The Stepsister Scheme

as though he was peering into her mind, reading her thoughts as though she were one of the books from Snow’s shelves. “I would lead my troops to Fairytown tonight if I thought it would get him back.”
    “It would only get him killed,” said Talia.
    “Yes.” The king embraced Danielle again. “I’m sorry, Danielle. Today should have been a joyful day. Will you—” He jumped as the pigeon hopped across the floor, bandaged wing dragging beside it. He started to speak, then stared again.
    “He fought Charlotte. He helped to save my life.” Danielle picked up the bird and stroked its neck. “It will take time for his wing to heal. He’ll need food and a place to rest. Could you... ?” Her voice trailed off as she remembered who she was talking to. She started to stammer an apology.
    “Of course.” The king reached out to take the pigeon, who began to struggle.
    “It’s all right,” said Danielle. “He’s going to take care of you.” The pigeon settled warily into the king’s arm.
    “Will you be joining us for dinner?” he asked, still staring at his new companion.
    “Perhaps it would be better if the princess dined here,” Talia said, her words a careful balance between statement and request. “She has been feeling unwell.”
    “I haven’t,” Danielle protested. She had been a little queasy after leaving Brahkop, and she could do without traversing that ladder again, but she certainly wasn’t ill.
    They ignored her. “I understand,” said the king. “In such cases, it’s often best to rest. I’ll let the staff know you may be indisposed for several days.”
    “Thank you,” said Talia.
    “I trust you to take good care of her in her... illness.”
    “Naturally.”
    He nodded, then used his free hand to take Danielle’s, planting a quick kiss on her knuckles. “Be well, Princess.”
    Talia followed the king out of the room. In the hallway, she turned back to say, “Try not to get yourself killed before I get back, please.”
    The door slammed shut. Snow was already dumping her bags and moving to the fireplace. She blew on the embers to revive the flame. “I can’t believe you asked the king to watch over your pigeon,” she said. “The expression on his face was worth half the gold in the treasury. I wish Bea had seen it.”
    “Talia resents me,” Danielle said.
    “Talia resents everyone.” Snow poked a stick into the fire. “Don’t take it personally. She... she’s not very good with people.”
    Danielle moved to the window, listening to the cries of the birds outside. “I should have known Charlotte would do something like this.”
    “Probably,” said Snow.
    Danielle blinked. “What?”
    “You should have known. You lived with Charlotte and Stacia for years. But you wanted to think that everything would be fine. That your stepsisters would go off and have their own happy little lives, and you’d spend the rest of your days basking in the warmth of your love, while little birds sang songs of peace and joy.” She tossed another stick into the fireplace. “I made the same mistake. The next thing I knew, an old woman was slipping me a poisoned apple.”
    Talia returned a short time later, carrying a platter of baked eel and asparagus, along with a dusty bottle of wine.
    They ate in silence. Though the chefs had done a magnificent job as usual, Danielle’s stomach rebelled at the smell of the eel. She made do with asparagus and bread, barely tasting either. She kept thinking about Armand, and what Snow had said.
    Ever since her father remarried, Danielle had believed a day would come when she would be free, when her life would again be her own and she could be happy. She clung to that belief like a shield after her father died, protecting her from her stepmother’s wrath and her stepsisters’ cruel games. Just as she now clung to the belief that she would see Armand again, that her son would know his own father.
    As she ate, she kept seeing her mother’s tree, burned and dead. The smoke from the fireplace made her think of the Chirka wolf ripping its way from the broken hazel branches.
    Talia didn’t bother with a goblet, taking a long drink directly from the wine bottle before passing it to Snow. To Danielle, she said, “Are you sure you want to come with us, Princess? Lone demons or trolls are nothing compared to the dangers of Fairytown. We don’t even know if we’ll be able to find Armand once we get there.”
    “He found me,” Danielle said.
    “He