“That is what I said.”
“And is this a magical pond?”
“No.The pond is disgusting.Have you not seen it?”
“I have.‘Tis a cesspool of filth that no prince would visit.”He laughed right in her face at this point.“There’s no crown to be had with that tale.Off with ye.Do not return.”
She stared at the guard a moment, then fished into her pocket and pulled out a coin for him.His mouth dropped open, so Bella knew the coin to have some worth.“For my passage, please.I’m also riding his horse, Nocturne, since the prince left him in the stable.You will see that he remains safely tethered and undisturbed while I am inside.”
The man had not taken his eyes off the coin, but he did look up to study the horse and then seemed unsure.He put out his hand, and Bella pressed the coin into it.He pushed open the door without looking at her.“It’s your neck on the line.”
The second the door shut behind her, Bella stuck her tongue out at him, then headed into the main corridor.At the far end of the room, elevated on a low dais, sat the lieges, who were engaged in a blistering argument about unfaithful kings, their consorts, and the illegitimate children they fathered.Bella approached and lowered herself into a deep curtsy.
And waited a long, long moment to be acknowledged.
“Greetings, child.You will forget all that you heard.”
Since it struck personally, Bella knew she wouldneverforget what she’d heard.Still, she stood and forced herself to smile.“Greetings, Your Majesties.I fear I bear troubling news for you regarding your son.”
That got their attention.“Well?Spit it out,” said the king.
She took a deep breath.“Sometimes, things have to be seen to be believed.Your son, Prince Riven, was removed from the castle by an enchantress yesterday who placed a curse upon him.She blames him for the state of the pond outside the castle walls and has punished him to live there until he saves as many lives as have been lost.”
“Lost?None have drowned or died there,” said the king.
Nervous, Bella wet her lips.“This particular enchantress values the lives of the animals who have been poisoned from drinking the water, Sir.”
The queen delivered a worried look to the king, but he turned red.“Animals are not people!Who is this enchantress?I shall demand to have a word with her.”
“The prince did not cite her name, Sir.But I daresay he would not want you sharing his fate.”
The king blew out his cheeks in dismissal, even waved off her comment.“Royalty makes their own fate.”
Bella studied them.“Your son would disagree.”
“Why?”the queen demanded.“What do you know?”
With another breath for courage, Bella said, “Your Majesty, please understand your son is no longer human.The enchantress turned him into a frog.He can speak, but only if he stays in the water.We tried coming into the city walls yesterday with him in a bucket of mire, but even with the mud still wet, he almost faded away.Became a true frog,” she hastily amended.“He could no longer speak, and the light in his eyes faded.I barely got him back into the pond in time.Had Nocturne not been so fast, your son would have met a tragic end.”
“More so than becoming a frog?”the queen asked, her brow arched high.
“He is still himself inside that form and will remain thus until he can break the curse.”
“How is he to do this from a pond?”the queen asked.
“That is the crux of his punishment, Ma’am.She made him as helpless as the animals who sipped the water.However, there are steps to take to prevent more damage.For example, the seamstress in town, Henriette, has found a way to make her dyes stay true without dumping the water and polluting the pond.If your other clothiers followed suit, that would take care of one problem.”Bella tried not to smile, for if she could get Henriette into the royal graces, her problems would be solved.“Sewer waste and butchers’ discards would also need to be addressed, among other waste sources, like the ostler dumping horse carcasses in there instead of properly burying them.”Ha!She reported him after all.
The queen looked concerned and said, “All this is happening in that pond?”
Before Bella could answer, the king waved his hand to silence them both.“I have heard enough of this nonsense.Guards!Take her away.”
Bella spun to the door and saw two burly men approach her.She whirled back to the queen.“Please, Your Majesties, at least send someone you trust to the pond.You’ll see I make no jest.But do not remove the prince or he will die.”
Uncertainty flitted behind the queen’s eyes.
“I speak the truth!”Bella said as the men grabbed her elbows and shoved her toward the door.“The prince will need all the help he can get.Please!Go to your son.”
Sunlight blasted into her eyes as the door slammed shut behind her.
