First Light (Forever After Series)

by Michele Paige Holmes

  If I didn’t ruin it. If my selfishness didn’t spoil everything from their marriage to the uniting of two kingdoms and the end of the terrible drought.

  The path I walked suddenly came to an end. Another tall hedge loomed ahead, but this one had a rusty gate in the middle of it. I walked forward, peering through the iron bars, surprised to see the forest beyond. I must have wandered behind the castle, to the edge of the royal grounds. Behind the hedge I could see the thick stone of the wall. But where were the guards? Anyone could slip in or out right here. I could slip out. A ripple of fear sped down my spine.

  I thought again of Cecilia, her kindness to me, and the long, lonely years she’d endured. I thought of the good Cristian could do for this kingdom— the good they could do together. And my role in all this? Was I really to be their protector, or Cecilia’s, at least?

  Did I protect the princess by kissing her betrothed? “I am a help to no one,” I said aloud. No one. They will all be better without me. The fairies, I was certain, could take care of things the last few days.

  It took only a moment to make my decision— but several more for me to act on it, as it meant leaving the security I’d come to depend on these past months, and more than that, the friend I’d come to love.

  With trembling fingers I tried to open the gate. Locked, of course. Liking the long, layered, cumbersome dress less each second, I hitched my skirts up, grabbed a vine, and began climbing the high wall. It took a few tries and much effort before I finally reached the top. I leaned forward and lay there, breathing heavily. I dared not look down or knew I’d be ill. But at least Father had taught me the courage to climb.

  Oh, Papa, I thought with renewed anguish. I have not made you proud.

  A pair of guards appeared on the forest side, and I lay still, my face pressed to stone until they had passed. Then I slid down the other side and, with a final look back, took off running.

  “A pint of ale, a lass on the hay bale, oh that is the life I seek. But a princess fair hath lent me her hair, and shall be the ruin of me… yes, she shall be the ruin of me.” Infused with a goodly portion of drink, Hale sang at the top of his lungs, not particularly caring who or what heard. He moved slowly, dragging his misshapen foot along, even more oppressive now that he’d experienced a night free of it. He thought of the fate that awaited him.

  If he was extremely lucky, a panther might leap from a nearby tree and end his misery rather fast. Less fortunate would be someone from Canelia finding him and dragging him back to the dungeons there for torture, confession, and eventual execution.

  The worst scenario— and the one most likely to happen— was returning safely to Baldwinidad and facing his mother’s wrath. She would not accept his failure, and Hale knew it would be that much worse when she discovered why he’d failed.

  “Noo,” he said, with a low whistle. “She’ll skin me alive when she realizes I held the princess in my arms and did nothing but dance with her. But it was worth it. No matter what happens. It was worth it. In his mind he relived those brief moments on the balcony, Cecilia’s trusting eyes, her concern for his safety. “She is a true princess,” he whispered. “And grown even more lovely since I saw her last.”

  His fingers closed around the box in his pocket that contained a lock of hair— a gift from Cecilia that she hoped would appease his mother. With each labored step farther from Canelia, his thoughts grew more melancholy until he felt, grown man that he was, he would certainly cry over his loss. To have dreamed of and cared for a woman so long, and to have had her return that affection ever so briefly, was enough to break even his cold heart. But as his eyes began to burn and his nose to run, he heard the sound of someone else weeping.

  Hale stopped, listening carefully. The noise was ahead of him. Someone— a lass, he’d bet— was crying for all she was worth. Curious, he hastened on, dragging his leg over the fallen leaves littering the forest floor.

  It took him but a moment to find her. She sat in a clearing, her back against a tree, knees pulled up to her chest, head of tousled hair covering her face. She held herself against the cold as sobs wracked her slender body. For the second time that night, Hale felt a surge of sympathy for the female species— destined to do as they were told, oft forced into marriage by their parents or some man. As a whole, their lot seemed oppressive.

  Much like mine.

  He wondered what had broken this girl’s heart. Clearing his throat, he hobbled over to a nearby log and sat down to wait for her to finish her cry.

  After all, it wasn’t as if he was in a hurry to get home. His mother wouldn’t send anyone out to look for him for another day or two, and in the meantime, if he could somehow be of

  service… It was a certainty he’d be meeting his maker soon, and at this point, any good deed in his favor might help.

  The girl continued crying, and Hale waited. The moon rose over the clearing, and he bent down, picking up a good-sized stick from the ground. From beneath his sleeve, he withdrew his knife— the one he’d been ordered to cut out Princess Cecilia’s heart with— and began whittling a figure.

  He’d formed the crude legs of a deer, when the girl finally ceased her sobs. She looked up at him with wide eyes, an odd expression on her face.

  He stared as well, then nearly fell backwards over the log as recognition dawned.

  They both spoke at once. “You!”

  Spying the knife clutched in the outlaw’s hand, I felt a sudden twinge of fear.

  Odd, I thought, the pearls feel cool. Perhaps when I was in the wrong— as I surely was after kissing Cristian— the magic of the pearls ceased to warn me of imminent danger. The thought had me battling a new set of tears, these guilt-filled over my poor behavior. What had I been thinking, to kiss the prince? But this was no time to indulge in another bout of pity or self-recrimination. The thief who’d first taken the bracelet from Merry Anne sat but a few feet away.

  Amidst my tangle of emotions, anger swooped in. The entire mess that was my life could be traced back to that one moment the thief had taken the pearls. Were it not for him I might not have been separated from Merry Anne, might not have gone to work in the kitchens, might not have met Cristian and might not be homeless and heartbroken in the middle of a cold, dark forest.

  I rose at the same time he did.

  “What do you want?” I asked.

  “Only to offer my assistance. You seemed out of sorts,” he added. Behind his scraggly beard I thought I detected a smile.

  His voice was as I remembered, but his words were more polished. To be sure, he didn’t smell as awful as the last time we’d met, though his clothing was in worse shape, and even in the dim light, I caught glimpses of the appalling condition of his hair and teeth.

  “Thank you, but I am quite fine.”

  “‘Course you are— being a fairy and all.” He scratched his beard, as if considering something. “I never heard of no fairies carrying on like you were. What’d they do— kick you out or something?”

  “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re speaking of,” I said.

  “Yeah, right.” He grunted. He raised his deformed foot then rested it on the log. “You only outrun my horse last time we met. Takes magic to do something like that.”

  “I was scared,” I admitted. “And you’d taken something of mi— Merry Anne’s. She’d asked me to get it back.”

  “And do you always do as you’re told?”

  “No,” I said, thinking again of the stolen kiss.

  My answer amused him. “And you’re crying ‘cause tonight ye slipped up.”

  His perception was rather unnerving. “My tears are none of your concern. Why are you here?” I asked, shooting the questions his direction. “Have you come for the pearls again? Because you can’t have them. I understand their magic now, and I won’t hesitate to use it.” Feeling bold, I pulled the necklace from my bodice and held it up in the moonlight. The two pearls glowed as bright as ever, though they remained cool. So odd.

&nb
sp; “That’s not the real…” He stared at them for several seconds, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “Why do you have them? Did you steal them from the princess?” His tone had turned angry, and he pulled his foot from the log, advancing on me.

  “I did no such thing.” I moved away from the tree and took a step backward. “All I’ve to do is wish you surrounded by the Canelian guards or sent to the castle prison or—”

  “I know how it works,” he grumbled. “But why do you have it? The charmed bracelet is supposed to protect Princess Cecilia until her wedding.”

  “Maybe she has one of her own,” I lied. And what does it matter to him?

  “Impossible.” He shook his head, scraggly hair flying in all directions. “There is only one charmed bracelet to be found each century, and only a fairy can retrieve it. She must travel far, to the ocean’s shores, and then to a magical island where the mermaids gather. If her cause is worthy enough, she can persuade the mermaids to give up their rare treasure.”

  “I’ve never heard such a far-fetched tale.” Nor could I believe Merry Anne would have forgotten to mention such an important detail.

  “It’s true.” The outlaw took another step forward. “What have you done to the princess?” he practically snarled. He raised a hand, dagger poised to strike.

  “Nothing,” I said. “Nothing at all— I— I only kissed her betrothed.” Despite my efforts to hold them back, fresh tears spilled from my eyes. The thief froze, the strangest look crossing his face.

  “You kissed Prince Cristian?” He sounded astonished— and perhaps angry.

  I nodded miserably.

  “Are you— do you care for him?”

  I didn’t answer, though my tears likely said it all.

  “And he must have interest in you as well,” the outlaw mused, more to himself than me. “If he kissed you.” His gaze grew fierce as he looked me over. “You stole the pearls and used one to cast a spell on him, didn’t you?"

  “No!” I practically shouted. I held the pearls out again. “These were a gift from Merry Anne. I tried giving them back, but she said they were meant for me. And I did nothing to the prince. The kiss just— happened. We were friends. The only thing I’ve ever used the pearls for was to escape from the gypsies.” To my own ears, my story sounded false.

  “Gypsies?” the outlaw asked. “What nonsense is this? Gypsies haven’t been in this part of the country for nearly two decades. They don’t like to get too near Baldwinidad, don’t want to chance Mother getting a look at ‘em and hauling them in for her service.”

  “There were gypsies on the mountain, just beyond the place I escaped you. They kidnapped me. It was a wretched couple of days,” I added.

  “Why didn’t you use your gifts to escape?” he asked.

  “I— how do you know about those?”

  “Everyone knows that fairies have gifts— and maaagic." His over-emphasis of the last word came out as a hiss, and he was close enough I could smell the ale on his breath.

  “You’re drunk,” I accused.

  “Aye.” He didn’t deny it. “Tell me, fairy, why didn’t you fly away from the gypsies as you flew from me?”

  “Do you see any wings here?” Keeping a careful eye on his knife, lowered now, I half turned, so he might see my back. “I ran away from you.” He was frustrating me greatly. “A wild boar provided a distraction, and I ran back to the road.”

  “Make yourself smaller. Show me your wings,” he ordered.

  “I’m not a fairy! I am only the kitchen help.” Why is this conversation about me? “Who are you to be lurking in Canelia’s woods?”

  “Not a fairy…” He put away his blade and scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Kitchen help, you say?”

  I nodded. “And you would be?”

  He straightened to his full height, pulling his misshapen foot closer to his body. “I am Hale, Prince of Baldwinidad.”

  Baldwinidad. I took several steps back. If he’d intended to frighten me, he’d succeeded. I remembered both Mason and Cristian’s awful tales of that country, its ruthless ruler and her monstrous son. Though Hale seemed more unkempt than monstrous. “What are you doing here? What have you done?” A feeling of dread came over me as I glanced in the direction of the castle.

  “Nothing to harm your precious prince,” Hale said. He, too, backed away, returning to the log he’d sat upon earlier.

  “Cecilia?” I breathed.

  His eyebrows rose. “On a first name basis, are you? Difficult to imagine, what with you kissing her betrothed and all.”

  I felt a blush heat my face. “It was a mistake. I like Cecilia. She’s good. She will make a good queen.”

  “And Prince Cristian?” Hale asked. “I cannot believe him her equal when he’s off dallying with a kitchen maid just days before his wedding.”

  “It’s not like that. It wasn’t dallying. Just one kiss.” A long one. “Cristian and I have been friends for some time, and it was a farewell of sorts, before he weds.”

  “Mmmhmm,” Hale said.

  “Who are you to be accusing me of mischief, when no doubt you’re in these woods, bent on some evil turn yourself?”

  Hale’s head bobbed up and down as he again took out his knife. “Fair enough.” He bent over, retrieving a half-carved figure from the ground. “I was sent here to fetch the princess’s— heart.”

  I gasped, my hands automatically covering my chest as I watched Hale remove a compact, wooden box from his tunic.

  “I was to bring it back to my mother in this.” He flipped open the lid, revealing only a lock of long, dark curls. “Cecilia gave me a piece of her hair. She hoped I might trick Mother with it.” Hale looked up at me. “What do you think? Will my mother fall for the ruse?”

  I thought back to all I’d heard about Queen Nadamaris. “No.”

  Hale made a tsking noise, then closed the box and put it in his inner pocket. “I didn’t think so, either.” He sighed. “Likely, she’ll expect another heart as payment.”

  My breath caught at the meaning of his words. Another heart… mine? Was that why he’d waited while I cried? Though he could have killed me then. As it was now, I held the bracelet and could defend myself— or, at the least, get away. I clutched the pearls in my fist. Looking down, I thought frantically of what I must wish for— that I was safely back at the castle, that Hale would fall and break his other leg? I knew I couldn’t wish him dead. It was one of the limitations Merry Anne had told me.

  Merry Anne also said the pearls would always grow hot to warn me of danger.

  But now they were cold. What if the magic no longer works? Had I ruined it somehow?

  Hale tossed his carving aside, sheathed his blade, and shifted from the log to the ground. “Well, if you’re all right then, I’m going to catch some shut-eye. Got a long walk tomorrow.”

  “You’re going to sleep?” It was a stupid thing to ask— stupid to prolong this encounter when I should have been running for my life. Yet I felt as if some invisible pull held me to this spot. Black magic?

  Hale shrugged. “Not much else I can do. Be traveling all day to get home by this time tomorrow. If I prolong it, she’ll find me anyway, and someone else is likely to get hurt.”

  “You’re going home? Back to Baldwinidad without a heart?”

  “Got one right here.” He thumped his chest. “It’s a great deal more tainted than the princess’s, but it’ll do for Mother to take out her wrath upon.”

  “I don’t understand. You’re not— you’re not going to…”

  “What?” Hale lay back, arms folded behind his head. “I was sent to the ball tonight to kill the princess. I didn’t, so Mother’ll have me killed— after she’s made me pay, of course. It’s that simple.”

  “Why go home then? Why not go somewhere else far away?”

  He gave a short laugh. “There isn’t anywhere far enough that I’d escape her. And no point in taking others with me. You’d best get back to your kitchen. If Mother regains her strength a
nd happens to see us talking…”

  “She can see you?”

  Hale yawned. “Sometimes. Though not likely tonight. The good spell it took to fix me up for the few hours of the ball set her back some.” He rolled on his side, away from me. “Goodbye, Adrielle. Take care with those pearls, and leave the prince alone.”

  “I will,” I murmured, then started edging away, still not trusting him to turn my back to him. When enough distance separated us that I felt certain I could outrun him, I called, “Why didn’t you kill Cecilia?”

  He sat up faster than I’d have imagined he could. “What is it to you? Not wishing your prince were a free man, are ye?”

  “No! No,” I hastened to convince him. “I only wondered why you came this long way and then changed your mind about killing the princess.”

  “Never said I changed my mind. Never planned to kill her in the first place.” Keeping his eye on me, he lay back again. “You’d best be as harmless as you seem.” His lips pressed together in a stern line.

  It was I who couldn’t contain a laugh this time. “You’re worried about me?”

  “Aye. Shouldn’t I be?”

  “No. Though I’m sure I’m right to be worried about you.” My hands went to my chest again.

  Hale gave me a disgusted look. “I’m not after your heart any more than I was after Cecilia’s.”

  “Then why?” I asked, moving closer, my curiosity getting the better of me. “Why did you come?”

  Instead of answering, Hale rolled away from me. “Don’t know as it’s any of your business.”

  “I suppose it isn’t. Though as you once took something from me— and tried to chase me down with a horse— I’d think the least you could do is answer a simple question. Then I’ll be on my way.”

  “Shoulda left you cryin’.” He said nothing more for several seconds, then gave a weary sigh. “I met the princess once— long ago. It was shortly after the fairies advanced her age to eighteen, so she might avoid the curse from my mother.” He paused again, this time staring off into the dark night.