Chapter 7
Third Week of Faire: Fantasy Weekend
“I think we have a branding problem.” Lilian sighed as another gaggle of corset clad women walked by. They were exactly her type of customer; each styled beautifully for the faire with elf ears, stylish boots, and flowing dresses. But they didn’t even glance their way.
It was Fantasy Weekend, a weekend she’d been sure would bring some attention to her bookstore. Just to be sure, she’d put all the fantasy novels at half price. They’d sold only two so far.
Lilian watched the patrons closely as they traveled down the beaten path, trying to figure out where they might be going wrong.
Margo nodded. “The show should help with that.”
“Yeah, but the problem is we’re one yellow cottage in a sea of buildings. Look at Russ,” Lilian said, pointing toward their neighbor. “He has dresses on display and pictures of his commissioned work on a display table. We need something like that.”
Margo’s eyes lit up. “Something to catch their eye?”
“Yeah,” Lilian said. “Our sign is a good start, but we need something more.”
“Well, that’s an easy problem to solve.”
“It is?”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, both contemplating their options. “A table?” Lilian suggested finally. “One with books that are buy one get one free? It would help free up more shelf space.”
“Maybe.” Margo looked doubtful, her eyes roaming over the walls of their cottage. “We might also need more interior decor. The books are nice and all, but they don’t really hold attention.”
Lilian took another look around the shop, heart sinking. She’d been so proud of it when they had first set everything up. She still was proud of it. But after walking past all the other shops earlier in the week, it was hard not to notice that hers looked… well, immature.
Margo wasn’t wrong. The interior felt bare. The counter held nothing but the iPad for processing orders. The two largest walls were taken up by bookshelves, but the entire back wall sat empty and awkward. The place could use a rug. Maybe some flowers. Something to make it feel finished.
Vendors like Russ had their shop brand down to a science.
They knew exactly what items sold well, which ones to advertise on display, and which ones would appeal to certain customers.
Now that she thought about it, the other vendors all kept to their themes.
The pirate shops had nets, flags, and other piratey things lying about.
The Viking shops had runes and furs. In comparison, her shop was a bookstore without any real personality.
That was a death kiss at the Ren Faire, where personality was everything.
They had to do more.
“All right. I’ll think of some things for interior decoration. In the meantime, can I put you in charge of curb appeal?”
Margo rubbed her hands together excitedly. “Curb appeal. Got it.”
“Nothing too crazy.” The rules were strict about what they could and couldn’t do to the cottages for decor. No new paint without management approval. No permanent fixtures. No damages.
“I’m going on break,” Margo announced, a new flash of determination in her eye. “And while I’m out, I’ll spy on our competition. See if I can get any ideas.”
“Stay out of trouble. We’re already on the king’s shit list. We don’t want him to kick us out completely.”
Margo waved her off. “I promise. I’ll be good.”
Lilian sighed, thumbing open a copy of The Raven King as she waited for the day to pass.
It was one of the perks of the job. While she didn’t always adhere to the no phone rule, she was more than happy to play the role of quiet booklover while waiting for customers.
Rereading one of her all-time favorite books wasn’t a terrible way to spend the day.
At least she got to read at the faire instead of the bookstore.
As always, it didn’t take long for The Raven King to suck her in.
She’d lost count of the number of times she’d read the series.
Each time, she was sure the magic would fade, but there was always something new to discover.
A foreshadowed line that she hadn’t noticed before.
A reaction that suddenly had new meaning.
Tabitha Nightingale had been a master storyteller.
She was at one of the best parts. The Raven King was hosting a meeting with the villains of the story, the Claws, a group of carnivorous creatures.
Creatures who held humans captive, forced weaker animals to be their servants, and ruled with threats of blood and violence.
It was the first time the heroine, Penelope, realized the threat lurking in the Great Oak.
Lilian’s eyes darted over the words as the scene played out in her mind. She didn’t notice when shadows passed by her doorway until it was too late.
“Hello?”
Lilian jumped when she realized she’d almost missed a customer. She quickly slid one of Margo’s bookmarks between the pages. “Welcome to Bodice and Brawn. How may I help… you?”
She froze.
The woman standing in the doorway looked familiar. Round cheeks. Short stature. Something about her smile tugged at her memory. It took a second, then it clicked.
“Your Majesty?”
Queen Rothbury wasn’t dressed like a queen. Gone were the heavy skirts and layers of brocade. Instead, she wore a simple dress and bodice, muted and practiced. A demure headdress covered most of her striking red hair, making her appear like any other peasant.
The queen smiled and lifted a hand. “Please, no need for that in here. I’m not dressed like royalty. See?”
“I do…” Lilian said slowly. Her mind reeled with a thousand questions. Too many to choose from. She went with the simplest one. “Why?”
“Well, I can’t go anywhere without a damn parade when I’m the queen,” she said with a puff of indignation. “Sometimes, when my ladies-in-waiting go on their lunch breaks, I change into peasant clothes and explore.”
Lilian stared as the explanation sank in.
Holy shit. Their Renaissance queen was doing the royalty-in-disguise trope.
“Do other people know about this?” The words slipped out before she could stop them. Did the king know? How was she just now finding out about this?
The queen grinned. “Of course. I’ve worked with some of these people for years! The guests don’t realize, and that’s the important part.” She gave a quick wink, then glanced around the shop. “I told you I’d be back, didn’t I?”
“You did.”
“It took a little bit. I started all the way by the jousting arena and stopped at some shops along the way. I’ll admit I didn’t realize you were so far back here. I might have gotten a little lost.”
“Lost?” Lilian’s heart sank. If the queen of the faire had a hard time finding her, what did that mean for potential guests?
“Don’t worry. I found you; that’s the important part.”
She watched as the queen gravitated to the wall of romance novels, eyes hungry. “Oh, you have a lovely selection here. I’ve never seen this one, and it's been years since I read this.”
Lilian came to see which paperbacks the queen was pulling off. Most were older novels with medieval knights, but now, the woman’s attention seemed to linger on the bottom shelf, where Lilian had stashed all the romantasy novels. “I’m not as familiar with these ones.”
“Those are some of my favorites.” Lilian beamed.
“This one is a great one to start off with, especially if you like the older novels. It’s the original romantasy, before the genre grew in popularity.
It's a completed series, so you don’t have to wait for the next one to come out.
You can come back here and grab another if you like it. ”
“You are speaking my language.” The queen laughed.
“It’s so hard when you start a series that isn’t finished yet.
” She plucked one of the last hardcovers of The Raven King and added it to the pile.
After that, she went over to the other side of the store and grabbed a novel by Robin Hobb from the shelf.
“All right, I think that’s enough damage for now. ”
Damage was right. She had five books total. In one brief visit, she’d become the most profitable sale Lilian had seen in weeks. “Thank you for stopping by. Really, it was great talking to you.”
“Of course, dear.” The queen smiled, and when she did, it reminded Lilian so much of her mother.
She didn’t have any of the pretentious attitude that seemed to exude from her husband and son.
How was it that such a sweet lady had given birth to a stick-in-the-mud like Hawk?
“I love that you’re here. I think it brings something extra fun to our faire. ”
“Really?” Lilian smiled, but it was tense. She already knew the queen had vouched for her little shop, but that didn’t seem to change the opinions of the other royal men.
“Oh, yes,” she gushed. “This is so nice. I feel like I never have a chance to go to the bookstore these days. They are magical places, just like this faire. When people walk into them, they feel something.”
Oh. Her heart trembled a little at the words. In three years, this was the most she’d ever spoken with Janelle Carlisle, but she vowed then and there that she would help the woman bury a body if she asked.
“And you know…” Her voice dipped into a conspiratorial whisper as she gave a cursory look around. “When I was younger, people weren’t so open about… sex. These books really rocked my world, if you know what I mean.”
Lilian smashed her lips to smother a smile. “My mom said the same thing.”
“Did she, now? I’ve always believed romance novels give great insight into the fantasies of our society. And I am all for it. This is our fantasy world.” The queen waved a hand at the faire outside. “We can make it whatever we want it to be.”
“I love that,” Lilian said, handing the woman her purchase. She considered if it would be inappropriate to confide in the queen. A woman who owned the faire, who was technically her boss. Did she know about the Reject Woods? Did she know the king hated the shop?