Keltin’s nose wrinkled in disgust. “This is a horrible joke.” He backed out of the room.
I frowned. “Why would I joke?”
Ulrich hopped after him.
Keltin shook his head. “I’ll ask someone else.” He turned and left quickly.
Ulrich’s croaking became more frantic, and I picked him up.
“Don’t worry. We’ll break your spell before midnight! Now I know who you have a crush on,” I teased.
Ulrich gave out one mournful croak.
“Stop being so dramatic. I’ll chase him down.”
I rejoined the party, carrying Ulrich in my hand. James didn’t think anything of it. I passed poor Ulrich to Sky when I wanted to dance, and then he handed Ulrich back to me when he wanted to dance.
After another hour, I found Prince Keltin standing beside a girl in a dress cut off at the knees. It was blue with an iridescent sheen of gold on top. Her brown hair had been tied up in two buns at the top of her head. Somehow she’d gotten pearls to stay in her hair as well.
She greeted me with a beaming smile. “You must be Crown Princess Odette. I’m Princess Ismae. This is my brother, Crown Prince Keltin.”
“Crown prince?” I smiled. “You failed to mention that.”
He shrugged. “It’s unnecessary to give titles constantly,” he muttered.
“Am I to understand correctly, Prince Ulrich is your brother?” Ismae carried on, her eyes alight like the stars on a summer evening.
“Yes, he is.”
Ismae stepped up to my side, prompting me to begin walking. “I wonder if you could put in a good word for me. I’ve liked him for some time, and I believe his father had started to ask him about who he is interested in?”
I blinked at her and looked between our shoulders to her brother, who had a sheepish blush to his cheeks and pretended not to hear us. “Are you unaware . . .” I started, but Ulrich croaked. I sighed and held him up. “This is Ulrich.”
“Good heavens!” Ismae gasped. “He’s a frog?”
“Turned into one yesterday. Err, the day before. Perhaps you could give him a kiss?”
She blushed madly but bravely leaned down and kissed the top of Ulrich’s head.
Nothing.
She bit her lip and looked at me. “If that’s not truly Prince Ulrich, that was a mean trick.”
I rolled my eyes. “Why would I make you kiss a frog?”
“Because you’re a pirate? And the siren princess?”
James rejoined my side. He nodded his head to Ismae in greeting. “Good evening.”
“Good evening, sir. Have you come to ask me to dance?” Ismae grinned and seemed to suddenly have a problem with her leg because her entire body leaned to one side and she reached up and patted her hair.
He gave a courteous smile. “No, I came to inform Princess Odette everyone is gathering at the table to eat.”
“Don’t you dare start calling me princess.”
“Or what?” he challenged, looking down at me. The look made my heart forget to beat, my lungs forget to breathe, and for a moment, I was positive I was stuck with my mouth open. He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. “Cat got your tongue?” he whispered.
I came to my senses only because a herald announced dinner was served.
I swallowed and straightened. “Not in front of Ulrich.” I shielded Ulrich away from James’s body.
James laughed and slid his arm around my side. “I think I could get used to seeing you in dresses.”
“It doesn’t seem real,” I admitted and ran my hand over the silky material.
We walked to the long table, and I was directed by a man in a long tailcoat to sit beside my father. I set Ulrich down on the table, and he stretched his chubby little legs before plopping to the plate across from me. He climbed onto it and wiggled his body down.
The woman beside that chair blinked at him, then looked at my father. “King Eric, I’ve never seen such a thing.”
“That’s because you’ve never seen Ulrich cursed,” he answered.
“Good heavens!” she gasped. “Poor Ulrich!” She leaned closer to him. “Do you know what is to break the curse?” She took her goblet and poured a tiny bit of water onto the plate, which seemed to make Ulrich very happy because he wiggled his little body into it further, practically squashing flat.
I looked down the row of people beside her. A man sat to her opposite side, then Keltin, and finally—as I predicted—Princess Ismae. I grinned a bit to myself at how similar Ismae was to her mother.
King Eric explained the exact same thing I’d tried to explain to multiple people that night. Only, this woman actually believed it.
She picked Ulrich from his little water bath and handed him—dripping—to her husband. “Give him to Keltin and have Keltin give him a kiss on the head.”
Keltin’s ears and neck grew red.
The king turned and passed Ulrich to Keltin. “You heard your mother.”
Keltin looked down at the little frog in his hands. “If this works, I’m sorry I didn’t try earlier.” He leaned down and kissed the top of Ulrich’s head.
As quickly as Ulrich had been transformed into a frog, he took his real shape with proper arms and legs, a human face, and his same messy sun-kissed brown hair. He sat on the table in front of Keltin, legs to either side. His clothes were wrinkled and disheveled, and his hair stuck up.
But he was grinning. “Stupid,” he said to Keltin.
Keltin pushed his chair back so he could stand and wrapped his arms around Ulrich. “I’m so sorry I didn’t try. I didn’t believe her.”
The few of us who saw the transformation began applauding.
King Eric had the same man in tailcoats direct Ulrich to his quarters, likely so he could bathe and dress in something proper.
Ulrich grinned and waved to me. “Thank you, Odette! I’ll be right back, all of you.”
James chuckled. “True love’s kiss, huh?”
I smiled. “I think it’s adorable.”
My father stood and clapped his hands, silencing all the chatter. “I have an announcement I would like to make. I would like to clear up some of my misdeeds and create some new laws. Many of you may know I fell in love with the siren queen nineteen years ago.” He glanced at me. “She bore me two beautiful children, Crown Princess Odette and Prince Ulrich.” He faced the crowd again. “A lot has happened these past few months, but even longer still. I would like to propose we allow the sirens to join us on land, allow them to purchase property, work at our sides, and become citizens of Terricina.”
The crowd began to murmur.
“I know this will be a change, especially considering Delphi was just returned to its former location. However, they should be treated as part of our country like each of you. They will be expected to follow our laws, of course. I know this will take time. For now, enjoy the rest of your evening. Happy summer solstice!” He raised his goblet.
Everyone grabbed theirs and did a cheer before taking a drink and resuming their chatter.
I leaned toward my father. “This should make Mother happy. I think we should return her to her true self and talk with her.”
He nodded. “I believe that may be the best thing as well.”
Ulrich pranced back into the room wearing a white suit with golden accents. His hair was still damp but brushed nicely. He walked down to Ismae and leaned to her ear, saying something only she could hear. She nodded and took the chair meant for him, and he took the seat she’d been in.
A servant removed the dirty plate and returned with another.
All the dishes, silverware, and goblets were mismatched, many of them borrowed from nearby people. The food had also been made by everyone in the surrounding towns, and it tasted positively delicious.
When we finally got a moment, after e
ating our fill, I led the way to the fish tank where my mother lazily moved in the water.
Ulrich stepped up to my side. “You think she’s ready to be let out?”
“I think we have to try.”
We glanced at each other.
I patted my dress and then neck. “I don’t have the stone.”
“Don’t look at me, I’ve been a pitiful frog the past two days,” Ulrich complained.
I looked at James, who shook his head, and then my heart dropped. No one from our party—not Sky or my father, not anyone—had the summer stone. I ran to my room and tore it apart looking.
“Gerard!” I shouted.
epilogue
“James Hook would like his hand back,” I said casually, stepping out of the black hole that led to the underworld. I kicked off a skeleton hand grasping at my boot. Once on solid ground, I waved my hand, and the portal closed.
Selina sat at a desk in the corner of her room and didn’t even look up from whatever she was writing. Her long black hair was braided over her right shoulder and glistened nearly blue in the evening light. “That’s unfortunate. I don’t feel we are done with him. Do you?”
I walked over and set the summer stone right in the middle of the parchment.
She lifted her head. Her lips spread into a smile. “You got it.”
I smirked. “I should have retrieved it earlier, but I was having too much fun. They don’t even know it’s missing yet.” I leaned my hip against her desk.
“I was concerned when you first showed up here.” She reached out and touched the stone.
“I didn’t know you were here.” I frowned. “It was unexpected. What I don’t understand is why you didn’t attempt to take the stone yourself when you had the opportunity.”
Selina leaned back in her seat, which groaned at the movement. Her calculated gaze studied me with a look I knew all too well. She wasn’t sure whether I was ready to know all the truth. She’d done that since I was a child—not knowing if I was smart enough for a particular spell, unsure if I was physically ready to learn the next step in a sword fight, or if I had practiced enough.
I was used to it, but it still made my skin crawl and anger flare in my belly.
“If you must know, I can’t,” she finally replied.
“Can’t what?”
“Take the stones. Each stone was designed for each of the four kingdoms, gifted to them by your father. They were meant to be handed down from royal hand to royal hand.” She scooted away from the desk. “As a sorceress myself, I am unable to lay a hand on them until they are in my possession. Which is why the winter stone remains on its pedestal.” She walked around the desk and faced me but reached around and scooped up the glowing green stone. It threw an eerie light into her eyes.
“Because I brought this to you without incident, I would like to read my father’s journals again.”
She shifted her lusty attention away from the stone. “Oh?”
“It’s been a decade,” I added as if that would impact her decision.
“I suppose I can arrange that . . .” Selina straightened and carried the stone to the black box on the mantle. There were no mirrors in her room, and her bedroom door had a spell added to the lock. She set the green stone beside the lavender spring stone. “We have free access to the winter stone, so there is only one more to obtain.” She turned, dusting her hands unnecessarily.
“Arington,” I confirmed.
She smiled. “I am very proud of you, Gerard.”
In spite of myself, I felt my chest swell. Her words of praise were too few and far between. However, I was holding onto a secret of my own.
Ever since Elisa’s action of mercy, I’d been bothered. Showing up in Terricina to get the stone . . . there were multiple opportunities for me to have taken it. I should have grabbed it when Ulrich fell asleep the first night. I could have even slipped it away when they were in Zelig and handed it to Selina.
But these people . . . they were curious. Complete strangers willing to help one another just because it was the right thing to do. Of course, Odette pretended to be a hardened pirate, but all she wanted was the same thing I wanted—to belong somewhere. To have someone somewhere love her, and she sought that from an unstable mother.
As I watched Selina cross the room to the trunk at the foot of her bed, I knew I was just like Odette.
Mercy from Elisa and my own similarities with Odette had planted a seed of doubt.
I needed to stay focused on my intention of going to Arington or Selina wouldn’t be pleased with me. But, unlike Odette, I knew Selina was manipulating me. In the end, however, it would be worth it.
Selina lifted the lid of the trunk, rummaged about, then lifted a stack of hand-written, leather-bound journals. “There you are.”
I crouched and took them from her. “Thank you.”
“Don’t stay up all night reading them,” she said in a mocking tone. Using an unspoken spell, she opened the door, making the protection spell pause while I crossed the threshold, then closed the door and returned the spell.
I walked the hallway to the room I’d been given at my previous appearance. However, when I rounded the corner, I nearly ran into Mathias.
His eyes narrowed at me. “How did you get here?”
“I walked,” I replied flatly and tried not to look annoyed.
Mathias took a step nearer, and his chest was now pressing against my arms. We were the same height, so the movement wasn’t threatening to me. “I know you’ve taken the summer stone. I know you and your grandmother have something planned, and I intend to find out exactly what it is.”
I arched my brow with calculated calmness. “Shouldn’t you be at the summer ball?”
He scoffed. “I flew back here as soon as I knew you’d taken the stone.”
“Allegedly. Odette could have lost it.” I shrugged and stepped past him.
Mathias grabbed my arm. “I remembered then how I knew you. You were in Griswil. The man engaged to Princess Elisa. I hear you attacked her with creatures of the underworld.”
I tightened my lips, but didn’t break eye contact. I knew, with Mathias’s powers, he could see through me if I didn’t keep my guard up. “And?” I asked, keeping my voice perfectly even.
“What are you doing in Zelig, Gerard?”
“I am visiting with my grandmother.”
“Then what is all this?” He slammed his fist on the top of the books.
Because I only had my right hand beneath them, and my left hand steadying the pile, the unexpected movement caused me to drop all the books, which hit the ground and spread everywhere. One of them exploded, sending papers spiraling across the stone floor.
The anger in the pit of my belly stirred again, and my eyes narrowed. The darkness from the corners of the room elongated and towered over us. “You may be a phoenix, Mathias, but I am something far more powerful,” I threatened, drawing the darkness in closer. “These are my dead father’s journals, and you have just disrespected him and me. I recommend you mind your own business from now on or something might happen to your beloved twin sister.”
Mathias swallowed uncomfortably and stepped back. “You and your grandmother should leave Zelig.”
“We will. When we’re ready.”
Mathias sneered at me, then turned on his heel and deliberately stepped on the journal with the green cover, forcing it to slide further away. He paused a moment, then carried on back down the hallway.
I slowly exhaled, the dark magic swirling around my hands faded, and the shadows returned to their positions. I crouched and delicately put my father’s journals back together, treating each piece of paper with tenderness.
Selina insisted my father was a horrible man for giving magic so freely. I wanted to read his journals and judge for myself. And I would stay up all night reading because I did
n’t want to wake and have Selina tell me my time was up.
I slammed the door closed behind me and set the journals on the bed. I crossed to the mirror, pulled it from the wall, then whispered a quick shrinking spell and tossed it out the window. I checked the room once more to ensure there were no other mirrors before I lit the candlesticks.
The familiar caw of a raven echoed from under the door before I heard it peck.
I frowned at the door. “Stupid bird.” I tried to ignore it, but the crow pounded on the door. I rolled my eyes. All I wanted was some peace and quiet, to read my father’s journals, and just . . . be alone for a while.
Instead, I had to open the door and allow in Selina’s annoying bird.
Hazel the crow hopped into my room, then spread her wings and flew over to the pile of books.
“What are you doing?” I asked as if she could understand.
She landed lightly on top of the books, cocked her head, and started kicking the books off the piles one at a time.
“Hey, stop! Those are my father’s!” I ran over and tried to shoo her.
She cawed at me, then nudged a particular journal with a red-brown cover.
“You want me to read this one?”
She ruffled her feathers and flew to sit on the footboard.
I studied her a silent moment. I’d always assumed she was on Selina’s side. Now I wasn’t so sure. I picked up the journal and opened the cover.
“Enchanting objects is difficult . . .”
THE FORGOTTEN KINGDOM SERIES
The Four Stones of Tern Tovan
(Prequel to The Forgotten Kingdom Series)
The Dragon Princess
(Sleeping Beauty Reimagined)
The Siren Princess
(Little Mermaid Reimagined)
The Beast Princess—coming 2020
(Beauty and the Beast Reimagined)
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The Siren Princess Page 25