Chapter 14
Cold swept through Bella as she whirled to see not one, but two ruffians fanning out behind Nocturne.
As surreptitiously as possible, Bella tugged at his bridle, pulling the horse’s nose out of the water and stuffing the sugar cube under his lips.
She felt his soft muzzle brush along her palm, then heard the quiet crunch of the cube.
“Who are you?”
“We was sent by Roch.”
“I do not know who that is.”
“The ostler. Where this fellow was from.” He slapped Nocturne hard on the rump, and the horse flicked his ears back and tensed his hindquarters. “We got a little visit from the royal guard. Know anything about it?”
Bella had a pretty good idea what had transpired but didn’t want to say anything condemning. “I do not know anyone in the royal guard, sorry.” She swung the horse’s head between them, and Nocturne’s body followed, blocking her from the large men.
The closest one reached up and grabbed the reins on the other side of Nocturne’s head. “I said, we’re taking this horse. And Roch wants you with him.”
Fear made Bella bold, and she gripped the saddle horn and yelled, “Yah!”
Nocturne responded like the well-trained steed he was, leaping immediately into a canter.
But...something...was...wrong....
The world smeared around them as Bella dangled from the pommel at the speed with which Nocturne moved. The ruffian screamed as his feet flapped in the wind.
Bella gripped the pommel harder in her left hand, stretched for the cantle with her right, and managed to get her left foot into the stirrup.
She hoisted herself into the seat as each of Nocturne’s strides carried them a mile at a time.
With one foot in the stirrup, she used her leverage and kicked the man repeatedly in the stomach and then the elbow to no affect.
Nocturne whipped his head around and bit the man in the shoulder until he screamed and released the reins.
The ruffian continued screaming as he fell, but even as Bella turned her head to watch him tumble, he was already out of sight.
“Good boy, Nocturne!” She gave him a sound patting on his neck as she claimed the empty stirrup with her right foot.
Now free of the additional weight, and with Bella properly seated, Nocturne snorted and lowered his head, his strides lengthening, covering leagues instead of mere miles.
Ponds and forests and towns and cities passed by in blurs.
A moment of panic struck: how would she know where she was at such speeds?
She leaned over and patted Nocturne’s neck. “I shall need you to keep to the road if we can. When we reach the river, I shall slow you down, alright?”
One ear flicked back, and Bella took that as a sign he understood. She recalled maps she had seen showing a river that flowed beside the road for leagues south of her town, so once they reached that, at this speed, she calculated that they would be a mere hour from home.
Seeing people on the road was rare; whether they were truly few and far between, or whether Nocturne’s unfathomable speed made all invisible, she knew not.
All she knew was that they had no issues.
Nocturne even stopped for a drink, and Bella took the moment to stretch, and yet, when they resumed their pace, the miles melted away behind them again.
“What a wondrous gift!” she exclaimed, patting Nocturne’s neck in appreciation. “I shall have to find a gift of equal value in thanks when we return.”
She assumed she would return. She desperately wished to see Albert, um, Riven again, and help him break his curse. She wanted to make the world a better place, and cleaning up that pond and giving him back his life was a great starting point.
She refused to think of how she might feel upon viewing him in his human form.
A few hours later, Bella caught glimpses of the river through the trees and gave a wee pull on the reins.
Nocturne slowed from a gallop to a canter, then a trot.
While the miles still fell away, she was able to discern more at this speed.
She recognized the mansion she’d passed on her way to her maternal grandparents’ home, the parklike grounds where her father took her for a festival, the looming hill with the statue on it, and the giant boat anchored in the middle of the lake.
When the mountains came into view, Bella slowed the horse even more.
Now each step covered a half mile, and soon enough, she was in her village.
She urged Nocturne forward with her seat, taking her to the other side of the village within a second.
“Home,” she said as she slid to the icy ground. She tied him tightly to the post beside the water trough and kissed him on the nose. “Thank you for carrying me so safely today.”
He nibbled her sleeve in reply.
She raised her chin, tossed back her shoulders, and hoped for the best. She opened the door to her home and called, “Papa?”
His cough alerted her to his position behind her home’s central fireplace. “Bella?”
She raced into the kitchen area and threw her arms around him. “You made it home from that beast’s castle! Are you ill? How are you feeling?”
“Bella!” He hugged her tightly before pushing her out to arms’ length. “You’ve been gone almost a week! How did you escape?”
She exhaled a laugh. “It is a long, long story. Do you need me to call the healer? I heard you coughing.”
“Mair took good care of me when I returned, and I am getting better. Widow Hilli noticed you did not come to market, so she brought me bread and eggs and some cheese.”
Relief swept powerfully through Bella at the kindness of their neighbors, so much so that she grabbed the chair at the table and collapsed into it. “Oh, Papa, I am so relieved, and so very glad to be home.” She brushed her arms, just now realizing how cold she was.
Her father noticed and hooked her elbow, leading her from the kitchen chair to one by the fireplace. He then wrapped a blanket over her shoulders and patted it into place before pulling up another chair. He angled it to face her. “Tell me what happened.”
She did. She told him about the shaking tower, landing in a second tower in southern France, Albert the frog, Henriette, Prince Riven, confronting the king and queen, Prince Riven’s quandary, the magic sugar cube journey, and Prince Riven’s kindness and generosity.
“He sounds like quite the fellow.”
She looked down, fiddling with the material of her new kirtle.
“He is, Papa. He has been nothing but kind and honorable to me, with no expectation of reciprocity whatsoever. I... I have never met a better man in my life. I so fervently wish him to be free of this undeserved curse and feel so bad for him, Papa. He’s trapped there, and when I left, not even his mother had bothered to come looking for him. ”
“That does not bode well for his future, I fear,” he said with full regret. “I am sorry, Bella. It is clear you care for him.”
She felt her cheeks warm. “I did what I could, but it does not feel like enough.”
Her papa nodded. “He is burdened with a terrible curse, which is not something you need to get tangled with. You have plenty of young men here to occupy your time that are not so unfortunate.”
She grumbled inwardly. “No, they are just unfortunate in the ways of manners, intelligence, and kindness.”
Her father shot her a warning look. “Do not be too prideful, Bella. The men in this town prefer simple wives.”
“And yet, I find I have no desire for a simple husband.”
It was the same old argument, only this time, Bella’s recent adventure gave her new appreciation for what the world truly held. Prince Riven may not truly be able to marry a peasant girl such as herself, but perhaps he could recommend a similar man for her to wed, one cut of the same cloth as he.
The thought did not hold as much appeal as she hoped.
Her papa studied her for a moment, perhaps seeing her in a new light. “What would end this prince’s curse?
“He would need to bring the pond back to its former state, but it is loaded with garbage.”
He harumphed. “It would be a lifetime’s accomplishment to clean an entire pond.”
“Accomplishment!” Her eyes lit with an idea. “Papa! You said walking along the pond bottom was your greatest accomplishment. You used a pump to move air to you.”
“Yes?” His brows lowered, not following.
“Can we pump out the pond’s contaminated water with a similar contraption? Then we could remove the garbage at the bottom and burn it. All of it.”
“It would take a week to dry out enough to burn.”
“Bury it, then, in a deep pit.”
He considered her answer. “We could dig deeper once it is cleared to encourage fresh water to leach back in.”
“Ponds naturally fill back in, correct?”
“Usually, yes, either by a waterway or the groundwater.”
Despite her exhaustion, all Bella wanted to do was return to Riven’s pond with a solution. “How fast can you make a pump? One stout enough to drain a pond?”
“Slow yourself, Bella. I am in no condition to travel.”
“Maybe not yet, but soon you will be. What then?”
He thought for a moment. “I believe I can make it with supplies on site if I had money to buy them.” He spread his hands. “Mair’s healing tonic claimed the last of my spare coin.”
Bella smiled. “Fear not, for I have enough.” She jiggled the coins Riven gave her in proof, making her papa’s eyes widen.
“Where did you get that? And how?”
“A competition,” she rattled off, hoping he did not see the lie behind her words. “I outsmarted three others for this bounty. Are you not glad now of my cleverness?”
“I admit to having mixed feelings, but I am grateful you won.” His eyes remained fixated on her purse.
She glanced out the window, where a coating of snow glistened on the horse’s back.
Would Nocturne be able to handle two long rides a day apart?
She had not mentioned the second cube after seeing her father fixate on the coin purse.
For some reason, she kept it secret. “Nocturne needs shelter. Food. Rest. As do you. As you pointed out, you are in no state to travel.”
Her comment was greeted with a fresh round of coughing. “I am fine. But yes, that horse needs stabling. Are you warm enough to bring him to the barn?”
She nodded, though the heat had not yet fully warmed her.
Still, the communal barn was not far. She put her coin purse on her desk in her corner of their square hut.
When she saw the frost gathering on the window above her desk, she pulled a fresh pair of warm gloves from the drawer.
She set the box with the sugar cube on her desk, then thought better of it and returned it to her pocket, patting it into place.
She then donned her father’s coat—hers had been lost at the beast’s castle—and tugged on a knit cap to head outside.
She collected Nocturne’s reins and held his eye.
“No more long steps now, you hear? We are exactly where we need to be. See that barn?” She indicated it with her chin. “That is where you shall be stabled. Are you fit to walk a normal pace?”
One steamy puff of air escaped his nostrils.
“Let’s move, then,” Bella said, preparing to drop the reins if the world blurred around her.
But it did not. They plodded up the stony path, between the square stone homes, and Nocturne stood quietly as she hauled open the barn door.
No ostler or royal caretakers here—just villagers coming and going.
She found an empty stall and led the horse into it, then filled his buckets with grain and water before removing his gear to give him a good brushing.
An old blanket hung on the back wall, tattered and mouse chewed, but Bella retrieved it and flopped it over his back.
“Probably the poorest item you’ve ever worn, but I do not wish you to get a chill. You made a two-week journey in mere hours!” He nickered in appreciation, and Bella patted his neck and smiled. “Such a brave, smart, and hale horse you are.”
He whinnied, making her smile.
Bella trailed her palm down his neck and headed home, her thoughts filled with the Frog Prince, her heart heavy with missing him.