The storm raged on. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been wandering—with the thick clouds blocking the sun I had no measure of time—but with the increasingly suffocating darkness, I knew it was nearing night.
Suddenly, the pathways stirred from whatever slumber had kept them so still and unhelpful. A path finally appeared, wriggling and shifting. Branches scratched my skin as I slogged down the muddy path snaking through the trees. Whenever I considered venturing off course, the trees closed in around me, narrowing the path and leaving me no choice but to take the one it desired.
The road widened. I squinted through the thick rain and caught a glimpse of the Forest’s border, where I knew home lay just beyond. I quickened my pace. Soon I’d be within the comforting walls of my cottage, sheltered from the biting wind and settled in front of the warm hearth.
I burst from the Forest and froze. Rather than the village of Arador greeting me, tall, ominous gates stood like sentries guarding the grand royal Sortileyan Palace, its gilded marble glistening in the sliver of moonlight penetrating the thick clouds.
I stared, my foggy mind unable to comprehend what my eyes were seeing. How had I ended up dozens of miles north, in the capital of Sortileya, and at the residence of the royal family? But now was not the time to decipher the complicated workings of the Forest’s pathways. With a wavering breath, I approached the gate, and was immediately blocked by two guards standing rigidly in front, their swords drawn. I froze.
“State your business,” one stated fiercely.
“Please,” I said. “I need—”
“Wait, she’s the one we’ve been waiting for.” The other guard lowered his sword. “We’ve been expecting you.”
To my surprise, they opened the gate. I cast them a puzzled look before gratefully staggering up the cobblestone path that led to the towering front doors.
A knocker in the shape of a dragon head protruded from the massive door. I grasped its metal ring and knocked frantically. My knock was swallowed up in the wind. I pulled my wet shawl closer and leaned against the door as I waited, hoping that the storm wouldn’t prevent my desperate knock from being heard.
The door swung open and I stumbled into a frowning footman wearing a smart violet uniform with the royal crest embroidered in silver, a uniform I’d now just gotten all wet. Not the best first impression.
I managed to right myself as his disapproving gaze slowly raked over my drenched form. “How may I help you?” His tone was cold, as if helping me was the last thing he wanted to do.
“Please, I got lost in the woods and was hoping I could—” The rest of my plea was swallowed by a sneeze. The footman flinched away.
“You’re disturbing His Majesty and Their Highnesses because you lost your way?” He glared at someone behind me. I turned to see two guards flanking either side of the doors, nearly masked by the shadows. “You allowed a commoner into the palace at such an hour?”
“She seems to be in need of assistance.”
The footman sniffed in disapproval. “The royal family is already entertaining many distinguished guests and is preparing for the arrival of many more. Now please escort her out of—what is it, Guard Alastar?”
A tall, broad-shouldered guard had appeared. After a long look at me with a stoic expression that betrayed no emotion, he leaned down to whisper in the footman’s ear. The footman’s eyes widened and he hastily turned to me with a crisp bow.
“Forgive me for my rudeness. I didn’t know who you were, Your Highness.”
Your Highness? “Oh no, I’m—I mean, there must be some mistake, for I’m not—”
“Please, come in out of the rain.”
He summoned me inside, and I was too cold and too tired to argue any further. The door closed behind me with a resonating thud, cutting off the howl and biting chill of the wind, leaving only the whispers and titters of the servants as they surveyed me with wide-eyed curiosity. The footman snapped his fingers and a maid bustled over to take my wet shawl. Even when freed from my soaking garment, a violent shiver raked over me.
“She’s chilled to the bone,” the maid tittered. “How long were you out in the rain, Your Highness?”
“Hours. I got caught in the—” My answer was swallowed by the chattering of my teeth. I rubbed my hands up and down my arms in an attempt to get warm.
“And what happened to your things? Your escort?”
Another maid’s arrival cut off my second attempt to explain myself. She gasped when she saw me, taking in my hair hanging in wet clumps and my hem dripping water all over the marble floors.
“Oh my goodness, what happened to the princess?”
“She lost her escort and has been wandering the woods,” the other maid said. “Alaina, will you show her to her room and prepare a bath for her?”
“Right away. Come, Your Highness, let’s get you out of those wet things.”
This time I made no protest as Alaina wrapped a motherly arm around me and led me away from the apologies of the now-flustered footman and up the grand staircase.
“I’m so sorry for all the trouble, Your Highness,” Alaina said as we ascended the stairs. “We didn’t expect you to arrive so late and in such a state.” She frowned at my soaked dress, obviously quite plain and not befitting a princess. “Good thing you were wearing your traveling clothes. Why, there’s mud all along the hem.”
I wanted to protest her ridiculous assumption that I was royal, but the storm lashing the windowpanes was a persuasive incentive to remain silent. Yet with each step further down the elegant corridor, I wondered whether shelter from the storm was worth becoming entangled in what was sure to be a mess.
“What a pity you’ve lost your things. Not to worry, Your Highness, I don’t doubt His Majesty will allow a wardrobe to be made for you. In the meantime, I’m sure Princess Seren will allow you to borrow some of her dresses.”
The infamous Princess of Sortileya, more commonly known as the Dragon Princess? There were many rumors about her cold and sullen demeanor. While gossip revolving around her wasn’t as prevalent as that surrounding her brother, the Dark Prince Deidric, I’d heard enough not to doubt that being caught wearing her clothes would surely earn me a dungeon sentence, even before my true identity was discovered. Terror clenched my heart at the thought.
“Oh, I couldn’t.”
Alaina frowned at me before nodding curtly. “You’re right, Your Highness, for you’re much shorter than she is. That wouldn’t do at all.”
“No, I meant—”
“The royal family is currently entertaining numerous guests, both royalty and nobility. I’m sure one of them has something you could borrow. Perhaps Her Highness, Princess Elodie of Draceria, will have something suitable. From the glimpses I’ve managed to get of her, I’d wager she’s about your height. I’d hate to impose such a request on a prestigious guest, but considering I’m doing it in the service of another…” She chewed her lip in thought. “What to do, what to do…ah, here we are.”
She bustled into a room. I started to follow but froze in the doorway with a gasp of awe. The room—a vision of marble, satin, and opulence—was bigger than the entire ground floor of my cottage.
Alaina scurried to the hearth to stoke the fire as I walked in a daze to the bed. The mattress was higher than my waist and looked unbelievably comfortable. I stroked the coverlet with a hesitant hand and nearly moaned at how soft it was; it was like touching silk. Alaina bustled around heating water for my bath, only pausing when she noticed I wasn’t in front of the fire.
“Come, Your Highness, you need to warm up.”
She gently led me to the hearth. My objections that I wasn’t a princess and that my being here was a mistake died in my throat as the fire’s blissful warmth washed over me. Now that I was no longer numb, I was quite reluctant to be thrown back out into the rainy night, let alone the dank dungeon. I could always wait to confess in the morning, after the storm had passed…
“Your bath is ready, Your Highness. Let
’s get you out of these wet clothes.” To my horror, Alaina yanked my dress over my head. I jerked away.
“Are you undressing me?”
“Well, you haven’t your own lady’s maid to do it, so I’ll happily do it for you.”
She worked quickly and efficiently, and before I could fully register the embarrassing process, my undergarments lay in a sopping pile on the floor and I’d been pushed into the heavenly bath. My protests died immediately as I melted deeper into the tub with a contented sigh. Alaina nodded with approval.
“There, nothing like a hot bath to set you right. Now if you’ll excuse me, Your Highness, I shall fetch a nightgown for you and something to eat.” She curtsied and headed for the door, pausing in the doorway to glance back, brow furrowed. “Did you need me to aid in your washing?”
“No, no, no, that won’t be necessary, thank you.” To my utter relief, she accepted this answer before leaving.
I stared at the closed door, the gravity of my circumstances slowly settling over me. I’d somehow ended up in the royal palace miles away from home, having been led here quite forcibly by whatever mischievous motives the Forest had in mind. Just great.
Alaina soon returned with a tray of soup and sandwiches. The mouthwatering scent emanating from the soup’s steam was the only thing strong enough to pull me from my bath. The food was far richer than any I’d eaten before, but I was too hungry to savor it. I shoveled it down in a most un-royal manner as Alaina fluttered around me, dressing me in a toasty velvet nightgown before running a brush through my hair. When she’d finished, she gently guided me towards the grand bed.
“You should get some sleep now. Is there anything else you’ll be requiring, Princess Gemma?”
Princess Gemma? Who was that? “I’m sorry, I’m afraid you have me confused with someone else.” I yawned as I hoisted myself onto the softest mattress I’d ever laid upon. “There’s no need for princess, because I’m not—”
“But Your Highness, it wouldn’t do for me not to address you by your proper title.” Her eyes widened at the thought. “I’d lose my place. I may be currently under your charge, but please don’t ask me to go against a direct order from His Highness.”
I wrinkled my nose in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“His Highness has informed me I’m to tend to you for the duration of your stay.”
“My stay?” My exhaustion was making everything so confusing. I snuggled deeper beneath the covers, for this was truly the most comfortable beds. “My stay for what?”
She slid a warming pad beneath the blankets at my feet. “Why, for the Princess Competition, of course, for His Highness’s bride.”
My drooping eyes widened and I bolted upright. “The what?”
“Goodness, Your Highness, you must be tired. Aren’t you here by royal invitation from the crown prince?”
I cringed at her formal address. “What are you talking about? What competition?”
Alaina’s forehead furrowed at my ignorance. “His Highness has decided that his former betrothed, Princess Rheanna of Draceria, is no longer suitable. Thus he’s invited all royalty and the most eligible noblewomen throughout the surrounding five kingdoms to participate in a series of tests to determine who’s worthy to be his bride.”
I gaped at her. “You think I’m here to try and win the prince?” Of course she would, as if my situation wasn’t ridiculous enough. “I can’t do that. He’s—”
“There’s no need to be nervous,” she said. “It’s not my place to say, of course, but the rumors about him aren’t…well…”
Her cheeks darkened as she avoided my eyes, becoming extra preoccupied with smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles in my duvet. Her response was oh so reassuring.
“Regardless, your arrival signifies you’ve accepted his invitation to potentially become his bride, which means you’ll be required to stay here to see whether or not he’ll choose you. I can’t imagine why he doesn’t want Princess Rheanna; she’s such a sweet thing. I don’t understand the mind of royals…meaning no offense.” She shrugged rather helplessly.
I continued to gape at her. Was I really expected to stay for His Highness’s ridiculous scheme? I might have inadvertently fooled the servants into thinking I was royal, but to think I could fool the other princesses or the Dark Prince himself…my stomach knotted.
“I have to leave.” I scooted to the edge of the bed to do just that, but Alaina pushed me firmly back down.
“You’re exhausted, Your Highness. Get some sleep. You’ll need it for tomorrow.”
Panic clawed at my throat, threatening to swallow me whole. “You don’t understand; I can’t stay.”
“Surely you can’t leave,” she protested. “I’ve just told you that His Highness has ordered all the princesses and noblewomen to stay as his royal guests.”
“But if he doesn’t know I’m here—”
“Oh, but he does,” she said. “I encountered him on my way to fetch your food, and he asked how you were faring. It was uncharacteristically thoughtful of him, come to think of it.” She frowned.
My heart hammered at this news. Prince Deidric already knew I was here? That would make escaping far more difficult, but I was still determined. The moment Alaina left, I’d sneak out. I eyed the window, where rain lashed against the panes as the storm continued to rage.
Perhaps not tonight, not when I’d only just warmed up and my smothering exhaustion was luring me towards much-needed sleep. But tomorrow for certain. I’d wake up extra early and slip away before I found myself tangled further in this mess.
Alaina finished fluffing my pillows before picking up my dinner tray. “Anything else, Your Highness?”
I wearily shook my head. “No, thank you.”
She blinked in surprise at my gratitude before smiling warmly in return. “It’s a pleasure, Your Highness. Have a good night. I’ll see you in the morning.”
No, she wouldn’t, for by the morning I’d be long gone. I watched her leave the room before snuggling deeper into the mattress, prepared to allow what promised to be my most restful sleep claim me…only it didn’t.
Despite being on one of the softest mattresses in the kingdom, I couldn’t get comfortable; each position I attempted was more uncomfortable than the last. I tossed and turned, all while the wind and rain swirled angrily outside.
Not only did the heavenly bed feel far too fancy for mere common me—a reminder I was nothing more than an imposter—but thoughts of Mother’s worry when I hadn’t returned home tonight gnawed at my heart. I needed to escape as soon as possible, not only for her, but because each moment I remained at the palace put me in greater danger. If I couldn’t even sleep on a royal bed, I’d never be able to fool anyone into thinking I was a princess, nor did I want to. The truth would be exposed even before the Dark Prince’s competition for his bride had begun.
Chapter 12
My exhaustion from my wanderings through the Forest followed by several hours of tossing and turning before sleep finally claimed me foiled my intentions of rising early. I woke to a tentative tap on my shoulder, as if the one administering did so with the utmost hesitation.
I groggily stirred from sleep, noticing I was far more warm and comfortable than normal when waking in my attic bedroom. I struggled to open my eyes. Golden sunshine tumbled through large gleaming windows, framed by silky curtains and still splotched from last night’s rain. I blinked at them, confused, and rolled over.
The maid Alaina hovered over me. “I’m so sorry to disturb you, Your Highness,” she said in an uncertain whisper. “I hesitate to wake you, especially due to how tired you must be after last night’s ordeal, but breakfast is soon and I need to help you dress.”
Her words washed over me, failing to penetrate the thick drowsiness hovering over my senses. Then in a rush everything came back to me: getting lost in the Forest, stumbling upon the palace, and the delusion the palace occupants were under that I was a princess—and not just any princess, but a Pri
ncess Gemma, whoever she was. How I’d become entangled in such a ridiculous notion was beyond me, but one thing was certain: no true royal would fall for the façade. And I’d just slept through my prime moment to escape.
I groaned and covered my face with my hands. “This is a nightmare. Please tell me I’m still asleep and dreaming.”
“You’re quite awake, Your Highness,” Alaina said hesitantly, as if afraid to contradict me. “And now that you are, I shall assist you in getting ready.”
I struggled to formulate a plan, a difficult feat with my foggy head and every inch of my body aching from my wanderings the night before. I managed to grasp at the end of one. I forced myself to sit up.
“I shall dress myself.” That would get Alaina out of the room and allow me to more easily slip away. But Alaina was already shaking her head.
“That won’t do at all, Your Highness. You certainly can’t dress yourself, and since you’re without your own lady-in-waiting, I will assist you.”
I opened my mouth to retort that I’d been dressing myself just fine since I was a child, but with the stubborn gleam in Alaina’s eyes, I knew that this was a battle I’d lose regardless of my arguments. I snapped my mouth shut with a sigh of defeat. So much for that plan. Time for another: go along with the charade until I was finally away from this maid who was proving to be more guard dog than servant and, with luck, not get hopelessly lost in the palace hallways before finding my way outside.
That decided, I managed to drag my aching body to the edge of the bed. As I did so, Alaina surveyed my face and her eyes widened.
“Goodness, Princess, there are bags beneath your eyes. Did you sleep at all?”
I yawned and stretched. “Not much.”
Alaina tittered as she shook her head. “I’ll fetch some cosmetics to hide the evidence of your restless night. You need to make a good impression if you hope to win the prince.”
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