Clarice slowly exhaled as she took in the results of my spell. “Oh, Rae, what a beautiful memory.” She reached over and took my hand, her eyes glistening with tears. “There was so much love between us then. I remember it this way as well.”
I blushed at the compliment, though there was no need. As I looked around, I knew this enchantment would carry us to safety, as few would dare disturb the fragile beauty of a fairy migration but to stare in wonder. Even the coldest of hearts warmed at the sight.
Under her breath, Clarice muttered words I couldn’t hear, but likely as not they were prayers to the earth spirits, asking for silence. If they were willing to help, they would dampen the horses’ hooves as we rode.
Within moments, it was quiet save for the natural sounds of the forest.
I turned to Prince Leopold, grinning a little. “You may speak, Highness.”
He chuckled. “Well, now that I have permission, I find my words have left me. This…” He looked around, completely in awe. “This is utterly amazing. It’s exactly as I remember it.”
“Memories of magic rarely fade,” I said. “It was lucky we all shared one.”
Stretching his neck back as far as he could without falling, he squinted into the distance. “How far back does the glamour reach?”
“As far back as my memory,” I said. “Far enough.”
“Your gift is unquestionably wonderful, Rae,” he said, fixing his gaze on me.
“As is the rest of her,” Clarice added as she winked, then sped her horse forward.
Back to blushing, I kept my eyes trained ahead.
“I agree with her,” he said softly.
I waved my hand around, brushing it off. “Nonsense. It’s only a little light show.”
“But one who can create something as beautiful as this…” he said. “That is a person with a truly lovely spirit. You are filled with beautiful things, Raelynn.”
Flustered at all the praise, I had no words in return. The honest and kind way he spoke always left me speechless. He didn’t press for further conversation, and we passed the remainder of the day’s journey with the sounds of birds as our musical accompaniment.
I slept deeply that first night, but was still tired when they woke me at dawn. I kept up the glamour for the entire following day, and when we stopped for the night, I couldn’t even keep my eyes open to eat dinner. By the third day of riding, everyone wore looks of concern whenever I glanced their way, but exhaustion kept me from caring overmuch. Not even nightmares could penetrate the blackness that overtook me in the evening, which was a welcome consequence. The fourth morning, it took Erata shaking me awake, panic plainly written on her face when I finally opened my eyes.
Prince Leopold knelt beside me, his face drawn in worry. “Are you ill? Is there anything I can do?”
I sat up with a groan, asking myself that same question. “No. No, I’ll be fine. Such a large glamour is difficult to sustain, that’s all. I’ll be all right once I can give it up.”
“Maybe you should—”
“Don’t even suggest it,” I said, holding up a hand to stop him. “We’re too close to risk traveling without it. I’m not so fragile that I can’t protect my family when it’s most important.”
He paused when I said “family,” his features shifting between happiness and uncertainty. As it hit me what caused this reaction, I backpedalled, but couldn’t quite muster anything to explain it away. My mind was too exhausted to put up much of a fight. Instead, I pushed myself to my feet and tried to ignore the slip, stretching and preparing myself for the last leg of the journey.
“You say we should reach their outpost shortly after sundown?” Erata said as she hefted my pack to hand it to me.
He nodded. “Yes. We should, pending they haven’t moved off from the site, but there’s no reason they would. The Kingdom of Moran has been building up their forces fifty miles from our shared border, so our army has been waiting to see if anything breaks. The diplomacy has been holding for now, but with my mother’s passing…”
As the sadness passed over his face, I had to stop myself from reaching out to him, looking away at the tall brown grass of the fields that surrounded us rather than tempt myself with thoughts of comforting him with more than words.
“At any rate,” he said, lifting his own pack, “there’s no reason they’ll be anywhere except where I left them several weeks back. If anything, they’ll be closer to us than farther from.”
One more day of riding and I could let it go. After that…
Well, spirits willing, Prince Leopold would keep his army’s loyalty and my tricks would become unnecessary.
I pulled two apples and some salt from my pack before shouldering it, the weight nearly toppling me in. As the others finished breaking camp and erasing our traces, I busied myself with the horses, as none of my companions would let me help anyway. Placing one of the apples in my pocket, I cut the other in half, liberally salting the exposed flesh.
“Good morning, Cora,” I said as I approached the mare. “Ready to put up with me one last day?” Handing her one of the salted halves, she whinnied happily. I chuckled. “You needn’t lie about it. I know you don’t care much for magic. I promise it will be over soon.”
While she crunched away on the remaining half, I looked around, watching as the prince helped each of my sisters onto their chosen mounts. Though he did so pleasantly, I saw the hidden anxiety buried beneath the jovial exterior. I had seen his true smile and, even as he told Belinda a little joke, it didn’t shine through as it should.
At last, he came to me and Cora, but when he saw my frown, he paused. “What’s the matter? Have I done something to upset you?”
I shook my head. “No. I just…” I stopped, unsure that I should say anything at all, but my mouth was less tired than my brain and it got ahead of me. “I hope, when this is over, that you find joy again. Your smile isn’t what it was before. I…” Looking away, I distracted myself with smoothing Cora’s mane. “I miss it.”
Feeling very stupid, I glanced at him to gauge his reaction. His expression stole my breath, and I came under the full brunt of his genuine smile. Without a word, he took a knee before me and offered me a hand. When I made no move, he tilted his head, a grin pulling at his lips.
“Help you up?” he asked.
Irritated at myself for being silly again, I set a boot against his knee, and he boosted me onto Cora’s back. Brushing aside my own petty worries, I once again summoned my glamour, cloaking our party in fairy light. Without so much as a glance at my sisters, as I was sure they’d tease me endlessly for that little display with Leo, I urged Cora forward, eager to be away and that much closer to our destination.
The horses stuck with us for much longer than expected. Even better, Remy and Cora parted from them, continuing on with us. This was lucky for me, as the first time I attempted to walk more than twenty steps, my knees completely gave out on me, my body refusing to stay upright.
As I released the glamour when the horses rode away, I sank to my knees, my breathing labored and every muscle in my body with no more strength than apple blossoms in a blizzard. I needed to be stronger than this. If anything happened where we needed to disguise ourselves, I wasn’t sure I could help. Still, there was relief in letting go of a disguise… a relief I hadn’t felt in over a year.
“Rest for a moment,” Prince Leopold said. When I tried to stand, he put a hand on my shoulder, effectively stopping me. “You need to rest. Don’t argue with me.”
I settled back down, scowling up at him as he handed me a water skein. “We haven’t the time to stop here. We can’t sit out in the open this way.”
“You’re both correct,” Adelaide said, interrupting us. “Since Remy and Cora stayed with us, you should ride. That way, we can keep moving.”
“I’m not going to ride when everyone else has to walk,” I said.
“Oh, really. And how far do you think you’ll get before you collapse mid-step?” She set her
hands on her hips and gave me a look that instantly transported me back to my childhood self. “If you ride, at least you’ll be conscious and can get some of your energy back in case of emergency.”
I gritted my teeth. “I’m not a child, Adelaide, I don’t need—” My protests vanished with a yelp as I was lifted into the air. I stared up at the prince, too stunned at the sudden contact to formulate adequate curses for being forcibly moved. Before I knew it, I was astride Cora once more, my pack and another lashed across Remy’s back. Leo grinned up at me, meeting my glare with his own impish glee.
“I imagine if you tried to get down on your own, you’d likely break your neck. I like you better breathing, so please do be careful,” he said.
Looking down at the ground, I realized he was probably right. Rather than a graceful dismount, I’d end up as a walking pile of bruises or worse. Still, it irritated me to no end that I was being handled that way.
With me taken care of, we set out once again for the army encampment. Dinner was no more than dried fruit and slightly stale bread, as there wasn’t time to stop and hunt that day. I dozed off and on over the course of the ride, but was jerked awake when Cora stopped abruptly.
“What’s—”
“Shh,” the prince whispered beside me. “There’s a patrol up ahead. I need to see who it is. If I know them, they’ll recognize my signal.”
As he moved to go, I caught his shoulder with a hand. “Wait. Are you sure it’s a good idea to approach while it’s dark? Why not wait until morning when—”
“Thank you for your concern, but we can’t stay out here another night. Our food stores are nearly gone, and you aren’t fit to disguise us any longer. I’ve trusted these men with my life on more than one occasion. Tonight will be no different.” He flashed me a reassuring wink, and I released him, unable to argue with his reasoning.
“Be careful,” I said.
With a small nod, he ducked out of the thin cluster of trees and crept towards the approaching patrol. I saw them then, three men on horseback, their crossbows and swords glimmering in the light of the full moon. They rode across the great, wide valley at a slow clip, all three mindful of their duties. Prince Leopold’s figure cut through the tall grass toward them, and he stopped a hundred yards away, crouching low and out of sight. The high-pitched, musical whistle of the blue-crested swallow drifted to my ears.
“Oh, he’s very good,” Belinda whispered. “That call would almost fool me were it not for the slight warble he has at the end of it.”
Dismissing her comment, I kept my eyes on the scene unfolding in the valley. The soldiers had stopped and looked to be discussing something amongst themselves. My heart thudded in my chest so loud I was sure it would give us away. Despite the weakness in my arms, I readied my bow and nocked an arrow, aiming for the soldiers should any one of them make a sudden move. Sheer force of will kept me from wavering in my dedication.
Another whistle came from the men, this time the call of a mountain lark, though not nearly as convincing an imitation. I drew back on my bow as Prince Leopold stood.
Clarice set a hand on my boot. “You’ll not need that tonight, sister.”
I looked at her from the corner of my eye. “I’d rather not leave it to chance.”
She shook her head. “The spirits are listening. They tell me he’s met with good company. Look.”
Casting my gaze back to the valley, she appeared to be correct. The three on horses had dismounted, and they knelt as the prince approached. Within moments, he had them on their feet, embracing each in turn. I didn’t lower my weapon, however. Even when one rode away, I kept my arrow at the ready while the other two came toward us with the prince.
He broke through the trees, grinning when he saw me. “You see?” he said to the soldiers behind him. “Did I not tell you a marksman stood ready to fire?”
They balked when they saw me, and Prince Leopold laughed. “Stand down, M’lady. That’s no way to greet my friends.”
I narrowed my eyes at the soldiers, only lowering my readied arrow when the prince approached. “I swear to you, Raelynn, they’re on my side. More than once we’ve saved each other’s lives. I trust them almost as much as I do you.”
“Circumstances change, Highness,” I said, reverting to formality in the presence of strangers. “In my opinion, it’s better to be cautious than dead.”
“We’re just happy to see he lives, M’lady,” the soldier on the left said. “When word reached us that he’d been killed in an ambush on a hunting trip—”
I snorted. “Is that the lie the snake is spreading? Your prince was indeed ambushed, but by his own guard.” I leaned forward to peer at them. “Know this. I killed two before putting arrows into a third that day. If you so much as speak ill of Prince Leopold, I’ll have your tongues as trophies.”
“Raelynn!” Adelaide said, utterly aghast. “What a horrid thing to say!”
The prince barked a laugh. “She speaks the truth, I have no doubt.” He turned and clasped the men on their shoulders. “You’ll do well not to cross her, but she’s quite lovely if you catch her well-rested.” I rolled my eyes to the heavens, but let him continue. “Now, would you be so good as to escort us to General Turgis? I’ll have words with him tonight if he’ll see me.”
“We’ll see you there at once. Manx should have reported in by the time we get there,” the soldier on the right said. “He’ll be relieved and happy to see you well, Your Majesty.” The man grinned. “Although you look a little worse for the wear.”
The prince laughed again and led us out of the trees. “Yes, well, attempts on one’s life by magical means does wear on a body. But we’ll discuss all this later. Tell me, is there any movement from the other side? Any disruptions in supplies? Are the men holding up all right?”
I followed along, listening as they talked about the status of the front. I tried hard to pay attention and hold on to the details, but my exhaustion thwarted every attempt. Before long, I was dozing again, woken by the sounds of a great gathering of men. I looked up, beholding a sprawling mass of tents, the darkness dotted with large fires surrounded by moving shadows, the occasional strain of a pipe or lute carrying through the night. The smell of roasting meat set my mouth to watering, but nauseous anxiety kept my stomach’s growls at bay.
At last, we’d reached the army’s encampment.
Chapter 14
I only panicked for a moment when the soldier approached to help me down from my horse, my pulse speeding to a frantic gallop before I could catch it. Immediately knowing my hesitation for what it was, Prince Leopold stepped in with a smile, lifting me down to save me from my own fears.
“Thank you,” I whispered as he released me.
He nodded. “My pleasure. Are you all right to walk?”
“It’s only a few feet to the tent,” I said, yawning. “I’m not broken, just tired.”
“Is he here?” a man’s deep voice called from inside the large tent, and the source of the voice pushed aside a loose flap to see for himself. Lit from behind, I couldn’t see his face, but when he hurried out to us, I knew him for the aged soldier I’d seen the day the prince arrived at the palace.
“Your Highness,” he said as he took a knee. “I cannot tell you what a relief it is to see the news we received was untrue.”
The prince tapped his shoulder. “Rise, General Turgis. Our time is short, and there’s a need for haste. Save the formalities for when we’re at court again.”
The general stood and bowed. “Of course, come inside and we’ll discuss. I’ll have the men see the ladies to a tent so—”
“With your permission, General,” I interrupted, stepping forward. There was no way I’d be left out of the happenings at this stage. “My sisters and I possess information you’ll need. We’ve not come all this way to be shuffled aside now.”
As the general tried to recover from his shock at my insistent words, Prince Leopold stepped in. “I would agree with her. These seven are th
e only reason I still live. They have as much to lose in this as I have.” He motioned to the tent. “If you would, we’ll explain everything inside.”
“Of… Of course, Highness,” General Turgis said. “This way.”
It was a bit snug with all of us gathered around the massive table covered in maps and figurines arranged for battle planning, but we made do, cramming in around the edges of the table. My sisters and I listened patiently as the prince recounted his story, in as much as he knew it.
“It was the lady here,” he said, motioning to me, “who saved me from the guards sent to kill me, as well as the two other attempts on my life.”
“I see,” the general said, rubbing at the stubble on his chin. “And who are these ladies? I’ve yet to hear their names.”
I looked to Adelaide, assuming she would make our introductions, being the eldest of us, but, instead, she motioned to me to answer him.
Nervous, I swallowed. It had been a very long time since I’d laid claim to any title, and I was still hesitant to admit so much in the open. But, as the duty fell to me, I squared my shoulders and took a deep breath.
“I am Raelynn Grace Amalthea, youngest of seven princesses of Bern. My sisters and I, Adelaide, Belinda, Clarice, Delphine, Erata, and Farah…” I motioned to each in turn, and they dipped their heads as I said their names. “We fled from our kingdom ten years past, hunted ever since by the man who now claims the throne of this land as well. He is a murderer, a liar, and a master of dark magic. We could not save our own mother, nor your beloved queen, but I will not allow him any further gains. If it costs me my life, I will see the usurper dead.”
The General, eyes wide with shock, gaped at me. “The Princesses of Bern? I…” He closed his mouth and straightened himself. “My apologies, ladies. I’ll speak with more care in the future.”
Shadows on Snow: A Flipped Fairy Tale (Flipped Fairy Tales) Page 14