Chapter 2 #2
I shake my head with a sigh.
Blossom will talk to him, and then we’ll all laugh about this tonight as we dance in our garden. Everything will be as it was and should be. With no more disgusting princes, and no more bizarre red flashes in anyone’s eyes.
“This is hopeless,” Blossom says, throwing down her arms. “He won’t listen to me, and I tried every trick I know. Even shed a few tears, but he didn’t care. Someone is going to have to marry him.”
Outside, the sun has long since set, and all twelve of us are crammed into my burgundy-walled bedchamber. A few girls are spread across the bed while the rest of us sit on my rug or on my velvet chaise longue, each dressed in matching lacy white nightgowns.
I did suggest meeting in our dance circle, but a lot of us still feel uneasy about leaving our private wing of the palace. Especially after last night. Though you wouldn’t think it, based on how our conversation for the last hour has revolved only around one hideous prince.
“Father did say that he won’t permit Hugo to marry any of the girls under eighteen, and Ami’s out of the question too considering he has ‘other plans’ for her.
” Blossom passes me a concerned look. “But everyone else is fair game.” She sighs, leaning back against the chaise longue.
“I’m sorry girls, but it seems like he’s set on this. There’s nothing we can do.”
“Oh there’s plenty we can do,” Dahlia says, pushing herself off my bed.
“I say we throw ourselves into the river and rub mud all over our hair and our faces! Then we’ll be covered in spots and stinking by the next time he sees us.
” She spins to face the group, grabbing fistfuls of her sleek hair and scrunching it against her head.
“No one will want to marry ugly princesses.”
A few of the younger girls chuckle at the ugly faces Dahlia pulls.
“I’m not jumping into any rivers!” Camellia cries from her spot on the rug.
She grasps for her shoulder-length brown hair and strokes it protectively.
“And I won’t be clogging my pores with any mud.
Don’t any of you remember how long it took me to make the right creams to balance my skin?
And I will not be helping any of you balance yours after you come out looking like river monsters.
” Her pretty face falls into a frown while Dahlia just laughs.
“Oh, Mel, you needn’t worry about jumping into any rivers.” Dahlia grins deviously. “You’re already ugly enough as is.”
I’m about to tell her off when I stop.
Another flash of red appears, this time over Dahlia’s eyes.
My brow scrunches in confusion, but then Camellia growls, and I remember what’s about to happen.
“Camellia, no—” I stand up, but I’m already too late.
The room is in chaos. Around me, my sisters squeal, while Camellia leaps off the floor to throw herself upon Dahlia. There’s a struggle – blur of lace and fists – until Camellia has her sister pinned to the floor, and the room erupts into cheers.
“You take that back you foul—” Camellia swats at Dahlia’s face. “Greedy—” another smack. “Horrible, awful little—” She’s about to tear out a chunk of black hair when Blossom and I finally drag the two girls apart. Like hauling two screaming hogs, we drag them to opposite sides of my bedchamber.
“Stop this at once! You two are like animals.” Blossom throws Dahlia onto my bed.
“At least I’m not an ugly animal.” Dahlia shoves Blossom away before cackling. “But I’ll admit, Mel, you put up a good fight. Though your hits could use some work. I’m barely bruised!”
She gestures to her bare face as Camellia writhes against my hold, her olive cheeks turning purple.
“You are a swine,” she spits. “I hope the prince chooses you to marry him!”
“Enough of this,” I cut in. “Nobody is marrying the prince. Now calm down, both of you.” My gaze burns on Dahlia, who just shrugs, then Camellia, who reluctantly stomps back to her place on my rug.
“This is all so pathetic. None of this fighting is helping any of us find a way out of this situation,” I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose.
“Now, please, tell me one of you has a real idea.”
For the first time since sunset, silence falls over the room.
We all blink at each other expectantly.
“Anyone?” I plead.
“Maybe we could poison him?” Iris, ninth eldest, grins.
Excited murmurs ripple through the bedchamber. With a scoff, I shake my head.
“Appealing, but no. I’m sure he has a taster for his food, and even if we could find a way to do it, I doubt any of us would want his blood on our hands,” I say.
“What if we write him a letter that convinces him to go home?” Blossom thinks out loud. She’s leaning back on my chaise longue, twirling a coil of black hair around her fingers.
“A letter?” I press.
“Yes,” she says. “Perhaps we can forge his kingdom’s seal and write about an attack on one of his villages or something like that. Anything that will make him have to leave.”
A smile tugs at my lips. “I like that idea.”
“It wouldn’t work, though.” Camellia frowns. “He’ll travel home then come back here immediately after realising it was all a trick. Father will probably let him marry all of us when he finds out we did it. He’d be furious.”
My heart sinks. She makes a good point. It could work, but only temporarily.
“There must be something!” I groan.
“Well, there is—”
My ears perk up, but the quiet voice stops when we’re all listening.
“What? Who spoke? Who was that?” My eyes scan the room.
There’s a heavy silence as we all wait for them to speak again.
“If you have an idea, then please share it!” I beg.
“Go on, spit it out,” someone grumbles. Turning to the bed, I see Dahlia poking the side of Fern, Father’s sixth daughter, while the trembling girl hides behind her pale blonde waves.
That’s funny… I didn’t even realise she was here. Not that that’s unusual at all. Fern’s always quiet. Still, it was as if there were only four girls on the bed until she spoke, and now there are five.
Bizarre.
“I… um.” Fern’s voice quivers. “Well, sometimes I…” Behind her long fringe, her green eyes dart around the room. “Sometimes… I sneak out of the palace and—”
Her near-silent voice is drowned out by eleven gasps.
“You sneak out?” Blossom squeals. “Fern, how could you?”
“Did you never listen to Father’s lessons?” Heather cuts in. “We don’t leave the palace. Ever!”
“Stupid, stupid girl!” cries Camellia from across the room.
Other sisters soon join in, hurling insult after insult – each one making Fern shrink further into my bedsheets, until finally I hold up my hand and scream, “QUIET!”
Suddenly, it’s silent enough to hear our twelve racing hearts.
“Fern.” I turn to our cowering sister. “You know it is forbidden for us to go outside the palace walls, and you must promise us all that you’ll never do it again.”
Quickly, she nods as I let out a sigh. If Father were to hear about this…
“That being said,” I continue, “if you know someone who can help us, even if they are outside the palace,” I raise another hand to silence the second wave of gasps, “then please, tell us now.”
Fern whimpers, but eventually, after another nudge from Dahlia, she lifts her head.
“I-I don’t know who they are exactly,” she explains. “But it happened a few nights ago. I was in a tavern—”
“I can’t believe you snuck out to a tavern,” Blossom mutters under her breath, but we all keep our eyes fixed on Fern.
“I overheard some men talking about a soldier they had some issues with.” She swallows.
“The bartender told them that they should speak to the Scorpion, and that he would sort them out. I don’t know what ‘sort them out’ means, but perhaps if we find this Scorpion man then he can sort out Prince Hugo too.
” Her shy expression turns hopeful. “Maybe he can make it so we never have to see him again.”
“But where can we find this Scorpion?” I ask. ‘Sort him out’ meant nothing to me either, but if Fern was right – if it meant we’ll never have to see Hugo again… I’d give the Scorpion my entire jewellery collection.
“I’m not sure where he is.” Our sixth sister shrugs. “But I overheard them say something about a place called Night Alley. I bet we could find him there.”
“Tell me you’re not seriously considering this.” Blossom almost chokes. “I am not leaving this palace. Not under any circumstances.”
“Then don’t come with me,” I tell her. The skirt of my nightgown spins as I face the rest of the girls. “Does anyone know anything about this Night Alley place?”
“We could search the maps in the library!” Gilia suggests.
I nod. “That’s a good idea. We’ll start looking tomorrow. We’ll need as much information as we can get. We—”
“Ami, no. This is foolish. You are not leaving the palace.” Blossom shoots up from my chaise longue.
“This idea… it’s far too dangerous. Ridiculously so.
Have you forgotten all our lessons? The ruffians out there?
What the peasants will do to unsuspecting princesses?
” Worry pools in her eyes as she shakes her head. “Ami, you can’t go.”
“Unless anyone has any better ideas, we don’t have a choice,” I say matter-of-factly.
“That foul prince is going to marry one of us, and if there’s any chance we can stop this, then we have to try.
” My pounding heart is louder than the crackling fireplace as my hands become fists. “Now, who’s coming with me?”