That was the best thing I've ever done!" exclaimed Bradston as the carpet settled to the floor of Queen Frazzela's solarium. "It was even better than stealing eagles' eggs or dumping trash over the parapets onto people! Give me the rug. I can think of all sorts of places I'd like to go."
"Really?" I said. "That's funny, because I can think of a lot of places that I'd like to send you. I'm not going to give you a magic carpet, though." Although the carpet was resting on the floor, a ripple ran through it every few seconds as if it wanted to fly away. Certain that the boy would try to take it when I wasn't around to stop him, I said a quick spell to turn the carpet back into an ordinary rug. It went limp with a soft, breathy sigh.
"Why'd you do that?" squeaked the boy. "You're mean! If you don't make it fly again, I'll tell my mother that you did and then …"
"Oh, look, there's your mother now!" I said, gesturing behind him. "I'm sure she'd be very interested in whatever you have to say."
Queen Frazzela sat open-mouthed, making funny little gurgling sounds. We'd flown through her solarium window, landing between her and a group of ladies. One of the ladies fainted when she saw us, and most of the rest just looked dumbfounded. At a word from Queen Frazzela, the other ladies-in-waiting helped their friend from the room, leaving three other women behind. My grandmother Olivene and my aunt Grassina looked delighted to see me. My mother looked perturbed.
"Bradston, is that really you?" said his mother.
The boy didn't look happy, but I didn't know if it was because I'd denied him something he wanted or because he'd said some things in front of his mother that he'd rather she hadn't heard. He covered it well, however, forcing tears to come to his eyes and throwing himself into his mother's arms. "Oh, Mama," he said. "It was awful!"
Queen Frazzela drew him into her arms and kissed the top of his head. "My poor littie darling," she said, rocking him back and forth as if he were a baby. She was cooing and patting his back when he peeked over her shoulder and gave me a sly look of triumph.
Just wait, I thought, remembering my spell.
"My poor boy! Thank goodness you're all right. Those horrible trolls. You must have been terrified. And I bet you didn't sleep a wink." She turned to my relatives, saying, "Bradston needs his rest. He's been through a terrible ordeal. You'll have to excuse me … ."
"Of course, my dear," said Olivene, giving mother and son a sympathetic smile. Bradston was walking dutifully beside his mother when he looked back and stuck out his tongue. Grassina looked surprised, but Olivene just smiled all the more widely and winked at me.
As soon as Frazzela and Bradston were gone, Garrid cleared his throat and said, "Eadric, Li'l and I need to take naps. If you could suggest somewhere quiet and dark …"
"You'd probably like the top room in the old tower. No one goes there anymore."
"Perfect," said Garrid.
When Garrid left the room with Li'l on his shoulder, he still looked like a man. Then a whiff of something cold and dank drifted in from the hall, and I knew that he hadn't waited long before turning into a bat.
"It's good to see you both safe and sound," said my mother. "Queen Frazzela told me that the trolls had killed you, but Olivene and Grassina assured me that you were unhurt. I've never known them to be wrong."
I glanced at where they sat side by side on a bench in the sunlight. Grassina smiled and tapped the farseeing ball she wore on a chain around her neck.
"Why didn't your mother thank you after you rescued Bradston?" my mother asked Eadric.
"She doesn't like magic," he replied.
"Neither do I, but I appreciate what it can do' for us and know enough to respect it. Apparentiy your mother does not."
"I'm afraid her attitude is common in this kingdom, Mother," I said.
"Then I fear for your mother and your people, Eadric," she said. "And my respect for both has been woefully diminished."
"We knew there was something wrong with Frazzela when she came to the tournament," said my grandmother. "Your mother was so rude to our Emma."
"I remember," said Eadric. "I've already spoken to her about it."
"Tell us what happened after the army ran back here with their tails between their legs," said Grassina. "I saw them coming in my farseeing ball. I think I've spent more time looking into it these past few days than all the other times I've used it put together."
"We were preparing to follow you when I asked Grassina to see how you were doing," said my mother. "She saw that something had gone amiss, although she couldn't tell what. Her reports were so confusing: you were safe, you were in danger, you were fine … We stopped only three times on our way here. I've never felt so rushed in my life. When she saw you enter that mountain, your father almost set out after you, but Grassina still insisted that everything was all right."
"And it was, wasn't it?" said Grassina. "Tell me about the cockatrices. I want to hear how you got out of that one."
"And the banshee," said Grandmother. "Don't forget about her."
My mother stood and straightened her skirts around her. "If you're going to talk about such things, I might as well leave. Although I must say I was delighted when Grassina reported that you were able to accomplish so much without using magic for a change, Emma. I'm… proud of you," she said, sounding as if she'd surprised even herself. Gathering her embroidery, she started for the door, pausing on her way out to say, "That young man with the bat looked familiar. Have I met him before?"
"At Father's tournament," I said. "Did Father accompany you here?"
"Yes, and so did Haywood," said my grandmother. "We arrived yesterday."
"About that young man who came with you," said Mother. "Why would he want to sleep in a tower? Wouldn't he prefer to have a room?"
"He doesn't need one," said Eadric.
"Oh," my mother said, the muscles around her eyes and mouth tightening. "Don't tell me any more. I'm sure it's something that I'd rather not know anything about. Mother, Grassina, I'll see you at supper. I believe that I'll go for a walk in the garden. I trust that no one will be discussing magic there."
"Now," said Grassina after my mother had gone. "We want to hear everything. Start with how the trolls attacked in the middle of the night."
So Eadric and I told them about the trolls and the devices they'd used to sense my magic. Although I'd smashed the queen's magic-seeing ball, her army must still have theirs. I put finding it on my mental list of things I had to do.
We told them about the sea monsters and the cockatrices. Grassina said that she might like to turn into a weasel and hunt cockatrices someday. We told them about the banshee and the vampires. Olivene wondered if the banshee knew an old acquaintance of hers—someone she'd met when she was under the family curse.
They were particularly interested in the troll queen's mountain and its tunnels and caverns. Olivene and Grassina told us that the monsters sounded familiar. When we told them about the sick trolls, they said that it sounded as if they had troll pox, a nasty yet rarely fatal disease. We were still discussing the pox when Queen Frazzela returned with Bradston in tow.
"I thought the boy was going to rest," said my grandmother.
Bradston's expression was sour, and I could tell he wasn't happy to be back with us.
"He refuses to leave my side," said Queen Frazzela. "I tucked him into bed, but he jumped out and followed me when I left. The experience with the trolls must have been too much for the poor child." She patted his head, then leaned down to kiss him on the cheek, not noticing his pained expression.
I was trying not to smile when my eyes met my grandmother's. She winked at me and I had to look away.
"It occurred to me that I've been remiss," Queen Frazzela told Eadric. "I should have thanked you for what you've done. You brought my baby back to me when I thought he was gone forever. I've never heard of anyone getting a child back whom the trolls had taken. Thank you, Eadric."
"And Emma," Eadric said, giving my hand a squeeze.
Queen Frazzela sighed. "And Emma. I must admit, I never thought I'd say this, but after what Bradston told me, I, well …"
"Can see how magic might be useful at times?" said Eadric.
"Yes, exactly!" The queen looked relieved that she hadn't had to say it herself.
"And it might be handy to have a witch in the family?" Eadric continued.
"I never said … but I suppose … well, yes, that, too."
"I'm curious," said my grandmother. "What did Bradston tell you, exactly?"
"He told me about the trolls, of course. They were horrible to him. And he told me about the dangerous passages and the cave where he was held prisoner and the horrid monsters he saw." The queen dabbed at her eyes with a cloth she pulled from her sleeve. "When I think about what my poor boy had to endure … Thank you for getting him out of there!" she said, and this time she looked straight at me.
Bradston looked disgruntled. I was convinced that he'd probably described his plight to his mother to gain more sympathy, not so she could picture what we had gone through to get him out. He kicked at an uneven spot on the floor, looking as if he'd rather be anywhere else but there, yet he stayed by his mother's side when she collected her embroidery and sat down.
Eadric yawned, exaggerating it until his mother couldn't help but notice. "I need a nap," he said.
"So do I," I said, following his lead.
"There will be a feast tonight," said Queen Frazzela. "In honor of Bradston's safe return."
"Good," said Eadric, yawning again for real. "We'll be there."
Supper was hours away, however, and we were too hungry to wait. Eadric was showing me the way to the kitchen when we ran into his father in the Great Hall. "Eadric, my boy! I knew you could do it! Congratulations! Into the trolls' mountain and out again safe and sound. It's an extraordinary accomplishment. You'll have to tell me how you managed it. A little magical help from your Emma, I presume. I must say, after everything that has happened over the past few days, my opinion of magic has changed. I've never really understood it, but then maybe it has its place whether you understand it or not. It certainly saved the day this time. I heard all about the trolls attacking and how you kept the bulk of their army off my men with that thing you did to the stream, Emma. I wish I had someone like you attached to my army!" King Bodamin winked at me, and I could see that Eadric was as surprised as I was.
"We're grateful, the queen and I, although she might not know how to say it. She dotes on that young scamp. I'll have to give him a talking-to when he's feeling fit again. Shouldn't have gone off like that. Not with trolls and who knows what else outside the castie walls. We'll have to see that he doesn't stray again. Assign him his own guard perhaps."
"That won't be necessary," I told him. "I don't think he'll go far from his mother now."
"Good, good," the king said, beaming. "We can't have this sort of thing happening again. It caused quite an uproar, didn't it? Why, I was telling King Limelyn … You do know that your parents are here, don't you, m'dear? They arrived yesterday along with so many carts and carriages that … Well, I'm sure you understand."
Eadric had waited until his father paused to take a breath. "If you'll excuse us, Father, we were on our way to get something to eat."
"Quite right, Eadric. Quite right. You must be starved. Come see me after you've eaten."
"I will, Father. We have a lot to talk about," Eadric said, giving me a meaningful glance.
His father nodded, saying, "Indeed we do, my boy. Indeed we do! Now, don't eat too much. I understand that there's to be a special supper tonight. Make sure you save room for the stewed eels. They're my favorite."
It didn't take us long to get a bite to eat. The kitchen staff fawned over Eadric, congratulating him and offering him the best cuts of leftover roasts and the freshest fruit. They smiled at me, a big difference from the disapproving looks I'd gotten from the residents of the castle a few days earlier.
When we'd finished eating, we left the kitchen and were crossing the Great Hall when my father hailed me. "My darling Emma, how are you?"
"Better," I replied without explaining that it was because I could use my magic again.
He nodded as if he understood. "Please join me for a moment," he said, and he led us to a bench away from the bustle of the Hall.
Eadric put his arm around me as we sat, pulling me close to his side. My father cleared his throat and said, "King Bodamin and I have agreed that there's no reason to put off your marriage any longer. You two make a perfect match and will unite our kingdoms in a way that would benefit both. As I have no other heirs, Emma will be queen of Greater Greensward one day. Bodamin assures me that Eadric will rule Upper Montevista. Eadric, you have shown great strength of character and bravery, two qualities that your father had hoped to see in his heir. There's no reason you can't rule both countries side by side. I must admit, I'd thought Bodamin was against the marriage, but I was surprised by how quickly he agreed to it. He mentioned something about family members helping his army. I didn't quite follow that, but he might have been alluding to the way you took care of the trolls."
"So he gave his permission?" I said, not quite believing what I thought I'd heard.
My father nodded. "The wedding will be tomorrow. Everyone we would have wanted here for the wedding is already at the castle, although I daresay that Chartreuse and Frazzela will have others they want to invite. Bodamin and I will see that the appropriate documents are drawn up. He sent word to the local priest right after we spoke. Ah, there's your mother now. She's handling the rest of the arrangements."
I was stunned. I'd been afraid that we'd never get the approval of Eadric's parents, and now we were having the wedding the next day. I didn't know if I should be happy and excited, or frightened and tell them to wait because I wasn't ready. I would have liked to discuss it with Eadric, but he took off when we saw my mother bearing down on us with a determined look in her eyes.
"Did your father tell you about the wedding?" she asked me as Eadric hurried away.
I turned to my father, but he had already retreated across the Hall. "Yes, he did," I said. "Don't you think tomorrow is a little soon?"
"Of course I do, but the men have made up their minds. I'm determined to make the best of things, however, and you should, too. Although I may not have long to make the arrangements, I'm going to see that this wedding is done right, not like your aunt Grassina's. Now come with me. I have Maude waiting to start on your gown, and Frazzela has sent both of her seamstresses to assist. This shouldn't take long with three pairs of hands working on it."
I shouldn't have been surprised that Mother had brought her favorite seamstress with her from home. She usually traveled with a full entourage, just in case she needed someone's special talents. I followed her up the stairs reluctantly, unable to think of any plausible reason to get out of it.
Maude was very businesslike when we stepped into Queen Frazzela's solarium, as were the two older women helping her. They were finishing the last of my measurements when Queen Frazzela came to the door. I could hear her arguing with my mother from where I stood in the middle of the room, so I was curious when my mother came back alone.
"What was that all about?" I asked.
"Nothing really," said my mother. "Frazzela wanted to see what fabric you've chosen, but I told her she couldn't come in. She had Bradston with her and he refused to stay outside. That boy has become so insecure since you brought him home. He hasn't left his mother's side yet."
"That's odd," I said, pretending to watch the seamstress.
"She did tell me that she has the wedding feast well under control. She also said that the guests have begun to arrive. Those friends of yours, Oculura and Dyspepsia, are here. Your grandmother insisted that she be in charge of the invitations."
"What is Grassina doing?" I asked.
"She's taking care of the flowers. I just hope they aren't like the ones she had at her own wedding."
When the initial fittings were done, the seamstresses said I could go but had to return when they sent for me. They seemed smug in their ability to tell me what to do, even if it was for a short time, but I was happy just to have gotten my freedom back long enough to go see what was going on.
I was on my way to the Great Hall when I saw Eadric very briefly. He was going to his own fittings, but was so nervous that he couldn't stand still and paced the whole time I was talking to him. "So the wedding is tomorrow," he said.
"Can you believe it? I didn't know what to say when Father told us."
"Are you all right with it being so soon? I don't want you to feel rushed."
I smiled, warmed by his concern. "I think it's wonderful," I said, realizing that I really did.
"It looks as if we have enough people to help out," he said, gesturing toward my aunt, who was bustling through the hall with an armload of ferns.
"Mmm hmm," I replied. "I just wonder whom my grandmother is inviting."
"I saw her waiting by the drawbridge. She seemed to be expecting someone."
"Dyspepsia and Oculura are already here. I think I'll go talk to Grandmother," I said, "and find out exactly who's on her list."
I didn't have to go far to find her. Some of her friends from the Old Witches' Retirement Community had arrived, and she was escorting them across the courtyard. After they'd offered me their congratulations, Grandmother sent them inside while we talked.
"Who else did you invite?" I asked.
"Grassina helped me with the list. We invited Pearl and Coral, but Coral is still visiting her friends and Pearl has gone to see her sisters. I thought about inviting that little dragon friend of yours along with his parents until Grassina pointed out that Bodamin and Frazzela might not appreciate having three dragons in their castle."
"So who is coming?" I asked.
"We've invited all the fairies from Greater Greensward and Upper Montevista. I made sure that we didn't leave anyone out. You know how irate fairies can be if they think they've been slighted."
"Oh dear. I didn't think of them. We needed to invite the fairies, of course, but we'll have to make sure that everyone is extra nice to them, even the more peculiar ones. The last thing we need is another curse cast on the family. I'll explain it to Queen Frazzela and King Bodamin so they can tell everyone else."
"Good," said Grandmother. "It will be for only one day. Fairies don't like spending the night away from their own homes."
My search for the king and queen took me to the courtyard and all the public rooms, but it wasn't until I started asking if anyone had seen them that a maid said they were in the family corridor. I found them talking to Bradston outside the room where Eadric was getting fitted for his clothes.
"… just for a little while," said the queen. "You're perfectly safe here. No trolls will ever get into the castie. There's nothing to fear from …"
"I'm not afraid," Bradston said, looking more irritated than frightened.
The king threw up his hands. "Then why can't you stay in your room without your mother? You're too old to be following her everywhere. You haven't left her side since you came home. The poor woman can't even use the garderobe without you waiting for her on the other side of the door."
"Don't you think I'd like to stop following her?" said Bradston. "I just can't, that's all, and don't ask me why because I don't know the answer."
I'd been standing in the hall, wondering if I should leave and come back later, when Queen Frazzela glanced up and saw me. "Bodamin," she said, tilting her head in my direction.
The king turned to me, smiling. "Ah, there you are, my dear. All set for the big day tomorrow?"
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but that's what I wanted to talk about. I guess it's a good thing that I found all three of you together. We have some guests coming tomorrow who are a little unusual. Some are from Greater Greensward and some are from Upper Montevista. They're very sensitive, you see, and…through the opening and she climbed out into…"
"They're witches, I suppose," said Queen Frazzela. "I should have known you'd open my home to the worst sort of people."
I took a deep breath, trying to keep myself calm. "They aren't witches, although we did invite a few, and I expect them to be treated with as much courtesy as any other guests," I said, looking straight at the queen. "The people I'm talking about are fairies. We invited them because they would have been insulted if we hadn't, which wouldn't bode well for either kingdom."
Bradston snickered. "You're going to have little fairies at your wedding? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"
"Then listen to me, Bradston," I said, barely controlling my temper. "The stupidest thing would be if someone were to insult one of these fairies. They're very powerful and could make you miserable for the rest of your life if you so much as look at one of them in a funny way."
"I'm not surprised that you consort with fairies in your kingdom, but it's unheard of in Upper Montevista," the queen said in a voice I'm sure she thought sounded superior.
"I wouldn't say that exactly, my dear," said the king, rubbing his chin with his thumb and forefinger. "My father's older brother had some fairy friends. One day he told my father that he had fallen in love with a fairy lass and was going to attend one of their dances. He disappeared that night and no one ever heard from him again."
"Your mother told me that he died very young and that that's why your father inherited the throne," said the queen.
"My mother didn't want people to know what had really happened. I'm sure that most of the stories she told you were altered to fit her version of the truth. She refused to let anyone tell me fairy tales when I was growing up. She'd say that they were all lies, then check the doors and windows as if she feared that someone might have heard her."
"She was right to be afraid," I said. "If any fairies had, they might have taken offense. It's a mistake to ignore fairies, but it's an even bigger mistake to be rude or unkind toward them."
Bradston snorted as if he thought I was making it up, but King Bodamin looked thoughtful when he said, "You say the fairies who live in my kingdom are coming here tomorrow? How many should we expect?"
I shrugged. "I'm not sure. My grandmother might know."
The king nodded and looked at his son. "Bradston, I order you to be respectful toward all our guests. None of your tricks, understand?"
The boy hesitated as if he wanted to make a snide remark, then seemed to think better of it and said, "Yes, sir. If you say so." His parents were both looking my way when Bradston stuck out his tongue at me.
"I'll see that this gets relayed to the rest of the castle. Frazzela," the king said, turning to his wife, "regardless of your feelings, you're to treat them as honored guests."
The queen glared at me. "We would never have had to worry about any of this if Eadric had chosen a normal princess."
"Oh really?" I said. "And would that be a princess who had slept for a hundred years or one who cleaned house until her fairy godmother helped her go to a ball? I don't know about you, but I'm not sure I've ever met a normal princess."
King Bodamin chuckled. "She's got you there," he said to his wife. "It doesn't matter whether they should have been invited or not. They have been, so we'll do as Emma has asked. This should be interesting. I've always wanted to meet a fairy."
Wonderful, I thought, heading back to the Great Hall. With Frazzela and Bradston around, something is bound to happen. I began to wonder if my family was doomed to end one curse just to fall prey to another.