The king frowned and glanced at his wife, then back to the two girls. “I need proof if I’m to act on this.”
“I have proof,” said Annie as she reached into her pocket.
“Be careful, Father,” Snow White said when he took the necklace from Annie.
The king turned the necklace over to examine it. “I gave her this the day we were wed!”
“She must have used her magic on it,” Annie told him. “Now it will choke whoever wears it. If the queen is innocent, she won’t mind putting on the necklace.”
“But if she did what we say she did, she won’t want to put it on, knowing what it will do,” said Snow White.
“That should be proof enough,” her father said, sounding grim. “Leave this up to me.”
Annie turned around and saw that Liam, Gwendolyn, Beldegard, and Maitland had surrounded the queen and were talking to her in loud voices. Whenever the queen tried to peer around any of them to see the king, they stepped in front of her again, blocking her view and preventing her from going to him.
The king strode toward the front of the room, calling, “Guard!”
The man who had escorted Snow White and her friends had been waiting by the door as if he wasn’t sure what to do. When the king called out, the guard ran to his side. Annie couldn’t hear what the king told him, but a moment later the guard hurried out of the room and down the corridor.
“What are you doing, Archibald?” the queen demanded in a querulous voice.
“Dealing with something I should have taken care of a long time ago,” said the king.
Half a dozen guards came running into the room and lined up against the wall to await further orders.
Liam and the others stepped away from the queen as the king approached her. The queen shot Annie a look of hatred before turning back to the king. “Do you remember this necklace?” he asked her, holding it up so all could see. “I gave it to you on the day we were wed and you said you’d cherish it forever.”
“My necklace!” said the queen. “It was stolen, my lord. I didn’t know how to tell you, but I’m so glad you got it back.”
“Here, my dear,” he said, holding it out to her. “Take off the one you’re wearing now and wear this one instead.”
The queen’s voice was shaky when she laughed. Annie noticed that her face had gone pale and she kept wetting her lips with the tip of her tongue. “There’s no need,” said the queen. “I’ll wear it tomorrow.”
“I want to see it on you today,” said the king.
The queen shook her head. “I can’t. Don’t you see, it wouldn’t go with my gown.”
“Guards,” said the king, gesturing to the men by the wall. “The queen is not to leave this room until she has put on this necklace.”
“No!” cried the queen. “I don’t know what that horrid girl told you, but she’s lying! This is some kind of trick. She’s done something to the necklace. Perhaps she’s poisoned it. Yes, that has to be it. I won’t put that necklace on unless she does first!”
“Are you accusing my daughter of something so loathsome as attempting to poison you?” the king roared.
“No, of course not,” the queen said, taking a step back. “I meant the other girl. The plain one there beside Snow White. She’s a witch, I’m sure of it! Look. She doesn’t want to wear it.”
The king was about to reply when Annie spoke up. “I’ll try it on. The necklace isn’t poisoned.”
“That won’t be necessary,” the king began, but the queen snatched the necklace from his grasp and slipped it around Annie’s neck before anyone moved to stop her.
“Now if I die, you’ll die first, little interfering witch,” she whispered in Annie’s ear so no one else could hear her.
“Take it off!” said the king.
Annie shook her head and laid her hand across the necklace, holding it in place. “It isn’t hurting me,” she said, then moved her hand so he could see. After a minute had passed and nothing had happened, Annie took off the necklace and handed it back to the king. “Now let her try it,” she said, glancing from the king to the queen.
Queen Marissa stared at her, openmouthed. When the king handed the necklace to her, she smiled a secret kind of smile, and slipped the necklace around her own neck. “There,” she said. “I’m wearing it. I don’t know what all the fuss was about. I’m going to my chamber now and if…” The queen got a strange look in her eyes and put her hand to her throat. “No!” she gasped, clutching at the necklace, which was growing tighter with each passing second. “But it didn’t do this to you!”
“It couldn’t,” said Annie. “Magic doesn’t work on me.”
“I’m torn,” said the king. “I could just let the necklace do what her magic intended it to do, or I could take it off and lock her in the dungeon. Drugging a king and trying to kill a princess are certainly enough cause to convict her of treason.”
“Take the necklace off her, Father!” cried Snow White. “I can’t bear to see anyone suffer like that!”
“I’ll do it,” offered Annie, and once again the necklace relaxed at her touch. “Whatever you do, don’t let her go back to her chamber. She has a secret room where she does her magic. Look in the tower for a locked door. My source tells me that she has all sorts of magic paraphernalia there.”
“You see, she is a witch! She does have magic!” the queen called as the guards led her away.
Annie shook her head. “I don’t have any magic, but I do have lots of friends.”
Everyone was delighted to have Snow White back and the wicked queen locked away. The king was so happy that he declared the day a holiday and ordered the preparation of the biggest feast they had ever held. He invited Annie and her friends to stay as long as they wanted, but they were eager to get on the road as soon as possible. Although he tried insisting that they stay, he gave in when Annie promised that she and Liam would come back for a visit as soon as they could.
It was Snow White who kept delaying their departure. First she insisted that they eat an enormous breakfast, then she wanted to thank them for all they had done to help her. Annie and her friends were still eating when Snow White left to look for presents to give them. A few minutes later, Dog and Rooster came to say good-bye to Annie.
“I’m going to stay with Snow White,” said Dog, careful to keep her distance. “She’s asked me to stay, and I’ve made a lot of friends already. They tell me that no one cares about a dog’s age here and it seems like a good place to live out my years.”
“If that’s what you want,” said Annie. “I’m so glad I got to know you! Thank you for all your help.”
“No, thank you!” said Dog. “I don’t know where I would have ended up if it hadn’t been for you and your friends.”
Annie sighed and crouched down. “Come here, Dog. I’m going to miss you!” When the dog bounded toward her and licked her face, Annie nearly fell over. Dog was still licking her when she wrapped her arms around the animal and whispered into her fur, “I never had a dog of my own. If I ever do, I want her to be just like you!”
“It’s my turn now,” Rooster squawked. “No hugs. No kisses. The pigs offered us a home. I’m going there to live. Quentin’s going too.”
“That sounds like a good plan,” said Annie.
“Cat already told me that he wants to stay with the dwarves,” Gwendolyn told her as Annie got to her feet. “They’re spoiling him and he said that they have enough mice to keep him busy for years. The animals aren’t staying together, so he said that they don’t need the tablecloth. They gave it to Beldegard and me as a wedding present.”
“That’s a very nice present!” said Annie. “But I thought Cat would go home with you. The two of you really seemed to hit it off.”
Gwendolyn shrugged. “I thought so, too, but he said he doesn’t like to travel. It’s all right. I’m going to be busy with the wedding and won’t have much time for anything else.”
“There you are!” Snow White said, although the
y were still sitting where she had left them. “I have your presents ready for you. They’re waiting in the courtyard. Come on, I want to show them to you.”
“I hope it’s nothing bulky,” Liam told Annie as they followed Snow White out the door. “Whatever it is, we’ll have to lug it all the way home.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem,” Annie told him as they stepped into the courtyard.
Four horses stood waiting for them, saddled and ready to go. Annie glanced at her companions and saw that both Liam and Beldegard were smiling. “Maybe the trip back won’t take too long after all,” said Beldegard. “Let’s check them out,” he told Liam.
“Father is sending twenty knights with you also,” Snow White told her as the two princes strode toward the horses. “He’s truly grateful for all your help in bringing me home. He wanted to send you in our gilded carriage, but I told him that would take too long and you wanted to get home as soon as possible.”
“This is wonderful!” Annie told her. “We couldn’t have asked for more.”
“It’s nothing, compared to what you’ve done for me. I would have died if it hadn’t been for you. I can’t wait until you come back to visit.”
“You’ll have to come to Treecrest first,” said Gwendolyn. “Beldegard and I are going to send you an invitation to our wedding as soon as we set the date.”
The princess looked up when Maitland and his men rode from the stable into the courtyard. The young prince looked distressed when he glanced at Snow White.
“What’s his problem?” Annie wondered aloud.
“Prince Maitland wanted to stay to court me,” Snow White whispered to her, “but I’m sending him home because I overheard him talking to his friends. He cares more about my future crown than he does about me. When I marry, it will be to someone who loves me the way Liam loves you and Beldegard loves Gwendolyn.”
They set out soon after, with Beldegard, Gwendolyn, Liam, Annie, and Maitland riding between the knights who were escorting them. Maitland had sent his friends on ahead and he looked so dejected riding alone that after a few miles Annie took pity on him. “I’ll be right back,” she told Liam, and let her horse drop behind until she was riding beside the young prince.
Maitland glanced at her, then turned to look straight ahead.
“Are you upset because you’re not going to be king, or because Snow White sent you away?” Annie asked him.
“Would you believe me when I say that I really liked that girl? She was sweet and innocent and didn’t act like most princesses. She heard me talking to my friends about being King of Helmswood someday, but that was just talk. I didn’t mean the things I said; it was just what they were expecting to hear. Beldegard is right. They aren’t very good friends if I don’t act like a good person because they’re around. I didn’t want to kill my own brother, but they had me convinced that he was never going to turn back and that the kingdom would be better off without everyone waiting for something that wasn’t going to happen. I shouldn’t have listened to them.”
“You know, if you really like Snow White, you might still have a chance with her,” said Annie. “I don’t believe in love at first sight, but do you think you could love her someday? That’s all she really wants.”
“I really think I could!” Maitland told her, his eyes lighting up.
“She won’t believe you if you just tell her that you love her, so you’re going to have to prove that you do.”
Maitland frowned. “And how would I do that?”
“I don’t know,” said Annie. “But I’m sure you can think of something.” She raised her head at the sound of voices and smiled when she saw that Liam was riding back to join her.
“I need to talk to you,” he told her as he reached for her reins. He held their horses in place until Maitland had ridden ahead and some of the knights had passed them.
“Is this the conversation you mentioned where you wanted everything to be perfect?” Annie asked once their horses were moving again.
Liam nodded. “That’s what I said, but I realized when you had that necklace around your neck that it would be foolish to wait. The perfect time is anytime that we’re together. I realize we’ve know each other only a few weeks, but it seems like a lifetime to me. You’re the only girl I’ve ever met that I want to live with for the rest of my life. I love you, Annie, and I want to marry you.” The horses had slowed as Liam spoke until they were standing still.
“Hey, are you two going to dawdle back there or what?” shouted Beldegard. “There are people here who want to go home! We have things to do and lives to start living.”
Annie smiled. “So do we,” she said, leaning toward Liam for a kiss. “But I think our lives have already started.”
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank the authors of fairy tales long ago who inspired me with their marvelous stories, including James Orchard Halliwell-Phillips, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Charles Perrault, and Robert Southey, as well as the authors whose names have been lost with the passage of time.
Also by E. D. Baker
THE TALES OF THE FROG PRINCESS:
The Frog Princess
Dragon’s Breath
Once Upon a Curse
No Place for Magic
The Salamander Spell
The Dragon Princess
Dragon Kiss
A Prince among Frogs
Fairy Wings
Fairy Lies
The Wide-Awake Princess
Text copyright © 2012 by E. D. Baker
Map copyright © 2012 by Kimberly Bender
All rights reserved. You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce, or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
First published in the United States of America in October 2012
by Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers
Electronic edition published in October 2012
www.bloomsburykids.com
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to
Permissions, Bloomsbury BFYR, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Baker, E. D.
Unlocking the spell : a tale of the wide-awake princess / by E.D. Baker. — 1st U.S. ed.
p. cm.
Sequel to: The wide-awake princess.
Summary: Princess Annabelle, who is immune to magic and can temporarily
reverse spells put on others, encounters various fairy tale characters when she
embarks on an expedition into the woods to find a dwarf responsible for
turning Sleeping Beauty’s prince into a bear.
[1. Fairy tales. 2. Princesses—Fiction. 3. Magic—Fiction. 4. Characters in
literature—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ8.B173Un 2012 [Fic]—dc23 2012004223
ISBN 978-1-5999-0933-2 (e-book)
E. D. Baker, Unlocking the Spell
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