Chapter 3
Chapter 3
As they drove down the picturesque, snowy, winding, tree-lined, mountain road, Kaylie kept holding her phone up, trying to get a cell phone signal. She’d promised Bob she’d text him when she arrived, but she wasn’t getting any signal at all.
She saw Thomas watching her in his rear-view mirror.
“I’m having a hard time getting a signal,” she explained.
“That’s because cell service is pretty spotty around here, especially after a storm,” Thomas said as he slowed down to take a sharp curve around a mountain.
“Around here being?” Kaylie asked, still trying to figure out where she was. “Where are we exactly? What mountains are those?”
Thomas looked amused. “We’ll be there soon.”
Kaylie nodded. At this point, she wasn’t surprised by him also dodging her questions.
She put down her phone and peered out the window. She tried to catch a glimpse of her surroundings, but she couldn’t see anything past a thick forest of trees.
Kaylie felt like she was in a winter wonderland. All around her, everything was white and sparkling with fresh snow. Icicles in all shapes and sizes were hanging off of snow-covered tree branches, and every once in a while, a ray of sunshine would make it through the clouds, illuminating everything.
When they finally drove out of the forest, Kaylie’s breath was taken away when she saw a magical lake in front of them that was glittering gold with the reflection of Christmas lights coming from a charming village. The village was made up of brick buildings and winding cobblestone streets. All along the lake there were lit-up Christmas trees decorated with bright red ornaments. Even the boat dock was decorated with Christmas wreaths and garland. But the real showstopper was the magnificent castle on the hillside, overlooking the lake, that was lit up with white twinkle lights, looking like something right out of a fairy tale.
“Wow,” Kaylie whispered, blinking several times to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. But when she opened her eyes, the village and castle were still there, looking more enchanting than ever.
Not caring that it was still snowing and freezing, she quickly put down her window and started taking pictures with her phone.
“That’s Swan’s Gate Castle. It was built in the 1600s. It’s our crown jewel in Tolvania,” Thomas said with pride.
“Tolvania?” Kaylie questioned.
“We’re a very small sovereign state,” Thomas said with a smile. “This is where I grew up. This is my home.”
“It’s beautiful,” Kaylie said. “Like something out of a storybook. Can you visit the castle? Is it a museum? I’d love to get a look inside.”
Thomas shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not. It’s not a museum.”
“That’s too bad,” Kaylie said. “Maybe while I’m here I can get some more pictures from the outside.”
Thomas nodded. “Maybe.”
Excited, Kaylie scrolled through the photos she just took. She was happy to see she’d gotten a few great shots that captured the dreamlike way the Christmas lights from the village reflected off the lake.
In her sixth-grade photography class, she’d been told she had an eye for finding the light and a gift for framing pictures. She had always loved trying to find the best way to capture what she was seeing and feeling.
She could still remember the day she’d come running home from school and had announced to her parents and sister that she wanted to be a photographer. She wanted to travel the world and tell stories with her photographs.
Her family had thought it was a great idea. Her parents had always encouraged her to go after her dreams, whatever those dreams might be, and from that day on, she had become the family photographer, taking pictures of anything and everything she could find.
Her love of photography had also been inspired by her time spent with her grandma, Patricia, who loved to travel. She smiled, remembering how they’d spend hours together going over old issues of National Geographic magazines at the library. She had been just eight years old when they’d started to keep a special journal together. They had called it their Someday Trips where they’d write down all the places they found in the magazines that they wanted to visit someday and take their own pictures of. They continued to add things to the journal all the way up to the week before her grandma had passed away. Kaylie had been a freshman in college.
The fact that they had never had a chance to take one of those Someday Trips together was one of Kaylie’s biggest regrets. They always thought they had time and would do the trips when she was on a summer break, or after graduating college. When her grandma had suddenly passed away, Kaylie was heartbroken. She had never looked at their journal again. She’d also changed her career course, deciding that being a foreign photojournalist wasn’t very realistic because there were so few jobs. She had put away her cameras and her photography dreams. She switched her major to broadcast journalism and focused on being a TV reporter, where someone else like Rachel would capture the images and she would just write the stories.
“And we’re here,” Thomas announced as he slowed down the car, bringing Kaylie out of her reminiscing.
When Kaylie looked up from the castle pictures on her phone, she was stunned to find they had pulled up to the castle’s massive front door.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean I wanted to get pictures right now of the castle,” Kaylie rushed to explain. “We can keep going.”
Thomas got out and opened her door for her. “We have arrived.”
“But I’m supposed to be meeting the family I’m interviewing,” Kaylie said, not budging.
“Yes,” Thomas said. “This is where I was told to drop you off.”
Kaylie’s eyes grew huge as she got out of the car. “This is where I’m meeting them? Well, that’s cool. I guess it makes sense. They also want to show off your crown jewel.”
Kaylie, in awe, started taking pictures of the impressive entryway with its massive twenty-foot double-sided wood-carved door. On each side of the door were two beautifully decorated Christmas trees that had white twinkling lights, red velvet ribbons, and red and gold glass ornaments. On the door itself was a huge wreath. It was covered with pretty pinecones, bright red holly berries, and was topped off with another lovely red velvet bow.
Kaylie admired the brass door knocker that had two swans’ necks arching toward each other, creating a heart. “This must go with the name of the castle, Swan’s Gate. Nice,” she said to herself. She was just about to knock when the door suddenly opened.
Staring back at Kaylie was a cute ten-year-old girl who had a very curious but stern look on her face.
Kaylie, smiling, bent down so she was eye to eye with the little girl.
“Well, hello there,” Kaylie said in a cheerful voice. “Who might you be?”
The little girl studied Kaylie and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “The princess,” the little girl said, tilting her chin up proudly.
“I see,” Kaylie said as she fought back a laugh. She was getting a kick out of how serious the girl was about playing her make-believe game.
“And you are?” the little girl asked in a voice that sounded much older than she was.
Kaylie grinned back at her. She was ready to play along. “Well, if you’re the princess, then how about if I’m the queen?”
The little girl frowned. “No.”
“Because I’m afraid that role is already taken,” a woman’s voice said behind the little girl.
This time Kaylie did laugh out loud. She was loving how everyone was getting in on the royal ruse.
As the door opened wider, Kaylie got her first glimpse of the woman standing behind the child. Kaylie guessed she was in her sixties. The woman looked flawless in her stylish winter-white pantsuit. She smiled back at Kaylie.
“You must be Miss Karlyle,” the woman said with a polite smile.
“I am,” Kaylie said, excited. “But you can just call me Kaylie. Are you”—Kaylie checked her phone where she had her notes written down—“Isabella? That’s the only name I have for the family I’m supposed to meet. I hope I’m in the right place?”
“You are,” the woman said, smiling back at her. “I’m Isabella.”
Kaylie quickly held out her hand. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
Kaylie saw the little girl’s eyes grow huge. When the woman didn’t take her hand, Kaylie, embarrassed, quickly dropped it, realizing too late that handshakes must not be a custom here.
“It is our pleasure to meet you, too,” the woman said and looked down at the little girl. But the little girl wasn’t smiling. She was looking Kaylie up and down like she was dissecting her from head to toe.
Kaylie squirmed under the scrutiny. She hated to admit she was starting to feel a little intimated by the child. This was by far the most somber little girl she had ever seen. The girl’s perfectly tailored navy-blue pants and matching jacket looked more like something you’d find on an adult going for a business interview.
The girl looked up at Isabella. “She’s the queen.”
“Oh, right, sure,” Kaylie said, hoping to win the child over. She winked at the girl.
She could totally play this game. “Let’s see,” Kaylie said with a thoughtful smile. “If she’s the queen and you’re the princess, then maybe I can be a duchess or a countess, I’m not really sure the difference.”
“No, you can’t,” the little girl said with authority.
“What’s going on here?” a stern male voice behind Kaylie had her jumping before she turned around.
“You!” she exclaimed. She couldn’t believe it. She was staring into the eyes of the same gorgeous guy she’d seen at the airport and had literally fallen into his lap. His green eyes flashed a warning that had Kaylie stepping back. He was even more handsome than she remembered, but right now all he was looking was annoyed.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded.
Isabella’s perfectly-shaped eyebrows arched up. “You two have met?”
The little girl watched the adults, looking more intrigued by the second.
“No,” Kaylie said.
“Yes,” the man said.
They stared at each other before Kaylie turned to Isabella. “We didn’t officially meet, but I accidentally tried to take his car at the airport.”
The little girl did not look pleased, but Isabella was smiling.
“Really,” Isabella said with a laugh. “That had to be interesting.”
The man took a step toward Kaylie. “You still haven’t answered my question. Who are you?”
Kaylie stood up straight and met his stare. “I’m Kaylie Karlyle from New York City, and you are?”
“The prince,” the little girl answered for him. When the girl walked over to him, he relaxed for the first time and leaned down and gave the little girl a heartfelt hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Kaylie shook her head, impressed. “Wow, you all really take this royal role-playing to a whole new level. Okay, I’m game.” She did a silly mock bow to the prince. “Your highness, it’s my greatest honor to meet you.” She started laughing.
There was an awkward silence when no one else laughed.
The man walked past Kaylie into the castle and stood next to Isabella, giving her an incredulous look. “Mother, what is going on here? Who is she and why is she here?”
The little girl looked at Kaylie. “Father, don’t be mad. She’s American, from New York City, she doesn’t know any better. Right, Grandmother?”
The queen, still smiling, nodded. “That’s right, my darling, I’m afraid she doesn’t.”
Kaylie waved her hands. “Uh, hello. You know I am right here. I can hear you. I don’t really know what’s going on here, but I was just trying to play along…”
“Play along?” the man asked, confused. “Play along with what?”
Kaylie pointed at the little girl. “She said she was a princess.” She pointed at Isabella. “And that you were the queen.” Kaylie turned to the man. “And that you were the prince.” Kaylie laughed. “Obviously, our little princess here is playing make-believe. I mean, we are in a castle, so I get it.”
“Make-believe?” the man asked, confused. He turned to Isabella. “She’s kidding, right?”
Isabella simply shrugged. The little girl did an identical shrug.
As he raked his fingers through his thick, wavy hair, he gave them both a disapproving look. “Seriously, you two are incorrigible.”
Isabella stepped forward. “Miss Karlyle, I am sorry for the confusion. Let me formally introduce you to my family. This is my son, Prince Alexander, and my granddaughter, Princess Anna…”
“And my mother is the queen, Queen Isabella,” Prince Alexander interrupted as he locked eyes with a stunned Kaylie.
The queen nodded. “And this is our home, Swan’s Gate Castle, and we are officially known as the Royal Family of Tolvania.”
Kaylie’s mouth dropped open. “No! Shut the front door!”
“Shut the front door?” the queen asked looking confused.
Kaylie hurried to explain. “It’s an American saying, like you’re kidding, no way, for real…”
“We’re real,” Princess Anna chirped in. “Aren’t we, Father?”
The prince locked eyes with Kaylie. “Very real.”
Kaylie shivered, but not just from the cold.
A handsome caramel-colored dog, a Vizsla, ran up and sat down next to the princess. He gazed up at the princess with adoring sweet brown eyes.
“And this is Blixen, my dog, he’s real, too,” the princess said as she petted him.
Kaylie smiled and held out her hand to Blixen. He stepped forward, sniffed it, gave her a once over, seemed to approve, then happily licked her hand. Kaylie was charmed. “His name is Blixen. Blixen, like the reindeer?”
“Yes,” Anna replied, as she gave Blixen a big hug.
“What a wonderful name,” Kaylie said as she scratched behind his ears. He wagged his tail, looking like he was loving it.
The corner of Princess Anna’s lips twitched. It was the closest thing to a smile that Kaylie had seen from her.
The queen opened the door wide. “Well, before we…shut the front door, please come in, Miss Karlyle. I will explain everything.”
As Kaylie entered the castle, the prince turned to the queen. “Mother, I’m also looking forward to you explaining everything.”