“No, indeed, Your Majesty!” she said. “It is a betrayal of me as much as of you. You have my full support.”
The king inclined his head in her direction before directing an unimpressed look at the guards behind me. “I am only disappointed that such a scene needed to be made.”
“I apologize, Your Majesty,” said a crisp voice behind me. “But we were unable to track her down before her unexpected arrival here. And your orders were that she be apprehended as soon as possible.”
The king sighed. “No, you did right.”
“I had nothing to do with those attacks, Your Majesty.” I could hear the desperation in my voice. “In fact, I came here to warn you. Prince Max and Princess Alyssa are in danger. There is a conspiracy against their lives tonight!”
“Is that a threat?” Anger radiated off the king.
“No!” I cried. “It’s a warning. I’m trying to warn them.”
“The throne does not take kindly to threats,” he snapped, “in any guise.” He looked over my shoulder. “Take her away and lock her up.”
“Wait!” I cried, desperation making me change tactic. “I didn’t act alone.” The guard and the king both froze.
“It was her!” I nodded my head toward Sierra. “She ordered me to do all of it. It was her plan!” If they were going to lock me up, then maybe I could incapacitate Sierra with me.
“How dare you!” Sierra stepped forward and slapped me across the face.
Growling, I wrenched my arms free of the guard’s hold, his grip having loosened at Sierra’s unexpected attack. I launched myself at her, my clawing fingers scrabbling at her sleeves. It couldn’t be coincidence that she had made the unusual choice to wear a long-sleeved gown to a ball.
She gasped and tried to push me away, but the tips of my fingers brushed against soft material. I drove my hand forward and pulled out the handkerchief with a triumphant yell. Moving faster than I ever had before, I thrust it down the front of my dress and stepped backward away from her.
Sierra let out a piercing shriek and threw herself at me, punching and kicking as she spluttered incoherently and pulled at my dress.
“Stop!” roared the king, and he must have made some signal I couldn’t see because the guards surged forward, recapturing my arms but also grasping Sierra.
She continued to strain toward me, shouting curses, and another guard had to step forward to assist the one already holding her.
“Never in my life have I witnessed such behavior,” exclaimed the king.
“It’s all lies, Your Majesty!” Sierra cried, seeming to regain some semblance of sense.
I kept my mouth shut, hoping she had done enough to negate any need for further accusations.
“She is your maid, and you brought her here,” said King Henry. “I hope most sincerely you are innocent in this, but I have never witnessed a princess behave such, and at such a moment. I can take no chances, and neither can I investigate this matter fully in the middle of a ball. You will both be locked up until I can get to the bottom of what is going on here.”
The guards nodded at the king and pulled us roughly through the crowd. Still the music played and on the other side of the room, dancing continued, but the crowd around us watched with avid interest as we were hauled away.
As soon as we were out in the relatively empty corridor, Sierra lunged for me again.
“None of that now.” One of the guards pulled her forward some way ahead of me. “Try to remember your dignity. No one’s going to hurt you. His Majesty’s prison cells might not be luxurious accommodation, but you won’t find any rats or rotting food.”
Sierra shuddered and finally stopped fighting, merely casting a deadly glare at me over her shoulder. My heart raced so hard, I feared I might collapse and have to be dragged the rest of the way unconscious. Those men were still out there, on their way to intercept Alyssa and Max.
But I had succeeded in getting the handkerchief! If only there had been a candle nearby and time enough to burn it.
Did my possessing it break the enchantment? Could that be enough? I tried to declare myself the true princess, but no words emerged.
Instead of being taken to stairs that would lead us downward into the bowels of the castle, the guards dragged us out the open doors of the palace and into the yard. Latecomers to the ball watched us with astonished gazes as we were escorted toward the barracks.
“You have to listen to me,” I said desperately to the guard pushing me along. “Princess Alyssa is in danger! And Prince Max. Someone has to warn them.”
“Their Highnesses have guards of their own,” the man said.
“But guards can’t fight against a poison that floats through the air,” I said. “Surely you can see that.”
The man faltered slightly before picking up his pace. “That’s not for the likes of me. You’ve had your say to the king, and my orders are to see you safely locked up, which is what I’m going to do.”
I groaned in frustration, but until I could destroy that handkerchief, I could think of nothing more to say that might convince him.
The large, square shape of the barracks loomed out of the darkness, outlined by the many bonfires burning in the park. A small, single-story wing jutted off to one side of the building, and our guards dragged us toward it.
The one leading the way rapped on a plain wooden door, and it was pulled open from inside.
“You found her?” a voice asked.
Sierra was thrust into the building, and an exclamation of surprise floated out.
“You’ve got the princess, fools! That’s not the goose girl.”
“King’s orders,” said the guard holding me as he pushed me through the door after her. “We’re to lock them both up.”
The man standing guard inside whistled and scratched his head.
“In league together, are they? Why, that’s a whole conspiracy!”
“I’m not working with her,” Sierra spat. “It’s all a mistake.”
“Aye, well, that will be for the king to sort out. Tomorrow.” The guard who had been holding her let go, but the door had closed behind us, and we were surrounded by guards now.
She turned on me, a gleam in her eye, but the man caught her again by one arm.
“Oh no, you don’t. We’re not starting that back up. You can just cool off in here.” He thrust her through an open door, slamming it closed behind her.
I had time to see a large grate in the upper part of the door before I was thrust through a matching doorway next to it. I staggered, nearly losing my feet, and by the time I had my balance, the door had slammed closed behind me. I rushed forward to the grate in time to see the guards leaving through a door opposite the one we had entered. They must be passing through to their barracks.
Four remained behind, their backs to the opposite wall, and their eyes on our doors. I drew away from the grate and examined the rest of the room.
The guard had spoken accurately when he described our accommodation. While the cell contained no adornment or excessive comfort, it did hold a simple pallet, laid directly on the ground, and a basin full of clear water. A window in the opposite wall gave a glimpse of the outside world, bars preventing any potential escape.
“I’m going to kill you!” said a voice through the wall.