“The Onslaught is filled with food from a royal gala held last night. It will spoil if it isn’t stored properly, and everyone in the castle will be too busy to do it.”
“That may be, miss, but I can’t just take supplies from a royal ship.”
“Of course you can. Tell anyone on board that Princess Carina ordered them to give the leftovers to you.”
Gruff’s jaw dropped. Carina winked at him and bounded down the gangplank.
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Stefan balanced on Carina’s shoulder as she dodged a crowd of sailors. The harbor was a mess. Lucky for Santelle, their treasury was large enough to pay for repairs. Of course, those repairs would include fixing the treasury.
He would miss riding on her shoulder. Whether Carina discovered how to break the curse or he sailed to Aeonia as a frog, Stefan knew things would change soon. It was for the best, but it still made him sad. The past few days had been interesting.
Who was he kidding? They had been marvelous. He could have lived without being a frog, but he wouldn’t trade his time with Carina for anything.
Could he come back to her after Lina broke the curse? Would Carina believe him if he returned as a human and said he had been the frog? Would she accept him?
Stefan leaned closer to her neck. He would try. If he couldn’t convince Carina to come with him to Aeonia, then he would come back. He didn’t understand Santelle’s obsession with the military. He didn’t like the rest of the royal family.
But he would make this place his home if Carina wanted him.
“Princess Carina!”
Lieutenant Demarco waved to her. Carina dodged a man carrying lumber and joined him.
“I’m to escort you to the castle,” Demarco said.
Carina nodded.
“I need to see my father immediately.”
“And he is eager to see you.”
Demarco turned towards the castle.
“Make way!” he shouted. “Royal escort coming through!”
The crowd cleared. Carina jogged to keep up with the guard. Stefan looked back to the Seawolfe and frowned.
“We’re being followed,” he whispered to Carina. “There are more guards behind you.”
“I know. It might be safer for you to go back to the ship.”
Her voice trembled, and Stefan stared at her. Was she afraid? After everything that happened last night, she was nervous about meeting with her father?
He couldn’t leave her now.
“I’m staying with you.”
Carina sighed.
“Just promise that you’ll stay in my pocket when we get there. I mean it.”
“Carina, what’s going on?”
She shook her head and stared at the damaged castle. Stefan glanced back. The guards following them had moved closer.
By the time they reached the castle gate, six guards surrounded Carina. Demarco led her to the throne room. Gustave stood outside the door. His arm was in a splint, and a fresh bandage covered his head.
“You’re safe!” he said. “I’ve been trying to get in to see your father, but they won’t let me! I could have tracked you!”
He waved his hand, and the ruby on his ring caught the light. Carina nodded.
“We knew you’d be able to rescue us eventually. Luckily, we caught a ride with a passing ship. Are you well?”
Gustave grimaced.
“I’ve got a headache, but the apothecary gave me something for it. What about you? What happened out there?”
Carina didn’t answer, and Gustave turned to Stefan. The frog prince fought the urge to tell the king the whole story. No need to show the guards that Carina’s frog could talk.
“Later,” he whispered.
Gustave nodded.
“Will you let me in now?” Gustave asked the guards at the door. “Those mermaids took ships from Montaigne and Eldria. This is an international incident!”
“We passed the Royal Blaze on our way to shore,” Carina said. “No sign of the Delphinette though.”
The guards shook their heads.
“We have our orders. Only officers in the Santelle navy are allowed. And her.”
“I was there last night,” Gustave said. “I have valuable insights!”
Carina reached her hand past Demarco and patted Gustave’s shoulder.
“It’s alright, Your Majesty. I’m sure they will want your input later. In the meantime, you might be glad to miss this.”
She slid her hand down his arm until she held his hand. Stefan felt jealous until he noticed her slip a seashell into Gustave’s palm.
“That’s from Kathelin,” Carina whispered. “Maybe you’ll find a use for it.”
Gustave slipped the shell into his tunic.
“That’s enough of that,” Demarco said. “I need to escort you inside now.”
He sounded regretful. Stefan studied the guard’s face. Yes, Demarco was worried.
Stefan swallowed, and an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.
Demarco put his hand on Carina’s back and guided her inside. She plucked Stefan off her shoulder and slipped him into her pocket. He glimpsed the room before she did. King Giuseppe and the Queen Cosima sat on their thrones. Serafina sat beside her father. The other royal children weren’t present. Maybe they didn’t rank high enough for this meeting either.
Duke Riccardo, Duke Salvatore, and Franco stood behind the king. Everyone wore their uniforms. They looked tired, but still intimidating.
Duke Enrico paced the middle of the room. His hair was matted and his clothes were tattered. Someone had wrapped a blanket around his shoulders.
Stefan grimaced. As bad as their night had been, the duke’s had probably been worse.
Everyone looked up when Carina entered. Duke Enrico smiled.
“Here she is, Your Majesty! Carina can verify my story. She was in the treasury during the attack. She took the enchanted sapphire for safe keeping.”
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Carina swallowed. She was glad to see Duke Enrico alive, but did he have to mention the gem right away? That was the last thing she wanted to discuss.
Her father turned to her.
“Is it true, Carina? You took the gem before the monsters stole it?”
Carina nodded. She didn’t trust her voice.
King Giuseppe smiled at her. When was the last time he had done that? He looked genuinely proud.
Everyone did. Every high ranking official in Santelle looked at Carina with approval. Her family beamed at her. The dukes nodded. Even Franco’s pinched face looked mildly pleasant. How many times had she dreamed of this moment? How often had she longed for their acceptance?
“Well done,” King Giuseppe said. “Where did you hide it? We’ll retrieve it at once.”
The frog squirmed in her pocket. Carina patted her dress to keep him still.
“I didn’t hide it, Father. I don’t have it anymore.”
“What do you mean, Carina?”
She sighed. There was no point prolonging this.
“I traded the gem to a mermaid named Kathelin. She agreed to stop the kraken attacks, but she needed the sapphire’s magic to do it.”
Silence. Everyone stared at Carina. They didn’t move. They didn’t blink. She resisted the urge to snap to attention. Civilians didn’t stand at attention.
“You gave our greatest treasure to the enemy?” her father asked. “You handed mermaids the power to control monsters?”
His voice was soft, but it cut through the silence like an arrow.
“I traded it for a truce. Kathelin upheld her side of the deal. She called the kraken back into the ocean. She released our ships, including the Onslaught, before they were destroyed.”
Her father’s eye twitched.
“You had no authorization to do that, Carina. No clearance to negotiate.”
“It saved your life, sir.”
“That was not your decision to make!”
The king’s voice rose to a growl, and the silence
broke. Everyone had something to say.
“I shouldn’t have given it to her!” Duke Enrico shouted. “I thought she would take it to safety!”
“She saved us!” Serafina yelled. “Father, she saved our lives!”
Carina stayed still, letting the tension in the room play out. She stuffed her hand into her pocket to hold the frog. He wriggled like mad, trying to get out.
She couldn’t blame him for wanting to see, but she also couldn’t let him get caught in the cross fire.
King Giuseppe raised his hand, and the room quieted.
“Do you have any proof of this, Carina? Show me your golden ball.”
“I lost it, sir.”
His eyebrows pressed together.
“Carina, this is unacceptable. Your actions are indefensible.”
Serafina opened her mouth to speak, but Carina shook her head. It wouldn’t help if the king knew the details. There was no need to drag Serafina into this mess.
Queen Cosima rested her hand on King Giuseppe’s arm.
“Everyone is safe, my dear. We are all alive. Perhaps this matter can wait until we have rested and know the facts.”
The tenderness in the queen’s eyes caught Carina off guard. Her mother was trying to protect her?
King Giuseppe shook his head.
“We cannot afford to be lenient because she is our daughter. She traded a priceless treasure to the enemy without authorization. I have also heard reports that she claimed to have emergency authority and used it to sneak foreigners into our treasury.”
Across the room, Lieutenant Demarco avoided her gaze. He would probably get promoted for giving that report, but he didn’t look happy about it.
Franco stepped forward.
“Several servants said that Princess Carina used emergency authority to issue evacuation orders and take the horses prepared for Duke Enrico’s escape.”
King Giuseppe turned to Carina and met her gaze. His eyes were hard. She saw no trace of her father in that look. Only her king.
“There can be no other conclusion. Princess Carina is guilty of treason.”
Everyone gasped, and Carina hung her head. It wasn’t a surprise. Not really. In a way, this had been decided years ago when her father made her a spy. The kingdom had a problem, and a sacrifice must be made to resolve it.
And here she was. A spy who wasn’t any use without her golden ball. A spy who had disobeyed multiple orders in the past few days.
A spy who had been warned what would happen if she did it again.
Carina took a shaky breath. She hadn’t expected it to go quite this badly, but she was prepared to face the consequences of her actions. Her hands shook, and she pressed them against her legs to steady them.
“Giuseppe, you cannot be serious,” her mother said. “The penalty for treason is death.”
The frog leaped and almost escaped. Carina pushed him down. She would let him hop away later when people weren’t watching. He could sail to the other girl who knew how to break his curse.
“For the military,” Serafina said.
She stood, looking regal in spite of everything she had been through. Her uniform was crisp, and she didn’t have a hair out of place. She stepped forward as if daring anyone to question her authority.
“The penalty for treason is death to those in the military. As you all know, this is necessary to ensure our national security. The penalty for civilians guilty of treason is banishment. Carina is a civilian. She has no involvement with the military. She does not know our secrets. Banish her, Father, and let’s be done with the matter.”
Serafina’s voice was cold, but Carina wasn’t fooled. Her sister was upset. Shaken. Serafina glanced at Carina and raised an eyebrow. It was the look they gave each other as children when they were caught in mischief. It was a question, and Carina understood. Should Serafina tell their parents the whole truth?
Carina shook her head. She didn’t want to implicate Serafina in this. For once, the younger sister would take full blame.
Serafina’s frown deepened, but she stayed quiet as their father considered her words. The queen gazed at her daughters. She knew them well enough to catch the communication.
But she held her tongue. Whatever they had decided, she would abide by it.
“Banishment, then,” King Giuseppe said. “The same punishment any civilian would receive for making unauthorized negotiations and falsely assuming authority. Does anyone object?”
He looked around the room. One by one, the admirals and nobles shook their heads. Demarco wouldn’t meet Carina’s gaze. Duke Enrico scowled but kept his mouth shut. The law had been upheld.
Carina sighed. It was over. And thanks to Serafina, she had escaped with her life.
“You will leave on the first available ship,” King Giuseppe said. “A guard will escort you to make sure you leave. And once you are out of Santelle, you will never return. Do you understand?”
Carina nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
Serafina cleared her throat.
“I’d like to escort the prisoner myself, sir. The harbor is chaotic right now, and I want to make sure the job is done correctly.”
King Giuseppe nodded.
“Very well. Lieutenant, secure the prisoner. Princess Serafina will make sure she leaves Santelle as soon as possible.”
Demarco stepped in front of Carina.
“Your hands, please.”
Carina hesitated. If she took her hand out, would the frog escape? Demarco frowned.
“Is there a problem?”
A murmur ran through the crowd. Carina groaned. She couldn’t afford to look like she was resisting arrest. She pushed the frog down as far as she could, patted him on the head to tell him to stay put, and offered her hands to the lieutenant.
Before Demarco secured the ropes, the frog jumped out of Carina’s pocket. He bounced off her shoulder and landed on Demarco’s head.
“I object!” he screamed. “You’re all idiots! Carina saved your lives!”
Carina tried to grab him, but Demarco held her back. The frog bounced off the guard’s head and jumped across the floor. The crowd was too shocked to stop him.
The frog sailed to the throne with a furious leap and kicked King Giuseppe in the face.
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“It talks,” the queen said.
“Don’t hurt him!” Serafina and Carina screamed together.
“Get off me!”
King Giuseppe grabbed Stefan and threw him across the room. Stefan didn’t have time to regret anything as he flew through the air. Not that he would have, anyway.
Santelle was a nation of bullies and idiots. Carina deserved better.
Stefan’s last thought was that he should have aimed for the king’s eye instead of his nose.
Then he crashed into the unyielding stone wall.
Something cracked. His shoulder, maybe? Did frogs have shoulders? Whatever it was, it hurt. He slid off the wall and fell on the floor with a soft thump.
Stefan stared at the ceiling, unable to move. Pain pushed away his thoughts and overwhelmed his senses.
“No!”
The cry echoed through the room. Carina? There was a scuffle, Demarco grunted, and Carina’s face appeared over Stefan as she knelt beside him. Tears fell from her eyes.
“Don’t cry,” Stefan said. “I’m fine.”
It wasn’t true. His voice was weak, and he struggled to breathe. Blast that king, he had a good arm. More than one bone had broken, judging by the way his legs were bent. Stefan tried to sit up, but his arms couldn’t hold his weight. He groaned.
“No,” Carina said. “Please, stay with me. I need you.”
She rubbed her hand over his head. Stefan winced. Apparently, that was bruised too. Had he cracked his skull? Blasted frog body with its fragile bones.
“Carina, I-”
The rest of the words wouldn’t come. Stefan gasped for air, but he couldn’t get enough. A sharp pain shot through his chest, and his
vision blurred.
He fought the urge to close his eyes. He wanted to see Carina as long as he could. As he stared at her, he thought about his family. Would they ever know what happened to him? How he died?
“Carina-”
The word was a gasp. Barely a croak.
“Shh.”
She leaned closer. Her tears fell on Stefan’s face, and he held his breath. Was she finally going to do it? And was she too late?
Carina brushed her lips over Stefan’s head in a gentle kiss. It was so soft he barely felt it.
But it was enough. The rest of his bones cracked. Stefan screamed as his body grew. His voice started as a croak then changed to something higher pitched than he would have liked.
His skin stretched to fit his new bones. The webbing between his fingers disappeared. His hair grew. His teeth grew.
When he opened his eyes, he was human.
And nearly naked. His blue frog suit had stretched into underwear and a vest that covered the essentials but not much more. Clever Heinrich. That was why he had insisted Stefan wear the suit and added so much extra pleating.
Well, thank goodness for that!
Something moved under Stefan. A leg. He looked down and realized he was sitting in someone’s lap.
In Carina’s lap.
She stared at him, eyes wide and mouth open.
He really couldn’t blame her.
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Carina stared. She was vaguely aware of chatter behind her, but the partially clothed man in her lap took up most of her attention.
He grinned at her, looking ridiculously happy. His blue eyes twinkled, and his short brown hair stuck out in all directions.
“Prince Stefan?”
He nodded, and Carina smiled.
“I knew it! I love it when I’m right!”
Stefan tilted his head at her. His human head. It was adorable. Carina leaned forward and kissed him. Properly this time, although she was still gentle. His injuries had looked severe.
Stefan wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Judging by the strength of his grip, his injuries hadn’t transformed with him. Or maybe they had. What killed a frog would only bruise a human.
The Frog Prince (Fairy Tale Adventures Book 2) Page 28