The Princess and the Pearl Read online

  The

  Princess

  and the Pearl

  This book is dedicated to my uncle, Dr. Raymond Carnes, the sweetest and kindest man I’ve ever known. We will miss him.

  A Tale of the Wide-Awake Princess

  The

  Princess

  and the Pearl

  E. D. BAKER

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  CHAPTER 1

  Princess Annie stepped into her chamber and glanced at all the trunks that servants had packed in her absence, preparing for her move to Dorinocco. Liam was about to be crowned king, which meant that Annie would always want to look her best. She was taking her nicer gowns and would have more made upon her arrival. She already knew that she would miss Treecrest, but the two kingdoms were close enough that she planned to visit often.

  Annie had slipped off her shoes and was placing them by her bed when a disembodied head appeared in the corner. “Where have you been?” the face asked, scowling. Startled, it took Annie a moment to remember that the magic mirror was in that corner now.

  “You left me all alone for days without telling me where you were going or when I’d see you again!” the face declared. “Why would you do that?”

  “I’m sorry,” Annie replied. “Liam and I didn’t expect to leave when we did. I couldn’t have told you where we were going because we didn’t know until we got there. It wasn’t an ordinary grand tour.”

  “You went on your grand tour!” said the face in the mirror. “No one told me that! All those ladies came to consult me about their love lives, and not one of them told me a thing!”

  “So you weren’t all alone!” said Annie. “Who came to see you?”

  “Just a few people. Your sister came first, then Lady Patrice and Lady Cecily and Lady Clare and Lady Josephine and Lady Hortense and three kitchen maids named Ula, Bev, and Winnie. You wouldn’t believe what they asked me!”

  “I’m not interested in gossip,” said Annie.

  The face in the mirror looked outraged. “This isn’t gossip! I’m just telling you about my conversations.”

  Annie turned away when she heard a knock on the door, opening it to admit servants carrying buckets of steaming water. She had worn the same clothes for the entire trip. They were so filthy now that she didn’t want to sit on her bed or chair, so she waited while the servants filled the tub and set the screen in front of the magic mirror so he couldn’t see past it. The face in the mirror grumbled, but Annie didn’t care. All she could think about now was a nice hot bath and finally getting clean.

  The moment the door closed, Annie disrobed and stepped into the tub. Although the water felt too hot at first, she eased her way in and sat back, letting the warmth relax her tired muscles. Within minutes, Annie felt better than she had in days. True, she had enjoyed a bath in the palace in Westerling, and gone swimming at the giants’ island, but she hadn’t felt truly safe and able to fully unwind until now.

  Annie and Liam had been planning to sail along the coastline for their grand tour, but news of an evil wizard and the gift of magic postcards from a woods witch had sent them on an unexpected trip. If their lives hadn’t been in danger wherever they went, they might have enjoyed it more, but they had visited places they hadn’t known existed and made new and highly unusual friends. They had even visited Annie’s uncle, Rupert, someone she had never met before. The grand tour had been shorter than she and Liam had planned, and not at all where they’d wanted to go, but it had been marvelous and exciting.

  Annie glanced out the window. It was getting late in the day; she’d have to dress for supper in a little while. She had wanted to see her parents as soon as she got back, but they had been in a meeting and unable to see her then. Although she’d wondered what kind of meeting would have kept them from welcoming her and Liam, she was glad to have a chance to get cleaned up first. Liam had been eager to bathe as well, and had gone to the room he’d used before the wedding, hoping his clothes were still there.

  Annie dozed until the water cooled enough to fully wake her. She washed then, scrubbing her skin and hair until the last vestiges of her trip were gone. After drying off, she put on an old peach-colored gown that wasn’t good enough to pack, brushed her hair, and started for the door.

  “Leaving without saying good-bye again?” said the face in the mirror.

  “I’m just going to supper,” Annie replied. “I’ll be back soon.”

  “Just don’t go on any long trips without telling me first,” said the mirror.

  Annie took a step back into the room. She hadn’t been planning to take the magic mirror with her when she moved to Dorinocco, but maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea. The face in the mirror had been useful at times and she had almost started to like it. “Liam and I are going to Dorinocco,” she said. “His father is stepping down and Liam is going to be crowned king. We’ll be living there from now on. Would you like to come with us?”

  “You were leaving without me? I knew something was going on when people packed up all your clothes! Of course I want to come! You may like tapestries of unicorns and flowers way too much and your singing makes me wish I could plug my ears, but being with you is a lot better than being with Queen Marissa. She was almost as horrible to me as she was to Snow White. That woman gave me no respect! I don’t know how many times she threatened to toss me into the moat or a pit full of snakes. I hate snakes! They squiggle through the muck and leave ugly trails all over your nice, clean glass.”

  “Then you’re welcome to come,” said Annie. “I’ll let the steward know that you need to be loaded on the cart before we leave.” She had started out the door again when something occurred to her. Once again, she turned back to face the mirror. “I don’t understand something. You can see what other people are doing all the time. When I was gone, why didn’t you just look for me?”

  “I tried,” said the mirror. “But I could never find you. Magic doesn’t work on you, remember?”

  “I didn’t realize it would block you from seeing me,” Annie said. “I learn something new every day. I’ll try to remember to tell you whenever I’m going away, if that will make you happy.”

  “Delirious,” said the face, although it still looked grumpy.

  On her way down the stairs, Annie thought about what the mirror had said. It hadn’t occurred to her that the mirror couldn’t see her when she was away, but then it wasn’t really a surprise. Since the day the fairy Moonbeam gave Annie her one and only magical christening gift, she had been impervious to magic. Not only would magic bounce off Annie if someone tried to cast a spell on her, but everyone else’s magic faded when she was nearby. Annie had thought this would always be true, and it wasn’t until she received the magic postcards that she learned there was a form of magic stronger than the fairy kind. Dragon magic was the strongest of all. It was the one kind of magic that affected Annie as much as it did everyone else. It was the reason she and Liam had been able to use the magic postcards. It was also the reason they’d been able to come back home.

  Annie was halfway down the stairs when people started to greet her. The entire time she was growing up, she’d been shunned by relatives, courtiers, and anyone made more attractive or talented through magic. After she broke her sister’s curse, her family had warm
ed to her and the others hadn’t avoided her quite as much. However, since the day of her wedding, these same courtiers seemed to be drawn to her. Not only had she brought the fairies to repair the damage to the castle, making up for the spells they had cast, but she had ended King Dormander’s siege as well. What people seemed to remember the most, however, was the wedding the fairies had put on for her. They were still talking about it as they stopped her on the stairway.

  “It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” one elderly courtier said, surprising Annie because the woman had never spoken to her before.

  “I cried during your wedding, and I never cry! Not even when my dear Randolf died!” said another older woman.

  “I still cry every time I think about it!” a third woman told her.

  Unsure how to respond, Annie smiled and nodded and hurried down the stairs. The fairies had outdone themselves and it had been a beautiful wedding, but so many other things had happened since then that Annie felt as if the wedding had taken place long ago.

  When Annie reached the great hall, it was as crowded and noisy as usual. Ewan, the young redheaded page, met her at the door. “Her Highness Queen Karolina asks that you sit at the high table from now on,” he said. “This way, if you please.”

  Annie smiled after he turned away. The boy was so proud of his position and excited about what he was doing that she almost had to laugh. When she glanced at the dais, where her parents usually sat, she saw Liam waiting for her. Her parents weren’t there, but she expected to see them any minute.

  “Are Princess Gwendolyn and Prince Beldegard still in the castle?” she asked Ewan.

  The page shook his head. “They left for Montrose two days ago. No one expects them back anytime soon.”

  Liam stood as Annie approached the dais. “You look … clean!” she said with a smile.

  Liam laughed. “So do you! I feel much better now. It’s amazing what a hot bath and clean clothes can do for a person. Now all I need is to sleep for about three days and I’ll be back to normal.”

  “That sounds tempting,” said Annie. “When did you want to go to Dorinocco?”

  Liam pushed her seat in for her, then sat down, saying, “I suppose we should go as soon as possible. We have a lot to do if I’m to take over from my father. If we get a good night’s rest tonight, we can leave early tomorrow morning.”

  “We still have to decide where we’re going to send Clarence and your mother,” said Annie.

  “I know,” Liam said, frowning. “The sooner we do that, the better.”

  Liam’s mother, Queen Lenore, and his brother, Prince Clarence, had conspired to take over Annie’s home kingdom of Treecrest. When the tiny spinning wheel they’d sent had made Gwennie’s curse come true, Annie had found princes to wake her sister with a kiss. King Montague had locked his queen in a tower, but Clarence had run off to sea, returning with a nasty wizard who assisted in the siege of King Halbert’s castle. Both Clarence and Queen Lenore were locked in King Montague’s castle now, but Liam didn’t want them anywhere nearby when he became king.

  “Your Highness,” said a voice at Annie’s side. She turned to find Ewan waiting by her elbow. “Your mother, Queen Karolina, has sent word that she and King Halbert will not be joining you for supper tonight. She asks that you come to the king’s chamber after you’ve eaten.”

  “In that case, please tell the servers that they may begin,” Annie told the page. No one ate before the king and queen arrived, but if they weren’t coming …

  Although the salmon was delicious, Annie couldn’t do more than pick at her food. Something was wrong, she could feel it. Why else had her parents been unable to see her when she returned home? And why weren’t they coming down to supper?

  Seeing her unease, Liam ate quickly and they were soon headed upstairs to her father’s chamber. Her mother met them at the door, ushering them to the chair where King Halbert was waiting. Annie had rarely seen him in his nightclothes before. Finding him dressed in a long robe and slippers made her worry even more. “What’s wrong?” Annie asked as soon as she saw him. “Did something happen?”

  “Your father isn’t feeling well,” said the queen. “It started last night. We had the doctor come see him today, but the man was worthless. He said he’d never seen anything like it before.”

  “Like what?” asked Annie. King Halbert sighed. “Your mother is making a big fuss over nothing. It’s just a touch of stomach sickness, that’s all. I wasn’t able to eat last night or today, but I should be fine by tomorrow.”

  “That is not all it is and you know it!” declared the queen. “Show her your feet!”

  “I’m not showing anyone my feet!” said the king.

  “She’s your daughter. She has the right to know what’s going on!” the queen told him. “Show her your feet, Halbert, or I’ll do it for you!”

  King Halbert glared at his wife. When she glared back, he sighed and pulled his feet out of his slippers. Annie gasped. Her father’s feet were blue. Not the kind of blue her feet turned when she’d been swimming in cold water too long, but the bright blue of a gown her mother often wore.

  “Do they hurt?” she asked her father, kneeling down beside him.

  “Not at all!” said the king. “They feel perfectly normal; they just look like I’ve been stomping blue grapes to make wine. I’m sure the color doesn’t mean a thing. As soon as I get over this stomach sickness, I’ll be up and around again.”

  Annie turned to her mother. “Can you send for another doctor?”

  “No!” declared King Halbert. “They’re all quacks! I don’t want another of those blustering idiots near me! I’m fine, I tell you. I didn’t have you come up here to fuss over me like your mother. I just want to hear about your trip. Moonbeam told us that you went by postcard. What an interesting way to travel! Pull up some chairs and tell me all about it. You might as well sit down, too, Karolina. I know you’re just as curious as I am, and I don’t want you hovering over me any more tonight.”

  “Are you sure I can’t send for anything for you?” said the queen.

  “I’m positive,” said the king. “Annie, start at the beginning. I want to hear everything!”

  CHAPTER 2

  The next morning, Annie and Liam woke as the sun came up, hoping to get an early start. After a quick breakfast of bread hot from the oven spread with butter and soft cheese, they went upstairs to see her parents. Annie’s father was still in bed, but she was pleased to see that he was awake and looked better than he had the night before.

  “How are you feeling, Father?” asked Annie.

  “Much better,” said the king. “Your mother gave me a tonic to help me sleep last night. My stomach isn’t bothering me nearly as much today. I’ve already sent for breakfast, so there’s no need to worry about me.”

  “If you’re all right, Liam and I will be leaving this morning,” Annie told him.

  “I expected as much,” her father told her. “Have a safe trip and come back for a visit as soon as you can.”

  Annie and Liam went to say good-bye to the queen next. She had gone for an early-morning walk in the garden with some of her ladies-in-waiting. Although Queen Karolina had dark circles under her eyes, she assured Annie that everything was all right. “You’re about to start a whole new life with your husband,” said the queen. “I don’t want you to worry about your father and me. We’ll be fine. I’m sure your father was right. It was just a temporary indisposition. He’ll be up and about today.”

  “If you’re sure … ,” said Annie.

  “I am,” said the queen. “I know King Montague is looking forward to your arrival. Don’t keep Liam’s father waiting any longer than you must.”

  Once the queen had dismissed them, Annie and Liam hurried to the courtyard, anxious to get started. Annie had sent money to pay for Otis and was looking forward to riding the gelding that day. With Liam riding Hunter, it felt almost like the trip they had taken from Dorinocco to the Garden of Happiness
, only this time no one was chasing them, thankfully. They also had an escort of half a dozen knights to guard them, along with another half-dozen men guarding the wagon hauling Annie’s belongings.

  The magic mirror had been crammed into the wagon at the last minute, and Annie could still hear it grumbling as they crossed over the drawbridge. “Does the driver have to aim for every bump and pothole!” it called out.

  “Let’s ride ahead a bit,” Annie said to Liam. “I really don’t want to hear the magic mirror complaining the whole way there. If I’d known it was going to be like that, I would have left it in my old bedroom.”

  “I heard that!” shouted the mirror.

  Annie sighed and urged Otis to go a little faster. When the two horses trotted ahead, the six knights hurried to catch up, leaving half the group behind. Annie and Liam were still in the lead when they came to a crossroad where an elderly woman was sitting on a large rock.

  Annie groaned and said, “Not that witch again! She must live close by. I see her every time I come this way.”

  “There you are!” the old woman shouted. A lizard slipped out of her mouth and a frog fell to the ground in a shower of rose petals. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you? It’s your fault I’m in this mess!” Spewing pearls like a messy eater dribbles crumbs, she made a horrible face when a snake slithered between her lips and tumbled to her lap.

  “I didn’t do anything to you,” said Annie. “You wouldn’t be in this mess if you didn’t keep trying to cast spells on me.”

  “Whatever! It’s going to end today,” said the woman, and gagged on a pair of squirming salamanders. After wiping a rose petal off her tongue, she added, “I found a reversal spell that has got to work!”

  The woman called out while waving her hands in the air. Her words were garbled as toads, frogs, and a long, skinny snake with an arrow-shaped head slithered out of her mouth. A gray-green cloud swept toward Annie, roiled around in front of her, and washed back over the old witch.