The Princess and the Pearl Read online

“That should do it!” the witch declared.

  When nothing squiggled from between her lips or fell from her mouth, she hopped up and down, clapping her hands in delight. Weeds near her feet began to rustle, but she didn’t seem to notice.

  “It worked!” she shouted. A big, warty toad emerged from the weeds. In one bound, it leaped at the witch, hitting her in the mouth. If her mouth hadn’t been closed, the toad might have gone inside. Instead, it hit her lips and fell to the ground, landing on its back.

  “What was that?” the witch cried. Rose petals that had fallen from her mouth just minutes before flew at her, pressing themselves to her lips.

  Annie and Liam were almost past when the old woman screamed, “No!”

  As pearls hurtled toward her face and a snake slithered onto her foot, the old woman clasped her hands over her mouth and ran into the forest.

  “Let me guess,” said Liam. “The old woman’s reversal spell worked a little too well. No weird things are coming out of her mouth now. Instead, they’re all trying to go back in!”

  Annie nodded. “I think you’re right. You know, if I were her, I’d become a hermit and never speak to anyone again!”

  They could hear the wagon carrying Annie’s possessions coming up behind them when they turned onto the road leading to Farley’s Crossing. The small town had grown up around the only ferry that crossed the Crystal River and was a common destination for travelers. It took Annie and Liam’s group more than an hour to get there. When they arrived, the ferry was loading and already nearly full. One of the knights rode up to tell the ferryman that the prince and princess wanted to cross and the surly man’s eyes lit up.

  “Do they now?” he said. He thought for a moment and named a price higher than anyone else would have to pay. When the guard nodded, the man chortled and turned to the passengers already on board. “You have to get off and wait for the next crossing!” he shouted at them.

  The passengers got off without complaint, moving aside to let the new arrivals on while eyeing them with interest.

  “This trip is so different from any we’ve ever taken together,” Annie told Liam as they rode onto the ferry. “That was nice of the ferryman to let us get on now, and even nicer of all those people to get off for us.”

  “The ferryman did it because he knew he could get more money from us,” said Liam. “The people did it because he was making them get off, plus they could watch us until the ferry leaves. Most of them have never seen a royal party before.”

  “Either way, it was nice of them,” said Annie. “People don’t usually treat me with that much respect.”

  “They will from now on,” Liam said, his expression turning serious. “You’re about to be Queen Annabelle of Dorinocco!”

  “Have you decided what you want to do with Clarence and your mother?” asked Annie.

  “I haven’t decided where to take my mother, but I know what I want to do with Clarence. How do you think your uncle Rupert would feel about a permanent guest?”

  “He might actually like it. They never have guests at the fortress and it would be someone for him to talk to other than his own soldiers.”

  “And Clarence wouldn’t be able to get into much mischief,” said Liam. “I think that’s where we’ll take him. We’ll go first thing tomorrow. The sooner we get Clarence and my mother out of the castle, the happier I’ll be.”

  The last knight had just ridden onto the ferry when the ferryman ordered his helpers to start across. Although Annie and Liam had used the ferry a number of times, this was the fastest trip they’d ever taken. They were halfway to the other side of the river when the wagon and the rest of the guards reached the dock behind them. Seeing the new arrivals, the ferryman grinned and rubbed his hands together.

  “I have a feeling that those poor people who just got off the ferry will have to wait even longer now,” said Liam. “The ferryman is already counting the money he’s going to make when your wagon crosses, too.”

  “I’m sorry they’ll have to wait, but I doubt they’ll have to travel as far as those guards will today. How long before we reach the castle?” asked Annie.

  “I was hoping we’d get there by nightfall, but we got a later start than we’d planned.”

  “At least we know that my father is all right,” Annie said. “I couldn’t have left if it had been something serious.”

  The ferry docked a few minutes later. Annie and Liam were the first to disembark, with the knights close behind. The party immediately turned south. Not wanting to stop until they reached the castle, they rode hard, but still didn’t get there until after dark. They had to wait while guards lowered the drawbridge, which provided plenty of time for word of their arrival to spread.

  “Good, you’re here!” King Montague called from the steps when they entered the courtyard. “How was your grand tour?”

  “Not what we’d planned, but wonderful nonetheless,” Liam told him.

  While accompanying the king to his private audience chamber, Annie and Liam told him about their travels. They sat at a table in the corner of the room, waiting for servants to bring supper for the hungry young couple. Annie and Liam were describing their visit with the giants when Queen Lenore swept into the room.

  “I heard you were here!” she said. “I know it wouldn’t occur to you to visit your mother, Liam, so I came to see you myself.”

  “I thought she was locked in the tower still,” Liam said to his father.

  “She’s supposed to be, but she manages to convince the guards to let her out from time to time,” said the king.

  “I would replace the guards,” said Liam.

  “Who do you think you are, giving your king advice?” Lenore demanded.

  “He has every right to make suggestions,” said King Montague. “I’m abdicating in his favor. As soon as we can make the arrangements, Liam will be crowned the new king of Dorinocco.”

  Queen Lenore looked horrified. “What about Clarence?”

  “I don’t know how many times I’ve told you that Clarence will never be king!” the king said, getting angry. “After the stunts he’s pulled, he’s lucky I didn’t have him beheaded! If it were up to me, I’d leave the both of you in the tower for the rest of your lives.”

  “You wouldn’t do that to us, would you, Liam?” asked his mother.

  “No, of course not!” Liam told her. Her expression turned triumphant until he added, “I don’t want either of you in the kingdom when I rule. You are both being banished to places far from here.”

  “You can’t do that!” cried Lenore. “I’m your mother!”

  “And I will be king, so I can do whatever I think is best. I’ve already decided where I want to take Clarence. We’ll be leaving in the morning.”

  Lenore gasped. “You can’t take Clarence away from me! He’s all I have left!”

  “Not for long,” said Liam. “Guards, take her back to the tower, and make sure she stays there this time if you don’t want to end up in the dungeon yourselves. And inform my brother that he should pack some clothes, and include something warm. He’s going to need it where he’s going.”

  CHAPTER 3

  To Annie’s surprise, Clarence was ready early the next morning. Two guards escorted him into the room where Annie and Liam were eating breakfast with King Montague. A servant followed behind, lugging a heavy sack.

  “Will you look at this!” said Clarence. “I’m ready before you are.”

  “Someone would almost think you’re eager to go,” Liam said as he set down his mug of cider.

  “You would be, too, if you were locked in with Mother,” said Clarence.

  Annie glanced from the king to Clarence. “I thought you had the entire tower!”

  “We did, but that’s very confining when I have to share it with Mother,” Clarence told her. “Although I know she has my best wishes at heart, she informs me day and night that the world has wronged me and that I deserve so much more. Following her advice has gotten me nowhere excep
t locked up with her! She’s upstairs fuming right now. Let’s go before she convinces yet another guard that she has something important to tell you, Father. That’s how she usually gets out of the tower.”

  “We’ll go as soon as Annie and I finish our breakfast and say good-bye to Father,” said Liam.

  “Father is sitting right next to you,” Clarence declared. “Why don’t you say good-bye to him now and save us all some time?”

  King Montague looked exasperated when he said, “Have a seat, Clarence. They’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

  The guards stood behind Clarence when he took a seat at the table. The servant waited by the door, still holding the sack, until Annie gestured for him to put it down and leave. She smiled behind her hand when Liam lingered over his breakfast, having second helpings of everything. He had told her how much Clarence and the queen had tormented him over the years, and she knew Liam was enjoying this small amount of revenge.

  Clarence watched Liam take every bite, glaring at him as if willing his brother to chew faster. When Liam finally sat back from the table, Clarence jumped to his feet. “Now can we go?” he asked.

  Instead of answering his brother, Liam turned to his father, saying, “We won’t be gone long. Annie and I should be back in time for supper.”

  “Really?” said Clarence. “Then we must not be going very far.”

  “On the contrary,” Liam told him. “We’re actually going to travel to a place many miles from here.”

  Annie watched as Liam took a medallion out of his tunic. It was one she had owned for years, and she’d offered it to him to replace the medallion that King Lalidama of Westerling had taken. Rupert had given the first medallion to Liam, suggesting that he let people think it had magic so they wouldn’t be interested in the postcards. Annie had agreed with Liam that letting Clarence see how the postcards worked would be a very bad idea.

  After saying good-bye to the king and slipping on the warmest winter coat he owned, Liam told Clarence to put on his coat and pick up his bag. Clarence looked confused. “Why should I?” he asked. “It’s warm out today and a servant can carry the bag to the courtyard for me.”

  “We’re not going to the courtyard,” said Liam.

  Annie finished pulling up the hood of her winter coat before taking Liam’s arm. Keeping one hand tucked in his pocket so he could hold the postcard, he held up the medallion with the other. “Hold on to your bag if you don’t want to leave it behind,” he told his brother. “And grab hold of my arm like Annie did.”

  One of the guards handed the bag to Clarence. Although Clarence was reluctant to take his brother’s arm, he tightened his grip when Liam announced, “Delaroo Pass,” and rubbed the medallion three times.

  Annie could feel Liam’s arm tense, so she knew he was touching the postcard in his pocket. He was so convincing, however, that even she would have believed that he was using the medallion if she hadn’t known better.

  One moment they were in the warmth of the castle …

  And the next they were standing on the wall of the fortress, looking down into the snow-covered mountain pass. It was a beautiful sight, but not one that Annie wanted to enjoy for long. She was already shivering, even though she was wearing her warmest coat. More than anything, she wished that she still had the fur coat that the guard had given her the last time they came to the fortress. Liam seemed fine, but Clarence had ignored his brother’s suggestion and wasn’t wearing a coat at all. He was shaking so hard when he tried to open his bag that Annie almost felt sorry for him.

  A windowless tower stood only a few yards to their left. When Liam started toward the door into the tower, Annie followed him, hoping that it would open easily this time. Snow had fallen since the door was used last, making it as hard to move as it had been during their first visit. Annie started to help Liam clear the snow with her hands while Clarence pulled a coat from his bag and slipped it on. When Liam saw his brother standing there watching, he scowled and said, “Get over here and lend a hand! We’ll get inside faster if three of us work.”

  “I don’t do manual labor,” Clarence said, looking scornful.

  “You will if you want to get warm!” Liam told him.

  “You and your wife are built for it,” said Clarence. “I’m not.”

  “Annie, why don’t you let Clarence take your place? I think he deserves a turn.”

  Annie moved out of the way, but Clarence didn’t budge. When Liam saw him, he stopped working and moved to stand next to Annie. “You’re going to have to learn that you’re not the privileged person you think you are, Clarence. If you want to get along here, you’ll do your fair share of the work.” When Clarence still didn’t move, Liam added, “I have a nice warm coat on. I can stand here for hours if I must.”

  “I can’t,” Annie whispered to him, tucking her hands, reddened from the cold, into the opposite sleeves.

  Clarence looked defiant until his teeth were chattering so loudly that Annie could hear them. “Oh, all right,” he said finally, and began to scoop the snow with his hands.

  Annie and Liam let him work alone for a few minutes before moving to help. With the three of them working, they were soon done and Liam was able to open the door. When Clarence tried to push past him to go in first, Liam grabbed his arm, saying, “Ladies first! Go ahead, Annie.”

  She hurried inside and started down the stairs, remembering how dark the tower became once the door was shut. When Liam finally closed it behind them, Annie slowed down, feeling her way with her hand on the wall. Reaching the bottom, she announced, “This is the last step. If I remember correctly, the door is three paces forward and two paces to the right. Got it! Just a moment and you’ll have more light.” When she opened the door, light from open doorways lining the corridor made it easier for Clarence and Liam to follow her.

  Annie was waiting for them to join her when she heard the deep barking of a large dog. The sound grew louder as the dog approached and she turned to face that direction. Liam and Clarence had joined her when the dog burst into view around a turn in the corridor. It was a huge dog with thick brown fur and it ran faster in its shuffling kind of gait when it saw Annie. Bracing herself, she waited for it. When the dog finally reached her, it set its paws on her shoulders, nearly knocking her down. Clarence shouted and ran behind Liam.

  Annie laughed as the dog licked her face, spreading slobber across her cheek and down the side of her neck. “I’m glad to see you, too, Edda,” she said, scratching the huge head.

  “Get down now, girl,” Liam told the dog.

  Edda gave Annie’s face one last lick. After sniffing Liam, the dog moved on to Clarence. “Keep that beast away from me!” Clarence shouted

  Annie petted the dog’s head, saying, “Edda isn’t a beast. She’s a troll dog.”

  “And she’s particularly fond of Annie,” said Liam.

  “That’s not a dog, it’s a horse!” Clarence said, taking a step back.

  “If you think she’s big, wait until you see Big Boy!” Annie told him.

  They turned at the sound of running footsteps. Three men rounded the corner, slowing when they saw Annie. “Is that you, Your Highness?” asked one of the men. “We didn’t expect you back so soon.”

  Annie recognized the men, having met them during her last visit. “Hello, Captain Grant. We’ve come to see my uncle. Do you know where I might be able to find him?”

  His two men exchanged glances while the captain cleared his throat. “He’s probably in his bedchamber,” the captain finally said. “Prince Rupert hasn’t been feeling well lately.”

  “Is he worse than before?” Annie asked him. Her uncle hadn’t been feeling well when they were there last time, but he hadn’t been so ill that he’d had to stay in bed.

  “I’m afraid so, Your Highness,” said the captain. “He hasn’t left his room in days.”

  “Then I must see him immediately,” said Annie. “Liam, why don’t you and Clarence stay down here? My uncle may not want compa
ny.”

  “But you’re going,” said Clarence.

  “I’m not company. I’m family,” Annie said as she began to follow the captain with Edda at her side.

  Annie was horrified when she saw her uncle lying in bed, his face nearly as pale as the pillows mounded up behind him. He turned to look at her as she walked into the room, but he was too weak to do more than give her a small smile. The huge dog lying by the side of the bed got to his feet as if to protect the prince. Edda sat down beside Annie.

  “Uncle Rupert, what happened?” asked Annie.

  “My ailment is progressing faster than I thought it would,” said her uncle. “The blue has almost reached my chest.”

  “What blue?” said Annie, taking a step closer. “What are you talking about?”

  “I didn’t tell you about my disease?” her uncle asked. “I’m sorry, I thought I had. The pain is making my memory foggy. It started a few months ago. When I lost my appetite, I thought I had eaten bad salted cod. Then my feet started to turn blue. My appetite never really did come back, although some days have been better than others, but the blue started to creep up my legs. Walking became more difficult the higher it spread. I’m glad you came back to see me. I won’t be here in a few more weeks.”

  “Why do you say that?” said Annie. “I’m sure we can find a doctor to help you!”

  “It’s no use,” Rupert told her. “My father had the same illness. My mother called on every healer in the kingdom, and none of them were able to do anything for him. When he died, he was blue all over.”

  “But you can’t die from this!” Annie cried. “I don’t want to lose you after we just met, and my father—” Annie’s hand flew to her mouth, too appalled to say it out loud.

  “What about your father?” Rupert asked, frowning.

  “When I left the castle, my father had lost his appetite and his feet had just turned blue. He insisted that it was nothing, or I never would have left.”

  “Halbert has it as well?” Rupert said, struggling to sit up. “That’s very bad news.”

  Annie hurried to the door with Edda shuffling beside her. When Annie saw that Captain Grant was speaking to another officer just down the hall, she called, “Captain, please have someone collect some of my uncle’s belongings. I’m taking him back to the castle. And please ask Prince Liam and Prince Clarence to come join me. We’ll be leaving soon.”