Wrede, Patricia C - SSC Read online

  As she tiptoed across the drawbridge, Elyssa stepped on something that gave a loud yowl. Hastily, she pulled her foot back and crouched down, hoping none of the councillors had heard. She could just make out the shape of the castle cat, staring at her with glowing, reproachful eyes.

  "Shhhh," she said. "Poor puss! Shhh. It's all right."

  "It is not all right," said the cat crossly. "How would you like to have your tail stepped on?"

  "I don't have a tail," Elyssa said, considerably startled. "And if you hadn't been lying in front of me, I wouldn't have stepped on you."

  "Cat's privilege," said the cat, and began furiously washing his injured tail.

  "Well, I'm very sorry," Elyssa said. "But I really must be going." She stood up and picked up her bundle again.

  "I don't know how you expect to get anywhere when you can't see where you're going," said the cat.

  "I certainly won't get anywhere if I stay here waiting for the sun to come up," Elyssa said sharply. "Or do you have some other suggestion?"

  "You could carry me on your shoulder, and I could tell you which way to go," the cat replied. "/ can see in the dark," he added smugly.

  "All right," Elyssa said, and the cat jumped up on her shoulder.

  "That way, Princess," the cat said, and Elyssa started walking.

  "How is it you can talk?" she asked, as she picked her way carefully through the darkness according to the cat's directions. "You never did before."

  "I think it was that ring of your stepmother's I swallowed yesterday," the cat said. He sounded uneasy and uncomfortable, as if he really didn't want to discuss the matter. So, having been well brought up, Elyssa changed the subject. They chatted comfortably about the castle cooks and the King's councillors as they walked, and periodically the cat would pat Elyssa's cheek with one velvet paw and tell her to turn this way or that way. Finally the cat announced that they had come far enough for one night, and they settled down to sleep in a little hollow.

  When she awoke next morning, the first thing Elyssa noticed were the trees. They were huge; the smallest branches she could see were three times the size of her waist, and she couldn't begin to reach around the trunks themselves. The ground was covered with green, spongy moss, and the little flowers growing out of it looked like faces. Elyssa glanced around for the cat. He was sitting in a patch of sunlight with his tail curled around his front paws, staring at her.

  "This is the Enchanted Forest, isn't it?" she said accusingly.

  "Right the first time, Princess," said the cat.

  Elyssa frowned. She knew enough about the Enchanted Forest to be very uncomfortable about wandering around in it. It lay a little to the east of the kingdom of Oslett, and the castle had permanently mislaid at least two milkmaids and a woodcutter's son who had carelessly wandered too far in that direction. The Enchanted Forest was one of those places that is very easy to get into, but very hard to get out of again.

  "But I was supposed to go to Queen Hildegard's!" Elyssa said at last.

  "You wouldn't have liked Hildegard at all," the cat said seriously. "She's fat and bossy, and she has a bad-tempered, unattractive daughter to provide for. She'd be worse than the King's chief councillor, in fact."

  "I don't believe you," Elyssa said. "Stepmama wouldn't send me to a person like that."

  "Your stepmother hasn't seen Queen Hildegard since they were at school together twenty-some years ago," said the cat. "You're much better off here. Believe me, I know."

  Elyssa was very annoyed, but it was much too late to do anything about the situation. So she picked up her bundle and set off in search of something to eat, leaving the cat to wash his back. After a little while, Elyssa found a bush with dark green leaves and bright purple berries. The berries looked very good, despite their unusual color, and she leaned forward to pick a few for breakfast.

  "Don't do that, Princess," said the cat.

  "Where did you come from?" Elyssa demanded crossly.

  "I followed you," the cat answered. "And I wouldn't eat any of those berries, if I were you. They'll turn you into a rabbit."

  Elyssa hastily dropped the berry she was holding and wiped her hand on her skirt. "Thank you for warning me," she said. "I don't suppose you know of anything around here that I can eat? Or at least drink? I'm very thirsty."

  "As a matter of fact, there's a pool over this way," said the cat. "Follow me."

  The cat led her through the trees in a winding route that Elyssa was sure would bring them right back to where they had started. She was about to say as much when she came around the bole of a tree into a moss-lined hollow. Green light filtered through the canopy of leaves onto the dark moss. In the center of the hollow, a ring of star-shaped white flowers surrounded a still, silent, mirror-dark pool of crystal-clear water.

  "How lovely!" Elyssa whispered.

  "I thought you were thirsty," said the cat. His tail twitched nervously as he spoke.

  "I am," Elyssa said. "But— Oh, never mind." She knelt down beside the pool and scooped up a little of the water in her cupped hands.

  "Who steals the water from the unicorn's pool?" demanded a voice like chiming bells.

  Elyssa started, spilling the water down the front of her dress. "Drat!" she said. "Now look what you've made me do!"

  As she spoke, she looked up, expecting to see the person who had spoken. There was no one there, but the chiming voice spoke again, in stern accents. "Who steals the water from the unicorn's pool?"

  Elyssa wiped her hands on the dry portion of her skirt and cast a reproachful look at the cat. "I am Elyssa, Princess of Oslett, and I'm very thirsty," she said in her best royal voice. "So if you don't mind—"

  "A Princess?" said the chiming voice. "Really! Well, it's about time. Let me get a look at you."

  A breath of air, scented with violets and cinnamon, touched Elyssa's face. An instant later, a unicorn stepped delicately out of the woods. It halted on the other side of the pool and stood poised, its head raised to display the sharp, shining ivory horn, its mane flowing in perfect waves along its neck. Its eyes shone like sapphires, and its coat made Elyssa think of the white silk her stepmother was saving for Dacia's wedding dress.

  "Gracious!" Elyssa said.

  "Yes, I am, aren't I?" said the unicorn complacently. It lowered its head slightly and studied Elyssa. An expression very like dismay came into its sapphire eyes. "You're a Princess? Are you quite sure?"

  "Of course I'm sure," Elyssa replied, nettled. "I'm the second daughter of King Callwil of Oslett; ask anybody. Ask him." She waved at the cat.

  The unicorn scowled. "I should hope I would never need to ask a cat for anything," it said loftily.

  "Overgrown, stuck-up goat," muttered the cat.

  "What did you say?" demanded the unicorn.

  "Nothing that would interest you," said the cat.

  "You may go, then," the unicorn said grandly.

  "I'm quite happy right here," the cat said. "Or I was until you came stomping in with your silly questions."

  "How dare— Princess Elyssa! What are you doing?" said the unicorn.

  Elyssa took a last gulp of water and let the rest dribble through her fingers and back into the pool. "Having a drink," she said. She really had been very thirsty, and she had taken advantage of the argument between the cat and the unicorn to scoop up another handful of water.

  "Well, I suppose it's all right, since you're a Princess," the unicorn said. Its chiming voice sounded positively sulky.

  "Thank you," said Elyssa. She stood up and shook droplets from her fingers. "It's very good water."

  "Of course it's good water!" the unicorn said. "A unicorn's pool is always pure and sweet and crystal clear and—"

  "Yes, yes," said the cat. "But it's time we were going. Princess Elyssa has to seek her fortune, you know.''

  "Leave?" said the unicorn. It lifted its head in a regal gesture, and light flashed on the point of its horn. "Oh no, you can't leave. Not the Princess, anyway."
/>   "What?" Elyssa said, considerably taken aback. "Why not?"

  "Why, because you're a Princess and I'm a unicorn," the unicorn said.

  "I don't see what that has to do with anything," Elyssa said.

  "You will gather trefoils and buttercups and pinks for me, and plait them into garlands for my neck," the unicorn went on dreamily, as if Elyssa hadn't said anything at all. "I will rest my head in your lap, and you will polish my horn and comb my mane."

  "Sounds like an exciting life," said the cat.

  "Your mane doesn't need combing," Elyssa told the unicorn crossly. "And your horn doesn't need polishing. As for flowers, I'll be happy to have Stepmama send you some dandelions from the garden at home. But I'm not interested in staying here for goodness knows how long just to plait them into garlands."

  "Nonsense," said the unicorn. "You're a Princess. All Princesses adore unicorns."

  "Well, I don't," Elyssa said firmly. "And I'm not staying."

  The cat lashed his tail in agreement and gave the unicorn a dark look.

  "You don't have a choice," the unicorn said calmly. "You're not much of a Princess, but you're better than nothing, and I'm not letting you go. I've been stuck out here on the far edge of the Enchanted Forest for years and years, with no one to sing songs about me or appreciate my beauty, and I deserve some consideration."

  "Not from me, you don't," Elyssa muttered. She decided that the cat had been right to call the unicorn a stuck-up goat. "I'm sorry, but we really must leave," she said in a louder tone. "Good-bye, unicorn." She picked up her bundle and started for the edge of the hollow.

  The unicorn watched with glittering eyes, but it made no move to stop her. "I don't like this," the cat said as he and Elyssa left the hollow.

  "You're the one who found that pool in the first place," Elyssa pointed out.

  The cat ducked its head. "I know," he said uncomfortably. "But—"

  He broke off abruptly as they came around one of the huge trees and found themselves at the edge of the hollow once more. The unicorn was watching them with a smug, sardonic expression from the other side of the pool.

  "We must have gotten turned around in the woods," Elyssa said doubtfully.

  The cat did not reply. They turned and started into the woods again. This time they walked very slowly, to be certain they did not go in a circle. In a few minutes, they were back at the hollow.

  "Had enough?" said the unicorn.

  "Third time lucky," said the cat. "Come on, Princess."

  They turned their backs on the unicorn and walked into the woods. Elyssa concentrated very hard and kept a careful eye on the trees.

  "I think we're going to make it this time," she said after a little. "Cat? Cat, where are— Oh, dear." She was standing at the edge of the hollow, looking across the pool at the unicorn.

  "The cat is gone for good," the unicorn informed her in a satisfied tone.

  Elyssa felt a pang of worry about her friend. "What did you do to him?" she demanded.

  "I got rid of him," the unicorn said. "I don't want a cat; I want a Princess. Someone to comb my mane, and polish my horn—"

  "—and make you garlands, I know," Elyssa said. "Well, I won't do it."

  "No?" said the unicorn.

  "No," Elyssa said firmly. "So you might as well just let me go."

  "I don't think so," the unicorn said. "You'll change your mind after a while, you'll see. I'm much too beautiful to resist. And I expect that with a little work you'll improve a great deal."

  "Elyssa doesn't need your kind of improvement," said the cat's voice from just above Elyssa's head.

  Elyssa looked up. The cat was perched in the lowest fork of the enormous tree beside her. "You came back!" she said.

  "Did you really think I wouldn't, Princess?" said the cat. "I'd have gotten here sooner, but I wanted to make sure of the way out. Just in case you've had enough of our conceited friend."

  "You're bluffing, cat," said the unicorn. "Princess Elyssa can't get out unless I let her, and I won't."

  "That's what you think," said the cat. "Shall we go, Princess?"

  "Yes, please," said Elyssa.

  "Put your hand on my back, then, and don't let go," said the cat.

  Elyssa bent over and put her hand on the cat's back, just below his neck. It was a very awkward and uncomfortable way to walk, and she was sure she looked quite silly. She had to concentrate very hard to keep from falling or tripping and losing her hold as she sidled along. "How much farther?" she asked after what seemed a long time.

  "Not far," said the cat. Elyssa thought he sounded tired. A few moments later they entered a large clearing (which contained neither a pool nor a unicorn), and the cat stopped. "All right, Princess," the cat said. "You can let go now."

  Elyssa took her hand off the cat's back and straightened up. It felt very good to stretch again. When she looked down, the cat was lowering himself to the ground in a stiff and clumsy fashion that was quite unlike his usual grace.

  "Oh, dear," said Elyssa. She dropped to her knees beside the cat and stroked his fur, very gently. "Are you all right, cat?" she asked, because she couldn't think of anything else to say.

  The cat did not answer. Elyssa remembered all the stories she had ever heard about animals who had been gravely injured or even killed getting their masters or mistresses out of trouble, and she began to be very much afraid. "Please be all right, cat," she said, and leaned over and kissed him on the nose.

  The air shimmered, and then it rippled, and then it exploded into brightness right in front of Elyssa's eyes. She blinked. An exceedingly handsome man dressed in brown velvet lay sprawled on the moss in front of her, right where the cat had been.

  Elyssa blinked again. The man propped his head on one elbow and looked up at her. "Very nice, Princess," he said. "But I wouldn't mind if you tried again a little lower down."

  "You're the cat, aren't you?" Elyssa said.

  "I was," the man admitted. He sat up and smiled at her. "You don't object to the change, do you?"

  "No," said Elyssa. "But who are you now, please?"

  "Prince Riddle of Amonhill," the man said. He bowed to her even though he was still sitting down, which proved he was a Prince. "I made the mistake of stopping at Queen Hildegard's castle some time ago, and she changed me into a cat when I refused to marry her dreadful daughter."

  "Queen Hildegard? But I was supposed to go see her!" Elyssa exclaimed.

  "I know. I told you you wouldn't like her," Prince Riddle said. "She condemned me to be a cat until I was kissed by a Princess who had drunk the water from a unicorn's pool. Her daughter was the only Princess the Queen knew of who had tasted the water. If she had also managed to kiss me I'd have had to marry her." He shuddered.

  "I see," said Elyssa slowly. "So that's why you brought me to the Enchanted Forest and then found the unicorn's pool."

  Riddle looked a little shamefaced. "Yes. I didn't expect to have any trouble with the unicorn; they usually aren't around much. I'm sorry."

  "It's quite all right," Elyssa said hastily. "It was very interesting. And I'm glad I could help you. And—and you don't need to think that you have to marry me just because I disenchanted you."

  "It is traditional, you know," Riddle said, with a sidelong glance that reminded Elyssa very strongly of the cat.

  "Well, I think it's a silly tradition!" Elyssa said in an emphatic tone. "What if you didn't like the Princess who broke the spell?"

  Riddle smiled warmly. "But I do like you, Princess."

  "Oh," said Elyssa.

  "You were always very nice to me when I was a cat."

  "Yes," said Elyssa.

  "And I like the idea of marrying you." Riddle looked at her a little uncertainly. "That is, if you wouldn't mind marrying me."

  "Actually," said Elyssa, "I'd like it very much."

  So Elyssa and Riddle went back to the castle to be married. Elyssa's family was delighted. Her papa kissed her cheek and clapped Riddle on the back. Her step
-mama cried with joy and then was happily scandalized to hear about the doings of her old school friend Queen Hildegard. And both of Elyssa's sisters agreed to be bridesmaids (much to the dismay of the King's councillors, who felt that it was bad enough for a middle Princess to be married first without emphasizing the fact by having her sisters stand up. for her).

  The wedding was a grand affair, with all the neighboring Kings and Queens in attendance. There were even a couple of fairies present, which made the King's councillors more cross than ever. (Fairies, according to the chief councillor, were supposed to come to christenings, not to weddings.) After the wedding, Elyssa had her stepmama send a special note to Queen Hildegard. A few days later, Queen Hildegard's daughter disappeared into the Enchanted Forest, and shortly thereafter rumors began circulating that the unicorn had found a handmaiden even more conceited than it was.

  And so they all lived happily for the rest of their lives, except the King's councillors, who never would stop trying to make things go the way they thought things ought to be.

  * * *

  Roses by Moonlight

  Light and the raucous noise of a heavy-metal band spilled from the long, open windows onto the patio outside, overwhelming the pale reflected gleam of the full moon and drowning the hum of the cicadas. Even from halfway down the long drive, where she leaned against the hood of her mother's Lexus, Adrian could feel the bass beat thumping in her bones. Samantha's music, Samantha's friends, Samantha's party. It was a good thing they had no near neighbors to complain. Not that anyone would have. No one but Adrian ever complained about the outrageous things her younger sister did.

  I don't mind Dad throwing her a party, Adrian told herself for the hundredth time. Really, I don't. But the way she swept in, like the prodigal daughter coming home. . . yes, I mind that. And— Oh, I don't know. Why can't things be simple?