The Stepsister Scheme

had never emerged through the hidden door in her privy. How many other secrets were hidden throughout the palace?
    “King Theodore,” she said softly. “What does he know about the two of you?” Danielle gestured to Talia and Snow. “Who you really are, and what you do for the queen?”
    “Theo has his own spies scattered throughout Lorindar,” said Snow. “He doesn’t tell Bea about them. Why should she tell him about us?”
    “ King Theodore knows I’m one of the queen’s personal servants,” Talia said, scowling at Snow. “And he knows Queen Beatrice sometimes tends to matters best kept quiet. They have an understanding. She’s saved his life at least twice that he knows of.”
    A young man in the green and silver of the Whiteshore family bowed as they neared the mews. He held a string of dead rabbits in one hand.
    Danielle forced a smile. She had hoped they would go unnoticed, but even this early in the morning there were people about.
    “Good morning, Peter.” Peter was a third-year apprentice to the master falconer. Thick leather gauntlets protected his hands and forearms.
    Peter straightened. “Are you leaving us, Your Highness?”
    Danielle glanced at the bulging travel pack Talia wore over her shoulder and the rolled-up blanket Snow carried in the same way. Danielle had offered to help, but it would have been too suspicious for the princess to haul her own belongings around like a common servant.
    “I was looking for... I thought I would go for a picnic,” Danielle said. “Along the eastern beach.” She flushed. “We just wanted to stop and see the birds before we went, that’s all.”
    Peter waited, clearly unwilling to question the princess’ word. “I was getting ready to feed them,” he said slowly. “If you’d like to take one out for a hunt, I can—”
    “No, you don’t have to do that,” said Danielle. She glanced around for help, but Talia appeared to be fighting a smirk.
    Snow had plucked a handful of clover from the ground, and was brushing the leaves over her lips and chin. “You’re not very good at this, are you?”
    “Is everything all right, Highness?” Peter set the rabbits down. “I heard about the attack yesterday. Are you sure it’s wise to leave the palace? If you’d like, I could fetch one of the guards to escort you.”
    Before he could move, Snow stepped closer and shoved her clover in Peter’s face. “Do these smell funny to you?”
    Peter sniffed. His eyes fluttered, and his body sagged. Talia caught his arm, spinning him around so that his head didn’t strike the mews as he fell.
    “You’re the princess of Lorindar,” Talia said. “He wouldn’t dare question you like that if you didn’t treat everyone as your friend. All you needed was to order him to leave, and he would have done it.”
    “Did you hurt him?” Danielle asked.
    “Hardly.” Snow grinned and picked up the clover. “He’ll take a quick nap, though. If he remembers us at all, he’ll think we were a part of his dream.”
    Talia was looking around to see if anyone else had noticed. “People sometimes talk about their dreams, you know.”
    “I can promise you he won’t talk about this one.” She tugged Danielle’s hand, pulling her around Peter to the corner where the mews pressed up against the palace wall. Ivy coated the stone here, and the mews shaded the wall from the sun. Snow glanced around to make sure nobody was watching, then pressed her face to a gap in the stones where the mortar had crumbled away. “Want me to save a few clovers for you?”
    A faint voice answered, too low for Danielle to make out the individual words. Snow giggled. “It’s not Danielle’s fault. She’s too honest for her own good. Don’t worry, Talia and I will teach her. She’ll be lying like a politician in no time.”
    “Who are you talking to?” Danielle asked, trying not to take affront.
    Snow stepped back. Moments later, a tiny man stepped out from a crack between the stones.
    Danielle stared. “Ambassador Trittibar?”
    “At your service, Princess.” No taller than Danielle’s finger, Trittibar held an ivy leaf for balance as he gave a quick bow. He looked the same as Danielle remembered, only smaller. His hair was pulled into a long white braid, as was his beard. He wore a billowy shirt of bright green, which clashed horribly with his rust-colored trousers. A silver sash and belt completed the disastrous ensemble.
    “So the queen tells me you need to enter