Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
They were led through the main entrance of the palace across marble floors, over heavily detailed rugs, and past four curved staircases–two on the right and two on the left–to a long stone hallway that was wide enough for six people to walk side by side.
In the entrance, large tapestries with scenes of court grandeur and victorious battles hung down from the distant ceiling.
These continued from the entrance to the hallway, but on a much smaller scale, along with busts of men and women in crowns.
As they walked the hallway, countless whispers rose from the surrounding throng. Conscious of the many gazes that were upon them, Rosie took her mother and sister’s hands so she was walking between them.
The only one in the entire crowd who looked less than shocked was Frederick, who, as they walked, was describing in vivid detail how he had been cursed.
Rosie wished that those around them–particularly a fine lady about her mother’s age–would listen to his recital rather than study her family.
The woman hadn’t looked away since they’d descended from the carriage.
She might not have minded so much had the lady’s penetrating look been merely curious, as many of the others’ were.
But the cold hostility in the woman’s icy stare was far from welcoming.
And only slightly more civil was the stare coming from the young woman beside her, whom Rosie assumed to be the woman’s daughter.
After what felt like forever, they reached a grand hall with three shockingly long wooden tables arranged in the shape of a horseshoe.
The king and queen, still listening to their son’s tale, moved to the seats at the outside center of the horseshoe.
Their eldest son–Rosie couldn’t recall the crown prince’s name–sat at his father’s left hand as soon as his parents were seated, while Frederick led Snow to his mother’s right.
Then he indicated for Rosie and her mother to sit beside them.
Rosie made sure her mother sat between her and Snow.
Once she was seated by a servant, the rest of the court sat as well, and servants brought out countless silver platters.
Rosie was immediately hit by the smells of salted meat, cheese, fresh bread, and a variety of scents she couldn’t name.
But each one made her mouth water as though she hadn’t eaten a bite that day.
Was it possible that her family and Frederick had eaten pottage in their little cottage just that morning?
There was an empty plate in front of each seat, and Rosie was tempted to immediately begin filling hers with some of the sumptuous food, which was steaming from beneath the platter covers before her.
But then she paused. How was one supposed to get food in the king’s dining hall?
Did she serve herself? Or did she wait for the servants to do so?
Again, she was filled with chagrin over Frederick’s apparent misunderstanding of why she had asked him about court decorum.
“Frederick?” she asked without thinking.
Unfortunately, the room was so loud that even from three chairs down, he didn’t hear her. So she called his name more loudly this time.
The hush that fell over the seats nearest hers was unsettling, and only when many pairs of shocked eyes turned her way did she realize her faux pas.
After five years of spending time with the prince in his bear form, it was often easy to forget that he was a prince. Too late did she realize that she’d addressed him without his title.
To her immense relief, he turned at the sound of her voice and smiled as kindly at her as he always had. “Yes?”
Did he even realize that she’d forgotten his title? Or was he just being kind? Either way, she was grateful.
“I… Um, I wasn’t sure whether we’re supposed to serve ourselves or wait for someone else to do it,” she said as quietly as she could in the loud room.
To her dismay, the eyes around her seemed to bug out even more at this question. And a little titter from nearby turned her attention to the delicate creature sitting beside the glaring lady.
“The lady wishes to serve herself?” the girl asked in a voice that sounded like chimes, her eyes bright.
Rosie knew better. She really did. But the smug look on the girl’s face was more than she could stand. This girl obviously thought they were country bumpkins. So she said the first thing that came into her head.
“Well, don’t you know how?”
The girl’s smile vanished, and someone near Rosie made a choking sound, but that was nearly drowned out by the sound of Frederick’s laughter.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Rosie,” he said, still chuckling a moment later as he wiped the tears that were streaming down his face. “I told you she was clever, Jonathan.”
Rosie nearly died as she realized he was addressing his older brother, who must have heard the entire ordeal. But to her immense relief, a clergyman appeared at the end of the hall and gave a prayer of thanks.
After that, the platter covers were removed, and Rosie saw that everyone except the king, the queen, and the crown prince was expected to serve himself.
The king, the queen, and the crown prince had two servants attending each–one to examine and taste the food before it was put onto their plates, and one to do the same with any of their drinks.
Before Rosie could taste any of the food before her, however, she got the strange sensation of being watched once more.
And though she quickly saw that there were a number of people watching her, one gaze in particular drew her attention.
Once again, to her annoyance, the fine woman in silks and diamonds with the icy blue eyes–the mother of the one who had laughed at her–was glaring at her, despite her daughter’s glower having ceased.
“I thought I might freeze as winter came,” Frederick was saying to his parents. Rosie did her best to ignore the woman’s continuing glare and turned to hear the younger prince tell his story. “I could feel the chill in the air as the first snowstorm approached.”
“You were only fifteen,” his mother said, her words coming out as a low moan. “I knew you were too young for that assignment!” She turned with unhappy eyes to her husband.
“But providence was with me!” Frederick insisted, his eyes sparkling as he turned to glance about the room, making sure, it seemed, that everyone was listening to his tale.
As a bear, Frederick had loved being the center of attention too.
“I looked all about the cottages that were scattered across the rolling fields just outside the forest, and I found one with a mother and two lovely girls preparing their home for the storm. So I waited until the storm had just begun, and I used my paw to knock on the door.” He paused and laughed ruefully.
“You have no idea how hard it is to knock with furry paws.”
His mother looked revolted, but the king bade him continue.
Frederick shrugged. “There isn’t much to tell.
Magdalene here told her daughters that they couldn’t leave an intelligent creature out in the cold, so they took me in.
” He stabbed a piece of meat with his fork.
“Every winter for the five years after that, they took me in and sheltered me until spring came again.”
“Only in the winter?” the crown prince asked in a deep, rich voice. His tone was slightly suspicious. Did he think Rosie’s family had turned Frederick out after the ground thawed every year?
Frederick shook his head. “Well, I spent the summers searching for the troll, determined to make him reverse his spell and get Father’s gold back. But I couldn’t search in the winter. Even with a fur coat, it was far too cold.”
“How did you break the spell, Your Highness?” came a voice as high and clear as a bell. Rosie turned to look at the speaker and found herself facing the angry woman’s daughter yet again. Her blue eyes were wide and innocent as she stared at Frederick, nothing like the look they had held for Rosie.
“Well, the girls here are somewhat responsible for that too,” Frederick answered.
“They were out in the forest when they discovered where the troll had hidden my treasure. He moved it often, you see, so I couldn’t find it.
But when they discovered his new hiding place, he raged at them and almost did them harm as well. ”
Rosie shuddered.
“Why didn’t he?” the crown prince asked.
Frederick laughed, melting some of his story’s tension.
“We’re not so familiar in court with the intrepid nature of country girls, but Snow and Rosie here didn’t wait for the troll to do them harm the way I had.
Rosie leaped forward and grabbed the troll’s beard and yanked him toward her, and Snow grabbed the back of his collar and pulled it back so he was stretched out between them. ”
“We really weren’t so helpful,” Snow said softly as she looked shyly up at her betrothed. “He would have cursed us once he got over his surprise and found his voice.”
“What happened then?” the king asked. He was leaning toward his son, his eyes bright.
Frederick’s face hardened at this question. Or rather, Rosie decided, the memory it stirred.
“I killed him,” he said darkly. “I’d picked up his scent a few days before, and the closer it led me back to their cottage, the faster I ran to find him. If I’d arrived even two minutes later…” He shuddered, and Snow took his arm.
“But you didn’t,” Rosie said firmly, her voice sounding strange as it echoed through the large hall. “You saved us.”
“Only,” he said softly, turning to look at Snow again, “because you had already saved me.”
Yet again, Rosie’s attention was drawn to a particularly unnerving stare.
But this time, it was not the angry lady’s eyes that bore down on her.
Instead, it was the crown prince who was looking at her.
But she couldn’t interpret his expression.
It was piercing, but not in a cruel way as the lady’s had been.
It was… Well, Rosie couldn’t say. His eyes were neither cruel nor kind.
Was intense the right word to describe them?
Her cheeks heated, and she looked away as he continued to study her with an unabashed stare.
She suddenly felt every part a country bumpkin, and the gown that had felt so fine that morning now seemed like little more than a common work dress under the prince’s scrutinizing study.
If only, she thought with chagrin, Frederick had been a mere country lord, or some kind of wealthy tradesman.
Then they might have blended in more easily. Why did he have to be a prince?
The king sat back. “Well,” he said, his voice booming with authority.
“Such bravery and kindness shall certainly be rewarded.” He looked at Rosie’s mother.
“Madame, I thank you for doing all that was proper and right for my son. Indeed, you went above and beyond.” He turned to a servant standing near the end of the table.
“Tell Mistress Morgan to prepare the Pink, Blue, and Yellow suites.” Then he looked down and smiled at Snow again, his eyes crinkling kindly at the corners this time.
“We shall discuss this in greater detail, but only after our brave travelers have had time to eat their fill and rest from the day’s journey. ”
Though he wasn’t looking at her when he said it, Rosie let out a deep sigh of relief. She had expected to be nervous when they arrived at the court. Only a fool would walk into the king’s court without a healthy sort of fear.
What she hadn’t expected was to be so exhausted by the mere feeling of being studied from every angle. Nor had she planned to let her wretched mouth slip so soon. If only…
But no. Rosie wouldn’t wish to go home. She couldn’t. They were on an adventure, she reminded herself. An adventure that had only begun.