The Stepsister Scheme

through the doorway. Snow followed. Talia shut the door behind them, then handed the sword back to Danielle.
    “Next time you turn your back on an angry troll, Highness, you’re on your own.” Talia walked away, shaking her head and muttering something about naive children trying to get themselves killed.
    Danielle barely heard. She kept hearing Brahkop’s voice in her mind, over and over.
    She was going to have a son.

    CHAPTER 5
    Danielle stood before Snow’s great mirror, turning this way and that as she studied her reflection. Her cycle had been erratic since she moved to the palace. She touched her stomach with one hand as she counted the weeks. It could have happened at any time during the last month of her journey with Armand. Their stay in Emrildale was a likely guess. Snowed in for three days with so little to do... .
    She had blamed the slight bulge of her stomach on her new diet. Of course she had gained weight now that she was eating full meals on a regular basis.
    She wondered if her mother had known. If Brahkop could sense her unborn son, surely her mother’s spirit had done the same. She wanted to believe. The idea that her mother endured long enough to learn of her grandson brought some small sense of comfort.
    She flexed her hand, still tender from the demon’s attack.
    “Here,” said Talia, coming into the room. She held a white leather scabbard. “It might be a little long for that blade, but at least you’ll be able to carry it without hauling those blankets everywhere.”
    “Thank you.” She picked up the sword and slid it into the scabbard, smiling faintly when she noticed the embossed snowflake worked into the leather. “Does Snow still need this?”
    “Nope.” Snow hurried into the room behind Talia.
    “The queen will be down shortly.” To Danielle, she added, “That was from my training blade, back when Talia was trying to turn me into a warrior woman. I told her I preferred magic, but she insisted I learn to defend myself.”
    “What happened?” Danielle asked.
    “She cheated,” Talia grumbled.
    Snow covered a giggle with her hand. “I cast a spell on my sword. I lunged, she parried, and the instant the blades touched, they both turned into giant daisies. Talia was so surprised, I managed to whack her on the head with mine. She had yellow specks of pollen in her hair for the rest of the day.”
    Danielle managed a weak smile. She raised her arms as Talia belted the sword around her waist. When she finished, Danielle ran her fingers over the hazel patterns in the crossguard.
    “Danielle?” The queen’s face was red, and she was breathing hard. Without a word, she crossed the room and pulled Danielle into a tight hug. “Snow told me about your mother, and about your son.”
    Danielle didn’t move. A part of her wanted to bury her face in the queen’s shoulder and weep, and another part wanted to pull away. She did neither, and after a moment, the queen stepped back. Beatrice’s gaze went briefly to the sword. “I wish I could have known her. She seems a truly remarkable woman.”
    Danielle’s throat tightened. She managed a tight nod.
    Mercifully, the queen appeared to notice her discomfort and changed the subject. “Snow also tells me you threatened to loose my guardsmen on that horrible troll.”
    “I didn’t mean to overstep myself,” Danielle said. “He threatened—”
    “I know what he threatened.”
    Danielle took a deep breath. “I’ve never been so angry. But I never thought he would take me seriously. I’m not—”
    “You showed him a good deal more mercy than I would have,” Beatrice said. A hint of a frown tugged her lips. “I’ve already ordered my men to carry out your orders. By this time tomorrow, Brahkop’s home will be nothing but rubble.”
    Danielle managed a nod as she struggled to understand. The idea that she could command that Brahkop’s house be destroyed, that she had the power to make that happen... it frightened her.
    “You’re princess of Lorindar, remember?” said Talia.
    “And that child is my grandson,” added the queen, her face softening. “The future heir to the throne.” She hugged Danielle again, then smiled. “You should have seen Theodore’s face when I told him it was a boy. He had been talking to Captain Grant about mounting a few more cannons on the north wall. He sent everyone away in the middle of the meeting. Apparently, it’s not kingly to be teary-eyed in front of your men.”
    A harsh