“Huh,” said Liam. “A magic cushion would explain why Mother Hubbard would let a bear into her house in the first place. She expected him to behave himself because of the magic.”
Annie nodded. “And I’m sure it worked just fine until I made the magic fade.”
“So what about that other old woman? She said she recognized you. Had you ever seen her before?”
“Unfortunately, yes. She’s the horrible witch I told you about who feeds children to fatten them up so she can eat them.”
“That was her! I wish I’d known,” Liam said, suddenly looking serious. “I would have taken care of the old witch then and there.”
“With her cousin standing by? For all we know, Mother Hubbard may be a witch herself. Just because she has a magic object that works on its own doesn’t mean she wasn’t the one who put the magic in it. And even if she is a good witch, we’d need proof before we can do anything about Granny Bentbone. No, what we need to do is get word to my father. He can send men to search what’s left of the gingerbread cottage. The cages are probably still intact, and there were all those old children’s clothes and toys in the loft. If the men dig through the rubble, they might be able to find something. Once they have proof, they can deal with the nasty old witch.”
“Good idea,” said Liam. “I’ll send word from the village. If we’re lucky, we’ll find the dwarf and be back in time to help your father’s men.”
Annie shuddered. “I wouldn’t call that lucky. I’d be a whole lot happier if I never saw that old woman again.”
Set on the shore of the Crystal River, the village of Farley’s Crossing was a good-sized village built at the only ferry crossing for miles around. Annie was eager to reach the tavern and sit down for a while, but Beldegard called for a halt just inside the tree line before they ever set foot in the village.
“I’ve been here before, back when I was still human. It’s a nice enough place, but the people here wouldn’t take too kindly to a bear walking through the center of their village. The tavern is on the main street. You three get some supper and I’ll meet you at the back of the tavern. Find Rosey and tell her that I’m out back and want to talk to her.”
“I’ll stay with you, my love,” said Gwendolyn. “I’m not dressed to go to such a public place.”
The princess glanced down at the boy’s clothes she was wearing and plucked at a sleeve with distaste. For once Annie agreed with her sister’s decision. Gwendolyn might be dressed as a stable boy, but she still had the face and figure of a beautiful princess. If anyone got a good look at her, she was bound to draw attention of a different sort. It didn’t matter if Annie was dressed as a girl or a boy because people rarely spared her a second glance.
“Liam and I will take care of this,” said Annie. “We’ll bring you something to eat.”
The main street ran straight to the dock where the ferry waited to take on passengers and cargo. The street was lined with shops and cottages, most in good repair. While Liam found someone to take a message about Granny Bentbone to King Halbert, Annie studied the buildings, but didn’t see anything big enough to house a tavern until she reached the river’s edge. An old building to the left of the dock had a sign over the front door that read FERRY. Chickens scratched the ground for insects just outside the door and Annie spotted clothes drying on a sagging rope behind the back of the building. Apparently the building was the ferryman’s home as well as his place of business.
Across the street on the other side of the dock was another, newer building. The sign hanging over the door read THE GASPING GUPPY with a picture of a small fish, its mouth wide open as it gasped for air. Liam joined Annie as she approached the tavern. They had to step out of the way when a party of travelers arrived and swung down off their horses, handing the reins to boys who came running from the stable next door.
“I hope no one recognizes me here,” said Annie. “We’re still close enough to home that they might know my reputation. Helping people with their magic problems is just as bad as having them hurry away when I show up.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Liam told her, cupping her elbow with his hand to guide her to the door. “No one is going to expect to see royalty here, and we both blend in better than most princes and princesses would.”
“Which one is Rose Red?” Annie said, peering into the darkened room where three tavern maids scurried from table to table.
“I didn’t think to ask Beldegard what she looked like, so I guess we’ll just have to ask in here,” said Liam. “Why don’t we sit down and get something to eat? I don’t know about you, but I’d enjoy a nice hot meal.”
Although it was still early in the day, there weren’t many empty seats in the room. Liam finally found two by the back wall hidden from view behind a large man who spoke in a loud, boisterous voice. Once they took their seats, Annie was afraid that the tavern maids wouldn’t know they were there, but they’d been sitting at the table for only a few minutes when a man announced that the ferry was about to leave and most of the people in the room stood up. Annie was glad that the big man and his smaller companion were among them; the man’s booming voice was getting on her nerves.
When everyone who was riding on the ferry had gone, there were only half a dozen people left in the room, including Annie and Liam. A tavern maid with long salt-and-pepper hair spotted them right away and came plodding over. “What can I get you?” she asked Liam.
“Is your name Rose Red?” Liam replied.
“Rosey!” the woman called to a dark-haired girl about Annie’s age bending over another table. “This gentleman is asking for you.”
As the older tavern maid walked off, Rose Red glanced at them and went back to talking to the man at the other table. A few minutes later she laughed at something he’d said, gave him a pat on his cheek, and sashayed to where Annie and Liam were waiting.
“You asked for me?” she said, eyeing Liam in an appreciative way.
“I did if you’re Rose Red,” he replied. “What are you serving tonight?”
“Fish stew,” she replied as she continued to look him over. “It’s what we serve every day.”
“Two bowls please, and some bread and cooked fish for the road.”
“Coming right up,” she said, and turned away without giving Annie a glance.
“She didn’t ask what I wanted,” said Annie. “For all she knows, you might be really hungry and want all of that for yourself.”
Liam smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll share it with you.” He reached across the table to take her hand, saying, “I like when it’s just the two of us the way it was when we traveled through the kingdoms, looking for princes for Gwendolyn. That was the most fun I’ve ever had.”
“I thought so, too,” said Annie, “or at least I would have if I hadn’t been so worried that we might not find the right prince. I don’t know what I would have done if Gwennie hadn’t woken up.”
“I would have helped you look until we found the right one. You know I wouldn’t have left you on your own. You mean too much to me. You’ve been my princess since the day I took the guard’s oath to protect you and your family from my mother and brother. But now I feel as if—”
Annie and Liam turned their heads when a chair banged into a wall. Two middle-aged men sitting at a table by the door had been gobbling their food as if they were starving. One had gotten to his feet so suddenly that he’d knocked his chair over. He was fumbling through his pocket when his companion slapped a coin on the table. Gathering their satchels, they scurried from the room.
“They’ll have to hurry if they want to catch the ferry,” said a voice from a table near Annie and Liam.
Annie glanced at the young man sitting there. He was attractive enough to turn the head of any girl, which would have made Annie suspect magic if he hadn’t been so obviously poor. Dressed in the clothes of a farm worker, his hands were callused and rough and the soles of his boots were thin from walking many miles. What was unusual about him, h
owever, was that his companion was a large gray cat, sitting on the chair across from him, wearing boots of fine-tooled leather.
“I told you we need to practice,” the cat whispered to the young man. “Now’s as good a time as any.”
“But do we have to do it here?” the young man whispered back.
“Why not?” whispered the cat. “These simple folk will believe anything. Just follow my lead like I told you before. Good day,” said the cat, turning to face Annie and Liam. “Let me introduce myself. I am Puss, and this is the Marquis of Carabas.”
“That’s nice,” said Annie. She glanced at Liam, who smiled at her and winked.
“Indeed!” said the cat. “He is a very important person who is wealthy and owns much land.”
Liam leaned forward in his seat. “Where is Carabas located? I’m afraid I’ve never heard of it.”
“Ah, that is because it is far from here, located in the kingdom of Dorinocco,” said Puss.
Liam snorted and covered it with a pretend cough. Annie couldn’t help but smile. He was the second son of the king and queen of Dorinocco, and had been made the crown prince when his brother was banished for nearly starting a war with Treecrest. If anyone would know about the towns in Dorinocco, it would be Liam.
“How interesting,” said Liam. “You see, I’ve traveled extensively throughout Dorinocco, yet I’ve never heard of Carabas.”
“Well, it’s there,” the young man said, sounding belligerent.
“And what brings you to Treecrest?” asked Annie.
“We have heard that the princess of Treecrest is finally free of her curse,” Puss hurried to say. “As the most beautiful princess in the world, she will make the ideal bride for the Marquis.”
“We’re on our way there so I can win her heart,” said the young man.
Annie struggled not to laugh. “I’ve heard that she’s already taken.”
“Really?” squeaked the Marquis, making Annie wonder just how old he was if his voice was still changing.
“About Carabas…,” Liam began.
“It is time for us to go,” the cat said to the young man.
“It was nice meeting you,” the Marquis told Annie and Liam.
“Now!” said the cat as he jumped off his chair.
Rose Red appeared in the door, carrying two steaming bowls of stew, and had to step aside as the young man and his cat hurried past. “I’m glad I had them pay before I brought their supper,” she said, setting the bowls on Annie and Liam’s table. “That cat looked shifty to me. So, are you staying for a while or are you waiting for the next trip across on the ferry?” she asked Liam, still acting as if Annie weren’t there.
“Actually,” said Liam, “we came to talk to you. Or at least a friend of ours did. You do remember Beldegard, don’t you?”
“Beldegard?” she said, looking puzzled. “I don’t know any man by that name.”
“He isn’t a man exactly,” Annie said. “He’s a bear who used to be a man. A prince really, but then you probably know that.”
Rose Red’s eyes widened. “I know he used to say he was a prince, but he really is? Ah, well, that’s neither here nor there. What good is he if he’s still just a bear?”
“We’re on a quest to get him turned back,” Liam told her. “If all goes well, he won’t be a bear for much longer.”
“And he’s here, you say?” said Rose Red with a spark in her eye.
Liam nodded. “We’ll take you to him as soon as you bring us that cooked fish and bread we asked for. He’s hungry, too.”
“I’ll be right back,” said Rose Red, and hurried from the room.
“I think she’s eager to see him,” Liam said.
“Indeed,” replied Annie. “Now that she knows he really is a prince and has a chance of becoming a man again. We’d better eat fast. I don’t think she’ll want to wait for us to finish.”
“Beldegard!” Rose Red exclaimed as if he were the most important person in the world. With a cry of delight, she ran to the bear and hugged him, shoving Gwendolyn out of the way.
“Pardon me!” said the princess, but Rose Red kept hugging the bear prince, who didn’t seem to mind.
“I wish you’d greet me like that,” Liam whispered to Annie.
“Get turned into a bear and I will,” she murmured back.
“Beldegard!” Gwendolyn wailed when it looked as if Rose Red would never let go.
The bear prince grunted. “Uh, you’re making it hard for me to breathe,” he told Rose Red, who dropped her arms and stepped aside to look at him.
“I’m so glad you came to see me, Beldy,” she told him. “I’ve missed you so much. Why did you ever leave me?”
“Beldy?” said Gwendolyn. “She actually calls you that?”
Beldegard sat up a little straighter. “You got a boyfriend, remember?”
“But Yardley ran off without a word!” Rose Red cried. “Can you imagine? And after he was gone I realized how much I loved you and I didn’t know how to find you.”
“He’s been busy,” Gwendolyn snapped at her. “Tell her why we’re here,” she said to Beldegard.
“Oh, right. We’re looking for the dwarf who turned me into a bear. You remember, I told you all about him.” Beldegard sighed when Rose Red gave him a blank look. “Short man, long white beard, leaf footprints, voice like a choked frog…”
“Sorry, I’ve never seen anyone like that,” Rose Red said, shaking her head.
Thunder rumbled in the distance. Annie looked up to see dark clouds scudding overhead. “Your mother said you told her that someone came to the tavern asking about him,” said Annie, turning back to Rose Red.
“Oh, that dwarf! Just a few days ago an old dwarf came in looking for his brother. He said there was a family emergency and his brother needed to come home. It had something to do with their grandfather being sick.”
Annie turned her head when she heard someone whistling. A stable boy strode around the back of the building. He glanced at the group of people, stopping suddenly when he saw the bear. Turning on his heel, the boy ran back around the stable.
“I think I should go now,” said Beldegard. “People around here are more likely to hunt bears than talk to them.”
“Did the old dwarf mention where he came from?” Liam asked Rose Red.
“I’m not sure,” she said, looking thoughtful. “He did say that he had come a long way. Oh, wait! I remember now! He said he was from the Dark Woods. Yes, that was it, I’m sure of it.”
“There it is!” shouted the stable boy to the group of men following him. “See—it isn’t on a chain. It’s a wild bear, just like I told you!”
“I have to go!” said Beldegard. “We need to cross the river. Take the first ferry across and I’ll meet you on the other side.”
“But Beldegard!” Gwendolyn cried as the bear prince loped off.
“Don’t forget me, Beldy!” cried Rose Red. “You know I always liked you better than I liked anyone else!”
“Out of the way!” a rough-looking man shouted at Annie and the others as the mob armed with pitchforks and grappling hooks tore after the bear prince.
“I hope he’ll be all right!” Gwendolyn wailed, wringing her hands.
“He’ll be fine,” said Annie. “He’s as smart as a human and as strong as a bear. I’m sure he’ll figure something out.”
Chapter 6
When tears pooled in gwendolyn’s eyes, Annie patted her on her back. After years of being told to keep her distance from her parents and sister, she still wasn’t comfortable touching them. “Don’t worry,” she said. “You’ll see Beldegard again in a little while.”
“No, she won’t,” said Rose Red, brushing the loose bear fur off her gown. “That was the last ferry for the day. The next one won’t be leaving until morning.”
“In that case I should look for a place we can spend the night,” said Liam. “Do you know where we can find a room?” he asked Rose Red.
She nodded and poi
nted at the tavern. “There are a couple of rooms upstairs, but they go fast. People spend the night so they can board the first ferry in the morning.”
“I’ll see what I can get,” said Liam. “Wait here, ladies. I’ll be right back.”
As Liam hurried off, Rose Red eyed Gwendolyn. “So, you think you’re in love with the bear?” she asked, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
“I am in love with him. He’s my one true love!”
“Yeah, right. And I’m a royal princess.”
“I’ll have you know that I am—”
“Not going to wait here any longer,” interrupted Annie. “Come on, Gwennie.”
“So why are you two wearing boys’ clothes?” Rose Red said as she followed them to the tavern. “It’s pretty obvious that you’re girls—especially you,” she said, looking Gwendolyn up and down.
“We… fell in the river and our clothes were ruined,” Annie hurried to say before her sister could answer. She didn’t want to people to know that they were princesses traveling in disguise with a prince and a bear as their escorts. Traveling was dangerous enough without drawing the attention of everyone on the road.
“There you are,” said Liam. “I was just coming to get you. They had only one room left, so we’re going to have to share.”
Gwendolyn’s eyes grew wide and she’d begun to shake her head when Annie grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the stairs. “That will do just fine,” Annie said.
Rain was tapping at the window, letting only a grayish light through the wavery glass when Annie, Liam, and Gwendolyn stepped inside the small room. A bed just big enough for two nearly filled the area, leaving space for a tiny wash stand and one straight-backed chair by the door. Once everyone was inside, the room felt cramped and crowded. While Gwendolyn stood with her arms crossed, as if she didn’t want to touch anything, Annie pulled back the covers to check the bed and Liam inspected the lock on the door.