Chapter Ten
Ari waited on the windowsill, holding himself tensely until he heard Violet settle into her bed through the open door. Embarrassment rushed over him as he thought of her attempts to get him to sleep next to—perhaps even on—her bed. He’d almost wished that he no longer had his human thoughts. It was all a little too…fraught.
You’re a frog, he reminded himself. She thought she was inviting a pet frog into her bed. Not you.
A thought flicked through his mind. Just how fond of her pet frog was she? Should he perhaps take her up on her offer to sleep right next to her? Was there any chance, however slim, that he could convince her to kiss him? It should break the enchantment.
Ari shook his head, half embarrassed, half amused by his own foolishness. He’d seen people press fond kisses to a favorite puppy, or even a kitten. But a frog? Not likely.
With a ghastly gulp, he swallowed the fly he’d been ingesting. He didn’t blame Violet in the least. He felt extraordinarily un-kissable right now. The feeling of the fly sliding down his throat was a horrid sensation. But it did go some way to satisfying the hunger that had gnawed at him throughout the day. Reluctantly, he hunted out a few more around the edges of the room, sucking them down as quickly as possible, so as not to give himself time to think about it.
The curtains were closed, and the room was fairly dark, only dim light making its way in from the fire in Violet’s sleeping chamber. But Ari’s frog eyes had no difficulty taking everything in. It was quite convenient, really, as he navigated the unfamiliar space. He was just hopping along the edge of a bureau when a glimmer of something caught his eye. He paused, peering down the tiny gap between the bureau and the wall.
Something silver was down there, something that glinted in the muted firelight. The necklace! It must be the necklace Violet had mentioned more than once, the one stuck down the side of a bureau. Ari could see the problem. The bureau sat nearly flush with the wall—even the smallest of human hands would be unable to reach into that gap to retrieve it. And the furniture itself was affixed to the wall.
Ari hopped down onto the floor, creeping forward until he was peering in the side of the bureau. He could see the necklace, coiled up halfway along the space, as thick as a rope to his new size.
One experimental push was enough to convince Ari that the gap was too small to squeeze his amphibian form into. He was just looking at his frog hands, wishing they were more dexterous, when another thought occurred to him.
His tongue! He hadn’t tried it out yet, but frogs were supposed to have long and sticky tongues. He poked it out, feeling foolish. The results were unimpressive. Ari closed his eyes, forcing his mind to turn to the flies he’d just consumed. He tried to silence his thoughts, instead encouraging his new instincts. He imagined a buzzing fly, meandering over the pond, unsuspecting of danger.
Flick!
His tongue shot out seemingly of its own accord, sticking to the bureau so securely he had to peel it back with some force.
Excellent. Repositioning himself, Ari tried the same maneuver, this time taking aim into the gap. It took a few tries, but he managed to get his tongue to latch on to the silver coil. When he retracted it, the necklace came too, a little dusty, but undamaged.
Trying to ignore the unpleasantness of the metal taste in his mouth, Ari hopped across the floor, heading for the open door into Violet’s sleeping chamber. He hesitated in the doorway, his superior eyes searching the gloom until they landed on Violet’s form. She was still and peaceful, clearly in a deep slumber.
Moving quietly, Ari leaped onto a footstool, then up again onto the dresser that sat by the window. Carefully, he deposited the necklace on the wooden surface, then turned toward the bed. As stealthily as his jerky movements would allow, he crept from one item of furniture to another, until he was close enough to properly observe Violet.
She had a very appealing face, the laugh lines visible even in the relaxation of sleep. And in spite of its tousled state, her hair framed her head perfectly, falling in thick brown waves. She was very beautiful.
And very unaware of being observed, he reminded himself. Guiltily, he hopped away, returning to his post in the receiving room. His body was on high alert, but his mind was weary. He would have to be disciplined with his sleep rhythm if he wanted to spend the day with Violet rather than sleeping under a log somewhere.
Ari was woefully conscious of being no closer to his goal of lifting the enchantment than he had been that morning. He’d felt so hopeful when he heard Zinnia speaking, sure that Obsidian would be with her and the enchanter would be able to help him. It had been bitterly disappointing to realize that the princess’s husband wasn’t present. But after all, what was one more day?
In spite of his absurd and alarming predicament, Ari couldn’t help feeling a little pleased. It seemed that even in frog form, he managed to catch not only the attention but the favor of Violet.
That was something, after all.
* * *
Ari woke to the sound of movement in the next room. It took him a moment to get his bearings. The basin in which he’d slept wasn’t the most comfortable of beds, and he stretched out each of his legs one at a time. He’d just hopped out onto a table when he heard a cry of surprise. Tentatively, he moved forward, wondering if it would be an invasion of privacy for him to go into the sleeping chamber.
Before he’d decided, the door to the corridor swung open, and a maid walked confidently across the receiving room. Ari drew back out of sight as the girl entered the princess’s sleeping chamber, pulling up in surprise in the doorway.
“You’re already up and dressed, Your Highness!”
“Yes,” came Violet’s voice, sounding distracted. “Look at this! I didn’t even notice it last night.”
“The necklace, Your Highness?” The servant sounded confused.
Ari moved forward in time to see Violet’s beaming face as she held the item out for the other girl to see.
“It was stuck down the bureau. Basil must have found a way to get it out without shifting the furniture. And to think I’ve been secretly annoyed with him for not getting to it.” Her eyes shifted past the maid, her face brightening as her gaze fell on Ari’s miniature form. “You’re still here!”
The maid turned in confusion, giving a little shriek when she saw who the princess was speaking to.
“Stars above, how did a frog get in here? I’ll deal with it, Your Highness, not to worry.”
“No, no, leave it be,” said Violet, laughing. “The frog is a friend of mine.”
Ignoring the maid’s startled protests, Violet scooped Ari up, placing him on her shoulder.
“This gown doesn’t have pockets,” she informed him sagely, as she strode out into the corridor. “But perhaps it’s for the best. Surely you don’t want to be smothered all day.”
Ari clung on to the fabric of Violet’s sleeve with grim determination, swaying alarmingly as she walked. She was right that it was nice to be able to breathe freely. But she clearly had no idea how precarious his position was.
His appearance created a sensation at breakfast, all the younger ones overjoyed to see Violet’s pet frog return. Violet actually had to move seats halfway through the meal, as she’d made the tactical mistake of sitting too close to her youngest niece. Azure was determined to get hold of Ari, and he could only be grateful Violet was vigilant in protecting him.
“I love her to bits, but she’d squish you with one squeeze if given the chance,” Violet informed him, a pronouncement with which Ari silently agreed.
After the first ten minutes, everyone seemed to accept Ari’s presence, returning their focus to their food. Ari hovered on Violet’s shoulder, listening with interest to the various conversations. It was a fascinating experience to be the proverbial fly on the wall. He could see that Wren was troubled, most likely about his disappearance. He contemplated hopping over to her to try to communicate. But how would he do that? He couldn’t speak, he couldn’t write. And Azure was still perched on Wren’s lap, as effective as a bodyguard.
The rest of the family chatted about various topics with their usual chaotic volume, often only hearing half of what was being said to them. Violet asked for someone to pass the salt five separate times—trying three different people—before Ari lost patience and leaped down from her shoulder.
Hopping across the table, he once again employed his overlong, sticky tongue. It shot out with a speed that even he found abrupt, curling around the salt cellar and bringing it zipping back to him. He turned to Violet, depositing it in front of her.
This simple act caused a sensation. All his admirers were delighted with his performance, while those who disapproved of him protested that Violet should keep her unclean pet away from the food at the very least.
Violet, on the other hand, stared at him in astonishment. Likely no one else had even heard her requests for the salt, so to them Ari’s actions were random and entertaining. But Violet must be very aware that he’d only leaped into motion after she’d repeatedly and unsuccessfully tried to get her hands on the salt cellar.
Ari stared back at Violet, not entirely sure what he was hoping for, but not trying to look like a normal frog, either. He tried nodding his head, as if in confirmation of whatever thoughts she was having about his abnormal behavior. But the movement didn’t feel right at all. He doubted it looked anything like a human nod.
After a moment, Violet just shook her head, putting him back on her shoulder before seizing the salt.
“Thanks, I guess?” she said. Ari wasn’t sure whether she’d decided it was a coincidence, or whether she was reserving judgment.
In any event, he spent the rest of the day traveling around the castle with Violet, either on her shoulder or sitting on her outstretched hand. From what he overheard, Yannick was due to arrive at the castle the following day, but for the moment Violet’s time was her own. She no longer tried to hide him, and gossip quickly spread about the princess’s bizarre new pet. He sat openly at the table at meals, and by dinner time he was such a fixture that she even offered him food off her plate.
Ari accepted gratefully, which seemed to surprise Violet. He honestly had no idea whether his body would be able to digest the human fare, but he decided he’d rather try it and face the consequences than choke down any more flies. The dowager queen’s horror at this development was made comical by the teasing directed at her by all her children. Everyone else had gotten over their astonishment, apparently deciding to be amused by their sister’s new quirk.
That evening was spent much the same as the one before, Ari rejecting all attempts to get him to share Violet’s sleeping quarters, opting instead to settle down in the receiving room. When breakfast the following morning was once again conspicuously missing both Zinnia and Obsidian, Ari decided it was time to formulate a new plan. He’d obviously overestimated how often the married couple dined at the castle with the family. Waiting for Obsidian to appear and magically recognize him was no longer a sensible course.
Ari was just debating—while riding around on Violet’s shoulder—whether to try to find out where Obsidian lived or to come up with an entirely different approach, when a distraction occurred.
Several of the younger princesses had gone down the cliff path to the beach, as was apparently a common pastime. One of them, whose name Ari couldn’t remember, came racing into the castle, sand flying from her skirts and eyes wide.
“Goodness, Dahlia, what’s going on?” Violet asked her, as the younger girl skidded to a halt.
“They’re back,” gasped Dahlia. “Both of them.”
“Who’s back?” Violet asked blankly.
“The dragons!”
Violet stiffened at her sister’s reply, and Ari could feel the excitement racing through her. “Dannsair and Rekavidur?”
Dahlia nodded breathlessly.
“We need to send a message to Zinnia,” said Violet. “She won’t want to miss this.” She flagged down a passing servant, repeating the news and instructing him to notify the eldest princess in her home. She didn’t even wait for the servant to acknowledge her before seizing Dahlia’s hand and racing toward the door, Ari clinging precariously to her shoulder.
“What’s brought them back?” she wondered aloud. “You’re sure it’s them, and not some other dragons?”
“Of course I’m sure,” said Dahlia scornfully. “Do you think I could fail to recognize Reka and Dannsair? They’re our friends.”
Violet didn’t sound as confident. “I’m not sure humans can ever truly be friends with dragons. But I know what you mean. They’re much more approachable than other dragons. I think they’re genuinely fond of Zinnia, at least.”
“And all of us,” said Dahlia, sounding offended.
Violet didn’t comment, although Ari could sense her skepticism.
“I wonder where they’ve been,” she mused, as they left the castle and hurried toward the cliff and the downward path. “They haven’t come to Entolia for years. I don’t think I’ve seen them since our curse was lifted.” She shook her head, her hair whipping Ari in the face. “I doubt they’ll tell us what they’ve been up to. They might not be as aloof as most dragons, but they’re still dragons.”
As they crested the cliff and started their descent, Ari’s already protuberant eyes widened. He’d seen dragons before, plenty of times. His home city of Myst wasn’t far from the dragon colony, and they often flew overhead. But he’d rarely seen them up this close, or this relaxed.
Because the two dragons down on the shore looked as relaxed as house cats in a patch of sunlight. They were small as dragons went, meaning they were relatively young—probably less than a century. They were still several times taller than a human, though. The other detail that marked their relative youth was the brightness of their scales, which Ari knew would steadily darken throughout their lifespan. One was yellow, with scales tinged with purple, and the other was all purple. They matched well, he reflected. And a good thing, too, if they were the ones he’d heard Wren mention, the ones who had a special sort of semi-friendship with the Entolian princesses. He knew those dragons to be a pair, mated for their whole immortal lives.
The yellow one was stretched out across the surface of the water, its head resting on one protruding rock, and its belly on another. Bearded ridges ran along its temples, and Ari’s eyes followed the triangular spikes which ran from the back of its neck all the way down its tail. Or at least, down as much of its tail as he could see, given the end of it dangled into the water.
The purple one was currently sitting back on its haunches on a large flat rock partially out to sea. Its head was bent low, apparently in conversation with those of Violet’s sisters who were ranged along the sandy shore, staring eagerly up at the dragon. When Violet and Dahlia arrived on the beach, the dragon transferred its attention to them.
“Greetings, Princess Violet,” the dragon said. By the sound of its voice, this one was the female.
“Greetings, Dannsair,” said Violet, dipping her head respectfully. Her gaze traveled out to the other dragon. “Greetings, Rekavidur.”
He lifted his head, nodding serenely in acknowledgment. “Greetings, Princess Violet.”
One of the other princesses piped up, probably continuing the conversation they’d interrupted, and Ari settled in to observe the dragons. To his discomfort, he realized that the yellow one out to sea was observing him back.
“Is that a frog on your shoulder, Princess Violet?” the dragon, Rekavidur, asked.
“Yes,” said Violet, the word sounding defensive to Ari. Acting on some instinct of caution, he shuffled closer to her neck. “It’s my new…pet.”
The dragon raised his head fully, narrowing his orb-like eyes as he stared at Ari. “That is an odd pet. I find it…offensive.”
Ari could feel Violet’s surprise, and for a moment, no one spoke. It was a testament to the friendship the princesses claimed with the dragons that no one immediately abased themselves in apology, or even fled fearfully. That was how most humans would react to being told they’d offended a dragon.
“Do you agree, Dannsair?” Rekavidur appealed to the other dragon.
She lowered her head, sniffing in Violet and Ari’s general direction. “Yes, I have the same reaction,” she assured her pair.
“Well,” said Violet stiffly. “I’m sure it wasn’t my intention to offend anyone. Although I don’t know why you would care about my choice of pet.”
Rekavidur’s scales rippled in the dragon equivalent of a shrug, no particular heat in his voice. “You will suit yourself, I understand. It does not after all affect us. But I consider your choice of pet ill-advised.”
“Thank you for your opinion,” said Violet, not managing to hide how affronted she was. She dropped into a full curtsy this time, causing Ari to wobble dangerously on his perch. Then, with a painfully formal leave-taking, she turned back toward the cliff path.
She was only halfway up it when Zinnia came tumbling down, her eyes alight with excitement.
“Reka, Dannsair!” she cried. “Where have you been? You missed my wedding!”
Ari was curious about how the dragons would receive this exuberance, but he didn’t dare swivel to watch. He didn’t wish to attract any more attention from the fearsome beasts—the attention he’d already garnered was alarming enough. If he’d been worried about a one-year-old squishing him by accident, the threat of a dragon’s displeasure was nothing short of catastrophic.
Violet said nothing as they reached the top of the path and headed toward the castle. After all, who would she speak to? She didn’t know her frog could understand her. They were just re-entering the castle when a servant hurried up to them, bowing to Violet.
“Your Highness, I was sent in search of you. I’m to notify you that Yannick has arrived.”
“Oh, of course,” said Violet, snapping out of her disgruntled reverie. “I’ll receive him in the yellow room.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” said the servant. His eyes flicked to Ari then rapidly away before he bowed again. “At once.”
Violet waited until he was out of sight, but then she turned to Ari with a sigh. “He’s right in his unspoken disapproval,” she informed him reluctantly. “I probably shouldn’t go to meet Yannick with you perched on my shoulder. First the dragons, then the merchants. It seems no one approves of our connection, my friend.”
Robbed of any other communication, Ari let out a sad ribbit.
Violet’s lips twitched as she carefully lifted him from her shoulder, sliding him back into the oblivion of her pocket. At least today’s gown had a pocket.
Their progress through the castle became considerably harder to track after that point, but it wasn’t many minutes later that Violet sank into a seat, causing Ari to shuffle frantically in her pocket to avoid being squashed. He wasn’t nearly as hardy—and she wasn’t nearly as cautious of him—as she seemed to think.
It seemed that Yannick was shown into the room mere moments later, because Violet rose again.
“Welcome,” she said, her tone polite but formal. “I trust your accommodations are to your liking?”
“Very much so, Your Highness,” came Yannick’s muffled voice. It was the first time Ari had heard him speak, and he didn’t warm to the young merchant. Perhaps he was prejudiced, but his first impression of the other man was one of smugness. “You’ve been very gracious in your accommodations.”
The conversation was mercifully short, neither giving the impression that they had any desire to linger in the other’s company. Apparently this meeting was a matter of formality. Even the little Yannick said reinforced Ari’s original impression, however. He just couldn’t shake the feeling that the young merchant was well-satisfied with his situation. Ari didn’t trust him at all.
When the pair parted ways, Ari hesitated for only a moment before making his decision. He knew where to find Violet, but he might not have much opportunity to observe Yannick. He had no idea how the guest was to be entertained during his visit. It was possible their paths wouldn’t cross much. This might be his best chance to make good on his private determination to keep an eye on the other man.
With difficulty, he struggled from Violet’s pocket, pausing when his head was poking out through the fabric.
“You all right, little pal?” Violet asked in an undertone, clearly not wanting to draw Yannick’s attention. Ari could still see Yannick’s back, but he’d almost disappeared around a corner.
Without pausing to respond to Violet—not that he could—Ari sprung from her pocket, using his back legs to propel himself off her thigh. She let out a muted cry and grabbed at him, but he was too fast. He hopped down the corridor with purpose, rounding the corner and bringing Yannick back into sight. If Violet pursued him now, she’d have to accept the merchant witnessing her retrieval of her controversial pet. Ari wasn’t surprised when she didn’t do so.
He followed Yannick as clandestinely as speed would allow, noting that the other man was definitely going somewhere. He wasn’t just wandering. Was he meeting someone? Or just returning to whatever luxurious suite he’d been assigned?
Ari had trailed Yannick down several corridors, all the while growing more convinced that Yannick was in a hurry to meet someone, when he saw something that distracted him completely.
Yannick was striding past a connecting corridor when he suddenly faltered, his head darting to the side before he straightened and resumed his walk. Following his gaze, Ari could understand why he’d been startled. The figure hovering in the other corridor was so still Ari had missed him at first, and it was unnerving to realize someone was watching him pass unseen. He was just reflecting that it looked suspiciously like lurking when he realized the man’s identity and faltered to a stop.
Lex!
It hadn’t been obvious at first—after all, he was used to looking the other man in the eye rather than staring up at him in giant form from the floor. But now he was paying attention, there was no mistaking the loyal Mistran servant. Ari hesitated, surprise and confusion temporarily driving Yannick’s destination from his mind.
What was Lex still doing here? When the servant had asked to return to Myst rather than travel on to Bansford with Ari, he’d assumed the older man meant to depart the next morning. Ari was aware that Lord Golding had left for Myst the day after Ari’s disappearance, to take word of his defection to his parents. So why would Lex be lingering in the Entolians’ castle days after the guest he was attending had departed? Was he just staying on until he received confirmation of what had happened to Ari? Ari knew from what he’d overheard that the almost universally held opinion was that he’d taken off to Bansford on his own as a lark. But perhaps Lex wasn’t convinced.
Unthinkingly, Ari hopped toward his servant, out of long-held habit. Lex had been a source of assistance and sympathy many times. Surely he could help Ari. He propelled himself upward, his jerky movements still awkward, although they were much more controlled than they had been at first.
But when he landed on Lex’s arm, the other man showed no inclination to help. He didn’t even respond with the sympathy that Violet had shown on first seeing Ari in his amphibian form.
“Urgh, get off!” said the Mistran sharply. He swatted at Ari, dislodging him and sending him to the floor with a splat. “Get away, I say.” The servant’s voice dropped to a mutter. “What kind of royals let frogs roam through their castle? Degenerates.”
Still muttering, he strode away, leaving Ari dazed and disappointed. When his head stopped spinning, he realized that the worst of it was that Lex’s distraction had cost him his chance to follow Yannick. The younger man was nowhere to be seen, and a quick search confirmed that Ari had lost his trail. If the merchant’s son had been going to meet someone, Ari would never know their identity now.
Disheartened, Ari hopped his way back through the castle, his progress slow due to the need to avoid being seen by any zealous guard or servant, most of whom would as soon squish him as look at him.
Not knowing where else to go, he made his way to the dining hall, concealing himself in a plant pot until the dinner hour. The wait felt interminable, but eventually the royal family started to trickle into the room. Ari’s eyes latched on to Violet the moment she appeared, noting that she looked downcast.
Was it his departure, the real him? Or perhaps the arrival of Yannick, whom he was still convinced made her uncomfortable? Or maybe even the loss of her pet frog?
Absurd as it all was, the latter guess seemed the most likely, judging by her response when Ari hopped out of hiding.
“You came back!” Violet cried, scooping him up with delight. She turned to see her family staring at her like she’d lost her mind, but it didn’t seem to bother her. She beamed at them all, taking her seat and depositing Ari next to her plate. “The frog is back, everybody, no need to panic.”
“Oh good, we’ll stop lying awake in concern,” muttered one of the other princesses sarcastically.
Violet just grinned at her, offering Ari bits of food as the meal commenced, devolving rapidly into the usual pandemonium. Once again Ari witnessed Violet’s silent frustration at the impossibility of getting anyone’s attention amid the clamor. Her excitement over his frog self’s reappearance quickly faded, replaced with the discomfort that seemed to so often follow her these days.
Ari frowned internally as he gobbled up a choice morsel of fish, revising his first impression about which of the possible reasons had her depressed. Perhaps it was all three. His thoughts flew to the merchant’s son who seemed to create such discomfort in Violet. She was a smart girl—if Yannick made her uneasy, there was a reason. Ari once again scolded himself for losing the opportunity to see what Yannick was up to, resolving to make more of an effort the next chance he got.
Conversation was still going at full volume when the sweets were served, but Violet seemed weary of it. She’d just placed some kind of cream-filled pastry on her plate and was reaching for her fork when the sister sitting next to her—no older than ten, by the look of her—gestured wildly in illustration of her point and sent Violet’s fork clattering to the floor in the process.
The girl talked on, apparently not even aware that she’d knocked her sister’s silverware. With a long-suffering sigh, Violet leaned down to retrieve it.
But Ari was quicker. His heart moved out of all proportion to this insignificant setback, he leaped from the table, landing beside the fork with a squelch. Using his tongue, he secured the fork, then leaped back up onto Violet’s lap.
Taken aback, she took the fork from him. Her eyes softened a little as she looked his diminutive form over.
“Thanks, frog friend,” she said quietly. In spite of reclaiming her utensil, she didn’t show much interest in her pastry. After only a couple of bites, she excused herself from the table, placing Ari on her shoulder as she made her way toward her suite.
Ari hovered in the receiving room as usual while Violet prepared herself for bed. But once she was settled, he found himself creeping back into her room, against his better judgment. He knew it wasn’t good form to be in her sleeping chamber when she didn’t know there was a human mind inside the frog’s body, but his intention was very much chivalrous rather than the reverse.
“Hey little frog friend,” Violet said softly. Her voice reflected the weariness Ari had seen on her face when she rose from the table. “At least there’s someone who hears and sees me.”
She chuckled as she said it, as if even in front of a frog she felt the need to pretend the words were lighthearted.
But Ari’s heart ached a little because, frog or not, he could tell that at their core, they were anything but.