The Opal Crown (19 page)

It’s Stefan.

His face is gray-tinged. Sweat pours from his brow. “I wanted to enjoy the opera tonight,” he says, sounding dazed. “And, and . . .” His eyes flick from me to the carriage, finally landing on me. “Are you . . . ?”

He does not finish his sentence, but I think I understand his question.
Are you the one I knew? The one I loved? The one who betrayed me?

“Yes,” I answer. “I’m the younger twin. I was sent to Kyrenica to serve as Wilhamina’s decoy.”

Stefan looks like a man in agony. “I don’t even know your real name.”

“The king and queen never gave me one,” I say. “But the family who raised me called me Elara.”

“Elara?”
The word expels from his mouth in a rush of air, and I see it, the exact moment he understands. “The girl from your stories? That was
you
?”

“Yes.”

“But that girl was neglected and abused. She was . . .
you
were . . .” He can’t bring himself to finish the thought.

Tears are streaming down both our eyes, whether solely from the smoke, or from something else, I don’t know.

Excited screams issue from the front of the building. Behind me I hear the horses whinnying and stamping nervously, and Nicolai’s hushed voice as he tries to calm them.

“I could have my men stop you right now,” Stefan
says hoarsely.

“Look around you, Stefan. This city is on the brink of collapse. You’ve been in Allegria for nearly a week now. How are your dealings with Andrei and Lord Murcendor?”

His eyes narrow. “Treacherous. I wonder if the truth ever touches their lips.”

“That’s the conclusion my sister and I have reached as well. Wilhamina and I are daughters of the House of Andewyn—both of us are older than Andrei—and we intend to press our claim to the throne. Whatever the relationship between our two kingdoms, you should wait to discuss a new treaty with Andrei, as it will become null and void if he’s deposed.”

“I cannot imagine—” The rest of what Stefan says is cut off by shouts within the carriage.

I whirl around and see our carriage rolling forward, quickly gaining speed as it rounds the corner, and vanishes from sight.

Chapter 37

Wilha

“G
o back!” I pound on the wall, yelling for Nicolai to stop. My cries go unheeded, and we continue on down a backstreet.

“You are only serving to draw attention to us,” Lord
Royce says.

“But you just—we just . . .
left
her.”

“Your sister’s loitering with the crown prince did not bode well for any of us,” he says calmly. “I am simply ensuring we don’t all conclude our evening inside the Opal Palace’s dungeon. Besides, we are not leaving her for good.” He calls out and orders Nicolai to stop the carriage. He steps outside, and I hear him and Rolf speaking in low tones.

“Go back to Eleanor Square. Do you know what the crown prince’s carriage looks like?”

“Yes, Uncle.”

“Good. Find her, and take her to the place we discussed. I will send a pigeon when I can.”

When Lord Royce is seated once again and the carriage has started up, I say, “Stefan could turn her in. He could take her directly to Andrei.”

“I was kept well informed regarding your sister’s relationship with the crown prince. He will do no such thing.”

“Where are you taking us?”

“Lord Nichols has a manor in Versan where we can hide while we plan. Of course, it seems our plans have now changed, haven’t they?” His eyes bore into mine. “I did not realize you held ambitions for the crown, Your Highness.”

“Perhaps you should have asked me,” I say, forcing myself to match his gaze. “After all, Lord Royce, I am one of Fennrick’s heirs.”

“But you cannot reasonably expect that both you and your sister will rule jointly as queen. Such a thing has never been done. Why did you not simply state that you alone were making a claim to the crown, and dispense with this
we
business? You are the firstborn, after all.”

“I would not do such a thing to my sister. And with that crown comes much power . . . maybe too much for one person.”

“In this we agree,” Lord Royce says, surprising me. “If we are successful, if you and your sister obtain the throne, I expect us to build a kingdom very different than the one you have grown up in.”

“What do you mean?” I ask uneasily.

“The king is advised by the Guardian Council. All ten of the Guardians, save for myself, are of noble birth. And all of us were born in Allegria. Is it any wonder that the villagers
have grown to resent the capitol and your family in particu
lar? The
people
are Galandria’s greatest resource, not her opals, and if the Andewyns continue choosing not to recognize this, it may one day cost your family not only the crown, but your very lives.”

The city gates come into view. We are ordered to halt so the guards can search the carriage. A guard does a double take when he sees the jeweled mask I hold. His eyes linger on my face before asking hesitantly, “Your Highness?” After I nod, he quickly bows. “We were told to expect you tonight. There are many in the palace guard who would serve you over your brother if it came to it.”

“One day it
will
come to it,” I say with a confidence I do not feel. “And when it does,” I add, aware of Lord Royce’s probing stare, “I hope I will have your support.”

The guard bows again. “With all my heart, Princess,
you shall.”

He waves us through the gates. Nicolai urges the horses onward, and we start forward, leaving the city, and Elara,
far behind.

Chapter 38

Elara

S
tefan’s arms clamp around my shoulders before I can go after the departing carriage. “If you run, you are sure to be discovered.” He murmurs instructions to his guards, but I don’t hear them.

They’ve left me. In the space of a moment, I went from being a future queen to being completely expendable.

Stefan jerks me around. “Elara, listen to me. I am merely a guest in this kingdom; there is only so much I can do to protect you.”

I nod blindly, still unable to believe that I’m here, in a smoking, screaming city, while Lord Royce and Wilhamina are careening toward the city gates.

“The rest of you,” Stefan addresses his guards, “are sworn to secrecy over this. Do you understand?”

“We are loyal to . . . to the princess, just as we were loyal
to her when she lived among us in Kyrenica,” answers
a guard.

I turn back to Stefan and his men. Many of them, I realize now, I recognize as members of the Strassburgs’ personal guard.

“Do you have a costume mask you can wear?” Stefan asks.

“Yes.” I produce it from the folds of my cloak and put it on.

“Andrei has given me apartments within the city. Once we’re safely away from here, we can figure out what to do,” Stefan says.

His guards surround us, and we make for Eleanor Square. We round the corner and stride quickly to the carriage Stefan marks as his own. Once we’re settled inside, the guards begin the onerous task of maneuvering through the crowd. The square is still carnival-like with glittering, masked figures cavorting about, despite the smoke issuing from near the palace. Even above the chaos, whispers begin to rise, loud enough to reach inside the carriage.

The Masked Princess has a twin!

They plan to take the throne from Andrei!

I saw her face!

Suddenly, all the carousing comes to a halt as a contingent of Galandrian guards on horseback come tearing through the square. They pass so close the carriage shudders and I feel the heat from the torches they carry.

“They’ll be heading for the gates,” Stefan murmurs, “guessing—correctly, I assume?—that you and your sister were planning to exit the
city as soon as you made your announcement.”

I nod, my heart pounding, and tell myself I’m safe. For now, anyway. “Thank you for not turning me in,” I say.

“Why didn’t you just tell me who you were in Kyrenica?”

Instantly, my gratitude evaporates. “Why didn’t I tell you? I seem to recall begging you to spare me a few minutes of your time so I could do exactly that—”

“Only
after
you had already been caught—”

“Instead, you chose to have me thrown into a cell.”

Stefan flushes. “You lived among us for nearly a year. You lied—”

“Yes, Stefan,
I lied
. I was dragged back to the Opal Palace, in the most uninspiring welcome home you could imagine, and told I could either impersonate Wilha—or die. There’s quite a bit more to it than that, and maybe one day, if I survive all this and you actually give me a smidgen of your valuable time, I shall tell you my whole story.”

“Your Highnesses?” A guard steps closer to the carriage window. “The streets are quite lively tonight, but your voices are still carrying.”

Stefan and I fall silent. More fireworks explode over the city, and I watch as ribbons of red and gold fizz in the sky. I wonder if Wilha can see them or if she’s already gotten past the gates.

“After you left, I had men searching the kingdom for you,” Stefan says in a quieter voice. “When no one could find you, I feared the worst . . . I was just hoping you were still alive,” he finishes hoarsely.

“I really am sorry for that, Stefan, but what did you expect me to do? Sit in that cell weeping my heart out because you couldn’t be bothered to come visit me? The opportunity to save my neck presented itself, and I took it.”

We pass a group of drunken revelers singing a song about the Masked Princess. And suddenly, as if the tune conjured him, Rolf appears among them. He walks parallel to the carriage and my heart lightens considerably. They have not left me, after all.

Rolf’s eyes meet mine. He nods slightly, then slips from view. A few moments later, the carriage begins rocking and shuddering to a halt.

“What’s going on?” Stefan calls out.

“Don’t know, Your Highness,” says a guard.

Rolf, taking advantage of the guards’ momentary confusion, opens the door and extends his hand to me. “I’ve been sent for you.”

“
I
am taking her someplace safe,” Stefan says. “Unlike your employer, I will not leave her behind.”

“I have no doubt you mean the princess well, Your Highness,” Rolf says with a deferential bow. “But your movements are watched by the palace. Can you harbor her without arousing suspicion and devise a plan to see her safely out of the city?”

Stefan hesitates. “I cannot. I assume you can?”

“Yes, but the gates will have closed by now, although Lord Royce and Princess Wilhamina should have already passed through. But he had a safe house prepared in case something like this happened that’s well away from Eleanor Square or anyone connected with the court. It will take time to get her out of the city, but I swear to you it can be done. Now call your men off; they’re drawing too much attention.” Rolf gestures to the guards who have drawn their swords.

Stefan exhales. “Lower your weapons,” he commands his guards. “We will look forward to hearing from your employer. Tell Lord Royce to send pigeons to Sir Reinhold when he can.”

Stefan turns to me and smiles sadly. “Just when I thought I had finally found you, you leave again.”

I look between Rolf and Stefan, knowing I could just choose to stay in the carriage, but knowing, too, that Rolf is right, and I must go. “Can you step away for a moment?” I ask Rolf. After he does, I say, “Why didn’t you come visit me in the cell? I would have told you then who I was. If you had just given me the time, I would have told you everything.”

“But I
was
going to visit you. On my life, I swear it. I did not want to come until I was myself again and able to truly hear you out.”

From the pained look in his eyes, I know he’s speaking the truth. “I wish you had. I wish you had come to me before Lord Royce.”

Rolf clears his throat. Reluctantly, Stefan gestures toward the door. “Go. But one day, I look forward to hearing your whole story.”

As I slip from the carriage and follow Rolf out into the night, I cannot help but wonder how different things would be now, if Stefan had only come for me earlier, or if I had only believed that he would.

Chapter 39

Wilha

L
ord Nichols’s manor in Versan is a sprawling country estate with balconies that look out onto sculpted gardens. While we wait for Rolf to smuggle Elara out of the city, Lord Royce and I write messages to every noble we know, asking for their support. They are carried either by pigeon or clandestinely by Nicolai all throughout Galandria. Lord Royce seems to have an endless network of spies and friends, and he has them plant rumors that Elara and I have gone into hiding in a northern village near the Opal Mountains.

One night during dinner a pigeon arrives from Lord Nichols, carrying news of Allegria. “It seems Andrei has
dismissed the Guardian Council.” Lord Royce looks mean
ing-fully at me over the parchment. “Lord Murcendor has been named the Supreme Guardian of Galandria.”