The Surrender of Sleeping Beauty

by Lidiya Foxglove

  “Oh, I don’t know…it doesn’t seem to affect your ability to please anyone except yourself…”

  “I half think you and that witch were in cahoots.”

  “Certainly not.” I smiled. “Is there anyone you miss at home?”

  He drew me close as the dance demanded, whisking me around. “Now why would you ask that?”

  “Because I want to know if you’re thinking of anyone else, or if you’re thinking of me.”

  “I’m thinking of you,” he said. “Every damn minute since the first minute I saw you.”

  “That tends to happen. I was enchanted with beauty and grace. I can’t take any credit.”

  “It was actually because you looked a bit…” He stopped.

  “What?”

  “Lonely.”

  I bit my lip as the comment struck something inside me.

  “You have very good friends, and an adoring husband,” he said. “But it can be very lonely to be a human girl here, to be the queen of faeries, I would think. And then—I saw the king, and I thought—here is a man who is lonelier still, and yet he embraces his fate.”

  “The king—?” As if I didn’t know Augustus was lonely.

  From a distance, Augustus raised a hand at me and I trembled as the King’s Vine began to stroke along my folds, back and forth across my bud of desire. I clung to Axel, struggling to keep up the dance.

  “Your Majesty…?” Axel said.

  “The king commands me,” I said, a little desperately. “I must never forget that I belong to him, and right now he wants me to…” I felt Axel’s hard length stirring. “I’m sorry. It’s hard for me to uphold a conversation just now. I am still somewhat of a failure in that I need to concentrate in order to fully embrace his pleasure…”

  “It’s all right.” Axel caressed my hair carefully, just once, before he must have thought better of it.

  I clutched his coat, still managing to keep up the dance as sensation swiftly built between my legs.

  “Are you happy to belong to him?” Axel asked.

  “Yes…yes. I could live no other life.” I bit my lip, wishing so much that I could take Axel’s mouth in mine as the sensation swept over me.

  “To be honest, I was prepared to judge this place,” Axel said. “The elves all think the faeries are just plain mad. Instead, I was spellbound by you, and him, and…what’s between you, and if I go home, the sight of you should be burned in my mind and I don’t know what it would do to me.”

  “Then, it sounds like you should stay,” I said, steadying myself as the little climax came to its end.

  Augustus walked up to me and put his hand on my arm. “Count Farren. Thank you for taking good care of her.”

  “Always, your grace.”

  “Will you stay for cards?”

  “I’m not sure how many of your bets I can handle, but…I’m afraid I can’t stay away.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Interlude

  Count Farren knew well the king of his own country. He was older than the King and Queen of Ellurine, charming and dignified in his elven way, deeply assured and fond of Axel. He was as exciting as a glass of champagne: tasteful and sparkling, but also quite expected.

  Axel never spoke of it now, but as a child his entire life had been shattered by the unexpected. He had been the only witness to a band of trolls coming out of the forest and attacking him and his mother while she was teaching him how to shoot a bow and arrow. The lean winter had driven the trolls to look for food in the form of human flesh. His mother shoved him toward the castle and said she would be right behind him.

  She wasn’t.

  He would never forgetting the feeling of helplessness, the sense that he should have stayed. The trolls left behind tatters of inedible clothing and blood spattering the snow.

  Axel buried that memory in the place children often put memories like that: very very deep inside him, but when he was forced to think of it he still tasted bile in his throat. It was no surprise to anyone that he became a military man, fearlessly leading scouting parties out to make sure no troll ever got close to the castle or village again.

  Despite this, Axel was not naturally inclined to bloodlust and he was quite strategic in his attacks. He was known for his easygoing charm and had used that charm on any number of women in the region without committing to any of them. There was something in him that suggested he was destined for great things, but the wild north had little in the way of great things to offer.

  It was, no doubt, this deep pain and a deep sense of honor that drew the immediate notice of Augustus and Rose, as it had so many women before. But for Axel, this time was different.

  He was used to reading for signs of trolls and bad weather, in the sky and stars, the behavior of animals and the nuances of wind or the smell of the air. He had a familiar feeling now that came from a general well honed intuition. Stay put. Something is happening.

  Axel was haunted by the king and queen. When they were in the room with him, he could hardly tear his eyes away. If it was love, it was not like any love he had ever felt. An intense desire was undercut by some sense of the curse that hung over the queen’s head. It seemed to him that it was his destiny to meet the witch on that night after the Ball de Anon.

  He didn’t leave the Palace of the Sun again for several weeks.

  The Witch had no end of sources for palace gossip, although as always she relied on people who had a particular agenda—those who disliked the king and queen enough to betray them with whispers. The city of Luminé as a whole was filled with hope for the new royals, especially after King Augustus had announced that he was cutting the coronation tax. The Witch was infuriated when she saw people wearing the royal colors. As if he cares one whit about these people—my people…

  The Witch felt that her plan was working perfectly. The king and queen were inviting Count Farren to step above his station; some wags were already referring to him as the queen’s Favorite. Guards combed the city for her, so she laid low and changed her residence and her face often.

  When Axel came to town to order new clothing to keep up with the palace dress code, she approached him in the street, wearing a new guise he would not recognize. “Count Farren.”

  “Good day, Madame.” He was polite but vaguely curt, walking past her. Such an arrogant young man, she thought, and the palace has tainted him even in two weeks.

  “Have you had any letters from home yet?”

  “Do I know you?”

  “I know the Cobblestone Witch.”

  He immediately drew his sword and reached for her. She jolted him back, throwing him against the wall. The streets were so crowded with anonymous faces that a few people glanced to see if a fight would break out, but kept moving.

  “You would not be wise to anger the Cobblestone Witch,” the witch said. “I’ve heard that she aided your family with the trolls. Did she not?”

  “I don’t need her aid. I came to ask for the King’s aid, and it’s been granted.”

  “I also heard the queen is still not yet pregnant. They must be getting worried. Without an heir…the people grow restless. I wonder if the Cobblestone Witch knows what to do about that?”

  The witch did not, in fact, have anything to do with it. It was a stroke of luck that the queen had produced no children. But the Witch was extremely happy to exploit this circumstance. Often, no magic was needed to get the desired result. If she let Axel think she had done it, he would bring this news back to the palace.

  “I shouldn’t have made any bargains with you,” Axel said.

  He was making a guess as her voice began to seem very familiar.

  “Then I suppose you don’t want to help her have a child.”

  “You said all I had to do was go to the palace. You didn’t say anything about meddling in whether or not they have children.”

  “Well, it’s quite simple, really. Either I have the upper hand in this situation and you do whatever I ask, or you will never be satisfied
by any woman again except the queen.”

  “Then I suppose that’s how it’ll be,” he said through a grimace.

  “Count Farren…oh dear…” The witch tried to soften. “There is no need for all of this! I want the queen to live a long and happy life, and I want her to have a child. That’s why I cursed her in the first place. Someday, I will give her a kingdom where she can raise her children to be free.”

  “You don’t have to tear her away from the man she loves,” Axel said. “He wants her to be free.”

  The witch spat. “I’ve seen the man. He’s one of them.”

  “I don’t think you could separate her from the king without breaking her,” Axel said.

  “You don’t think she could find comfort in your arms, Sir Count?”

  Axel was the most chivalrous of lovers, and he did not tear women from their husbands. He clenched his hands. “You’re a witch. I shouldn’t trust you and if I have to suffer for the rest of my life, I would still rather that than to ruin innocent people.”

  “Not all witches are bad. Some fight for what is right,” the Witch said. “Let me take you to the streets where the true innocents live. Where children beg for coins and bread with shallow eyes. Where children die for lack of nourishment.”

  “There is no magical land where no one ever suffers or dies, except perhaps in the world beyond,” Axel replied. “The king is trying his best to remedy the situation. It isn’t right to take it out on her.”

  The Witch nodded. She understood where things stood with him. He was like any other man of honor; his honor favored the ones he held close to his own heart rather than the unnamed and unknown. “If you ever change your mind, ask for me. I have a tonic that will give her a child.”

  Axel shouted for the guards, but the moment he took his eyes off the witch to look for back up, the witch slipped into the crowds, weaving a spell to trick his eyes.

  The beauty of it all is that he will accomplish my goals just as well, if not better, if he is not loyal to me…

  Chapter Sixteen

  Rose

  The furnishing of the Lady’s Treat absorbed a good deal of my waking hours. It took months to sort out all the custom pieces that were necessary. I put in orders for new furniture for every room, with rustic themes of pinecones and meadow flowers that reminded me of home, elegant cabinets and delicate tables for accents, a piano from Osteria, and was converting one of the rooms into a small private theater.

  The sooner it was done, the sooner we could escape there.

  And we can have Axel then…

  Count Farren had become a part of our most intimate circle, and I knew the court gossips referred to him as the Favorite now.

  Well, they weren’t wrong. Count Farren was one of the only people who would put up some challenge to Augustus, and I knew that excited my husband to no end. Axel’s fair beauty, his vaguely haughty elven airs, his soldier’s bearing, and that look in his eyes as if he was waiting patiently for the moment when we would finally satisfy him… Although we didn’t mention it often, he drove us both to madness. Every night when Augustus and I were alone, we were still both thinking of him in some way.

  My letters to my mother grew even more infrequent now. It was difficult enough to talk to her about my expected duties, but even more difficult to write around this transgression. Is this possible? Has it ever happened before? Can a husband and wife be madly in love with each other but also in love with another man?

  But then my rebellious side would kick in. The past few kings had made the Mistress of Many Loyalties into his personal mistress and not only had no one cared, but the court even expected it from their kings now. Well, why should Augustus get to love another woman when the queen had to be loyal to him alone?

  No, it was so much more fair and more exciting if we both loved the same person.

  One day I received a notice that Necker had canceled the piano and all of the bed curtains and spreads—and worst of all, the entire theater.

  My stomach plunged when I looked at the papers.

  Did I ask for too much? The piano and the theater were the things I wanted more than anything. Augustus told me I could have this place for my own…but it won’t be my own at all if it doesn’t have any of the things I love the most.

  I folded the papers and nervously sought out my husband. Augustus had a very slow temper and yet the nature of our relationship could not help but make me nervous about approaching him. If he refused me, then I didn’t know what else I could say. But I needed this little house to be my own; I didn’t know how much I needed it until the key was placed in my hand and I saw those empty rooms. If it was taken away, I would never get over it.

  Despite the pleasure I often took in my position, it was also deeply wearying to the soul to know that I must play my role at all times. The coronation ceremony was the only time the queen was claimed in full view, but something so personal as my pleasure was still put on display all the time. I could never refuse or complain; I could never escape the unrelenting schedule of my days. I had to get dressed and appear for meals every day without fail because the court expected to see me, not to mention all the many functions I had to attend. I looked forward to every visit from Madame Bertin because in those moments, I got to make choices of my own. When she opened her books of samples and opened boxes of flowers and greenery, I was drawn to more and more fanciful and fantastical trimmings. For one evening garden ball she put a hundred fireflies in tiny sheer sachets and pinned them to my skirt so I would glow.

  Augustus was busy signing paperwork when I was given permission to enter.

  I curtseyed low. “My lord.”

  “What’s the trouble, Rose?”

  “It’s the things I ordered for the Lady’s Treat. Your minister of finance canceled them. The piano and the theater construction and backdrops…and even the bed curtains.”

  “He must have felt they were too expensive…”

  “I didn’t think I asked so very much! We must have a piano.”

  “Well, let’s see.” Augustus stood up and found one of the account books, thumbing through my expenses. “Rose, did that tree headdress really cost one entire gold piece?”

  “I guess it did… I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. I’ll mind the cost next time, I promise.”

  “Necker keeps telling me that you’ve gone over your allowance for clothing.”

  “Necker also wears the most ridiculous hats of any man at court. I think he must be getting them out of an attic somewhere. Of course it’s cheap to wear someone’s cast offs from the last century!”

  He laughed. “That is absolutely true. But,” he said with a sigh. “We’ve had to import flour and I’ve had to artificially lower the cost of bread. It can’t be sustained. If I raise the taxes, they won’t be able to afford the bread. And if the taxes are low, that means less money to wear trees on one’s head.”

  “It wasn’t a tree on my head, it was…” I deflated, feeling awful about the headdress now. “It was just a branch. I thought it would be cheap. Next time I’ll ask.”

  “What about all these gambling expenses?” He rapped his fingers on the table. “Dearest, you must try harder not to lose. We’re sending some of our army to help Count Farren with the trolls, remember? We absolutely have to limit expenses.”

  “All I really want is the theater,” I said. “More than anything. I miss playing other roles. We can have it built from paper. It doesn’t have to cost much at all. They don’t let us sneak off into the attic anymore.”

  “Don’t fret,” he said. “I will take the money for the theater, the piano and the bed clothes out of my personal finances. Just mind it going forward.”

  “I certainly will!”

  “Cancel the next appointment with Madame Bertin.”

  “Oh, no, there’s no need to cancel it, Augustus. I’ll control myself. But I still need new dresses for every function. I still don’t know what else I can do. They’ll make a mockery of me if I wear the same gown t
wice. No other lady does.”

  “All right.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “But I’m serious. We can’t have Necker giving me a lecture about you.”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Rose

  By the time the Lady’s Treat was furnished and ready to use, it was spring of the following year. Count Farren had been given an apartment in the Palace of the Sun, while our army helped beat back the trolls in the north. Once I caught wind of some rhyme that was said to be sung on the streets of Ellurine:

  Axel the elf

  Sits on the shelf

  Waiting in leisure

  For the queen’s pleasure

  I fumed when I heard it and perhaps what annoyed me most was that I was being ‘blamed’ for it when it was entirely the king’s idea to keep him around. But for the most part his presence was accepted with a shrug.

  Our relationship with Axel had two modes. Most of the time, he was gallant and bold, striking the perfect balance between respect and speaking his mind. No one seemed to have much fault with him personally and although a foreign officer could not be appointed Sword of the King and granted the magical powers that came with it, the position was left vacant and Axel advised Augustus on military matters.

  By night came a different dance, one that grew familiar but never boring. Axel was subject to Augustus’ bidding just as I was. The great sorrow is that at the end of a night of teasing, Augustus and I must take to our bed alone. When my little escape was finished, we could finally all be satisfied.

  The great despair of my life was my failure to conceive. In that first year, I didn’t particularly want a child yet, but now it had been almost two years, and I had been seen by every healer and midwife of note. I was starting to think I must surely be barren. The court was whispering about my failures. When my cycles began like clockwork every month I was reduced to tears, and Augustus could tell by one look at me that the wait must begin all over again.