Chapter 18
Despite the ache in her heart, Bella was determined to break Riven’s curse.
She’d made a promise and still intended to keep it.
Yes, it hurt he had not professed his love for her in return, but that did not make him unworthy of help.
She rode directly for the castle, intending to visit her friend inside the outer bailey walls, but she was stopped by the sight of a large magpie waiting by the road.
“Bouleau? Is that you?”
“Bella. There is treasure in the woods.”
She paused and considered her options. “Actually, there is treasure at the pond.” She pointed to where Riven was stuck, then reached into her purse and pulled out a shiny penny, which she tossed to him. “Can you round up strong men and send them to the pond to dig?”
Bouleau picked up the coin in his beak, turned his head to study her with one eye, then nodded and flew away.
“Was that a yes?” she called after him, but the bird made no reply.
“Fickle, fickle bird,” she muttered, patting Nocturne’s neck as she turned back toward the castle. She rode to Henriette’s shop and found her friend deep in a novel.
“Friend!” she said by way of announcing her presence.
Henriette gasped with pleasure upon seeing her and raced from behind her counter to hug her. “Bella! You look wonderful. You’ve returned already?”
“I have. Pray tell me: have you gone to the pond?”
“I have. I truly believed you jested, but Prince Riven was there, just as you said.”
Despair bubbled inside Bella. “It appears none have come to help him.”
“Well, I went to the pub where the prince told me to look for his servant, Phillippe. I instructed the barkeep to send him to the pond.”
“I wonder if he followed through?”
“He must have, for the prince left me a coin in payment as promised.”
“Well, that is even more troubling. Why has his servant not aided his master? I was just at the pond, and no one is helping.”
“I know not.”
Bella held Henriette’s hands and allowed the despair of the day to overtake her. “My friend, I fear I have made the biggest of mistakes.”
“What? How?”
Bella slumped against the counter. “I was to be married today, to an odious man who does not even like me. I ran away and professed my love to Riven, but he told me to go home.”
“He didn’t! Oh, you poor thing!” A tight hug followed.
Bella nodded on Henriette’s shoulder, then pulled away.
“My heart aches as never it has, so I know my feelings for Riven are true. I cannot let him suffer his fate. I must help him, and not just because I promised—I will grieve forever if ill befalls him. Yet I know no one here but you and feel impotent in my attempts to reverse his curse.”
Henriette considered her. “I guess you do yearn for a love match, oui? Else you would not be so torn.”
Bella felt her lips curl. “Oui, I do. At least, with him.”
“And you have never seen his face? His likeness on a portrait?”
She shook her head. “I know him by his kindness only. That alone makes me love him, for never have I met a man like him.”
“Well, Miss Bella Schaus, I would be a terrible friend if I kept you from the man you love.” She smirked, her eyes alight with mischief. “Besides, you gave me a wonderful idea. Come.” She led Bella by the hand into a smelly back room, where a dozen barrels were stacked.
“I have been selling the pond water to my competitors, as suggested. I hope it’s removal will help the prince.”
“Every little bit will help at this point.”
Now Henriette peered at her. “Have you made no other acquaintances in town? None that could help?”
Bella considered her interactions. The guard who said her neck would stretch might assist if she placed more coins in his hands, but that was no guarantee. Then she gasped. “The boy!”
“What boy?”
“The one who was glad I helped get his favorite horse honorably buried.” Bella looked outside. “But I dare not ride Nocturne to the stable—not after what Riven warned. Might you be able to help me?”
Henriette held her eyes for a moment. “It is not like I am making any money on clothes these days. Let us go see what we can accomplish.”
Bella watched as Henriette grabbed her keys and locked the door.
Bella untethered Nocturne from the post and walked him.
When they approached the crossroad that led out of the castle, Bella pulled the animal’s head to hers and looked into his eyes.
“I need you to go to the pond, where your master is. Think you can watch over Riven as you did me?”
Bella thought he might have nodded.
“Good boy.” She kissed him on his bony nose, tied the reins to his saddle horn so he wouldn’t trip, and gave him a swat on the rump to get him going. “Go take care of your prince.”
The horse bobbed his head and moved from a walk to a jaunty trot, then flat out cantered in the direction of the pond.
“Do you think he understood you?”
Bella smiled. “I would be surprised if he did not.” She locked elbows with her friend, and together they headed for the stables.
The young boy she sought was found hauling a cart of manure to a large refuse pile on the edge of a large paddock. Bella raced over to him, waving to get his attention. The boy stopped shoveling and looked at her.
“Hi. Remember me?”
He nodded.
“My name is Bella. What is yours?”
“Victurn.”
“Victurn, your prince needs help. He is trapped in the pond where your ostler was going to sink Dignitè. We need to get people to drain the pond so we can clean it. They will be paid,” she added, feeling that without compensation, the task would never begin.
“Think you able to round up strong men like yourself to help?”
He held her eyes and nodded.
“Excellent. Tell them to bring shovels, buckets, nets, ropes—anything to dig and haul.”
He nodded again and raced away from the stable, down the main street into town.
“Well, there is only one other person I can think of who might help.”
“Oui? Who might that be?”
Bella took a fortifying breath. “His mother, the queen.”
Henriette raised a hand to her mouth, likely to capture her laugh. “I shall gladly wait for you outside.”
––––––––
A NEW GUARD GREETED her, this one much kinder.
When she informed him she had news of the prince and wished to speak with the queen, she was quickly ushered inside to a waiting room.
A long time passed in which servants delivered her tea, biscuits, and even tiny cucumber sandwiches.
The smallness of the sandwiches reminded Bella of slipping meat to Riven in his bucket at the pub. The thought made her sad.
A servant entered and announced the queen’s arrival, so Bella stood and curtsied for the woman.
“Do sit,” the queen said as a servant raced over and poured her some tea. “Oh, ‘tis you.”
“Oui, Your Majesty. I came to ask if you had sent anyone to the pond as I suggested.”
“No. The king found your tale to be filled with mummery and therefore baseless.”
“I am sorry to hear that, Ma’am. I do tell the truth.”
“How do I know that you are not lying?” she charged.
Bella regarded her for a moment. “Your son told me that he wanted to create a university where all can attend, but that his father said to wait his turn. He told me Poisson knocked him off his pony when he was four and he cut his ear, which is why one lays flatter to his head than the other.”
“Poisson? He used that name?”
“He said that is what you called his half-brother.”
“Luc had such a fish-face as a little boy,” the queen said, one side of her mouth curling. “We only called him that in private.”
Bella held her tongue, hoping the queen might now believe her.
That woman looked around, saw they were alone, and said, “I shall send a man out to the pond anon to verify your claim. If you have lied to your queen....”
Bella understood the threat and immediately shook her head. “I have not lied, Ma’am. I only want your son to be saved. He is a kind and generous man and does not deserve such fate.”
To that, the queen only regarded her. “You have an interesting accent. Where do you live, Ms. Schaus?”
“Luxembourg.”
That clearly surprised her. “Are you here visiting family?”
“No,” she breathed out a laugh. “The tale of my arrival is as odd as the tale of your son being cursed into a frog. I had no plans to come here. In fact, I was trying to rescue my father when I wound up here.” She shook her head, still trying to comprehend the manner in which she arrived.
One lovely brow on the queen’s forehead arched. “Tell me, Ms. Schaus, are you in the habit of rescuing men?”
Bella laughed, sensing a tease and hoping she was right. “No, Ma’am. This is quite new, I assure you.”
The queen did smile then, though it was more of a warming in her eyes than a grin. “You seem to be quite adamant about accomplishing this goal. Why don’t you join me in twenty minutes for a turn about the gardens? If your tale of my son is true—”
“It is.”
“Then we shall conspire together on a rescue mission, with a few of my soldiers present. What say you?”
Bella beamed. “I am fully on board with that.”
––––––––
BELLA HAD BARELY HAD time to walk outside and alert Henriette about the queen’s invitation when a guard raced into the castle, a look of worry on his visage. Bella exchanged a glance with Henriette, and seconds later, Bella was again summoned by the queen, who met her at the door.
“Quick. We shall take my carriage.” She pointed at the black lacquered splendor rolling around the corner, pulled by a team of matching black horses.
“Where are we going?”
“To the pond,” the queen barked, and Bella grabbed Henriette’s hand and yanked her into the carriage to join them.
“This is my friend, the seamstress Henriette Leboux, who I mentioned has found a better way to dye clothes.”
“Nice to meet you,” the queen uttered, but her gaze was ahead, where the pond was.
“May I ask why we are in such a hurry?”
The queen looked at her then. “It appears word has spread that there is treasure at the pond. If my son is truly a frog, and I offered a crown for his return, why, they could easily kill him fighting over him or trying to capture him for the reward.”
Guilt crawled up Bella’s throat. She had told Bouleau that there was treasure at the pond. Was this chaos her fault?
“Drive faster!” the queen demanded, and the horses picked up speed to the crack of a whip.
When they arrived, dozens of men were already there, hauling away rubbish and filth from the shoreline. And one hundred more spilled out in orderly fashion from the castle, each team of horses pulling a cart, while well-dressed servants walked alongside.
“Phillippe leads them,” the queen said, a note of puzzlement in her voice.
“Prince Riven’s servant?”
“Yes. What is that?” the queen asked, pointing with her chin toward the large tower in the pond’s center.
“That is Prince Riven’s castle. He made it himself from the items that had sunk.”
“He... built that?”
“With his own two hands,” Bella added, proudly backing him up.
“It’s... huge.”
“It is a castle fit for a frog prince,” Bella said loyally.
“Indeed,” the queen whispered.
But Bella saw no sight of him, even with her hand shading the sun as she scanned the oily surface.
All three women watched the industry of the men for a moment while still seated in the carriage, then Bella followed the queen out of the conveyance to the ground.
While Riven’s mother remained formally distant from the muck, Bella knelt in the gritty sand and called, “Prince Riven? Are you here? Your mother wishes to speak to you.”
After a moment, two eyes popped out of the water mere feet away.
“Riven?” she smiled.
“You came back,” he breathed as he kicked closer to shore.
“I did.”
“I am so sorry for what I said,” he told her as he emerged, standing on his hind feet with his arms spread wide. “I did not want you to leave. You have been the best part of my life, regardless of it being spent as a frog.”
She smiled. “And you mine.”
Riven looked around, his demeanor turning somber.
“I told you to leave because I cannot have you wasting your time on me, Bella. The enchantress has given me but a week to complete the cleaning, yet the task is futile. No human can see under this water to clean it, and the bottom is riddled with waste. I am too frail in this form to haul all that which needs to be removed, and absolutely nothing will live here.”
“I was thinking we could drain the pond. My father had used fireplace bellows to draw air to breathe while he walked the pond bottom, but the bellows could also be used to siphon the water out of the pond. Once it is empty, we could all remove the waste.”
Riven shook his head. “It would take days to empty it, and longer to clean it. Even if we used multiple siphons, we have no time to clean it and refill it. The enchantress expects this pond to hold life.” He shook his head again. “’Tis beyond futile. Nothing lives here.”
Bella leaned back onto her heels and brushed off her hands, noting how dry and scratchy they were. “Nothing lives here,” she echoed as she stared at the residue on her hands. “Nothing will live here!” she exclaimed.
“Why does this make you happy?” Riven demanded.
“Because this is salt water!” She looked to Henriette, who nodded. “Salt has been dumped into this pond. It is not the pollution that has killed everything, though it certainly did not help. The water itself does not support inland life.”
He held her eyes. “What do you suggest?”
Bella looked at her companions as she determined the best way to proceed. “This pond will never be usable. I suggest we dig another one, over there,” she pointed a short distance away, “and use the soil removed to fill this one in, therefore burying the waste.”
“I shall happily take a few dozen barrels of the water,” Henriette added, “if it helps.”
Bella smiled and gave her a nod before adding, “Let us bring a man of the cloth—or better yet, a pagan priestess—here to honor the animals that have died and commend their bodies to eternal rest. The enchantress should be placated if we treat this as a burial.”
Riven’s eyes lit up. He sprung from the shallows, rolled off in the salty sand, and leapt for her face.
It took Bella a second to realize he kissed her, right on the mouth.
She closed her eyes and cradled him close, knowing it was the strangest first kiss one could ever have, but Bella would have it no other way.