Fourteen

When I couldn't find Eadric, I decided to take a nap before I had to face everyone again at supper. The chamber I'd used before was just as I'd left it, which meant that the person who usually slept there had not come back. Because I didn't want to be disturbed, I said a spell to lock the door, and another to keep any outside noise from getting in, then lay on the bed and closed my eyes. I was almost asleep when I remembered what the troll queen had said. Although I'd asked her whom she meant when she told me, "He said you would come," we'd been interrupted before she answered, and I'd forgotten to ask her again. Whom did she mean? I wondered as I drifted off. Why were they talking about me?

I was exhausted and slept through supper and on into the night. It was midmorning when I woke again, feeling more refreshed than I had since leaving Greater Greensward. My grandmother was sitting at a table across from the stairwell waiting for me when I went downstairs. "Come sit down," she said, waving me over. "I'll fill you in before your mother gets her hands on you and you don't get a chance to breathe."

"Is she upset that I slept so long?" I asked, taking a seat across from Grandmother.

"I wouldn't say she's upset. Livid, yes, upset, no. I understand she almost beat your door down trying to wake you. That must have been some spell you used to keep her out. Be prepared for a royal scolding," she said, smiling at her own joke. "She wanted you for more fittings for your gown, but I'm sure she's made do just fine."

A page ran past carrying a basket of flowers. Three others stood on ladders while hanging garlands over doorways. Grassina and Haywood presided over them all from the center of the Hall.

"I thought I should tell you before you heard it from someone else," said Grandmother. "We already had our first fairy-related near-disaster. But don't worry, I took care of it."

"What happened?" I asked with a sick feeling in my stomach.

We waited while a serving maid approached the table and set a mug of cider in front of Grandmother. She smiled at both of us and left to get one for me.

Grandmother looked around as if to make sure that we weren't about to be interrupted again, then said, "Sir Geoffrey, a very sweet and well-intentioned knight, was returning from patrol when he dismounted to pick a wildflower for Lady Eleanor, one of Frazzela's ladies-in-waiting. Unfortunately, a flower fairy on her way to the wedding had stopped for a sip of nectar and was inside the partially closed flower when he snapped the stem. Sir Geoffrey had almost reached the gate when the furious fairy turned him into a chipmunk. A guard who saw the knight disappear into his clothes came looking for me. I was the logical choice since I'd already let everyone know that I'm a witch."

"You didn't!" I said.

"Of course I did. I'm not ashamed of who I am. All this tiptoeing around the subject gives me a headache. If these people have a problem with magic, it's their problem, not mine. As I was saying," she said, giving me a pointed look, "I calmed the fairy and got her to reverse her magic. She was very understanding once I explained it all to her. Fairies believe in true love just like you and me. There was one condition, however."

"And what was that?" I asked, fearing the worst.

Grandmother smiled. "They have to get married and invite her to their wedding, that's all. Neither of them minded in the least."

"Was that the fairy's condition or yours?"

Grandmother's smile got bigger. "Does it matter? Either way, they're getting married next month and I'm invited, too."

I smiled at the serving maid who gave me my cider, then said to Grandmother as the girl walked away, "What happened when you told everyone that you're a witch? How did they take the news?"

"They were a littie standoffish until I said a spell to fix the broken pots in the kitchen and another to rebuild a crumbling section of that causeway they're all so worried about. They became quite friendly after that."

"I didn't know they were having any problems," I said.

Grandmother peered at me over her mug of cider. "Everyone has problems. You just have to keep your ears open and help where you can."

"How is Queen Frazzela today? Is she still upset because we invited the fairies?"

"Not at all. She was quite taken with them after she saw one this morning. Listen, I think I hear more arriving now."

She was right. When I tuned out the voices of the people in the Hall, I could hear a faint sound like wind chimes. The sound grew louder as I ran to the courtyard, wanting to make sure that someone was ready to greet them. Queen Frazzela was there already, so caught up in the fairies' arrival that she didn't notice me.

Unlike the flower fairy, these fairies were as big as humans, although finer boned and with more delicate features. The queen seemed captivated by their sweet voices and the graceful way they moved. She smiled and was gracious to them, just the opposite of the way she'd treated me. I even heard her claim that she had insisted that we invite them and that she was so glad they had come.

Bradston was there, too, of course, and was as curious about them as any ten-year-old would have been. I saw him surreptitiously touch the wing of one of the fairies, and held my breath when the fairy turned around, startled. Seeing the boy, her face relaxed in a gentle smile and I'knew that what I'd heard was true: fairies were more tolerant of children than they were of adults.

I was going back into the castle when my mother finally found me. "There you are!" she said. "I hate it when you lock your door that way. I can never get in to see you when I have something important to discuss. You knew you had more fittings to do. Why did you sleep so late? Frazzela got Eadric up at dawn and he's been busy ever since."

"We can go see about those fittings now if you'd like," I said, not wanting to argue with her.

"It's too late for that," she said. "Maude had to work with what she had. That gown had better fit, that's all I have to say. It will be your own fault if you look gawky. Three seamstresses working together might have been able to disguise some of your flaws, but even they can't work miracles without fittings."

"I can always use magic to make it fit," I said, then bit my lip when I remembered who I was talking to.

My mother glared at me. "If I'd wanted my daughter to wear a dress made with magic, I wouldn't have had Maude and the others stay up all night to work on it. You will wear it as it is and be thankful that I went to so much trouble."

"Yes, of course, Mother," I said, feeling sorry for Maude.

"Go to your room and wait for us," Mother ordered. "I'll send a serving girl to tell Maude to meet us there with your gown. And for goodness' sake, don't lock your door!"

Although 1 would have loved to go to the Great Hall to watch the guests arrive, I knew better than to cross my mother again, so I hurried up to my room. I was just shutting the door behind me when Li'l appeared at my window. Flying to the tapestry on the wall, she latched on with her claws and hung upside down to talk to me. "You'll never guess who I saw in the courtyard! The witches from the Old Witches' Retirement Community!"

"I know," I said. "They arrived yesterday."

"No, not them," said the little bat. "I meant the rest of the witches. Your grandmother didn't invite a few of her friends. She invited all of them!"

I sighed and started to take my hair out of its customary braid. "Poor Frazzela. She won't like that one bit."

There was a knock on my door, and before I could answer, my mother rushed into the room. "Good, you're here. Maude will be along in a moment. She has your gown and Lucy is going to do your hair. You've never been any good at doing it yourself. I don't think you even know how to brush it," she said, poking at a lock of my hair as if it were some loathsome creature she didn't want to touch. "Thank goodness I'm here to see that you look decent for your wedding."

I glanced out the window at the tinkling sound of wind chimes and saw a brightly colored flock fly by. At first glance I thought they were birds or butterflies; then I realized that a large contingent of fairies had arrived. I saw them again as they circled the castle to appreciative applause from the courtyard below. A few minutes after they landed, Grassina came to the door.

"Did you see them?" she asked, out of breath from running. "The fairies from Greater Greensward are here. They all came together, which is amazing in itself. I think this is the first time in years they've done anything as a group. You know they consider this a special event when you see the swamp fairy wearing a new dress of green leaves."

There was another knock on the door, and Maude and Hortense came in carrying my gown and slippers. Maude couldn't stop yawning as she laid the gown on my bed. Lucy squeezed in past them, looking horrified when she saw the size of my room. "I'd better go," said Grassina. 'You need the space. Call me if I can help in any way."

My grandmother was the next to arrive. When she saw how many people were already there, she pushed past them and took a seat on the bed. Hortense was helping me into my gown when Queen Frazzela came to the door. Once again, my mother wouldn't let her in because Bradston was with her. "But I have to talk to Emma," said Queen Frazzela. "The guards have cornered a dragon in the courtyard. Eadric saw them and interceded before they could dispatch the beast. He says the dragon should have received an invitation, but the beast didn't know about the wedding until the fairies told him. Can you imagine? Eadric actually insists that the creature attend the ceremony! I can't understand what's gotten into that boy. Before he met Emma he would have killed it himself. I nearly fainted when I saw it, and he wants to put it in the buttery until the ceremony begins."

"Is it a very big dragon?" I called through the door.

"No, it's quite small as dragons go," Queen Frazzela called back. "But what possible difference could that make?"

"Quite a bit, actually. A large dragon would never fit in the buttery."

"You don't understand," said the queen. "We can't have dragons in the castle! I've come to ask you to talk some sense into him."

"Who, Eadric or Ralf?" I asked. "I agree that Ralf shouldn't have come by himself. He's too young to travel this far without his parents. I think Eadric was right, though. Ralf will be fine in the buttery."

"You'll have to excuse us now," my mother told Queen Frazzela. "The ceremony will begin soon and Emma isn't nearly ready." I smiled when she shut the door firmly in the spluttering queen's face.

My gown was everything a bride could want. It was made of a finely woven cream-colored fabric that hugged my hips and fell to my feet in soft folds. The three seamstresses had embroidered the hem and cuffs with gold and green threads, using designs of vines and flowers. My mother had given me a heavy gold chain to wear low on my hips and a more delicate one to wear around my neck. Lucy took great pride in dressing my hair, brushing it until it glowed and looping a third and even finer gold chain through it. My mother then produced a gold circlet that she set on my head. It was the closest thing I'd ever had to a crown, but far lighter than what my parents wore for formal events. When they had finished, I felt beautiful and everyone assured me that I was.

We waited until Grassina brought me a lush bouquet of roses, lilacs, and lilies, then my mother led the way down the stairs to the Great Hall. The fairies caught my eye right away. Wearing their best and brightest clothes, they would have been dazzling if the sun hadn't already started to set and the Hall hadn't been lit with torches. I saw flower fairies lined up on the window ledges tickling each other and giggling. The ones sitting on the garlands were harder to see because their flower-petal skirts blended in with the brightly colored blossoms. Most of the larger fairies were gathered together at the sides of the Hall as if so many humans made them uncomfortable, although I did see a few scattered fairies seated among the other guests. One fairy was dressed all in moonbeams that made her seem less real than the fairies around her. Another wore a trailing gown of willow leaves that shivered when she moved. The gown of a third was made of violets, the blossoms having been sewn together so carefully that they remained unblemished.

I was ready when my father took my arm to walk me the length of the room. I could hear people murmuring and the priest clearing his throat, but the loudest sound was that of my own heart. Glancing from side to side, I looked to see who was there, my smile frozen in place. I saw Haywood and Grassina gazing at each other with love in their eyes. Hortense was already crying, as was Oculura, who dabbed at her eyes, then took them out and replaced them with fresh ones. Dyspepsia was muttering to her sister about the lateness of the wedding, how she didn't like going home in the dark and how itchy her new gown felt. King Bodamin smiled warmly at me, oblivious to his wife, who stood beside him trying to take a straw away from Bradston. The boy was using the straw to poke the bubbles that covered the gown of the fairy next to him. My grandmother looked wistful and my mother looked distracted, as if she were thinking of a hundred things about my wedding that she wished she had done differently.

And then I looked straight ahead and saw Eadric, and suddenly I didn't have eyes for anything else. He was standing beside the much shorter priest and looked so handsome that I felt my heart skip a beat. His cream-colored tunic and hose had been embroidered in gold and green to match my gown, and a gold circlet identical to mine held his brown curls back from his forehead. But even if he hadn't been dressed in such finery, he would have been the handsomest man there.

When I finally stood beside Eadric, I began to feel shaky and a little light-headed. Eadric must have seen something in the way I looked, because he took my hand and squeezed it. His hand felt warm in mine, and was as reassuring as always.

The priest was young and nervous. He started with a speech that sounded memorized, saying that although love wasn't essential, it was an important building block in the foundation of a good marriage. Eadric squeezed my hand when the priest paused. We turned to see what he was looking at and saw Li'l and Garrid nestled in the shadow of a banner.

The priest started over, then got as far as the next building block, loyalty, before losing his place again. A minor scuffle had broken out when one of the guards had stepped on Ralf 's tail. It seemed to take forever before the priest reached the third element, friendship.

Eadric squeezed my hand once more and I returned the pressure, knowing that all three building blocks were already ours. The priest hadn't said anything that we didn't already know. Eadric must have thought so, too, because he winked at me and grinned. After that I missed half of what the priest said because I was looking into Eadric's eyes and remembering how they had looked on the day we met. He had been a frog and I'd thought he was obnoxious. Back then I never would have imagined that I would marry him, or that I could love anyone so much.

The priest droned on, interjecting the appropriate questions here and there. I suppose I must have said what I needed to, because before I knew it he was saying, "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride," and Eadric was. It was a long kiss, a warm and sweet kiss full of shared memories and the promise of things to come. It would have lasted even longer if a soldier hadn't clattered into the hall and barged past the assembled guests to King Bodamin's side.

Although the soldier spoke in a lowered tone, I heard everything he said. "We have a situation, Your Majesty. A patrol has sighted trolls carrying clubs coming this way in great numbers. Should we raise the drawbridge?"

"By all means!" exclaimed King Bodamin. "Hurry, man, go give the order."

Apparentiy I wasn't the only one to hear him, because the fairies and some of the witches began repeating what the soldier had said. He had already gone, but as word spread, knights began to hurry from the Hall as well.

Of the people who remained, the fairies seemed the most agitated. Eadric and I were still standing in front of the priest when one of the fairies from Upper Montevista fluttered her wings and flew over the heads of the other guests to join us. "We apologize, Your Highnesses, but we must go," she said. "We are grateful that you invited us to help celebrate your wedding. However, we believe that the trolls are about to attack this castie. As we must preserve our neutrality in such matters, we think it best that we leave before any fighting begins."

"You're leaving?" Eadric said, sounding incredulous.

The fairy nodded. "Unfortunately. We'll return when the battle is over, provided that the castle is still here. Congratulations on your wedding. It was a lovely ceremony." The fairy raised her hand as a signal to the rest. Within a minute, there wasn't a fairy left in the castle.

"I can't believe it," said Queen Frazzela. "That was the rudest behavior I've ever seen! They accept our gracious invitation, enjoy our hospitality, then can't be bothered to help us when we most need it. I knew all along that we shouldn't have invited them!"

Bradston tugged on her sleeve. "But you said …"

"Never mind," the queen snapped, looking doubly annoyed. "Some things do not bear repeating."