Page 21 of Glass Hearts
“Belly! We need help- Oh! Prince Koi! Don’t mind the help. Is she bothering you? Belly, stop pestering the prince. He doesn’t want to be around the likes of you.”
“You are right, Pia-”
“Mia, bitch.”
“Right. You are right, Mia.” I look into Koi’s desperate eyes.Why are you looking at me like that?“I am well below the station of the prince and shouldn’t be talking with them.”
I walk away, weighed down with the task of packing for the nightmare to come.
My heart is beating erratically as I reach my petite shed. It may be humble, but it’s mine. Leaving the safety of its four walls further ramps my anxiety.
Petra flies up to my window.
“I am so sorry, my friend. I am assuming you were trying to warn me of the princes’ arrival?”
“Yes, Arabelly. Though even if you had hidden, it seems they would have found you. They knew you lived here. I think the dark one has been following you.”
“Prince Grayer?”
“Indeed. He is the one who calls you his future wife.”
I laugh at her joke.“Oh, Petra, that is good! A man like that could never want me. None of them could.”
“Yet they are here, for you.”
I deadpan to her.“No, they are here for the Quadias.”
“Keep telling yourself that, Arabelly. Also, I have been listening in on them; it turns out they overheard you talking to us. So they seem to know of your magic.”
“Lovely. I will have to convince them they didn’t hear what they think they heard. Do you mind flying a note to Lo? I don’t think I will see her before we leave.”
Petra nods her head, so I walk over to my desk to draft a quick letter for my friend, who is probably already worrying. We rarely go this long without talking to each other.
So much has happened, dear friend. The Princes have caught me. They also chose my stepsisters for the courting round. So, it looks like I will be heading to thecastle shortly. Whether that’s straight to the dungeon or the servants’ quarters, that’s to be determined. I fear now that the stepsisters are getting closer to the princes, Bernice will push more for my arranged marriage. I will have to escape the castle for a night to find that mage and hopefully break the curse. Regardless, I will try to get another letter to you as soon as I can. Be safe, Love you.
-A
I tie the letter to Petra’s neck.“Alright, friend. Safe flight, please visit me at the castle, yes?”
“Of course, Arabelly!”
I close my suitcase and head out of my room. Just as I am about to lock up, I hear Kip and Bert.
“Wait for us, Arabelly!”They both carry little sacks: what mice need to carry around and pack for, I have no clue. I giggle as I scoop them up and place them in my pockets.
“Well, friends, it looks like we are on to a new adventure.”
Sylas
I think we all thought this day was going to go very differently when we went straight to the vixen. The fact that the awful Baudelaire sisters and their mother are connected to the little thief is shocking, to say the least. The council had forced us to add them to the list already, a letter to be delivered later this evening. Yet here we are.
Zia seems to be deemed for me. All she wears is green. The other sisters also seem to sport the colours of our lands. They seemed to have done this since the ball. Mia wears red for Grayer, Pia wears blue for Koi, and Lia wears white for Archer. In a way, it’s a blessing, so I can finally tell who is who.
They were our last choice, and if the council hadn’t pushed them, they definitely wouldn’t have made the list. The sisters are quite pretty. They have long legs, shiny hair, and delicate faces. What most men would want their wives to look like, I suppose. But my brothers and I quickly noticed that their beauty was just on the outside. This visit only confirms as much with how they treat Arabella.
Arabella ran off a while ago. I could see the tears forming, and the fact that those tears made me feel absolutely sick shocked me. She should not be crying. Why was I so concerned about the little thief?
“My prince.” Zia sits beside me on the settee as I sip my tea. “I cannot wait to continue our courtship. I will have you know I am the most…flexibleof the sisters. We don’t have to wait forour marriage bed if you prefer to reap the benefits early.” She bats her over-makeuped eyes.
