“Here we go!” Ollie whispers as we approach Rapunzel. He pulls a deck of cards out of his pocket. “I’m going to impress Rapunzel to get her attention. Jax, you follow me and try to pull her away.”
At Jax’s sister’s name, I feel him tense up. He hasn’t been in the same room with her in years. (She was locked in that tower and then was told her brother was at boarding school when she moved into Royal Manor.) Their father also charmed Rapunzel’s memories so any image she has of him is distorted. She shouldn’t recognize him, but knowing what we know now, I am worried.
I open my mouth to express my concern and find Jax already bowing before his sister. “My princess, it’s so lovely of you to invite the students of Fairy Tale Reform School to dinner this evening. I’m Jax Porter, and this, as you know, is Gillian Cobbler.” I quickly curtsy. This time I don’t fall. RLW class is working! Woot!
“Jax, what a pleasure,” Rapunzel says, clearly impressed by his royal dress and speech. “Although I must admit, the invitation was not mine.” She frowns ever so slightly. “Princess Rose was insistent we invite you all this evening. The rest of us were very concerned about safety with everything going on, but I guess we do have the Dwarf Police Squad here.” Her eyes move toward Olaf and ours follow. He’s eating one of the floral arrangements. Those guys are going to be a huge help tonight.
“Well, I look forward to discussing the matter with you, Princess,” Jax says smoothly. “If you have a moment, I’d love to talk about how Fairy Tale Reform School is fairing under Alva’s threat. The students are worried about ogre attacks.”
Rapunzel clears her throat, but it sounds more like a squeak. Her blond hair is in a side braid that is woven with flowers and drapes around her neck like a scarf. “Absolutely,” she says. “Although I dare say ogres are usually peaceful when they aren’t under Alva’s rule.” She sighs. “We will talk more after I finish this receiving line.”
Yes! Jax is in.
“Smooth,” I say as a page hands us gift bags with Rapunzel’s latest hair-care ad sketched on the side. I peek into the bag and see shampoo, conditioner, and detangler, along with a purple detangling brush. There is also a bar of chocolate that smells divine. Anna will flip over this stuff, and the boys will love the chocolate. I wonder if I can get a few extra bars. We watch as the page nervously gives Jocelyn two instead of one.
“Come on, guest of honor.” Jax offers me his arm and walks me along the pink carpet to the ballroom. The others are already inside. “Let’s scout out this overthrow—I mean, party. Wait ’til you get a load of this place.”
“Jax, it’s just a ballroom. I’ve seen them before.” In Happily Ever After Scrolls. But when a page opens the doors for us, I inhale sharply. “Whoa.”
“Told you so,” Jax brags.
The Royal Manor ballroom is as big as the village—and I’m not exaggerating. I can’t see from one end to the other with all the large rose arrangements on the tables. Some of the RLWs are already seated at a long table with napkins folded like roses (nice touch), confetti, and enough candles to light a whole boot. There is even a narrow upper level filled with thrones of every shape, size, and color that overlook a gold-and-white dance floor lit by the largest candelabra I’ve ever seen. Where is Jocelyn? I want to keep my eyes on her. The others may trust her completely, but I still have my doubts. Tessa, Olivia, and Raza are dancing in the middle of the floor already, while Ollie, Kayla, and Maxine ogle the plates and silverware. They must be solid gold.
For a moment, I feel a familiar pang of longing. Just one or two forks would feed my family for months. But no! That’s not why I’m here.
“I wonder where Rose is,” I whisper to Jax. “Do you think I should tell her about Rapunzel?”
Jax raises an eyebrow. “No. We need definite proof. Let’s make sure we have the right princess before you go blabbing to everyone else. Let me talk to Rapunzel first.”
“Gift bag?” Raza sees us and runs over, practically throwing a bright-pink tulle bag at each of us. “It’s got rose-flavored chocolates inside. Don’t they smell divine?” Jax sneezes. “Bless you! They’re delicious. Far nicer than the royal court gift-bag chocolates.”
She looks at my purple gift bag with disdain, and I wish I had hid it behind my back. I’m not parting with it. “Princess Rose is hurt that the royal court gave out a separate gift bag,” Raza says. “This dinner meeting was her idea after all. The rest of the court didn’t want us here.”
Jax blows his nose with a handkerchief. “The princesses run the kingdom. They should keep us informed, but we shouldn’t be privy to their discussions.”