7. Charlotte
The five days proved even more difficult than Charlotte had expected. Her sisters grew more and more blatant with their hints and nudges. Their conversation was full of the possibilities of future wealth and luxury, and they exclaimed often over how they wished they were the ones being carried off to live like a princess. If Charlotte dared to comment, they quickly assured her that of course they weren’t seeking to change her mind.
When it became obvious that they weren’t, in fact, changing her mind, their syrupy blandishments grew sharper and sharper. By the day the bear was due to reappear, the knives were fully out.
Both sisters snapped at Charlotte, wielding their words as weapons and berating her for her selfishness and stupidity.
“Just know that every time we break our backs in hard labor in the days to come, we will be thinking of you,” Elizabeth hissed. “For it will all be your fault.”
Their mother looked up from where she stood over the stove on the other side of the room, her brows drawing together. Had she heard Elizabeth’s words? Charlotte couldn’t be sure. She told herself her mother couldn’t have heard. If she had, she would have said something—rebuked her oldest and defended Charlotte.
Wouldn’t she? Charlotte wished she felt more sure.
“Every time we’re lonely,” Odelia added, “and if we find no suitors, we will know you are to blame. We could have had everything, but you threw it away for the sake of a foolish dream. It’s hard to comprehend such selfishness.”
Their father stepped into the house in time to hear her final words. Both girls fell silent, looking at him guiltily. He frowned, giving them a sharp look.
“All three of my daughters are welcome under my roof for as long as they wish to say,” he said sternly. “None of you will ever be forced out while I am alive.”
Gratitude rushed through Charlotte, only growing stronger when he turned to her. “Why don’t you join me in the forest today, Charli? I don’t expect the white bear to come until evening, as he did last time.”
She stepped outside, embracing the familiar feeling of escape. Smiling at her father, she fell into step beside him, pleased he was allowing her to accompany him. He rarely did so when he was off to cut wood, since he worried about her safety. But he must have recognized Charlotte’s need for comfort and companionship today. It was getting harder and harder to bear her sisters’ dislike.
They walked in silence, and Charlotte relished it. No one was berating her or trying to convince her to change her mind. Utter bliss.
Once they were well away from the house, her father cleared his throat.
“Are you sure, Charli-bear?” he asked, the nickname once again setting her teeth on edge.
She forced herself to respond calmly. “About what, Father?”
He cleared his throat again. “About the white bear’s offer.”
She stiffened, disbelief filling her. Was this why he had invited her to come with him today? She had thought he was offering her a reprieve, but instead he was joining in the chorus?
He kept his face forward, his voice uncomfortable. “I don’t mention it because of what the bear is offering us. He also wishes to offer you a life of luxury. I know you aren’t swayed by the lure of worldly goods in the same way as your sisters, but I can’t help wondering if you might still benefit from what he can provide.”
She stared at her father, still too shocked to speak, and he finally turned to look at her.
“I do believe we are on the verge of turning around our fortunes here,” he said earnestly. “Your aunt and the other senior valley folk are finally going to—” He cut himself off, shaking his head. “Never mind that. The point is that I haven’t been lying to you all when I said better times are on the horizon for our family. But it’s taken too long. I’ve taken too long.” He looked so crestfallen that her instinct was to comfort him, but for once, she remained silent.
“With or without the bear’s assistance, I think we’re going to have to move,” he said after a moment. “Your mother and sisters have been very clear about their feelings on the matter. I have to give Elizabeth a chance to…” He trailed off, grasping her arms as a new light came into his eyes. “But you don’t have to come with us, Charli! The White Bear is offering you a chance to stay. And not just stay but seek out new frontiers.” He looked in the direction of the mountains, his eyes still shining, and she wondered if he was seeing the Palace of Light in his mind’s eye.
“You can have adventures the rest of us can only dream of,” he whispered. “And perhaps, one day, when your sisters are settled, I’ll be able to come and visit you.”
Charlotte pulled herself free, stepping back. “Adventure?” she asked. “You think I should choose adventure over love?”
Her father frowned, as if confused at her reaction.
“There are different kinds of love,” he said. “You can have a full life without romance. And your sisters might well be right. Even if we move, you might not find someone to match your girlhood dreams. With the bear you can have both security and new adventures. That is not a combination to be considered lightly.”
He continued to speak, dropping his voice even lower, as if he was ashamed of his own words. But she couldn’t hear him, the buzz in her thoughts drowning out his whisper, one line echoing over and over in her head.
Your sisters might well be right.
She had thought she had one ally in the family. One person who saw her and thought she belonged—who loved her for her and would never try to send her away. But she had been wrong. Her father didn’t know her at all.
And what had he said earlier? That one day he might visit her at the Palace of Light? He might not have been motivated by riches, but he was still thinking about how Charlotte’s marriage could benefit him, saving him from the future her sisters were hemming him into.
Tears rose up, clogging her throat and threatening to spill from her eyes. She stopped, desperately trying to hold them in long enough to get away.
“I should have known you would want to send me away, too,” she managed to choke out. “How could you not when you have so much to gain? This is a rare opportunity, and I guess I am selfish to stand in all of your way.”
Turning, she nearly tripped over her feet in her haste to run. She had to get away from him. She had to escape before she started crying in earnest. She couldn’t bear to let her tears fall in front of him.
“Charli!” he called after her. “Charli, wait!”
But she didn’t slow. She fled without thinking, horror overtaking her when she realized her steps were leading her home. But maybe it was a good thing. If she lost herself in the woods, the white bear wouldn’t know where to find her.
She wrenched open the door, clearly startling the three women inside. Her mother exclaimed, speaking her name, but Charlotte ignored her. Brushing past them, she rushed into the bedroom she shared with her sisters, firmly closing the door behind her.
They got the message for once, and none of them attempted to follow her. She could hear them whispering to each other, no doubt speculating as to what had happened. Did they know the reason her father had invited her out? Had they been waiting with bated breath to see if he could succeed where they had failed?
The thought filled her with rage. How dare they all conspire against her! She was as much a part of this family as any of them. And yet, they would sell her for their own comfort!
She flung herself on the bed and cried until no more tears would come. Still no one tried the door. Eventually she heard her father return, the distant murmur of his voice deep and concerned.
His arrival provided the final bit of certainty to her decision, compelling her to action. Hurrying around the room, she took only what she most needed, wrapping the items into a makeshift bundle.
She would not stay where she was neither understood nor valued. She had reached her limit. Her mother and sisters thought she should be motivated by wealth and her father by adventure. But her true motivation—as it had been on so many previous occasions—was escape.
After years of sharing a home, not one of her family members saw her true self. And yet, with the bear, she had felt seen in only two interactions. Foolish it might be, but she would trust her future to the one person who actually wanted her around.
Several exclamations were heard from the main room, and then the front door opened. Charlotte drew a deep breath. The moment had come.
A tentative knock sounded on her door.
“Charlotte?” her father called through the wood, not attempting to open it. “The bear is here and wishes to hear your refusal from your own lips.” Silence for a moment. “He will not hurt you.”
Was he reassuring her that she need not be afraid of a brief moment of interaction, or was he making one last attempt to convince her? Charlotte didn’t know, and she no longer cared.
Pulling the door open, she swept past her father without looking at him. Striding through the house, she continued straight out the open front door. The bear stood at a respectful distance, his eyes focused on the doorway. When she appeared, his gaze met hers, holding her eyes for a moment before his attention moved to the bundle over her shoulder.
She saw the moment realization hit him, his whole face lighting up. Peace swept through her, settling the frenzied desperation that had driven her this far. Here was someone who thought she belonged with him. There was one family in which she was welcome.
She was making the right choice.
Moving more slowly, she walked to him. Previously she had curtsied to him, but now she was to join his family. She nodded respectfully instead.
“I will come with you,” she said in a voice loud enough to be heard in the house. “I will complete the ceremony.”
The bear—Henry, she should think of him as Henry, as strange as it seemed—smiled, radiance emanating from him.
“I am honored, Lady Charlotte,” he said. “And I will do everything in my power to ensure you never regret this decision.”
“Thank you,” she said more quietly.
“You’re going to marry him?” her mother gasped from the doorway. “Are you sure?”
She nodded, not turning to look at her parents. “If you wish to see the ceremony, you should follow us to Master Harold’s.” As the only official across their valley and the two neighboring ones, Harold conducted all ceremonies. She was only fortunate he happened to be their closest neighbor.
“You mean to be married immediately?” her father asked, clearly shocked.
Was he upset at the thought of her departure or horrified about how it would look to Master Harold when she arrived unexpectedly and demanded immediate marriage to a bear? It didn’t matter either way. Her decision had been made, and she had no desire to linger.
“Of course.” Charlotte still couldn’t bring herself to look directly at any of them. “Henry has asked me to go away with him, and I see no benefit in delay.”
“Henry?” her mother asked faintly.
“It is my name,” the bear said in a deep voice.
Distracted by her swirling emotions, Charlotte hadn’t noticed him moving. But at some point he had come closer, positioning himself protectively beside her.
Another band across her chest loosened. He wanted to defend her, to protect her from them. And he could clearly do it. She would be safe with him.
“We should leave immediately,” she said. “The afternoon is already drawing on, and it’s a long walk.”
Henry looked at her, a considering light in his eyes. “If you would like to ride, we could get there faster.”
“I don’t own a horse,” she said stiffly. And even if her father offered her one of his, she wouldn’t accept it. She refused to accept their bribes, offered only to assuage their own consciences.
“I meant on me,” he said with a smile. “But I understand if the thought is unpleasant.”
“Ride you?” She stared at him, taken by surprise. People didn’t ride bears, magical or not.
“We would get there much faster.” He sounded apologetic.
A slow smile spread across her face. Her determination and sense of betrayal had been buoying her up, but she was dreading the long walk and the awkwardness of arriving in the middle of the night with such an odd request.
“If you really don’t mind, that would be lovely,” she said, already moving toward him.
He lowered himself as much as he was able, but he was still very large. She paused, unsure how to ascend.
“You can grip my fur,” he said, the amusement in his tone reassuring her.
“I won’t hurt you?”
“I will do my best to bear it,” he said gravely although the amusement still leaked through.
She smiled at him and grabbed handfuls of his thick fur, using it to scale his side. The fur was soft—much softer than she had expected—and it was surprisingly comfortable sitting just behind the shoulders of his front legs.
“Charlotte!” Elizabeth’s voice cried, her sisters both tumbling from the house to stand with their parents. “You can’t get married without us!”
“We’re supposed to have new gowns for a wedding,” Odelia moaned. “And where is the bride price? We were promised a bride price!”
“You will have it,” the bear said, all amusement gone from his voice. “Once the ceremony is completed.”
“If you wish to be there, I can’t stop you,” Charlotte added stiffly. “But there is no time for new gowns. You will have to ride if you want to make it in time as it is.”
Taking her words as a sign, the bear began to move. She had thought she would need to direct him, but he didn’t ask any questions, moving with confidence in the right direction. She remembered that he had spoken of being in the region for some time. Perhaps he knew the homes of everyone who lived in the valley.
In what felt like an impossibly short time, Charlotte spotted the wooden house of their closest neighbor in the distance. And moments later they were lumbering to a stop in front of the door.
She hadn’t expected him to move faster than a horse. Did bears usually move so quickly, or was it just the magical ones? She glanced over her shoulder, checking for her family, but there was no sign of them.
Her last glimpse of them had been of all four of them rushing toward the small stable attached to their house, so she assumed they were on their way. But their horses couldn’t have kept up with the bear. With a brief pang of guilt, she wondered if she should wait for them. But a moment later she swept the feeling aside. She was doing what they so desperately wanted her to do, and they deserved no further consideration in the matter.
She still climbed down slowly, however, her courage wavering now that the moment had arrived. Not that she was reconsidering her decision, but explaining it to near strangers was another matter. What would Master Harold and his family think of her?
“This is the correct house, isn’t it?” the bear asked when she stayed motionless beside him.
Charlotte shook herself and nodded. “Yes, Master Harold is the official who conducts all the local ceremonies. Hopefully he doesn’t mind being disturbed without warning.”
She made herself move forward and knock loudly on the door. Movement could be heard inside, and then the door opened. The tall man on the other side looked from her to the bear standing beside her, his expression going slack.
Charlotte tried to think how to word her request and came up blank.
But Harold recovered himself more quickly than she expected, looking down at her with concern, rather than confusion, in his gaze.
“Good evening, Miss Charlotte,” he said gravely. “I can’t say I thought you would actually come.”
“You were expecting me?” she asked, surprised.
He nodded. “Your pa came to talk to me yesterday. Explained the whole situation. Just in case…” His words trailed off as he looked back up at the bear, a crease between his brows.
“Father came yesterday?” Charlotte repeated in a breathless voice, struck anew by the sense of betrayal. Had he been so sure he could convince her?
“Aye, that he did.” Harold ran a hand over his head. “He explained the whole situation and received my agreement to conduct the ceremony, but…” He hesitated again. “I believe it is incumbent on me, given my position, to speak to you alone for a moment first.”
Charlotte glanced quickly at the bear, her first thought for him. Would he be offended by the implication of Harold’s words? But the bear merely smiled, gesturing with his head for her to follow Harold into the house.
She swallowed and trailed him inside, giving a subdued greeting to his wife and young children as he closed the door behind them.
“You really came?” his wife gasped, making it clear Harold had already shared his neighbor’s odd story. “You’re a brave girl! Your family will owe you much. If the bear’s claim is true, that is.”
Charlotte gave her a tight smile. She wasn’t doing it because of the rewards promised to her family, but she couldn’t say that to this woman, who had always been kind to her.
“But are you sure about this, girl?” Harold asked. “It’s not a light thing. You aren’t being…coerced?” He winced as he said it, clearly as uncomfortable as she was but still determined to do his duty. “I can’t conduct the ceremony if I think you’re being forced into it.”
A sudden influx of warmth made Charlotte soften. Harold was a good official, one who took his responsibilities seriously. He was attempting to protect her, as much as he was able, and she appreciated the efforts.
“It was my decision,” she said softly, struggling to keep tears from her eyes at the look of sympathy on the face of Harold’s wife. They had been at her cousin’s wedding, like the rest of the valley, and must have some idea of Charlotte’s position in her family.
“I understand, lass,” he said quietly. “Although this seems a drastic step to take. Allying yourself with a white bear…” He shook his head. “I know his people have brought us great prosperity, but we know little about them, and there are some who think…”
He trailed off as his wife put her hand on his arm, her eyes wide as she shot a warning look toward the door.
Charlotte frowned. When people spoke of the High King and his servants, it was only to praise the great prosperity they had brought to all the Four Kingdoms. While it was true no one knew many details about the Palace of Light itself or the godmothers and creatures who dwelt there, that was hardly a matter for concern given all the good they had brought to the kingdoms. For herself, she couldn’t believe the High King or his creatures wished any of them malice—especially given the inexplicable certainty she felt in Henry’s presence.
“Of course it’s unknown,” she said, “but I don’t fear the Palace of—”
“Hush!” Master Harold’s harsh whisper cut her off. He glanced back at his children who were watching them with rapt expressions. “Of course I can see that you would need to know all about it given this unusual situation, but surely your father warned you of the necessity of discretion. It has been pressed upon him often enough. You shouldn’t speak of such things aloud. Not around the valley folk, at any rate.”
Charlotte blinked, utterly bewildered. In Northhelm, the people had spoken openly of the Palace of Light. She couldn’t think why they would have a different custom here in the valleys. Unless there really were some people here who opposed the High King?
She frowned, wanting to ask the identity of such dissenters, but the sound of horses in the distance caught her attention. Her family was about to arrive to watch the wedding ceremony—her wedding. Did it really matter what the valley folk thought of the Palace of Light? She would soon be gone from among them anyway.
“Thank you for your concern,” she said, “but I’ve made up my mind.”
“I’ll need a minute to gather the necessary papers then,” he said. “Would you like to wait in here or…” He glanced at the closed door.
Harold’s house was large, one of the oldest in their valley, and it was filled with cozy warmth. For a moment she hesitated, wanting to linger in the familiarity of ordinary valley life. But she straightened and shook her head. Her place was with Henry now and in whatever adventures awaited them outside the valley. She should wait with him.
Harold made no protest when she slipped back outside, leaving the door open behind her. All his children rushed to look, coming no further than the doorway despite their eager faces as they gazed at the enormous creature in front of their house.
“Has he talked you out of it?” the bear asked, saying it like a joke, although she could hear a hint of real concern behind.
“Of course not,” she said. “I gave you my word, and I won’t be so easily dissuaded.”
“Thank you.” He touched his great head lightly against her.
Her family’s three horses pulled to a stop beside them, making her stiffen. Her sisters looked uncomfortable squeezed onto the sturdiest horse together, but at least all four of them had come. She couldn’t help a sense of relief at their arrival. For all her bravado and hurt, it felt wrong to be married without a single family member by her side.
By the time Harold came back outside with a book in his hand, they had dismounted and stood awkwardly beside her and the bear. Charlotte’s father moved quickly forward to greet Harold, and the two men exchanged some quiet words she couldn’t catch. She kept her face steady, refusing to guess at what they might be saying. The only thing that mattered was that Harold had agreed to conduct the ceremony, which meant Charlotte was about to escape.
Harold’s wife emerged, having somehow wrangled her children into staying inside, and she soon had Charlotte’s family arranged to one side while Charlotte herself and Henry—she had to start thinking of him by his name, however hard it was—stood side by side facing Harold.
As she had promised the bear back in the forest, the ceremony was a simple one. He lifted one enormous paw, and she placed her hand on it as Harold led them through an exchange of promises. She knew the solemnity of their words, and she wanted to take it seriously, but she was feeling strangely weightless and detached. Her mouth repeated the words whenever she was called on to do so, but she couldn’t focus on what she was saying. Was this really her wedding? It was nothing like she had imagined as a girl.
When it came time for the parents’ blessing, everyone kept tactfully silent about the bear’s parents, and Charlotte wondered again if he had any. When Harold turned to Charlotte’s family, her mother instantly broke into gasping tears that left her unable to speak. But her father repeated the traditional blessing, sounding sad and broken in a way that twisted Charlotte’s heart.
But she refused to soften toward him. His crimes against her had been the least, but they had hurt the most because she had trusted him.
His face crumpled when she wouldn’t meet his eyes, but he finished his part, completing the ceremony. Harold would already have recorded their names in his book, along with those of all the valley couples who had been married before them. The next time he traveled to the capital, he would record them in Rangmere’s official registries, but it might be years before that happened. It didn’t matter, though. By valley law and social custom, Charlotte was married.