Finn had been a tracker for Willa, so he knew her and her father, Garrett, quite well. Garrett’s wife (Willa’s mother) had died some years earlier. Finn claimed that Garrett was easygoing, but that Willa was a tad high-strung. She was twenty-one, and prior to living in Förening, she’d been privileged to the point of excess.
When the doorbell rang, interrupting the irritatingly dull conversation between Aurora and my mother, Finn immediately excused himself to answer the door and returned with Garrett and Willa in tow.
Garrett was a rather handsome man in his mid-forties. His hair was dark and disheveled, making me feel better about my own imperfect hair. When he shook my hand with a warm smile, he immediately put me at ease.
Willa, on the other hand, had that snobby look as if she were simultaneously bored and pissed off. She was a waif of a girl with light brown waves that fell neatly down her back, and she wore an anklet covered in diamonds. When she shook my hand, I could tell that her smile was at least sincere, making me hate her a little less.
Now that they had arrived, we adjourned to the dining room for supper. Willa attempted to engage Tove in conversation as we walked into the other room, but he remained completely silent.
Finn pulled my chair out for me before I sat down, and I enjoyed it since I couldn’t remember a single time that anyone had ever done that for me. He waited until everyone was sitting before taking a seat himself, and this deference would be the standard for the evening.
As long as at least one person was standing, so would Finn. He was always the first to his feet, and even though the chef and a butler were on staff tonight, Finn would offer to get anyone anything they needed.
The dinner dragged on much more slowly than I had imagined it could. Since I wore white, I barely ate out of fear of spilling anything on my dress. I had never felt so judged in my entire life. I could feel Aurora and Elora waiting for me to screw up so they could pounce, but I wasn’t sure how either of them would benefit from my failure.
I could tell that on several occasions Garrett tried to lighten the mood, but his attempts were rebuffed by Aurora and Elora, who dominated the conversation. The rest of us rarely spoke.
Tove stirred his soup a lot, and I became mildly hypnotized by that. He’d let go of his spoon, but it kept swirling around the bowl, stirring the soup without any hand to guide it. I must have started to gape because I felt Finn gently kick me under the table, and I quickly dropped my eyes back to my own food.
“It is so nice to have you here,” Garrett told me at one point, changing the entire topic of conversation. “How do you like the palace so far?”
“Oh, it is not a palace, Garrett,” said Elora with a laugh. It wasn’t a real laugh, though. It was the kind of laugh rich people use whenever they talk about new money people. Aurora tittered right along with it, and that quieted Elora down somehow.
“You’re right. It’s better than a palace,” Garrett said, and Elora smiled demurely.
“I like it. It’s very nice.” I knew I was making bland conversation, but I was afraid to elaborate more.
“Are you adjusting here all right?” Garrett asked.
“Yes, I think so,” I said. “I haven’t been here that long, though.”
“It does take time.” Garrett looked at Willa with affectionate concern. His easy smile returned quickly and he nodded at Finn. “But you’ve got Finn there to help you. He’s an expert at helping the changelings acclimate.”
“I’m not an expert at anything,” Finn said quietly. “I just do my job the best I can.”
“Have you had a designer come over to make the dress yet?” Aurora asked Elora, taking a polite sip of wine. It had been a minute since she’d last spoken, so it was time for her to assert herself once more in the conversation. “That dress the Princess has on is very lovely, but I can’t imagine that it was made specifically for her.”
“No, it was not.” Elora gave her a plastic smile and cast a very small but very distinct glare at my dress. Until just that second it had felt like the most beautiful thing I had ever worn. “The tailor is set to come over early next week.”
“That is cutting it a bit short for next Saturday, isn’t it?” Aurora questioned, and I could see Elora bristling just below the surface of her perfect smile. “That’s just over a week away.”
“Not at all,” Elora said in an overly soothing tone, almost as if she were talking to a small child or a Pomeranian. “I am using Frederique Von Ellsin, the same one who designed Willa’s gown. He works very quickly, and his gowns are always impeccable.”
“My gown was divine,” Willa interjected.
“Ah, yes.” Aurora allowed herself to look impressed. “We have him on reserve for when our daughter comes home next spring. He’s much harder to get then, since that is the busy season for when the children return.”
There was something vaguely condescending in her voice, as if we had done something tacky by having me arrive here when I did. Elora kept on smiling, despite what I now realized was a steady stream of polite barbs from Aurora.
“That is one major benefit of having the Princess come home in the fall,” Aurora continued, her words only getting more patronizing as she spoke. “Everything will be so much easier to book. When Tove came home last season, it was so difficult to get everything just right. I suppose you’ll have everything you want on hand. That should make for a stunning ball.”
Several things were setting off alarms in my head. First, they were talking about both me and Tove as if we weren’t even there, although he didn’t seem to notice or care about anything going on around him.
Second, they were talking about something going on next Saturday that I apparently needed a specially designed dress for, and yet nobody had bothered to mention it to me. Then again, this shouldn’t surprise me. Nobody told me anything.
“I haven’t had the luxury of making plans a year in advance the way most people do, since the Princess came home most unexpectedly.” Elora’s sweet smile dripped with venom, and Aurora smiled back at her as if she didn’t notice.
“I can certainly lend you a hand. I just did Tove’s, and as I said, I’m already preparing for our daughter’s,” Aurora offered.
“That would be delightful.” Elora took a long drink of her wine.
Dinner continued that way, Elora and Aurora’s conversation barely masking how much they detested each other. Noah didn’t say much, but at least he managed not to look awkward or bored.
Willa and I ended up watching Tove quite a bit, but for entirely different reasons. She stared at him with unabashed lust, although I couldn’t figure out what he’d done to deserve that, other than being attractive. I kept watching because I was certain he was moving things without touching them.
The Kroners didn’t linger after dinner, but the Stroms did. I assumed that was because Elora actually liked Garrett and Willa.
Elora, Finn, and I walked the Kroners out, with Finn coming along only to open the doors for them. When saying their good-byes, Aurora and Noah bowed before us, making me feel quite ridiculous. There was absolutely no reason why anyone should bow to me.
To my astonishment, Tove gently took my hand in his, kissing it softly when he bowed. When he straightened up, his eyes met mine, and very seriously he said, “I look forward to seeing you again, Princess.”
“And I, you.” I was so pleased that I had said something that sounded completely perfect for the moment. And then I smiled much too wide, I’m sure.
Once they departed into the night, oxygen seemed to return to the house, and Elora let out an irritated sigh. Finn rested his forehead against the door for a moment before turning back around to face us. I felt much better knowing that everyone else had found the evening exhausting too.
“Oh, that woman.” Elora rubbed her temples and shook her head, then pointed at me. “You. You do not bow to anyone, ever. Especially not that woman. I know you thrilled her endlessly, and she’s going to be telling everyone about the little dim
-witted Princess who didn’t know enough not to bow before a Marksinna.” I looked at the floor, feeling any sense of pride vanish. “You don’t even bow before me, is that clear?”
“Yes,” I said.
“You are the Princess. Nobody is higher than you. Have you got that?” Elora snapped, and I nodded. “Then you need to start acting like it. You need to command the room! They came here to see you, to gauge your power, and you need to show them. They need to have confidence that you will be able to lead them all when I am gone.”
I kept my eyes locked on the floor, even though I knew that probably offended her, but I was afraid I would cry if I looked at her yelling at me.
“You sit there like some beautiful, useless jewel, and that’s exactly what she wants.” She sighed disgustedly again. “Oh, and the way you gaped at that boy—”
At that, she abruptly stopped. She shook her head, as if too weary to continue, then turned and walked back to the sitting parlor. I swallowed back my feelings, and Finn gently touched my arm, smiling at me.
“You did just fine,” he assured me quietly. “She’s upset with Aurora Kroner, not you.”
“It sure sounded like she was upset with me,” I muttered under my breath.
“Don’t let her get to you.” He squeezed my arm, sending warming tingles through me, and I couldn’t help but return his smile. “Come on. We need to get back to the guests.”
In the sitting parlor, Garrett and Willa waited for us, the entire atmosphere far more relaxed than it had been at dinner. Finn even loosened his tie. Her outburst seemed to have calmed Elora completely, and she lounged on the chair next to Garrett. He seemed to capture a disproportionate amount of her attention, but I didn’t mind.
Soon a whole other side of Finn emerged. He sat next to me, his leg crossed over his knee, making charming small talk with the group. He was still gracious and respectful, but he chatted easily. I bit my tongue, afraid to say the wrong thing, happy to let Finn entertain Garrett and Willa. Even Elora looked pleased.
Garrett and Elora started talking politics, and Finn became more engaged in the conversation. Apparently, Elora had to appoint a new Chancellor in six months. I didn’t even know what that was, and I thought asking would only make me look foolish.
As the night progressed, Elora had to excuse herself because of a migraine. Garrett and Finn offered their sympathy, but neither of them seemed particularly surprised or concerned. When they continued with the whole Chancellor business again, it became clear that Willa had grown bored. She said she needed fresh air and invited me to join her.
We went down a long hall to a small alcove with nearly invisible glass doors. They led out to the balcony that ran from one end of the house to the other, lined with a thick black railing that reached up to my chest.
I froze, remembering the painting I had seen in Elora’s locked room. It was this marble balcony I had been lying on, my hand outstretched at nothing, my face contorted in horror. I looked down at my dress, but it didn’t feel right. This one was lovely, but the dress in the picture had shimmered. Broken glass had littered the ground also, and I didn’t see any.
“Are you coming?” Willa glanced back at me.
“Uh, yeah.” I nodded and, taking a deep breath, I followed her out.
Willa went over to the farthest corner and leaned on the railing. Out here, the view was even more intimidating. The balcony hung over a hundred-foot drop. Below us the tops of maples, oaks, and evergreens stretched out as far as the eye could see. The secret garden remained hidden from sight.
Farther down the bluff I could see the tops of houses, and way down at the bottom the turbulent river ran past us. Just then a breeze blew across the balcony, sending a cold chill down my bare arms, and Willa sighed.
“Oh, knock it off!” Willa grumbled, and at first I thought she was talking to me.
I was about to ask what she meant when she lifted her hand and waved her fingers lightly in the air. Almost instantly her hair, which had been blowing back in the breeze, settled on her shoulders. The wind had died away.
“Did you do that?” I asked, trying not to sound as awed as I felt.
“Yeah. That’s the only thing I can do. Lame, isn’t it?” Willa wrinkled her nose.
“No, actually, I think it’s pretty cool,” I admitted.
She controlled the wind! Wind was an unstoppable force, and she just wiggled her fingers, and magically it stopped.
“I kept hoping I’d get a real ability someday, but my mother only had command over the clouds, so at least I did better than that.” Willa shrugged. “You’ll see when your abilities start coming in. Everybody hopes for telekinesis or at least some persuasion, but most of us are stuck with basic use of the elements, if we’re lucky. The abilities aren’t what they used to be, I guess.”
“Before you came here, did you know you were something?” I asked, looking over my shoulder at her. She had her back against the railing, and she leaned over it, letting her hair hang down over the edge.
“Oh, yeah. I always knew I was better than everyone else.” Her eyes fluttered shut and she waved her fingers again, stirring up a light breeze to flow through her hair. “What about you?”
“Um . . . kind of.” Different, yes. Better, not at all.
“You’re younger than most of us, though,” Willa commented. “You’re still in school, aren’t you?”
“I was.” Nobody had made any mention of school since I got here, and I had no idea what their intentions were for the remainder of my education.
“School sucks anyway.” Willa stood up straight and looked at me solemnly. “So why did they get you early, anyway? Is it because of the Vittra?”
“What do you mean?” I asked nervously.
I knew what she meant, but I wanted to see if she’d tell me. Nobody seemed that keen on talking about the Vittra, and Finn hadn’t even mentioned their attack since I’d come here. Inside the compound I assumed I was safe, but I didn’t know if they still wanted me.
“I’ve heard stories that the Vittra have been prowling around lately, trying to catch Trylle changelings,” Willa said casually. “I figured you’d be a top priority ’cause you’re the Princess, and that’s kind of a big deal here.”
She looked thoughtfully at her bare toes and mused, “I wonder if I’d be a top priority. My dad’s not a King or anything like that, but we are kind of royalty. What’s lower than a Queen in the human world? Is that a Duchess or something?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. I knew nothing of monarchy and titles, which was ironic, considering that I was now integral to a monarchy.
“Yeah, I think I’m like that.” Willa narrowed her eyes in concentration. “My official title is Marksinna, and that’s like a Duchess. My dad is a Markis, which is just a male Marksinna. We’re not the only ones, though. There are maybe six or seven other families in Förening alone with the same title. The Kroners were next in line for the crown if you didn’t come back. They’re real powerful, and that Tove is a catch.”
While he was attractive, nothing had impressed me about Tove other than his telekinesis. Still, it felt weird knowing that they were vying for my spot, and we had just eaten dinner with them.
“I don’t have to worry that much about it, though.” Willa yawned loudly. “Sorry. Boredom makes me sleepy. Maybe we should go inside.”
It was getting cold, so I was happy to oblige. As soon as we went back in, Willa lay on the couch and all but fell asleep, so Garrett excused himself shortly after. He went to say good-bye to Elora, and then helped Willa out to the car.
The butler was cleaning everything up, so Finn suggested that we head up to our respective rooms. The night had been surprisingly tiring, so I was eager to comply.
“What’s going on?” I asked after the Stroms left. It was the first chance I’d had all evening to really talk to him. “What is this ball or party or whatever that’s happening next Saturday?”
“It’s the Trylle equivalent of a debutant
e ball, except that boys go through it too,” Finn explained as we climbed the stairs.
Dully, I remembered how grand I had felt coming down the stairs a few hours earlier. For the first time I had felt almost like a Princess, and now I felt like a child playing dress-up. Aurora had seen through my fancy trappings (which she didn’t even find all that fancy) and realized that I wasn’t special.
“I don’t even know what a debutante ball is.” I sighed. I knew nothing of high society.
“It’s a coming-out party, your presentation to the world,” Finn elaborated. “Changelings aren’t raised here. The community doesn’t know them. So when they come back, they’re given a small amount of time to acclimate, and then they’re introduced to society. Every changeling has one, but most are very small. Since you are the Princess, you will have guests from all over the Trylle community. It is quite an ordeal.”
I groaned. “I’m not ready for that at all.”
“You will be,” Finn assured me.
We walked in silence the rest of the way to my bedroom as I fretted and worried about the upcoming party. It hadn’t been that long ago that I had gone to my very first dance, and now I was expected to be the center of a formal ball.
I could never pull that off. Tonight had only been a semi-formal dinner, and I hadn’t even performed well at that.
“I trust you’ll sleep well this evening,” Finn said as I opened the bedroom door.
“You need to come in with me,” I reminded him, then pointed to my dress. “I can’t unzip this thing on my own.”
“Of course.”
Finn followed me into the darkened room and flipped on the lights. The glass wall worked as a mirror thanks to the black night. In the reflection, I still thought I looked nice, and then I realized that was probably because I had other people picking out my clothes. My judgment was too flawed. I turned away from the glass and waited for Finn to unzip me.
“I really botched things tonight, didn’t I?” I asked sadly.
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