Princess Maloret’s words still ring in my ears as the fairy servant returns with several others. Between them, they carry a tray holding a tall, lopsided cake. Pink frosting drips from the top, splashing on the stone floor.
“Cake? Well, aren’t you lucky, Rosie,” the princess says, waving the fairies forward.
They set it on the table in front of me. A strong scent of bubble gum comes from the spongy-looking cake. The smell is so sweet and so strong it makes me nearly gag.
I meet the princess’s stare over the cake. Her wide grin makes me nervous. She isn’t going to force me to eat it, is she?
Her smile fades. “Eat it. I know you’re hungry.”
There’s an edge in her voice I haven’t heard before. I glance at Meriwether, my chest tightening. Her face is grim. It could be poisoned, or it could be harmless. There’s no way to know without taking a bite. Which I won’t.
Princess Maloret shoots to her feet, her chair scraping against the stone. “Not so hungry then.”
She turns to the fairies still hovering in the air. “Take it away.”
They rush forward to obey her. My stomach rolls with dread as I watch them struggle to lift the tray back up and carry it out of the dining room.
Did I make a mistake? Have I offended the princess? My throat turns dry. Will I be punished?
Her face is a blank mask and her black, pupilless eyes stare back at me. Meriwether shudders in her chair, her wing brushing against my bare arm, tickling me.
“Oh, Rosie. Rosie. Rosie. What am I going to do with you?” Princess Maloret asks, leaning over the table toward me.
I flinch.
She smiles and drags her finger through the pink frosting that spilled on the table.
Sucking the pink substance from her finger, she shakes her head at me. “You’re very difficult, you know. I should rid myself of you, but I just don’t have the heart.”
Her grin widens, sharp little teeth gleaming under the chandelier light. A tremor runs through me. I glance at Meriwether, but she’s watching the princess with a fierce look on her face. She wants to protect me. She would do anything to help me, but she’d be powerless to stop the shadow princess. I wouldn’t risk her life, anyway.
“You’re lucky I’m so kind,” the princess continues, still smirking.
I don’t respond. What am I supposed to say to that? Kind is the last word I’d use to describe her.
Cunning. Dangerous. Cruel.
She sits back in her chair and sighs heavily. “This is exactly why I opened your door. If you’re going to stay in my court, you need to start making yourself more at home.”
“What if I don’t want to stay in your court?” The question escapes me before I can think better of it.
Meriwether sucks in a sharp breath.
Princess Maloret cocks her head at me, studying me as if I’m the strange one. I’m struck by her otherworldliness just as she’s struck by my humanity. Her dark inky eyes bore into me, and it’s all I can do not to shrink under her gaze.
She waves her hand in the air, conjuring smoke-like shadows around her. They shake the chandelier with their wispy claws and dance against the stone walls. Their bodies stretch and transform into giant, grinning faces.
“You can’t leave my court. That was the deal, Rosie. Don’t you remember?” Princess Maloret taunts, snapping my attention back to her.
Heat spreads across my skin. Of course, I don’t remember. She took my memories. I only have her word, her claims that I chose this. That being a ‘guest’ in her court is what I wanted.
I can’t imagine why. Was my previous life so terrible that I gave it up for … this?
“There is always another way out of our deal, but I’m not sure you’re ready for that,” she says in singsong.
She wants me to ask her what it is. I won’t. I already have a good guess at what she’s talking about.
The only way out of this ‘deal’ is death.
Smiling, she shrugs her shoulder. “I’ve been more than patient with you. Things are going to be different from now on. No more hiding away and brooding about. You’re going to be a part of my court. An important part.”
Not waiting for my response, she rises to her feet and waves her hand at the shadow creatures. They stand at attention by her side, towering over her.
“Since you don’t want to eat, we’ll move on to the next thing. But first, you need to change.”
She makes a face at my nightgown as if it’s the ugliest thing she’s seen. “Come on.”
I don’t listen.
Meriwether flutters beside me, close enough for her velvety wings to touch me. She’s trying to help me, but I can’t make my body move.
The princess’s words worry me. What is she going to do to me? Is she still upset at my refusal to eat the cake?
She grunts. “See what I mean. Difficult. Get up now or I’ll help you.” Her words are sugary, but there’s a tightness around her eyes. Her sharp little teeth are bared.
I glance at the shadow beasts closing in. The room grows ice cold.
Before their claws can reach me, I stand. My heart pounds wildly, the sound filling my ears. I don’t know what game the princess is playing now, but I refuse to let her see my fear.
“You have to remember, Rosie. I’m not the bad guy here,” Princess Maloret says, staring hard at me.
A scoff escapes me. She’s stolen me away from my previous life, stolen my memories, and keeps me captive in her castle. If that’s not classic villain MO, then I don’t know what is.
She smirks. “Believe it or not, I’m trying to save you.”
I don’t believe her.
The smile she gives me is predatory. She’s the cat and I’m the mouse. I don’t trust her, and though every warning bell in my head is ringing, I follow her as she leads me to the doorway. The shadows dance around us in an excited frenzy.
Whatever she has planned next, I’ll survive it. I’ve been lucky so far.