Kingdom of Villains and Vengeance

by Laura Greenwood et al.

  For once in her life, Romy’s mother wasn’t just a blank canvas. She was a woman with hopes and dreams. Branwen never knew her mother. She had died in childbirth, Branwen wrote that she never did learn who was her father. In another way, just like Romy. Branwen had been someone who longed for love and friendship, much like Romy had all those years ago.

  Only Romy had Frieda. She truly had never been alone. Papa had always been her constant companion until Romy met Frieda. Romy turned the pages to find out that Branwen had grown up in the palace after she was orphaned. More specifically, Branwen had been placed in the servant’s quarters.

  What an odd existence it must have been. She wasn’t part of the royal family, but neither was she a servant. The called upon her when magic was needed and sent her away when it wasn’t.

  No wonder she had fallen in love and ran away.

  Out of nowhere, an image of Einar flashed into Romy’s mind. He was laughing at something Papa was telling him. The moonlight shining on his handsome face. They were on the cottage porch and studying the sky.

  In another instant it was gone. Just thinking of Einar had her wishing that he were near to spar with. When had it become more pleasurable to argue with Einar than it had to speak with nearly anyone else?

  Rather curious—wasn’t it?

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19-

  “Do you know, I’ve never been up here before.”

  The way Thomas was holding himself rigid, it was clear that he would rather have never experienced the castle’s attics.

  “I think all of this dust is bad for the baby, dearest,” he went on to say. “You have been coming up here every day for near on two months.”

  Frieda, perched on the same chaise that Corbina had occupied all those weeks ago, dismissed Thomas with a wave. “You don’t need to come up here, Thomas.”

  He grumbled something under his breath indicating that nobody should be up there, but neither girl was paying him any attention.

  “Romy,” Frieda said excitedly. “Look at this!”

  Romy looked over to see that Frieda had found a folded parchment inside of an old book. Setting aside her mother’s diary that she had now read dozens of times. Romy stood and took the folded piece of paper.

  As she opened each fold it because apparent that she was holding a map.

  “Clearly this is all garbage,” Thomas grumbled.

  “I think you father was calling you,” Frieda fibbed.

  Thomas brightened considerably. “I will just pop off to see what he needs. You are perfectly alright if I leave you for a few moments?”

  “Yes!” Frieda’s reply was just shy of rude. It was a good thing that Thomas was so thick headed he would never dream that his wife might not want his presence. Actually, Thomas felt that everyone’s lives were better for his presence.

  Thankfully, he went to the door and began to descend the stairs.

  “Frieda,” Romy said quietly. “This map shows all of the kingdoms.”

  Frieda clapped her hands together silently and whispered, “Does it have the land of the ravens?”

  Romy moved to the chaise and sat beside her. Then with a shaky finger she showed Frieda right where the southern kingdom resided with the symbol of a large black bird. If her calculations were right, it wasn’t close enough to get there in a day or two.

  “And look,” Frieda exclaimed, pointing to the top of the map. “This has to be where you mother is from. Romy, do you suppose that if we solve this mystery, we really can break the curse on my baby?”

  That indeed was the question of the hour. The girls had talked at length about Corbina’s appearance to Romy. They had decided that it all had to be tied together somehow. The only problem was that Frieda was now starting to show. In four and a half months’ time, this baby would be born.

  They both came to the realization that Romy couldn’t visit both kingdoms and still make it back to be there when the baby would be born.

  “Frieda, I…” Romy wasn’t even sure what she should say. On one hand, perhaps finding her past would help to find a way to break the curse. But that didn’t matter if Romy wasn’t there when the baby was born.

  Having magic, Romy was the one person that couldn’t be adversely affected by the curse—Leon happened to be another. Sadly, they hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him or his family. It seemed as if the say he set that terrible curse he disappeared off the face of the earth.

  “I will do whatever you want me to do,” Romy said at last.

  “I can’t ask you to stay when you finally know where you came from.”

  Romy wrapped her good arm around Frieda, and they snuggled into each other.

  “Ugh.” Frieda rubbed a spot low on her belly.

  “What is it?” Romy asked.

  “Who knows. I have had some twinges these past few weeks is all.”

  Romy put her hand on Frieda’s small bump. A moment later she felt a small movement underneath her hand. With wide eyes she returned Frieda’s hesitant gaze.

  “That is your baby, Frieda.”

  Tears filled Frieda’s eyes. “My baby that I will never be able to hold.”

  “No!” Romy shook her head. “Please, don’t think like that. I promise you. I will never stop searching for a way to break this curse, Frieda. We will find a way. I promise.”

  Frieda nodded sadly, but the tears fell down her cheeks anyway.

  “I won’t go,” Romy said with determination. “I will have plenty of time to figure out my past after we have sorted out your future.”

  “I don’t deserve you, Romy,” Frieda said through her tears. “You can’t put your life on hold for me.”

  Romy hugged her tight. “Do you know the real reason we became friends?”

  Frieda wrinkled her nose. “Because I hid in the woods that night?”

  Shaking her head, Romy said. “I was lonely, terribly lonely. Papa told me to go out on the porch and wish on a star.”

  Frieda smiled faintly. “Your papa says that all the time.”

  “Doesn’t he?” Romy added. “Anyhow, I wished really hard. I said a prayer and begged anyone who was listening to send me a friend. And then I found you crying in the woods. Frieda, you saved me all of those years ago. You helped me see that I was so much more than what other’s thought of me. You taught me how to love myself when I was positive, I was utterly unlovable.”

  “You are utterly loveable,” Frieda said with a choked laugh.

  “Don’t interrupt,” Romy admonished with a smile. “I am getting to the good part. I will stay with you until the baby is born. Maybe we will find a way to break the curse before the baby comes. But, if we don’t, I will be here to make sure that everyone is safe. Let me do this, Frieda. Let me save you.”

  “Oh Romy,” Frieda sighed. “Can you still not see? You are so much more to me, to everyone, than you could ever imagine.”

  “So that means we have a deal?” Romy pressed.

  Frieda closed her eyes, her hand absently protecting her unborn baby. Finally, she opened them. Determination and resignation shone back at Romy as Frieda said, “We have a deal. But once things are resolved with the baby, you have to promise to finish this. Oh! And admit your feelings for Einar.”

  Romy nearly fell off the chaise. “What feelings?”

  Frieda laughed and laughed at Romy’s horrified expression. “You are going to have to get used to being around him. I have invited Papa to come to the palace to stay until the baby comes. Papa wrote that Einar has generously offered to join him on the trip.”

  Romy’s cheeks were hot. “That’s just Einar being kind.”

  “That is just Einar wanting to see the girl he loves,” Frieda teased.

  “Loves?” Romy gasped, the color draining from her face. Could Einar have feelings for her? Love her?

  “Romy? Are you alright?” Frieda asked.

  Romy looked at Frieda, a bubble of warmth erupting in her belly as Romy realized that she would soon be seeing Einar
again. Dear merciful heavens, perhaps she did have feelings for him.

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20-

  “I don’t see why you need to be here,” said the midwife with a huff.

  “Ursa, that is enough. Romy is here because I command it,” Frieda bit out between clenched teeth.

  “Sorry, your highness,” Ursa replied sullenly.

  Ursa, someone who would never see forty again, glared at Romy. It was clear she felt that Romy was encroaching on her territory.

  If only Ursa knew how much Romy didn’t want to be there. The weeks and months had slipped away no matter how hard Romy had searched for a way to break the curse.

  “Ahhh!” Frieda screamed. Her hands were wrapped around her swollen belly.

  Romy had tired to comfort Frieda with a spell, but nothing seemed to be helping.

  “Go and get some water,” Ursa demanded. “If you are to be here you might as well be useful.”

  Romy, grateful to get away, moved quickly to the door. When she opened it into the antechamber, she saw Einar and Papa keeping Thomas company.

  “Is she supposed to be screaming like that?” Thomas paced in the hallway as Einar and Papa exchanged knowing looks.

  “The midwife said that everything was progressing normally,” Romy offered.

  Thomas ran a hand through his hair and resumed pacing.

  “These things take time,” Papa said kindly as if speaking to a small child. “She is in labor.”

  “It doesn’t seem very dignified to me,” Thomas began to say when another ear-piercing scream filled the air.

  His breathing hitched and it was clear that the prince was on the verge of hyperventilation. It had taken Thomas fifteen minutes before he was kicked out of the birthing room for his highhanded antics.

  “This isn’t like her,” Thomas continued. “Why, I have never heard her speak so coarsely! Where could she have picked up such colorful language?”

  Romy knew better than to answer such a question. It seemed that labor brought out some dominant traits in Frieda. Romy had been proud of her friend. Thomas had been nitpicking every last detail. If Frieda hadn’t have kicked him out the midwife would have. Thankfully, Thomas had also absolved Frieda from any wrongdoing. After all, she was bearing his heir.

  From Papa’s expression, Romy could see he felt it was high time the popinjay prince get a comeuppance. But it was neither here nor there, because Thomas had chalked it up to the intense pain and not his highhanded behavior.

  “Was there something you needed?” Thomas demanded of Romy.

  “Oh,” she stumbled a little over the word. “I was just going out for more hot water.”

  “Well,” he said, looking at her blankly. “Are you going to get it?”

  Einar stood. “Maybe I should get a drink for you, your highness?”

  Papa nodded as he added, “Sounds like a sound idea.”

  Romy and Einar, thankful to get away, rushed as fast as their legs could carry them away from the royal bedchamber.

  “How are you holding up?” Einar asked quietly.

  Romy shrugged. “I don’t feel like I am helping at all. I hate seeing her in so much pain.”

  In a rare show of affection, Einar reached out and squeezed Romy’s hand. “I am sure you are more helpful than you imagine.”

  He released her hand as quickly as he had taken it. But Romy couldn’t help but commit the moment to memory. Maybe it was silly. She didn’t know and certainly wasn’t going to analyze it.

  When they reached the kitchens, Romy requested the hot water while Einar saw that a servant prepare a tray of drinks. They decided that whiskey would be the best choice to help the prince relax.

  Another scream rent the air.

  Romy’s gaze flashed to Einar. The fear was written plainly across her face.

  “You go,” he said. “I will bring the hot water.”

  When Romy reached the antechamber, Thomas was pulling at his hair.

  “The pains are nearly four minutes apart. That means the baby is coming, right? I am going to be father.” He grinned madly and then wobbled a bit on his feet.

  Papa smothered a smile. “You go on back, Romy, and let us know what’s going on. Your highness, why don’t you have a seat?”

  Romy nodded. “I will be right back.” She entered the room to find that things were indeed progressing. Frieda motioned for her to come sit by her side.

  Romy took her hand and was shocked to feel high tightly Frieda clung to her.

  “This hurts really bad,” Frieda said, half laughing, half crying.

  “I have to admit that it doesn’t seem very appealing,” Romy quipped.

  Frieda laughed in earnest, but it quickly turned into another wail.

  “Towels!” Ursa commanded. “I need you to fetch me as many as you can carry.”

  Romy hopped up, thankful for another task that she could do. As she entered the hallway, she saw Einar standing over the prince’s prone body.

  “What did you do?” Romy asked in a harsh whisper.

  Papa had the audacity to laugh.

  Einar looked affronted. “I didn’t do anything. He went and hyperventilated.”

  “Oh,” Romy said stupidly, covering her mouth. “I am sorry.”

  Einar’s expression softened. “Don’t worry about it. I have been accused of worse. Can you believe that somebody once had the audacity to accuse me of being a cold-blooded killer?”

  Papa took one of the glasses of whiskey from the tray. “You don’t say? Funny that, I wouldn’t see you as a killer, a thief possibly?”

  Einar pretended to consider it.

  “Stop it the both of you!” Romy interrupted, tempted to stomp her foot in indignation.

  Einar’s expression sobered. Gesturing to Thomas’ body he asked seriously, “Should we call someone?”

  “No, he will come out of it soon enough.” Papa finished his glass with a resounding smack of the lips. “Smooth and tasty, the whiskey here is top shelf.”

  Einar smirked and offered Papa the second glass.

  Romy wanted to wash her hands of the both of them. Didn’t they realize the gravity of what was happing in the next room?

  It occurred to her that Einar didn’t have any idea about the curse or the danger the babe presented. She was fairly certain that he hadn’t discovered her secret of magic. Sighing, Romy raced off to gather towels Ursa had requested. When she returned, she saw Einar nudging Thomas with the toe of his boot.

  “No response,” he said thoughtfully. “But look. He’s breathing.”

  Papa leaned in to check for himself. “So he is.”

  When Einar saw Romy he immediately stood. “Let me get the door for you.”

  Romy slipped inside but before the door closed, she heard Einar ask Papa

  “Does Romy have midwifery experience?”

  Romy heard Papa clear his voice and respond, “Are you asking why an unmarried lady is assisting a childbirth?”

  Romy held her breath, anxious to hear Einar’s response.

  “I don’t mean any disrespect.”

  Papa laughed. “I don’t suppose that you do. Only, this isn't my secret to tell, nor is it my place to share things that are private to my daughter.”

  Romy could hear the stiffness in Einar’s tone. “Of course. I completely understand.”

  Her cheeks heated as she heard Papa’s laughter. Then he replied, “No, you don’t. You couldn’t. Trust me, son. I have wanted Romy to tell you everything since we arrived at the palace. But if you haven’t noticed, my daughter seems to have a mind of her own. I don’t want you to think that means she doesn’t trust you. You wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

  Romy did trust Einar. She wasn’t sure how or when it had happened, but somehow it had.

  Einar’s tone seemed to relax a little when he grumbled, “I hardly ever know what she is thinking, as much as I wished I did. Does she ever—I mean… Has she ever—ugh… Never mind.”

  Romy’s c
heeks flamed. Just what was Einar asking?

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21-

  “Girl!” Ursa snapped at Romy nearly causing her to drop the towels. “Are you going to sit there all day?”

  Romy rushed forward, praying that Einar and Papa hadn’t heard Ursa’s admonition.

  When Romy came fully into the bedchamber, she saw that Frieda was much further along. Fear gripped her when Ursa moved between Frieda’s legs to check the baby’s positon.

  “No,” Frieda cried out. “Let Romy do it.”

  It was a toss up as to who had the most surprised expression, Romy or Ursa.

  “She isn’t a midwife or a doctor,” Ursa complained. “You don’t know what you are asking, your highness.”

  Just then a number of things happened. Frieda let out a scream that shook Romy to the core. A baby’s cry pierced the air, and then Ursa dropped to the floor.

  “Romy!” Frieda screamed.

  Romy stepped forward seeing that one more push and the baby would be delivered. With shaking hands, she reached out and helped the babe come into this world.

  “You have a daughter,” Romy whispered in awe as she wrapped the baby into a clean warm towel. With a grin, she turned to face Frieda. Her smile immediately fell when she saw the tears and utter heartbreak on Frieda’s face.

  The door slammed open. Romy glanced up to see Einar standing there.

  “We heard a loud thump,” Einar explained.

  His eyes were flitting around wildly. Romy could just imagine what he was seeing. From Frieda sobbing hysterically to a pale Romy covered in afterbirth and holding the baby. But the most shocking was Ursa’s unseeing dead eyes staring back at everyone.

  That’s when Romy burst into tears. She cried for Frieda who would never hold her daughter. She cried for Ursa who had never known this birth would be her last. But mostly she cried for the babe in her arms who had been cursed before she ever took a breath.