Peas and Princesses

by Aleese Hughes

  It took everything I had in me not to roll my eyes. She did this every stop. It was like she enjoyed throwing and flaunting her riches at people.

  Mr. Switch began to waddle up the large staircase at the end of the room, gesturing for us to follow. I surveyed the room as we climbed the wooden stairs, enjoying the warmth from the giant fire burning in the hearth in the dining room. Most people were still watching us, contemplating how they would tell their friends and family who they saw that night. The musician began playing his lute and singing again, and the servers went around delivering food to their guests. One of the servers looked familiar to me, and I halted on the staircase for a second to study her more. Long, blonde curls fell to her waist, and she laughed with a man as she poured him another drink. She turned around and caught sight of me staring at her.

  I gasped. “You!”

  The rose in her cheeks faded as she went pale, nearly dropping the pitcher in her hands. Minerva, obviously not seeing the girl, urged me to continue up the stairs. The young woman scurried out of the dining room. I wanted to chase after her, but knew it would make too much of a scene.

  It was her, I thought. It was Princess Amelia.

  Chapter 30

  The silence of the night was too much to bear. It allowed all of my thoughts to come to the surface. I lay awake in bed, tossing and turning. I didn’t think I would ever see Princess Amelia again, not after that fateful night when Janice and I had helped her escape Mardasia.

  Minerva was sound asleep in the bed next to mine. I was not going to tell her who I had seen, in fear of how she would react. There was only one person who could help me.

  I swung my legs off the mattress and marched over to my door.

  “Guard,” I said, swinging the door open.

  The man jumped, then saluted. He seemed to have been falling asleep. “Princess Amelia!”

  “I wish to speak with the Prince.”

  “Uh…” He seemed at a loss for words.

  “Now,” I demanded. “It’s urgent.”

  The man scratched his head in confusion, but led me across the hall to the Prince’s room. The guard stationed there perked up as he saw us approach.

  “Your Highness.” He bowed. He was much smaller than his colleague.

  “The Princess wishes to speak to Prince Alexander,” my guard said to him.

  The other man cocked his head to the side. “In the dead of night?”

  “Yes,” I replied. “Please alert him.”

  He shrugged and knocked on the Prince’s door. Alexander answered within seconds— he must’ve been awake, too. The sight of me in my nightgown made him blush.

  “We need to talk,” I said as I pushed past the two guards before they could say anything.

  Lord William startled from his sleep as I entered the room.

  “What’s going on?” He sat up quickly, rubbing his eyes.

  “Lord William,” I said politely, “I have an urgent matter to discuss with His Highness. Could you leave us alone for just a little while?”

  The Lord coughed. “Is that wise?”

  “We’ll be fine.” Alexander encouraged him to leave, obviously curious.

  “Shut the door behind you!” I called out to Lord William as he left.

  The door clicked shut, and I began pacing the floor, trying to gather my thoughts.

  “Amelia, what’s going on?” He sat down at the desk in the room. A candle was still lit— he had been reading before I interrupted.

  I shook my head. “Please, if I could hear someone call me by my real name just once, I would be so grateful!”

  “Um…” He paused for a long time. “What was it again?”

  That was it. I broke down into tears and slumped onto his bed. He rose in concern and slowly approached me, not sure what to do.

  “I’m going to talk, and you are going to listen,” I said. Alexander seemed taken aback, but he slowly sat back down.

  I took a deep breath. “My name is Mildred Wallander. I am from a small town in Mardasia, and up until recently, I lived with my sister Janice after our mother died and our drunk father left.”

  And then I continued on with my whole story: I told him of the surprise visit from Princess Amelia all those nights ago. I angrily explained the appalling nature of how I was kidnapped and forced to train as the new Princess Amelia. I sobbed some more as I told him of Joseph and our unsuccessful escape, leading to his death and my sister’s imprisonment. I went through every threat King Leopold had said to me as I had no choice but to continue with my farce and marry the Prince of Polart, and how, against all odds, I fell in love with him.

  “I am so tired of pretending!” I kept quiet enough so those outside couldn’t hear, but I wanted to scream. “But the one thing that has gotten me though any of it is you.”

  Alexander had taken a seat next to sometime during my monologue, and I hadn’t noticed until he slipped his arms around me and pulled me into a warm hug. I melted into his arms and pressed my nose into his neck.

  “Mildred,” he whispered.

  “Milly,” I interrupted. “No one calls me Mildred.”

  He grabbed my face in his hands and wiped my tears away.

  “Whatever your name is, whoever you are, it doesn’t matter.”

  I stared into his eyes, which were filling with tears of their own. He wasn’t wearing his glasses at the moment, and I had never noticed the little flecks of blue sparkling in his green eyes before. He continued:

  “What I do know is this: I fell in love with you, and nothing will ever change that.”

  He kissed me. I slid my fingers into his hair and kissed him back. I truly did need this man, and he believed me… and he loved me. Knowing that felt better than I could’ve possibly imagined.

  “I’ve missed you,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you at first.”

  We held each other, and I could’ve stayed like that forever, but there was more he needed to know.

  “She’s here,” I said. “The real Princess Amelia. I saw her.”

  “What?” Alexander grabbed my shoulders. “Where? When?”

  “Downstairs,” I whispered. “She was serving food and drink to guests— she was working. And she recognized me.”

  He rubbed his face with his hand. “Wow. What do we do?”

  I shook my head. “Nothing. We shouldn’t give her away. She’s lucky to have gotten away from her father and that life.”

  “But she ended up giving her life to you!”

  “It wasn’t her fault.” I looked down at my hands and at the engagement ring on my finger. “Besides, I would have never met you.” I smiled up at him, and he couldn’t help but smile back.

  There was a knock at the door, and Lord William peeked his head in.

  “Are you two alright?”

  Alexander turned to the door. He was really quick on his feet. “The Princess was just feeling a bit unwell from all of this travelling and had trouble sleeping.”

  “I’m sorry, Princess Amelia.” William bowed his head. “Um, I was wondering if I could have my bed back now?”

  I chuckled a bit. “My apologies, Lord William.”

  “No worries!” he said, eagerly making his way back to his mattress. “I hope you start feeling better, Princess.”

  I glanced at Alexander as I left the room. I really was starting to feel better.

  Chapter 31

  As we left that morning, I couldn’t find Amelia anywhere. Seeing me must have spooked her. I was happy for her— truly. She had gotten away, and I didn’t spite her one bit. Whatever she was doing with her life, I hoped she was happy.

  The rest of the trip was considerably more comfortable after having reconciled with Alexander. He held my hand most of the way, not caring about what Minerva and William would think. But the impending end to the journey was scaring me. Queen Andromeda had planned for our party to travel through Mardasia before arriving at the castle in Capthar, making various public appearances on the
way. I was nervous for that, thinking that someone was bound to recognize that I wasn’t the Princess Amelia in my own kingdom, but no one seemed to notice. I had long, blonde hair like the real Princess, and I was kept far enough away from the crowds. The lack of outbursts that I was a fake eased my mind some, but I was still worried about arriving to the castle. Who knew what Queen Andromeda had up her sleeve? All I wanted was for it to be over and to find Janice.

  We were about a day’s travel away from the castle, and Alexander watched as I wrung my hands. He stopped me with his own hands and squeezed.

  I glanced over at Minerva and William. They were sound asleep, Minerva’s head dangerously close to falling on William’s shoulder.

  “Will my life ever be normal again?” I whispered back to him.

  “You weren’t made for ‘normal.’”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” I teased.

  Alexander blushed. “I meant it as a compliment.”

  I nudged his shoulder playfully. “I know.”

  I hesitated, not sure if voicing my next thoughts was a smart thing to do, but I did anyway: “What does your mother have planned for Mardasia?”

  Alexander paled and looked intensely at the two in front of us, making sure they really were asleep.

  “I don’t know if we should be talking about that right now.”

  I lowered my voice even more, feeling the same anxiety he felt. “When will we talk about it, Alexander?”

  He rested his face in his palms. “She’s attacking Mardasia in secret, while we go in for the wedding celebrations as a distraction.”

  I nodded, expecting as much.

  “You’re not surprised?”

  “It makes sense,” I whispered back. “Our kingdoms have been on the brink of war for years, and our marriage was supposed to help settle that. King Leopold pulling this ‘fake Amelia’ stunt probably pushed things over the edge.”

  Alexander snorted. “That’s for sure.”

  I rested my head on his shoulder, exhausted from the fear and anticipation.

  “No matter what,” Alexander breathed in my ear, “I won’t leave your side.” He kissed the top of my head, and all of my worries dissipated.

  We arrived in Capthar the day before the date of the wedding. King Leopold didn’t give us much time before he announced we were all to attend a dinner in celebration of the impending nuptials. After hurriedly getting bathed and dressed, I found myself sitting next to the King at the large dining table I had eaten at many times before. Alexander and Queen Andromeda sat across from me, Minerva and Lord William next, then what seemed to be dozens upon dozens of nobles not just from Mardasia, but from Polart, as well.

  Everyone was cheerily drinking and eating as they celebrated Prince Alexander’s and my union that was supposed to happen tomorrow morning. Alexander picked at his food, seemingly unable to eat more than a couple bites. He always felt awkward around lots of people. Queen Andromeda, however, was smiling. It never faltered. She watched King Leopold carefully as he boisterously spoke to everyone in the room, laughing and being the most cheerful I had ever seen him. It wasn’t fake, he was truly happy this wedding was happening. But I knew something he didn’t: Queen Andromeda’s army should be taking the Mardasian borders any second now, and I found myself waiting for something to happen as each second passed by.

  “Daughter!” Leopold said, startling me. “Why do you look so glum? This is a joyous occasion!”

  All eyes in the room were on me. The Queen, Alexander, Leopold, Minerva, and the nobles of Mardasia all knew of my true identity, but there were many in the room who did not.

  “Maybe she is nervous about the wedding night!” a wrinkled, plump old lady from Polart shouted.

  Everybody in the room burst out laughing, all drunk from the alcohol they had consumed. They slapped each other’s backs and cheered the Prince and me on. I flushed a deep red and found myself sinking into my chair a little. Alexander didn’t handle the jeers any better than I could.

  “Well, my girl, put a smile on that beautiful face.” The King winked at me, and I shuddered at the sight.

  “Forgive me, Sire,” I said, feigning a laugh. “I was just deep in thought, I guess.”

  Queen Andromeda’s eyes were on me as she sliced through the beef on her plate. It felt as if the knife were slicing through me. She shook her head ever so slightly. “Don’t you dare say anything,” her look read.

  I took another bite of my own food, completely desensitized to any taste at all. Time ticked away in slow motion. As I chewed my food, I caught sight of some dark eyes staring at me from behind a banister in the corner of the room. Squinting my eyes to get a better look, I nearly shouted from fright. The woman grinned at me with her rotted teeth as she twirled one of the few tufts of her gray hair on her finger. This time I recognized her. I had seen her before, not just on my first day in Polart, but that day in Marviton! I had given her some apples. How could I forget? And Minerva had called her a witch. I thought back to the day she said things no one could possibly know, like how I helped the Princess Amelia escape. And then I remembered her vanishing into thin air as quickly as she had come. Magic…

  The witch lifted a knobby finger to her lips, urging me to be quiet. The look in her eyes was playful, and she did a little shimmy with her shoulders. I must have blinked, because in a split second, she was gone.

  “A toast!” King Leopold bellowed to the room, lifting his glass of wine.

  Silence fell as everyone lifted their glasses in return. I shook my head, reaching for my own glass. It had to be the stress playing tricks on my mind.

  “To the union of Princess Amelia and Prince Alexander! And to the union of the kingdoms of Mardasia and Polart!”

  “Here, here!” the many voices at the table shouted. Many around gulped their drinks down while I merely took a sip.

  “Ugh!” Queen Andromeda exclaimed. Everyone looked at her. “There’s a pea in my cup!”

  A pea?

  The Queen’s eyes grew wide as she grabbed at her throat, beginning to choke. Many rose from their seats to see what was happening.

  “Mother?” Alexander cried, grabbing at her hand. “Mother!”

  Alexander leaped from his seat, but before he could help her, the life in her forest green eyes faded, and we watched in horror as her face fell straight into the potatoes on her plate. There was an outburst of panicked screams, and I sat with my mouth hanging open as I stared at Andromeda’s corpse.

  “What did you do?” Alexander rushed at King Leopold, grabbing him by the collar in a sudden fury.

  The King’s soldiers immediately pulled Alexander away, and others surrounded the few Polart soldiers before they could move to help their Prince.

  Leopold straightened his shirt, laughing. “I’m surprised that your mother thought she could outsmart me,” he said.

  “What are you talking about?” Alexander spat. His glasses fell off his face while he struggled. They shattered as they hit the floor.

  I moved towards Alexander, but I was grabbed by some more Mardasian soldiers from behind. The nobles in the room stayed silent, fearing the soldiers surrounding them with pointed swords and spears.

  King Leopold stood, addressing everybody in the room. “I know she found out that dear Princess Amelia here isn’t really dear Princess Amelia after all.” The Polart nobles in the room gasped while the Mardasians lowered their eyes to the floor.

  “That’s right!” the King shouted, still laughing. “My daughter ran away, so I replaced her with this trash!” He pointed in my direction. “Queen Andromeda learned of the plan and secretly sent an army here to take over while she herself pretended to keep going along with this wedding!” He smiled, eyes glowing with a determined fire. “Her pathetic army lay dead at our borders.”

  “How?” Alexander cried. “How did you find out?”

  Lady Minerva slowly rose from her seat and moved to stand by the King’s side.

  “My people always stay loya
l.”

  Minerva avoided my gaze. My thoughts churned as to how she could have possibly contacted him without my knowledge.

  “And you.” The King’s voice grew scarily softer as he turned to me. “You have always been and always will be a disappointment.” He looked to one of the guards by the entryway of the dining hall. “Kill the sister.”

  “No!” I shouted, squirming helplessly against the strong grip of the men behind me.

  Alexander was fuming and somehow ripped himself away from his captors.

  “I challenge you!” he shouted.

  Everyone froze, including the man sent to kill Janice. After the initial moment of shock, the soldiers moved in to restrain the Prince again, but Leopold raised his hand to stop them.

  “Interesting,” the King said, stroking his bearded chin. “At what stakes, if I may ask?”

  Alexander looked at me. I shook my head, terrified.

  Don’t do this, I thought.

  “If you win, you do whatever you want to all of us, and Polart is yours,” Alexander said. The crowd gasped. “But if I win, both Mardasia and Polart are mine. And Milly, her sister, and everyone else go free.”

  Leopold grinned, seemingly amused by the Prince’s offer. “I accept your challenge.”

  Chapter 32

  King Leopold ordered for space to made, planning to duel the Prince right there in the dining hall. I watched wordlessly as the Queen’s body was whisked away, then the table was quickly moved to the side. People scurried nervously to the edges of the room, and I was dragged along with them.

  “Weapons?” the King asked.

  Alexander shrugged. “You choose.”

  “Swords then! Simple, but requires significant skill.”

  With a snap of the King’s finger, a couple of soldiers withdrew their swords and presented them to the fighters.

  “To the death?” Leopold was grinning.

  Alexander nodded. “To the death.”

  I was in shock. I knew Alexander was a good swordsman, but King Leopold had his own reputation— he was one of the best. And to top it all off, Alexander didn’t have his glasses. He was going to get himself killed!