* * * * *
Tugging at the collar of my shirt, I tried to get past the discomfort. The tunic I’d been given came halfway up my neck, and it left me feeling strangled. It amazed me that anyone could get used to such things. How did men survive summers that way? Regardless, I should’ve been grateful for the fine clothing. Never in my life had I worn such expensive items, and judging by the tight weave and tiny stitches holding it all together, I wasn’t likely to see its equal again. As I followed the guard down the winding corridor, I made a note to be extra careful at dinner, as I didn’t want to stain anything that didn’t belong to me.
Given the opulence of the castle, I was surprised when I was shown to a small dining room with a normal-sized table. Although the food already piled upon it looked to be what my family might eat in an entire month, it lacked the pompous quality I’d expect from royalty. Instead, it felt intimate and welcoming. Only two sat at the table when I entered— Delphine and a man dressed in gray and blue. He looked nothing like any of the women I’d met, with olive skin and curly dark hair, so I wondered if he wasn’t an unrelated noble or advisor.
Delphine smiled and stood, taking me from the guard’s care and showing me to a seat beside her. “Does the clothing suit you, Lukas? You look very nice.”
“I, uh, yes,” I stammered. “It’s fine, thank you.”
She smirked a little. “I know it’s hardly what you’re used to, but thank you for being so polite about it.” When she sat again, she turned to the other man. “Ormond, this is Lukas, the one from Valmyr we told you about.”
“Ah!” His eyes lit up in recognition. “So you’re who’s had my wife so flustered these past months.”
I swallowed a nervous lump in my throat. “Your wife? I don’t—”
Delphine rested a hand on my arm. “He means Clarice, Lukas. Not Erata.”
So, he was married to…
I shot to my feet, managing a bow as my chair nearly toppled over behind me. “Your Highness! Forgive my manners. I didn’t know—”
The king barked a laugh as Delphine again took my arm. “There’s no need for any fuss. Truly. We’re family here, Lukas. Please sit.”
At a complete loss, I tried to pull myself together a little, though I had no idea how to act while sharing a meal with such company. I considered refusing to eat at all to save myself the embarrassment.
“Clarice and Adelaide will be along shortly,” Delphine said. “Excuse their tardiness. Clarice isn’t moving particularly quickly these days.”
“Understandable. She’s due any day now, I imagine?”
King Ormond beamed proudly. “She says our daughter should arrive in another week or so, yes.”
He looked so happy to be having a girl, it was a little surprising coming from a king. From my limited understanding of royalty, sons were typically more celebrated.
“I know that look,” he grumbled at me. “If you knew anything about Bernish princesses, you’d understand completely.”
“I’m sorry, Highness, I wasn’t… that is… I…” I took a deep breath. “I don’t know much about anything but mountains, so please assume any offense I give is out of ignorance rather than malice.”
He chuckled to himself. “A man who readily admits to being wrong? I think I’m starting to understand what Erata sees in you.”
Delphine smiled behind her hand. “Don’t tease him, Ormond. We’re likely to scare him away as it is.”
At that, I set my shoulders. “After everything that’s happened the past few months, this is hardly enough to frighten me. Embarrass me at best, but I’m no coward, my lady.”
Her eyes went wide, her lips parted in surprise. “Oh, I didn’t mean—”
“Just because Erata isn’t here, that’s no reason to fill in for her taunts, you two.” At the sound of the queen’s voice behind me, I stood again. She graced me with her warm regard and motioned me back into my seat.
Adelaide saw her to a chair before taking the one across from me. She didn’t take her eyes off me for a moment, and I got the distinct impression I was being tested. “We thought it would be better to share a meal this way, away from the rest of the court. They like to pry where they’ve no business.”
“And also for your comfort,” Clarice said, shooting her sister a look with the tiniest hint of reprimand.
Adelaide nodded. “That as well. Besides, there’s no time for formalities. We’ll save that for later when you bring our sister home.”
“Formalities?” I blinked at her, painfully stupid. “Why would there be formalities?”
“Because…” She tilted her head to one side, her brows drawing down as she considered me. “Well, she is a princess, and with your intentions for her…”
“My intentions?” Nothing made any sense. “Wait, did you say princess?”
All four of them shared looks, seeming as confused as I felt.
At last, Clarice leaned forward, her expression earnest. “Lukas, perhaps you should tell us your story first, before any more assumptions are made.”
My gaze passed from one person to the next, trying to work out what it was I’d missed, but their attentive stares told me nothing. “Where should I start?”
Clarice picked up a slice of bread, buttering the top side as she spoke. “The day you met the elk, I suppose. And do eat as much as you like. We’ll talk as we dine.”
It was a very long meal, lasting two hours before I’d told them everything that transpired since the day I hauled a wounded animal up the mountain. I did skip over a few small details, mostly to do with my inept intimate moments, but I left nothing else out. For the first time since my adventure began, I had people that would listen and not answer my questions with riddles. And knowing they had blood ties to Erata… Well, it wasn’t the same as having her with me, but it was as close as I’d been in what felt like a lifetime. All four listened with patient interest, waiting until the moment in the story where I arrived in the courtyard.
“And here I am.” I stared at my hands, resting helplessly in my lap. “That’s as much as I know. If there’s anything else you can tell me… Well, any help you can give at all would be greatly appreciated. All my life I’ve been the one who knew what needed to be done, and I did it. But now…” I sighed. “Most of the time I feel like a child again, simply shuffling from place to place and doing as I’m told. But I think I probably deserve that. It’s a just reward for what I caused.”
They were all silent as I concluded. After a moment, I worked up the courage to look at them, fully prepared to see their scorn.
Adelaide stood, her face unreadable as she walked around the table and motioned me to stand. My heart filled with regret, I obliged and waited for her judgment.
A split second passed, and her arms enfolded me, pulling me into a warm hug. I was frozen in place, stunned by her affection at first, but succumbing to it shortly, needing her reassurance more than I’d realized.
“Forgive me for closing my heart to you, Lukas,” she whispered to me. “I was wrong to be angry. It’s not my place to judge.” She leaned away, smiling with a shimmer of tears in her eyes. “Everyone makes mistakes, but it doesn’t mean we don’t deserve love.”
“After my failure, I’d never expect forgiveness from anyone,” I replied, my throat tight. “I’ll see her free, but after that…” My words caught. “Whatever she decides, that’s what will be.”
Clarice pushed back her chair and angled herself out of it, her belly leading the way as Ormond scrambled to assist her. “I think we can fill in some holes for you, Lukas. Shall we take tea elsewhere? My feet are rather insistent on being propped up before we continue.”
As no one was about to argue, the five of us retreated to a sitting room, its mahogany walls containing a cozy fire and half a dozen plush chairs. Clarice and Ormond took the small couch while the rest of us arranged seats around her. A servant came with tea for all, and I held my breath as I picked up the china cup to take my first sip. The fine dishes felt
incredibly fragile in my hands, and I feared breaking everything I touched.
“Before I begin, may I ask you something first?” Clarice blew across the top of her tea.
“Anything, Your Highness.”
“Belinda…” Her brow creased with worry. “How is she?”
I frowned. “I’m not sure I can give you an answer. I only spoke with her that little bit, and I’ve nothing to compare it to. She seemed healthy enough, though I wonder if she’s always had a…” My shoulders curled in, unsure if I should speak truthfully. “A strange way of speaking.”
Delphine’s smile was small and wistful. “A bit, but not so much as you’ve described. She’s always preferred animals to humans, but right now…”
“She was unharmed, and that’s what’s important for the moment,” Adelaide said. “One problem at a time, sisters. Focus on what we can do something about.”
Clarice sighed and kicked her propped feet out of her slippers. “You’re right of course. So, where to begin…”
“Best skip to when she left,” Delphine said. “There’ll be time for the rest another day.”
As she nodded, Clarice’s face darkened. “Erata was always prickly, but very loyal. Despite the wind in her heart, she stayed with us out of love, you see. During our exile, she was relatively content, as we traveled quite a lot, but—”
“Wait,” I interrupted, her words tickling something familiar in my head. “Did you say exile?”
“That’s a very long, complicated story,” Delphine said, “but perhaps you’re familiar with a bit of it? Maybe something you heard or… Dreamt?”
I sat up in my seat, alarmed. “Is that even possible?”
She shrugged. “It was maybe the most exhausted I’ve ever been, but, yes, it’s possible.”
I leaned forward on my knees, raptly attentive. “The seven girls, the great evil… That was all of you?”
“Insomuch as I could show you, yes,” she explained. “We all have gifts, you see. Adelaide’s is with plants, Belinda’s with animals.” She pointed to the queen. “Clarice speaks with spirits, and we can both divine in various ways, although I have the ability to speak with people from afar. That’s how I kept in contact with Erata, and how we were able to guide her to you, and how she learned about your mother’s health. She never fully understood who I was, but there are some memories that no spell can completely erase. We may forget names and faces, but we never forget the love we share.”
Adelaide nodded firmly. “Our seventh sister, Raelynn, whom you haven’t met, sits on the throne of Sericea. She has much in common with Erata. They both have adventurous spirits.”
“And her gift?” I asked.
Clarice settled farther into the cushions. “Glamour. She can conjure illusions to look like anyone, or project them onto other things and people. She’s the youngest, though she’s never been one to act that way. Aside from Farah, who’s with her now, she’s the most skilled fighter among us, mostly out of necessity. Farah has a mastery of defense and traps. With all the unrest in Sericea and Bern the past few years, she’s been very busy.”
She took a sip of tea, shifting the conversation. “When we settled back into the castle here, Erata struggled with it a great deal. As I said before, she’s fiercely loyal, but once we were all safe and ready to start living again, she wasn’t sure what to do with herself. Several nobles petitioned for her hand, but that was never a life she wanted. Any who tried to tame her met with a swift dismissal, and after a year she’d had enough. She’d spend days buried in the library, searching book after book for something. Neither Delphine nor I could work it out for ourselves, no matter how much scrying we did. She mentioned something to Adelaide once about an old story from Qilong, but that was as much as we ever got from her. We did offer to help her. Stubborn thing she is, she insisted on doing it alone. One evening, she burst into dinner rambling about ruins and a lead, and how she was leaving at first light. No matter what we said to calm her down, nothing worked. She left the next morning without so much as a goodbye.”
“That was when I saw the darkness in the ashes.” Delphine stared into her tea, her words distant. “She was racing towards something terrible, but wouldn’t answer when I tried to reach her, to warn her. We followed her journey as best we could, and when she dropped from our sight…” She pinched her eyes shut, a tear escaping to run down her cheek. “We thought her dead for a week before a spirit of the wind reached Clarice. It spoke of a dragon in a far land, though little else was clear to us. It was a month before I found her in the smoke. And when she didn’t remember me…”
Adelaide walked across the room and perched on the edge of Delphine’s chair, holding her hand. “These two spent days poring over all manner of divinations— tea leaves, ashes from the hearth, mirrors, potions— piecing together little by little the nature of the curse and the reason for it. That dragon she found, of all the creatures she could’ve gone to, he was the worst possible choice. He covets power, seeking the highest seat of his kind. Were his line to cross with ours…” She shook her head. “Magic runs deep in our veins. We did all we could for her, but we can’t save her from this.”
“Delphine and I’ve seen something else, as well,” Clarice said, her voice quiet as she drew strength from her husband. “Something new has obscured her mind, a strange magic we can’t break through. If she weren’t at that dragon’s palace, we might be able to work it out, but it’s too well protected. Not even Delphine can reach her in the smoke, and the spirits tell me she’s beyond them. If she were to focus on reaching us, we might be able to speak with her, but whatever magic is upon her prevents her from doing so. It’s possible the dragon’s done something to her, which would be the worst case. None of us can go there, as he’d sense our magic immediately.”
“But someone without magic?” I asked, trying to hold on to my hope.
Ormond kissed his wife’s forehead, then looked at me. “That’s the only thing we’ve thought of. In all of this, watching these three struggle to help, none of them have been able to get close to her. You and I, we know what it is to love a woman of this line. It might not be the sort of magic they possess, but it has power and strength of its own. After hearing your story, I don’t doubt for a moment you love Erata. Hold on to that. Never give it up. Every moment you hang on to that feeling will make your journey easier and the result that much sweeter. I waited for ten years without Clarice, and I don’t regret a single moment I sacrificed to have her by my side now.”
At that, Clarice burst into tears, melting into Ormond’s gray doublet.
Adelaide stood and pulled me to my feet. “Come. I believe my sister is ready to retire for the evening. It’s been a very hard day for all of us. We’ll start fresh at breakfast and decide what to do from there, all right?”
I relented, also exhausted from reliving every moment of the past few months in the span of a few hours. With the new information from Erata’s sisters, perhaps a solution would clarify in my mind as I slept. I said my goodnights to the royal couple and Delphine, and Adelaide showed me back to my room.
There, in the darkness of the castle, I stared up at the vaulted ceiling. Sleep was elusive, but eventually I succumbed to it, drifting into dreams of Erata’s laughter echoing off the stone walls.
Chapter 19
“I apologize for my outburst last night,” Clarice said as she toddled along the garden path. “My emotions are running a little high these days. Ormond dotes on me so, I simply get overwhelmed by it. To know how blessed I am…” Her voice caught on her words, but she took a deep breath to calm herself. “It is what it is. Again, sorry.”
I waved it off. “No apologies needed at all. Between ruling a kingdom, becoming a mother, and the situation with Erata, you’re probably much more reasonable than anyone else would be.”
She took my arm and sighed. “You’re very accepting of everything, you know. Most people would run the other way at the slightest hint of magic.”
“Wel
l, I never claimed to be a smart man,” I said with a laugh. “Erata taught me much, even though she wasn’t fully herself. If I learned anything from my time with her, it’s that the world is full of things I don’t understand. We grow by learning, and learning often means accepting. How I feel about anything does nothing to change it, so all that’s left to me is to work with what I’m given and do what I can to be happy.”
She turned her large blue eyes up to me. “And are you happy, Lukas?”
“Not with how things are at the moment, no.” Frowning, a deep melancholy settled into my bones. Not even the brightly colored gardens cheered me. “Knowing she’s so far away, trapped… I could never be happy leaving it that way. The problem is that I’m not entirely sure what to do next. I was sent here for your help, but I wonder if you’re as confused as I am about that.”
Her brow furrowed as we made the turn to the gazebo, where Delphine and Adelaide waited for us. “A bit, but we may work it out between the four of us.”
We stepped up into the wooden structure, taking seats at a table spread with tea, fruit, and cheeses.
“Enjoy your walk around the flower beds?” Adelaide asked as she sipped her drink.
“Immensely, yes,” Clarice said. “The scent of the lilies helps clear my head. I’ll be glad not to feel so clouded all the time once the little one arrives.”
Delphine beamed at her. “Not much longer.”
“Yes, but there are other matters to discuss this morning.” Clarice reached for an orange slice, redirecting the conversation. “Lukas, exactly what did the red feather man tell you before you left Corumon?”
I thought back to my last moments in his presence, trying to recall his words. “He told me the East Wind couldn’t bring me to Erata, and that I needed to try them all to get to the dragon’s palace. The main problem is that I can’t speak with the wind as Erata does. He told me I only need to see them, but how is such a thing possible? No one can see the wind.”
Ride the Wind: A Flipped Fairy Tale (Flipped Fairy Tales Book 3) Page 18