Rupert and the Queen, by Kelly Madden. Page 2/5
I still had a bit of ale whirring me along, so I followed the carriage. Wasn’t that hard. Only the king had a carriage like that. And besides, her hair sparkled in the sun like diamonds on the sea. I could see it waving out the window even in the distance.
You know it stayed that way all of her life? Even when it faded to white it still shone like the moon. But I can tell by your face you don’t want to hear about old people in love. I bet unrequited, sad love stories are more your style. Don’t shake your head. I can tell.
So. Like I was saying, I followed that garish monstrosity to the castle. Kept out of sight and watched the proceedings.
Invisible? Well, no, not exactly. I know you think we can pop in and out at will, although we can stay out of sight when need be. If you’re not looking we can’t be seen, but now you’re getting me off track. Do you want to hear what happens or not?
Here we go, then. She got out of the carriage, and, well, vision of loveliness sounds trite, but that’s the best I can do. Those brothers got that part right anyway. Face like an angel, body of an…never mind. You know what I mean.
She stood there all perfect, the wind lifting those golden strands around her like a heavenly nimbus. I was happy enjoying the view. Then someone else jumped out and who should it be but the miller.
Everyone knew him, of course. Only miller in town. Wasn’t too popular, though. None of us fey had any use for him either. Mean spirited. Boastful. Known to cheat on occasion. But I have to say, if I’d known he had kin like that…but I digress. The miller led his daughter into the castle courtyard, and I followed right after.
Then what do you know, around the corner came the king.
That fat, obnoxious, you-know-what of a king.
Now I got angry, see? It was clear enough what that miller planned to do with his daughter. And let me just say I’d’ve been mad if she were plain. There’s a certain level of decency everyone should follow. But he was craftier than I thought. He wasn’t selling her, he was trying to marry her off. And I almost laughed at what he said his daughter could do.
But then I looked at that lovely face and bless my buckles, I almost believed it. Her smile could convince anyone of anything.
Except the king.
He wanted to believe, don’t get me wrong. Greediest king ever. Had whole counting chambers full of gold and he sure didn’t need any more. Although he did spend it like no tomorrow, mostly on clothes. Vain as a peacock, changed his outfit every hour. I suppose even when you’re rich you can always use more gold. And besides, he wanted her, the old bat.
Who wouldn’t?
So he grabbed her by the arm, and said if you can do this you’ll be my queen but if you can’t I’ll kill you in the morning by my own hand.
Yes, he really said it. But the miller, he was no better. He left her there, locked in a prison cell with that ridiculous task. Her own father. Can you imagine? As a parent myself I’d rather die than sacrifice my child.
There wasn’t much I could do except maybe take a peek through the keyhole to get one more look. And that’s when I fell in love. It wasn’t her beauty, although that certainly helped. It was mostly that serene and trusting expression.
