Chapter 20
While the men laboredwith fresh intent, Bella relinquished her coin pouch.Since all the money originally came from the pond, she reasoned it should go to the men who were helping to fill it, but the queen would not accept any of it.
“Keep it.I have a feeling you may soon need a dowry.”And she smiled.A real smile.
Bella swept into a low curtsy, blushing furiously.“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Henriette did drag Bella back to her shop an hour later to fit her with something less “wedding day” and more “digging at the pond” appropriate, and soon they both filled and hauled buckets of dirt then water from one pond to the next.Phillippe, Bella discovered, was quietly solicitous, rotating his queries between his prince, the queen, and Bella, then running those errands and taking orders to execute among the men.
Riven swam up to her.“Bella, darling, see if that bucket will float.”
She grabbed the one he pointed to and set it on the water.
“Excellent.Now, tie some rope to the handle.I shall fill it with the gems from my treasury.Be sure these go directly to my mother.”
“I will.”She fed the rope into the water as ripples showed Riven pushing it from underneath.It ended at his floating castle, and soon, the tinkling of coins and plunking of gems carried to her.He waved when he was done, and Bella carefully drew it back to shore.
She presented it to the queen.“Your Majesty, this is from your son, to go toward your coffers.”
She visibly startled when she looked at the contents.“Where did he get all this?”
“The pond provides,” Bella said.“Everything he has needed, he has been able to procure from the bottom.He wishes to pay the men for working on his behalf.”
“Such a good boy,” she uttered, making Bella smile.
“That he is.”
They shared a warm grin.
The queen brought the fresh treasure to her carriage and ordered her guards to watch over it.More and more people arrived, whether to help the prince, or to partake of the treasure, Bella knew not which.She was simply glad everyone was helping.
By the next day, the pond was visibly smaller, the water spilling over the fresh edges as shovels full of fresh dirt were added.Per Bella’s recommendation, Riven ordered a channel to be dug.He wanted the original pond’s tiny inlet to pour into the new pond, which would hopefully avoid any salt finding its way in.While that was being dug, Bella layered the bottom with crushed coal.By the time the water from the new inlet trickled into the new pond, it was crystal clear and tasted sweet.
Within three days, most of the polluted pond had been filled in with soil dug from the new one.The men had reached deep enough that ground water began seeping in, making it a little more challenging to continue excavating at the lower levels.On the fourth day, both a pastor and a pagan priestess arrived to bless both ponds and commend the souls of the deceased animals to eternal rest.
On the fifth day, they arrived to find three deer sipping the clean water, making everyone cheer that their efforts were working.
And on the sixth day, everything came unraveled.
