Page 47 of The Abandoned Princess

“I see you’ve reached straight for the heart of the issue,” Xander said. “Normally it wouldn’t be a problem since no one individual is always in the king’s vicinity. His guards take shifts, and none of his family and advisors are at his side all day and night without fail. If someone did shadow the king like that, then I imagine some questions would be asked.”

“Unless,” I said glumly, “one of the two of them was invisible—unable to be seen or heard by anyone else.”

Lori’s eyes widened. “You think Eulalie means to put her blinding enchantment on the king in order to do that? Who does she want to make ruler in his place?”

“Herself,” I said without hesitation. “She mentioned once that her family are all dead, and she never talks about anyone else. She definitely wants Northhelm for herself. From the way she talks, she thinks she has some right to the kingdom, although I can’t imagine…”

My voice trailed off as a thought occurred to me, but the others kept talking.

“Could she really manage it?” Lori sounded doubtful. “How would she keep the king restrained at her side at all times? He’s larger and stronger than her, and you’d think he would eventually escape or attack her.”

“She’s been preparing for this for five years,” Xander said, “all the while testing to see that the enchantment would hold up for the long term. She may well have found a way.”

“Perhaps she has another gas or drug that will keep him docile?” Lori mused. She looked at me. “It’s a good thing you always played along with being so submissive or she might have used it on you.”

“Mmmm,” I said, still distracted by my thoughts.

Xander gave me an odd look but was distracted by Lori’s continued speech.

“But why has she waited so long?” she asked. “Is she really waiting to see what happens when Daisy reaches eighteen? Is she worried that the kingdom’s children might be able to see the true king at her side?”

“I suspect she means to trap both the king and the prince,” Xander said. “The king is abdicating soon, and a new coronation is being planned. It’s the ideal time for her to step in if she wants her takeover to go as smoothly as possible.”

Lori shook her head. “I understand why you’re concerned at the possibility, but I still can’t see how it would work. Let’s say Eulalie manages to infiltrate the location where the king and prince are conducting their private ceremony to transfer the authority of the jewel. And let’s say she manages to enchant them both so that she’s the one to walk back out with the glowing gem around her neck. What claim can she make on the throne? Does she think everyone will just accept a completely unknown commoner claiming to be their new queen?” She looked between us. “Do the Northhelmians trust the jewel that much?”

“I’m not sure,” Xander admitted. “They’ve all been very impressed by it from what I’ve seen of the tour, but it does seem like a far-fetched claim.”

“How about this for another far-fetched claim?” I said. “Do you remember yesterday when you were talking about that rebel from fifteen years ago and we were guessing that maybe Eulalie had found his stash of godmother objects?”

“The man with the leathery skin like hers?” Xander clarified, and I nodded.

“This conversation reminded me of something Eulalie told me when we first met. She claimed she got her godmother objects from her brother. A brother who is now dead.”

“We must have been wrong about the rebel, then,” Lori said, clearly unsure why this was significant.

“Maybe,” I replied. “Or maybe we weren’t wrong at all and the rebel from fifteen years ago was her brother.”

Xander rocked back, amazement on his face. “The rebel was trying to take the throne because he believed he was the one with the true birthright to rule. He said the throne had been stolen by his younger brother generations before. If Eulalie truly is part of that family, then she’s of royal Northhelmian blood herself. She could say she’s the long-lost heir returned, and that the jewel recognizes her claim.”

“She’ll still be a stranger to everyone in the capital,” Lori objected. “They’re not going to like it.”

“No, I’m sure they won’t,” Xander said. “But will they dare go against the object provided by the godmothers for exactly this purpose? Everyone knows the Four Kingdoms have been prospering in recent years due to the High King’s blessing. They won’t want to defy his godmothers.”

“So she has a claim to the throne—however shaky—and a plan on how to get it that has a chance at working,” I said. “But we know she’s missing something she needs to make the whole thing work.”

“What is it that she still needs?” Xander asked, thoughtfully.

“A way to keep the king and the prince compliant?” Lori suggested. “That seems the biggest flaw in her plan to me.”

“If she can find that, it will become difficult for anyone to stop her.” Xander sounded alarmed.

“Difficult for anyone else, maybe,” I said decisively, “but we can do it. We can see her true face and recognize her through her disguise enchantment. We know what she’s planning. We can stop her.”

Lori looked at me with concern. “What are you suggesting? That the three of us should storm the inn and attack her?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We still have the same problems we always had. If it’s necessary to sacrifice ourselves in order to stop her taking over an entire kingdom, I’m willing to give up my life. But only as a last resort. We still have time before the king steps down, and I still have hope we’ll find a way to both free ourselves and stop Eulalie.”

Xander nodded fervently. “I vote we follow and watch her for now. We need to find out what she’s looking for and stop her getting it.”

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