Chapter Four
We arrived at the royal castle of Woe a few days later after a routine, uneventful journey.
I stumbled out of the carriage, sore from sitting for so long, and stretched my arms high above my head to loosen my tight muscles.
I’d only held the pose for a second when a heavy force collided with my side and shoved me to the ground.
“Roar!” The word was distinct even as my attacker poorly imitated a lion’s roar, throwing her head of brown curls back and clawing at my chest with her fingers.
Thankfully she’d cut her nails. Last time she’d left scratch marks.
Sighing, I thunked my head against the cobblestones. “Hello, Delilah.”
Dad’s face appeared above me, lips twitching as he struggled to look stern. “You’ve been attacked by a ferocious beast, Trey. You’re supposed to be dead.”
“Thanks for your support,” I drawled, pushing against Delilah’s shoulder until she rolled away so I could stand.
She tumbled over and landed on all fours, then clawed the air while she hissed. A pair of brown cat ears rose from her hair while a fluffy tail swished behind her.
Dad shuddered. “Terrifying.”
Her eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Absolutely.”
“Oh, thank you, Uncle Rick! I’ve been practicing.” She bounced to her feet, then bounded forward and hugged him around the middle. She caught sight of Father descending from the carriage and exclaimed “Uncle Brendon!” before running to hug him too.
Apparently, I was the only one she needed to hunt. I dusted off my ass and crossed my arms as I glowered at her. “You aren’t wearing that to the meeting.”
She protectively clasped her hands over her throat, covering a small, pink leather collar. “I’m not taking it off. You can’t make me.”
“Sweetie, he does have a point,” Dad said. “There’s a time and place for these things.”
“Cats do as we please,” she replied primly, sticking her nose in the air.
No one dared point out that she wasn’t a real cat. Last time I tried, she bit me hard enough to leave a scar on my forearm.
“And princesses need to follow decorum, even ones who are cats,” Dad said, scratching her between the ears.
Delilah sighed and carefully unhooked the collar. The moment it left her neck, the furry ears shrank to normal, round human ears and the tail disappeared. “Very well. But I’m taking it with me. My future spouse should know who I truly am before the wedding.”
“Now that we agree on,” I muttered.
She narrowed her eyes. “They should know who you truly are too.”
My breath caught in my throat. What does she know? How does she know? And what is she going to do about it?
“I’m telling everyone how mean you are,” she continued, “and that you always steal my dessert.”
I relaxed and rolled my eyes while my racing heart settled. “I haven’t done that since we were children.”
“You did it last time you were here!”
“You were still a child, so that counts.”
She stamped her foot and hissed. “You’re so annoying.”
“At least I don’t bathe myself with my tongue.”
“Children!” Dad exclaimed, clapping to get our attention. “Stop bickering.”
I grimaced and said, “We’re not children anymore, Dad.”
“Well, I can’t exclaim ‘adults.’ It doesn’t have the right authoritative ring to it.”
Father sighed and suggested, “Let’s go inside to greet your parents, Delilah.”
Her brown eyes widened, and she grabbed his arm to stop him. “No need for that! They’re very busy right now. So incredibly busy. We’ll just be disturbing them. I’ve already said all my goodbyes, so we can leave now.”
“But we haven’t said our hellos,” Father said. Since he was a foot taller than her and several pounds heavier, he easily dragged her to the front door. “Besides, I haven’t seen Kit in ages.”
“Kit’s not home right now! Sorry you missed them!” Delilah exclaimed. “I’ll gladly take a message and deliver it upon my safe return!”
Dad and I followed a few feet behind them. “What do you think she’s hiding?” I asked, watching her desperation with a little pity.
“Franny is probably going to confiscate her collar,” Dad replied. “Sometimes I regret making it for her, but her little ears are so adorable.”
“At least you didn’t give her claws and fangs to go with them.”
Dad stopped in his tracks, his gaze turning distant.
I waved my hand in front of his face until he blinked and focused on me. “Please do not give her claws and fangs.”
“They could be useful on a quest—”
An image of Delilah ripping someone’s throat out with magically enhanced teeth made my stomach jolt. What had once been a cute, if annoying, personality quirk could turn deadly with a little magic.
“—it’s no different from teaching you swordplay.”
“A sword has range,” I corrected. “I’ve got a few feet between me and my opponent. Claws and fangs are close combat weapons.”
He hummed in thought. “Good point. Until she knows how to use them, she’ll just put herself in more danger.”
We eventually caught up to Delilah, hanging off Father’s arm, as he used his free hand to knock on the door to Aunt Franny’s office.
When no one answered, Delilah stood up and righted her shirt, tucking it back into her pants. “See? I told you they were busy.”
“Delilah Katherine Marcella Cornelia Woeful!” A flurry of pink skirts exploded around the corner as the Queen of Woe descended upon her daughter. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
The Queen’s Consort sauntered slowly behind her, hands stuffed into their pockets. While Kit appeared calm and unconcerned, Franny was as ruffled as her stylish dress. She grabbed her daughter’s shoulders and scanned her from head to toe.
“Mother,” Delilah whined, fighting her way out of Franny’s grasp. “I’m fine.”
Pressing a hand to her chest, Franny exclaimed, “You scared us! I thought you had—” She blinked, registering everyone else’s presence for the first time. “Rick, what are you doing here?”
Dad’s brow furrowed. “We’re here to pick up Delilah. You were expecting us, weren’t you?”
“That would explain why no one came to greet us at the drive,” Father said.
“What do you mean? I don’t remember hearing anything about this.” Franny looked at Kit and demanded, “Did we know about this?”
“Franny, dearest, have you kept up with your correspondence?” Kit asked.
Guilt flashed across Franny’s face before she shifted into defensive mode. “You know how busy I’ve been with the transition. I’ve sorted everything in order of importance—” She snapped her mouth shut as soon as she realized the implications.
Dad snorted. “I see I didn’t make it high on your list.”
“Now you know how I feel,” Father said, deadpan.
“If it was urgent, you should have marked the letters properly!” Franny continued to deflect all the blame. “Rather than kidnapping my daughter to who knows where!”
Genuine hurt flashed across Dad’s face before he locked it down and replied calmly, “I am not kidnapping her. I’m taking her to Misfortune to meet with the other kingdoms about the defense spell. We’ve exchanged several letters, planning this for weeks.”
As soon as he finished speaking, all eyes turned to Delilah. She whistled innocently as she looked up at the ceiling. She needed better lessons in subterfuge. After mere seconds, she cracked. “Fine! I was the one who wrote to Uncle Rick to arrange the trip.”
Dad sighed. “I should have suspected something when you replied in a timely manner.”
“You stole my letters?” Franny demanded. “Why?”
“Because I knew you wouldn’t let me go if I told you!” Delilah exploded. “You would have insisted I stay behind while everyone else decided my future!”
“That’s not true! I want you to have as much say as anyone else. But the meeting can wait a few years.”
“I’m not a child anymore!”
“Eighteen is still too young for this responsibility.”
“You carried that responsibility far earlier than me! You were engaged since you were a baby—”
“And I was absolutely miserable!” Franny glanced at Father and added, “No offense.”
He held up his hands, warding off her not-quite-apology and refusing to derail the conversation.
I wished the argument had made it all the way to Franny’s office rather than remaining in the hallway. Then I could have sat down and waited for them to hash everything out. If it lasts much longer, maybe I’ll wander off to find a snack.
Kit wrapped their arm around Franny’s waist, tucking her into a comforting embrace and smoothing out all those anxious ruffles.
“What your mother means is: trying to satisfy the requirements of the Kingdom Defense Spell almost ruined her life. Your uncles’ lives too.
More specifically, it was their parents trying to decide things for them.
We don’t want you to carry the same burden. ”
“I understand,” Delilah said, her eyes widening in earnestness. “But you are trying to decide things for me. I hid the letters because I knew you would react this way. I want to go to this meeting. I want to help defend the kingdom. This is my decision.”
Franny gazed at her daughter for a moment, then sighed. “If that’s what you want.” She and Kit both opened their arms, inviting Delilah in for a farewell hug.
“Well, that was dramatic,” I muttered.
“I’m surprised they didn’t attract any imps,” Dad replied.
I nodded, then did a double take, staring at him in shock. Why does he know about imps?
Unaware of my reaction, Dad was already talking to Father about something else.
After the tearful goodbyes, Franny and Kit escorted us outside. “Take good care of her,” Franny said solemnly.
We all settled into the carriage and waved goodbye until Aunt Franny and Kit faded out of sight. Delilah promptly curled up on the seat next to me, her feet jabbing my hip, and fell asleep. She should be spending her days lounging in the sun, not preparing for a perilous quest.
Neither of us should have been royal champions.