stopped dead.
“What is it, milady?” Bronwyn whispered.
“There’s nobody here.”
“Sorry?”
“The kitchen, it’s empty. Now, that is unusual. In fact, I’m beginning to smell a rat, here.”
“Oh, no, milady! I can’t stand vermin.”
“I was speaking figuratively, Bronwyn.”
“Of course, milady. Sorry.”
Susti inched her way into the kitchen, then dropped down onto her hands and knees and began to advance, catlike, across the kitchen floor. She’d got roughly halfway through the room, when a voice shouted “Now!” and a vast net dropped over her. As she struggled to free herself, the princess became more entangled, and increasingly annoyed.
Bronwyn hurried over to help her mistress, but was deterred from doing so by the sight of King Phew and several of his bodyguards entering from the opposite end of the kitchen.
“Father!” raged Susti, clawing ineffectually at her gauzy prison. “What is the meaning of this?”
There was no reply, but two of the king’s guards rushed forward, pulled the princess out of the net, and helped her to her feet. She made considerable effort to elbow each of them in the chest as they released her.
“I demand an explanation, Father,” she snapped. “Why did you do that?”
“You tried to escape,” King Phew said simply. “And I cannot allow that to happen.” He marched over to the nearest bench and used it as a stepping-stone to clamber onto the tabletop, where he took his rest.
“I’m sorry, my darling, but I had to demonstrate that I won’t be disobeyed on this matter, and I knew that if I told you not to run away, you’d inevitably try.”
“B-but I don’t want to marry any of those people. I made that speech because you begged me to, and I don’t like to see you upset, but if you think I’m marrying some idiot barb—”
“You won’t have to, precious. I’m sorry, I should have explained …”
“Explained what, father?” Susti hesitated, a frown briefly creasing her elfin features. “What is this all about?”
“Leave us,” King Phew instructed the guards, adding, “and you!” when his daughter’s assistant made to take a seat herself.
“Sit down, darling,” he said, when the room had cleared.
“I don’t want to.”
“Please.”
Susti sighed, and slumped onto the nearest bench. “Well?”
“It’s a trap.” The king smiled, but he was notably nervous.
“A trap? For who?”
“Groan Teethgrit. He’s—um—he’s an abomination and a—um—a menace to society; him and those other … miscreants.”
Susti hugged her arms for warmth; the air in the kitchen was unusually cold.
“Those don’t sound like your words, Father.”
“Mmm? Oh, well, that is, they’re not, as such, but Duke Modeset is here, on behalf of the other rulers, and he says—”
The princess shook her head sadly. “So you’re being told what to do by those squabbling nobles?”
“We’ve spoken about this before, Susti. Phlegm is a respected member of the Great Assembly, and I have a responsibility—”
“Yes, you do: to your people, your kingdom, and, I hope, to your daughter. Does Groan Teethgrit pose a direct threat to this city?”
“Y-yes. I believe he does.”
“He was perfectly nice to me. In fact, they both were. I mean, even Groan’s little dwarf gave me a flower! What’s going to happen to them all?”
“Um, they’re, er—”
“Those tasks are impossible, aren’t they?”
The king didn’t look at his daughter, but nodded.
“So you sent them to their deaths?”
“Well, not me personally, but—”
“And you used me as bait!” Susti leaped from the bench, her eyes welling up with tears. “I can’t believe you’d think so little of me!”
“I didn’t have a choice,” the king pleaded, snatching at his daughter’s arm. “They’re the Great Assembly. They told me not to clue you in on what was going on, but I had to at least do that.”
“Ha! We’re the richest kingdom in
“What is it, milady?” Bronwyn whispered.
“There’s nobody here.”
“Sorry?”
“The kitchen, it’s empty. Now, that is unusual. In fact, I’m beginning to smell a rat, here.”
“Oh, no, milady! I can’t stand vermin.”
“I was speaking figuratively, Bronwyn.”
“Of course, milady. Sorry.”
Susti inched her way into the kitchen, then dropped down onto her hands and knees and began to advance, catlike, across the kitchen floor. She’d got roughly halfway through the room, when a voice shouted “Now!” and a vast net dropped over her. As she struggled to free herself, the princess became more entangled, and increasingly annoyed.
Bronwyn hurried over to help her mistress, but was deterred from doing so by the sight of King Phew and several of his bodyguards entering from the opposite end of the kitchen.
“Father!” raged Susti, clawing ineffectually at her gauzy prison. “What is the meaning of this?”
There was no reply, but two of the king’s guards rushed forward, pulled the princess out of the net, and helped her to her feet. She made considerable effort to elbow each of them in the chest as they released her.
“I demand an explanation, Father,” she snapped. “Why did you do that?”
“You tried to escape,” King Phew said simply. “And I cannot allow that to happen.” He marched over to the nearest bench and used it as a stepping-stone to clamber onto the tabletop, where he took his rest.
“I’m sorry, my darling, but I had to demonstrate that I won’t be disobeyed on this matter, and I knew that if I told you not to run away, you’d inevitably try.”
“B-but I don’t want to marry any of those people. I made that speech because you begged me to, and I don’t like to see you upset, but if you think I’m marrying some idiot barb—”
“You won’t have to, precious. I’m sorry, I should have explained …”
“Explained what, father?” Susti hesitated, a frown briefly creasing her elfin features. “What is this all about?”
“Leave us,” King Phew instructed the guards, adding, “and you!” when his daughter’s assistant made to take a seat herself.
“Sit down, darling,” he said, when the room had cleared.
“I don’t want to.”
“Please.”
Susti sighed, and slumped onto the nearest bench. “Well?”
“It’s a trap.” The king smiled, but he was notably nervous.
“A trap? For who?”
“Groan Teethgrit. He’s—um—he’s an abomination and a—um—a menace to society; him and those other … miscreants.”
Susti hugged her arms for warmth; the air in the kitchen was unusually cold.
“Those don’t sound like your words, Father.”
“Mmm? Oh, well, that is, they’re not, as such, but Duke Modeset is here, on behalf of the other rulers, and he says—”
The princess shook her head sadly. “So you’re being told what to do by those squabbling nobles?”
“We’ve spoken about this before, Susti. Phlegm is a respected member of the Great Assembly, and I have a responsibility—”
“Yes, you do: to your people, your kingdom, and, I hope, to your daughter. Does Groan Teethgrit pose a direct threat to this city?”
“Y-yes. I believe he does.”
“He was perfectly nice to me. In fact, they both were. I mean, even Groan’s little dwarf gave me a flower! What’s going to happen to them all?”
“Um, they’re, er—”
“Those tasks are impossible, aren’t they?”
The king didn’t look at his daughter, but nodded.
“So you sent them to their deaths?”
“Well, not me personally, but—”
“And you used me as bait!” Susti leaped from the bench, her eyes welling up with tears. “I can’t believe you’d think so little of me!”
“I didn’t have a choice,” the king pleaded, snatching at his daughter’s arm. “They’re the Great Assembly. They told me not to clue you in on what was going on, but I had to at least do that.”
“Ha! We’re the richest kingdom in
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