Chapter 3
Chapter Three
The moment I awoke, my eyes darted around. Just taking in the ship’s private quarters from a different perspective, with the bed so much higher than my cot, assured me of one thing.
The visit from the sorcerer hadn’t been an outlandish dream.
It took a bit for me to remember everything that happened last night, before I was spooked by a knock at the door, and the announcement that we had docked in Vergoldet’s harbor.
Still too comfortable in the wide, luxurious bed, I rolled over with a groan to find Gertrude sitting up in my cot, staring at me.
She breathed heavily, the golden choker around her neck glinting in the morning light. “I hope you’ve had your fun. But whatever this game you’re playing is, it needs to be done before we disembark.”
She was still talking as if she was in charge. Even after Roderick had come like a faerie godfather, and not just liberated me from my position, but elevated me to her status, while lowering her to mine.
Unable to hold back a pleased smirk, I swung my legs out of bed and stretched at my own pace, for once unhurried.
Normally, I’d spring up and rush around, getting everything ready for her morning routine, arranging her clothes, fetching her breakfast, styling her hair, shining her shoes and all the other little details needed for her presentation and her whims.
Now I didn’t have to do any of that ever again, but have it all done for me.
“This isn’t a game, and it’s not ending anytime soon,” I told her, standing to continue my leisurely stretching, popping my tense back and neck. “As far as anyone outside this room is concerned, I am you and you are me.”
She stood up so forcefully she knocked over the cot, fair face red with fury, left eye twitching. “You better stop before I can think of a worse punishment than banishing you.”
“Like what?” I dared her, crowding her into stumbling back.
“Imprisoning me? Killing me? As if that would be much worse than what working for you has been like for years.” I ripped off her bonnet, and began unbraiding my hair.
“There were days when I wished for death as a release, just to get away from you without being forced to go back to my father’s home.
So, believe me, nothing you threaten me with will make me stop you from getting what you deserve. ”
Gertrude swallowed, at a loss. “And what is that?”
“Being treated as you treated me,” I hissed through clenched teeth.
She blinked in confusion. “How did I treat you?”
A hysterical giggle escaped me. “You can ask that when you threw forks at my head when I was a second late answering you while elbow deep in another of your chores? When you slapped me when you couldn’t wait five minutes for the water I spent an hour fetching for you to cool?
You’re that entitled and oblivious? You really need a practical wake up call.
” I schooled my face into a frown, even if I couldn’t emulate her sour expression, before I said smoothly, “Go get my breakfast.”
Forced by the tightening of the golden choker, Gertrude twisted around and marched out the door.
With her gone, I chided myself for not thinking of something worse, for not being able to be as callous as her. Resigned that replacing her was the limit of my cruelty, I helped myself to her things.
I had packed each item myself, but only now could I truly let myself indulge in each.
I sat at the boudoir, uncorked and smelled her perfumes, breathing in deeply, until I found my favorite, the scent of blackberries and roses.
I applied some, then took my time using her brush to untangle my hair, humming as the silver of its back and handle flashed in the morning light streaming from the balcony window.
Afterwards, I went through her trunk, choosing the dress I would disembark in. What I would meet the crown prince—my future husband—in.
At first, I couldn’t choose. The very idea of a prince, a husband, and choice itself paralyzing me.
The situation was still almost incomprehensible.
The dresses themselves were all so beautiful, in materials I couldn’t have dreamed of wearing.
I picked up a gold gown with flowing sleeves and held it against my chest as I spun around in front of the long mirror, feeling lightheaded and giddy.
This was all mine now.
By the time Gertrude returned with the breakfast tray, her face pinched with sourness, I had put on the dress, matching shoes, a multi-strand pearl necklace, various rings, and styled my hair as I would have done hers: half-up, half-down with two curling locks hanging over my shoulders.
I was in the midst of applying cosmetics to my eyes when she slammed the tray down on the table.
I knew exactly how she would have reacted to even an unintentional noise, let alone to this kind of attitude, but I couldn’t bring myself to be that nasty.
“What was that?” I demanded, uncapping a tube of lipstick, a dark rosy-pink.
“Your breakfast,” she sneered, and I saw her pick up a knife and approach.
I turned in my seat, greeting her with disinterest. “Really? That’s what you’re doing now?”
With a furious scream, she rushed at me, knife raised.
“Stop!”
The order hit her halfway to me, immobilizing her on the spot.
I stood, clapping with slow sarcasm. “You really don’t understand that I’m in charge now, do you?”
Stuck mid-step, with the knife ready to plunge into my heart, she trembled with rage and the forced stillness, and hissed, “You can’t get away with this.”
“Oh, except I can. And you want to know something? This was only possible because you were so rotten.”
“I am a princess! I can do whatever I want, and you should be grateful to wait on me!”
I shook my head in amazement. What was it like to be imbued with such confidence and self-importance from infancy? I wished I was this delusional about my worth. Perhaps it was time I behaved in such a way, so I could be believable as the princess.
“Gertrude, stab yourself.” Just as her arm swung down to stick the blade in her midsection, I said, “Actually, you know what? Never mind!”
Panting, she was stuck hunched over, the tip of the knife an inch away from her stomach. “What are you doing?”
“Proving a point.” I took the knife from her and flicked her nose for good measure. “Has it made its way through your thick skull yet, or do I need to show you again?”
“No!” She yelled desperately, trembling harder. “Look, whatever you want, I’ll give it to you! I’ll promote you! I’ll give you gold! I’ll marry you off to a high-ranking man at court! Just stop this.”
I pretended to consider it. “Hmm, if only you could have made that offer yesterday, before you were outmatched by the man who gave you this.” I tapped the gold choker that compelled her into such obedience. “I’m going to have to say no.”
“Why?” She squealed, distress deepening. “What more could you want?”
I held up one finger. “First, I don’t believe you’d do any of that once I let you go.
I expect to have my head on a spike, not to be married to a member of the merry gentry.
” Her eyes avoided mine, proving the accuracy of my words.
I held up another finger. “Second, I was given a much better offer. I have been promoted to your status, and now have all your gold, and will marry the central figure of the court we’re about to join in your place. ”
A knock came at the door, followed by Reinold's voice. “Your Highness, your escort is here.”
“Just a second!” I called out, then thought that I should have responded with something far more petulant, and added, “They can wait until I’m done!”
I turned back to Gertrude, shoving my clothes into her chest. “Get dressed.”
“You won’t get away with this,” she said, the quietest I’d ever heard her. “They’ll realize that you are not me.”
I couldn’t resist laughing a little. “No one knows who you are, neither does anyone care. All they’re expecting is someone around our age, in luxurious clothes and jewelry.”
A few choking complaints later, she was dressed, our luggage was taken out, and I ordered her to walk a few steps behind me, just as I always had.
The sun welcomed us onto the dock where the Orcagean escort bowed to me.
Not her—me.
Fist to his chest, the first guard bowed then straightened to announce, “Princess Gertrude, welcome to Orcage. I am Captain Karl-Heinz Grunewich of the Royal Guard, and I will be escorting you to the palace.”
I held out my hand, wrist limp and palm down, as she always had, on the expectation that it would be kissed. Captain Grunewich did oblige me with a quick peck.
Afterwards, his men marched behind us from the dock to a line of gilded coaches, where a coachman helped us in. With my skirt taking up most of one seat, the captain sat next to Gertrude on the other, paying her no attention the entire trip through the picturesque city.
It seemed made entirely of stone, with smooth, spacious roads and tall, narrow buildings, their roofs made of slanting dark wood.
Winter decorations were out in full force, glittering from wires that linked one building to the next, with snow dusting the tops like powdered sugar on cakes.
Pines and firs were plentiful, each decorated with baubles and topped with giant snowflakes, turning the whole city into a glittering celebration of festive colors.
We passed through a square centered by a pillar carrying a gold sculpture of the sun god in his chariot. I was admiring its details when the palace, my new home, appeared in the distance, and took over my attention.
It was awe-inspiring, much larger than the castle back home, a widespread structure of sea-blue lined with sunny-yellow, with the doors along the ground floor and windows everywhere else as just cheerfully decorated as the city.
The grand gates opened upon our arrival, and we circled a garden bearing a fountain with four marble dancing nymphs, no doubt symbolizing the seasons, before stopping at the entrance.
I was helped out of the coach, paying no mind to Gertrude as she struggled to get down unassisted behind me, and making distressed sounds as the cold outside hit her in my flimsy clothes.
Smirking to myself, I pulled her thick, warm coat tighter around me.
“Welcome to Vergoldet Palace, Your Highness,” Captain Grunewich declared.
“It’s beautiful,” I said, unable to help the wonder in my voice. This was far better than I had even hoped.
Arm held out to me, he helped me up the wide front steps of the palace. At the top, a young man waited in full royal regalia, all white and gold, his fiery hair the brightest thing for miles.
The crown prince. Gertrude’s—my future groom.
The prince bowed deeply when I arrived before him, smiling with a full set of dimples as he straightened, his expression a mixture of surprise and relief. “Princess Gertrude, it is good to finally meet you.”
Feeling Gertrude buzzing with rage behind me, I almost snorted as I offered my hand for him to kiss. “Just good?”
“It is great to meet you,” he corrected enthusiastically, kissing Gertrude’s—now my square-cut emerald ring. “I am Prince Heinrich, your betrothed.”
“Charmed, Prince Heinrich.” Rising from my answering curtsy, I attempted a coquettish smile. “Now, what do I have to do to get out of the cold, and into a nice, warm room?”
He laughed softly, his eyes twinkling as he offered me his arm. “You only have to come with me.”
Still giddy, I threaded my arm through his and let him lead us in.
We passed into a grand foyer, under a magnificent chandelier that reflected fractured light all over the dark granite floor, and up two more flights of stairs.
Once we stopped before massive, intricately carved double-doors, he said, “This is the throne room. The king is very eager to meet you.”
I almost scoffed. I bet he was anything but eager to see what kind of nightmare his son had been saddled with. His dread would have become a reality had Gertrude been the one he was presented with. I hoped he found me a less dire fate for his heir and the kingdom’s next generation of royals.
The doors were pulled open, revealing the throne room to be just as spacious as everywhere else we’d passed, and where dozens of courtiers huddled.
There was a royal blue velvet carpet that led us to the throne itself, where King Wilhelm sat on his high-backed, gilded seat, overlooking us all from his platform.
Only Heinrich, the captain and I were allowed in. I checked over my shoulder as Gertrude was held back at the doors by a guard. She opened her mouth, no doubt to try to tell him who she was, but she couldn’t get the words out. I couldn’t help smiling at her distress.
But as in-character as my smugness was, it didn’t last when I saw the king’s expression.
As red-haired as his son, basically the older version of him, the look in his hazel eyes told me he wasn’t happy to see me. So I wasn’t up to his expectations either.
Heart in my throat, I curtsied deeply before him, hoping that would soften his expression. It didn’t.
“Rise,” he commanded, his harsh voice booming around the expansive chamber. “Come closer. Let me look at you.”
Obeying at once, I followed Heinrich’s lead, ascending the steps to stand before the king.
Wilhelm looked me up and down, stroking his greying beard. “You’re not what I expected.”
The cold sweat of nervousness slid down my back as I ventured a demure smile. “What did you expect, Your Majesty?”
His scowl deepened. “I expected someone with your power to be golden all over, from your eyes to your hair.”
What was he talking about? Was he informed that the real Gertrude was blonder than I was? But what did he mean “power”?
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“No, I suppose you don’t.” Wilhelm brought his hands together in a thunderous clap, silencing all the whispers. “But now that you’re finally here, it is time to discuss a grievous issue I’ve been waiting to resolve since the end of your kingdom’s war with Arbore.”
A sudden cloud of foreboding descended upon me. “And what might that be, sire?”
He stood to tower over me, grinning humorlessly, “The debt your father owes us. The debt you will repay in gold.”