Chapter 1
Julianna sat lounging with her back against the stone wall that separated one of the gardens and the small lake that bled into the forest beyond the palace. The pages of the leatherbound book she held in her lap fluttered in the gentle spring breeze. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes as she drank in the familiar sweet scent of lilacs and hydrangea bushes mixed with a whisper of baby’s breath underneath. She smiled as that flowery smell wrapped around her and enveloped her in a spring hug of warmth and memories. Julianna’s smile faded as the fragrant scent of roses tickled her nose, causing her to think about how much she missed her brother Gabriel, yet again.
Gabriel still had not returned from his quest to discover why their realm was losing its power. He had set off for the winter realm several months ago. When they didn’t hear from him, their parents secretly worried that he might not return. They tried to keep their worries to themselves, but Julianna overheard them discussing it with Mauriden once. Mauriden, their kingdom’s healer, had given Gabriel a grave warning of the dangers of the winter realm, especially if something happened to cause Gabriel’s warm spring blood to be touched by the cold that could be fatal to a springling. A letter from him finally arrived about a month later. According to that last–and only–letter, Gabriel had said that he would be staying in the winter realm to help the heirs to the throne rebuild their kingdom after the tragic demise of the Snow Queen. But, that had been almost two months ago.
Julianna pulled the cherished letter from her journal where she had kept it for the last couple of months to feel close to Gabriel. It was the only physical thing she had from him to connect her to him across the vast expanse between their lands. Julianna carefully unfolded the once crisp, white parchment and ran her fingers along his signed name at the bottom of the letter. Seeing the silvery ink that scrawled across the page in Gabriel’s masculine hand made Julianna wonder again what else was different about the winter realm, besides the obvious fact that it was cold and snowy there. Even though Gabriel’s letter had been a welcome sight when it finally arrived, letting them know he was alive at least, it was far too short and nondescript for Julianna’s taste. She wanted to know what the winter realm was like. Was it as cold and uninviting as everyone said? Who were the two heirs? What did they look like? What happened to the Snow Queen? When was Gabriel coming home?
Julianna shook her head as she wondered what could possibly be keeping her brother in that frigid winter realm for so long after the Snow Queen had been defeated. If she had been defeated, he should be able to come home whenever he wanted. Their kingdom’s power was returning to its full strength and so were his flowers, but they needed his special Gabriel touch. They all needed his special Gabriel touch. Her smile returned as she thought about his cheery laugh and his ability to make her smile or laugh no matter what the circumstance, even if she got annoyed at him for his brotherly antics at times. But, his ability to make her smile or laugh was its own kind of magic, and she missed it.
The imperfect pages of her journal fluttered against the hand that was holding the page open to where she had been writing down some thoughts earlier, reminding her of why she had snuck out to this tranquil place to begin with. Julianna folded the letter and tucked it into the back of her journal. She picked up her quill pen, dipping it in the little ink bottle she had brought out with her, and began scratching out some more of her thoughts against the creamy pages.
“The roses are blooming again. They smell so sweet and fragrant, but
I’m afraid they miss their dear maker. Gabriel has been gone for so long.
I wish I knew what was keeping him in that frosted land for so many months.
His last letter said he was helping the winter heirs rebuild their land after
the evil reign of the Snow Queen, but he made no mention of when he would
be coming home. I don’t know what all happened or why he feels he needs to
stay. His realm needs his help to rebuild it as well.”
Julianna’s pen stopped as an unsolicited dark thought crossed her mind. She closed her eyes and shook her head, pushing the thought from her mind. She dipped her pen in the ink again and continued to write.
“Mauriden says I am progressing in my lessons. The animals are
taking to me more now, and I’m able to use my magic to help them
with the transition from winter to spring. Mauriden hopes that eventually
I’ll be able to transition them back from spring to winter as well. I feel
sorry for the poor dears, having me as their mistress of magic. I’m
pretty sure there are still some miscolored hares hopping around
the kingdom from the last time I tried to change their wooly white
coats into the lighter, softer brown colors that are more suitable for spring.”
Julianna’s brows knit together as she pictured the sweet, innocent creatures that now had her mark of darkness on them. Everything she touched seemed to be marred with darkness. She closed her eyes against the unbidden thoughts that threatened to creep into the recesses of her mind once again. Trying to squeeze the unwanted thoughts from her head, she pressed the palms of her hands to her eyes. After a few moments, Julianna opened her eyes. She wrapped her arms around her tucked up knees, and watched as a couple of swans landed gracefully on the lake before her, gliding silently towards the stone bridge that crossed the lake and led into the forest. As one of the swans tucked its wings in over its body, she saw a black spot underneath one of the wings that disappeared once the large wing settled over it. Julianna stared at where the spot had been even though she couldn’t see it anymore.
“Hidden spots of darkness, just like me,” she thought as she stared at the seemingly perfect swan. She had always struggled with some form of darkness, but it seemed to be getting worse since Gabriel had left. Her dark thoughts and the draw to the darkness within had been much harder to keep under control than it had ever been before.
Julianna’s knees suddenly jolted from beneath her arms, knocking over the open ink bottle and jarring her from her thoughts.
“Of all the cursed–,” a male voice resonated above her.
Julianna looked up to see an agitated and anxious man looking down at what he had run into.
The man’s eyes widened as he realized what, or rather who, he had tripped over. “Princess Julianna. My sincerest apologies. I didn’t realize–I mean, I didn’t see you sitting there.” The man closed his eyes and took a breath, trying to reset himself and start over. “Your Highness, I am terribly sorry for being so careless in running into you like that. Please, let me help you up.” The man extended his hand to her.
Julianna placed her hand in his and let him pull her up. As she stood, her journal fell from her lap and into the puddle of ink that was now staining the green grass beneath her. She looked down at the inky mess and bent down to grab the journal before it became completely ruined. The man bent down at the same time.
“Ouch!” Julianna exclaimed as she pulled back after her head knocked into his. The man grimaced at the sensation of bumping heads. He grabbed Julianna’s elbow to steady her and keep her from falling backward after their collision set her off balance. Once he was sure she wouldn’t fall, he reached out his other hand to pick up the journal. He stood slowly, still holding her elbow with his one hand to ensure they wouldn’t hit each other’s heads again. As they stood, Julianna couldn’t help but notice the unusual color of the man’s eyes who had bumped into her, not once, but twice, within the span of a few moments. His eyes were a charcoal gray color with specks of a purplish hue scattered throughout. She had never seen anything like it and wondered if she could capture the mosaic of purple and gray in a painting later.
The man stared down at her. He seemed to be taking in her features as well. Julianna was suddenly very aware of how close this stranger was to her. Her face flushed, and she averted her gaze as she removed her elbow from his grasp and took a step back. The man took a step back as well, but he didn’t take his eyes off of her.
“My apologies, again, Your Highness. I didn’t expect anyone to be out here and didn’t see you sitting on the other side of the wall.”
Julianna looked up at him. Instead of asking him why he had been in such a hurry to cut around that corner so quickly to begin with, she simply said, “It is not your fault. I probably shouldn’t have been sitting on the other side of the wall by myself anyway.”
The man continued to stare at her, making her slightly uncomfortable under his scrutinous gaze. “It would beg the question why the princess of the spring realm was sitting by herself so close to the forest. But, seeing this journal and the stain of ink on your dress, it would seem that the princess came out here to be alone with her thoughts and quietly share them with her bound companion that no one else will ever see.” He held out the inky journal to her and bowed his head as if apologizing for causing it to be ruined.
Julianna opened her mouth to respond, but had no idea how to respond to his candid remarks, so she closed her mouth. She reached out and grabbed the journal from him and turned a few pages to see how bad the stain was.
“I hope I have not caused the secrets of the princess to be blotted out forever.”
“Why do you assume the things written in this book are secrets?” she asked as she pushed a stray hair that was tickling her cheek in the breeze back behind her ear.
The man’s lips hinted at a smile, but it didn’t come to full fruition. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a dark cloth. “Because, often when people write in a journal, it is to share the secret thoughts of their minds that they can not share with anyone else.” The man reached out and wiped a few traces of ink from her face from where she had brushed it with her inky hand when she pushed her hair behind her ear.
Julianna’s face heated at getting ink on her face in addition to having ink on her dress in front of a total, albeit handsome, stranger. And, at his immediate assumption that she was keeping secrets hidden in the pages of her journal. If he only knew what secrets she penned there. Julianna reached up to pull the stranger’s hand away from her face. As she did, their eyes met and she was transfixed once again by the mosaic color of gray and light purple specks in his eyes. As she stared at him, she noticed his hair was raven black and went down to his shoulders. His skin was an unusual color as well. Sort of ashen and not the typical color she saw in the spring realm. His face was strong and masculine with harder lines etched into it, and he had a small half-moon scar on the left side of his chin. She wondered what would have caused it.
“Do you like what you see?” he asked with a slight smile.
Julianna blinked. She didn’t realize she had been staring at him for that long. How long had she been staring at him? Her face must be as bright as the pinkest rose in the garden by now.
“Your skin and hair are unusual for these parts. I was merely trying to decipher where you would have come from.” Julianna stepped back and looked down, trying to stave off the mounting embarrassment at being caught staring at him. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I shouldn’t have been staring.” She hugged her journal to her chest.
“You have no reason to be sorry. My features are quite different from those in this realm. You are not the first person to stare at me with questions in her eyes.”
Julianna glanced furtively up at him, trying not to stare this time. “So, you aren’t from around here?”
“No. I have come to seek an apprenticeship with the great healer Mauriden, but I somehow got turned around in the gardens. I was running late to meet with him and ended up out here where I rudely ran over the princess and caused her to spill ink on her dress as well as ruining her journal. I am afraid I caused more than enough embarrassment for both of us.”
Julianna looked fully at him now, her embarrassment melting away as he explained. “We’ve both made quite the embarrassing impression, I’m afraid,” she said as she smiled up at him.
“Yes. So much for first impressions.” The man returned her smile. “Well, now that I have more than impressioned myself into the mind of her Highness and have made a thorough mess of everything, could you point me in the direction of Mauriden’s tower?”
Julianna smiled. “Of course. Stay to the right of the garden and head toward the east tower.” She pointed to a large white stone tower that stood out above the gardens that surrounded the palace. As she did, her journal fell to the ground between them again. They both knelt to grab it but pulled back so they wouldn’t bump heads again. The man reached for the journal and stood up. He placed the journal in her hands. As their hands touched, a strange warmth surged through her hand and caused her wrist to tingle. Something stirred within Julianna as she looked up at the dark, handsome man.
“Princess Julianna,” a matronly voice sounded through the large garden.
At the sound of the princess’s name being called, the man broke their gaze and pulled away, putting the cloth he had used to wipe her face in his satchel. As he stepped back, Julianna thought she saw a strange ring of light illuminate his right eye. The man lowered his head so she couldn’t see his face.
“Please excuse me, Princess Julianna. I am sorry again for causing such a mess.” The man kept his head down and didn’t look at her again. He bowed and turned to go.
“Wait. I don’t even know your name,” Julianna called out to him as she took a step towards him.
The man stopped and glanced back, keeping his eyes cast down. “Darien,” he replied monotonously.
“Darien,” Julianna repeated the name back to him.
“Princess Julianna,” the matronly voice called again.
“Your Highness,” Darien nodded and turned.
“Princess Julianna.” The housekeeper paused at the stone arch that Julianna had been sitting next to and placed a hand on her heaving chest in an attempt to catch her breath. Julianna looked back to where Darien had been standing just seconds before the housekeeper had reached her, but he wasn’t anywhere in sight.
The housekeeper huffed as she spoke, “My Lady. Her Majesty requests you come to the throne room immediately.” A sharp gasp escaped the housekeeper as she stared at the large stain on Julianna’s dress. “Oh, My Lady. What a mess we have gotten ourselves into. We will have to get you changed into another gown before you meet your mother.” The matronly servant clicked her tongue as she touched the gown. “It will take a mite of work to get this dress back to the way it was. You know your mother detests it when you bring your writing out of doors. Ink bottles don’t fall over as often with a sturdy table beneath them.”
Julianna looked down at her dress. The stain was quite large and gruesome against the lavender color of the gown. “I’m sorry, Marian. It was such a beautiful day, and I just had to get out into the fresh air.”
“I’m all for blue skies and sunshine, but must you take your inkwell with you? That’s the third dress you’ve ruined this month, and I won’t be shy in saying the maids don’t appreciate having such a mess to clean up every few weeks.”
“It must be difficult for them, I am sure. Let’s say we just keep this dress hidden away in my wardrobe and any time I feel the urge to come outside and write, I will just wear this gown. That way, if I spill, no one will know the difference.” Julianna smiled sweetly at the older woman and folded her hands around her journal, trying her hardest to get in the housekeeper’s good graces.
The housekeeper looked at the young princess. “Ach, you youngins. You know I can never say no to your sweet smile.” Marian tweaked Julianna’s cheek and bent down to pick up the nearly empty inkwell and stray pen. “Now, your brother is entirely another story in himself. He’s always been the one to charm himself out of anything. One ounce of trouble and that boy would turn on his endearing smile and talk his way out of almost any reprimand.”
“I always wondered why I always seemed to be the one to get in trouble, and he never suffered the least,” Julianna winked as she placed a kiss on the aged cheek of their beloved housekeeper.
“Ah, you dear girl. Come on, now. Let’s get you cleaned up and ready to meet your parents.”
Chapter 2
Julianna rubbed at the stain on her dress as she made her way down the stone hallway to her room.
“How many dresses have you spoiled with your ink bottle this month?”
Julianna turned at the strong, masculine voice behind her. “Gabriel!” Julianna squealed as she jumped into the arms of her beloved brother.
Gabriel laughed as he picked her up and twirled her around in the stone corridor. “I’ve missed you,” he sighed as he set her down. “Your dress isn’t the only thing that has met with your inky hands, I see.” His eyes twinkled as he brushed at the faded blotches of ink on her face.
Julianna swatted at his hand as he tried to rub the inky spots from her freckled cheeks. “If you hadn’t been gone for such a horrible forever long time, you might have remembered that I am an impassioned writer.”
“How could I forget? Quills and paper beware,” Gabriel laughed as he drew her into his side and continued down the hall. “And I haven’t been gone for that horrible of a forever long time, you imp,” he said as he kissed her temple. They stopped when they reached her door.
Julianna pushed him away. “Oh, you think you can come back in here and act like you never left, you big oaf.”
“I know you missed me,” he smiled. “Why else would you have written me all those letters? Those poor pigeons you caroused into traveling to and from the winter realm deserve a medal.”
“Well, we certainly didn’t have the same problem with you. Do they not have birds in the winter realm? Or badgers or something that could carry a post?”
“They might, but I imagine most of the animals in that realm are in hiding from the bitter cold.” Gabriel crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.
Julianna rolled her eyes and looked up at him. “Well, I am glad you are here now. What kept you so long in that realm? And don’t deny it. You have been gone for months.”
“Julianna.”
Julianna glanced over her shoulder at a voice behind her.
“Julianna. Thank goodness you are all right. I heard that your mother sent for the healer again this morning.” A young man who looked to be about Gabriel’s age stopped beside her. “Oh. I beg your pardon. I didn’t realize you were entertaining a guest.”
Julianna looked apprehensively from the young man to her brother. “Sir Alerick, this is my brother, His Royal Highness, Prince Gabriel.” She looked at Gabriel and smiled as she continued, “Prince of the Golden Sun, Master of Beauty, and Lord of all things that grow within the Spring Realm.” Gabriel rolled his eyes at her embellished introduction but couldn’t help smiling at the sister he had missed so much while he had been gone.
Julianna winked at Gabriel, enjoying making him uncomfortable. She looked back to the young man, her demeanor suddenly more formal than it was with Gabriel as she introduced the young knight to her brother. “Gabriel, this is Sir Alerick. He recently became captain of the guard. He comes to us from one of the outer regions of the spring realm and was a legend of sorts among his people. He is quite accomplished as a hero and savior to the poor and innocent.”
Gabriel glanced at Julianna as she made the introduction. There was something about her tone that made Gabriel a bit unsure about meeting the knight, like the words she was saying didn’t match the man’s character or, perhaps she was simply repeating what she had heard when Sir Alerick was introduced to her. Whatever the case, it seemed like she didn’t fully believe the words she was saying. Gabriel looked back at Sir Alerick, and with all the professionalism and democracy of a son of the crown, he said, “It is an honor to meet you, Sir Alerick. That is quite a title to live up to. It sounds as if the kingdom has been in good hands in my absence.”
Sir Alerick bowed, soaking up the praise from both Princess Julianna as well as the newly returned prince.
Sir Alerick straightened and looked at the prince. “My humblest apologies, Your Highness. I didn’t realize you had returned. Julianna talks about you incessantly, but I don’t remember her mentioning anything of your return.”
Gabriel glanced at Julianna and mouthed the word incessantly to get a reaction out of her. Julianna caught his glance and glared at him. “She probably didn’t mention it because she was as unaware of my return as everyone else was. I am afraid my unexpected homecoming has thrown the queen into quite the tizzy trying to put together a grand banquet at the last minute, even though I told her it was completely unnecessary.”
“Ah, but a return such as that of the Golden Prince after an arduous absence in the winter realm deserves a glorious celebration. May I be one of the first of your loyal subjects to welcome you back to our kingdom, Your Highness.” Sir Alerick gave an elaborate bow.
Gabriel looked at Julianna while the knight executed his bow. His eyes widened at her. Julianna’s mouth cracked into a smile which she quickly bit back when Sir Alerick straightened himself and looked at her.
“My Princess Julianna. I did want to make sure you were well after your spell this morning. Nothing too serious, I hope,” Sir Alerick said as he gripped her hand in his and stared into her eyes.
Gabriel smiled as he watched her cheeks turn pink under the intense gaze of the extravagant knight. “I am quite well, thank you. Mauriden took excellent care of me, as he always does, and I was feeling much better within a couple of hours,” Julianna replied with a reassuring smile.
“That is excellent news. I am glad the healer was able to find such a quick cure to fix Her Highness’ ailment,” Sir Alerick said as he smiled at her and continued to hold her hand in his.
“Your concern is most encouraging, Sir Alerick.” Julianna tried to extract her hand from the knight’s grip, but she failed to remove it from his hands.
Sir Alerick continued to stare amorously at Julianna for a long moment, making for an uncomfortable silence amongst the three of them.
Gabriel couldn’t resist making the moment more awkward and placed his hand on top of Sir Alerick’s and said, “I am touched to know that the captain of the guard has taken such a personal interest in my sister’s health and well-being while I have been away. It puts a brother’s heart at ease knowing she is so well protected and taken care of.”
Sir Alerick blinked and looked at Gabriel, seemingly surprised to see him still standing there. “Yes, of course, Your Highness,” Sir Alerick replied hesitantly. “It is a pleasure to guard such a beautiful and delicate flower as that of the spring princess. If you’ll excuse me, I have some business to attend to elsewhere in the palace grounds. I am glad you are feeling better, Princess Julianna. And, many good wishes to you, Your Highness, upon your welcome, albeit unexpected, return.”
Sir Alerick lifted Julianna’s hand to kiss it and stopped when he saw Gabriel’s hand still resting on top of his. Gabriel apologized, removed his hand, and took a step back. Sir Alerick kissed Julianna’s hand and bowed to both of them before he left. “I hope you will save me a dance at the celebration, Your Highness.”
“You might be better off dancing with my sister. I was never too good at these fancy dances the queen likes to put on,” Gabriel said from behind Julianna.
Julianna bit back a laugh at Gabriel’s response and looked at the confused Sir Alerick. “Ignore my brother. He thinks he has a sense of humor, but I’m afraid his brain has been too long kept in the cold of the winter realm to be funny. Of course, I will save a dance for you, Sir Alerick,” Julianna said graciously.
Sir Alerick eyed the prince speculatively before returning his attention to the princess. “I look forward to it, Princess.” He emphasized the word to avoid any further confusion with the prince. He bowed and kissed her hand again and turned to go.
Julianna sighed and turned to face her brother. “You are a ghoulish ape of a brother. Poor Sir Alerick had no idea if you were joking or not. I’m afraid he won’t take too kindly to your sense of humor,” Julianna said as she turned to go into her room.
“What quick words, little sister. I suppose you don’t think I’m funny either. Have I lost so much of my charming personality while I was away that I can’t make you laugh anymore?” he asked as he tugged lightly at her long brown hair.
“Perhaps you’ve been gone too long for me to remember what it sounds like for you to say something funny,” Julianna replied with an impish smile.
“Perhaps I have been gone too long,” Gabriel sighed as he leaned against the doorframe again and looked at her as if trying to see if she had changed too much in the time he had been gone.
“Was Sir Alerick right in what he said about you being ill this morning?” he asked as he studied her.
Julianna looked up at him, surprised to hear him ask about her health. She didn’t think he usually noticed such things. “I had a headache, and that was all. It’s probably from not sleeping well last night,” she said as she looked down and played with the ribbon that laced up the front of the bodice of her dress.
Gabriel straightened and stepped towards her. He put his strong hands on her shoulders and made her look at him. “You can always be honest with me, Julianna. Being gone for months or not, I hope you know you can always share whatever is going on in your life with me. Has something been causing you to be ill or not sleep well lately?”
Julianna looked up at him and paused for a moment, contemplating how much she should share with him. His green eyes were laced with such genuine concern she almost divulged everything. As she looked at his green eyes and his sun-kissed curly brown hair and the slight hue of pink in his cheeks, the small thought of what he might think of her if she ever told him any of what she struggled with kept her from actually speaking the words. “I’m fine, really. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened to cause any unusual alarm.”
Gabriel stared down at her, trying to read how much of what she was telling him was the truth. “You’re sure?” he asked.
Julianna smiled. “I am fine, I promise.”
“Ok. I’ll believe you. For now,” he said with a twinkle in his eye as he smiled his big perfect smile that she loved so much. “I have to say, I did almost make you laugh a couple of times during our intriguing conversation with Sir Alerick, so you can’t say I’ve lost my touch completely just because I’ve been gone for a few months.
Julianna rolled her eyes at her brother. “I suppose you are right. But that doesn’t take away the fact that you were gone for months, and without hardly any explanation as to why,” she said as she crossed her arms and leaned her back against the other side of the doorframe.
Gabriel looked at her and smiled. “Believe me, you will find out soon enough what has been keeping me away for oh so long.” He kissed her forehead and turned to go.
Julianna gazed up at him and asked, “What does that mean?”
“You’ll find out,” Gabriel said with a widening smile. “By the way, you might want to change into something a little less inky before you meet Mother and Father in the throne room.”
Julianna shook her head and smiled as she watched her brother walk down the hall.
Chapter 3
One of the maidservants helped Julianna into the billowing white ball gown her mother insisted on her wearing. Julianna drew in a sharp breath as the lady’s maid cinched up the ribbon laces that criss crossed their way down her back. Once the constricting laces were tied, she begrudgingly sat down on the stool that sat before her dressing table while the maidservant began pulling and prodding her long strands of brown hair into an elegant updo.
“This is turning into quite the exciting affair, is it not?” Hannah gushed as she wove a braided strand throughout the curls that were beginning to take shape on top of Julianna’s head.
“It is indeed,” Julianna responded with a half-hearted sigh.
“To think. The future king has finally returned from that forsaken northern land. Can you imagine the things he must have seen while he was there?” Hannah tied some ribbons throughout the massive hairstyle and began to pull a delicate gold chain through.
“And did you see the visitors he brought with him? I have never seen such different beings in all my years. The whole castle is talking about them. Their skin was so pale, a person would wonder if they ever saw a day of sun in all their lives.” Hannah prattled on as she continued to pull strands of Julianna’s hair this way and that.
Yes, Julianna had seen the two girls her brother had brought with him. Both had long, almost white-blonde hair. And what Hannah said was true; their skin was quite pale compared to everyone she had met in the spring and summer realms. They seemed nice enough, she supposed, but no reason to keep her dear brother away from his family for so long. Gabriel seemed quite taken with the older girl. Erianna. Queen of the winter realm. Who wouldn’t fall for someone like her? She looked like an exquisite goddess, her perfect features forever preserved in the frost that glistened on her skin. Her crystal blue eyes. She was probably as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. There was no denying she was a catch for any man who could have her. She probably had hundreds of men who fawned over her and nearly swooned when caught in the wake of her every step.
“Well, I think I’ve stuck your hair enough to make it stay for the night. Is there anything else I can help you with, my lady? I should be getting back to help prepare the rest of the hall for the party tonight.”
Julianna roused from her thoughts and gazed up at the sweet girl’s face in the mirror. “Hmm? Oh, yes. Thank you, Hannah. You certainly did a magical thing with my hair, didn’t you?” Julianna turned her head to look at the hairstyle from all sides and lightly touched one of the curls.
“Thank you, my lady. I always love creating a masterpiece with your hair. It is so fine and silky and always does what I want it to.” The girl beamed at her as she reached down and picked up a silk scarf and golden filigree mask. “It should be a right fun time having everyone’s faces covered in masks and all the imaginative costumes people will be wearing. I am glad Mistress Gilda saw fit to have me help serve tonight so I can see all the pretty costumes. It will be quite a mystery not knowing who anyone is.”
“Yes. It will be quite the night to remember, won’t it?” Julianna replied as she looked down at the mask that she took from the young girl.
“If you have everything, I’ll excuse myself now.” Hannah curtsied and left the room.
Julianna stood and brushed out the ruffles in her dress. She stopped and stared at herself in the full-length mirror that stood adjacent to her dressing table. The white material floated to the ground like a dewy mist on a sunny spring morning. She touched one of the golden leaves that was attached to a seemingly endless vine of gold that wound its way around the gown like wild ivy and gave it a beautiful texture. As her gaze ran its way up the gown, it stopped at the hazel green eyes staring back at her in the glass. A dark thought pierced her head causing her to look away. Julianna shook her head and lifted a watery gaze to the looking glass.
“It is a good thing this party is a masque, dear Julianna. They can never see the darkness you’ve been hiding inside.” Julianna took a deep breath and steeled her shoulders against the night ahead. Lifting the mask, she slid it over her face and carefully tied the ribbon that would hold it in place behind her head.
Julianna walked into the ballroom and was surprised to see that so many guests had already arrived. So many exquisite costumes filled the room: gilded blue and purple peacocks and other birds intermingled with queens and soldiers, heroes, sheep, and horses. There were even some mermaids and sea kings. Characters from storybooks she had read as a child and some she had never seen in her wildest dreams filled the grand room. Candlelight reflected off the stained glass windows that arched over the dancefloor like a cathedral and filled the room with a kaleidoscope of color. It was almost like stepping into a dream.
On the other side of the room, she saw her parents sitting on their thrones, watching and smiling as dancers whizzed past them. Her mother was dressed like an angel —warm and soft and perfect. Her father wore a bright orange tunic with a giant sunburst on his back to represent the golden sun that ruled their land. She glanced to the left of her parent’s thrones and saw her brother Gabriel standing with the two girls from the northlands. Gabriel wore green from his head to his toes and had leaves sewn all over while red roses seemed to sprout out from every angle on his tunic. Julianna smiled. Gabriel did love his roses. He must have missed them terribly when he was in the winter realm. Erianna, the Snow Queen, wore a white dress covered in crystals, but Julianna noticed something else on the Snow Queen’s gown. Were those white roses? A slew of the unusually white roses wrapped around the bodice of the Snow Queen’s gown and gathered together in a bunch on her right shoulder, where a single white rose dipped in red around the edges sat. She liked roses too. Julianna wondered if the Snow Queen had figured out how to grow white roses in her realm. But that would be impossible, wouldn’t it? Wasn’t it too cold for anything to grow in that realm? Unless… Julianna looked back at her brother, and her spirit dimmed as she saw the way he looked at Queen Erianna. She seemed to be losing him to the woman of the winter realm. Julianna hoped she wouldn’t lose her brother completely to that other world.
The Snow Queen’s younger sister, Brinn, caught Julianna’s eye and waved to her from across the ballroom. She wore a beautiful blue dress that fell like a crystalline waterfall around her small frame. She at least seemed nice and wasn’t there to steal her brother away. Julianna scolded herself for her unkind thoughts about their visitors. She should at least try to be nice to them. They were their guests after all. Julianna smiled and waved back. She worked her way around the outside of the circular ballroom and came to stand beside her family at long last.
“Oh, Julianna. Your gown is lovely. I love the gold embroidery. It brings an element of life and color from your realm.” Brinn reached out her hands to Julianna and took Julianna’s hands in hers as she looked up and down at Julianna’s gown.
“Thank you. That is very sweet of you to say. Your dress is quite exquisite as well, Your Highness. The different shades of blue are so vibrant and offset your skin rather well.”
“Thank you,” Brinn smiled and bowed her head. “You really must call me Brinn. Your brother told me so much about you I feel as though we have known each other for an eternity.”
“I hope to learn as much about you as he has shared about me.”
Erianna smiled at her as well. “You will have to forgive my sister. She has been dreaming of seeing the other realms her entire life and becomes very excited about experiencing new things. You do look beautiful, Julianna. I am so happy to meet you at last.”
Julianna dipped into a curtsy and bowed her head toward Erianna. “Your Majesty. It is an honor to meet such a young and beautiful queen from the northern realms.”
“Queen. I have to say, I am not quite used to that title yet. It was my mother’s for far longer than it has been mine, and I’m afraid it carried some negative connotations we are still trying to rectify, but I thank you for the kind words. And, following my sister’s insistence, please, call me Erianna. I hope the title of Queen doesn’t prevent us from becoming friends.” Erianna looked at Julianna with such a sweet, delicate smile that Julianna’s heart twinged at judging the beautiful queen before giving her a chance to get to know one another.
“I look forward to getting to know you better while you are here,” Julianna smiled and curtsied to her again.
Gabriel looked from Erianna to Julianna, relieved to see them getting along. “I’m glad you decided to finally join us for the party. It is a comfort to know you care about your brother’s homecoming.”
Julianna’s eyebrow quirked up as she looked up at her brother. “And I hope your manners were not nearly this beastly while you were visiting the winter lands.”
“Without you to keep him in line, he was positively boarish nearly the entire time he was in our land. Why do you think we brought him back to you?” Brinn smiled as she enjoyed watching the reunion of the two siblings.
Julianna looked over at Brinn and smiled. “I’m glad to know he had someone else as spirited and quick-witted to keep him somewhat in line while he was away.”
“Yes. She was a constant reminder of the dear sister I had left back home.” Gabriel smiled as he pulled his sister to his side. Julianna’s smile widened as she drank in the warmth and scent of her dear brother, home at last.
The lively music came to an end as the musicians finished that set of dances. King Godric stood and raised his hands, silencing the crowd.
“Thank you all for being here tonight. It is a joy and a blessing to have our golden prince return home to be with us once again after his many months of absence in the winter realms.”
Everyone in the ballroom broke out in raucous cheers and applauded the return of their beloved prince.
The king waved his hands and silenced the crowd again. “It is also a great honor to welcome the royals from that land, Queen Erianna, and Princess Brinnlenora. Please join me in welcoming these distinguished visitors to our humble land.” The servants handed him a glass, and everyone around the room took a glass and raised it to the wintery guests of their realm.
“Long live Her Majesty Queen Erianna. Long live Princess Brinnlenora. And long live Crown Prince Gabriel.” Shouts and cheers rose up from everyone in the crowd as they raised their glasses and toasted the royal guests.
“Let the dancing continue.”
Gabriel beamed as he asked Erianna to join him in the next dance. Soon everyone returned to dancing. Julianna stood with Brinn watching the twirling couples dance past them.
“I can’t believe I am finally here,” Brinn said as she watched the dancers with amazement and awe. “There is so much life and music and color.”
Julianna watched her with curiosity. “Do you not have such parties and merriment in the winter realms?”
“Oh, heavens, no. This is one of my first real parties. Mother never cared for them, so we rarely had balls or dances. Entire ballrooms had completely iced over from lack of use before Mother died. I’ve always dreamed of coming to a place like this.”
“And you’ve never seen this much color in one room have you?” Julianna asked as she stared at her, bewildered by her amazement.
“Never. The most color I’ve ever seen was in the books I smuggled out of the secret library that Mother didn’t know I knew about.”
“I’m sorry you never experienced much of anything like this while you were growing up. I can’t imagine living like that.”
Brinn looked at her with a sparkle in her eye. “Don’t feel sorry for me. Though my childhood wasn’t ideal, I still had my dreams to hold onto, and I’m able to see so many things just tonight in this one single room. I can’t wait to see what other beautiful things are in store in the days ahead.”
Julianna smiled at the girl’s tenacious spirit. If only everyone could see the world with such joy and awe.
The dance set ended, and everyone paused and applauded. Some people broke off and sought food and drink from the many tables set up around the room. Others switched partners or stood waiting for the next set to begin. A couple of young men approached the princesses. One was dressed in a jester’s outfit with brightly colored patches stitched together and a hat hanging low with jangly bells attached to the ends. The other looked like a half-man, half-goat with small fabricated horns sticking out of his head and fur wrapped around his legs. Brinn looked at Julianna, wondering if she should accept the satyr’s invitation to dance. Julianna smiled and encouraged her to go. The jester bowed and took her hand and led her out onto the dance floor.
The musicians started a lively jig as the dancers formed circles around the dance floor. The men bowed as the ladies curtseyed across the circles to each other, and as the music picked up, the ladies stepped into the circle and stepped back out followed by the men doing the same. They all stepped in and reached across to their partner to form the spokes of a wheel and turned as a group. The ladies spun out and the men stayed in, the twirling ballgowns looking like scattered flowers from above. The men stepped out and took the ladies by the hand, crossing one arm over the other, and danced side by side around the circle. The dance continued on like this for a while, stepping in and stepping out, extending arms, twirling out, dancing around in a circle, until at last the musicians ended on a vibrant crescendo, the ladies twirling out one final time so they ended up on the outside of the circle. Everyone clapped when the music stopped. Julianna looked over to see a breathless Brinn panting, but cheeks pink with exhilaration. Julianna smiled as she was slightly out of breath herself since she hadn’t danced like that in quite some time. Their partners bowed, and they curtsied as the men went to claim some other maidens for the next dance.
Brinn reached for Julianna’s hand and smiled, still a little breathless from the fast-moving dance. “I have never had so much fun in my life,” Brinn said as she fanned herself with her other hand. “But I could use some refreshment, and a break from the next dance.”
“I agree,” Julianna replied as she caught her breath. The music started for the next dance so Julianna had to lean in so Brinn could hear her. “There is a refreshment table just over there. Should we try to make our way over to it through the crowd?” Julianna nearly shouted as the music grew louder.
Brinn nodded her head and followed Julianna’s lead. As Julianna maneuvered the crowd, she bumped into something tall and dark.
“Oof. I’m sorry. The crowd–,” Julianna started to say as she looked up at a man looming before her. A small gasp escaped her as she stared at the man dressed in black from head to toe. He looked menacing with his long black hair that flowed down to a long black leather overcoat that went nearly to the bottom of his black leather boots. She couldn’t see much of his face as a good portion of it was covered by a dark mask, but when she looked in his eyes, something jumped out at her like a calling. Or, like something she had seen before.
He stared down at her but didn’t smile. “No harm done. Can I escort their Royal Highnesses the rest of the way to the refreshment table?” he asked as he held her gaze.
Brinn spoke up before Julianna could muster a reply. “That would be quite gallant of you, kind sir.”
He tore his gaze from Julianna’s and looked at Brinn and bowed his head, turning to offer each of them an arm. Brinn placed her hand on his arm. Julianna looked at him hesitantly but took the man’s other arm. She caught the furtive glance he gave her when her hand touched his arm before she looked away, keeping her eyes on the ground until they reached the refreshment table.
“Ladies.” The man bowed and turned to weave back into the crowd.
“My, he is a different one, isn’t he?” Brinn asked as she stared after him. “First impression is dark and brooding, but I have a feeling there’s more to him than meets the eye.”
Julianna’s gaze lingered on his retreating back. There was something about him, but she didn’t know what it could be.
Brinn touched her arm and offered her a glass. Julianna jumped slightly and looked at Brinn. “Oh, thank you,” she said as she took the glass. She took a sip and watched as the dancers whirled about the room.
Brinn took a sip and inhaled. “What is this?” she asked with wide eyes.
Julianna looked at her and smiled. “It’s called lemonade. We squeeze some of the lemons from one of the orchards into water and add some honey to make it sweet. And my favorite part,” Julianna said as she pulled a purple sprig from her glass, “the lavender to give it that spring touch.”
Brinn continued to look at the drink in awe. She took another sip and closed her eyes as if trying to decipher the different flavors as they lingered on her taste buds. She smiled as she swallowed. “Mmm, that is almost as good as Archimedes’ tea.”
Julianna smiled. She wasn’t sure what Archimedes’ tea was, but she was glad their guest was enjoying their spring drink almost as much.
A commotion drew their attention to the front of the ballroom. Brinn gasped when she saw her sister collapse near the thrones. Brinn’s glass crashed to the ground as she pushed her way through the crowd to see what had happened to her sister. Julianna set her glass down and followed Brinn. As Brinn knelt to cradle her sister, Julianna’s eyes glimpsed a dark figure ducking out of one of the doorways that sat on either side of the thrones.
Copyright 2022
Ashley Beach-Author and Storyteller 