The horse flicked his head and snorted when he saw me, then reached his head out and started nudging my shoulder.
“You appear to have already met,” Bernard said.
“Yes.” I laughed and started rubbing Tao’s head and cheeks. “Philip let me take him on a picnic for my birthday.”
“Ah, yes. I remember now. Well, there’s grain in that bucket there if you want to feed him.”
“How do horses eat if they aren’t in a barn?” I asked.
Bernard’s bushy brows furrowed over his blue eyes. “They graze on grass and things.”
“So if someone is on a journey with horses, they just let them munch on anything?” I asked. I grabbed a handful of oats and held it up to Tao.
“As long as it isn’t poisonous, yes. And make sure to travel on roads that have access to water, like a river or stables, so horses can drink. Why the sudden inquiries, if I might ask?”
I let out a heavy sigh. “Prince Gerard insisted on searching for a fae. He took his horse, and I was just wondering how one travels with a horse. It’s not something I’ve ever thought about or paid attention to when we traveled.”
Bernard nodded softly.
“Do they wander off?” I looked over at him.
The old man shrugged. “They can, especially if they get spooked, like during a storm. But most of the time, they’re pretty loyal. You can tie them to a tree at night as well so they don’t wander. It’s keeping them safe from predators you need to worry about.”
“Luckily, Gerard says he’s a hunter.” I rubbed Tao’s nose again, and he turned his head to search my hand for some more treats.
“I best be getting back to work.” Bernard nodded to me, and I returned the gesture.
“Am I crazy to be worried so much about him, Tao?” I asked softly.
Tao’s enormous brown eyes watched me lazily.
“Philip, do you know how to protect the horses?” I asked.
He had just reentered the barn from dumping the pile of manure somewhere. He wiped his arm across his forehead. His eyes darted to my hands, but I’d covered them with long gloves. Even if Gerard wasn’t ashamed of them, I still was. And clearly Philip was still nervous about them as well.
“We keep them inside here at night and let them out in the fields during the day unless we’re doing something. A few men are fixing part of the fence that got broken when a tree branch collapsed on it. That’s why the horses are in today. We have llamas with the horses and they help to protect them.” He shrugged. “But wild animals tend to go after easier targets, like sheep or goats.”
“Do you enjoy being out here with the horses?” I looked over at him.
“Uh …” He removed his work glove and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yes, but it’s not what I want to be doing forever. It’s tough work.”
I lowered my hands. “People don’t just stay where they are? I mean, your father is our stable master. What would you do instead?”
Philip chuckled a little. I didn’t know if I’d ever heard him laugh or chuckle. “Yes, and he would like me to follow in his steps. I do enjoy horses, but I would really like my own home on my own land. I’ve been learning from a couple of arborists too, so I could eventually have some trees. Dreams, really. But to answer your question, no. People don’t have to stay where they’re put. In fact, you know the noble family, the Collins?”
“Yes … yes! They’re relatively new. Have a lovely family with five children,” I confirmed.
“He started out as a fisherman, but he learned the value of the money-trading side. He learned how to be smart with investments and made some very valuable purchases, which ended up earning him more money, and now he’s nobility. Some people start as blacksmiths and become farmers, or servants in the castle leave and start their own lives as tailors or florists.” He shrugged. “The possibilities are endless.”
I felt my lips tug in an attempt of a smile, but I looked at Tao. “I suppose for some people there are a lot of possibilities.”
“I didn’t mean … I …”
“I know.” I smiled at him. “You didn’t offend me. I just think what life must be like beyond the castle walls and if I’m a fool for staying so confined.” I stepped away from Tao, and the horse snorted his disapproval. “Thank you for letting me spend some time out here. I’ll likely return tomorrow. It’s nice to be outside now and then.”
Philip bowed respectfully as I passed.
I spent time in the main gardens, and Marigold and Dahlia joined me after lunch on a walk into the fields around the castle.
“Has Gerard made you more brave?” Marigold asked.
“I don’t know if it’s him or … something else. I’ve just been feeling like something is different.” I looked at her and put my hand on her head to ruffle her hair, but her skin was hot to the touch and her skin was pale. “Marigold, are you all right?”
“I haven’t been feeling very well today,” she confessed.
I gasped. “Why didn’t you say something earlier? We should get back to the castle now.” I took her hand.
“I didn’t want to spoil your day,” she objected. But she didn’t fight as Dahlia and I guided her back to the castle.
She threw up as soon as we got her inside. The servants stepped in immediately and rushed to get her cleaned up and in bed, and Abby was summoned to make her famous chicken noodle soup.
Dahlia and I stood inside the door as the last servant left. “Of course you would fall ill the one day Elisa decides to be brave,” Dahlia teased.
Marigold smiled softly but closed her eyes and rolled on her side.
Mother burst into the room. “The servants told me you were ill. What happened?” She wheeled around to stare at Dahlia and me for an explanation.
“We were out on a walk,” I began.
“I heard you went beyond the castle walls,” she pointed out.
“Of course outside the castle walls, there’s nowhere to walk inside them,” Dahlia interjected. “And it’s not Elisa’s fault Marigold fell ill.”
Mother tightened her lips and walked to Marigold’s side. “Poor thing.” She stroked her cheeks.
“Can Elisa tell me a story before everyone leaves?” she mumbled.
“Of course, sweetheart.”
“Just her and Dahlia?”
Mother’s spine went rigid, but I resisted a triumphant grin. I loved being with Marigold. Even as a child, I took care of her whenever Mother was too busy. We were eight years apart in age, but we still held a special bond.
Mother stood, then told Marigold to send for her when she was ready and she would return. She didn’t even look at me as she passed.
“What story do you want?” I asked, walking to her small bookshelf still holding children’s picture books.
“This one.” Marigold patted the book on her nightstand.
I grinned. “Those are my favorite stories too.”
The old book was a collection of stories written years and years ago, told to me as a child, and I loved reading them to Dahlia and Marigold. I took the book while she scooted over to make room so I could sit on the edge of her bed.
Dahlia climbed up on the opposite side and hugged Marigold from behind.
“Which story would you like to start off with?” I asked, loving the little creak in the spine as I opened the pages.
“The princess in the tower,” she said with a yawn and rubbed her eye.
I chuckled. “All right. Let me find it … Ah, there it is.” I cleared my throat. “Once upon a time, an old watchtower stood in the middle of the woods. Once, it had been part of a grand kingdom, but over time it had been forgotten. It overlooked the blanket of trees below. Constructed of stone and mortar, it was strong and steady in spite of its age. It had four windows looking in the four directions of the compass, a sloped and pointed roof, a
nd by all appearances, appeared to be nothing but an old watchtower. Inside of that tower, however—”
“Does the tower have a door?” Marigold asked.
I paused and lifted my gaze from the words on the page. “I’ve never thought about that. I don’t think so.”
“But how would Rapunzel have gotten up there in the first place?” Marigold argued.
I was at a loss for words. “Let’s say the tower has a door.” I looked back at the page and opened my mouth, but Marigold interrupted again.
“Then why doesn’t she just go out and find her own prince?”
Her words struck me harder than she ever intended. Why didn’t the princess leave the tower? Why did she sit around and wait her whole life?
I stared at the pages but didn’t see a word.
My entire life, I had been just like the girls in the stories. I’d looked up to these princesses but hadn’t realized just how like them I was. I’d been shut up in the castle, hidden away just in case the dragon took hold. I kept my distance from making any true friends because … what if I ended up eating them? And now Gerard was out searching for my cure while I sat in the castle.
Waiting.
Waiting for “my prince” to save me.
“Elisa?” Marigold asked.
I blinked myself out of my moment and looked at her. “You just got me thinking.”
A smile slowly spread across her face. “Are you going to leave?”
I closed the book. I ran my hand over the shapes of the letters pressed into the cover and watched the firelight dance across my ebony scales. “Everyone else has looked. Everyone but me.”
“I know Mother has sent scouts, and Gerard is looking now, but isn’t it time you wrote your own story?” Dahlia pressed.
“I think … I think I want to find the cure myself.” I didn’t sound confident, but the wheels in my head had begun to turn.
Marigold and Dahlia gave each other a high five.
I narrowed my gaze and looked between them. “Am I to believe you had this planned?”
“Sort of,” Marigold confessed.
“Of course we did. We’ve been trying to get you to have this moment of realization since your birthday, silly.” Dahlia pulled the sleeve of her nightgown back onto her shoulder. “And we’re going with you.”
“Are you insane?” I gasped. “Mother will kill me.”
“You don’t think she’d get upset enough when she discovers you’re gone?”
Marigold cleared her throat. “And who do you think she is going to ask when you turn up missing?”
“No,” I said firmly. “I don’t know what it’s like out there. I don’t know if I’ll end up putting you two in danger. After all, what if Selina shows up? She’d capture you both.” I got up and handed Dahlia the book. “I’m afraid this is something I need to do on my own.”
Dahlia sighed heavily. “Elisa, you’re not on your own. You’ve always got us.”
“A thirteen-year-old and a nine-year-old?”
“Well, you’re only seventeen,” Dahlia retorted.
“And you’ve never been out in the forests or cities anyway,” Marigold added.
I rested my hands on my hips. Three sisters gone on an adventure? That would be a story. But I had to think rationally. I was the eldest after all. If Mother found us all gone at once, she would likely believe we’d been taken and send every soldier out to search every corner of the land. If they found us, they’d make us return home. I would only get a couple of days to search.
But if I went alone, if Dahlia and Marigold were both safe, Mother might only send a few soldiers out, or even only the scouts. She would know I went off to find a cure. Or I could leave a note explaining I was too afraid to face them as a dragon and secluded myself just in case.
Finally, I shook my head. “I believe it’s safer for us all if you stay here.”
Both of my sisters scowled at me.
“Mother will send everyone after us if we all go,” I explained. “We wouldn’t be able to search anywhere for long.”
Dahlia relented. “I suppose that’s a good point.” She rolled her eyes.
Marigold pouted and looked away.
I gave them both a smile. “Just imagine. If I find this cure, everything will be normal. No more dragon. No more curse. No more sorceress looming over us.”
Dahlia stood and gave me a hug. “We’ll help you get ready. After all, you don’t know a single thing about surviving outside of the castle.”
She was right.
But I’d already resolved to find my cure and couldn’t let a hurdle like surviving stand in my way.
Had I been brave enough, I would have believed it and left that night.
Nine
Gerard had only been gone a few days, but the story—and my decision to leave—sat on my chest like a bag of stones. I knew what I needed to bring on my journey, having spent time watching Gerard pack, but he knew what to do and he had two men going with him. As much as I would have loved to have my sisters tag along, I knew in my heart it would be a bad decision.
I rolled out of bed, took one of the candlesticks, and whispered, “Allul,” to summon its light. A wizard long ago had brought enchanted objects to us, and the lights and candlesticks were just a few.
First, I needed a bag, and then I would need the horse and saddlebags. Which meant I also needed to get Philip awake. As I walked down the hallway, I paused at a tapestry of Griswil. It had little detail, just the shape of the country, fancy lettering, and a few things we were known to sell—nuts, fruits, and other things trees produced. I’d seen it so frequently but had never stopped to actually look at it. I recognized one thing from it—I needed to know where I was going, which meant I had to find a map.
I tiptoed to the library knowing the table under the window had a map on it. The map had been there for as long as I could remember. So, I took that, rolled it up, and continued on my way.
Unfortunately, I had no idea where to find a travel bag. I had never packed my own things when traveling to the other kingdoms for their seasonal celebrations. Not once had I questioned where my things were kept or the bags that held them.
All this preparation made me understand why Gerard had been snooping about so early in the morning. He didn’t want anyone to interrupt him while he searched. Perhaps explaining things would have been worse for him, like they would be for me. Luckily, when I reached the kitchen, I found a large hemp bag on the floor with potatoes in it. The cook would be upset with me for dumping them all over the pantry, but I needed the bag. And, come to think of it, several potatoes.
Gerard had mentioned taking dry meat instead of raw because it wouldn’t go bad. I found dry beef, lamb, and even deer bundled up on a shelf by the back door. They had just come back from the smoker’s, judging by the red stamp on the wrappings.
As I looked for vegetables I came to the realization I would have to cook all of my own meals. I’d only ever tried my hand at cooking once and failed. Doubt began to creep into my mind. I wasn’t confident in my ability to take care of Tao, or traveling, or navigating.
Things were already off to a horrible start.
Maybe if I asked Mother if I could go, she would send someone with me, like Philip. Then again, if I asked Mother, she could very well keep me locked in my room until Gerard returned, and I didn’t want that.
I started throwing random pieces of food in the hemp bag.
Footsteps sounded a warning, and I whispered, “Lulla,” and the candle went out, leaving me in the pantry in complete darkness.
The glow from the nearing candlelight grew brighter the closer it came, and it didn’t take long for the familiar face of Abby to appear as she stepped in front of the doorway. She wore a scowl on her face, which quickly changed to surprise. “Princess!”
I sighed. “Allul.” My
candle lit once more.
“I was about to scold one of the children for getting into the food. What are you doing awake so early in the morning? And—” Her eyes stopped on the bag in my hands and then drifted to the spilled potatoes.
“Please don’t say anything!” I blurted. “If Mother knows I’m leaving, she’ll stop me.”
“Leaving? And where are you going?”
I licked my lips. I needed to stick with the lie we’d come up with last night. “With Gerard gone and the dragon starting to take control over me”—I looked down at my hands for emphasis—“I’m afraid things are going to keep changing. If I’m here and I fully transform, who knows what will happen? I’m going to go find somewhere to stay where I can’t hurt anyone.”
“Princess Elisa, this is your home.”
“I know. Which is why I can’t stay.” I swallowed hard and looked pleadingly at the woman. “Please. Please don’t tell my mother.”
“Of course not. I just worry you won’t know what to do. Let me see in that bag of yours.”
I held it out.
Abby took it and carried it to the spotless counter and rummaged inside. She mumbled under her breath, then shook her head. “This isn’t a bad start, but you’ll need spices so you can cook something tasty. You really should have someone go with you.” She looked at me sideways.
I rubbed my arm. “I thought about asking Philip.”
She nodded. “He would be good to bring.”
Sunrise glowed through the window over the sink, and I knew I wasn’t going to make it out of the castle anytime soon. I still needed a bag for my clothing.
“I would imagine you need cooking supplies as well?”
I grimaced. “Yes, please?”
“I’ve got some old pots here, let me see …” She rummaged through the bottom cupboard and produced three pots she deemed too big until she came to a small pot and pan just barely bigger than the size of my hand. “These would do wonderfully for you. You aren’t cooking for an army.” She put them in the bag as well. “Do you have a travel bag?” she asked.
The Dragon Princess: Sleeping Beauty Reimagined (The Forgotten Kingdom Book 1) Page 7