Apples and Princesses (The Tales and Princesses Series Book 2) Read online

  My lip began trembling at the thought of my mother and who she was, wishing I had known her. I shook my head. I needed to focus on the time at hand.

  Father’s study was where he spent most of his time. Well, if he wasn’t drinking at the tavern. Although he did drink a lot in his study, too.

  I held a warm plate in my hands with a giant slice of steaming apple pie resting atop it as I knocked at the door. The smell made my mouth water. I hadn’t eaten yet, but I was not about to take a bite of a possibly lethal pie. I had been careful to dispose of the rest of it, in fear of an innocent bystander sneaking a taste. The rush of nerves made my legs wobble, but I tried to ignore them and forced my hands to remain still.

  “Enter!”

  I turned the cold, brass knob with my free hand and carefully stepped around the mess of books, papers, and empty bottles scattered across the room.

  “Father,” I said, “your pie.”

  He downed the final drops of a bottle of wine in his grasp and sat up straighter in his chair.

  “Put it on my desk.” He hiccupped just as soon as he stopped talking.

  I pushed aside the piles of papers in front of him, careful not to let any of it hit the floor, and set the plate in front of him.

  “Fork?” he spat.

  “Oh, I—”

  He clumsily waved away my words, too drunk to strike me. “Never mind.”

  I watched, relieved, as he still picked up the piece, seemingly unaware of the hot glaze dripping onto his hand, and bit into it. I watched in morbid curiosity as he downed bite after bite, finishing the large piece within seconds. Was it really going to work?

  My father hiccupped again and darted his eyes around the room, searching for something.

  “Do you see any other unopened wine bottles?” He hiccuped a third time.

  My shoulders fell, but I wasn’t sure if I felt relief or disappointment that the apple didn’t work. I knew that the witch had to have been lying, anyway.

  Before I could move to find more wine for my father, I heard him begin to gag.

  “Father?” I inched closer to him.

  He was grabbing at his throat, dark brown eyes bulging dangerously.

  “Help,” he choked. “Help me.”

  I stood frozen in place but was surprised to feel my lips begin to twitch in a smile. I immediately felt mortified at my quickness to feel excitement at the poison working.

  He looked at me in terror, unable to say another word as his mouth started to foam. His body convulsed violently as he tried to grab at me, knowing I had done something to him. I watched as his shaking slowed, and his limbs begin to relax until his eyes stared emptily to the ceiling.

  Chapter 4

  I ran. That is all I could do— just run. I had gathered a few travel outfits and a little bit of dried meat and fruit before I gave my father the apple pie, just in case he died.

  And he did.

  After his death, I grabbed all the money I could find in his pockets and the study and snuck out the back. Most people were asleep by the time I got out.

  I didn’t know how far I needed to go before the servants learned of my father’s demise, and my disappearance, but the fear of getting caught with my crime was enough to make me not want to be there when they did. And then I realized with a sudden feeling of pleasure that this was my chance for a fresh start, and I wasn’t going to lose that.

  I smiled as I ran, my dark blue cloak billowing behind me. I had expected the guilt of killing my father to overwhelm me, but the thrill of imagining what was to come squashed those feelings. At least in that moment.

  Looking behind my shoulder, I couldn’t see the looming image of the enormous manor shining with white stone any longer, so I decided it safe to slow down and catch my breath. The sound of crickets and wind whistling in the grass and trees surrounding me was beautiful. The stars glinted above as if winking, and the man in the moon grinned down at me.

  Tears of joy began to spill down my face, and I fell to my knees, not caring about the possible grass stains on my brown skirts. I knew I needed to keep going, but I wanted to relish in the moment. Never did I think freedom would come. From birth, I was my father’s slave— his unwanted child. He beat me, he cursed me, he hated me. I was his prisoner. And now, I was free.

  “You there!”

  I leapt up from my position and poised myself, anticipating an assault. A young man, not much older than me, stepped from behind the shadows and approached, small twigs snapping under his black boots. In his left hand, he held a small hatchet and in his right a simple, wooden bow. He shouldered the sheath of arrows on his back and glared at me.

  “What is a girl like you doing out here? And so late, might I add?”

  I held my protective stance, hand slowly reaching for the blade at my waist. As a last-minute thought, I grabbed Father’s dagger from his dead hands. I had no knowledge of how to use such a thing, but having a weapon of some sort put my mind at ease.

  “Are you gonna answer me?” he said, pointing his ax at me threateningly.

  “I’m a traveler.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Where are you going?”

  “Wherever I want to go.”

  He relaxed his hatchet arm, laughing. “That’s quite the answer, miss.” He leaned back on the broad trunk of the tree directly behind him. “Where are you coming from?”

  I squinted my eyes at him, studying his thin face. He didn’t seem to want to cause me any real harm, but I wasn’t about to tell him anything.

  He shrugged. “Whatever. Just be careful. You’re right on the border of Lord White’s land. He doesn’t take kindly to intruders.”

  I looked behind my shoulder and into the distance. I reached the outside of Father’s land? I had never actually gone outside of it— ever.

  “How do you know?” I asked. “How do you know that’s his land and that he hates intruders?”

  The boy smirked at me, dimples forming on his tan cheeks. “I’m a huntsman. Lord White has some of the best game on the entire west side of the Edistran Kingdom. One time, he caught me shooting a deer on his property, and boy, did I get an earful. And some nasty threats, mind you.”

  That sounded like my father.

  “Look, miss,” he continued, “I won’t hurt you. My name’s Nicholas Smith, but people call me Nick.”

  He inched closer to me and outstretched a gloved hand. I hesitated, but took it in my own and shook it.

  “My name’s Snow…” I paused, realizing I shouldn’t say the last name, “White.”

  He cocked his head. “Snow? Just Snow?”

  I nodded quickly, pulling my hand away from his.

  “Huh.” Nick looked down to find where he placed his hatchet, light brown bangs falling into his face. “Well, Snow, if you have nowhere to go, you’re welcome to tag along with me. I’ll warn ya, though, no comfy beds and porcelain tubs with this guy.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “I travel all over, never settling in one place. I basically camp out in the woods every night. Once in awhile, I’ll catch some good game and sell it for food and lodge, but not often.”

  Nick sheathed his hatchet’s blade and hooked it to his belt. “Last chance. You coming, or not?”

  Every instinct I had inside me screamed that it was a bad idea to follow around a strange huntsman, but after really thinking about it, I had never left the White land before in my life. How was I supposed to know where to go and how to fend for myself? I had no plan whatsoever.

  “I’m coming,” I said.

  Chapter 5

  Princess Dalia watched herself in the mirror as Aeryn situated the black veil atop her head. The fabric came over her face, hiding the pools of tears in her bright green eyes.

  She still couldn’t believe it. Her parents were dead. How could something like that happen? It was just a simple carriage ride! How had something so harmless become so deadly in only one day?

  “Your red hair really stands out wi
th the black ensemble, Princess.”

  Dalia tilted her head to the right to look at her fiery curls. “My hair always has a way of standing out at the worst times.”

  Aeryn smiled, crinkling up her tiny nose. “Don’t be silly, Your Highness. It’s beautiful.”

  Dalia sighed, slumping her shoulders. “How am I going to do it, Aeryn?”

  “Do what?”

  “Be Queen? I’m only eighteen! My parents were supposed to live for at least another decade or two!” Dalia placed her face in her hands, trying to keep from sobbing again.

  Aeryn gently lifted the Princess back up. “You’ll ruin the rouge I just put on your cheeks.”

  Dalia laughed despite herself. “Sorry.”

  “Besides, you shouldn’t think about that right now. Today is the funeral.” Aeryn stepped back to study the Princess.

  Dalia took a deep breath. “I think I’m ready.”

  Dalia stood at the front of the crowd and listened to the priest’s words. She stared at the two closed caskets before her, feeling completely numb. No one let her see the bodies, meaning they were too beat up from the accident. She still didn’t understand how it happened. Did something scare the horses, driving and rolling them into that ditch? Did a wheel come loose? All they had told her, all they had said to her: it was an accident. An unfortunate, tragic accident.

  A tear trickled down her cheek, and she tried to swallow down the lump in her throat.

  “Your Highness.”

  Dalia turned to see Lord Magnus breathing on her shoulder. His face was so close she could see all the wrinkles in his scaly skin. Dalia shivered. She never liked Lord Magnus.

  “See me after the ceremony. In my study. We need to discuss our plans.”

  She watched as the old man slipped back into the crowd. Leave it to Lord Magnus to ignore the untimely death of a girl’s parents during the funeral and move right on to the logistics.

  It wasn’t long before the caskets were placed into the ground and Dalia was directed to throw the first piles of dirt onto her parents’ graves. She tried with every bit of strength she had left to stand firm for the people there as she did so, grateful for the black veil obscuring the view of her trembling lips.

  Dozens of nobles and subjects wished her their condolences as she tried to leave. She felt smothered by the people and had a hard time breathing.

  “There you are, Princess.” Aeryn pushed through the masses and grabbed Dalia’s arm, squeezing it lovingly.

  Dalia smiled. “Thank you,” she mouthed to her.

  Aeryn led Dalia out of the gravesite and back towards the castle, shooing anyone away that tried to bother them. It took them about ten minutes to traverse the path, longer than average since Dalia was purposely trying to take a longer time in avoidance of her meeting with the royal advisor.

  “Lord Magnus wishes to see me.”

  Aeryn huffed. “Can’t that wait?”

  Dalia shook her head. “He’s right. We need to figure out how and where to go from here.”

  The two were silent as they entered the castle. Dalia stared at the red carpet of the halls they followed, trying to keep her mind off of her sorrows.

  “We’re here,” Aeryn said. She gave Dalia a tight hug. “Good luck.”

  Dalia straightened her shoulders back, moved the veil off of her face, and knocked on Lord Magnus’s study door.

  “Come in!” he croaked.

  Dalia stepped into the room, trying to look regal and queenly. She was going to prove to herself, Lord Magnus, and the rest of the world that she could do this. Her parents would want her to be strong, to be the best queen she could be.

  “Princess,” he said, moving to stand and bowing his head in respect. “I never gave you my condolences.”

  He gestured for Dalia to take a seat in front of the large desk that spanned from end to end of an equally large room.

  Because you don’t care how I feel, Dalia thought.

  “Thank you,” she said instead.

  Lord Magnus sat back down, ancient bones creaking. He rubbed his bald head with his hands, each finger wearing a gaudy ring. Dalia tried not to roll her eyes at the sight. In every way, Lord Magnus always wanted to portray himself as the best. Through his manner, dress, speaking…

  “We need to discuss the best steps for moving forward, Princess.”

  “Of course.”

  “First thing’s first, we will crown you as Queen as soon as possible, but I do think the people will feel more comfortable for you to have a husband, as well.”

  Dalia gaped at the man. “What?”

  Lord Magnus interlocked his skinny fingers together. “You are young. An experienced husband, someone royal, of course, will not only ease the mind of your subjects, but it will help you in many ways.”

  Dalia couldn’t find words.

  “Your coronation is in five days. Then a month from now, there will be a ball inviting many kingdoms near us: Mardasia, Polart, and Wilaldan, to name a few. King Alfred of Wilaldan has agreed to the marriage between you and his son Prince Frederik. The ball is where you will meet and announce your engagement.”

  “Are you serious?”

  The Lord raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know why I would be joking.”

  Dalia wrung her hands together. “Is this really the best option?”

  Lord Magnus nodded. Though the Lord wasn’t the most appealing of men, Dalia trusted him. He had been with her parents from the beginning of their reign as a loyal advisor, and his advice was seldom wrong.

  “Alright,” Dalia said. “I’ll get married.”

  Chapter 6

  I stood in the street, waiting for Nick to finish negotiating with a merchant. He had caught two big, juicy pheasants that morning. One had been our breakfast, and the other he was hoping to get a little money for. I’d been traveling with Nick for a few days, but I still hadn’t told him of the few gold, silver, and copper pieces in my satchel. That was something I thought best to keep to myself. I didn’t know how long I’d stay in the company of Nick, and I still didn’t trust him completely. He hadn’t done anything suspicious in the days I’d known him, per se, but it was hard for me to understand why a man would be camping out in the woods for the bulk of his life. It was certainly not something I enjoyed— smelling like fire and sleeping on the hard ground, not knowing if breakfast would even happen the next day.

  I surveyed my surroundings, still in awe with how the outside world operated. There were so many people! The noise was incredible as one person after another talked over each other, vendors shouted their negotiations, children ran around playing with each other… I even saw a few stray chickens clucking away in the middle of the cobblestone street.

  I looked to Nick, who was still arguing with the grumpy merchant, and slipped away for just a minute, not planning to go too far. I went from booth to booth, admiring all of the various items for sale. There was everything! Things like jewelry, books… I even saw a booth dedicated to selling nothing but corn.

  All of a sudden, I felt the leather strap of my satchel slip off my shoulder. I whirled around to see if I dropped it but instead saw a young, dirty boy sprinting away with it.

  “Hey!” I shouted. “That’s mine!”

  I bolted after him, pushing past the angry people in my way, all the while shouting at the child. The boy shot a look back at me, a mischievous grin on his face, and I gritted my teeth in frustration. I tried to move faster, annoyed by my long skirts, and followed him through dark alleyways and tried not to stop at the many rats and rancid smells I encountered.

  I caught a glimpse of the boy making a sharp left turn. My breathing was heavy, but I pushed on. Once making it around the corner, I couldn’t see the thief anywhere. I screamed and slammed my fist against a wall, barely wincing as it scraped the skin. I needed that bag! It had all of my clothes and money!

  I bit back my frustrated tears and looked around. There was just a dead-end in front of me— an abandoned storefront boarded shut
for what seemed to be a long while. With further examination, I concluded the boarding was done too well, and there were no hidden crawl spaces for the thief to have squeezed through.

  Finally giving up my search for the child, I decided the best thing to do was to try and find Nick again. But the alleyways I had chased the thief through were like a maze. I had no idea what way would lead back to the market.

  Hours passed, and it was beginning to get dark. I curled myself to the slimy ground and leaned against an equally slimy wall, trying not to imagine how they got that way. The possibility of Nick staying in the market to look for me had long passed. He most likely gave up and left me to fend for myself.

  I bit my lip to stop it from trembling. There was nothing more I could do in that moment but try to get some rest. There were a few other people around me in tattered clothes and stinking of poor hygiene with the same idea. Many of them stared at me curiously, others with mischievous grins on their faces. I was terrified someone might kill me in the night. I slid my hand onto Father’s dagger sheathed at my waist and urged myself to fall asleep.

  The next morning proved no better than the day before. Except for the fact that I actually found the market. But it did me no good. Nick was nowhere in sight. Not to mention, my stomach growled painfully. I hadn’t eaten for over twenty-four hours, and I had no money to pay for anything.

  I roamed through the streets for another full day, accomplishing nothing except to learn that I was in Bothar, the capital of Edristan. In hindsight, the view of the distant towers of the castle should have probably been enough of a hint.

  Hopelessness and lack of my productivity in reaching a solution lasted for another two days, and the hunger was beginning to gnaw at me in extremes that I could have never imagined. It got so bad that even the occasional drinks of water I stole from the town well were making it worse. But that wasn’t the only discomfort. I looked down at my clothes and saw the holes wearing into the expensive, blue cloak I’d brought with me from home. And the dirt caked on my skin and in my fingernails made me yearn for a hot bath.