Princess in Disguise (12 page)

“Isn't she kind to you?” asked Annie.

“Oh, no, she's very nice to me and to my sisters, trying to make up for everything she's done. She's always giving us presents because she knows she's destroying our lives. And the way she treats my father! She has him wrapped around her little finger. He'll do anything she asks, even if it means putting his own children out into the cold.”

“He kicked you out?”

“In a sense. She made him tell us that we had to get jobs and take responsibility for our lives. Can you
believe it? And then she had my father tell me that I had to marry the girl I'd been seeing for the past two years. I'd told him often enough that I would get around to it when I was ready, but oh, no! He had to push it. So I married Dorothea and moved here, where her family lives. Father had changed so much, I couldn't stand to be around him anymore, and Dorothea's family does what every family is supposed to do. They're there when we need them and leave us alone the rest of the time.”

“Sounds just right for you,” said Annie.

“You said that Moonbeam and your father left. Can you tell us where they went?” Liam asked.

“They went to visit a friend of hers. A fairy with a dumb name. I think it was Sweetness at Night.”

“Do you mean Sweetness N Light?” asked Annie.

“Yeah, that's it. ‘Good riddance,' I said as soon as they were out the door. I hope they don't come back for a good long time.”

“I have one other question, if you don't mind,” said Liam. “How were you able to get a shop of your own? I mean, you aren't that old. Wasn't it expensive?”

Jamesey shrugged. “It was, but my father and Moonbeam paid for it, which was only right. After all, they were the ones who made me leave home!”

After thanking the butcher, Liam untied Otis from the post and helped Annie onto the gelding's back. They rode in silence for a time with both of them lost in thought. When they reached the first crossroad, Liam reined in Otis. “Before we go east to the Garden of Happiness, I want to head south and see how my father is doing. We're only a few hours away and it doesn't make sense to go all the way to the garden, then come back here when we're so close now.”

“But didn't you just say that we had to hurry to find Moonbeam? We have all those people counting on us back at the castle!”

“And my father may be in real trouble here in Dorinocco. I understand it's urgent that we find Moonbeam, but I need to make sure that my father is all right. Please understand, Annie. I wouldn't do this unless I felt it was necessary.”

“I know,” Annie said. She felt so torn, she wasn't sure what to do. She knew how important it was that they find Moonbeam, but what if King Montague was in trouble as well? And Liam was right, they were very close. “All right. It shouldn't take long if we're only a few hours away. We'll go to the castle, see that he's fine, and go on to the garden.”

“Thank you, Annie,” Liam said.

Annie hadn't realized how worried he was that she wouldn't agree until she felt the tension leave him and heard the relief in his voice. Sighing, she leaned against him, resting her head on his back and hugging him. “You know I'll always be there for you.”

“And I'll always be there for you,” he said, pressing her hand with his own. “I just didn't want to make you go with me if you didn't want to, but I really have to do this.”

Liam turned Otis onto the road heading south and let the gelding set his own pace. The horse had gotten his second wind and moved along with his ears pricked forward, interested in seeing what lay ahead. Annie and Liam rode in silence then, while Annie worried about what might be happening at home, and wondered if they had made the right decision. They were only a few miles from the castle when a patrol wearing King Montague's colors passed them by.

“Why didn't they greet you?” Annie asked. “They all looked right at us, but not one of them seemed to recognize you, their crown prince.”

“I've never seen any of them before,” Liam said, sounding puzzled. “I thought I knew all of my father's men.”

“Perhaps they're new,” said Annie.

“All of them? That doesn't make sense. He's never taken on that many new men all at once. I'll have to ask him about it when we see him.”

They had been on the main road leading to the castle for only a short time when Liam muttered something to himself. “What did you say?” asked Annie.

“Something isn't right,” he repeated in a louder voice. “There should be traffic on this stretch of the road, but we haven't passed anyone other than that patrol. I don't like this.”

“We're almost there,” said Annie. “We'll find out what's going on soon enough.”

They reached the castle a few minutes later. Although it was only late afternoon, the drawbridge was up and they didn't see anyone on the parapet. “Do you hear that?” asked Liam.

“What?” said Annie. “I don't hear anything.”

Liam nodded. “Exactly! The courtyard is usually full of people this time of day, and it's so loud you can hear it from this side of the wall. There should be guards out here and people waiting in line to cross over the
drawbridge, but no one is here and it's quiet. Something is definitely not right.”

“What do you want to do?” asked Annie.

“See who comes out.” Cupping his hands around his mouth, he threw back his head and shouted, “Hello, the gate!”

After what seemed like a very long time, a man appeared on the parapet to look down at them. “What do you want?” he said in a rude voice.

“Is Godfrey there, or Thurmont?”

“No one here by either of those names. Go away and stop wasting my time. You can't come in no matter who you know. Can't you see that the drawbridge is closed?”

“It's awfully early in the day for that,” said Liam.

“No one asked for your opinion! Go away if you know what's good for you.”

Annie was incredulous when Liam turned the horse and rode away. “I can't believe he talked to you like that!”

“He has no idea who I am,” Liam told her. “I have a feeling that if he did, we would have gotten a very different and highly unpleasant reception. I don't know who he is, either, but I do know that neither Godfrey nor Thurmont would let a new recruit handle the drawbridge by himself. And if he doesn't even know their names … something is definitely wrong here.”

“Where are we going?”

“To find someone who should be able to answer a few questions,” said Liam.

They rode away from the castle, heading toward the town of Casaway, but they had only just caught sight of it when Liam turned Otis onto a side road.

“I thought we were going to the town,” said Annie.

“We were until I saw a group of mounted men posted on the street just outside. As far as I could see, they weren't wearing uniforms, but they sat their horses like military men and are probably there to question new arrivals. I'd prefer to avoid being questioned, so we're going somewhere else.”

The road took them between an apple orchard and a hayfield before crossing over a stone bridge and the sparkling brook below. “This is the Old Stone Bridge,” said Liam. He pointed at a run-down shack yards from the base of the bridge. “And that is Meckle's house. Godfrey is his son. I met Meckle when I was just a lad. He's a good man, although he's getting up in years and tends to repeat himself.”

“He lives alone here?” Annie asked, eyeing the shack with distrust. “It looks as if it's about to fall down.” All four walls were leaning and the roof was sagging so badly that she wondered how anyone could walk around inside. An old dog that was missing half an ear lifted his head from the ground he was lying on, gave a halfhearted woof, then laid his head down again as if it was too heavy to hold up.

“It's looked like that for years, but he refuses to let anyone fix it. Don't worry, we won't be going in. Meckle prefers to entertain outside.”

While Annie held the rope and let Otis nibble the grass by the foot of the bridge, Liam knocked on the cobbled-together door. A few seconds later an old man shorter than Annie threw the door open to glare at them. He had to be the oldest man Annie had ever seen. Sparse white hair surrounded a bald patch on the crown of his head. His face was a map of wrinkles, and his eyes were a watery blue.

“Do I know you?” the man asked, his voice surprisingly deep. He eyed Annie and turned to Liam before studying Otis for just as long.

“It's me, Liam,” said the prince, keeping his voice down.

“Liam who?” asked Meckle.

“You know—Prince Liam,” Liam said in a fierce whisper.

The old man peered up at Liam for just a second before saying, “Nope, can't be. Prince Liam is in Treecrest getting married. Just as well, considering what's going on at the castle.”

“What's going on?” asked Liam.

“Don't know. Nobody does. Drawbridge has been up for the last five days. Did I tell you my son came to see me six days ago? Good boy, my Godfrey. Always checking up on me. Promised to bring me eggs the next day,
but he never did bring 'em. Not like my Godfrey at all. I taught him if you make a promise, you darn well better keep it. When he didn't come by the day after that, either, I put on my shoes and walked over there. Thought he might have caught some sort of ailment. Never did see him, though. Drawbridge was up. The fool posted there wouldn't tell me what was going on. I'd taught half the boys in that castle how to fish and catch crawdads in that creek,” the old man said, nodding toward the stream behind his shack. “Prince Liam, too.” He gave Liam a meaningful look. “But not that fool. Never seen him before, nor any of the others riding around in packs making nuisances of 'emselves.”

“And none of your friends have been inside the castle?” asked Liam. “What about food deliveries?”

Meckle shrugged. “No idea. For all I know they could be conjuring up food with magic.” He laughed so hard that his little potbelly bounced. “Imagine that! I'd like to try that one myself.”

“It sounds as if someone is hiding something in the castle,” said Liam.

“Seems that way,” the old man replied, wiping tears from his eyes.

“If we were to leave our horse here for a few hours, would you take care of him?” Liam asked him. “Make sure that no one steals him and that he's fed and watered? I'll see you get those eggs you wanted if you'll do that for me.”

“Well, young man who claims to be Prince Liam, let me give you some advice. Don't tell anyone what you told me. If Prince Liam really was here, people would be looking for him, and not to do him any favors. Leave your horse. I know of an out-of-the-way pasture where he can eat alfalfa till he's fat as a tick and no one to bother him. And I'll take those eggs. No saying when my boy will be bringing any to me now.”

After handing Otis's rope to the old man, Annie and Liam were walking away when Meckle called after them. “If you happen to find a way in, check on my boy if you would. I'd help him myself, but my bones are too stiff for climbing.”

Liam nodded and waved back, which seemed to satisfy the old man.

“What did he mean by climbing?” Annie asked as they headed toward the stream.

“I grew up in this castle and I know it better than anyone, inside and out. When I was a lad, I told only one person about some of the secret passages I'd found, and that was Meckle. He may be old and pretending not to know me, but he knew exactly who I was and what I plan to do.”

“But climbing?” said Annie.

Liam laughed. “Don't worry. It won't be up the side of a tower or castle wall. We'll be climbing some steep stairs and going places no one has gone for a very long time to find out what those men don't want anyone to know.”

Instead of crossing over the bridge, they walked along the stream bank, heading back toward the castle. “Why are we going this way?” asked Annie.

“We'll approach the castle from a different direction, one that no one ever watches,” said Liam. “This stream goes through the woods and loops behind the castle. I used to follow this path a lot when I was a child. Anything to get out of the castle and away from my mother and brother. That's how I got to know Meckle.”

“Your brother didn't play out here as well?”

“Clarence spent all his time in the castle. Mother was always pampering him, so he already had everything he ever wanted.”

They followed the stream through the woods, crossing to the other side in the narrowest part of a loop, then creeping through the trees and around the side of the castle to a vast and smelly pit nearly full of refuse. The castle rose high above them, and Annie could see from the discolored stones exactly where people dumped the trash out of openings in the walls.

“This place reeks!” she said, holding her nose.

“It smells worse in the middle of summer when it's hot out. I'm thankful that it does smell bad. The stench is the reason this is such a good spot to sneak in. No one wants to breathe this if they can help it.”

Annie tilted her head back to look up at the castle. “You said we didn't have to climb the wall. So how are we getting in?”

“Through the door,” Liam said. “Follow me.” He led her along the base of the wall, around the biggest piles of refuse, to a shadowed niche that she didn't see until they were close. “This was probably used when the castle was newly built, but no one had used it in years when I found it. I actually discovered the door from the inside, then had to work my way along the outside wall until I located the door buried behind old trash. I was interested in finding ways out of the castle because I never knew when my mother would decide to take out her bad mood on me. Stand back while I clear the space in front of the door so we can open it. I left a shovel here for that very reason. Ah, there we are. Stay here while I find the torch. I know I left a few just inside.”