politics I’d missed. “Is everything alright now? I don’t understand.” I was still on my knees, and couldn’t bend my torso enough to stand on my own without potentially toppling over in my heavy dress.

  A small twitch of a smile lifted the edge of Kerdik’s mouth when Morgan clutched her chest and suddenly stumbled backward. Rigby cried out in fear when Morgan’s eyes drifted shut, and she collapsed into his arms.

  I didn’t care about decorum. I scrambled forward and pressed my hand to her cheek, horrified that Morgan fainted on her important day in front of the entire nation. Lane and Draper were by my side in the next second, and out of nowhere, Remy made his way up the steps. He’d been lost in the sea of faces, but suddenly, he was there. “Remy, help! What happened to her? Morgan!”

  Kerdik permitted Remy near Morgan, but held Lane back with his arm around her slender waist. Reyn charged up the steps – another face lost to me in the hubbub of the day. Reyn stood in front of Lane to block her from whatever harm was going down.

  Kerdik motioned for Draper to scoop me away from Morgan, putting a healthy several feet between myself and my birth mother. “Don’t let my Fleur touch that crown. It’s got a sleeping spell on it. Morgan’s fine, Rosie. She bewitched your crown so that you would fall into a deep slumber when it rested on your head. Take it off, and she’ll come back to you within the day.”

  Lane touched her forehead, not fighting Kerdik’s hold, or Reyn’s protection. “This circus is over.” She motioned for the nearest uncertain guards to come up on the stage. “Take this crown and melt it down. The fire should purify the magic from it. Then you two take Morgan into the castle and lay her in her bedchambers.” When they hesitated at the prospect of being so near Kerdik, she barked in that you’d-better-clean-your-room voice I knew all too well. “Now, soldiers!”

  Several men carefully and respectfully lifted my mother’s body, with Rigby following sadly behind. He shot me a look of utter loss – not for the fate Morgan had steered herself into, but for the trust he assumed I wouldn’t have in him anymore. Guilty by association, he assumed, but that’s not how I roll. I didn’t break his gaze, but gave him a slight nod of “I get it” before he disappeared off the back end of the stage to go with Morgan into the castle.

  Draper was hesitant to surrender me to Kerdik when my green friend waved me to come to his side, but my brother knew he didn’t have a choice. Kerdik kissed my forehead when I returned to him. My arms banded around his waist, confused. “She was trying to knock me out? But why? I don’t understand.”

  Kerdik rocked me gently from side to side, as if I was a wounded animal in need of shelter. I heard fearful weeping from women in the crowd at the sight of me in their monster’s arms. They were more concerned about that than their queen fainting onstage.

  Kerdik was unperturbed, apparently used to being the leper. I clung tight to him, making sure that people knew he wasn’t a monster; Kerdik was my friend. “Now, now. We’ll have time to investigate later, darling. We still have your coronation to tend to.”

  “I may be missing a crown. And I don’t think the crowd can handle much more excitement.”

  Bastien met my gaze, and I could tell he was holding himself back from scooping me up in his arms. Madigan was by his side, unsure what to do. The rest of the Brotherhood were at the foot of the stage, surrounding it like the fearless rogue soldiers they were. There were five Untouchables – each man built like a brick house, and scarred too deeply to enjoy the gift of their elevated status.

  I tried to be brave and not let anyone see that I was shaking inside. Had Morgan really meant to put me into a sleep, like she’d done to my dad?

  Kerdik gave me an affectionate squeeze. “Darling, we’re causing quite
the scandal, embracing as we are. Oh, the rumors. What will the neighbors say? Next there’ll be talk of little green children running about the castle.”

  I cringed at the insinuation. “You’re my friend. They’re just going to have to get used to you being around.”

  “You want me around?” A note of insecurity poked through.

  Bastien and Madigan shot me silent looks of warning over Kerdik’s shoulder.

  I frowned. “Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I? But let’s call this whole thing done. I don’t care about being crowned. That was all for Morgan, anyways.”

  “Humor me.” Kerdik lifted my hand to kiss the finger he’d put his ring on, and then gently lowered me down to the kneeling pillow once more. His voice boomed out at the crowd, and I guessed there was magic used to amplify the sound, since his cadence carried farther than Morgan’s had. “People of Avalon, your queen is resting from her ill-used magic. May I present to you, your princess, Rosalie of Avalon.”

  Lane held my left hand, and Draper clung to my right, steadying me and showing the three of us as a united front to the people. Of all the things that had gone wrong that day, the two of them standing beside me felt right.

  Too many people were screaming; I couldn’t escape being nervous. I couldn’t see what Kerdik was doing, but when a crown rested on my braided hair, I waited for whatever it was that they were afraid of to happen. Kerdik’s voice finally broke me out of my worry. “Rise, Princess Rosalie of Province 1.” Then he addressed the crowd again. “Everyone, look on the beauty of your nation. You may now welcome your future queen, the Avalon Rose!”

  There was no applause, only swift kneeling, the sea of hundreds of thousands hitting the ground in a giant wave that stretched from front to back.

  “Now can this be done?” I asked out of the corner of my mouth to Lane.

  “Oh, babe,” she replied, scared and upset as she squeezed my hand. “This whole mess has only just begun.”

  21

  The Jewel and the Antidote

  I didn’t speak until I’d been shunted into my bedroom by Kerdik. He slammed the door after barking that we were to be left alone, leaving the others in the parlor to wait it out. “Wait a second, Kerdik. I need Bastien here for a second before all of Avalon goes back to their homes.”

  Kerdik sent Demi to grab Bastien, who appeared in under two minutes. His eyes met mine, and I knew he wanted to say a million things, but kept them on hold, due to the company. There were always too many things separating us, and still sometimes, not enough.

  Demi was clearly scared, his hands trembling as he awaited my instructions. I needed to give Bastien the jewel I’d found in my dad’s mouth, but I knew I’d never get it wedged out from between my boobs unless my corset was loosened. I was embarrassed when I jerked my chin toward the partition. “Demi, could you help me with my stupid corset? It’s too tight.”

  Kerdik raised his eyebrow at me, but said nothing when Demi and I disappeared behind the divider. He removed my crown and carefully moved to set it on the table in the center of my bedroom. When he came back, his shaking hands made a few missteps unlacing me, but he managed the task, and I thanked him with a grateful gust that filled my now fully-expandable lungs. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

  He gave me a curt nod, but was too anxious to say anything. He helped me step out of my dress, the corset and the skirts underneath. I tucked the pouch with the jewel in the palm of my hand to keep Demi safely away from our master plan. He kissed my lips only once as he helped me into a simpler dress that wasn’t so regal, heavy and pretentious. I could breathe in the rose-colored gown with green vine embellishments on the cap sleeves. It didn’t require a corset or the ruffly under-dress thing. The hem brushed my bare toes after I kicked my shoes off. Even though it showed off my breasts more than I normally cared to, the simpler gown was a welcome relief. The style was sort of like Wendy’s dress in Peter Pan – comfy yet feminine.

  “Thanks, Demi. Would you mind giving us a minute? Just some business to catch up on.”

  “Of course.” Demi excused himself, practically fleeing the room to get away from Kerdik. It gave us the privacy we needed for me to hand over the treasure that had been stolen back, fair and square. “Here, Bastien. I found one of the jewels. You need to get it out of the castle before Morgan wakes up.”

  Bastien’s jaw dropped. “Where did you find it?”

  Kerdik watched me dump the enormous amethyst out of the invisibility pouch and into Bastien’s palm. He examined my face for signs of panic, like I was going to change my mind and beg for it back. “You give away the treasure as if it’s a mere trinket.”

  I flashed my aquamarine ring at him to show off my bling. “I’ve already got a ring. What would I need this jewel for? It’s not mine.”

  Kerdik stared at me as if I was a beautiful bug he wanted to get closer to, so he could study my habits. “If I hadn’t blessed you myself, I would never guess you were a Daughter of Avalon. Only Elaine has ever seemed to be able to resist the lure of the gems, though she was always the strange one.”

  “Like mother, like daughter,” I joked, but the levity fell flat. Lane wasn’t my biological mother, though I wished my very best wish that she was. I turned my attention back to Bastien. “She hid it inside my dad’s mouth. I um, I sort of had a conversation with my dad about it. He’s not all that thrilled with Morgan. Apparently she poisoned him with Hemlock?” I said the name of the poison like a question because I had no idea what it was or where it came from. “Said the paralysis is irreversible, but he’ll do what he can to help me find the other jewels. I’ve got a decent idea where the next one is.”

  Kerdik stiffened. “Urien’s mind is still sharp?”

  “Yeah. Sucks that he can’t get up and move around, though.”

  Bastien shook his head. “Man, what a cruel joke. He finally gets his daughter back, but he can’t get up to take you out of this mess.”

  I rubbed the nape of my neck. “I sort of didn’t tell him who I was. He thinks my name is Britney.”

  “Why wouldn’t you tell him?”

  I didn’t want to defend my actions to Bastien, but the response tumbled out of me anyway. “Because Morgan hates me. One look at me, and she cringes. I told her I didn’t have my Compass ability anymore, and she lost all interest. I’ve been locked in this bedroom for most of the time I’ve been here because she can’t stand the look of me. I know everyone likes to think I’m bulletproof, but I couldn’t handle letting my dad down, too. I want him to get to know me and like me. Then I’ll tell him who I am.”

  Bastien shook his head at me, his eyes filled with pity. “Honey. You should tell him.”

  “I will when I’m ready.”

  Kerdik was impatient. “Did he say how the Hemlock poisoned him? Did he breathe in burning leaves of it? Was it ground up? Distilled?”

  I shrugged. “I think he ate some of it in a salad. He said the flowers were distilled in his wine, too. He has a few theories, but nothing for sure.”

  Apparently, that was all Kerdik needed to hear. “Take me to him now.”

  I noted his lack of a “please” but said nothing about it. “Okay. No problem. Bastien, could you do what you need to do with the jewel? It should probably be gone before Morgan wakes up.”

  My mind started kicking into high gear, now that I had a few minutes to separate myself from all the drama. “Wait, on second thought, this is the perfect time to scour the grounds for the jewels. I’m guessing only Morgan knows where they are, so the soldiers wouldn’t care if I go snooping, since they wouldn’t put together what I’m snooping for.”

  Bastien’s eyes widened at the possibility of knocking several items off our list. “Well, let’s do it, then.” He slapped his hands together and leaned his shoulders forward, readying for the race. “You lead the way, Daisy.”

  My jaw clenched. “My name is Rosie. I’m not your Daisy,” I reminded him, running for the door.

  Kerdik caught my arm. �
�But, Urien. I need to speak with him.”

  I leaned up and pressed my lips to Kerdik’s cheek. “I know, sweetie. I’ll go as quick as I can with this. Then I’ll take you to see my dad.” I grinned up at him. “Oh, he’ll love you.”

  Kerdik let out a soundless chuckle. “He already knows me, darling. I thought his brain dead, so I gave up trying to resurrect him. I also admit I thought the Hemlock leaves extinct. How Morgan got her hands on them, I’ll never know. You’re certain it was Morgan?”

  “Dad is, yeah. I mean, all I know is what he’s telling me.”

  “If it’s Hemlock poisoning, I’m not sure what to do about that. It’s not a total lost cause, I don’t think, but it’ll take some time. Summon me when you’re finished playing with the Jewels of Good Fortune, darling. I’ll go to the more obscure parts of Faîte to see what antidotes I might be able to find for Hemlock poisoning.” He shook his head at himself. “I can’t believe he’s been trapped in there this whole time. Had I known, I wouldn’t have…” His gaze turned steely. “I’ll fix it. I’ll get him back.”

  Bastien was getting anxious, but he didn’t dare rush Kerdik and risk his wrath. He ran his thumbs along the tips of his fingers impatiently, raring to go.

  I cleared my throat to steer the conversation back on track. “Do your thing, K. I’ll meet you in a couple hours, hopefully with more gemstones.”

  “Okay, darling.” We leaned in to kiss each other on the cheek at the same time, the cuteness in the familiarity catching us both off-guard. “Do be careful while I’m out,” he warned.

  “Where’s the fun in being careful?” I turned to leave with Bastien, but paused to reach out and squeeze Kerdik’s fingers. “Hey, I’m sorry today turned funky. I got you a present, and I want to actually hang with you without all the drama. Can we be boring together tomorrow?”