Richard and his parents were absent at breakfast, which was considerably less elaborate than it had been other mornings. Each girl had a bowl of stew set before her. The food was hot and bland. It reminded her of many stews that she had had at home, and Violet ate hungrily.
Around her, the others made faces as they nibbled at the food. “The carrots taste okay,” Goldie finally said.
“You have carrots? Where?” Genevieve asked, craning her head to see Goldie’s bowl.
As breakfast came to an end, Violet couldn’t help but wonder why no one had mentioned anything about the next test. When a servant came to clear her dish, Violet asked where the steward was.
The man gave her a shrug and an apologetic smile but said nothing. She glanced around and discovered that none of the servants would meet her eyes.
“Something doesn’t seem right here,” she said, turning to Genevieve.
Genevieve looked pale, and sweat was beading on her forehead. “Something doesn’t seem right here,” she echoed, eyes glassy.
“Are you okay?” Violet asked in alarm.
“I don’t think any of us are,” Goldie said.
Violet glanced over and saw that she, too, looked sick.
“I think I should have gone home yesterday morning,” Arianna said through lips that trembled.
Violet glanced up and down the table and saw that every girl looked terrible except for Celeste. “What’s wrong with them?” she asked her.
Celeste sneered. “They ate the food.”
“But so did I, and I’m fine.”
“Then you must be used to eating peasant food. I wouldn’t have served that to a dog.”
Violet trembled with rage as she stared at the heir of Lore. She glanced around, and there was no one in the room other than them and the sick princesses. Violet rose from her seat. She could teach Celeste some manners. She could send the princess of Lore running from Cambria. No one was watching, and she would never have a better opportunity.
Violet approached Celeste. “You’ve pushed me once too often,” she said.
“And what are you going to do about it?” Celeste sneered.
“Let me show you,” Violet said, clenching her fists at her side.
Before she could strike out at Celeste, a sobbing sound distracted Violet. One of the girls was on her hands and knees, wincing in pain.
There were still no servants in sight. “We have to help them,” Violet said, turning back to Celeste.
Celeste was staring at the stew still in front of her.
“Are you listening to me?” Violet asked. “They’re sick; we have to help them.”
“The food made them sick,” Celeste said in a monotone. “It is peasant food. Their stomachs can’t handle it.”
“Then we need to help them.”
“You don’t understand,” Celeste said, looking up at Violet with slightly glazed eyes. “This is the test.”
Celeste grabbed her bowl of stew and poured it into her mouth.
“What are you doing?” Violet cried, trying to snatch the bowl away from her.
Celeste twisted so Violet couldn’t reach it, and a moment later set the nearly empty bowl on the table. “I’m going to be sick,” Celeste groaned.
“The stew couldn’t have hit your stomach yet,” Violet protested.
“Not that; the taste,” Celeste said before sliding onto the floor in distress.
Violet stared at Celeste, disbelieving, then turned her attention to the others in the banquet hall. Several girls clutched their stomachs in pain, a couple other girls were crying, and at least one had passed out in her chair. And despite everything Violet had thought and felt and feared, she knew then that she might dress like them, even learn to act like them, but she would never truly be one of them.
Violet turned and hurried toward the kitchens. Her arrival there stopped all the servants in their tracks. Violet grabbed the woman who seemed to be in charge, noting that she wouldn’t meet her eyes either. They all knew the food would hurt the girls, she realized. “Please help me. I need something to soothe the princesses’ stomachs. There’s a root Father Paul sometimes uses.”
Before Violet could begin to describe it, one of the other cooks handed her a small bowl. Inside were cuttings of the plant Violet needed. “Thank you,” she said. “I’m also going to need towels and water.”
A few of the servants started to gather supplies at Violet’s request, as Violet dashed back to the hall. Kneeling down beside the first girl to have gotten sick, Violet said, “Look at me,” shaking her shoulder.
The girl did as she was told. Her eyes were wide in fear, and she was sweating and shaking uncontrollably. “How much did you eat?”
“Didn’t eat that much,” she mumbled.
“Okay, good. Have this anyway.”
The girl swallowed the piece of the root, and then Violet signaled to one of the servants that had followed her from the kitchen. The woman scurried over, eyes wide.
“I want you to help her get cleaned up, and then move her somewhere and make her more comfortable. I don’t think you should try taking her to her room yet; she looks too weak to make it up the stairs. Do you understand?”
The servant nodded. “Yes, milady.”
Violet then moved over to Celeste, who was groaning on the floor. “Celeste, eat this,” Violet said, handing her a bit of the root. Celeste grimaced and then slowly put it in her mouth and began chewing.
Violet stood and moved over to one of the boys from the kitchen. She handed him half a dozen clippings from the plant. “Go to all the ladies on that side of the table; make sure each one of them eats one of these.”
“Yes,” he said, moving toward Goldie.
Violet found Genevieve, who looked worse than many of the others. Her friend’s skin was even paler than usual, and she was sweating and gasping as though she were having trouble breathing. Violet was able to help her eat the root. Then she moved on to administer to the others.
A minute later Arianna staggered up to Violet. “Go lie down,” Violet ordered.
“No, I’m good. I want to help.”
Violet sized her up for a moment. Of the group Arianna seemed to have the strongest constitution. “Go and see to Genevieve. I’m really worried about her,” Violet confessed. She handed her the last piece of root. “She’s already had one, but …”
“I understand,” Arianna said before moving off.
Violet paused to assess the situation. Of the nine girls who were sick three, including Celeste, had been moved to makeshift beds on the far side of the hall. Four others, including Goldie, were still in the throes of being ill. She could hear Goldie wail something about never eating carrots again.
Arianna was shaky but generously caring for Genevieve, who seemed to have passed out from the pain in her stomach. Violet shook her head. Poor Genevieve. She was undoubtedly the most sensitive princess in the room, certainly the one with the worst luck. She felt a wave of fear wash over her. If the grass had made Genevieve’s feet bleed, could the stew do permanent damage or even kill her? It seemed ridiculous, but before meeting Genevieve there had been a lot of things she found unbelievable that had been proved true.
As much as Violet wanted to soothe her friend, she realized there was nothing she could do for Genevieve that Arianna was not already doing. She turned and walked to the far end of the room to check on the three girls recuperating there.
“How are they?” she asked the woman overseeing the group.
“Better. Should I give them a little bread or something to eat?”
Violet shook her head. “Pass the word. Make sure they don’t eat anything for at least a couple of hours until their stomachs have settled.”
Celeste and one of the other girls were lying quietly, eyes closed and faces pale. The third was weeping openly, and Violet knelt beside her and put her hand on her back.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” Violet asked.
“I just want to go home.”
Violet didn’t know what to say, so she just stayed with her for a couple of minutes, rubbing her back and trying to quiet her. Finally, the girl’s sobbing faded. Violet wished she could go home and hold her mother and comfort her. She wished she could give her a root and make her better. She wrestled with her own exhaustion and finally went to check on the others who were still sick.
They were doing better except for Genevieve. At least they had managed to wake her.
“Goldie, how are you doing?” Violet asked.
“I feel like I want to die,” Goldie moaned.
“That’s terrible!”
“Actually, it’s an improvement. A couple of minutes ago I thought I had died,” Goldie said, coughing.
Violet winced. She thought of her mother and struggled to keep back the tears. She patted Goldie on the shoulder.
Two hours later everyone was starting to feel better. The girls were worn out, disheveled, but no longer violently ill. Even Genevieve seemed to be on the mend.
Violet finally took a moment to sit down and wipe the sweat from her forehead. Although the food hadn’t made her sick, taking care of the others had exhausted her. What she wanted most was to take a bath and to get out into the fresh air. While Violet contemplated taking a short walk outside while her patients were stable, the steward put in an appearance.
He glanced around the hall and then made his way over to Violet.
“How is everyone?” he asked her.
She grimaced. “Not well, but improving. It seems that the stomach of a princess is sensitive as well.”
He nodded. “That is the general idea.”
She glared at him. “Some might think these tests funny, but people are getting hurt. This needs to stop.”
It sounded like a threat, Violet knew, but she didn’t bother to explain herself. His eyes widened in momentary dismay, and the steward took a step back. “It is out of my hands, milady,” he said.
She stood up. Violet didn’t want to engage in any more conversation for fear she would get angry. That would surely get her kicked out of the castle, but she was pretty sure that was a certainty anyway. Violet glanced over his shoulder and restrained herself, though, when she saw the royal family enter.
The queen had a kerchief covering her nose and mouth. Both Richard and his father, upon seeing the sick girls and disarray of the room, looked slightly ill. The steward scurried over to them. He whispered a few words she couldn’t hear, and then the king nodded.
“My apologies. It seems you have been unfortunately served some rather unwholesome food,” the king began.
Violet glared as she crossed her arms. He made it sound like an accident, when it so clearly had not been. And the stew wasn’t bad; it just wasn’t what they were used to.
“In light of the current situation I think it only fair to ask each of you a question. Do you want to continue on with the tests or withdraw?”
There was murmuring amongst all the girls as the implication of his words sank in. The king was giving them a choice: quit the field of competition or continue on and risk the consequences. Given that they had been intentionally fed food that made them ill, there was nothing to make them believe that continuing in the competition would be a safe course of action. What would the next two tests bring?
Violet glanced at Genevieve. The other girl had been so sick Violet had actually worried for her life. How could she trust that the final two tests wouldn’t get someone killed?
The king turned toward Celeste, who was nearest him. “Princess Celeste, do you withdraw or do you continue?”
“I continue,” Celeste said.
“Princess Lena?”
“Withdraw.”
Again there was murmuring from the other girls.
“Princess Angela?”
“Withdraw.”
“Princess Goldie?” the king asked.
“I will continue,” Goldie said, voice shaking.
“Princess Ruth?”
“Continue.”
“Princess Evaline?”
“Continue.”
“Princess Arianna?”
Arianna stood up and bowed. “I choose to withdraw.”
Violet stared at her. She knew Arianna didn’t want to win, but it still surprised her that she had withdrawn.
“Princess Cora?”
“Withdraw.”
“Princess Genevieve?”
“I wish to withdraw,” Genevieve croaked.
“Princess Violet?”
Violet set her jaw. She had not come so far or endured this much not to continue, no matter the cost.
“I will continue,” she said.
The king nodded. “Very well. Princesses Celeste, Goldie, Ruth, Evaline, and Violet will continue on to the next test. The rest of you may leave if you like, but you are certainly welcome to stay and observe the proceedings.”
Violet looked at Richard and realized that he was just as upset by what had happened as she was. She gave him a slight nod and hoped that he knew she didn’t blame him.
Servants began to help the princesses to their feet and to their rooms. Violet joined Arianna, Genevieve, and Goldie. Violet noticed that Arianna’s pale skin was flushed a dark, angry red.
Arianna’s eyes flashed as she spoke. “This is intolerable. I participated in their little games, but no more. The king and queen of Cambria should just be grateful I am not taking this poisoning as a declaration of war. It will, however, be many years before the people of Aster consider an alliance with Cambria.”
“It is poor taste indeed given that their predecessors were assassinated,” Genevieve said.
“Although it would have served Lore right if Celeste had died,” Goldie said.
“I can’t believe you withdrew,” Violet said to Genevieve.
“Sure you can,” Genevieve answered with a smile. “Because you know deep down that sooner or later one of these insane tests would have crippled me.”
“You are amazingly fragile,” Arianna said.
“Thank you, I think.”
“I want to withdraw, but I can’t,” Goldie said. “There is still danger that my uncle will try to overthrow me and claim the throne for himself. I need an alliance with Cambria. What about you, though?” Goldie asked Violet.
Arianna rolled her eyes. “There’s no way she’s going to withdraw. She’s in love with Richard.”
Goldie’s eyes widened. “I had no idea. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised; he is incredibly desirable, not just because of his position but because of his character.” She bit her lip. “You have been very kind, and I respect your feelings for the prince, but I won’t withdraw.”
“It’s okay,” Violet said. “Besides, we were competitors first, friends second. And whatever happens here, I hope that the latter can still be true.”
“It is agreed,” Goldie said.
“We can be sure that Celeste will never give up. She wants the throne too badly. Even if she could be dissuaded, her parents would still push her,” Genevieve said.
“Does anyone know much about Ruth or Evaline?” Arianna asked.
They all shook their heads. “I wish there was some way to get them to drop out,” Goldie said.
“I’d love to continue this discussion,” Arianna said, “but could we please do it out in the fresh air?”
Violet smiled. “I was thinking something similar.”
“I could use a bath,” Genevieve said.
“Well, if you’re not afraid of a little cold water, I’ve got a great idea,” Arianna said mischievously.
“You wouldn’t!” Violet said, laughing.
“Watch me. After that stunt they’ll be lucky if I only bathe in the fountain,” Arianna said stubbornly.
“What are the two of you talking about?” Goldie asked.
Arianna held out a hand to Goldie as Violet helped Genevieve stand. “Come with us and find out.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
It was Richard who found them all in the fountai
n. Genevieve was perched daintily on the side with only her feet dangling in the water. Arianna had submerged herself entirely, and Violet and Goldie were splashing each other and laughing.
“What are you doing?” Richard asked in a shocked voice.
“Celebrating,” Genevieve answered.
“Celebrating what?”
“That Genevieve and I are no longer in the competition,” Arianna said, surfacing and spitting water out of her mouth like the fish that topped the fountain.
“Well, two of you are still in the competition, so make sure you don’t let my parents catch you,” he warned.
“I think Prince Richard is too serious,” Arianna said. “What do you think?”
“Yes, definitely too serious,” Genevieve said, her eyes wide.
Violet hadn’t felt so free since leaving the farm. She’d been so focused on winning she’d forgotten to enjoy life along the way. She took careful aim with Arianna and then splashed Richard.
He yelped and jumped away from the fountain’s edge. Violet started laughing and wasn’t sure she’d ever stop. All the pressure of the last few days seemed to slip away.
“Okay, all this excitement is a little too much for Genevieve,” Arianna said with a grin. “Come on, let’s go change into clean, dry clothes.”
Genevieve rolled her eyes. “I have enough people telling me what to do,” she protested. Still, she stood up, retrieved her slippers, and started walking with Arianna toward the castle.
Goldie looked suddenly uncomfortable. “I think I’ll go with them,” she said, splashing out of the pool. “We’ve already had too much sun and are sure to be burnt.”
“That just leaves you I’ll have to chase out of the fountain,” Richard said with a smile.
“You’ll have to catch me first,” Violet said.
She splashed him again, and to her surprise Richard jumped into the fountain. Violet squealed and backed away, trying to splash water in his face. He chased after her, water spraying around him, his boots slowing him down. He finally dashed straight through the cascading water tumbling from the fish sculpture and finally caught her. The laughter died on her lips.
He leaned in and kissed her. Violet put her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his around her waist. He lifted her up into the air, and for a moment the world seemed to fade away. There were only the two of them and the kiss that she wanted to last forever. How long it did last, she didn’t know. Violet just knew that when Richard pulled away, it felt like her heart would break.
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