A Charm for a Unicorn (18 page)

"For pity's sake, Farouk, can't you control the horses?” King Gustavo of Querel stood in the courtyard, his skinny legs visibly shaking as he leaned heavily on his cane. He cupped a hand around his ear and cocked his head in the direction of the front gate, nearly losing his balance. “Oh, that must be my dear boys. Such high-spirited young men. They do enjoy joking with each other."

Renaldo gave a start. The king of Querel was completely gaga.

Sir Wulfe took his elbow and marched him to where Renaldo stood with his mother. “King Gustavo, I'd like you to meet some of my guests. Here is the Queen Rona of Windtide, and her son, Prince Renaldo. Queen Rona is a princess of Bromley, and is representing that mighty kingdom. And Renaldo is Windtide's ambassador.

"So very pleased to meet you, Madame,” said King Gustavo, grabbing Renaldo's hand and bringing it to his lips.

"Er, pleased to meet you too, your Highness,” said Renaldo. Rule number one, never contradict a king.

His mother curtsied, and the King of Querel, apparently reaching for her hand, missed, and took hold of her fur stole. He shook it, and said, “Pleased to meet you, Prince Renaldo.” He let go of the fur and said to Sir Wulfe in a loud whisper, “Hirsute young man, isn't he?"

Sir Wulfe gave a hearty laugh, raising the hair on the back of Renaldo's neck. He glanced over toward the front gate, where the ruckus had calmed somewhat. Two young men strode toward them. Faster and faster they walked; as if each wanted to be the first to arrive to salute their father. Renaldo surmised they were the princes, and he was right.

"Father,” shouted the two men at once. They glared at each other, then jostled in order to kiss their father's hand.

King Gustavo stuck his hand out in front of him and squinted. “My dear boys! How nice to see you both. How are you, pray?"

"Fine, Father,” they shouted in unison, then poked each other in the ribs with their elbows.

"Stop it!” cried one.

"You stop!” snarled the other.

Renaldo shook his head and blinked. The two princes were twins, and they were exact copies of one another. Each had dark gold, wavy hair. Both had noses that crooked slightly to the left, and chins that jagged a bit to the right.

"Boys, boys.” King Gustavo waved a gnarled finger in their direction. “We are guests at Sir Wulfe's castle. I hope you will both be on your best behavior."

"Yes, Father!” they shouted, and each gave the other a sharp, swift kick in the shins before turning and bowing to Sir Wulfe.

Renaldo started to think that peace would be impossible.

"And this is Queen Rona of Windtide, and her son, Prince Renaldo.” Sir Wulfe gave Renaldo a little shove toward the twin princes.

Without the slightest warmth, they greeted him, and then they kissed his mother's hand. Then they turned back to their father.

"Father, I...” began one.

"How have..."

"I wanted to..."

"Can you..."

"Would you be..."

The two boys stopped, their faces growing red.

"Must you always interrupt?” shrieked one.

"I can't get a word in edgewise with you around,” spat the other.

"Just be quiet!"

"Hush!"

"Not another word!"

Sir Wulfe stepped in hurriedly. “Your father is tired of standing. Let's go have some refreshment and I will introduce you to my bride-to-be."

They hurried into the castle before any other quarrel ensued. Renaldo trailed after the others, still clumsy with his crutches. Stairs were the biggest trial, but he refused the butler's offer of help and hopped carefully up the steps. Once inside, Renaldo clenched his crutches tightly. He both dreaded and longed to see Leonie again. When everyone was seated in the comfortable study, Sir Wulfe stood and cleared his throat.

"King Gustavo of Querel, Queen Rona of Windtide, Princes Alonzo and Hidalgo, and Prince Renaldo, I present Leonie, my betrothed.

The door opened. Leonie walked in, dressed in a shimmering blue robe, her hair braided with pearls.

"Come in, my dear,” said Sir Wulfe. He took her arm and led her into the room. “Come meet the princes and King Gustavo."

"What a lovely girl,” cried King Gustavo, clapping his hands. “Where did you find her, Sir Wulfe?"

"In Windtide,” said Leonie, giving a curtsy. “I'm so pleased to meet you, your Highness. I've heard so much about you."

The king, charmed, kissed her hand while Renaldo kept an eye on Leonie. She hadn't even glanced his way. His heart ached.

"And those are my sons,” said King Gustavo. “One is named Alonzo, and one is called Hidalgo.” The king pointed vaguely in their direction. “Nice boys, both of them."

Leonie went to stand in front of the princes. They stood from their chairs and opened their mouths at the same time.

"No, no! Don't say a thing!” she cried, blinking her eyelashes coyly. “You must be Alonzo. And you are Hidalgo!” It didn't seem to Renaldo as though she looked straight at either as she said that, but the two princes were thunderstruck.

"Why, yes!” cried one. “I am Alonzo!"

"And I'm Hidalgo."

And to Renaldo's amazement, the two princes began to cry. Huge teardrops rolled down their cheeks as they stared at Leonie.

"I'm so glad to meet you, Alonzo,” she said, reaching for one prince's hand. “And you, Hidalgo. What an honor.” She took his hand as well.

The princes finally stopped crying long enough for one to say, “No one has ever told us apart before."

His twin nodded. “Even Father can't tell us apart. He just says, ‘boys', or ‘you two', when he talks to us."

"That's not a reason to detest each other,” said Leonie, a note of pity in her voice. “I have an idea. Hidalgo, stay here. Alonzo, come with me. We won't be but a minute,” she said to Sir Wulfe.

"But ... but...” the wizard looked flummoxed. And well he might, thought Renaldo. He was just as confused. Leonie was not acting like the Leonie he thought he knew. There had been pure mischief in her eyes as she took the prince from the room, and as she'd left, she'd finally looked at him, but instead of a tender smile, she'd given him a wink. A wink?

Afterward, there was a rather strained silence as everyone tried to imagine what Leonie and Alonzo were doing. Sir Wulfe cupped his hand in his chin and looked thoughtful. Renaldo's mother, the queen, sat perfectly still, being used to long, boring, diplomatic functions. King Gustavo nodded his head as if he were listening to some music, and Hidalgo started to chew his fingernails.

Renaldo began to feel sorry for the two princes.

The door opened and everyone turned, and gasped. Alonzo's wavy gold hair had vanished. His head was shorn, and all that was left was a blond stubble. He had even inked in a moustache over his lips.

He went to stand next to his brother. “Prodigious!” he shouted.

"Remarkable!” bellowed Hidalgo, for there was no doubt now who was whom.

The two boys rose and planted themselves in front of their father.

"I'm Alonzo!” said the mustached prince with the short hair.

"And I'm Hidalgo!” cried the prince with the long, wavy hair.

They hopped apart, rushed around in a circle, and went to their father once more.

"Who are we?” they yelled in unison.

The king blinked. “Why, you're Alonzo! When did you grow a moustache? It's very nice. And Hidalgo, you're there, on the left. It's like magic! I can tell them apart!"

The two princes fell into each others arms. Tears flowed anew.

"My brother!” cried Alonzo.

"My dearest brother,” sobbed Hidalgo.

Wiping their eyes they turned to Leonie. Alonzo spoke. “Since we were born, our parents dressed us alike, coifed us alike, and treated us alike. They never made the slightest effort to tell us apart, and it never occurred to us that we could change ourselves. I even got confused at times as to who I really was!"

"Me, too. I was always mixing myself up with my brother. Was I him? Was he me? Were we both of us? It made my life impossible. The only thing I could think of doing was splitting the kingdom and becoming an individual. Someone not like my brother."

"But it was foolishness, I see that now.” Alonzo beamed at his brother.

"How wonderful, peace at last for Querel!” Renaldo's mother stood and applauded. “Sir Wulfe, your plan was a success. Why don't you have the princes sign the treaty now, before lunch, so we can continue the festivities and get the marriage over with?"

Renaldo watched Sir Wulfe carefully. His skin had turned the color of old milk. He'd gone paler and paler as the princes hugged each other. But there was little he could do except keep a smile pasted on his face, although it had gotten so stiff it was ghastly.

"Well, what a wonderful denouement!” cried Leonie.

Denouement? That was a diplomatic term for a conclusion. How would Leonie know that? Renaldo blinked and rubbed his eyes. There was something wrong with Leonie's hair. It was getting shorter, and turning darker. And as she laughed, her voice suddenly deepened.

Everyone noticed and turned to stare at her. Her face wobbled, and then, to Renaldo's shock, she turned into his brother, Sylvain. Everyone in the room uttered a collective gasp. Renaldo grabbed at his crutches and tried to stand, shock making his hands clammy. Before Renaldo could utter a word, Sir Wulfe leapt up. His face flushed, he pointed at Sylvain.

"What is that person doing here?” he bellowed. Then he stopped and his face turned even more purple. “Why, you're the horse trader who set off after the unicorn!"

"Horse trader?” The queen clapped her hands to her face in horror. “That's no horse trader. That's my son, Sylvain! What are you doing here?” she cried.

"Having a wonderful time. Pleased to meet everyone,” said Sylvain, lifting his skirt and giving a curtsy.

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Sir Wulfe recovered first. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wand, but Renaldo's mother was quicker. She leapt between him and Sylvain, blocking whatever magic he'd intended for the young man. Renaldo had lifted himself off the chair in a vain attempt to cross the room. He'd seen the murderous look in Sir Wulfe's eye and had feared the worst. His mother's courage impressed him, and her next words warmed his heart.

"Sir Wulfe! Lower your wand! Aren't you glad that there is now peace in your kingdom?” she said. “King Gustavo, your sons have reconciled because of my son's ingeniousness. I think he should be rewarded, don't you?"

"Rewarded?” trumpeted Sir Wulfe.

"Actually, I think it's an excellent idea. This young man is quite clever. I didn't know your son was a magician, Madame,” said King Gustavo to the Queen. To Sir Wulfe, he said, “My old friend, your plan has worked marvelously. What a feast we'll have tonight. Your pretending to get married was quite a trick. But we fell for it, didn't we, Alonzo, and you, Hidalgo."

The twins, thrilled to have their father recognize them, nodded happily. “Oh, yes!” they chorused. “Praise for Sir Wulfe and clever Prince Sylvain!"

Sir Wulfe's gaze on the queen hadn't thawed one bit, but he smiled. It was not a nice smile. He looked at Sylvain. “What a clever prince indeed. You went searching for my fiancée and came back in her disguise. I wonder who transformed you. And where Leonie is."

Sylvain spoke up bravely. “I think the princes would be pleased to start signing right away. As for me, I believe I'll go change."

Sir Wulfe leaned toward him. In a low voice, he murmured, “I think you've changed enough for one day. From horse trader to Leonie to prince. I wonder what other surprises you have in store? So, failing to find the unicorn, you decided to trick me instead. Her father certainly had a hand in this. Even as a snake, he managed to transform you. Well, I'll be more careful in the future.” He hesitated, and a spark appeared in his eyes. “I thought there was something strange about you when you arrived, but I was sure I sensed Leonie. I did, didn't I? She's the gray mare. Clever. Very clever. She's not a unicorn anymore. So her father transformed her as well!"

King Gustavo spoke up. “Did I hear something about a unicorn? Why, I haven't been on a unicorn hunt since my youth. How splendid!"

"A unicorn hunt?” Renaldo felt a stab of fear. He looked at Sylvain, who shook his head, not understanding.

Sir Wulfe, however, grinned broadly. “Why, yes, I mentioned a unicorn. It seems there is one in my woods. I shall tell my gamekeeper to arrange a hunt for this afternoon."

"What an excellent idea!” cried Prince Hidalgo. “What a grand fête you've organized, Sir Wulfe!"

"I'll make sure the gray mare finds her way into the forest this afternoon,” said Sir Wulfe in a low voice to Renaldo. “It's an easy spell to add a horn upon her head. The hounds will tear her to pieces."

"You can't do that!” Renaldo whispered, feeling the blood drain from his head. He suddenly felt ill. Sir Wulfe smiled nastily, then rang a bell, and a servant came in with a bow. Sir Wulfe said to him, “Get the hunting dogs ready.” He swept from the room calling for his servants to attend to him.

Renaldo grabbed Sylvain's arm. “Help me to the stables, please!"

Sylvain and he ducked out of the room and made their way to the stables. Once there, he went straight to the gray mare's stall and leaned over the doorway.

"Leonie!” he cried.

The gray mare gave a start. “Renaldo! What are you doing here?"

"I might ask the same of you,” said Renaldo, pushing on the lever to open the stall door. “I don't know what is going on, but Sir Wulfe is up to no good."

"Yes, I know. He has no wish for the princes to sign a peace treaty. I think he wants to profit from Querel's civil war to have himself elected king. It won't be the first time a wizard has taken over a country."

Renaldo pulled the door open. “Well, his plan went awry. The two princes are best of friends now, thanks to Sylvain, and they're planning on signing the treaty right after the unicorn hunt."

"Unicorn hunt?” Leonie raised her head.

"Sir Wulfe has told everyone that there is a unicorn in the woods, and he means to have them chase you. With his magic, he can make everyone think you're a unicorn, or perhaps he will transform you again. At any rate, you are in terrible danger!"