Chapter 12.
Peridot prayed that something would happen to prevent the wedding but the next day she was arrayed in bridal garments of silver and cream and conveyed to the temple in a richly decorated litter. The population of the town showered the litter with rose petals and Peridot huddled inside it feeling sick to the stomach. Never had the road to the town seemed so short and she envied the carefree children who ran alongside the litter and wished she could swap places with any one of them.
A gong sounded as the litter came to a stop, and Dinsala stepped forward to escort her as the crowd cheered. Peridot’s legs trembled as they climbed the steps to the temple and she gripped Dinsala’s arm to keep herself from falling. He gave her an encouraging smile and she bit her lip to keep herself from crying. In a daze she stood in the sacred circle and watched as Prince Percival came to stand importantly beside her. He was dressed in a pink and silver suit, which was rather tight, and Peridot began to feel faint at the prospect of being married to him. Lapis and Garnet giggled beside her, holding their baskets of flowers importantly. The Temple Master stepped forward as the crowd began the wailing song that preceded the wedding ceremony.
In order to speed the wedding up, the king had decreed that the usual days and weeks of smaller ceremonies had been dispensed with in favour of one large and final celebration. Queen Vashti had suggested it, afraid that too much time may have allowed Prince Percival to have changed his mind about accepting this most awkward of girls. King Balthazar sat enthroned at one end of the temple, his wives beside him in order of rank. Next to the queens were the princesses. Some of them, like Topaz and Sapphire, were cheerful and envied Peridot, while others, such as Jade and Coral, were obviously seriously miffed. Even baby Zircon was there, fondly watched over by the matronly Noni.
A procession of slaves carried gifts of gold and precious stones from neighbouring kingdoms to the happy couple, and Prince Percival licked his thick lips in pleasure as they were carried past to be displayed on a large marble table. Peridot glanced at the table and was nearly sick. There at one end was the ceremonial knife, which would be used to cut her finger for the blood sacrifice.
‘I can’t do it, I can’t do it.’ The words hammered inside her brain until she felt the whole temple should be able to hear them.
The song came to an end at last and the Temple Master opened his mouth to begin chanting the Words of Sacrifice. Before he could speak there was a sudden flash of lightning which made the crowd flinch, and a large cloud of billowing green smoke surrounded Peridot and Prince Percival. Gasping and coughing, Peridot felt her hand grabbed and a voice in her ear said, ‘quick. Come with me.’
‘Ravid?’ she said incredulously.
‘Yes. Here, quick.’
Under cover of the smoke, Ravid pulled her though a doorway and they ran out to a deserted street. Here he tumbled her into a waiting cart that was pulled by a large black horse with reins hung with silver tassels. He threw a blanket over Peridot with a quick murmur of apology then took up the reins as the horse trotted off.
Half an hour later Ravid stopped the cart and pulled the blanket back off a hot and disheveled Peridot.
‘What’s going on?’ she asked.
Ravid grinned. ‘When I was sacked as a gardener I went along to the Blue Square to see if I could pick up some casual work. Sometimes employers go there to consult the scribes in between the Hiring Markets. Anyway, I was in luck. Guess who was wanting an apprentice?’
‘Not Wizard Saladin?’
‘The very same. He took me on that day and I’ve been working for him ever since. Unfortunately the only spell I’ve learned so far has been how to turn people into pigs.’
‘You don’t mean…’
Ravid grinned. ‘Afraid so. Now there’s no way anyone could expect you to marry a pig, but just in case I decided to get you away. They’ll think you vanished when the lightning came so no-one will bother looking for you.’
Peridot was so relieved she burst into tears. Ravid patted her back awkwardly. ‘I thought you’d be pleased.’
‘I am pleased,’ sobbed Peridot. ‘But where am I going to go now?’
‘Well, Wizard Saladin is actually not a bad sort. Maybe he’ll take you on a as an apprentice as well.’
‘What a good idea,’ began Peridot.
There was a small flash of blue flame and the horse disappeared to be replaced by the Wizard Saladin. He was just as tall and forbidding as Peridot had remembered him as he surveyed her with arms folded.
‘On the contrary, young Ravid, that is a very bad idea. I have no intention of encouraging a princess into training as a wizard, or even a boot cleaner.’ He frowned at Peridot as he spoke and she was surprised to see a gleam of humour in his eyes.
‘You were the horse?’ Ravid was surprised and Peridot took a step towards the wizard and touched his black cloak with a tentative finger.
‘Can you turn yourself into a horse any time you want to?’ she asked in amazement. ‘Can you turn other people into horses too?’
Saladin gave a short laugh. ‘Oh I can turn myself into all kinds of things when necessary,’ he replied. ‘And other people too, if the whim takes me. But don’t worry. I have no intention of turning you into anything, not even a pig like your betrothed.’
‘Don’t call him that,’ scowled Peridot. ‘It wasn’t my idea to marry him. It’s all your fault.’
‘Oh? And why is that?’ Saladin asked softly.
‘Because,’ stammered Peridot, ‘you turned him into a pig in the first place so that I had to find a way of changing him back. And you were right. He is a pig, even when he is a person.’
‘But you wanted an adventure,’ the wizard pointed out. There was no answer Peridot could make to this. She thought for a few minutes while Ravid carefully folded the blanket and avoided looking at her. In the end she turned an anguished look to Saladin.
‘So what is going to happen to me?’ Peridot faltered. ‘Where am I going to go?’
‘I thought I’d take you to your mother,’ said Wizard Saladin calmly. ‘She runs a dancing troupe in the next town and she has done very well for herself. I visit her regularly to keep her updated on your progress.’
‘My mother?’ gasped Peridot. ‘I thought she’d forgotten me.’
‘On the contrary. She cares a lot for you. But she felt that leaving you in the palace would be the best she could do for you. You would receive a good education and upbringing and never want for anything.’
‘Well I can’t go back now,’ said Peridot indignantly. ‘I’d be in such disgrace they’d practically keep me prisoner there until I’m an old woman. I’d rather do anything than that. Even clean boots!’
Saladin smiled. ‘I realise that. I dare say there will be some sort of things you can do to keep yourself occupied where your mother lives. I will take you to her shortly, and not as a horse, so you can take that grin off your face, Ravid.’
‘Thank you. I think that’s great,’ said Peridot in a daze of happiness. ‘But what if someone sees me there?’
‘No need to worry,’ said Wizard Saladin smoothly. He raised a hand and murmured, ‘curls I think.’
Peridot felt a tingling sensation as her hair suddenly shrank in length and curled into waves around her head. She squeaked in surprise. The wizard looked at her with his head on one side. ‘What colour do you think, Ravid?’ he asked. ‘Red or blonde?’
Blonde, definitely,’ said Ravid, thinking of the red-haired Captain of the Guard with a shudder.
‘Done,’ said Saladin in satisfaction. ‘There you are,’ he went on, handing Peridot a small mirror from a pocket of his robe. ‘That should do it.’
Peridot looked at her reflection in astonishment. Her hair was now a golden blonde and curled becomingly around a heart shaped face. Her eyes were a deep blue instead of brown, and a sprinkling of freckles on her fair skin replaced her usual olive complexion.
‘I can’t believe it. Is that really me? Will it stay like th
is forever?’ she croaked.
‘As long as necessary,’ Saladin said briskly. ‘I have set it to wear off slowly, so in five years time you will be as you were intended to be. The change will be gradual so no one will ever notice. Now take my hand and I’ll help you into the cart.’
Peridot thanked him with a smile. ‘I used to think that life was boring and now it looks as if my life will hold enough excitement to last me a lifetime.’
‘Me too,’ agreed Ravid with a wink, which changed to horror as the wizard raised his hand and chanted a few strange words. Ravid disappeared and a small chestnut horse took his place.
‘Purely a temporary arrangement my dear,’ Saladin said briskly as he picked up the reins. ‘Gee up now.’
And so the Wizard Saladin reunited the Princess Peridot with her mother and they all lived happily ever after.
And what about Prince Percival? Well, he lived his days in a golden sty surrounded by vast amounts of mud to wallow in and even vaster amounts of food to eat. All of which made him much happier than he would have been had he been married to Peridot. The king finally married an eighteenth wife who at last gave him the son he always wanted, although he was horribly spoiled by all his older sisters. The king called him Dinsala after his favourite advisor, who had mysteriously disappeared at the same time as Peridot. All that was ever found of him was a large silver tassel!
The Amazing Adventures of Princess Peridot Page 12