Page 17 of Apples Dipped in Gold
The prince smirked. “I shall ask it often.”
A flush unfurled in my chest, warming my throat and face. I dropped my gaze to my hands, still clasped between my legs.
“Well?” asked the prince, and I looked at him. “You did not answer. Will that please you?”
I was quiet for a moment and then answered in a whisper, “Yes.”
He grinned and seemed to relax.
We rode in silence for a few minutes as the carriage bounced along the winding snow-covered path. I kept my eyes focused outside, on the ominous tree line of the Enchanted Forest, near which we were currently traveling. I wondered how long we would be within her shadow.
“You look troubled,” said the prince.
“I am only thinking of the forest,” I said. “Do the fae go as far as Rook?”
“No village is safe from the creatures who reside within the Enchanted Forest,” he said. His eyes darkened as he spoke, and his mouth tightened. “Their magic is strong, and their presence is a plague.”
“You are angry,” I said, voice quiet. I could not help the hint of fear that rattled my spine.
“Not at you,” he said quickly. “Oh my dear, not at you. My kingdom has long been at war with the forest, for you see, my sister was taken by the fae, and in her place, they left such an awful child. A changeling so cruel she has been imprisoned within her room until the true princess can be found.”
“How terrible,” I said. “I am so sorry.”
The prince offered a small smile.
“Stop apologizing for things you did not do.”
I started to open my mouth, but the only thing on the tip of my tongue was an apology, so I decided to change the subject.
“What will happen once we arrive at the castle?”
“You will be taken to your rooms, where your ladies-in-waiting will bathe and dress you, and then I shall present you to my father and mother, and we will feast with the court to celebrate our engagement,” he said. “Tomorrow, we shall marry.”
The shock of his words hit my chest, making me sit straighter.
“You said we could wait to wed until I was ready.”
“My darling, it is hardly appropriate for me to take you from your family and not marry you quickly, and I cannot leave you at the castle unwed while I am gone.”
“Gone?” I repeated, another wave of surprise striking deep in the pit of my stomach.
“I take no pleasure in leaving you so soon after the wedding, of course,” he said. “If I could delay it, I would, but you must understand, when I stumbled upon you in the forest yesterday, I was in search of my brother.”
“You have a brother too?”
“I have two,” he said. “But one went in search of a tree with golden apples somewhere within the Enchanted Forest and has not returned.”
I sat quietly for a few moments, my emotions warring. I did not know what to think of the information the prince had just chosen to impart to me. I did not know how to feel about marrying him so soon and then being left alone. What if his mother and father were not so kind?
“Why did your brother go in search of a golden apple?”
“He wished to marry his beloved,” he said. “But her father, the king of Holle, has demanded a golden apple in exchange for her hand. Of course, my brave brother was more than willing.”
“If your brother has not returned, will you?” I asked.
He tilted his chin down and leaned forward, lowering his voice as he spoke. “I will, so long as I know you are waiting for me.”
His words made my chest ache, and I swallowed hard as a strange tension filled the space between us. I wanted to look away to regain my composure, but I couldn’t.
