The Stepsister's Lament Read online

  Yet when I touch it I find only a thorn?” I wondered.

  “Perspective, Joy. Perspective. If you look at it like a thorn, all it will be is a thorn. If you look at it as it really is, than you see what is there and not what you expect to see.” His smile was warm, so much warmer than I had ever expected. The briars opened before hope could begin to grow and all I could think was, Perfect timing.

  “Come in, boy, and bring the girl as well,” called a woman’s voice. “Leave that ridiculous pet of yours, though. He sheds everywhere and I just finished cleaning all my draperies. I don’t want to do it again!” It was a rich, smoky sound, a bit raspy around the edges, but more entrancing because of it.

  Bernard seemed to understand the woman’s words and snorted at us before bounding off into the forest. Reese, meanwhile, took my arm politely and led me through the door in the hedge and into a most unexpected place.

  “There is a castle inside a thorny plant?

  Well, it answers for a moat to a sycophant.”

  That made the man at my side snort as he tried to contain his laughter. It suddenly occurred to me that he had been rather formal once we heard the voice bidding us to enter. Seeing as how we were in a castle, perhaps I should have not made such a comment…

  “Yes, it would, if any such despicable creatures lived here, but thankfully they do not.”

  Our host decided to make her appearance, but not at the top of the stair as the previously disembodied voice would suggest. At least, that’s what you always hear about in stories. No, this woman defied convention by coming out of what appeared to be the kitchen, still wearing an apron over her burgundy and pewter dress, flour fingerprints visible on the dark fabric. It was odd, the colors were rich enough to suggest costly dyes but the cut was comfortable and the fabric sturdy, making her look like a wealthy cottager’s wife. It was practical and made me feel instantly at ease around the woman, though nothing else about her did.

  She was hard to describe. She stood about average height and had angular features that were striking, but could not be termed beautiful. Handsome, perhaps? Her gently pointed ears revealed her Fey nature, but unlike most of her people, she was shaped a bit like a pear, with all her weight in her hips. Also, her eyes and hair were both a rich chocolate brown. I’d heard it that elves all had fair coloring.

  I suddenly remembered the few lessons my aunt had taught me about the Fey. Generally, they were divided into two different courts, the summer court being the largest at the moment as well as the more common. They were all blonde with faintly tanned skin and slender, willowy figures. The Seelie Fey were obsessive about pure bloodlines and liked to play at being good, but were quite cruel toward half-bloods. Then there was the winter court, or Unseelie. They were known for their darker features and more solid figures. They were much more solitary and much less concerned about things like propriety and tradition. They were also said to be evil. That was mostly stereotyping and gossip though. Aunt Grace always said that it was pure avarice on the Seelie court’s part and a misunderstanding on everyone else’s. The Unseelie weren’t much into politeness at the cost of truthfulness, which was a relief to me. If my aunt were to be believed…

  I had a feeling I’d find out shortly if all that was true because it looked as if I was meeting my first Unseelie Fey.

  “Good afternoon Lady Maleficent.” All it took was one name and there went all the budding feelings of comfort or safety. Now I was completely terrified. “It is lovely to see you again. I hope we haven’t interrupted anything.” Reese’s voice was smooth and distant, as perfect as any courtier I had ever heard speak. It felt like I stood with a completely different person. He sounded nothing like the warm man I had become friends with over the last few days, something that only heightened my unease.

  “Knock it off, boy. We both know that I detest ceremony. And there’s no need to try and pull the wool over the girl’s eyes. Just call me Aunt Mallie, like you usually do. Now, what brings you by, besides your wanting a slice of dragon pie, that is.”

  She waved us to follow as she returned to the kitchen. It was disconcerting idea, following the Fey into her kitchen for a spot of tea and some pie. After all, she was the one that had cursed Princess Aurora. Still, her personality did seem to match with what Aunt Grace had told me. Maybe it would turn out well after all.

  “Calm down girl,” Maleficent said as she placed a cup of pomegranate rooibos tea in front of me with the pie. “I won’t be cursing you anytime soon. It would get completely muddled by the one you’re already under and I can’t stand things out of place. Why just look at my goddaughter! She has a very strict schedule to follow and I rarely let her escape it. She calls me evil, but I think it is just practical.”

  “Didn’t Briar Rose run away to join a band of merchants last year?” Reese asked skeptically. I held in a snort at the name. The woman had a thing for spiny plants.

  “Of course she did,” she replied with a sniff of disdain. “I made sure that she knew I thoroughly disliked such people, and that one group in particular, as the leader had insulted my hat last time I saw him. After that, all I had to do was call her a child and forbid her from leaving the house. She didn’t even remember that I don’t wear hats! It is embarrassingly easy to manipulate that child. Still, she is only 14. I hate to think how dramatic she’ll be when Merri and I forbid her from ever seeing her true love again.”

  Maleficent sighed and sipped her tea. “I know I miss the silly thing when she is gone, but I so enjoy the quiet. She has been insufferable since the day she turned 12, always nattering on about something or other, usually my not letting her do something dangerous. I ask you, who would let a 12-year-old run off to try and save the dragons? Luckily Harold needed a bit of help with the horses while his son is apprenticing with another merchant in the north.”

  Things were quiet for a bit, the only noise being the scrape of forks on plates. The whole situation was odd. I’d always heard she was a horrible creature for cursing her goddaughter, but she sounded like every other scheming mother with an unruly teenager. Well, sort of. Most mothers didn’t manipulate their children to run off and get a job. Still, the method was very similar. My mother had tried that a few times on us girls as well, reverse psychology, especially when she wanted us to get ready for any unpleasantness that might be on it’s…

  Suddenly it struck me,

  “You are preparing her for something,

  That is the reason behind her imagined suffering.”

  The Fey winced and put her teacup down. “I’ll have to do something about that curse. It is positively horrible to have to listen to poorly conceived poetry. I honestly don’t know how the boy there can stand it.” I decided not to mention how she sidestepped my comment and just let the Fey keep her secrets. Meanwhile, she stood, considered her words for a moment before smirking and pointedly stating, “Well, perhaps I can conceive how he stands it… But that does not mean that I have to.”

  Reese smiled and thanked her for her kindness.

  “Nonsense, boy. It is pure selfishness, I assure you. I love good poetry and would stop anyone from spouting bad poetry if I can. In fact, her mother should expect to see me soon. Anyone who casts a spell like that deserves a reprimand. Now why did you come here? I know it wasn’t just for my dragon pie.”

  He cleared his throat and put on what I had decided to call his “politician face.” I didn’t particularly like it. “Well, my lady Fey, we came to inquire as to if you knew the location of a seer who was in the vicinity of Alenia approximately 15 years back.”

  For some reason, this tickled our host. She started cackling like a madwoman. She may not have looked evil, but at that moment she sounded like the stereotypical wicked witch, or sorceress, as the case may be. “You’re trying to find Kioni, eh! She will love that; a sucker for interesting visitors, that one is! Well, last I heard she had a new employer, but that was nearly 10 years ago. You’ll have to head over to Caillte Lynn’s domain and borrow her mirror
, since I’m sure that Kioni’s moved since last we spoke.”

  Reese sighed. “I figured as much. I needed to stop by and fix the blasted thing anyway. Grandfather says that he has been hearing disturbing things from that area again and thinks that the mirror is probably to blame.”

  “Mmm, that would make sense. I haven’t spoken with the girl in a while, but last we talked, she seemed a bit off. Some trouble or other with her stepdaughter – Snow Flurry, or something equally ridiculous. Hopefully you will be able to fix that problem. Speaking of your grandfather, did he send you with any messages for me?”

  “Snow White,” Reese corrected while rummaging in his pocket for a moment. While he did, it struck me that I was going to be visiting yet another ‘evil’ woman, and quite soon. It was a tad nerve wracking, or rather, it should have been. I’d learned a long time before that many people who were perfectly pleasant are called evil and many who seem lovely are hiding quite a bit of evil. Why, my family was a perfect example!

  The thoughts flashed by quickly before my attention was pulled back to Reese and the small piece of paper he was reading. “Here it is! Grandfather says: ‘The buck is on his way. Have no fear. My part will be timely as always Mallie. Send Weth my love. I’ll see you in a fortnight.’”

  “That man,” she declared with a huff. “He could send word more often. Well, there are rooms available upstairs. Dinner is at six and I’ll have a temporary remedy for that curse ready by morning. A permanent one will require you using Caillte’s mirror. Go wash up. I can’t stand the smell of moose and rabbit tobacco.” With those final words, the strange woman swept out of the kitchen and closed the door behind her.

  “I’m not so sure that woman is sane.

  How is it you know her again?” I queried.

  My companion’s whole body shook violently. “She might not be,” he told me, eyes twinkling. “But she is a good friend of my grandfather. She might even be his sister. I don’t know. Neither is particularly good at giving out personal information, at least not about themselves. What I do know for a fact is she is an incredibly powerful sorceress and has a good understanding of what is going on around the continent. Her expertise is invaluable.”

  His words shook me. I doubt Reese even realized that he had implied that his grandfather was Fey. If he was part Fey, a lot of the last few days made more sense. Reese knew the old ways of speaking to the forest, had a pet moose, traveled in the Fey Forest without a second thought, and considered magic mirrors and invisible front doors to be normal. Even his appearance made more sense. He was almost too beautiful and alluring. It made it even harder to believe that he had allowed himself to be tied to such undesirable human as myself.

  I began to wonder if I should check his ears for points.

  “Well,” he said, standing. “We should take her up on the offer of a bath. I don’t know about you, but I can still smell Bernard and it is a bit disturbing while indoors.” I nodded and followed him upstairs, the rooms passing in a blur of exhaustion and whirling thoughts.

  ~

  A sharp screech split the air as the heavy curtains were thrown open. I jumped to a sitting position in my bed and looked around madly, nearly blinded by the sunlight streaming through the window.

  “Morning, princess. You certainly slept long enough,” Maleficent said as she strode my way, making the air smell faintly of wood smoke and warm pine needles, just like the torn wall the day before... “The Spinner’s boy was worried when you didn’t show up for dinner, but I told him to leave you be. You’ve been using a lot of magic without preparing properly. No idea what you were using it on, but you should be careful. It can really lay you out if you aren’t used to it and it looks like it finally caught up with you. Probably fighting off your grandmother’s tracking spells.”

  I opened my mouth to question her, but she waved a hand and it slammed shut. “No, I don’t want to make my ears bleed again. Drink this.” A clear vial was shoved into my hand, filled with what looked to be water. “It won’t taste good, so you should probably drink it quickly,” the strange Fey warned, the color of her eyes reminding me of the coffee my mother used to drink in the mornings.

  Seeing as how I was just as annoyed with my speech patterns as Maleficent was, I took the cork out of the vial and tossed my head back.

  She was right. The taste was horrible. So were the faces I made in response. Those seemed to entertain her, though, so at least one of us was enjoying the process.

  “That tasted like a stink toad soaked in cheap vodka,” I rasped. Then it hit me. I hadn’t rhymed! “Oh, thank god!” I slumped against the pillow, reveling in my newfound freedom.

  “How long has it been since the curse was set?” Maleficent asked quietly as she sat beside me on the bed. I noticed that she wore a navy blue dress with cream-colored accents today. Yet again, the ensemble did nothing but clash with her reputation as an evil woman. The colors were fine, I suppose, but the embroidered ducklings on her apron didn’t exactly scream ‘evil’.

  “I was five when it first took hold. It couldn’t control me until I understood the concept of rhyming. But my mother cursed me a few days before I was born. She claimed that she wanted to get a jump on any blessings I might receive so that no one would steal her ‘amazing’ idea.” I didn’t mention how Mother had made sure poetry and songs weren’t allowed in the house until that point. She claimed it was a better surprise that way, but I knew she had tried to spare me as long as possible.

  “That woman is madder than a March hare, you know that, don’t you?” I nodded. “Still, she wasn’t intending to cause harm. That was the only thing of redeeming value in the entire spell. It had protections in place so that you would never appear to be much of a threat and those who would be tempted to harm you for being annoying were pushed to avoid you instead.”

  She clamped her lips together and her brown eyes were twinkling as she told me that she “might have to use that on someone. It certainly gets the point across without being overtly harmful. In fact, I know several someones who will be getting a variation of your curse in the next few years. Thank you for that.”

  I grimaced, but nodded to her. It almost seemed cruel to sit back and listen to her plan to curse someone else the same way I had been, but after years of reflection I’d come to realize that the whole situation forced me to be more than I would have been otherwise. Plus, it was quite a different process that went into curing an adult than it was to curse a child.

  Maleficent patted my hand and, as if reading my thoughts, responded, “You were probably quite fortunate that your mother cursed you this way. It helped you grow and mature in unusual ways, and, just as importantly, you did all you could to avoid becoming like the one who cursed you. Don’t worry, though. I’ve had to deal with something similar and it gets better. Just remember to always look for the good in the situation. You’ll go mad otherwise.”

  And now a purportedly evil fay was telling me to be optimistic. Still…

  “You’re right.” Being thought of as an idiot made me work hard to become clever, how to reach my goals in a round about fashion, and how to find joy in unusual circumstances. I knew the difference between fair weather friends and true camaraderie and knew that I didn’t need people’s approval to be happy. I was fine with just my family. I’d no need to expand my acquaintance or pander to another to earn their appreciation. My mother’s gift had taught me that.

  I must have spoken aloud because Maleficent suddenly replied, “Those do sound useful, particularly if you stay with that boy.” She nodded toward the door to indicate Reese. “You’re lucky. Now, it is time for you to get ready. You need to eat and both of you need a bit more instruction so that you can permanently rid yourself of that curse.”

  I stumbled from the bed and headed over to a washbasin. “Any sign of my grandmother or her wolf?” I asked as soon as I had splashed some water on my face.

  “No, but I doubt she would come here. That woman hates the Fey and knows that she lose
s power over her wolf if she goes too far into this forest.” My ablutions were forgotten as I leaned toward her. She read my response and expounded. “He is not her creature by choice and his animal gets stronger the closer that Wolf gets to the old forest magic. It strengthens all such shape shifters. Added to that, your grandmother knows that I have no love for her. In fact, she’ll avoid me at all costs. I expect she has laid a trap for you already. Too bad you won’t be leaving via the forest.”

  Abruptly, the Fey stood and walked to the wardrobe. Opening the massive carved wood doors, she pulled out a pair of trousers and a new shirt and vest. The quality of the clothing was very fine, but I could also see spells woven through the fabric. Most likely the magic was used to enhance durability. Without another word, the tall brunette tossed the clothes onto the bed. Then she threw a pair of calf high boots next to them and left the room completely.

  “Well, okay then. I can take a hint.” It felt wonderful to mumble to myself without having to think in couplets. I had feared using words like orange, silver, purple, month, dangerous and wolf for years. Now I was free to speak however I wished!

  ~

  “Morning Reese,” I said casually as I walked into the kitchen. I honestly was enamored with my new clothes. My hunting garb had been old and mismatched, pieced together from abandoned servant’s clothing at one of the charities in town. Mother was many things, but never frugal. That made money quite tight for the rest of us. Portia and I had to rely on Cindy’s expert seamstress abilities if we ever wanted to be turned out properly. That meant Portia was probably suffering from a lack of repaired clothes now that Cindy lived at the palace. Although, knowing Cindy, a servant had been sent to check Portia’s clothing weekly to patch up any holes that appeared.

  The trousers Maleficent had given me were made of soft cotton. The knees, backside and inseam had been reinforced with supple leather to deal with the wear they would most likely receive, similar to a pair of riding breeches. Their dark brown matched the leather vest perfectly. My shirt was a variegated mix of greens, reminding me of sun-dappled leaves. Everything fit close and the boots were the most comfortable things I had ever worn. Charcoal grey with designs stitched in black, they were magnificent and completed an outfit perfect for disappearing in the woods. They were also reinforced with spells to make them stronger and less likely to be damaged.