Furious, my head snaps to look at her. She’s standing halfway across the room, her eyes still groggy.
“Yes, Amber—I’m a princess—higher born than you!”
She giggles for a moment, then sees the serious expression on my face.
“But the firstborn princess died?” She looks around the room at the others, who are now all sitting up in their beds.
“No, she didn’t,” I snarl, shrugging Meg off and taking three steps forward so that I’m a foot away from her. “I’m right here!”
Her upper lip quivers as though in disgust, but she says nothing.
“Come on,” Meg says, gently grabbing my arm. “Let’s go for a long walk, just the four of us.”
Knowing it would be bad for me to cause discourse, I nod. “One moment.” I look around the longhouse and call, “Harold?”
After moving into the longhouse, he disappeared, and I can only guess he didn’t like the noise. Still, every day I call for him, hoping he’ll return.
“Oh, well…”
“Come on,” Elena says, taking my hand in hers.
For a long time, we don’t talk. Tears come and go. I even giggle once, though I don’t know why.
Finally, I say, “I remember seeing her weave a flower crown for me. I’ve been told I look like her.”
Meg nods. “It is said she was fair to look upon.”
“I can’t believe what my father did. That he took her away.”
Hands rub my shoulders, and through my grief, I’m reminded that I’m not alone.
“Thank you, Elena, for never giving up on me.”
“To be honest, I’m a little shocked I was defending a hidden princess this entire time.”
“Please, don’t call me that?—”
“But you must let us!” Meg begs. “I need to see the torment on Amber’s face as we utter that title before your name.”
Three of us laugh; Nori does not.
I turn to her, knowing how tortured she must feel. “I’m not mad at you.”
“Really?”
“I understand why you never told me about my mother…what good would it have done?”
“Thank you. I don’t have many friends, and you were always kind, never making me feel like a freak.”
“You’re just too smart for your own good.” Meg sighs. “But look how it saved the day!”
Elena frowns. “What if there’s truth to Ramsey’s worry?”
Nori shrugs. “Every pregnancy has risks, but Orvell is better than any cleric I’ve known in Penticar, and a few of them were from my own family.”
Meg rolls her eyes. “That’s a grand compliment indeed, but please, don’t tell him that.”
I nod in agreement. “You’ll be in the best of hands.”
