Page 41 of The Curse and the Silver Rose

Oskar pulled the horse to a stop in the tower’s shade, near the storeroom. He would drop off his usual delivery before collecting the medicine supplies prepared by Davron and Amelie. Then, they planned to all have lunch together.

“Good day,” said Oskar.

He hopped from the cart, carrying Sigrid with him. Davron strode forward and offered his hand to Julie, who did a double take at his six fingers. To Amelie’s intense relief, the girl took his hand after a moment’s hesitation and climbed down onto the pebble driveway with his help.

“Thank you for coming,” said Davron, shaking Oskar’s hand.

“Of course,” said Oskar. “Our pleasure. Sorry the boys could not join us. Benoit took Hugo hunting.”

“He’s feeling better then?” asked Amelie.

“He is. Queen Petra’s potions did the trick.”

Davron bowed his head. “Thankfully, Amelie had the presence of mind to bring them to you.”

“Oh, aye. I remember Queen Petra, you know?” said Oskar, a faraway expression on his face. “On special occasions during the summer, she’d send enchanted firelights into the air. Name-days, the solstice. The day Benoit was born, even. Back then—” He paused, giving himself a shake. “Anyway, it was a long time ago.”

“I remember that, too,” said Davron, surprising Amelie.“I always enjoyed the months we spent here, away from the Klatos palace. It was peaceful here. Like paradise.” His gaze dropped to the ground. “A long time ago indeed.”

“Papa—” stage-whispered Sigrid, dancing from foot to foot. She wore a frilly purple dress with battered leather boots. “You said we could look for fairies.”

Oskar chuckled nervously, putting his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “You’ll not look for anything without permission, Sigrid.”

“I believe there are fairies in the gardens,” said Amelie, bending to eye level with the girl. “I think I even saw a goblin one afternoon.”

Sigrid gasped. “You did not!”

Amelie smiled and shrugged, straightening up. “You’ll have to look for yourself. Perhaps your sister can take you?”

She gave an encouraging look to Julie, who shyly smiled. The older girl wore brown trews and a sapphire blue blouse. Amelie was heartened to see the real Julie, after Levissina had masqueraded as the child.

“Go ahead,” said Davron to the girls. “Your father and I will unload the cart, and then we’ll dine in the gardens.”

“Yes!” exclaimed Sigrid and took off at a run. Julie promptly joined her.

Davron frowned after them. Amelie sensed he was resisting the urge to forbid them from touching anything. She bit her lip in amusement.

“Come,” she said to the men. “I will lead Nero to a lovely shady spot while you two tend to the boxes.”

She greeted the equine with a kiss on the nose and then unbuckled his breeching and bridle. Davron lifted several crates at once, as if they weighed nothing. Earlier, he mentioned to Amelie that he’d check the contents to ensure the Dark One hadn’t tampered with the delivery.

Once Nero was free of his blinkers and saddlery, he shook his body, his magnificent black coat gleaming in the lemony sunlight. Amelie led him to a lush green pocket of the grounds, surrounded by tall, shady trees. She filled a pail with water and set it on the grass. Nero blinked his liquid-brown eyes and nudged her shoulder in thanks.

Amelie wandered onward to the gardens where they’d be dining, thinking how lucky she was to reside in such a beautiful place, curse notwithstanding. The sky was clear and vibrant blue, birdsong filled the air, and a warm breeze carried orange and white butterflies over the flowerbeds.

On impulse, Amelie picked a bouquet of blossoms from the gardens. She chose pink buttercups, peonies, violets, daffodils, and ivory-white daises.

The castle’s enchantments had already set the table. In a clearing under the willow trees, the picnic table was covered with a white tablecloth and set with simple ceramics, silver cutlery, and sparkling crystalware. Amelie arranged the flowers in the empty vase in the center, standing back to admire the effect.

In the distance, back up at the castle, Davron and Oskar still loaded the cart. Sigrid’s laughter reached her from the other direction, somewhere past the nearby hedge maze, followed by Julie speaking excitedly. Amelie smiled to herself, wondering what they’d found.

Her smile faded when the girls emerged from the maze moments later, each brandishing steel swords. Giggling hysterically, they turned to each other and inexpertly crossed the blades with an ominous clash.

“Girls!” Amelie looked over her shoulder to ensure the men had not seen this hazardous display of swordsmanship. “Where did you get those?”

Sigrid ran to her, flushed in the face and breathing heavily. “There’s a shed with a blacksmith’s forge in it. And lots of swords! Axes, too.”

Amelie hadn’t been in those sheds, and now she wished she’d checked their contents before encouraging Julie and Sigrid to explore. Even so, the sight of the girls holding the swords warmed her heart. She and Colette would have done the same thing when they were children.

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