The Princess Pact: A Twist on Rumpelstiltskin (The Four Kingdoms Book 3) Read online

  What must it be like, she wondered, to work alongside the men, unrestricted? To never have to consider protocol or formality. It was an appealing thought.

  “Thank you for coming to see us, Your Majesty,” said the man Marie had identified as the leader.

  “This is Pierre,” said William. “He’s the one who gave me the report on what happened in Greenwood.”

  “We’re not ones for charity, Your Highnesses, and we wouldn’t have come here if we had anywhere else to go,” said Pierre.

  The king nodded, but one of the women jumped in before he could speak.

  “It’s for your good, and the good of the kingdom, we’ve come.” She shot a frustrated look at Pierre and Marie guessed she would have taken a less submissive approach if she’d been in charge.

  “Aye.” The second man’s voice was deep and rough and seemed more suited to calling through the woods than advising royalty. “It’s treason the stranger was proposing, plain and simple, and we want no truck with rebellion. You treat your people fair enough, and there’ll be nothing but bloodshed from that kind of talk.”

  He stirred restlessly, glancing towards one of the women who was hanging back from the table. Marie wondered if it was his wife and if they had lost a son or daughter to the stranger’s beguiling. Looking at the group more closely she once again noted that there were very few people her own age amongst them. Was it because they had already relocated to the city? Or had they all joined the rebel band in the woods?

  “As you say.” Pierre nodded his head gravely. “It was our duty to bring these tidings to Your Majesty.”

  He seemed entirely unperturbed by his companions’ interjections, and Marie was impressed. He clearly possessed both the strength and the calm needed to lead such independent people.

  “We appreciate your warning and your support,” said the king, matching the woodsman’s gravity. “Clearly your loyalty has cost you your homes and possessions, and you must allow us to house and feed you for the time being. When this threat has been investigated and neutralized, we will send a team to help you rebuild your village.”

  The aggressive woman looked reluctant to accept such help, but the king’s wording made the offer impossible to refuse. He had always excelled at such diplomacy, and Marie tried hard to emulate him.

  Pierre looked merely grateful and readily accepted the king’s generosity.

  “Any further information you could give us might prove invaluable.” The king focused his attention on Pierre. “I understand that you’ve already told your story to my son, but I would appreciate hearing it firsthand.”

  “Oh, aye.” Pierre leaned back in his seat, ready to launch into storyteller mode. “There’s no denying the woods are full of strange folk.”

  The second woman snorted in amusement and he cast her a stern look.

  “We see our fair share coming and going, and we’re used to paying them no mind. So when this man turned up, I dismissed him as another strange foreigner. It was clear from the sound of his voice that he wasn’t from around these parts, but, as I said, we get all types.” Pierre shook his head sadly.

  “If I’d had the least notion what was coming I would have barred him entry to Greenwood, axe in my hand,” said the second man, his voice agitated.

  “Aye, and we’d have stood by you.” Both of the women nodded agreement with his words.

  “I can’t blame you for saying so,” said Pierre, with a sigh, “though it’s not our way. But none of us could possibly have guessed what was coming.”

  “Certainly not,” agreed William, “such doings are unheard of.”

  “Right enough, you are, young highness,” said Pierre. “And that first day he did no more than loiter round the village, chatting with anyone he could find. By nightfall he had disappeared back into the forest, and I put him from my mind.

  “But the next day he appeared again, just at dusk as those of us who were working in the forest were returning to our homes. He stood in the village square and called for our attention. His behaviour was unusual, and he succeeded in gathering a small crowd. I myself was curious enough until he began to speak.”

  Pierre stopped again to shake his head.

  “Times are always tough in the forest, but they’re no tougher than usual at the moment. Those of us who stay do so because we love the woods and would have it no other way. His arguments seemed weak to me, and I have no time to listen to treasonous talk. But some of the youngsters…” he trailed off as if reluctant to continue, “…well, there’s no denying they got riled up by his words.

  “After he left, the older and wiser heads amongst us talked some sense into them. They calmed down for the most part. Several of them even acknowledged that the stranger’s words were empty. Overthrow the king? And who would rule in his place, tell me that? This stranger? The whole thing was about as full of holes as it could get.

  “I thought the problem was past and once again dismissed the man as a not very effective trouble maker. But the next evening he was back, and while he had nothing new to say, he once again succeeded in exciting the younger folk.” Pierre reached up to scratch his head, his eyes troubled.

  “Bewitched is what they were!” The words burst from the second man. “My Robbie is no rebel. He’s never had the least interest in politics before, but that second evening he followed the man into the woods. Came back with his eyes all aglow, telling us about the marvellous band of rebels hiding out there. We tried to reason with him, my wife even pleaded and cried, but the next night he returned to the woods again. The night after that, he didn’t return to us.”

  The woman Marie had picked out as his wife approached the table while he was talking and stood with her hands resting on his shoulders.

  “Never in all his years has our Robbie behaved so,” she said, corroborating her husband’s tale. “There was something strange about that man, I could sense it. I thought surely Robbie would come to his senses and return to us soon enough, once the excitement had worn off. But when several of them did return, it was only to demand that we join them.” Her voice faltered and she looked down at the ground.

  Pierre took up the story again, his voice gentle.

  “We refused to have any part of the rebel’s plans, and the youngsters became angry. They threatened that we’d be sorry and then disappeared back into the forest. I was concerned enough – but for their safety, not our own. I didn’t believe they would act against their own people.” He shook his head in bewilderment.

  “That night they returned, and many others were with them. They were armed with good quality weapons, far finer than anything you would normally find in the forest, and they turned us from our homes. What could we do?” He raised his arms in a hopeless gesture. “We could hardly fight back against our own children.”

  “I’m ashamed to say my Robbie was amongst them,” the second man’s voice was so low, Marie could barely hear his words. “I confronted him, but he claimed it was for our own good. That it was the only way. That we would see he was right in the end. I don’t know what that stranger did to him, but it wasn’t my boy who was standing before me last night.”

  “How horrible!” said Marie, the words wrenched from her by the emotion on the face of the man and his wife. “I promise we’ll do all we can to help your son and the others.”

  The wife looked at her gratefully, but William turned a slightly raised eyebrow on her. She suspected he was less inclined to believe the tales of bewitchment.

  Her father’s expression gave nothing away. “As my daughter says, we will do everything in our power to get to the bottom of this matter and bring this stranger to justice.”

  The woman gave the king a small curtsey, pulled her husband up from his seat and led him over to the far side of the room. Marie could see her murmuring comfortingly to him.

  There was silence for a moment, and then one of the remaining women spoke.

  “I’ve known young Robbie his whole life, and I must agree, his behaviour wa
s very unlike him.” She frowned with concern. “None of our young people have shown the least dissatisfaction before.”

  The other woman snorted at this statement, and the speaker glared at her indignantly. “None of the ones who remained, I mean. Those who were unhappy with the forester life simply left for the city. We’ve never tried to make anyone stay who didn’t want to.”

  “Well, that’s true enough,” agreed the second.

  “I believe one of you circled back to check on the village after you had left?” asked the king, his smooth voice making even his interjection seem courteous.

  “Oh, aye, that was young Harrison,” said Pierre, gesturing towards a gangly boy, barely into adolescence, who was somewhat reluctantly assisting with the children.

  At the sound of his name, Harrison looked up eagerly and hurried over to join the group at the table.

  “Your Majesty, Your Highnesses,” he gave a quick head bob before gazing admiringly at William. The prince grinned easily back at him, well used to the hero worship he received from young boys.

  Harrison’s eyes moved on to Marie, and he paused for a moment, looking almost puzzled. Marie gave an internal sigh but put a friendly smile onto her face. She was as used to the surprise of strangers as William was used to their admiration and had long since reconciled to the fact that she did not meet people’s expectations of a princess.

  “Pierre tells me you were the one to return to the village,” said King Richard, his voice gentle.

  The boy nodded, gulping. “Some of the villagers wanted to double back. They figured the men would have left and we could return to our homes. I volunteered to go back and do some scouting.” His chest puffed out. “I’m one of the best scouters in the village. I can pick out a game trail in the forest better than any of the older boys, and if a herd’s moved its grazing spot, I can always find where they went.”

  “It seems you were well chosen for the job, then,” said Marie with a warm smile. Pride shone from his face in response.

  She nudged William under the table and he grinned at her. It was a game they had played for years, Marie using wits and charm and dignity in an attempt to match the regard that William received without even trying. William found the whole thing amusing – he was always telling her that people liked her more than she thought they did.

  “When I got back to the village, the men were gone all right. But they had stripped our houses of everything of worth and destroyed most of the buildings in the process. I picked through the wreckage, but there was no food, weapons or tools left for me to scavenge. I couldn’t even find any blankets to take back for the elderly and the children.” His face darkened. “I wouldn’t have thought it of them, Robbie and Danny and the rest of them.”

  Marie suspected his hero worship had previously been directed at the older boys of the village and felt sorry for him. It was hard to have your illusions shattered.

  “Thank you, Harrison,” said the king, gravely.

  Pierre thanked the lad and gestured for him to return to the children. He went reluctantly, with frequent glances back at William and Marie.

  Marie leaned forward in her chair, her eyes fixed on Pierre. “Did all of the villagers who visited the stranger in the forest join him?”

  Her father nodded his appreciation of her question, and Marie suppressed a satisfied smile. She was determined to prove herself useful in the investigation.

  “All but one,” said Pierre. He turned and called into the group of villagers at the far end of the room, and a young man emerged from the throng.

  He was tall with a purposeful stride. His skin was the darker, golden tone of the south, and his eyes and hair were a warm brown. He looked exotic amongst the pale foresters, and Marie wondered how she had failed to notice him before.

  “Greetings,” he said, directing a courtly bow towards the royals, “how may I be of assistance?” His accent confirmed that he came from the south, most likely from Lanover.

  “I understand that you visited this rebel in the forest,” said the king. “What can you tell us of what you saw there?”

  The young man paused, his expression turning thoughtful.

  “I visited the rebel band only once, at the insistence of my hosts.”

  The king raised enquiring eyebrows and the young man gestured back towards the group of villagers.

  “I was boarding with one of the village families and their two oldest children, Danny and Lisa, were entranced by the stranger’s words. They followed him into the forest at the first opportunity, and the next evening they insisted that I accompany them. I went, out of curiosity mainly, but saw nothing particularly appealing in the rebel camp. We all returned to the village, and the next night I refused to accompany them. That was the night that none of them returned.”

  He looked troubled, and Marie wondered if he was wishing he had gone with them or feeling guilty for failing to persuade them not to go.

  “They permitted you to visit the camp and then to return?” There was scepticism in William’s voice, and his eyes were hard.

  The young man smiled and raised his hands defensively. “I realise it isn’t a great time to be a foreigner in these parts, but I’ve been staying in Greenwood for several months – well before this stranger arrived. And any of the villagers will tell you that I did all I could to dissuade the other young people from heeding his words.”

  “Aye, that’s true enough.” Pierre nodded.

  “The stranger seemed very confident,” said the young man thoughtfully. “I don’t think he expected any of us who followed him into the forest not to return to him. He certainly didn’t seem to have the concern for security I would have expected from a rebel.”

  Once again King Richard’s expression gave away nothing of his thoughts. “What can you tell us of their hideout and numbers?” he asked.

  “They were more numerous than I anticipated.” The young man frowned. “I would say there were well over a hundred. I can’t be sure because I was only there for a brief time, and there might have been more out on patrol or hunting.”

  A quiet gasp of surprise escaped William, and Marie nudged him under the table again. It wouldn’t do to let the villagers see anything but confidence from their royals.

  “They were well armed,” the southerner continued. “Much better armed than I expected, in fact. I can’t imagine where they sourced so many fine blades and shields. The bows make sense, foresters pride themselves on their hunting, but I’ve been travelling through the woods for months and didn’t see a single blade of that calibre prior to visiting the camp.

  “They’ve set themselves up fairly comfortably in a series of well-hidden caves. Even Danny had never seen the cave system before, and he’s always exploring the forest around the village.”

  “Could you find it again? Their camp, I mean,” asked William. He was leaning forward in his seat, and Marie recognised the eagerness in his voice.

  Her heart contracted. She wasn’t entirely sure what she thought of all this talk of bewitchment, but she did know she wanted her brother nowhere near the rebel camp.

  The young man hesitated. “I think so,” he said, at last. “If I started at the village, I should be able to retrace my steps.”

  William threw their father an excited look but subsided without further comment at their father’s stern expression.

  “Thank you,” the king said to the villagers. “Your information has been very helpful.” He addressed himself to the southerner. “Please attend me at the castle tomorrow morning as I may have some further questions for you. For now I must excuse myself as I have a meeting to attend.”

  Marie frowned in confusion and then remembered that her father had an appointment with the royal treasurer. The impatience rose back up. Surely a meeting like that could be cancelled at such a moment! But she knew her father wouldn’t cancel it, and she had no interest in tagging along for that particular royal duty.

  “William and I will stay and talk to the villagers, i
f that’s all right, Father.”

  “Certainly, my dear.” His warm smile suggested that he approved of her plan, and she smiled back at him, grateful he was willing to include her in the investigation.

  William was quick to draw the southerner aside and bombard him with questions so Marie drifted over towards a small knot of women. Offering what words of comfort and condolence she could, she made her way around the room. She greeted each of the villagers and assured them of her family’s support. She took careful note of all their comments, but nothing seemed relevant to the capability or motivations of the rebels.

  Once she had talked to everyone in the room, she dragged her brother away in the politest manner possible. William had spent the whole time talking to the young southern man and was full of praise for him.

  “Yes, yes, I know, you’ve found a new best friend,” said Marie, rolling her eyes as she led the way back to the palace. “You can tell me all about it over dinner, I’m hungry.”

  Chapter 3

  Their father didn’t turn up for their usual informal family meal so Marie and William were left to fill their mother in on the news. Queen Louise was suitably horrified at the tidings, and the anxious glances she kept casting at William confirmed Marie’s own concern. Her brother was showing altogether too much enthusiasm at the prospect of taking on a band of rebels.

  Of course, to be fair, their mother was a timid woman who was often anxious. She had an unnerving tendency to jump at even the slightest unexpected noise, and she would cower from even a mildly raised voice. But despite this flaw, she had always managed to love her children with a ferocity that earned their undying devotion.

  In many ways she was unlike a standard Northhelmian royal, and yet she always conducted herself with dignity and a regal bearing. Her warm heart extended not just to her children but also to the whole kingdom, and the people loved her for it.