Heart & Mind

Part 4

I shifted in my seat. The polished marble bench was not designed with comfort in mind.

After sitting for several hours, portions of my anatomy I would never mention in mixed company had started to ache.

"How much longer is he going to take? Your appointment was at noon!" Rose complained.

I glanced out of the nearby window. The sun had already started to dip toward the horizon. "I don't know why you are complaining. You, at least, can move around. I'm stuck here," I whispered. "And it's called an audience when you meet with royalty, not an appointment."

"Really? Why?" She frowned. "Does someone else watch?" 

"Yes, generally. Ministers and other nobles."

"But you met with the Queen without all that poop and circumstance."

"Pomp and circumstance, not ..." I sighed. "I don't know, okay? And we need to stop talking." The Prince's secretary had been shooting me quizzical glances. He obviously could not see Rose.

"Because of him?" She flicked her wings and flew over to where the man sat behind a large desk. "Or because of them?" She drifted toward the guards who stood ramrod straight in front of the chamber door. "Will they think you're mad because you are sitting there talking to yourself?" She perched on top of one of the guards' helmets.

"Get down." I tried to whisper without moving my lips.

"It doesn't matter. They can't see or hear me." She started to dance a jig. I bit my lower lip to suppress a laugh.

"And it's starting to look like the Prince has no intention of 'seeing' you." She stopped her antics and stared at me. "You don't have to put up with this, Catlia. You're a fairy godmother. Magic your way in and talk to him if that's what you want to do. Remember who has the power in this situation."

I frowned at her, and then walked over to the secretary, quietly palming the wand like it was a hidden dagger. He did not glance up as I approached.

"Pardon me. I was wondering how much longer it will take for me to meet with the Prince?"

"His Highness has left for the day. He went hunting a few hours ago." He didn't look up from his ledger. "I don't know what a silly girl like you would have to say to him anyway." The guards grinned at his comment. It was the first expression I had seen on their faces all day.

Anger rushed through me with a flush of warmth. The wand started to glow, filling the room with a golden light. I held it aloft like a sword.

"I could turn you all into frogs with a simple wave of my wand." I almost didn't recognize my own voice. It was cold and filled with power.

Three sets of eyes instantly focused on me. I made the merest twitch of my hand and they all dived for cover. The secretary tried to stuff himself under the desk.

I sighed. Their fear did not make me feel any better. Now I was both angry and ashamed at my own behavior. I turned and strode down the hallway. Rose hurried to catch up with me.

"Why did you want to see the Prince anyway?" she asked as we headed back to our chambers.

"I wanted to give him a chance to explain his list—to explain why he wanted to change the Princess so drastically."

"You think that there could be any justification for what the Prince wants to do?" She looked at me with sorrowful eyes.

"No, I don't." I sighed. "And since he won't speak with me, I guess I will never know what's in his mind."

#

"I love you," the Princess whispered, "but my heart cannot rule my actions." She gazed up into the eyes of a tall, blond man dressed in black and silver. They stood under the stars, silhouetted against the ornamental gardens. Unshed tears shone in her eyes. She reached out and gently touched his face. He was weeping unashamedly. His tears glistened in the moonlight.

I pressed myself against a flower-covered trellis near the palace wall, trying to blend into the shadows. A half an hour earlier we had been sitting on our balcony, which just happened to be across from the Princess's quarters, and saw her slip out unattended. Curiosity won the day. Rose hid herself in my hair so her glimmer couldn't be seen and we followed her through a maze of corridors to this courtyard near the rear of the palace.

"I'm allergic to these flowers," Rose whispered. 

"What?"

"I'm going to sneeze."

I gritted my teeth at her. "Don't give us away."

She tried to muffle it and ended up sneezing into my ear. Out of everything life had to offer, I never imagined I would one day have to clean pixie spittle out of my ear canal.

"What did she say? I can't hear."

Rose shifted to my right side. "She says she can't marry him because he's only a duke's son. She has to marry a prince."

I jiggled my little finger in my left ear. "What did he say?" 

"He says he will love her until he dies."

"That's overly romantic."

"Well . . . they're young." She poked the side of my face with her finger. "So are you, by the way. At sixteen you are too young to be so cynical."

"Well, then, you are too old to be so starry-eyed." 

"I'm going to sneeze again."