“We need to put the fear of God in her, Karina. She’s already defending the evil woman,” he replied angrily.
Karina sighed.
“She’s not evil,” protested Mariselle.
Marcus groaned in frustration. “Enough, Mariselle. She was banished from the kingdom because of her wicked ways. Plus, you saw her wand. Graylen said she received it from Hecate. She’s obviously a very powerful witch now and who knows what she’s capable of.”
“Gaylen uses a wand, too. Wouldn’t that make him evil too?” Mariselle said stubbornly.
“Gaylen is a wizard. He has protected this kingdom for centuries and doesn’t use Black Magic to do it,” said Marcus.
Mariselle frowned. “How do you know he doesn’t?”
“Because we just would. Now, I don’t want to hear any more about this. You’re going to the castle, where it’s safe.” Marcus looked at Karina. “Both of you.”
“Can I bring my kittens?” Mariselle asked, afraid he’d say no.
He nodded. “Yes, of course.”
She sighed in relief.
A COUPLE OF hours later, Mariselle stood in front of King Edward and told him about her experience with Angelique. He listened intently and when she was finished, questioned her.
“Do you know where she was heading to?” he asked, staring down at her from his chair.
“No, Your Majesty,” she said shyly. Although she adored the king, he was very intimidating, especially when he looked angry. And right now, he very much did.
He tapped his fingers steadily on the throne. “Did she mention me at all?”
“No, Your Majesty.”
The king asked her a few more questions and then turned to Marcus. “It’s good that you brought your family here. I believe that she might have been toying with Mariselle, to try and get to me, somehow. Your family is welcome to stay here in the castle until she’s taken care of.”
Marcus sighed in relief. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
King Edward turned his attention back to Mariselle. “If you run into her again, remember that she’s very deceptive. Those who practice dark magic have an alliance with the Devil. They are all evil. You cannot trust anything that comes from her lips, no matter how nice or beautiful she may seem.”
Mariselle could see out of the corner of her eye that Queen Lizbeth was no longer smiling. She looked at her fully and saw that the queen looked very upset and wondered if it had to do with King Edward calling Angelique ‘beautiful’. She wanted to tell the queen that she was also beautiful, but couldn’t seem to get the words out.
“Pay attention!” the king scolded.
Jumping, Mariselle’s eyes went back to him. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” she squeaked, her heart beating a mile a minute. She’d never seen the king look so angry.
His face suddenly relaxed. “I am sorry for raising my voice, Lass,” he said, running a hand across his face. “This matter is just very upsetting. Do you understand how important it is that you not fall under her charms?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Mariselle replied.
“I hope so,” he waved his hand.“Now, why don’t you run along while your parents and I discuss this matter further?”
Mariselle curtsied and then ran out of the throne room to find Eva.
A SHORT TIME later, Mariselle found herself in Princess Eva’s bedchamber getting questioned about Angelique again.
“You must have been so terrified,” the princess said. Both girls were lying on the giant bed, across from each other.
“Actually, I wasn’t. She was very nice to me,” Mariselle said shyly, hoping that the princess wouldn’t get angry at her for admitting it.
“You’re lucky then because I’m fairly certain she wanted to kill us. Certainly Gaylen.”
Mariselle’s eyes widened. “What did she do?”
Princess Eva told her what had happened when Angelique had appeared the night before in the castle.
“So, she only tried attacking Gaylen?” Mariselle asked, still having a hard time believing that Angelique was as horrible as everyone said.
“Yes. Of course, he didn’t give her a chance to hurt any of us though.” She sighed. “I’m sure she would have done something horrible if he hadn’t set her on fire.”
Mariselle’s gasped. “He set her on fire?”
She nodded. “Did you see any burns on her?”
“No. I didn’t see anything wrong with her.”
In fact, she was beautiful, Mariselle thought.
“If she wasn’t burned then she must have found a way to stop the spell.”
Mariselle nodded.
A sharp rap on the door interrupted their conversation.
“Yes?” Princess Eva called, sitting up.
The door opened and her four brothers entered the bedchamber.
“What’s going on?” she asked them.
“Nothing. We just wanted to find out what happened with Angelique,” Prince Griffin said, as they approached the bed.
Mariselle went over everything again.
“You’re lucky she didn’t hurt you,” Aiden said, standing next to the fireplace. “Did you see her wand?”
She nodded.
“Too bad you couldn’t have taken it from her,” Zackary said. “Maybe you could have even found a way to kill her with it.”
Mariselle frowned. “Angelique was really nice to me. She even helped find the kittens. I could never hurt her.”
“She’d hurt you, though,” Griffin replied, crossing his arms over his chest. “It’s good your father brought you here.”
“Yeah,” Mathias said. “We’ll protect you, Mariselle.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
Another knock sounded at the door. This time, it was the queen.
“My goodness,” she said, smiling at everyone. “You’re having a party and didn’t invite me?”
“We were just talking about Angelique,” said the princess.
Queen Lizbeth’s smile faded. “Don’t waste another breath discussing such dark matters. Now, it’s time to eat. Get changed and meet us in the dining hall.”
“What about Mariselle?” Princess Eva asked as the boys rushed out of the chamber.
The queen looked at Mariselle, who was still lying on the bed.
Realizing she’d forgotten her manners, Mariselle quickly got up and curtsied. “I’m sorry for my rudeness, Your Majesty.”
“You’re forgiven and… of course invited for dinner, just as her parents are,” she said, looking back toward the princess. “Borrow her one of your old dresses, Eva. I’m sure you must have something stored away that will fit her, from when you were younger.”
The princess smiled and nodded.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Mariselle said, curtsying again.
“Of course. While you’re staying with us, you’ll be sharing all meals. We wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said, walking toward the door. She turned and smiled. “Just, don’t be late, girls.”
“We won’t,” they said in unison.
PRINCESS EVA FOUND a light blue satin gown that was a little loose on Mariselle, but she didn’t mind. The dress was like nothing she’d ever owned before and she almost felt like a princess herself.
“I bet Mother would let you keep it,” Eva said, as Mariselle twirled in the gown. “I certainly couldn’t fit into anymore anyway and it looks great on you.”
Mariselle inhaled sharply. “Really? You think I could actually have it?”
Princess Eva nodded. “I’ll ask Mother, but I can’t see why not.”
Mariselle ran over and gave her a hug. “I love you,” she said, breathlessly. “I wish you were my sister. And not just because you’re a princess.”
She chuckled and hugged her back. “As do I. Of course, no sister of mine could ever go to supper without having her hair done by Sondra.”
Mariselle stepped back. “Really?” she asked, excited. She’d never had her hair styled by anyone but her mother before.
“Yes.” The princess motioned to her maid, who was hanging up some of the gowns Eva had tossed aside while searching for one for Mariselle. “We don’t have a lot of time. Can you braid her hair quickly?”
“Yes, of course, Your Highness,” Sondra replied, winking at Mariselle.
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