Then she began to wonder.
What made the shadows?
They moved across the room and disappeared, and others took their places. And every one of them was the shadow of a person. They walked about soundlessly and appeared to gesture and talk to one another.
“Michael!” Lucy whispered softly, touching his arm. He was smiling vaguely, as though he thought of something far away. “Michael, who makes the shadows?”
Michael looked down at her and smiled. “They’re the shadows of people who have lived in this castle,” he said. “It’s part of the magic.”
“Then—it is enchanted! I felt there was something odd about it!”
Michael was silent again, and Lucy followed the direction of his eyes. He was watching the shadow of a young girl as it moved about. She seemed very beautiful and graceful. She wore long robes, with sleeves that fell to the floor, and her hair was long, hanging to her knees.
She was walking back and forth, and every once in a while Lucy thought she held out her arms in their direction.
“What does she want?” she whispered. “Is she trying to tell us something?”
“She’s tired of waiting,” Michael said, “for the enchantment to be over. She gets very impatient sometimes. That is Gloria, the first princess who ever lived here. This castle was made for her.”
“Was she a—Fairy Princess?”
“Well, not at first. Would you like to hear about her?”
“Oh, yes!” said Lucy.
2
THE MAGICAL RESCUE
It began this way,” Michael said, gazing into the shadows as he talked. Some of the shadows flickered about. Others moved more slowly and almost seemed to come into the middle of the room. But you couldn’t tell. You couldn’t quite tell.
Curiosity started it (he went on), as it does most things, and the curiosity belonged to Prince Mika. Mika was a Fairy Prince, but he didn’t like it very much. A prince can do or have whatever he wants, so people think, but it isn’t true at all when you have forty-seven older brothers.
Being the youngest of forty-eight can be very trying, even if they’re all princes. If Mika wanted to give a ball in the main ballroom, he couldn’t do it unless none of the other princes wanted to give one that night, so you can see that he was practically never able to have a party when he wanted to.
If he had just finished a beautiful experiment and had managed to change a toad into three white mice with ribbons on their tails, as likely as not one of his brothers would come along and change them into six bats with long, green feathers before he could enjoy his experiment.
So he was nearly always in a state of frustration, and it’s no wonder he decided to travel. His father, King Klux, ruler of the Fairies of Forest and Wild, thought it was a good idea, and said he wouldn’t mind if all his sons decided to travel.
Mika hurried off before any of his brothers should decide to go with him, and he stopped to see his godmother, Flumpdoria.
“Flumpdoria! He was named after the Prince’s godmother, wasn’t he?” Lucy said excitedly.
Flumpdoria heard his name and wriggled a little, and climbed into her lap.
“Yes,” Michael said. “It pleased her. She’s very fond of animals.”
“Go on about the Prince,” said Lucy.
Well, the Prince went to see his godmother. She was very busy directing a great many fairies in the making of a bridal gown for the future wife of Prince Mara, Mika’s sixteenth-from-the-oldest brother.
“Hello,” said Flumpdoria. “What do you want so early in the morning?”
“I’m going away,” Mika said. “I’m going to travel.”
“You ought to be married,” Flumpdoria said. “Then you wouldn’t be so restless.”
“Married!” said Mika. “I can’t marry until all my brothers have chosen their wives, and there’s no one left but a few of those hook-nosed pale-green swamp witches, and even though they are princesses everybody knows they’re half goblin.”
Flumpdoria sighed. “You’re so difficult, Mika. It’s unfortunate that you happened to be born last, of course, but… Oh, well, where do you want to go on your travels?”
“I want to see all the world.”
“There’s a good deal of it,” Flumpdoria said. “You might visit the Kingdom of the Cloud Fairies, and the Fire Fairies, and the River Fairies, but for heaven’s sake don’t go falling in love with a mermaid. They’re never happy anywhere except in the water.”
“I don’t want to see them,” Mika said scornfully, “I want to see mortals. I want to go all over everywhere and see things I’ve never seen before.”
“I was afraid of that,” Flumpdoria said with a sigh. “Well, take this magical mouse with you, and if you ask him he will make you any shape you want to be, or entirely invisible. I know you’ll be in trouble of some kind before very long. Do try to behave yourself, and don’t try any of your magical experiments on a mortal. They don’t like it.
“You must be back in six months. Good luck.”
“Thanks a lot, Flumpy,” Mika said, kissing her. “I knew you’d help me out.”
He hurried away, with the magical mouse, in a tiny golden cage, hanging from his waist by a chain. It was a very small mouse, only about half an inch long. Of course Prince Mika was very small too, only about eight inches high, though that is rather large for a fairy. Some of the Flower Fairies, for instance, are no larger than the mouse.
Mika went through this very valley, which is enchanted and is the fairies’ entrance to the outer world. He went through the tunnel, which opens into the goblin kingdoms, and there were some goblins working in the passage.
“Mouse, make me a bat,” he said, and immediately he was turned into a bat and flew past. He was in such a hurry to see the world that he didn’t want to stop and fight goblins, who have always been enemies of the fairies.
When he came out into the dark forest the mouse gave him his own form again. He wandered around for a while, and finally came upon some men dancing around a fire. He was very much surprised at their being so large, but a fairy can be any size he wants to, so Mika grew until he was as tall as they were.
He stood watching them until they saw him, and then they all ran away very fast.
“Silly things,” he thought. “I’ll go to another country.”
The West Wind was blowing past just then, and Mika jumped into his windy arms and let himself be carried along.
“I want to see the world,” he said. “Where are you going?”
“Straight east,” said the West Wind. “Come along if you want to. If you see a place you’d like to stop I’ll let you down.”
“Thank you,” said Mika. It was quite comfortable rushing through the air with the West Wind, and they went on together for days.
The West Wind told him that all mortals were not like that, so Mika stayed with him and rode over a vast ocean. After they had crossed the ocean they went on to a far country and came to a great city, with gleaming towers and a wall around it.
“This looks interesting,” Mika said. “I think I’d like to stop here. Thank you very much for bringing me.”
“I enjoyed having you,” said the West Wind. “I’ll be around for a few days if you should need me.” He set Mika down on the streets of the city, waved goodbye, and went on his way.
Mika looked about him. “Why, no one has any wings,” he said to himself. “Mouse, take my wings away, please.” He didn’t want to look different from everyone else.
There were great crowds on each side of the street, and Mika saw that the reason for this was that a procession was coming.
“What is it?” Mika asked a man standing near him.
“It’s King Torros,” the man said, “returning from the wars with his captives. You must be a traveler from far away, or you’d know that.”
“I am,” Mika said. They could understand each other perfectly, because fairies speak all the languages in the world without even knowing it.
Mika didn’t pay much attention to King Torros, though, for when the procession came up to where he was, he saw, riding behind the King on a white horse, the most beautiful girl he had ever dreamed of. There were golden chains on her wrists and ankles.
“Is she a captive?” he asked the man he had spoken to before.
“Yes,” said the man. “She is the daughter of His Majesty’s enemy, King Ferdinand. She is to marry King Torros’s son.”
“What does the son look like?” Mika asked.
“He is the Crown Prince,” the man answered discreetly.
“Make me invisible,” Mika said to the mouse, and the mouse did so at once. Mika saw the man he had been talking to looking about for him with a startled expression on his face.
Mika walked along beside the beautiful Princess. She looked very sad, and it made him sad to watch her.
When the procession reached the palace, he heard the King tell his soldiers to put her in the highest tower room. Mika asked the mouse for his wings again and flew up to the highest window in the highest tower and perched on the sill.
Very soon the door of the room opened and the Princess was thrust inside. Mika was still invisible, so she didn’t see him.
She had been there only a few minutes when the Crown Prince came up to speak to his new bride. Of all the brutish, idiotic creatures Mika had ever seen, he was the worst. He was fat, with black hair growing nearly down to his eyebrows, little piggish eyes, a turned-up snout, and dark, discolored teeth.
The Princess drew back from him in tactless horror. This didn’t bother the Crown Prince at all. He was evidently used to it. He made some remarks about the wedding being tomorrow, but withdrew hastily when the Princess threw a footstool at him.
Mika chuckled admiringly. He liked the way she handled the situation. “Make me visible, mouse,” he whispered.
He slid from the window sill into the room and appeared before the Princess.
“Gracious!” she said. “How on earth did you get here?”
“I came through the window,” Mika explained.
The Princess looked out. The tower room was several hundred feet from the ground. “Hmmmmm,” she said.
“I am Prince Mika. I’ll take you away if you want me to.”
“There’s nothing I’d like better,” she said. “My name is Gloria.”
“I fell in love with you the minute I saw you riding along the street,” Mika said, not wasting any time.
Gloria smiled at him. “I’ve always liked red hair.”
“I got my red hair from my mother,” Mika said. “She was a Fire Princess.”
“Oh,” said Gloria. “Then you’re not…?”
“No, I’m not a mortal.” Mika was a little worried. “But you come with me. I’d like awfully to marry you. I’m sure Flumpdoria will help me arrange it some way.”
“Who’s Flumpdoria?”
“She’s my godmother.”
“It sounds wonderful, but how are you going to get me out?” Gloria asked.
“I think,” Mika said, “that if you’d hold my hand and not let go we could just go out the window.”
“You think so!” Gloria exclaimed indignantly. “If I’m going to learn to fly, I’d rather start from the ground. Then if it doesn’t work, I’ll still be all in one piece.”
“It was just a suggestion,” Mika said. “Anyway, I’ll come and get you before they have you married to him. Don’t worry, now.”
He slid out the window to go and think of a plan for rescuing Gloria. She stood looking at the spot where he had been, and hoped she hadn’t been dreaming.
Mika went out over the country and made a test to be sure the flying business would work. He picked up a baby pig and carried it through the air. He let it go over a convenient haystack, and found that as soon as he wasn’t touching it, it fell to the ground. The pig slid squealing down the haystack and ran away. Mika started looking for his friend the West Wind.
All that night Gloria wondered about the young man who had appeared in her tower room so mysteriously. She couldn’t decide whether she had been dreaming or not, but she got up very early so as to be ready in case he came. Ever since she had been made prisoner by King Torros she had been trying to think of some way to escape.
One look at the Crown Prince had been almost too much for her. She kept looking out of the tower window, and thinking that she would jump out if worse came to worst, though it was a terribly long way to the ground. But there was no use doing that unless it was absolutely necessary, so she kept waiting a few more minutes for Mika to appear and save her.
Then the ladies-in-waiting came to dress her for the wedding, and she didn’t have a chance to jump out of the window if she wanted to. She just couldn’t keep still while they were arranging her hair, so finally they turned her around so she could face the window. Then she stood very still and looked and looked for Mika, but he didn’t come.
When she was all dressed it was time for the wedding.
“I won’t go,” said Gloria.
“Oh, you must,” all the ladies said together, and they dragged her out of the room.
“You’ll love the Prince when you get used to him,” they said.
“You’re the most beautiful princess we’ve had in the palace in years.”
“The Prince is out hunting for weeks at a time.”
Gloria didn’t think any one of them sounded as though she’d like to marry the Prince herself, though, and decided he must be even worse than he looked, if possible, because there is hardly ever a Crown Prince, no matter how ugly, who can’t find a great many ladies who would like to marry him.
“His ears look like toadstools,” she protested as they dragged her down the stairs.
“Oh, nooooooo!” said the ladies.
“I know he’s an idiot,” she wailed.
“He’s very, very clever,” said the ladies.
“Well, I just won’t marry him,” she said firmly.
“But you simply must,” they said, as they dragged her into the large hall where the wedding guests were assembled. It was a very undignified way for a bride to appear at her wedding, but it was the only way the ladies could think of to get Gloria to appear at all.
As Gloria was being dragged to where the Prince waited for her, smiling horribly, a strong wind swept through the hall. It was the West Wind, whom Mika had persuaded to help him again. Mika was riding with him, but he was invisible.
He swept in through the great open doors, circled the hall, and swept out again, bearing Gloria in his arms. It was really very easy. As neither Mika nor the West Wind was visible, the wedding guests were quite mystified as to what caused the bride to sail through the air and out of the palace in so unusual a manner.
Everyone ran out, and there was much waving of arms and shouting, but Gloria had sailed out of sight before anyone could decide what to do about it.
“This is fun!” Gloria exclaimed delightedly as they flew along through the air. “I never thought I’d be able to fly. I thought you were never coming.”
“I was busy,” Mika said. “I was talking to your father.”
“Father! Where is he?
“We’re going to see him now. I had a long talk with him. King Torros had him shut up in a dungeon. I knew a magic spell for unlocking doors, and freed him and all the other captives. King Torros is going to be surprised when he finds his dungeons empty of everything but rats and lizards.”
“That’s simply wonderful,” Gloria said. “What did you talk to Father about?”
“You. He said if you wanted to marry me he’d give his consent, but goodness only knew what would come of it.”
“Sounds just like him,” Gloria remarked.
Just then the West Wind set them down in a large grove of trees, many miles from the King’s palace. Many people were wandering about, captives whom Mika had released from the dungeons and brought here. Mika thanked the West Wind, and he went puffing away.
He led Gloria across the g
rove to where her father was standing, and she rushed to him with cries of joy. He kissed her, and they were so glad to see each other that they almost forgot about Mika for a few moments. Then King Ferdinand turned around and saw Mika and said,
“Oh. Yes. Er—hmmmm.” And Gloria just looked at Mika and didn’t say anything.
Then the King said, “Gloria, do you want to marry this man?”
Gloria said, “Well—er—yes. On the whole I think I do.”
“It’s extremely sudden,” said her father.
“Well, I do, anyway,” Gloria murmured.
“I’m sure I don’t know what the Queen will say, if we ever find her,” sighed King Ferdinand.
“The West Wind told me that the South Wind said that King Torros left her at home,” Mika said, “because she talked so much.”
“We can settle this much better without her,” the King said. “If you are determined, we’ll go back to my kingdom right away and have the wedding.”
“We couldn’t possibly do that,” Mika said hastily, “We can’t be married at all until I go and see my godmother. A marriage with a mortal has to be arranged.”
“What next?” the King sighed. “Still, it’s not a bad idea to have a magician in the family. I’ve always wanted to study magic.”
“After we’re married, we’ll come and visit you, and I’ll teach you all the magic I can,” Mika promised. “I’ll have to learn a good deal more myself if I stay around mortals very long,” he added. “They get into so many difficulties.”
“How shall we get back home?” asked King Ferdinand.
“Over there behind that clump of trees,” Mika said, “are all King Torros’s best horses and coaches and everything you need for a pleasant journey. He can’t pursue you because he has nothing to ride on. We must be going. Come on, Gloria.”
Gloria ran to kiss her father goodbye and to assure him that she’d be back as soon as possible.
Shadow Castle Page 2