The Wide-Awake Princess (13 page)

The second dance was one of the strange, slow ones. “It’s a new style of dance popular in the southern kingdoms,” Andreas said, pulling her close. Because she’d held his hand for so long, she could clearly see what he looked like without magic. He wasn’t handsome, but he had a nice face with the look of a mischievous boy.

When Andreas gazed into her eyes and blew a puff of oniony garlic breath in Annie’s face, she blew her own garlicky onion breath back at him. He snorted and looked surprised, but a moment later he was laughing. “Very good, Annie,” he whispered into her ear. “You’re smarter than the rest as well as an excellent dancer. You know, I’d really like to get to know you better. What do you say we leave the Hall and—”

“Go play a game of chess!” Annie suggested. “Or checkers if you’d prefer. I know a lot of card games, too, and a page taught me an interesting game using dice.”

“Really?” said the prince, looking intrigued. “My favorite game uses small round stones and dice. I could show you that one if you’d like.”

“That would be wonderful!” said Annie.

The music pulled them apart for a moment, and when it brought them back together the prince tried to take charge of the conversation again. His eyes were smoldering when he looked into hers, and he said, “I know a great place where we could go to be alone and—”

“The stable, right?” said Annie. “That horse you were riding was magnificent. Do you breed horses here in Corealis or do you buy them from a breeder?”

The prince’s expression brightened. “Actually… ,” he began. The discussion about horses lasted until the dance was over; neither one noticed until the music stopped.

The next piece of music was a lively one and Annie was ready to be twirled when Andreas grinned and spun her around. Knowing that she would get dizzy if she spun too many times in one direction, she twirled in reverse back to the prince, only to be twirled again. When it was obvious that she wasn’t getting dizzy, he danced her over to the dais and hopped up. Annie was ready for this move, too, and hopped up alongside him.

“I hear that they do this move in the southern
kingdoms, too,” she said, and hopped into his arms so that he was supporting her weight.

Startled, the prince stumbled down from the dais and set her on her feet. “I believe I’ve heard about that move,” he said, mopping his brow with a handkerchief that he pulled from his sleeve. “However, I’m not quite up to it.” The prince’s lips widened into a grin as he bent his knee into a courtly bow. “It appears that you have won this contest, Annie. Congratulations! I couldn’t be happier!”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Annie said, curtseying.

“I must go tell my parents. They’ll be ecstatic.”

The prince hurried off into the crowd. A moment later Liam appeared, looking handsomer than ever in a clean set of clothes. “So you won another one,” he grumbled.

“Two down,” she said. “I wonder how many there are to go.”

“I saw the way Andreas has been looking at you. Have you told him that you’re doing this for your sister and not for yourself?”

“Not yet. I can’t tell him during the contest or he’ll disqualify me.”

“And if you win, what would keep him from disqualifying you then?”

“My charm and good looks?” Annie said, giving him her warmest smile.

“That wouldn’t work on
him
,” Liam muttered under his breath as he turned away. He disappeared into the
crowd lining the Great Hall as servants returned the tables and benches to their usual places. Only five princesses were ushered to the table that they were to share with Prince Andreas.

“Where are the others?” Annie asked Daphne as they took their seats across from the prince.

“They’re indisposed,” Daphne replied, glancing at Andreas.

“Lorelei is resting with a cold compress on her head and Bluebell is sick to her stomach,” whispered Sarinda, who was sitting on Annie’s other side.

“After all the exercise we’ve had today, I’m famished,” said the prince, eyeing a steaming platter of roast goose. “I hope you’ve brought your appetites with you, ladies.”

“Everything looks delicious,” Annie replied. “I’m famished, too!”

“She’s so common,” she heard one of the princesses whisper to another.

Although the other princesses turned up their noses at the heartier fare, preferring to nibble quail’s eggs and a soufflé of hummingbird tongues, Annie had a large helping of oxtail soup, then heaped her plate high with roast goose, venison, and blood sausage. She ate everything that the prince ate, including the smelly cheese that no one else touched. Annie had to force herself to eat slowly, but she couldn’t make herself pick at the food the way the other princesses did.

After chewing her last bite and sipping her last sip,
Annie glanced up to see Andreas watching her with approval. “I like a girl with a hearty appetite,” he said. “And now I have an announcement to make.” Pushing his seat back, the prince strode to the front of the room and onto the dais.

Sarinda leaned forward to whisper past Annie to Daphne. They both looked a little less lovely than they had before sitting on either side of Annie, but neither one seemed to be aware of it. “He’s probably going to announce the next contest,” said Sarinda. “What do you suppose it is this time?”

“Whatever it might be, I hope we can sit down for it,” Daphne replied. “My foot still pains me where Andreas tromped on it.”

The room grew quiet as Prince Andreas joined his parents. “I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear that I’ve made my decision,” he announced. “We have a winner of the contest, so there’s no need to look any further.”

Sarinda’s breath hissed out of her, Daphne bit back a sob, and the other princesses began to whisper among themselves.

“That’s wonderful,” said his mother, clapping her hands and beaming.

His father declared in a loud voice, “It’s about time! Who is she, lad? Which of these lovely ladies has finally stolen your heart?”

“Princess Annabelle, from the kingdom of Treecrest! Annie, would you please join me?”

Annie hadn’t expected to feel a pang of guilt as she rose from her seat and approached the dais. She had entered the contest hoping to find a prince for Gwennie, not herself. It really hadn’t occurred to her that she had entered it under false pretenses, even though Liam kept trying to tell her that she had, but seeing the prince’s radiant face made her realize just how unfair she’d been.

Clearly Andreas was looking for a wife who knew how to do the kinds of things that he enjoyed and would enjoy doing them with him. He was a robust, enthusiastic kind of person who didn’t do anything halfway, and he wanted a wife who was the same. Magic had made all of the other princesses appear close to perfect, only it was someone else’s idea of perfection, not Andreas’s. The magically enhanced princesses were lovely and probably accomplished in the gentler arts, but not every prince wanted a wife who could look pretty while she embroidered. These girls would never dance the kind of dances Andreas liked, ride the way he rode, or share his interests. And if he married Gwennie, that was exactly what he would get.

“I don’t know what to say,” Annie said as the prince took her hand in his.

“What about the other contests?” Sarinda called in an angry voice. “We’ve only done two so far—the poetry contest and the riding contest.”

“Four,” said the prince. “The dancing contest and the eating contest count, too.”

“There was an eating contest?” Daphne said, glancing down at her plate.

Sarinda’s face was flushed when she stood up. “It still isn’t fair. Princess Annabelle,” she said, practically spitting out the name, “didn’t have to make up a poem on a moment’s notice the way the rest of us did.”

“That’s true,” Andreas said. “Annie, you do need to make up a poem. It can be about anything at all.”

“I’m not very good at poems,” she whispered to the prince.

“What was that? We couldn’t hear you!” called Sarinda.

“I’ll try,” said Annie. “If you’ll give me just a moment.”

“One minute,” said Sarinda. “That’s all we were given.”

Annie thought about the contest and what the prince had really been after. She thought about how he’d feel when he learned the truth. Knowing that she had done only what she needed to didn’t make her feel any better.

“I’m ready,” said Annie, even as Sarinda opened her mouth again. “It’s a limerick,” she told the prince. “And not a very good one at that.”

There once was a young prince who thought
That he’d find the princess he sought
By holding a contest
Where he could find the best
Wife who didn’t have to be taught.

“Well done!” exclaimed Andreas. “I’d say that was good enough to win.”

“There’s a second part,” Annie said, “if that’s all right.”

“Go ahead,” said the prince.

Annie nodded and cleared her throat before beginning.

But the princess who garnered his hand
Hoped that he’d understand
That she’d entered to win
On behalf of her kin
And not for herself as he’d planned.

There was a moment of silence, then Andreas began to applaud. “Excellent!” he declared. “Even better than the first part. Although I must admit that you had me going there for a moment. I thought you meant that you—”

“Can I talk to you for a moment?” asked Annie. “Alone?”

“Certainly,” he said, his smile fading. “Is something wrong?”

Annie felt terrible that she had to disappoint Andreas, and gave him a tremulous smile as she drew him into the
corridor. She liked the prince and enjoyed his company. He was a more genuine person than most nobility, and she wouldn’t have minded marrying him herself if only they’d met under other circumstances.

“Actually,” she said, “something is wrong and I was hoping you could help. My sister is the victim of a terrible curse. She’s asleep and will stay that way until her true love kisses her on the lips. I’m looking for a prince to kiss her and wake her up, and I was hoping that prince would be you.”

Andreas frowned. “If you didn’t want to marry me, you shouldn’t have entered the contest.”

“It isn’t that I wouldn’t like to marry you, but my sister, Gwendolyn—”

“Princess Gwendolyn? Isn’t she supposed to be the most beautiful princess in all the kingdoms?”

“I understand how angry you must be with me, but Gwennie needs you and—”

“All she needs is one kiss? Then what happens, I mean, after I kiss her and she wakes up?”

“Why, it would mean that you were her true love, so I suppose you would get married and—”

“
I
would marry Princess Gwendolyn? The most beautiful princess in all the kingdoms?”

“Yes, and I know that wasn’t what you had in mind, but—”

“No, no! I’d be happy to help. When do we leave? I
can be ready in twenty minutes. Make that thirty—I really should tell my parents that I’m going.”

“You mean you’re all right with this? You aren’t angry that I deceived you?”

“Ordinarily, I would be furious, but this is Gwendolyn that you’re talking about. I’ve heard so many stories... It is true what they say about her, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yes, she is everything they say,” Annie said, not sure how she felt about his reaction. It helped that he was so willing to go with her, but he didn’t have to seem so eager to give her up for someone else, even if it was what she wanted. “There’s no need to rush. Tomorrow morning will be soon enough.”

“Marvelous!” said the prince. “At last I will meet my bride-to-be. There is one thing, though. If I don’t get to marry Gwendolyn, can I still marry you?”

Annie looked incredulous. Maybe Andreas wasn’t quite as great as she’d thought he was. “I don’t think it would work that way,” she said, shaking her head. When she got married, she wanted it to be to someone who considered her his first and only choice, not his consolation prize.

“Too bad,” Andreas said, bending over to kiss her hand. “I really like you, Annie.”

“What a numbskull,” Liam said in her ear as Andreas returned to the Great Hall. “The most beautiful princess in all the kingdoms! She’s nothing compared to you. The idiot doesn’t have a clue as to what he just gave up.”

“You’re not saying that just to make me feel better, are you?” Annie asked.

“Me? Never!” Liam replied.

Annie looked into his eyes and was happy to see that he looked genuinely taken aback. “I’m glad to hear that,” she said, surprised by just how much better she felt.

ALTHOUGH BOTH ANNIE AND LIAM were ready to leave early the next morning, they had to wait for Prince Andreas, who was still sleeping. Annie wanted to go wake him, but when she asked Lady Hillary for the location of his room, the lady-in-waiting looked shocked and told her that it wasn’t proper. Not knowing who else to ask, Annie waited until Andreas finally sent for her, saying that he was ready to go and that he was providing horses for Annie and her guard. The horses did help Annie’s bad mood, but shortly after they crossed over the boundary between Corealis and Treecrest, Andreas insisted that they stop to eat at a village inn they were passing.

“We only just started our journey!” said Annie. “We’ve been on the road for less than an hour!”