Once Upon a Curse

by E. D. Baker

  Any hope of passing myself off as one of the cousins died the moment I saw them. A cluster of six or seven girls—ranging from a few years older than me to a toddler clinging to her mother's hand—turned to look at us. Like their mother, each one was petite and finely boned; even the oldest girl was fairly short. Although their mother's hair was dark brown, all of the girls' hair was red, but none of them had my high cheekbones or distinctive nose. I wasn't sure what to do, so I waggled my fingers at them in greeting and hurried past, spurred on by their puzzled expressions.

  True to her word, Millie called to the first page she saw and had him escort Eadric to the princes' chamber. After that, Millie didn't say another word until we reached her room. Closing her door behind us, she plunked herself down on her narrow bed and turned to me with a determined look in her eyes. "We need to talk," she said, patting the blanket beside her.

  I climbed onto the bed. "If it's about Frederika—"

  "Don't worry," Millie said. "I understand perfectly. You aren't really one of her daughters, are you? I didn't think you were."

  I searched her eyes, hoping she would understand. "When Hazel said—"

  "Hazel is wrong more often than she's right, but you'd never get anyone else to admit it." Millie drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them. "You can tell me the truth. I'm very good at keeping secrets."

  I shook my head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

  "It doesn't matter. I think I already know. Aunt Frederika isn't your mother, but I bet Uncle Markus is your father, and he made his wife take you in and raise you as one of her own. She resents it, doesn't she? The look on her face said it all. Don't worry; it happens in the best of families. I'm right, aren't I?" Millie said, looking very pleased with herself.

  "You're too clever for me," I said, delighted that she'd found her own explanation.

  Millie sighed. "Not really. It's just that every family has secrets. Some are easier to figure out than others."

  "Don't tell me that you have a secret, too."

  Millie turned her head away. Something was troubling her, but I couldn't blame her if she didn't want to tell me about it. After all, we'd only just met. I was about to apologize for being nosy when there was a knock on the door and a pair of chambermaids came in carrying a pallet and an armful of clothes. It didn't take them long to arrange everything to their satisfaction. They were leaving when one of them glanced at my shoes and frowned. As the door was closing, I heard her say to her companion, "Did you see that girl's shoes? They looked like a dog chewed them."

  I tucked my feet under me, hoping Millie hadn't heard her. My shoes were scuffed and dirty from tripping in the dungeon, but I didn't think they looked chewed. Certainly none of my father's hounds could have done it, and as for King Grunwald's.... When I thought about it, I hadn't seen a single hound since I'd arrived, although they always seemed to be underfoot in my own time.

  "Don't your parents allow dogs in the castle?" I asked.

  Millie shook her head. "Not anymore. It's not my parents' idea, though; it's Hazel's. She doesn't like dogs. I suppose she's afraid they'll dig up her precious plants."

  "She does have a lot of influence, doesn't she?" I said. I didn't know anyone who could make my father get rid of his favorite hounds.

  "Hazel usually gets what she wants. It wasn't always that way, just since she discovered that she could do magic. My parents are afraid of her now, and they do everything they can to make her happy."

  I was shocked. The only people in my family who had tried to use magic against a relative had been under the influence of the family curse. The thought that someone might want to do it.... "Has she ever used her magic to hurt anyone?"

  "Not so far, but she's always dropping hints that she could if she wanted to. Even the threat of withholding her magic is enough to get people to do what she wants. Before she came into her abilities, the kingdom's crops were failing. Hazel turned all that around. I just wish she'd left it at that."

  "Then she hasn't actually done anything to anyone?"

  "I wouldn't say that. After she figured out that she could do magic, she experimented all the time, and she wasn't always nice about it. She used to have vines tie me up just for fun. Sometimes she'd grow prickly plants on my chamber floor during the night so I'd step on them when I woke up in the morning. She doesn't bother me so much since I learned to stay out of her way and let her think she's getting what she wants."

  "But she doesn't always get what she wants, does she?" I asked, seeing a hint of defiance and something I couldn't quite name in Millie's eyes.

  "No," she said, a secret smile curving her lips. "Not anymore."

  "Doesn't she use her magic for anything productive besides growing crops? What about protecting the kingdom or helping your parents?"

  "If only she would! Everyone likes to pretend otherwise, but Greater Greensward is in trouble. Werewolves have been raiding the outlying villages, and I overheard my father talking to his men about vampires. What's even worse is that a dragon has moved into a cave near here. Father sent knights after it, but we never saw them again. He finally stopped sending people, although I know he's been hoping one of Hazel's suitors will kill the dragon for us. It's not going to happen, though. All they want to do is eat our food, drink our wine and flirt with Hazel. Although there is one suitor...."

  "What about him?"

  "His name is Prince Garrid. He's very handsome if you like men who have wavy, blond hair; deep gray eyes; and cleft chins. He's a good hunter. Every day when the weather is fair he goes off by himself, yet he never fails to come back with some sort of game. Garrid may be the only one who would stand a chance against the dragon. Prince Fenton is said to be good on the jousting field, but that isn't the same as fighting a dragon. What about your friend Prince Eadric? Is he a good hunter?"

  "Yes, he is. He's gone hunting with my father many times, and their hunts are always successful. But you shouldn't need to send a hunter after your dragon. Isn't there anyone who could take care of it with magic?"

  Millie shook her head. "No one's ever tried, although it wouldn't be a bad idea," she said, getting a faraway look in her eyes.

  "So there are werewolves, at least one dragon and who knows what else in the kingdom. Why are your parents still having the party with all this going on?"

  Millie shrugged. "It's what Hazel wants and what Hazel wants—"

  "Hazel gets!" we said in unison and grinned at each other.

  Millie assumed that I was ashamed of my meager possessions and didn't want to fetch them from among Frederika's belongings, so she lent me what I needed, borrowing what she didn't have from others. Once I'd changed my clothes I didn't stand out so much, and I began to relax and enjoy myself. That afternoon Millie showed me around the castle, pointing out her favorite places to hide from her parents and sister. The castle was smaller than in my time, without the entire back section that my great grandfather had added. I acted as if I'd never been there before, oohing and aahing over each of the innovations she pointed out that seemed so old-fashioned to me.

  I was amazed when I saw how many flowers had been introduced into the castle, often in inappropriate ways. The larger windows were overgrown with blossoming plants so big they blocked most of the sun, making the castle dark and dismal inside. Climbing the tower stairs, I found the arrow slits filled with blossoms as well, many of which I recognized from their leaves. I'd grown up picking medicinal plants with my aunt Grassina, but had been forbidden to touch them when they bloomed. Finding sweet woodruff, wild thyme, lovage and cowslip growing in the niches that archers used to defend the castle seemed wrong to me. I found sunflowers on the battlements, turning their yellow faces as the sun crossed the sky, while melon vines crisscrossed the stone, forcing me to step carefully. Because of Hazel, the castle was more green than gray, pretty rather than practical.

  When we went to supper that night, Millie was careful to keep me away from my supposed parents, telling me how uncomfortab
le she was sure I must feel around Frederika. Instead of sitting at the high table with her parents and her aunt and uncle, she led me to a table where other young nobles were taking their places. Hazel saw where we were going and abandoned her seat with her parents, scampering off the dais. Smiling gaily at every guest she passed, Princess Hazel shoved her sister aside, taking her seat on the bench beside one of the princes. The trestle tables were arranged in a U with royalty seated at the closed end, so I could see Millie's parents' faces easily. Although King Grunwald didn't seem to notice, the queen—whose name I'd learned was Angelica—watched her daughters flouting protocol with a resigned look on her face, as if she'd seen it all before.

  Eadric came in a few minutes later, talking to a young nobleman. He spotted me sitting beside Millie and took a seat on my other side after persuading a sandy-haired prince to move over.

  "How are you getting on?" I asked him as pages served the eel-and-prawn stew.

  "All right. The room is clean, and the princes seem friendly. That's Prince Fenton over there," he said, indicating the young man beside Hazel. "He follows the tournament circuit and can't resist bragging." He nodded toward the youth with dark hair. "And that's Jasper. He seems nice enough."

  When Eadric pointed out Prince Fenton, I recognized him as the leering monster who'd captured me when I was a bat, threatening to kill me with one hand. He seemed affable sitting with Hazel and the visiting princes, but I couldn't keep from shuddering every time I looked his way.

  The only other prince who seemed noteworthy was the one Eadric had identified as Jasper. He wore his straight, dark brown hair chin-length like most men of his time. His eyes crinkled when he smiled, and he had an easy, infectious laugh. Even so, I probably wouldn't have noticed him if Millie hadn't spent most of the meal peeking at him, turning away with a guilty start whenever he glanced in our direction. At thirteen, Hazel's little sister was a bit too young for marriage, but not too young to think about it.

  "Where is that prince Garrid you mentioned?" I asked Millie, looking down the line of well-dressed nobles for someone fitting his description.

  Millie selected a leg of roasted capon from a passing platter and set it on her plate. "He isn't here. On the days he goes hunting, he doesn't come back until after dark. Prince Garrid is the only one of Hazel's suitors who contributes to the table. I think my parents already favor him because of it."

  Maybe Eadric should do that, I thought. My mother resented him because he ate so much, but she might not mind his long visits if he provided food on a regular basis.

  I was serving myself some beets when two pages bumped into each other, nearly dumping their heaped platters on the floor. It reminded me of Derwin's song about what had happened when he had dropped the platter.

  "Millie," I said, "do you know a servant named Derwin?"

  "How do you know Derwin?" she asked. "He's one of our oldest servants."

  "Have you seen him lately?"

  "Hmm," she said, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "I guess I haven't seen him since the night he dropped the goose on Father. It was kind of funny. Even Father laughed. The only one who didn't was Hazel. She doesn't have much of a sense of humor."

  "I heard that she sent Derwin to the oubliette." Maybe I was interfering, but something had to be done.

  "I didn't know that! I hope the poor old man is all right. I'll talk to Father about it. There was no call for Derwin to be treated so!"

  We were nibbling the final course of cheese and fruit when I overheard some women seated nearby discussing the vicious creature that had attacked them. According to one, a slobbering horror with blazing, red eyes had swooped on them, baring its daggerlike fangs. It took me a while to realize that she was talking about me.

  "If it hadn't been for Prince Fenton, we might all have been killed," said one young noblewoman, smiling past her friends to where the prince was helping himself to another slab of venison.

  The prince looked down at his thumb wrapped in a strip of clean linen. "Vicious beasts, bats," he said.

  I covered my mouth so no one would see my smile, but Jasper must have noticed because he met my eyes and winked. Some of the other princes turned to Fenton and demanded to hear the story.

  I was worried about Li'l since we hadn't had a chance to make our plans before Eadric and I had left her. I just hoped she wasn't too frightened alone in the unfamiliar maze. "I need some fresh air," I told Millie. "I'm going for a walk in the garden."

  A juggler was strolling past the table, and Millie seemed entranced by the balls he kept circling through the air. "Hmm?" she murmured. "Then I'd better go with you. We're not allowed to walk alone at night."

  "But it isn't dark yet," I said, glancing out the window.

  Millie gathered her skirts and slipped off the bench. "My father's rules. There are too many dangerous beasts in the area. I told you about the werewolves."

  "I can go with Emma," said Eadric, swinging his legs across the bench so he could stand.

  "Then you won't need to go, Millie," I said. "Eadric will keep me safe."

  Hazel frowned at me. "Perhaps we should all go," she said. Gracing him with her sweetest smile, Hazel took Eadric's arm and led the way. It was almost as if she thought I'd brought her another suitor. I couldn't help feeling a pang of resentment when Eadric bent down to hear what she had to say.

  I bit my lip and followed them, trying not to glare at Eadric and Hazel. I didn't want company. If a group of people went with me, I wouldn't be able to talk to Li'l. I would have said something, except everyone was already heading out the door. Only Jasper dawdled behind as if waiting for me. Hazel glanced back. She made Eadric wait while she held out her hand to Jasper and said, "You may also escort me." Jasper looked my way and shrugged, then linked Hazel's free arm with his.

  Millie bumped my elbow. "Look at her," she whispered. "Hazel would have all of them on a tether if she could, and even that probably wouldn't be enough."

  The shadows were getting long as we approached the rose-hedge maze, and the scent of the flowers hung heavy in the air. Hazel stepped lightly down the path, surrounded by the princes and a few of the giggling, young noblewomen. Since Millie trailed after Jasper like a lost puppy, it was easier to get away on my own than I'd expected. All I had to do was dawdle until I was left behind, then take an opposite turning once they were out of sight.

  The roses were lovely, but after a while they all looked the same to me. I hadn't gone far before I stopped to look around. "Li'l!" I called softly. "Where are you, Li'l?"

  It was a little soon for bats to be out hunting, but mosquitoes came out earlier in the shade of the hedge. I could appreciate a good insect, having lived as a frog for a time, but that didn't mean I wanted to feed them. I was slapping my cheek when Li'l fluttered over the top of the hedge and landed on my shoulder.

  "Where have you been?" she asked, straightening her wings. "I've been waiting here all day. I can't say that I mind, though. They raise some good, juicy bugs in these shrubs."

  When I slapped my neck again and studied the smear of blood and the squashed mosquito on my palm, I noticed that my ring was gone from my hand. I must not be the Green Witch in this time. "So you don't mind staying here for a few days?" I said. "Hazel's younger sister is sharing her room with me, but I don't think she'd understand if a bat joined us."

  "I'm fine here. Once you get past the leaves and thorns on the outside, some of these shrubs have nice, cool spaces in their middles. Sit still for a minute and the bugs come right to you. Good place for a nap, too."

  "If you're sure you're all right—"

  "Sure, I'm sure. It's not as nice as a good cave, but a bat can't have everything."

  "I'll try to come see you at least once a day. We have to stay until after the party."

  "Fine with me," said Li'l. "I might take a look around, come dark. What's the use of visiting a new time if you can't see the sights?"

  "Don't go too far."

  Li'l beat her wings a
nd rose into the air. "Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

  After Li'l left, I retraced my steps, but I guess I'd made more turns than I'd thought. It all looked the same to me, and I might have gotten lost if Millie hadn't shown up. "I took a wrong turn," I said, gesturing back the way I'd come.

  Millie gave me a sympathetic smile. "That's easy to do. We have to go now. They'll be raising the drawbridge soon."

  I could hear the voices of the others coming through the maze, but there was something else nagging to get my attention. I concentrated and then I had it—the faintest hint of a scent, one that I'd hoped I'd never smell again.

  "Hurry," I told Millie, reaching for her hand. "We have to get inside."

  A woman screamed, or at least it sounded something like a woman. People in the maze shouted, and I heard the sound of running feet.

  Millie tried to pull away from me. "Someone is hurt! We have to go help her."

  "No one is hurt," I said, pulling her along behind me as I started for the castle. "That was a harpy. If there's one, there's a whole flock. They rarely travel alone."

  "Really?" she said, stopping to look over her shoulder. "I've never seen a harpy."

  I tugged on her hand and got her moving again. "Believe me," I said, "you'd be better off if you never did."

  I'd seen harpies before. In fact I still had nightmares about them. Foul-smelling creatures with the bodies of vultures and the heads of women, in my time they had taken over a small village in Greater Greensward by chasing away the people who lived there. Once a harpy occupied a house, it took a massive effort to make it clean enough for anyone to live in it again. Harpies smell worse than skunks and leave their odor behind long after they've gone. It had taken me three days and a lot of magic to chase them away, and then the villagers had still refused to come back. If possible, it was better to keep them out in the first place than to have to clean up their mess afterward.

  I was pulling Millie onto the drawbridge when the first harpy appeared. Shrieking wordlessly, it swooped down on us. I would have used my magic to turn the creature away, except I didn't want anyone to know that I was a witch. When I threw up my hands to ward it off, a boy dressed like a stable hand shouted and came running with a stout staff. Waving the staff in the air, he forced the screeching harpy higher. We were almost beneath the portcullis when the creature began pelting us with dung. It missed Millie and me, but hit the boy squarely on the back. It would have hit him again if he hadn't kept running.