Kingdom of Mirrors and Roses

by A. W. Cross

  “Yes. It’s been a while since I’ve done it, though.”

  Claire puckered her lips and turned around. The movement released her from his arm, and she raised her hand and moved her fingers for him to give her his hand. Their fingers entwined, and the mist danced around them. The cold didn’t affect her.

  “Where are we going? Do you want to go back to the palace?” William asked.

  “No. I want to see the lake. I haven’t been outside since I arrived here. I’m not cold, so I want to explore.” She giggled. “Let’s race there.”

  “No, you could fall. The snow is slippery.” He held her arm and made her stop.

  A cloud formed under their feet, and she lost her balance when it sped forward. William’s body stopped her from falling. His arms circled around her waist, and his chin rested over her head. Claire’s temperature rose with the closeness. The trepidation of riding a speeding cloud lessened and was replaced by the nervousness generated by the intimacy of their embrace. She had been in his arms before. Dancing. Now, he was holding her, so she didn’t fall. No second intentions.

  The cloud stopped, and her feet dug in the snow. William let her go and, she realized, he was walking on the frozen lake.

  “We can ice skate tomorrow. I’ll ask the fairies to create a protective dome, so you don’t freeze.”

  She folded her hands together as she took in the sight of him. Slim, tall, and beautiful. He was different from any man she had ever seen. He looked human but had an ethereal beauty like the fairies. They said they were his godmothers. Maybe William was a fairy.

  “Here you are!” Kara, dressed in a tiny fur coat, flapped her wings in front of Claire’s face. She placed her hands on her waist. “We’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

  “Oh, the party. I should be helping with the desserts,” Claire gasped.

  Kara nodded. She looked back. “William also said he would help with the decorations.”

  William waved his hands and floated to their side. Claire peeked behind his back to see if he had concealed wings. Normal humans didn’t have powers.

  “The snow is melting. Have you seen it?” William asked Kara.

  “That’s great, but we have guests arriving, and there’s still a lot to do. You can play later.” Huffing with balled hands, she turned around and flew away.

  Claire giggled. “She’s so cute when she’s mad.”

  “I can hear you!” Kara shouted but proceeded on her way.

  William offered Claire his hand. “We should get back to the palace. We can play again tomorrow.”

  Claire nodded and moved closer to him. “Do you realize we are going to be the only normal-sized people at the party tonight?”

  “For the fairies, they are normal-sized. We are the giants.”

  Claire grinned. “Then, we are going to be the only giants at this party.”

  “As giants, it’s our responsibility not to step on them while dancing.”

  “That would be awful,” Claire declared with widened eyes. “I hope they’ll fly around. Do you think it will be noisy?”

  “Definitely. It’s your first fairy party, but I can assure you that they are loud, and they get extra loud with the sugar rush. They love sweets.”

  “You love sweets too.” She leaned closer. “Are you a fairy?”

  He grinned and shook his head. “I’d be extra small if I was a fairy.”

  “What are you then?”

  William grabbed her hand and whispered as he pulled her in the direction of the palace. “Just a cursed prince.”

  13

  Ming, Kara, and Tasha were busy scattering gold, purple, and pink dust across the living room where the show was going to take place. An improvised stage with a red curtain and several seats circling the stage appeared. In the corners, tables with all sorts of candies, cakes, and cookies of all colors and shapes glowed under the chandeliers.

  It also reminded Claire that she hadn’t eaten breakfast.

  William folded his arms. “Does it look like they need our help?”

  “No.”

  He looked at her. “Are you hungry?”

  “Starving.”

  “Let’s go to the kitchen and let them finish here.”

  The butler showed up when they were crossing the arched door.

  “Your Majesty.” He bowed.

  William stopped. “What’s the matter?”

  He showed him the folded paper he had in his hands. “The Regent sent you a letter.”

  The prince grabbed the letter and opened it. He read it for brief seconds until he folded it again and gave it back to the butler. “I’ll reply tomorrow.”

  The butler bowed and removed himself.

  Claire glimpsed at the prince’s face. “Bad news?”

  “No. Just the weekly report. Nothing that you should worry about.” He grabbed her hand and guided her to the kitchen.

  The day went by between preparations and final rehearsals to make sure that everybody remembered their lines. In the afternoon, the first fairies began to arrive. Ming and her sisters promptly found them something to help with and scouted a few fairies to be figurines on the play. They needed more pirates for the crew and a few others to make sure they didn’t run out of food and drinks.

  Claire became anxious just before the show started. William was never far away, and that reassured her.

  When the curtains parted and the lights aimed at the stage, everybody remembered their lines and if they didn’t, they improvised. The audience laughed and clapped. The other fairies were having a lot of fun. From behind the stage, Claire was able to see William laughing with the rest of the audience.

  When the show was over, the fairies clapped and conjured flowers of all colors and shapes that they threw at the stage. The party proceeded. Claire was able to fit into her ball dress and join William at the ballroom where a few fairies were playing instruments and singing.

  “Can I join you, milord?” Claire asked, standing behind his back.

  The prince turned around, and his eyes widened and roamed up and down when he saw her. “You look very … pretty.”

  She curtsied. “Thank you. You look sharp too.”

  His eyes lingered on her face. “I like what the fairies did to your hair.”

  Claire touched her braid embellished by small red and white flowers. “Kara helped with the hairstyle. It seems that the fairies like to dress up for parties. Have you seen how gorgeous they look?”

  He smiled and lowered his eyes to the glass he had in his right hand. “Do you want anything to drink?” He looked up. “They have all sorts of sweet beverages, but I found wine and water. Which do you prefer?”

  Claire was going to answer when a pink light flew past her and stopped in front of the prince’s face.

  “We have a problem. You need to come with me,” Ming said, flapping her wings and leaking golden dust.

  Claire understood that fairies let their magic slip through their hands when they were stressed. Humans perspired. Fairies sprinkled magical powder.

  “What is wrong?” Claire asked.

  Ming turned around. “An uninvited guest. Nothing that the prince can’t handle.”

  “An uninvited guest?” Prince William’s eyes widened, and he gave Claire his glass and stormed out of the ballroom.

  Alone, Claire looked around the ballroom where the fairies flapped around in their most beautiful clothes and extravagant hairstyles. They twittered and giggled. Some leaped and twirled around the dance floor, following the pace of the tinkling music performed by a group of fairies tapping small hammers against metal plates suspended over wooden resonating blocks. She had never seen anything like that. When she attended the festivities in the capital, she saw pianos, violins, and harps. The instrument played by the fairies was one of a kind.

  A group of fairies stopped in front of her and praised her performance. Claire thanked them, and they left. On her own, she felt like a giant and decided to eat and drink something. Finding a c
orner next to a table, she stood there eating while observing the fairies. They seemed happy and without a care in the world. She wondered if the prince had many other parties like that. Not even in her wildest dreams could she imagine attending a fairy party. Besides the butler, who was nowhere to be found, she was the only human there. Eating crystallized cherries, she wondered who the uninvited guest was. Last time someone showed up uninvited, the prince wasn’t too happy about it.

  She almost choked on the cherry. “What if he—” Without finishing her train of thoughts, she rushed to the exit of the ballroom and walked to the front door of the palace.

  The door was half-opened. She circled it and collided with someone’s chest.

  Hands grabbed her arms as she collided and raised her head to face the prince. Even if she hadn’t recognized his royal white coat, she would recognize his scent of fresh rain and citric fruits.

  “Where are you going in such a hurry?”

  Claire gasped. “Are you okay?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

  “Last time you had an uninvited guest, you got mad.”

  The prince’s lips curled up. “I’m fine. I’ve sent them away. We can return to the party and dance.”

  “To the dungeons?”

  “No. To their home.”

  Claire peeked behind his back. “Who was it?”

  “Someone who doesn’t like me to be happy.”

  Nibbling on her lower lip, Claire hesitated.

  “Were you worried that I’d hurt someone?”

  She shook her head. “No. You’re not a monster.” Gazing into his eyes, she added, “I was just worried that they would upset you.”

  The prince raised his hand, and Claire felt his gloved thumb stroke her cheek. Even if it wasn’t skin to skin, the contact sent butterflies bouncing inside her stomach.

  His voice came out husky and layered with honey. It sent shivers up her spine. “I’ve promised you a dance tonight. Let’s show the fairies how it’s done.”

  Resting her hands on his chest, she added with an excited grin, “I have so many questions for you. It’s my first time at a fairy party, and they are so interesting to watch.”

  “I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

  Claire grabbed his hand and guided him through the empty corridors of the vaulted ceiling rooms and into the ballroom bursting with light and playful music.

  “Claire, wait for me,” the prince said as he skated after her on the lake. “It isn’t safe. The ice might be too thin today.”

  “You just don’t want me to win. But I’m going to beat you this time. I’ve been practicing.”

  Opening her arms, she breathed in the chilled air and looked up into the sky where the afternoon sun tried to offer some heat. Protected from the cold, she wore gloves and a long overcoat with a hood. Still, the sun barely helped to keep her face warm.

  “The foggy mist is gone. We can see everything around us,” she cheered as she skated on the ice with open arms. She dug her blades in the ice when a pair of fast-flying fairies came close to her and left a stinging sound in her ears. “Ugh, slow down Kara and Ming.”

  They chirped as they flew around her head. “There’s no frost on our wings. We are happy!”

  Claire giggled.

  “Hush! Go play somewhere else. Claire and I want privacy,” the prince hissed as he stopped beside her.

  The fairies buzzed past his head, and he cringed at the magical dust left behind.

  “I can’t have a moment of peace without them following us around,” he grumbled.

  Claire covered her mouth as she laughed at his cranky temper. “They are the sweetest. You complain, but I know you like them, too.”

  “Yes. I like them, but, today, I want us to skate on our own.” A lopsided grin showed at the corner of his mouth. He offered his gloved hand to Claire. “Shall we skate together?”

  She shook her head. “You promised me that you’d let me do this on my own. I’ve been practicing, and I’m getting really good at it.”

  “Very well, then. Show me your moves.” He crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a defying look.

  Claire began skating backward with her hands folded behind her back. “Did you know that only men can ice-skate as a sport? There’s a game they play, and they think women can’t handle it. It’s sort of violent. I do have to confess that the idea of bumping into people doesn’t sound great.”

  “I’m secluded, but I’ve not lost my memories. When I wasn’t cursed, my parents hosted a tournament, and people from all over the continent came to participate. They called it the Winter Games.”

  “I don’t know what happened or how your life was before. I was three when the curse fell upon us. The villagers don’t talk about it either and … I guess that I’m just wondering if you didn’t want to share with me how you ended up here. Mother tells me that your family had powerful magic. How did a witch manage to curse us all and why?”

  He moved forward and glided next to her. “You are too curious, Claire.”

  “And you are too secretive, Your Highness.”

  “William, just William,” he corrected her.

  “I tell you a lot of things about me. You could talk about your family, William,” she prodded.

  “My story is sad and boring.”

  “Sure it is. Being the daughter of a miner and a seamstress sounds exciting, doesn’t it?”

  “Maybe not exciting, but you are all kinds of interesting.”

  Claire made a serious face and mimicked his voice, “Stop prattling. Why do you talk so much? Stop questioning. Eat your food in silence.”

  “I don’t sound like that.”

  “Oh, you do!”

  His smirk made her heart leap inside her chest.

  “Fine,” he said after a moment of concentration. “I’ll answer a few questions. What do you want to know?”

  His decision made Claire halt abruptly, and the unexpected movement made her stumble forward. Attentive arms steadied her.

  “How clumsy of me,” she whispered with her cheeks burning.

  “I’m here to make sure that nothing bad happens to you,” he said with a tender voice. “Are you okay?”

  Claire nodded. “Did you mean it? I can ask you anything?”

  “I’ll answer what I believe you should know.”

  “It’s better than nothing, I guess.” Claire dusted her coat and looked him in the eyes. “How old are you?”

  “I’m ageless. My kind barely shows signs of aging.”

  Claire raised an eyebrow. “Your kind. Interesting.”

  The prince pursed his lips as if holding back a chuckle.

  “You said you weren’t a fairy.”

  “I’m not.”

  She raised her eyebrows and nibbled on her lower lip. “Perhaps, you are a powerful warlock or a shapeshifter? You can fly, and you have magical powers.”

  “I can levitate,” he corrected. “It’s not the same as flying. Flying is much better.”

  “How do you know?”

  He smirked. “You are an inquisitive young lady,” he teased as his hands reached to grab her. “Ask another question.”

  Claire’s chest felt heavy, and she lost her smile. “Why were you cursed? Did you do something wrong to someone, and the witch decided to punish you?”

  He squeezed her waist and leaned closer. Claire’s vision blurred, and her eyes zoomed in on his plump lips. Despite the cold, they were a beautiful shade of pink.

  Words left her lips, and her heated breath caressed his face. “Will you still be happy if you answer my question?”

  He nodded. “As long as I have you.”

  His words made her heart beat faster. Her lips curled up. Am I falling for you? “I am here to make you happy, am I not?”

  “Yes. For selfish reasons,” he added with a teasing glint in his eyes.

  Claire pouted and fluttered her eyelids. He frowned at her action, making her giggle and stick out her tongue. R
eleasing herself from his hold, she grabbed his arms and ice skated in circles with him.

  “Are you going to answer my question?” she asked, feeling dizzy and stopping.

  “Come closer,” he requested.

  She obeyed while trying to catch her breath.

  “There’s no longer snow in the valley. Even the perpetual snow around the palace has been melting. The fairies placed a dome over the lake, but it’s still too cold to be outside too long. You are turning blue.” His gloved-hands cupped her cheeks, warming her face.

  “I’m running around. I’m not cold.”

  “Your lips are turning purple.”

  Claire shrugged. “We’re having fun. I like to be out here with you.”

  “You can be with me inside the palace, close to the fireplace while drinking tea and eating butter cookies.”

  “Then will you answer my question?”

  He shook his head with a teasing smile. Claire pouted.

  “It’s game night tonight, and tomorrow it’s book club.”

  Claire nodded. “What does that have to do with my question?”

  “It has been a while since someone has brought so much joy into my life. I just don’t want you to pity me after you know my true story.”

  Claire covered his hands with hers. “Don’t be silly. I already pity you. You live in a huge palace, secluded from everyone and everything. Your only company is a grumpy butler and three fairies that treat you like their child. What’s not to pity about?”

  “I wasn’t always this pitiful. You would’ve admired me and been happy to have me as your prince.”

  “Even if you did something wrong in the past to be cursed, I won’t judge you, William. We are friends. You can tell me anything.”

  “Is your face warmer?”

  Claire nodded. William removed his hands and glided backward. Away from her.

  “Aren’t you going to tell me?”

  “No,” he answered and halted one foot away from her. “The less you know, the better it is for you when you go back home.”

  His words brought sadness to her heart. “What if I don’t want to go home?”