Page 14

A s she followed Mari, Elowen examined the golden feather in her hand, expecting it to turn to ashes at any moment. It lay in her palm and winked at her as she passed each window. She tucked it into her bodice before the maid noticed.

Ash was a real golden goose, after all.

Geese normally molted around this time of year, but Ash was anything but a normal goose. Could it be that plucked feathers turned to ashes, while molted feathers turned to gold? Was this a one-time occurrence? She would need to ask Ash to pluck another feather to test the idea, but she likely wouldn’t see him again until after the ball.

Elowen groaned, having momentarily forgotten about the upcoming ordeal. Well, if Cedar could face trolls, she could face this. After all, she would have Vale by her side, while Cedar was all alone.

Keeping that thought in mind, she tried to enjoy another scented bath, bit her lip while Mari and the seamstress helped her into fresh undergarments, and struggled into one of several gowns spread across the bed. She slipped the golden feather under her pillow when no one was looking, but she refused to part with the embroidered band with its treasures.

The gown weighed Elowen down unlike anything she’d ever worn, although the corset thankfully helped everything feel more secure. The entire gown was pale blue with gauzy white flowers attached to the overskirt in such a way that they seemed to float like waterlilies on a pond. The skirt itself reminded her of a draping bluebell. Her arms remained bare, as did most everything above her collarbone.

“I don’t think I can wear this,” she said. She had never identified with flowers. Her parents had named her after the elm tree, told her to stay strong and rooted in the earth. Flowers could be useful, of course, but they were also delicate and decorative—and in this case, entirely too immodest.

The seamstress frowned, but Mari helped Elowen out of the gown without question. She chose another one from the pile and held it up. Elowen nodded.

“This one belonged to the princess,” the seamstress said. She fussed with the hem once Elowen was dressed and finally nodded in approval. “Not much altering needed.”

Elowen allowed herself a look in the giant mirror and couldn’t resist swishing the skirts around her legs. Flimsy layers of fabric reflected the lamplight, shining in shades of bronze and copper. Sheer, puffy sleeves covered her shoulders and arms halfway to her elbow. This gown the color of Ash ... this she could wear.

Mari put Elowen in the blue dressing gown while the seamstress worked on the few alterations needed. “Would you like to read while we wait?”

Elowen nodded eagerly. A book would be a welcome distraction—it had been over a year since she’d been able to get her hands on a new one, relying instead on Cora’s wealth of stories. She’d sometimes wondered where the farmwife came by them all. Mari brought out a stack of books from a shelf inside the wardrobe and set them on the bed beside the rejected dresses.

Elowen looked through a few of them, her fingers itching to fill the pristine margins with sketches of the grumpy fairy, Taffy the Talking Cat, and especially Ash, both in his dragon and his golden goose form. She reached the bottom of the stack to find a book titled simply Maps.

“That one is a favorite of mine,” Mari said. She flipped the cover open to a page near the middle.

Elowen had never thought of maps as art. The colors and the details on it reminded her of seeing the land from Ash’s back. “This is Northling!” Could this map show her the location of the troll clan who had kidnapped Cedar?

Seeing Elowen’s excitement, Mari pointed out some of the highlights on the map, starting with the location of the castle. Tapping on a mountainous area in the north, she noted, “No one lives in that area because of the trolls.”

Mari had brought out this map and let Elowen find it on purpose. Accustomed to the bluntness of her father and brothers, Elowen was surprised and appreciated the gentle way the maid imparted snippets of useful information. Mother had had a similar soft way about her, as well as her own form of strength.

The seamstress finished her work and cinched Elowen into the bronze gown.

“I shouldn’t have had that second slice of bread and jam,” Elowen mumbled, feeling nauseated at the thought of the upcoming ball. Dining with the royal family was one thing, but being put on display in front of a room full of people was quite another.

She tried to distract herself with thoughts of what her own family might be doing. Father tending the animals while Alder drew and erased sketches over and over on the table with his leg propped on a chair. Cedar plodding through the forest with trolls, or perhaps already chopping wood for their stoves. Vale asking the king for volunteers to rescue her brother. Ash transforming back into his dragon form and trying on saddles the way she’d tried on gowns.

Elowen pushed aside the thought that she’d included Vale when thinking of her family, just as she’d first done with Ash. Was any of this what the fairy had intended?

The seamstress added a wide sash around Elowen’s waist, tying it into a bow at the back and letting the ends hang to the floor. “Can’t wear the exact same gown as the princess.”

“It’s a fitting color,” Mari said. She wasn’t as stingy with her smiles as her mistress.

Elowen lifted one of the ends of the sash and studied it closely. It was buttercup yellow with what appeared to be threads of gold woven into it. “Is this real gold?”

The seamstress huffed. “If a farmer’s daughter can go walking around with a golden goose, surely the royal family can afford to have some gold thread in their fabrics.”

“Hush,” Mari said as she shooed the woman out of the room. “Don’t mind her. You look lovely. I, for one, am glad to see the princess take a stand against her father now that Prince Vale has a reason to step aside.”

“He really doesn’t want to be king, does he?” Elowen observed.

“He never did. Everyone knows he’s repeatedly tried to get his father to name Princess Briony as heir, citing all the reasons she would make a better ruler. He’s been slack in his duties for years, but he’s stopped short of out-and-out rebellion.”

Elowen slipped into a pair of dainty yellow shoes and paced again. Hopefully the king didn’t hate her too much.

“If you please, miss.” Mari guided her to the dressing table.

Elowen sat gingerly, not wanting to rip the exquisite gown.

Amused, Mari said, “It will hold up to a lot more than that. You’ll be dancing later.”

Dancing—in front of people. Elowen placed her hands on her knees to keep her legs from shaking and focused on what Mari was doing to her hair.

More brushing, and then some sort of thick cream. “This will help the curls stay in place.”

Curls? Elowen’s hair was as straight as a pine needle.

Mari proceeded to tease and twist and pin Elowen’s hair—with lots of pins—until she had it in a curly pouf at the back of her head. The look was completed with a light dusting of orange pixie glitter that would disappear after a few hours.

“How did you ...?” Elowen stared at her reflection. Her hair should be too short for such an arrangement. Without her mother around, she’d always kept it short and practical, for her sake and for her father’s. When Mari added a spray of delicate white flowers, Elowen had to admit that she looked almost pretty. Nothing like herself.

Thankfully, Vale arrived and put a stop to her musing ... but that meant it was time for the ball.

He stopped short when he caught sight of her and looked at her from head to toe, his smile growing every second. “You look fabulous.”

Elowen was sure she would be blushing the entire evening.

He leaned close and whispered, “It’s not very practical for dragon flying, though, is it?”

She returned his smile. Smoothing her skirts nervously, she noticed her stained fingernails and tried to hide her hands in folds of bronze fabric. Two luxurious baths couldn’t hide a lifetime’s worth of hard work.

“I’m not sure I can do this,” she said.

Vale took her hands in his. “Of course you can. Look what you’ve accomplished already. You were on your way to face a bunch of trolls by yourself! You can face a ballroom of dandies easily. Besides, most of them aren’t so bad, despite their questionable fashion sense at times.”

He’d distracted her again, and she finally turned her attention to him fully. He looked every inch the prince in golden brown, with golden yellow threads woven throughout the fabric, thickly concentrated in embroidered leaves at the wrists. Bronze buttons completed the look.

Noticing her scrutiny, he preened. “What do you think? Briony insisted that if we seem to be buying into Mother’s decree, then perhaps Father will soften in time.”

Elowen’s brow furrowed. “I thought your sister was going to convince him to send help soon.”

“Of course, that’s what I mean.”

She pulled her hands away. “I’m not a baby or a simpleton. I know the king doesn’t want to interfere with the trolls. If he’s not going to help, I might as well leave now with Ash.”

Vale’s smile disappeared and he looked at her soberly. “There’s that fire,” he muttered. “You’ll need it to face those trolls.”

“What?” she said irritably.

He shook head. “There’s still hope that Father may do something, especially if he sees Mother happy. No matter what, you still have me, right?”

She chastised herself silently for letting her nervousness make her cross. Of course Vale was doing what he could to help her.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

She looked at her hands again.

With a look from the prince, Mari fetched a pair of cream-colored gloves and helped Elowen slip them on. Just like that, all the stains and scratches were covered. Elowen squared her shoulders and took Vale’s offered arm.

“Let’s go celebrate our engagement, my little bronze dragon,” he said.

Elowen snorted and rolled her eyes.

“Bear with me. I’ve never been engaged before.”

IF WHAT ELOWEN HAD seen of the castle so far was awe-inspiring, the ballroom was downright intimidating. She fidgeted at the door beside Vale as they were announced, not catching a word of it as she watched all the eyes staring at them. If she was this nervous in a human court, how would she fare among a group of trolls?

She hadn’t asked to be in this position, but her parents had raised her to stand firm when storms came, and this was a storm if she ever saw one. She lifted her chin and stared back at the courtiers, noticing for the first time a few sympathetic smiles and encouraging expressions.

The king and queen sat in grand chairs at the far end of the ballroom. Vale took Elowen to greet them, and Elowen stole a glance at Briony, who stood beside her mother with a forced smile on her face. Elowen managed a curtsy.

“You look enchanting, my dear,” Queen Jonquil said. “I do hope you enjoy the evening.”

King Odolph said nothing, but he waved his fingers in dismissal and looked back over the crowd.

As Vale led her away, Elowen asked, “Did I do something wrong?”

“Of course not. Father expects us to lead the first dance.”

She looked around, panicked. No one was dancing. “You mean we have to dance alone out there with everyone staring at us?”

“Don’t worry,” he said. “It will only be for a few moments, and then everyone will join us. It’s just a formality, and I’ve asked the musicians to play slowly like when we practiced.”

The music began, a full orchestra of musicians playing from a balcony Elowen hadn’t noticed when entering the room. She recognized the song as Vale led her onto the dance floor, and she automatically followed his lead. He murmured the instructions he’d used during practice to guide her, and she focused on his voice. She found it easier than expected, with the voluminous skirts adding a welcome distraction.

Before they finished one revolution of the dance floor, others joined them. With her focus on Vale, she entrusted him to guide her steps and keep her safe from the blurring forms swirling around them, and the song ended before Elowen had anticipated.

She breathed a sigh of relief, forcing her tense muscles to relax as Vale led her to a corner full of colorfully clad women and introduced them as Briony’s ladies. They all shimmered with pixie glitter. Elowen marveled, having never before considered wearing the stuff.

Vale kissed Elowen’s hand. “I must make my rounds among the guests, but I’ll return soon, my pet.”

One of the ladies snorted and a few others giggled. Vale glanced at Elowen and shrugged, but he was clearly blushing. As soon as he left, the ladies surrounded Elowen and resumed their chatter.

“We won’t let anyone bother you during the evening,” a tall brunette said. “Think of us as your royal guard.” She asked a few questions, and Elowen soon found herself talking of home and her journey as if she’d known the woman all her life.

Vale returned several songs later and handed Elowen a silver goblet. She sipped the contents, her jaws aching at the sweet tartness of the flavor.

“Cherry juice, mixed with apple,” he said. “Good?”

She nodded, gulping down the rest in an unladylike manner. “This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted. Cedar would love it.”

Vale chuckled and handed off the goblet to a passing servant. “I insist on one more dance, for Mother’s sake.”

“You were bribing me, weren’t you?” she said with a grin.

“I admit nothing.”

The musicians played the next song slowly, obviously aware the prince had stepped onto the floor. Or rather, Elowen had.

“You haven’t danced with anyone else tonight,” she said.

“I have no desire to.” He guided her as before, and they passed the queen, who was dancing with a white-haired man in peacock colors.

Vale glanced often at his father. Briony stood next to his chair, talking to him animatedly and looking unhappy. Halfway through the dance, Vale exchanged a pointed look with his sister, who made a motion with her hand down at her side. Vale nodded almost imperceptibly—Elowen wouldn’t have noticed if they hadn’t been so close.

The second the song ended, Vale escorted her back to Briony’s ladies, but he didn’t release her to them. “My bride-to-be is in need of some fresh air,” he said. “We’re going for a walk in the rose garden.”

If the ladies suspected anything, they didn’t let on. Vale glanced around the room as he led Elowen out, pointedly avoiding looking in the king’s direction. He walked casually and stopped to exchange a few words here and there, as if he were in no hurry.

Elowen could feel his tension as if it were her own. She wanted desperately to ask what was going on, but she tried to play along instead. Once in the hallway, Vale nodded at a group of gentlemen and then led her through a set of doors into the rose garden.

She breathed deeply of the fresh, flower-scented air.

“The postern gate would take us away from prying eyes quickly,” he said in a low voice. “But getting to it would cause too much suspicion.”

“What’s a postern gate?”

“It’s like a back door for the castle. Small, out of the way, almost hidden.”

Why did they need to be away from prying eyes? Again, she refrained from asking, as there were other people strolling in the garden and servants wandering around with refreshments. Vale looked over his shoulder once, and Elowen followed his gaze. Guards trailed them at a distance.

Elowen had to ask this time. “What’s going on?”

“I was supposed to explain during our practice, but Mother called me away. Didn’t Briony say anything?”

“Um ... no?”

He winced. “Oh. Sorry. So ... we’re leaving immediately.”

What? Her heart raced. “Someone has volunteered to help?”

“Father never asked,” Vale said, “but yes, there is one volunteer.”

“Who?”

“Me.” He smiled and added, “You don’t think I’m going to miss out on a chance to get away from here, do you?”

She wanted to protest. He’d said he would help her, but she’d never intended for them to sneak out during their engagement ball. Would she be accused of kidnapping the prince?

All at once, she didn’t care. For some reason, she wanted Vale to join her and Ash.

“The fairy obviously meant for our paths to cross,” Vale said a bit defensively, as if she had protested.

She pondered that thought. Perhaps he was right, and this was for the benefit of both of them. “I agree.”

“You do?” He smiled broadly. “I mean, of course you do.”

“So ... can you tell me how we’re supposed to leave if we’re wandering in the gardens?”

“Briony was still hoping to persuade Father, but she gave me the signal to leave now before Father does something drastic.”

“You mean like sending guards?”

“That and more.”

She didn’t like the sound of that.

“I wouldn’t put it past Father to lock up both you and Ash to keep Mother happy.”

“So when you say we’re leaving immediately ...” Elowen trailed off as Vale stopped to chat with a young couple. He positioned himself so that he could look over their shoulder at the trailing guards.

Vale bid the couple good evening and took Elowen’s hand. “I mean we’re leaving now .”

As soon as they reached a section of the garden not illuminated by lamplight, he quickened his pace. Soon, Elowen was running to keep up. He gripped her hand firmly, steadying her each time the skirts of the ballgown threatened to trip her.

Booted feet pounded the stones behind them. “Halt, in the name of the king!”

Vale either didn’t hear or willingly disobeyed, and she could only follow his lead. He led her around a corner. “We’re almost there!” he said.

“Almost where?” They were still in the middle of the gardens!

Vale didn’t respond to her, either, and he was almost dragging her along. Together they ran on a pathway that ended in an ivy-covered wall.

A wall? “Vale, it’s a dead end!”