The Wild Swans (29 page)

“Foster brothers
,” King Henrik said, absent-mindedly stroking his beard.

Elise nodded and looked down at the crown in her lap. After all of this
, she was still just a foster child.

“Elise
, darling, you know you are my daughter, yes?”

“I beg your pardon?” Elise asked
, raising her eyes.

“I
have not adopted you and given you my family name for…various reasons. But you are still my daughter, as you are Queen Ingrid’s daughter,” King Henrik said. “You are her legacy. She chose you. She looked all over Arcainia to find you.”

“Why?” Elise asked. “Why me?”

King Henrik sighed. “I knew one day I would have to explain this, but I never much wanted the day to come,” he said. “You know why the use of magic is banned here in Arcainia? Why we can use magic-made goods and materials, but every enchanter, enchantress, or fairy godmother who visits us cannot use their magic while in our lands?

“Yes,” Elise carefully said. Even though everyone knew the reason, openly discussing it was something of a taboo. “It was because Mother was an enchantress before she married you. The Veneno Conclave worried she might abuse her powers to better Arcainia. They agreed she could marry you only if she renounced her magic.”

“She did
, as you know. But the conclave feared her friends and allies might take it upon themselves to use magic in her stead, so they banned the use of magic in Arcainia all together,” King Henrik nodded. “But what they banned was casted magic. Some people are gifted with natural magic, like you. From what your brothers tell me, this ability of yours to cancel out magic is always active. It is a part of your very being, and it is a power unique to you. You do not have the ability to be an enchantress, as Lady Angelique, but your powers are still magic.”

“
I agree,” Elise said.

“Your Mother
, Queen Ingrid, had a bit of natural magic as well as her powers as an enchantress. It was nothing big; she could occasionally sense the future. She never saw complete pictures. It was more feelings and prophecies of what could come. After Rune was born, Ingrid foresaw her death was approximately two decades away. She also foresaw that your brothers and I would be in grave danger after her death,” King Henrik said, shifting in his chair.

“Ingrid
was a stubborn woman, and she knew she could not rely on her friends to aid us with magic being banned and all, so she searched far and wide for a person who could help us. She found you. I don’t know if she knew about your powers. She didn’t tell me everything she saw about you or any of us, I think to save us from ourselves, but she did see that if you remained with our family you would see us through, and quite possibly save the Arcainian empire. She did not wish to tell you this, fearing such a prophecy would burden you, but our eldest boys were made aware of the situation. Being unable to keep their mouths shut after we took you in as a fosterling, they shared the news with their brothers.”

Elise vague
ly recalled Gerhart complaining about everyone calling her the family savior. They must have discussed the situation when she was not around.

K
ing Henrik cleared his throat. “She also foresaw some of your…mmmm…romantic entanglements,” he said, tugging on the collar of the black jacket he wore.

“She
foresaw that Rune and Falk would profess their love for me?” Elise guessed.

“Yes
,” King Henrik said, looking relieved. “Matters of the heart are tricky to foresee, so it was not set in stone, but she wanted to give you the freedom to choose whom you loved. That is why she forbade us from officially adopting you. As long as you remained a fosterling, you were free to love whomever you wished—whether he be an Arcainian
prince or a lowly blacksmith.”

Elise nodded
, pursing her lips.

“You are not surprised?” K
ing Henrik said.

“After see
ing my brothers turn into swans and holding a conversation with a cat, no. I can’t say I am,” Elise said.

K
ing Henrik laughed and slapped his leg. “Elise, my darling daughter, you are certainly the daughter of Ingrid’s heart.”

“There is someth
ing that is still bothering me,” Erick said, rapping a spoon on the table surface to get his family’s attention.

“What?” Nick asked. “Are you sad none of your little college attendees
have come to check on you yet?”

“No. Why didn’t the
Veneno Conclave act against Clotilde? They chased after the Lady Enchantress Angelique fast enough. You cannot tell me they were unaware of Clotilde’s activity. The woman was entirely lacking in subtlety,” Erick said.

“It is odd
that they would allow dark magic to be used at all. It’s been decades since a powerful dark magic user like Clotilde made so much as an attempt for power,” Rune said.

“Odd doesn’t begin to describe it
,” Steffen said.

“No
, Rune has a point of which he probably isn’t aware,” Erick said.

“Gee
, thanks,” Rune said.

“Clotilde
was
not
a powerful dark magic user. Her black diamonds were the real power,” Erick said. “Where did she get them from?”

“Or whom
,” Mikk said.

“Yes
, she wasn’t the type to go searching for a dark power. She wouldn’t be smart enough to recognize it if she saw it. Someone must have given them to her,” Gabrielle said.

“In other words
, we can be sure Clotilde was acting with help,” Rune said.

“Is it possible
that Clotilde was part of a bigger movement? One bigger than Arcainia?” Steffen asked.

“And the Veneno Conclave either cannot or will not counteract,” Erick said.

“Our wealth and exporting power are not common knowledge. I cannot think we would be the prime target for a reign of darkness,” Elise said.

But t
he royal family turned grave as they dwelt on the possibilities.

“
But, that is a matter for another day,” Gerhart said, springing to his feet. “We got rid of the harpy, and we’re no longer birds. I think it’s time we hold a celebration.”

“A celebration?” Mikk said
, a frown evident in his voice.

“Gerhie is right. If now isn’t time for a feast
, I don’t know when is. Lighten up, Mikk. We’ll need dancing and food,” Nick said standing up so he could bow and offer his hand to Brida in a mock dance.

“And guests—everyone should be invited from all over Arcainia
,” Gerhart declared.

“And music and drinks
,” Nick continued.

“And money
,” Elise said with a stone face.

“Ahhhh
, yes that would be the kicker,” Nick said, grimacing.

“I think our treasury could handle a small party
, don’t you think so, Elise?” King Henrik said.

Elise
, unable to refuse her father anything after the past few months, said, “I suppose.”

“
Hurray!” Nick said.

“Excellent choice
, Father,” Gerhart praised.

“Good
,” King Henrik said, leaning over to kiss Elise on the temple. “I will use the occasion as an excuse to laud and praise you,” he said before shaking his head and smiling in pride. “My daughter, Fürstin Elise, the savior of Arcainia!”

Elise leaned back in her chair
, a smile on her lips. She was startled when she realized Mikk stood at her side, his hands folded behind her back.

“May I have a moment
of your time?” he asked.

“Certainly
,” Elise said, standing up. She awkwardly brushed her skirts before joining Mikk in a stroll around the room.

“You know our family loves you for you
, not for being perfect,” he said when they were far enough away from the table that they wouldn’t be overheard.

Elise weighed his words. “Yes
,” she said, surprised at the realization. She didn’t know exactly when the change took place, but she pushed herself to break the curse and defeat Clotilde not out of duty but love.

“You know that
I
have never disliked you?”

Elise blinked. “What?” It took her a moment to recall her emotional outburst the night she was told Rune and Falk loved her. She had accused Gerhart of being a brat and Mikk of holding her in distaste. “Um
,” Elise awkwardly said.

“I watched you. Out of curiosity
,” Mikk said. “Two of my brothers fell for you, that’s surprisingly high odds. Also, Father told Nick and I to put a security detail on you or he would hang us from our ankles. No wooing or courting allowed,” Mikk said, drawing a laugh from Elise. “But I never disliked you. You are my baby sister,” Mikk said.

The sweet simplicity of his words made Elise’s eyes water. “Thank you
,” she said, choked up.

“So you don’t have to be the Perfect Princess anymore
,” Mikk said, holding out Elise’s flute in one hand, a small saw in the other.

“Mikk…”

“You hate it. Break it.”

Elise took the instrument with a grimace. “No. I can’t.
”

“Yes
, you can.”

“No
, I can’t! Do you have any idea how much this thing costs? We could sell it to purchase a new set of carriage horses or to pay Brida’s salary for half a year.”

Mikk gave Elise a rare smile. It softened the normal stone bones of his face and brightened his eyes. “Elise
, do it.”

Elise swiv
eled the instrument in her grip and made a noise of distress.

“I will pay a jeweler to peel off the gold
work and melt it down after it is destroyed.”

“Ok
,” Elise brightly said. She took the saw from Mikk, and after a moment of struggling to hold the saw and flute, Mikk took the instrument and held it secure while Elise sawed through it.

When it snapped
, Elise held the two halves above her head. “Never again!”

“Never again
,” Mikk echoed.

“No more being perfect!”

“No more.”

“Way to go Elise!” Nick said. “What are we cheering for?”

Elise smiled at Mikk and walked back to the table with him. “The beginning of new era.”

“Sounds poetic
,” King Henrik said.

“It sounds wonderful
,” Elise said. “Oh, Mikk?”

“Yes?”

“I will be sending a Treasury Department employee to retrieve the gold.”

Mikk’s lips twitched in amusement. “I cannot funnel it into my budget?”

“It’s not allowed. No matter how I love you, dear brothers, your budgets are
mine
.”

“Hear that
, Falk? Even if you marry her, you’ll still be paying through the nose,” Nick said, elbowing his younger brother.

“Shut up
, Nick.”

“So cruel to your big brother. Gerhie
, stop writing and start drinking. This is a celebration!”

“Don’t call me that!”

News spread fast and far of Queen Clotilde’s defeat. The celebration lasted three days and three nights before the royal family divvied out duties to mop up the mess Clotilde made of the country in a few short months.

Rune
, Nick, and Mikk set out with the army to clear the lands of all the monsters that flocked to Arcainia in their absence. Falk and Erick set out to take inventory of the lands and crops, hoping to plant winter crops to make up for the poor harvest.

Gerhart and Steffen accompanied Gabrielle to her lands
, Carabas, to see what could be done with the remains of the harbor.

Elise
was the only royal child to remain behind in Castle Brandis, reinstating customs that Clotilde abolished (public lunches and breakfasts were the first thing Elise restored) and holding the central government together with King Henrik.