The Amazing Adventures of Princess Peridot

by Lynne Roberts

  Chapter 11.

  All Peridot’s sisters thought her betrothal was a huge joke. Amethyst took malicious delight in instructing her in the expected behaviour of a queen, and Amber and Topaz tried to outdo each other as they came up with more and more outrageous plans for the sort of life she would lead as Prince Percival’s wife. They had all had a good look at him and agreed that as a prince he was definitely not one of the better catches.

  It was impossible for Peridot to avoid Prince Percival. Every feast day, there he was sitting opposite her, thanks to Queen Vashti’s carefully drawn up table arrangements. He had appalling table manners and fortunately seemed more interested in the food then in her, but Peridot could feel his piggy little eyes boring into her back whenever she turned away from him. She felt quite sympathetic towards Wizard Saladin and decided that he must have been quite justified in his spell. ‘And I was stupid enough to break it,’ thought Peridot bitterly. ‘Look where it’s got me!’

  Unfortunately her situation meant that her tutors redoubled their efforts to teach her and her days were filled with lessons in History, Music, Deportment and Needlework. Even the royal wives grudgingly accepted their responsibilities and took Peridot on long boring walks around the herb gardens, instructing her in their uses. They also gave long boring lectures about the different customs of the various countries she was likely to come across. Pearl smiled sympathetically. But Jade and Coral were quite put out by Peridot’s rise to importance and the only one who was truly sympathetic appeared to be Opal.

  It was a few months before Peridot had the time and leisure to get back to the secluded garden, where she discovered with sadness that the striped shirt was musty and mildewed.

  ‘I don’t think I can ask Ravid for another. He’s done so much for me already,’ she said to herself. ‘And anyway, he probably doesn’t have many clothes to spare.’ She slipped a note under the seat reassuring Ravid that she had not forgotten him but explaining briefly about her proposed betrothal. ‘Although he probably knows about the prince already,’ she thought ruefully.

  A few days later Peridot came in from her dancing lesson to find an excited Amber chattering with the serving girls.

  ‘What’s all the fuss about?’ she asked. ‘Has Pearl finally made up her mind who she wants to marry?’

  ‘No, nothing like that,’ Amber told her. ‘The king has ordered a whipping and we all have to be present for it.’

  ‘Oh no! I hate it when that happens. Why do we have to go?’

  ‘So we can see what happens to people who disobey our father,’ snapped Jade spitefully, coming into the room in time to hear her question. ‘Hurry up. We haven’t much time.’

  Peridot trailed dolefully across to the Council Room. This was a large chamber where the king and his advisors heard complaints and made judgements in cases of wrong doing. It also contained a large wheel shaped slab of stone which errant prisoners were strapped to before being whipped. Peridot shuddered when she saw it and felt sick. She was thankful that her young sisters were not forced to watch. Garnet, at seven, was the youngest there and she looked pale and unhappy.

  ‘Does anyone know who it is or what it’s for,’ whispered Amethyst.

  ‘Apparently it’s one of the gardeners,’ Coral whispered back. ‘Some of the royal jewelry has turned up in the bazaar and the Captain of the Guard saw him with a stolen bracelet. They didn’t know who he was until one of the other gardeners caught him leaving a note under one of the seats in the outer garden. They think he must have been arranging an assignation with one of the royal wives. Our father has questioned them all and they all deny it, but then they would, wouldn’t they?’

  Peridot sat bolt upright in shock. At that moment a blast sounded on one of the ceremonial trumpets and a group of guards marched in with the thin and shaking figure of Ravid shackled between them. In silence they strapped him to the wheel, bent so his naked back would feel the full force of the blows to come. The Warden uncoiled the whip and stroked it lovingly with his hands. Peridot thought she was going to faint and bent her head to allow some of the blood to rush back.

  The king strode in and seated himself in the high golden judgement chair.

  ‘Behold. This man has committed a crime against Us,’ he boomed. ‘He has stolen golden jewelry and attempted to communicate with royal persons. His punishment is forty lashes.’

  A gasp went up from the chamber. Twenty was the usual number and even this could leave a man crippled for life.

  The king went on, ‘if anyone has any mitigating plea, let him speak now.’

  This was a formality insisted on by the advisors in the unlikely event of a wrongful arrest. No one seriously expected anyone to speak at this point and the king was about to give the signal to the Warden to begin the whipping when Peridot leapt to her feet.

  ‘I have,’ she called.

  The king gaped in surprise, as did most of the court. Several of the queens motioned frantically at Peridot to sit down and even Dinsala looked shocked.

  ‘He didn’t steal the brooch and the bracelets. I gave them to him. And he was leaving a note for me,’ said Peridot desperately as Ravid gave her an anguished look and closed his eyes. He was sure this was the last straw the king needed to order him to be beheaded.

  ‘It’s all my fault,’ Peridot wailed. ‘I made him do it. I found him when I sneaked into the garden one morning and I made him help me by leaving clothes for me.’

  The gasp of dismay from the assembled crowd was even louder this time and Peridot suddenly realised that she was making things even worse for Ravid.

  ‘I told him he had to write me a note,’ she persisted,

  ‘Enough!’ roared the king. ‘Take her away and I’ll deal with her later. Commence the whipping.’

  ‘No,’ shrieked Peridot as the guards advanced towards her. Spotting Prince Percival in the crowd she ran to him and pulled at his arm frantically. ‘You tell them,’ she panted. ‘You know how Ravid helped you, in fact he saved your life. Tell them quickly.’

  Prince Percival looked flustered and a rosy blush spread across his cheeks as the king glared at him.

  ‘Hm, well, it’s true, actually,’ he mumbled. ‘This gardener did, as it happens, er, save my life so to speak.’

  ‘Are you speaking in mitigation?’ demanded the king.

  Prince Percival glanced at Peridot who was gazing at him imploringly and then across at Ravid who had opened his eyes and was looking hopefully up at him.

  ‘Um, er yes. That is to say, well, yes I am.’ Prince Percival mopped his brow with a large spotted handkerchief.

  King Balthazar was nonplussed. There was a muttering throughout the council room as the onlookers discussed this amazing turn of events. Dinsala took the opportunity to whisper in the king’s ear and after a few moments he held up his hand for silence.

  ‘Very well. Prince Percival We accept your plea. Free the prisoner who henceforth is dismissed from Our royal service and who will enter the palace grounds on pain of death from this day forth. Princess Peridot, you can be thankful your betrothed intervened in this case and you will prepare to be married at the next Hallow Day. That is all.’

  He stamped out the door as the guards untied Ravid and waited to escort him out of the palace. Peridot wanted to talk to him but was dragged away by two of the queens who harangued her all the way back to her quarters.

  ‘Disgusting behaviour.’

  ‘No daughter of mine would behave like that.’

  ‘Fancy Prince Percival deigning to marry you.’

  ‘You should be grateful, you shameless hussy.’

  Peridot’s sisters were hardly more sympathetic. Jade was furious. ‘It should have been Pearl’s wedding next then mine,’ she screamed. ‘We’ll be a laughing stock now you’re to be married first.’

  ‘I don’t even want to be married,’ cried Peridot. ‘Go away.’

  She threw herself on her bed and howled in misery, privately resolving to run away the first chance sh
e got. ‘I’ll even risk the tigers,’ she sobbed.

  However, there were only three weeks until the next Hallow Day and Peridot was surrounded the entire time. If it wasn’t the royal dressmakers needing fittings, it was her tutors endeavoring to stuff more knowledge into her unwilling head. Her younger sisters clamoured to be bridesmaids and she gloomily accepted Beryl and Lapis and took some pleasure in turning down Moonstone.

  Peridot grew more and more unhappy as Hallow Day approached. The night before the wedding she flopped down in the bathhouse where Shiraz was to give her a last massage before anointing her with rare perfumes in readiness for the ceremony.

  ‘I’m so unhappy,’ Peridot wailed.

  Shiraz was amazed. ‘But you’re marrying a prince, my lady. It’s a great honour.’

  ‘He eats like a pig,’ snapped Peridot, ‘and he looks like one too.’

  Shiraz tactfully said nothing.

  ‘I don’t want to be married,’ said Peridot fretfully.

  ‘But think of the freedom you'll enjoy,’ sighed Shiraz. ‘You’ll have furs and jewels and travel all round the world and all sorts of things,’ she ended in a rush.

  ‘I won’t enjoy any of it if I have to be with him,’ muttered Peridot stubbornly.