it didn’t come again, but she was left feeling isolated and alone in the darkness. Heart pounding, she put her arms around Rawley’s neck and waited a long, long time before sleep came to her again.
C HAPTER 7
C URSED
The next morning, Nell was out of bed even before her busybody sister got up. Prince Ryan and the king might pass by at any moment, and she needed to be ready. She gulped down last night’s leftover bread for breakfast, and then ran to sit on the cold stone wall in front of the cottage. Ruddy streaks scarred the blue face of dawn overhead.
As Nell waited, she considered the stone dragon that sat beside their gate. Serpents were said to guard over entries and doors, but this carving wasn’t quite as imposing as those at the castle. The tiny sculpture arched, half buried with a funny cone of snow on its head. Nell kicked at it absently, wondering when the king would come.
Some time passed, and Nell’s father kissed her forehead before heading down to his shoe shop. The sun broke over the castle hill, bringing no additional warmth. Rawley came and sat with her for a while, and then wandered off. Neighbors strolled by carrying water buckets or leading goats.
“I’m riding with the king today. Prince Ryan is taking me into the weald,” she told anyone who would listen. She couldn’t help but feel proud. Her sister was right: she was different, much different than the simple people around her. She could speak with animals. She knew the sorceress. She was friends with the prince.
And she was cold. It was almost mid morning when Lexi opened the door, unceremoniously shouting: “You think you’re a princess, but you’re just a dumb girl who almost got killed in a parade. Get in here and do something useful.” Nell bit back tears, feeling ice creep into her heart. It was a deeper cold than she had ever known. But she knew Lexi was right again: no one was coming to take her riding.
The rest of the day she spent moping, avoiding her sister, and wondering why the prince didn’t come. She even avoided Rawley and Sola. The stories they shared all winter seemed childish and unimportant now. Why didn’t the prince keep his word? Doesn’t he like me? The same melancholy thoughts kept whispering in her mind.
Weeks passed in this way, though the hurt of her disappointment began to fade. Nell longed for summer, for the full light of the sun. But it seemed that her carefree days of playing in the woods were nearing an end. Her mother had been bringing her to the castle to clean almost daily, and she knew she needed to do her part to help her family. She tired quickly of the endless complaints and pettiness of the other women though. I had tea with Lady Zel , she would tell herself. I spoke with a unicorn! I flew over the weald! But compared with the dull reality of beating drapes and scrubbing floors, the events of the autumn belonged to another life entirely.
Heart heavy, Nell walked through a late season squall. It was dinnertime, and she was back from another tedious day of cleaning. As her home came into view, she felt the urge to run into the forest and get away from everyone – as she used to do when she was younger. She wanted to simply listen, all alone, to the sleet clatter-tap against the trees, and pretend things were the way they used to be.
Gossamer snowflakes replaced the ice as she approached the cottage. Striding toward the door, a bit of unexpected color in the snow happened to catch her eye. Three purple crocus flowers had sprouted that day, just below her window. They looked so fragile, yet brave against the big white flakes. Nell wanted them to growstrong. She wanted the green to return, for the monotony of winter to melt away. Kneeling on the ground, she brushed crystals from the tiny petals and remembered the care Peter took when planting the golden acorn. On a whim, she leaned close and whispered in her gentlest tone, “It’ll be alright. You’re safe, you can grow. Warmer days
C HAPTER 7
C URSED
The next morning, Nell was out of bed even before her busybody sister got up. Prince Ryan and the king might pass by at any moment, and she needed to be ready. She gulped down last night’s leftover bread for breakfast, and then ran to sit on the cold stone wall in front of the cottage. Ruddy streaks scarred the blue face of dawn overhead.
As Nell waited, she considered the stone dragon that sat beside their gate. Serpents were said to guard over entries and doors, but this carving wasn’t quite as imposing as those at the castle. The tiny sculpture arched, half buried with a funny cone of snow on its head. Nell kicked at it absently, wondering when the king would come.
Some time passed, and Nell’s father kissed her forehead before heading down to his shoe shop. The sun broke over the castle hill, bringing no additional warmth. Rawley came and sat with her for a while, and then wandered off. Neighbors strolled by carrying water buckets or leading goats.
“I’m riding with the king today. Prince Ryan is taking me into the weald,” she told anyone who would listen. She couldn’t help but feel proud. Her sister was right: she was different, much different than the simple people around her. She could speak with animals. She knew the sorceress. She was friends with the prince.
And she was cold. It was almost mid morning when Lexi opened the door, unceremoniously shouting: “You think you’re a princess, but you’re just a dumb girl who almost got killed in a parade. Get in here and do something useful.” Nell bit back tears, feeling ice creep into her heart. It was a deeper cold than she had ever known. But she knew Lexi was right again: no one was coming to take her riding.
The rest of the day she spent moping, avoiding her sister, and wondering why the prince didn’t come. She even avoided Rawley and Sola. The stories they shared all winter seemed childish and unimportant now. Why didn’t the prince keep his word? Doesn’t he like me? The same melancholy thoughts kept whispering in her mind.
Weeks passed in this way, though the hurt of her disappointment began to fade. Nell longed for summer, for the full light of the sun. But it seemed that her carefree days of playing in the woods were nearing an end. Her mother had been bringing her to the castle to clean almost daily, and she knew she needed to do her part to help her family. She tired quickly of the endless complaints and pettiness of the other women though. I had tea with Lady Zel , she would tell herself. I spoke with a unicorn! I flew over the weald! But compared with the dull reality of beating drapes and scrubbing floors, the events of the autumn belonged to another life entirely.
Heart heavy, Nell walked through a late season squall. It was dinnertime, and she was back from another tedious day of cleaning. As her home came into view, she felt the urge to run into the forest and get away from everyone – as she used to do when she was younger. She wanted to simply listen, all alone, to the sleet clatter-tap against the trees, and pretend things were the way they used to be.
Gossamer snowflakes replaced the ice as she approached the cottage. Striding toward the door, a bit of unexpected color in the snow happened to catch her eye. Three purple crocus flowers had sprouted that day, just below her window. They looked so fragile, yet brave against the big white flakes. Nell wanted them to growstrong. She wanted the green to return, for the monotony of winter to melt away. Kneeling on the ground, she brushed crystals from the tiny petals and remembered the care Peter took when planting the golden acorn. On a whim, she leaned close and whispered in her gentlest tone, “It’ll be alright. You’re safe, you can grow. Warmer days
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