Today, Fairest is being reborn within the pages of Once Upon a Rainbow.I'm going to a release party to celebrate its return on Facebook.
In the meantime, I thought it was time for a freebie story to return which I posted last year. A moment at court in the life of Princess Rose, my narrator in Fairest.
Like Fairest itself, this freebie story has undergone revision.
“Your Highness!” The voice was sharp and slightly grating. “This titled thief is allowing his cows to graze on *my* land-“
“-it’s not his land, Your Highness!” The second voice had a lot more boom to it. Boom, which expected me to recognize its name, princess or not. “The land belonged to my family for seven generations!”
Second Voice shot First Voice a look of pure, unmitigated scorn, baring his buck teeth in the process.
The buck teeth were hereditary in his family. It’s a distinctive trait of House…the name was right on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t remember it.
It was hard to remember anything in the hot, stuffy room. The only windows there were air slits.
Light comes through them, a sleepy, afternoon light.
Such a light made it hard to stay awake.
“Your Highness, this prating pratt’s claim to the land ended, when my sister’s cousin married his father’s ward,” First Voice said with strident authority.
He waved a roll of parchment, which he held in his hand. It was depressingly thick.
The light flashed on his many rings. They dazzled my eyes. “This thief, himself, signed the agreement!”
“Where?” Second Voice demanded.
Of course he had to ask where. I had a dreadful feeling it was right in the middle of that parchment.
I needed to remember his name. I couldn’t just think of him as Second Voice.
“It’s right here!” First Voice said, as he began to unroll his parchment.
As I feared, the significant part was in the middle.
“I, Henry of Clear Waters, agree that House Vinegarten has exclusive rights to the land, including grazing, cultivation-“
“I never agreed to any such thing!” Buck Teeth snarled, looking even more outraged than before.
I needed to remember his name. Buck Teeth was not an improvement on Second Voice.
“There was never any such declaration in the parchment I signed!”
“Your signature is right here!” First Voice waved parchment at him, sending it rolling in different directions. “It’s in the sixteenth paragraph of the agreement between House Clear Waters and House Vinegarten! It specifically states that any kin to the heirs of a noble house, whom marries another is now one with the land, one with the blood, one with the heirs…” His words were oddly hypnotic.
I could feel my eyes closing, even though I needed to keep them open.
One with the land, one with the blood, one with the heirs.
The air started to sparkle. It was only sunlight, coming through the window slits, shining through the dust. It still looked magical.
It reminded of my tower room, where I planned to go to escape from my duties, as soon as I had a chance.
To be one with the blood.
Her lips were blood red, smiling at me.
I stared at her, surprised to see her.
She raised a snow white hand to touch my face.
I thought she only appeared in my dreams. Her hand felt cool, yet soft.
I leaned into her caress, enjoying it.
“Your Highness!” Her hand withdrew.
I opened my eyes.
Buck Teeth and Second Voice bot looked at me with expressions of expectant impatience.
“Go on,” I said. I did my best to sound regal, like my royal father.
He would never have fallen asleep, when his subjects were talking to him.
For that matter, my mother wouldn’t have, either. She might have been selective, about what she chose to listen to, but she would have paid attention.
Lord Gerald Hargreaves would have remembered everyone’s names, noticing all the tiny flaws in their arguments which could bring it to a swift conclusion.
I was a princess. It was my duty to listen, not fall asleep, when they needed me to hear their concerns.
What was this constant need to nap of mine? I’d sleep long enough, once I turned sixteen, if my curse came to pass.
This was a thought guaranteed to make me sit up straight.
“I believe I’d just proven that the land belongs to me, I mean the Vinegarten family, Your Highness,” First Voice said pointedly.
Vinegarten. He was a Vinegarten, part of one of the oldest families in the realm.
This particular Vinegarten wore more jewelry than the rest of them combined.
“This upstart from Clear Waters cannot allow his cows to graze upon our land, without the express permission of my family.” First Voice didn’t even bother to hide his smugness. He shot Buck Teeth a trumphant look.
“It’s an outrage!” Buck Teeth snarled.
His actual name was Lord Clear Waters, although I couldn’t remember his birth name.
“For years, it’s been prime grazing land! The Vinegartens will ruin it, by planting vineyards!” His teeth were more pronounced than ever when he scowled. “They have quite enough vineyards!”
“Is that what House Clear Waters thinks?” Lord Vinegarten countered. “Our wine is being served at tables all over, beyond the realm-“
“Which is exactly what the Vinegartens are,” Lord Clear Water said with a sneer. “Glorified wine merchants.”
“How dare you!” Lord Vinegarten cried.
He dropped the scroll to advance on Lord Clear Water.
Lord Gerald moved from his seat to intercept him. I hadn’t even noticed him sitting there. He’d been so quiet.
“The Clear Waters would be glorified peasants, if they hadn’t intermarried with us!” Lord Vinegarten fumed, although he hesitated at the solid bulk of Lord Gerald stepping into his shadow.
“Take that back!” Lord Clear Water snarled.
His sneer vanished. He lunged at Lord Vinegarten before Lord Gerald could stop him.
It took most of the court and several guards to separate the two nobleman who attacked each other with fingernails and flying knees.
Lord Vinegarten managed to pull out a chunk of Lord Clear Water’s hair before Lord Gerald pulled him off.
Lord Clear Water screeched like a cat, piercing my eyes with his outrage.
My urge to sleep was completely gone.
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