by Morgan King
“The bedroom next to yours. It will have been made ready for one of our guests,” his mother said.
Wilhelm made for the stairs, climbing them two or three at a time, not waiting to see if his mother and the servants tried to keep up. When he reached the top of the staircase he turned right and headed down the corridor with doors to his left and balcony overlooking the hallway to his right. Three doors down he came to the first vacant bedroom. Grateful the door was not latched, he pushed it open the rest of the way with his foot.
A fire had indeed been lit, and Wilhelm carried the mystery woman over to it. He slowly lowered himself into the armchair that was placed conveniently close, keeping a firm hold of the body in his arms the entire time.
Once seated he was not sure what else he could do, so he sat and waited for his mother to arrive, rubbing the blanket back and forth over the woman’s legs as if that might help to dry them.
He did not take his eyes off her face, but traced and retraced features that mesmerised him with their grace.
Her skin was so smooth, so pale, it appeared polished
The curve of long eyelashes lay against her cheeks. They fluttered, straining to rise until on a blink they opened. A pair of startling green eyes met his. Wilhelm would have jumped back if he hadn’t been seated. He had never seen eyes of a colour so bright. They were verdant like grass, but more intense … pea green in fact.
“Hello.” Wilhelm tried to make his tone of voice reassuring as she looked from him to the rest of her surroundings in confusion. “It’s all right. You’re safe now.”
“Where am I? What’s happened to me?” She struggled in his arms. Reluctantly Wilhelm prepared to let her go. He had liked the weight of her against his chest. Strangely this woman he knew nothing about fitted perfectly next to his heart.
Standing and turning he lowered her back into the chair before kneeling in front of her. “I am Prince Wilhelm, and you are at the Castle of Lerrendor. You must have lost your way during the storm.”
She gave her head a short sharp shake as if his words couldn’t quite be true.
“Can you tell me your name?”
He saw her eyes lift up and to the left as if she was accessing her memory. It was a moment before she answered, but when she did it was confidently.
“Katrine. I am Katrine.”
Before Wilhelm could ask any more questions both their attention was drawn by two servants entering the room carrying a copper bath between them. His mother followed.
“Oh you’re awake,” she said looking over. “That is good. It would have been far more awkward to bathe you and get you warm if you were still unconscious.”
“Mother, this is Katrine, but we have not had a chance to establish much more than that.”
“Thank you Wilhelm, perhaps you can leave us now. Tell your father we have an unexpected guest and that he will need to keep an eye on our other guests.”
Wilhelm wanted to stay, but he executed a bow to his mother, “Of course.”
He couldn’t leave without a last look and word to Katrine, though. “I hope I might see you later if you are recovered enough to join the festivities.”
Her small shy smile in response warmed him, now that his arms felt empty.
****
Katrine watched as the prince left the room, unable to take her eyes from him until forced to do so because he was no longer there to see.
She turned to look at his mother. A queen! Katrine shifted to sit up straight in the chair clasping her hands together and placing them neatly in her lap. She had no idea what she should say.
“It is a bad night to be out, especially all alone and far from home.” The queen studied her. “I don’t recognise your face, and I’m sure I would if you were from this kingdom.”
Katrine wondered what explanation she could give that would make sense. She was so far from home and right now feeling very alone. For a moment Katrine panicked feeling about her for the piece of card she had found. Without that there was no explanation.
There it was, tucked up her sleeve. “I found this.”
She withdrew the folded card she had found upon the road and stood up to walk over to the queen.
Her legs wobbled, and she had to stand still holding onto the chair.
The queen came over to her.
Katrine unfolded the piece of card ready to hand over and watched as the creases that had formed miraculously disappeared. She gasped once, then again when she looked to read it.
It was blank.
It shouldn’t be blank!
When she had first spied it as she walked along the path to market it had read Follow your heart.
This had puzzled her greatly, for as far as she knew her heart was inside her—how could that lead her anywhere?
More surprising was that when she reached the fork in the road, one way leading out towards the coast, a route Katrine had never pursued, and the other to market, the words on the paper had disappeared, the letters re-inventing themselves to read Turn left.
In that moment it had seemed like her life had taken a turn for the surreal, and Katrine had decided to allow herself to be led.
It wasn’t every day you found such a helpful-seeming guide, still less a magic one. In fact it wasn’t any day in Katrine’s world. Trying to remember if it sounded like any fairy story her mother might have told her Katrine had taken the road to the left.
At first the adventure had progressed quickly. There had been new scenery to admire and the card to watch for changes. Every so often it would write something new. Keep to the path. Follow the wall. Mind the puddle.
It had ceased to be entertaining when it started raining, and the soreness in the soles of her feet had constantly made itself known. First they would say Ow, then Ow Ow that hurts, and finally the litany had progressed to Ow Ow Ow no more. We’ve had enough now. Please stop.
She had debated turning back, or trying to head towards where the sky was lighter and there might be more chances of finding people and shelter, but without the card deciding to guide her that way she had feared she would get lost.
Slowly, over time the landscape around her had changed, the differences so subtle at first she had not noticed them. The path underfoot changed from dirt and stone to brick weave. The fields around her changed from golden coloured crops to a hazy rainbow of flowers. Nothing was familiar.
When she turned to look back, she could almost see the two different landscapes, one image overlaying the other, but the card would heat in her hand calling her to look forward, where the way was clearer despite the rain.
The lights of the castle up ahead had been a welcome relief. There was only a moment’s worry as she struggled to make herself heard while wondering if it was wise to knock uninvited at such an imposing door. Seeing a heavy horse shoe lying on the ground she had been reassured. Fated, her journey must be fated she had thought.
The queen reaching forward to take the card drew Katrine from her recollections. They both gasped as the queen touched the card, and it transformed in shape and texture.
“It’s an invitation to these festivities, addressed to Katrine Smithson. I didn’t write it—I don’t know the name—but in every detail it is the same. My seal is here in the corner.” Amazement rang in the queen’s voice as she turned the card ‘round for Katrine to see. “And you say you found it? With your name on it?”
“Yes, my lady.” Katrine answered the first question quickly. “Well, yes I found it, but not with my name on. It had directions that led me here. As I was walking I read the card, and it kept re-writing itself to tell me where to go,” she said to clarify.
“How peculiar,” said the queen, “I’ve never seen this brand of magic before. It must have come from somewhere or someone.” She appeared lost in thought for a moment.
“Magic?” Katrine couldn’t help asking.
The queen looked at her through narrowed eyes. “Magic, spell-craft, the work of a witch, wizard, fairy … you can’t be complet
ely unfamiliar.”
“I’m familiar with the term, but it belongs in stories made up for children.” The queen raised a haughty eyebrow at Katrine. “Where I come from, magic can only be found in stories, that is.”
Clearly things were different here.
“And where is it you come from?” the queen asked.
“St. Elainesville.” Katrine felt such a long way from home.
“St. Elainesville.” The queen tested the name, but seemed not to recognise it. “You will have to tell us more. I’m sure my husband, the King, and Wilhelm, my son, whom you’ve met, will want to hear all about how you came to be here. You can join us when you have had chance to clean yourself. Let’s not make you repeat yourself more than necessary.”
Katrine looked down at the clothes she wore. Plain colours to start with, the grey dress and cream under-tunic had merged to become a sheet of dark brown, stained with splotches of mud that had started to dry a lighter colour than the sodden fabric.
Katrine looked back to the queen, feeling miserable.
“I am not sure what this means.” The queen traced the seal on what was now an invitation. “Presuming you are honest in not knowing how this came to be, it appears you are meant to be here, and of course you will be given the same respect as any guest would.”
“Oh there is no need for that. If there is somewhere I might sleep with the help that would suit me just fine. I would hardly expect to be treated like an honoured guest.” Katrine hurried to get the words out. She would feel awkward to be shown hospitality unmerited by her station in life.
“Nonsense, my dear,” the queen said slipping the card into her pocket. “Magic is not to be trifled with.”
Indicating the tub servants had been busy filling as they talked the queen said, “You must bathe and dress in clothes I will have sent up for you and then join us in the great hall. This will be your room for the night.”
“I couldn’t possibly,” Katrine said only for the queen to silence her with a wave of her hand.
She was dismissed. Katrine was in no position to complain.
The queen departed, her walk measured. Behind her the bedroom door swung closed with a thud leaving Katrine alone in a room bigger than the house she lived in. The bed alone could sleep her entire family. It looked as if it were constructed of several mattresses piled high. And she was to sleep in this room? Because magic had brought her here?
This world she had walked to did not seem quite real.
She had walked for what seemed like forever. Could she really have walked as far as to find a whole new land?
The alternative was she had stepped into a fairy tale, her life today the start of a story, the play of events so far suggesting she were the heroine.
Katrine smiled to herself at the fanciful notion. It wasn’t really that absurd when here she was in a castle. A guest in the home of a king, queen, and handsome prince?
And the man she now knew to be Prince Wilhelm was more handsome than any man she had ever seen before.
He was so tall and stood proud as if his shoulders had yet to find a weight they could not bear. His hair was so dark it held the sheen of a raven’s wing. The hair of his narrow beard and moustache was the same dark shade as that of the slightly longer than chin length hair that hung round his head. His eyes were so light, so blue, they held the depth of a faceted gem. His jaw was so strong it could cut precious stones leaving no flaw.
He had been dressed in tight fitting trousers made of dark leather that stretched across his powerful thighs. His white shirt had looked pristine, lending him elegance. It laced up from his chest, drawing the eye to the hint of dark curls beneath. His wide shoulders had been framed by a beautiful indigo jacket. As a prince his magnificence didn’t seem out of place. He belonged in a painting.
There was probably a gallery full of them somewhere within these very walls.
Katrine could hardly compare, certainly not looking as she did.
Wisps of steam drifting from the large copper tub beckoned her to pamper and prepare herself for meeting a room full of strangers.
Only when bathed, dried, and dressed in someone else’s finery did she make her way back down the staircase.
The dress she wore was a little long, so she had to hold it up with one hand to ensure she didn’t trip over her own feet, or the shoes she wore—they had heels, not something Katrine was used to. Made of fine, smooth silk—even the under-shift was silk—the dress was a pale blue-grey colour that shimmered like silver. It was without doubt the most lavish item of clothing she’d ever worn. With its iridescent surface and simple style the cloth fell like a waterfall, the curves of her body providing the change in landscape to send it falling in a cascade of ripples before sending it hanging in a final wave down to the floor.
She felt like a fairy-tale princess, and an imposter.
At the bottom she was greeted by one of the castle’s attendants and shown towards main function room where all the guests were gathered.
“This way, Miss,” said the young boy as he walked ahead of her. He was clothed in a uniform of navy decorated with fine gold embroidery creating a filigree pattern of leaves and trees. Down the middle of his jacket there was a row of large round gold buttons.
This kingdom was clearly one of wealth, and either the royal family liked to show off their status to others or they were of a generous nature and treated their staff handsomely.
“Through here.”
A hundred pairs of eyes turned her way when she entered the huge space in the centre of the castle. Some belonged to people dancing, and they initially glanced her way then refocused as they whirled past. Others belonged to those milling along the walls. They openly stared. Katrine consciously kept her body upright, looking forward towards her destination: the table at the far end of the room where the king and queen were seated. The prince was there, too, and a number of other guests who crowded ‘round.
Katrine curtsied deeply, lowering her eyes subserviently to the floor.
“Rise, my dear. We don’t stand on ceremony here.” The queen’s voice was lyrical, the gracious smile she wore suggesting she was pleased with Katrine’s actions regardless of her words. “Come, everyone is eager to hear your story.”
Katrine walked through a narrow gap between two of the long tables behind which the royal family were seated. The prince vacated his seat and gestured for her to take it. Not wishing to appear rude she slid into the chair and found herself being pushed closer to the table. A plate filled with food appeared before her, also from the prince’s hand. Being served food when she was perfectly able to help herself was a novelty, as was being the focus of so much attention.
She tasted a couple of the delicacies, made with ingredients she couldn’t readily identify apart from the rye bread that was topped with what she guessed to be a pea and mint pâté. Nerves, and hunger from her long journey, made it difficult to enjoy the food that should have been a rare treat. The respite to eat was also short-lived.
“Where have you come from, and where were you going when you found the invitation? We are just dying to know,” the queen asked.
“Yes, it’s all such a magical mystery.” The king seemed delighted.
Katrine had a good first impression of the king. He was warm and jovial, his cheeks ruddy, a bushy white beard framing his smiling face. From his response she guessed the queen must have told the others about the card she had found.
“I live in St. Elainesville.” Seeing more blanks, much like the queen’s earlier one she elaborated. “It’s a small town, not far from the Green Forest to the north and the Winged Mountains that lie to the east. The road to Central Deep runs through.”
Not one face showed any sign of recognition. “I don’t know how far I’ve come. It felt like I walked for many miles, but no more than a day on foot.”
Surely she could not have walked so far that no one had heard of where she came from? The town was small, but the Forest and Mountains should be known by
all in the land, and even by neighbouring kingdoms.
Surely this was a neighbouring kingdom.
Katrine hesitated before continuing. She didn’t want to sound foolish, but the truth was all she had. “I was on my way to work, having spent the night with my family.”
“And do you have a large family?” the queen asked. “They must be missing you by now.”
“Yes, I have two brothers and three sisters. I am the oldest. They won’t be missing me yet as I sleep where I work several nights a week.”
“Oh, where do you work?”
“I assist the sisters at the local convent. I’m not paid. They give me food and board for my services.” It didn’t occur to Katrine not to be totally forthcoming about her situation in life. “It means I’m not an extra mouth to feed at home, and I’m learning a future trade.”
“Will they not be missing you there?”
“Not yet. There have been times I’ve not made it in before. If one of the little ones is sick and I am needed at home.” It was a good job nothing bad had befallen her, Katrine reflected. No one would be looking for her yet.
“And the card was just lying there in your path?” The King asked.
Katrine nodded. “I thought it was a piece of rubbish. I was going to pick it up in order to dispose of it later. But then the words appeared. They led me here.”
“Look at it now,” the King said picking it up from the table where it lay between him and the queen and holding it up for people to see.
Katrine looked at the card again, for although she was no longer surprised by it she was still in awe of it. What surprised her now were the words written on the invitation “…Prince Wilhelm’s search for a Bride …”
The prince was looking for a wife! Katrine let her eyes trace the words again, the rest of her body held perfectly still.
Just like when there were raffle tickets on salethere was a prize that money could not buy available. Only you had to be able to afford the ticket, and even if you could the odds were against you being picked as the winner.
Katrine had never had the money for such dreams.
“So you received an invitation you could not resist?” The prince’s question drew her from her musings.