Merna. What must she be thinking right now? I didn’t have a chance to tell her my side of the story and the queen had probably told her that I was a simple thief. She must have been so disappointed and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt Merna. “Can I see her?”
“Maybe after we chat a little. Back to this remedy for your feet.”
I stiffened, waiting for the ax to fall. “Yes, Your Majesty. What exactly do I have to do for this remedy?”
She ran her deep red fingernails through her curtain of black hair. “God, you are so much smarter than my useless stepchild. Unlike her, you understand how the world works. You understand that you can’t get something for nothing and that no one is entitled to anything.”
Just get to the point, I wanted to say.
As if reading my mind, she went on. “The remedy will cost you two things. One, you will locate Snow, and two, you will kill her.”
“You want me to kill Snow? She’s your stepdaughter. Why do you want her dead?”
The queen pursed her lips. “I have my reasons. Just as you have yours.”
I tried my hardest to sit up in the bed, but I was weak and lightheaded. “Snow may have hurt me, but I could never kill her. I could never hurt her period.”
The queen sat beside me and held my chin with the tips of her fingers. “Snow has gotten everything you’ve always wanted, what any girl would want. Not because she deserves it or has done anything to earn it, but because she was born. She used you for her own entertainment and then tossed you to the side like an old toy. After that, she pretended not to even know you and then caused you to have to live with this inhumane punishment. I can tell you, she didn’t give a dead rat about what happened to you. Right afterwards she went horseback riding.
“I know you might blame me for this, but Snow left me no choice. She brought your thievery to my attention, so I had to act on it. If not, it would send the message to all the servants that stealing is acceptable and we can’t very well have that, can we? If she hadn’t told on you in the first place, I wouldn’t have had to punish you.”
My cheeks burned. I wasn’t stupid. I knew exactly what Queen Angeline was trying to do, but a big part of me wondered if there was any truth to what she was saying. When the men were placing the shoes on my feet, Snow had cried and begged her stepmother not to go through with it. The queen was right though. If Snow hadn’t tattled, I would have never been placed in that predicament.
The queen lifted my chin with her cold palm. “The choice is up to you. You can let Snow get away with ruining your life and spend the rest of your days as an invalid depending on the kindness of strangers to take care of you. No man will ever want to marry you in your condition. Your life will be over.
“However, I am willing to give you a way out. I need Snow dead and I cannot kill her myself for reasons you don’t need to know. But you can do it for me. It’s a dirty job, I know, but in return I can heal your injuries and give you all the wealth and privileges you can imagine. Not just you, but Merna too. She’d no longer spend her days scrubbing the palace floors, working her fingers to the bone. She can rest and enjoy life. What do you say?”
I looked down at my feet and threw my legs over the side of the bed. It was difficult and painful, but I did it. Sharp pains shot through my body as I attempted to stand. I plopped down on the bed, pondering the queen’s words and my limited options. My pain turned into a burning anger directed at Snow. It was all her fault. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
8
The queen kept her word the next night. She had a woman brought in who was covered from head to toe in black lace. Her face was hidden under the material but she carried the strong odor of herbs and spices.
She unwrapped the bandages around my feet and I got a glimpse of them for the first time. I could only look for a second before I cringed and closed my eyes. My skin was blistered and sagging and so red I wondered if they were infected. The woman underneath the black cloak worked quickly. She carried a bowl which contained a light green paste-like substance. She gently smoothed the paste all over my feet while mumbling something under her breath. After it stayed there for a few hours she returned and wiped it off. My feet felt no more pain. The wounds were closed but there was still plenty of ugly scarring.
I looked at the queen who raised an eyebrow to me. “Your feet will be back to normal once you have fulfilled your part of the deal. At least now you will be able to walk and function. You may return to your quarters.”
When I returned to my bedroom, Merna hugged me tight and kissed me all over my face. “Oh, my love. I heard what happened and I have been worried sick about you. The queen refused to let me see you for the past two days and it’s been driving me crazy.” She looked down at my feet. “How are you walking? I thought the wounds were too bad.”
I told Merna everything because I kept no secrets from her. The deeper I went into my story, the more she paled. She shut the door of our room and sat me on the bed. “Please, child. Please tell me you did not make a deal with a witch.”
I shook my head. “Of course not. Only a crazy person would do that. I made a deal with the queen.”
Merna’s eyes brimmed with tears. “But, Ella, that’s the same thing.”
“What? Merna you may not like her but to say something like that—that’s ridiculous.”
Merna squeezed my knee as if doing that would make me believe her. “Ella, I would never lie to you. You must trust me. That woman is a witch and she means no good to anyone. I truly think she has something to do with the disappearance of Princess Snow. God knows she’s always been jealous of the girl.”
My heart thudded as I remembered what the queen had said about Snow. Only a witch would be capable of such evil thoughts.
“I don’t care if she’s a witch. She’s the reason I can walk right now and she’s going to heal me completely.”
Merna groaned. “And what does she want for it? Don’t tell me nothing because I know there has to be some reason, something she has to get out of it.”
I debated whether I should tell her about the deal because I knew she would be disappointed in me.
“She wants me to find Snow and do something horrible to her.”
Merna sighed, shaking her head. “And why on earth would you do something like that?”
I was tired of Merna always defending Snow like she was some perfect angel. She didn’t know the real Snow like I did. “She used me and then tossed me to the side when better options came along. Then she forgot all about me. Merna, we were best friends for years and she didn’t even remember my name. Then she told the queen I stole from her when it was only an honest mistake. She wouldn’t even listen to me.”
Merna grabbed my face hard and squeezed. “For goodness sakes, Ella. Snow forgetting you wasn’t her fault.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean she didn’t have a choice in the matter.”
Even though I didn’t want it to, envy bubbled beneath my surface. “You love her so much. You’ve always loved the precious princess more than me. You will stick up for her no matter what.”
Merna let go of my face. “Ella, this is not a time for you to have one of your jealous temper tantrums. You need to listen to me. As I told you before, the queen is a witch. She knows a charm to erase a person’s specific memories. She used that on Snow. She put a spell on Snow to make her forget about you and the friendship you girls had. It wasn’t Snow’s fault at all.”
I lay back on my bed. “So, you want me to believe that the queen knows how to cast a spell that would make Snow forget about me—a spell that could erase her memories.”
Merna folded her arms over her chest. “Exactly.”
This conversation was getting sillier by the minute. “Even if she did, let’s say I believe you, how would you know she put a charm on Snow? It’s not like you and the queen are friends. Why would Queen Angeline tell you something like that?”
Merna stared at me for a long time, biting he
r bottom lip. Finally, her shoulders slumped. “Because the charm that erases memories . . . I’m the one who taught her how to do it.”
My stomach lurched. “You taught her a charm? Merna, what does that mean? What are you saying?”
She pressed her lips together. She couldn’t mean what I thought she meant. The only people who knew how to do charms that controlled the mind were witches.
Merna paled. “Ella, I’m not what you think I am.” Her voice trembled and I knew why she was so afraid. Over the past decades, the kingdoms had come together to get rid of all witches and hunt down the last of the dragons. Any witches in hiding would eventually be found out and people were all too happy to turn them in for a hefty reward.
Facing the wall, her shoulders rose and dropped as she breathed in deeply. “I’m not a witch, I’m not, but I’ve learned some things and I thought them to the queen.”
“But how would she know you even knew that charm. Did you tell people?” If she had, that would be a huge mistake. The last thing we needed were people going around accusing Merna of being a witch. The kingdom had the tendency to kill first and ask questions later. I couldn’t imagine Merna being taken away from me.
She sat beside me again. “I told her because I wanted to make things better for you. I knew she would offer me a favor in return for the spell and I asked her to have you moved from the kitchen to being on the princess’ personal staff. I thought maybe you would become friends again and she could offer you some way out of being a servant. You’re clearly not happy here anymore. I want more for you Ella and I know you want more for yourself. I had no idea things were going to backfire the way they did. I’m so sorry.”
I breathed her words in. This had all been Merna’s doing. If not for her, I would have never been in Snow’s bedroom and given the opportunity to wear those precious pearl earrings. For the first time in my life, even though she’d meant well, I was angry with Merna.
I thought back to when Abigail had come into the kitchen looking for a chambermaid for Snow. She’d already known who she was going to choose. The queen had ordered her to come for me.
As usual, Merna knew what I was thinking. “I’m sorry. I’ve tried to give you as much as I could, but it’s clearly not enough.”
I couldn’t take the sadness in her eyes and the angered I’d felt quickly subsided. “Merna, I’m very grateful for all you’ve done for me. If it weren’t for you, who knows what would have happened to me in those woods. It’s just that, like you said, I want more. I need more. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”
When you’d been exposed to all the luxurious advantages of palace life, how could you not want more?
Merna’s expression turned hard and cold as she spoke through clenched teeth. “I don’t want you having anything else to do with that queen. She’ll do nothing but ruin you. We must find out what she did to Snow. Something isn’t sitting right with me. How could a princess just vanish without a trace? The king and his army are out searching everywhere for her. I know she wouldn’t just run away. No matter how things may have been here, she would have never left for father like that.”
Merna was right. Snow loved her father dearly and he loved her. I was often jealous of the relationship they shared. The king looked at Snow as if she was the most precious thing in the world, because to him, she was. I longed for my own father but he had been taken away from me.
My memories flashed back to that terrible night. “Merna, the night you found me . . . what were you doing in those woods.” My heart shuddered at the thought that the witch who’d killed my father had been close by. Had Merna been with her?
“I’ve told you this many times before. I was on my way back from the marketplace. It’s a day-and-a-half journey. Cutting through those woods is a nice short cut. I’d say it was perfect timing, don’t you think?”
I shot daggers into Merna’s bright green eyes. “You lied to me. You’ve been lying to me the whole time. You were there because you were with her. You were with the witch.”
Merna’s face crumpled and she gave up all her secrets. “I’m so sorry, but I couldn’t tell you the truth. I couldn’t tell you who I really was. You wouldn’t have understood. Nobody understands.”
“Nobody understands what?”
She swiped her tears with the back of her hand. “Not all witches are bad. We’re not all the same. I was nothing like my sisters. Even when most of them had been destroyed I didn’t feel bad about it because I knew how wicked they were. They deserved what they got, but not all of us were like them. There are plenty of witches like me who would never cause anyone harm, as a matter of fact we do the opposite. Of course, the ones like Queen Angeline give the rest of us a bad name.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Merna, I don’t even know what to say.”
She squeezed my hand. “I want you to say that you’ll stay away from her. No good will come from you spending time with her. She’s only using you. I don’t know what for, but she’s using you.”
I stood and pointed to my feet. “Nothing good? Because of you I got the flesh burned off my feet and because of her, they were healed. If it weren’t for the queen I would be laid up in a bed not able to walk or work.”
Merna frowned. “Yes, and what did she require in return? Murder.”
I sat back against the bed and narrowed my eyes at Merna. “You’re a liar. You’ve been lying to me since I was a little girl. At least I know what she is. She wants me to go up and see her in the morning and I’m going to do just that.”
“Ella, you have this unhealthy anger toward Snow which I don’t like. If you’re not careful, it’ll eat you alive. Whatever the girl has done, please, let it go.”
I folded my arms over my chest. “You’ve always loved her more than me.”
“Ella, you know that’s not true. There is nothing I love more in this world than you.”
I wanted to believe her, but I wasn’t sure. Sighing, I crawled underneath my bed covers. There was nothing else to say. Merna turned off her light, crawled into her own bed and wept for hours.
9
The following morning, I joined Queen Angeline in her chambers for breakfast. We had fancy breads, delicious fresh fruits, and intricate pastries filled with sweet jellies. I was reminded of the times I dined with Snow. The queen watched me as I ate hungrily, only taking a few sips of her peppermint tea. “You’re a lot like me, Ella.”
That wasn’t true at all but I wanted to know where she was going with that statement. “I am? How so, Your Majesty?”
She turned the teacup delicately on the tips of her fingers. “I wasn’t born into this magnificent life. I had humble beginnings much like yourself. I’m the daughter of a simple woodcutter. I got here by clawing my way out of the trenches filled with women fighting for the king’s attention. People like you and I, when we know what it’s like to have nothing, we appreciate things more. People like Snow who know nothing but the life of being overindulged, will never fully appreciate anything.
“You know, Ella. Snow has been gone for almost a week and she has that magnificent bedroom, the most beautiful bedroom in all the land, just sitting there collecting dust. I was wondering, how would you like to stay in her room?”
I dropped my fork and it clattered on the plate. “What . . . I mean, what do you mean, Your Majesty?”
“How would you like to live in Snow’s room? All her beautiful things can be yours. There’s no use in letting them go to waste.”
I couldn’t believe what she was saying. I dreamed about the beautiful things Snow owned and now they would really be mine? Or at least until Snow came back because inevitably she would.
“As much as I would like to, I couldn’t. Living in her room would just be too strange. And when she comes back and finds me there, I doubt she’d be happy about it.”
The queen’s face dropped at the refusal of her generous offer. “Ella, dear, Snow is never coming back and that wasn’t a request. I w
ant you to move into her room immediately and all your servant duties will cease.”
I searched her face, waiting for her to tell me she was only joking. “No servant duties? What am I supposed to do all day?” It really was a silly question. I could spend the rest of my life locked in Snow’s chambers trying on her clothes and jewelry and reading the books that filled her immense library.
The queen stirred her tea with a silver spoon. “My dear, you shall do whatever a princess would do. Ride the horses. Spend time in the garden. Your attendants can give you our daily beauty regiment. It does take some time but there’s nothing more important than beauty. Now, I have some business to attend to but I shall check on you later. Lourdes is waiting for you on the other side of the door. She and the other girls will give you whatever you need. Just ask.”
Lourdes was a tiny girl who couldn’t have been older than fourteen. She bowed her head and gestured toward Snow’s room. “This way, m’lady.”
My cheeks warmed. I had never been addressed as a noblewoman before. The only title anyone had ever given me was ‘girl’.
I followed her through the double doors that led to Snow’s bedroom. Standing on the plush carpet, I looked around, awestruck. Was this all temporarily mine?
“Do you need anything?” Lourdes asked.
I shook my head. All I needed was a moment of peace to process what was happening. “No, thank you. I’m fine for right now.”
“Very well. I will be waiting outside should you need anything. If not, your lunch will be brought to you in a few hours.”
I nodded as Lourdes left the room. Lunch? I thought about the ladies in the kitchen. What would they think if they knew they were preparing a meal for me?
I sat on Snow’s fluffy bed and ran my fingers over the white silky covers. I wondered about the last time Snow had slept there and where she was sleeping now. Was she even still alive? Guilt washed over me. I shouldn’t be in Snow’s room touching her things even though I had done it before—but this time the queen hadn’t left me any choice. She’d insisted I have Snow’s room and there was no way I could disobey her so I might as well enjoy it.
Forever Ella: The Everly Girls Book 2 Page 5