The Hidden Princess (Book One of the Whispered Tales)

Chapter 8

When she finally made it to the stairs leading the guests welcoming hall, she stopped. The Prince was already there and she could hear all three of them chatting and laughing. She didn't manage to climb down two steps when all of them turned their heads to her. The King and Queen looked just as she imagined them. Amiable, serene, beautiful and shining in their royal attire. The King had a short beard that was beginning to grizzle, but the Queen was the one to capture Eliza's eye. She was the embodiment of beauty and grace. Her rich hair, the same colour as her daughter's, was braided in a lock that flowed all the way to her waist. The dress, even though not formal, glittered in pastel colours of light blue and green underneath her dark blue velvet cape. Her face was white as the first snow. Her lips—ripe cherries, and her eyes, black and deep, like Mara's. And like hers...

Eliza went down the steps, one by one, with a petrified smile on her face. One look from both of them was enough to sense that there was something different about their daughter. And the joy and excitement of waiting to see her melted in a smile, as petrified as hers.

'Mother, father, welcome!' said Eliza, bowing.

The two smiled awkwardly. Then, the King was the first to give his daughter a cold embrace, whispering in her ear without the Prince noticing, 'We need to talk at once. Just the three of us!'Eliza stepped back from the embrace.

'Let's go to the room I've set up for you,' she said. 'You must be tired.'

The King and Queen followed her, along with the servants who carried their chests. After the last servant was gone, the King turned to Eliza.

'Who are you and what have you done to our daughter? Answer me now!' he snapped at her.

Eliza had enough with lying. With her head down, she told them the whole deal—how she switched with the real princess, how she got to the castle, fooled everybody and was now too late to go back. But she didn't mention anything about Witch Guzma or the passage underneath the castle, the Forest of Whispers or the spell that was upon her.

The King listened with his fists clenched while the Queen kept covering her mouth with every sigh she gave out. After assuring them that Mara was on good hands and, even more so, she was happy, Eliza went silent, waiting.

'Everyone involved in this charade will be severely punished!' roared the King.

'Your Majesty, think about it,' whispered the Queen in a low voice. 'Should the Dark Prince find out the truth, now, in the eve of his engagement, we and our entire country will suffer.'

'What do you mean? You want to approve this lie from now on?'

'No, not that... I never liked lies, you know that. Especially when coming from a girl who sees this as a game where she pretends she's a princess. But think of the Prince's wrath. The wrath that we have tried toning down from the very start, giving our daughter's hand in marriage to a man whom she didn't know, let alone love. The mistake was ours, to begin with...'

The King pondered for a while. 'So be it. The engagement will take place in a few days. It's too late for us to stop it, especially when it appears to mean so much for the people of this country and the Prince. But right after the engagement, Mara must take on her princess duties. This wedding between a little country girl and a prince of this rank must not take place!'