The Wild Swans (23 page)

“I’ll come with you. We can talk while I gather firewood
,” Rune said, eyeing his brother.

“Your suitors are very useful
, Fürstin,” Brida said as the princes elbowed their way out of the doors.

“Thank you
, I think,” Elise said.

“Right
, they’re gone. I can finally update the gambling pool. Mikk, you were the one who thought Falk would get through to Elise, yes? Steffen, you owe Mikk a gold coin,” Erick said, sliding a scroll of paper out of its hiding spot under a stool.

“Bother
,” Steffen tisked.

Mikk smiled.

“Gerhart, I’m sorry but you’re completely out of the running,” Erick said, using a quill to cross something off on the scroll.

“Enjoy your life of wretched singlehood
,” Nick said.

“I never wanted to be in the runn
ing anyway,” Gerhart shuddered.

“
Of course,” Mikk said. “Onella.”

“
Would you stop talking about her
?” Gerhart shrieked.

“I forgot about her
,” Nick said.

“We
have a separate gambling pool that Onella will or will not answer Gerhart’s feelings. Would you care to make a wager?” Erick asked.

“Sure. I’ll put down three gold coins
that she laughs and guts him to make a belt for herself when he confesses. Only strong, half-mad people work directly under Falk,” Nick said.

“She would not
do such a savage thing,” Gerhart said.

“Why don’t you put your money where yo
ur mouth is and bet on yourself in that case?” Steffen asked.

Brida’s forehead wrinkled. “Not be
ing officially adopted might be a lucky break, Fürstin.”

“I agree. Who would want to be related to this pack of
jackals?” Elise said.

“
That is not what I was referring to. If you were adopted, neither Prince Rune nor Prince Falk could marry you,” Brida said.

“
What
?”

Gerhart
blinked. “You didn’t know that was why Father and Mother didn’t adopt you?”

“Why would I know
that!?” Elise said.

“Brida
,” Nick said, “You just ruined a portion of our fun. We were waiting for Mr. Hero or Gloomy Agriculture boy to point that out.”

Elise tried to take deep calm
ing breaths. “I love them all, that is why I work to free them. I love them
all
.”

“Why do you sound like you’re try
ing to convince yourself? Have you already made up your mind on which brother you want? Elise, you are so hot-headed,” Nick said.

“And violent reaction due in three
, two, one,” Steffen said, studying his nails.

“
QUIET,” Elise growled, winding a towel around Nick’s neck and pulling it tight. “All of you stop talking about it!” she said before climbing the ladder to the loft.

“Perhaps there is
wisdom to Fürstin’s reason for not wishing to be adopted. It would take great resilience to claim a true relationship to all of you,” Brida said.

“Truth
,” Mikk grunted.

“Elsa
, Elsa, I brought you a real treat,” Prince Toril hollered as he trotted down the hill and made his way to the cottage.

Elise
sat outside with the sixth shirt, which was almost finished. Swan Falk was at her side, and he made a disparaging hiss when Prince Toril strolled up.

“Hello to you
, too, foul-tempered bird,” Prince Toril said, plopping down next to Elise. He removed a folded handkerchief from his tunic and peeled back the cloth. “Ta-da,” he said, revealing several cookies. “Go on, try one,” Prince Toril urged.

Elise hesitant
ly took a cookie and bit into it. It was sweet, but there was an odd flavoring Elise never had before. She looked inquisitively at Prince Toril.

The young man did not disappoint. “It’s a cardamom cookie.
Have you had one before? No? Well, you may have them all—although I suppose you will insist on sharing with your bear-maid, won’t you?” Prince Toril said.

Elise took the handkerchief and bowed her head at him. She brushed crumbs from her lips
before smiling.

“You’re welcome
,” Prince Toril said, surprisingly accurate at interpreting Elise’s gestures and behaviors. He glanced at the nettle shirt as Elise set the treat aside to pick up her knitting needles again. “You’re still working on those?”

Elise nodded.

“How very loyal,” Prince Toril said, his voice lacking conviction and feeling.

Elise raised her eyebrows
, but the prince looked away and didn’t acknowledge the hollow sound of his words.

Prince Toril rubbed his eyes. “I don’t know how to say this delicate
ly, so I’m just going to say it. I leave tomorrow for a two-week trip. And no, it’s not hunting.”

Elise thoughtful
ly nodded and stared at Prince Toril until his ears turned red.

“It’s fish
ing, but now is the right season, and I want to go! If you’re afraid Father will do something to you while I’m gone, you could come with me. I mean, it would be highly improper, but gossip doesn’t seem to bother you anyway,” Prince Toril said.

Elise set her knitt
ing aside. Prince Toril’s absence was a grave thing. She couldn’t go with him—it wouldn’t be practical to try and lug seven swans and all her knitting across Verglas—but the idea of staying in the cottage left her uneasy.

“I’m sorry
, but I want to go,” Prince Toril said, his voice colored with guilt.

Elise studied Prince Toril. She didn’t despise him for his selfishness
. It merely showed how immature he was. He did his best by her, and Elise suspected it was very difficult to be raised by King Torgen.

Elise patted Prince Toril’s knee in sympathy.

Prince Toril looked at her with wide eyes. “Ouch,” he said when Falk nipped him.

Elise placed a hand on Falk’s soft
, feathery back before she resumed knitting.

“Is there a reason why you love these wretched birds so much?” Prince Toril complained. “Because I
have to say they’re a downright nuisance.”

Elise looked up from her knitt
ing, and the prince hurried to retract his statement. “I mean, they seem like marvelous pets for you. They match your grace and, um, beauty. Ouch! Would you stop that?” Prince Toril said when Falk bit him again.

Elise soundless
ly laughed, which made Prince Toril pull a lopsided grin. “OW!” he said when Falk got him again. “Blasted bird!”

Falk fluffed his feathers and looked beautiful.

“Are you sure they’re really swans? They seem too bloodthirsty—agh!” Prince Toril said when Falk flapped his white wings and smacked the Verglas Prince in the face.

“
That’s it. I’m not bringing you any corn today,” Prince Toril declared, holding his nose as Falk settled down behind Elise.

Grinn
ing, Elise held out the handkerchief of cookies.

“A sweet to
pacify my pain?” Prince Toril said, sounding especially wretched. “Why not?” he grinned before he took one and bit into it. “So, do you enjoy the lake view?”

While Prince Toril
was gone, Elise kept to the woods during the day. She stayed out of sight and never strayed far from Brida. They returned to the cottage only after dark. It was easy enough to keep knitting—she finished the sixth shirt and moved onto to the seventh—but it made Elise uneasy to leave her brothers behind on the lake.

“They’ll be fine
, Fürstin. They can fly off at the first sign of danger,” Brida said.

Elise supposed this
was true, but she was still apprehensive.

The days trickled by
, and hints of fall started to color the world. The few trees in Verglas that were not pine trees or evergreens started to drop their leaves; the air was cooler, and the ground was frosted over every morning like a fresh cake.

Elise worked harder than ever on the
shirt, the
last shirt
. She worked on it night and day, crouching by the fire in the cottage, and sometimes knitting only by the touch.

The two weeks
were almost up when one afternoon Elise heard the distinctive thrum of swan wings beating the air.

Elise poked her he
ad up like a surfacing groundhog.

“I’m sure they’re fine
, Fürstin,” Brida said. She was crouched over her sword, cleaning the blade.

When the flapp
ing continued, Elise lumbered to her feet—clutching the last shirt. She set off through the woods, heading for the lake.

“
Fürstin,” Brida called before chasing after her.

When they drew close to the edge of the woods
, Brida yanked Elise back and dragged her behind a pine tree. They pushed back fragrant needles to spy on six guards.

The guards
were herding the seven swan princes of Arcainia out of the water and up the hill—heading for the castle.

The swans beat their wings and hissed
, lunging at the soldiers. To their credit, the soldiers handled the princes as gently as they could, prodding them along with the wooden poles of their spears.

“Why don’t they f
ly away?” Brida breathed.

Elise’s heart twisted in her chest. The swan princes did not f
ly because even while cursed, they were noble enough to think they couldn’t leave her behind.

Elise pulled her arm out of Brida’s grasp and moved to plunge through the tree
s.

“Princess Elise
,” Brida said, grabbing Elise by the wrist. “You cannot go.”

Elise held the seventh nettle shirt
out to Brida.

“This isn’t about the
shirts, this is about your safety. Your brothers gave me explicit orders to see to
your
protection above all else. I cannot let you go down there.”

You must
, Elise gestured.

“We don’t know what K
ing Torgen will do. He might not be satisfied with ruining your work. It might be you he destroys next,” Brida said.

Elise shrugged.

“Why do you do this?” Brida said, her voice breaking.

Because I love them
.

Elise pulled her wrist from Brida’s limp grasp and marched down the hill. When she reached the cottage she put her whistle to her lips and blew it.

The six soldiers turned around at the noise. (One of them winced when a swan prince pecked him on the thigh.)

“Elsa
, King Torgen asks that you would see him,” one of the soldiers said. “He instructed us to bring your knitting and your birds, but if you come willingly with us, we will leave the swans behind.”

Behind her
, Elise heard the noise of Brida unsheathing her sword from her hiding spot in the trees. Elise shook her head at Brida and walked down the path to the soldiers.