by Leigh Walker
I turned around in a circle, blinking. I had no idea where I was. I couldn’t even begin to wrap my head around the questions my stupefied brain was trying to formulate.
“What, are you just going to stand there?” a boy with a British accent called.
I jumped, my whole body spasming.
“Sorry.” He laughed and stepped out onto the beach. “But I love doing that. It never gets old.”
The boy was six feet tall, with pale skin, a smattering of freckles across his rather large nose, and dark-red hair. He was athletic looking, with a broad chest and large, square shoulders. He wore a sage-green wool vest and trousers with tall leather boots and had a brown leather satchel slung over his shoulder. It was a funny-looking outfit, like he was an extra in a BBC production of Pride and Prejudice. He walked down to the water’s edge with his hand outstretched. As he got closer, I could see that he was about my age, maybe a year or two older. “Come on now. We don’t want you to get sick again.”
I opened my mouth then closed it.
The boy rocked back on his heels, shaking his head. “You don’t remember anything, do you?”
“What?” I croaked.
He cursed under his breath and looked up at the sky. “Every time, I think this is going to get easier…” Then he sighed and faced me again. “I’m Anthony.”
I just stared at him.
“I am a friend. I’m friendly. I’m not going to hurt you, Victoria.” He held out his hand for me.
“How do you know my name?” My voice was cracked and wild, echoing across the lake.
“That’s a long story. But c’mon, we need to get you out of those clothes before someone sees you.”
“I’m not coming near you.”
He cursed again. “Fine. Stay there and get pneumonia, then. Serves you right.” Taking a step back, he cocked his head. “I hear horses. You better bloody get out of that lake with those clothes on. If they catch you looking like that, the guards will lock you up and throw away the key, they will. Or worse—they’ll bring you to the queen.”
I looked around wildly. “What guards?”
But Anthony put a finger to his lips to shush me, and I heard hooves thundering in the distance. He motioned for me to follow him, but I still hesitated.
“For the love of the gods, come on!” he said through clenched teeth. “They’re almost here!”
He started to run to the tree line. I didn’t know what else to do, so I followed him. Once I made it to the woods, he reached out and grabbed me, his hand wrapping painfully around my wrist.
“Don’t say a word, and don’t beat me up for this later.”
“What on earth are you talk—”
He slapped his other hand over my mouth and dragged me behind the tree. “Just stay still,” he commanded.
I struggled against him, but he was freakishly strong. I could barely move.
“I think they’re heading back to the castle.” He kept his voice low.
As we listened to the horses galloping past the beach in the opposite direction, I looked up at my captor’s face. The redheaded boy was handsome but not in a conventional way. His dark-auburn hair was thick and spiky, his high cheekbones jutted from his face, and his skin was alabaster, save for his bright collection of freckles. He had large front teeth that protruded from between his pale pink lips.
Anthony caught me staring and chuckled. “See something you like?”
“Are you… Are you Moi?” He seemed nice enough, regardless of his yelling at me and dragging me into the woods, but I really hoped he wasn’t.
“You know, you never change.” He snorted, a look of disgust crossing his face. “No—I’m not the one who sent you the letters. It’s never me. It’s always him.”
I nodded, for some odd reason feeling better.
“Don’t look so relieved! My ego can’t take it.” He released me and cursed again. “Every bloody time.”
“Every bloody time what?”
“You ask if it’s me every bloody time, then you get this look on your face when I tell you no. Like you dodged a bullet. Like I’m so homely you can’t bear it!”
“I don’t think… I don’t think you’re homely.”
“Well, I know that.” He pointed to himself, from his red hair to his boots. “Anyone would be lucky to get a piece of this.”
I coughed. “Of course they would.”
Anthony glared at me. “C’mon, the guards are gone. Let’s get you out of those rotten clothes and into a proper dress. Wait—put this on first.”
He took some brown muslin out of his bag and shoved it at me. I unfolded it to see it was a brown cloak, something a wizard would wear, and scowled at him.
“For the love of all things holy, just put it on. We need to make it to the castle by noon.”
I shook my head as I shrugged the stiff cloak on. It smelled faintly of hay. “Castle? Where are we?”
He raked a hand through his hair and looked up at the sky again. “Why me?”
After I waited for him to calm down, I asked again, “Where are we?”
Sighing, he started off, back toward the beach, and motioned for me to follow him. “We are in the kingdom, my lady. And we’re heading to the castle of the royal family in order to get you there in time to be eligible.”
“Eligible for what?” I cried.
He looked back at me, shaking his head. “The Trade, of course. It’s always the same. I wish you would remember—this gets a bit redundant, if you ask me.”
I stopped walking. “Why do you keep saying that you wish I would remember? Remember what? I don’t understand!”
“Aw, come on now. Keep up.” He waved at me dismissively. “There’s only one way for you to find out.”
I stood my ground, clutching the cloak around me. “I’m not following you until you tell me more.”
Anthony snorted but didn’t bother turning around. “Of course you will. It’s not like you can climb back into the lake and go back to the other side just yet. You can try, of course.” He shot me a backward glance, a wicked grin on his face. “It wouldn’t be the first time. And I do enjoy it when you flop around like a fish.”
“Why do you keep talking as if you know me? I’ve never laid eyes on you before!”
He followed the path, not looking back. “Come on and find out. Besides…someone else is waiting to see you.”
I stayed stubbornly in my spot until he was about to disappear from my view.
And then, one poor decision clearly following another, I chased after him.
6
First Sight
We followed the path for miles, past the beach and across a valley bordered on either side by forest. I couldn’t be certain, but it seemed as though we were on an incline. My clothes, still stiff and wet from the pond, became sodden with sweat instead. My socks squished inside my boots. When a cloud passed over the sun, I shivered and wrapped the cloak around me, grateful for it in spite of its smell. When the sun came back out, I started sweating again.
Anthony seemed oblivious to both the temperature changes and my discomfort. He hummed merrily, skimming his hands over the long blades of grass.
“Can you please tell me more?” I begged. “At least tell me where we are.”
“I told you, my lady. This is the kingdom.”
The land seemed familiar, with trees I recognized, but it had much more open space. Where I lived, neighborhoods and shopping plazas and grocery stores sprawled as far as the eye could see, with very little undeveloped land. “Is the kingdom in America?” I asked.
He looked thoughtful. “You know, you ask that so often I actually looked it up. The answer is no—it wasn’t.”
Wasn’t. My brain scrambled. That made it sound as though the kingdom existed sometime in the future—not to mention somewhere other than America, where I’d been just a few hours ago. Anthony was clearly confused or a lunatic.
“It was never part of the Americas,” he continued. “We’re on the
other side of the ocean.”
I vote for lunatic.
At the crest of the hill, Anthony stopped short. “Ah, here we are.”
I caught up to him, and my jaw dropped. The ground dipped then rose into another large, broad hill. On top of it stood a massive castle made of dark-gray stone, surrounded by a circular high wall. Deep-purple flags flew from the turrets, rising high into the sky.
Shivering, I peered at the majestic structure. “You say one family lives here?”
Anthony chuckled. “The royals live in the castle, of course, but it has a village and town square around it. The castle’s set apart by another wall inside.” His face darkened. “The town surrounds it, but the royal homestead is quite a country of its own.”
By the look on his face, I couldn’t tell if he meant that was a good thing or a bad thing. But I had little time to ask as we trekked down the path. It eventually joined a larger, dirt road that led up to the wall. Two closed wooden doors big enough for a giant to pass through marked the entrance.
I felt tiny and afraid as I stared up at the approaching wall. “Are they going to let us in?”
“Yeah, they will.” Anthony jutted his chin in the direction of the wall. “This is my home.”
“The castle or the village?”
“Both. I’m one of the few who can go back and forth.” He puffed his chest out. “Talent like mine is needed everywhere.”
I eyed Anthony, studying his funny-looking vest and trousers and his red shock of hair. In spite of his clothes, he looked pretty normal to me. What does he mean by talent?
Hooves suddenly thundered behind us. Anthony grabbed my hand and pulled me to the side as a big beast of a black horse appeared, its rider crouched low in the saddle, a deep-purple cape sailing out behind him.
“I’ve been looking for you!” the rider bellowed. He pulled the horse’s reins, and it rose on its hind legs and whinnied. When it crashed back down to the ground, I finally caught sight of the rider. It was the boy from my window.
I gaped up at him. It was definitely him—his close-cropped black hair, pale skin, and dark, almost black eyes were impossible to forget. He was painfully handsome, with full lips and a square jaw, and wore a tight-fitting leather tunic with some sort of crest embossed on it.
His eyes brightened as he smiled at me. “You made it.” He also had a British accent.
“You…” I pointed at him. “I saw you. Before.”
He arched an eyebrow, his eyes still sparkling. “There’s no time to speak of it now. You must get inside and get changed. I’ve got everything arranged. But my mother’s about to skin me alive.” He turned to Anthony. “You’re late—again.”
“You never want to hear it, but she wouldn’t come with me, she asked too many questions, she—”
“I don’t want to hear excuses.” The boy glared in irritation. “It’s your one job. I shouldn’t have to be out here, canvassing the countryside, making sure you fulfill your responsibilities.”
Anthony’s cheeks turned crimson. “Of course not, Your Highness.”
“Oh, go cry after you get her inside. Mistress Olivia’s waiting—if you think I’m annoyed, wait until she gets ahold of you.” He turned back to me. “My lady, we’ll meet again shortly. Remember to say yes.” A smile flashed across his face as he bowed his head.
My mouth hung open as he tugged on the reins, urging his horse toward the castle.
Anthony took one look at me and laughed. “You’re utterly gobsmacked, aren’t you? It happens every time.”
“Who—who was that?”
“It’s the prince, of course, His Royal Highness Dominic Allard.” Anthony waggled his eyebrows. “Looks familiar, does he?”
“A little.” I watched the prince ride up the hill. He veered to the left of the wall and disappeared from my sight. “What did he mean, ‘Remember to say yes’?”
“He’s talking about the ceremony. C’mon, then—his mother might skin him alive if we’re late, but Dom’ll still find a way to have my hide first.” He set off up the drive, his pace even faster than before. “My one job,” he muttered. “As if.”
“So he’s a prince?” I struggled to keep up with Anthony. “He wasn’t wearing a crown.”
Anthony snorted. “No need to. Everyone knows who he is.”
My head reeled. The boy outside my window had intrigued me. Seeing him again was a shock, as was finding out he was a prince. But really—is it any crazier than him floating outside your window?
It wasn’t any crazier, but that wasn’t saying much. The whole situation was off the rails. Not to mention that my heart had stopped both times Dominic looked at me,. Electricity had zipped through me. I recognized those feelings as attraction, though I’d never felt them before. Just perfect. I finally meet a boy I like, and he’s either a figment of my imagination or…I don’t know what. A time-traveling British prince who can float?
“I’m not gobsmacked,” I muttered. “I’m the only sane one here.”
“What’s that?” Anthony asked, but I shrugged him off. I couldn’t even begin to explain myself.
We continued up the dirt road. The handsome prince was long gone. Anthony used a large metal knocker to bang against the door. A slat opened and a guard peered through. “Just a minute.” His voice was gruff.
The massive doors groaned open, scraping the gravelly ground. Two guards wearing metal armor strode through, their hands affixed to their gilded sword handles. I hesitated, but Anthony shook his head.
“Don’t worry. They work for His Highness. They won’t ask questions. But I’ve got to get you inside before you’re noticed by anyone else.”
I stopped walking. “Please. Why are you bringing me here?”
He took a deep breath, and I sensed he was gathering what remained of his patience. “We need to get you inside for the Trade. If not, an innocent girl will suffer in your place. Worse than that, I’ll have to smuggle you into the castle anyway, and that’s all sorts of a hassle. Dom would never let me hear the end of it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I don’t expect you to. Just trust me. And if that’s asking too much, just do as I say.” He pulled the cloak’s hood up over my head, grabbed me by the elbow, and hustled me past the guards, nodding to them as we entered the compound.
The village hummed with activity. Dozens of people roamed about, alone and in pairs, chattering excitedly. They wore brightly colored peasant robes and all seemed to be carrying something—a bag of pears, a loaf of bread—and one person had a goat on a leash. The ground was muddy, with hay scattered about, and the village smelled of animals. The castle was set farther back, its turrets soaring above us, the purple flags billowing in the breeze. Its austere beauty contrasted sharply with the hum of life in the colorful, bustling square.
Anthony maneuvered me down a muddy walkway, careful to keep me tucked by his side. We headed through a corridor of unoccupied canopy tents.
“What is the Trade?” I asked.
“Shut thy mouth, my lady.”
We turned down an empty alley, and he stopped, making sure no one was around before he knocked on a door.
It flew open, and a short-statured woman in a gray dress and a spotless white apron frowned at us. She had smooth, flawless skin, a round face, and a plump waist. “It’s about time.” Her frown deepened as she took in my appearance. “Get her in here!”
Anthony practically shoved me inside as the woman tsked and circled me.
Scowling, she pulled my hood back. “Her hair’s a mess. We barely have time to do the dress and now her hair.” She harrumphed and immediately bustled to the fireplace, where she put a kettle on to boil. Her hair was dark with silver streaks in it, pulled back into an immaculate bun.
I cleared my throat. “Hello.”
The woman turned to me, her face softening. “Hello, dear. I’m not mad at you. It’s this one.” She jerked her thumb at Anthony. “Always causing trouble, he is.”
“Mist
ress Olivia, I beg your pardon.” But Anthony didn’t look like he was begging as he plopped into a chair and helped himself to a cookie from a nearby tin. “Are you making tea, then?”
She waved her hands toward the kettle. “I’m doing no such thing. It’s to warm the water for her hair so that she doesn’t catch her death!” Mistress Olivia’s accent was different from the others, thicker and more difficult to understand. Where on earth am I?
“We need to get her ready. It’s almost time, and we need to have her shining.” Mistress Olivia nodded at me. “Let’s get you out of those clothes, child.” She opened a wardrobe and grabbed a clean white robe for me. “This will keep you covered until we can get you into your gown.”
“I’m Tori, by the way. Victoria.” I held out my hand to shake hers but she clasped it between her palms.
“I know who you are.” She winked at me, her blue eyes sparkling. “It’s nice to see you. You can change in here.”
She led me to a private alcove, and I gratefully stripped out of my stiff, wet clothes.
“Let me take those from you.”
I put on the robe as Olivia inspected my clothes, shaking her head as she folded them and set them into a basket.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“Oh, nothing. It’s just that I don’t understand why the women where you come from are so partial to trousers. I don’t think I would be able to breathe in them.”
“Mistress Olivia.” Anthony’s voice had a warning tone.
She gave him a dirty look. “I’m entitled to state my opinion.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Move on. Why don’t you show us the gown?” He helped himself to another cookie, looking pleased that he was no longer alone in babysitting duty.
“Ah, yes.” She went to a closet and pulled out a long red dress, strapless, with a full tulle skirt. “This is what we’ve chosen for you.”
“It’s beautiful, but… I don’t understand. Why did you pick out a dress for me? How did you even know I was going to be here?” I looked at Olivia then Anthony. “I certainly didn’t!”
Olivia didn’t answer me. Instead, she folded and refolded the corners of her apron. Anthony also ignored me, pretending to be occupied by cleaning his teeth with a toothpick.