pink satin that billowed out around her like a rose blossom in the very latest style. The Princess herself looked as if she had come fresh from the hands of her maids. Lily’s own gown became heavy white silk samite, with trimmings in a deep cream, a long train and flowing white sleeves that would trail behind her on the ground when she walked. Utterly out-of-date, of course, by several hundred years, but people expected that sort of eccentricity of a Fairy Godmother.
And the Brownies all became liveried footmen in uniforms of white and gold. Unlike Lily’s gown, their uniforms were in the very latest style for such things.
Two of them helped Rosa and Lily off the driver’s box and into the carriage, which was lined in gold velvet and had luxurious cushioned seats. Lily took the opportunity to glance back at the two men, and chuckled at their expressions. Their eyes were bulging so much they looked like frogs. Very startled frogs. Like…Frog Princes?
Then, as she sat down, she started laughing. Rosa looked at her askance, but she only shook her head. It would take too much explaining, even to Rosa, for her to understand why Lily was so convulsed because, besides everything else going on, there were two Frog Princes following them.
Word that the strange, opulent carriage was coming sped on ahead of them; those that remembered what the Godmother’s carriage looked like told everyone else. People began to appear at the side of the road, curious, excited, staring until their eyes nearly popped out of their heads. And as they passed, those same people began running along behind, so that the closer they got to the Palace, the more of a procession they were leading. By the time they arrived at the Palace Gates, everyone knew that the Kingdom’s Fairy Godmother was coming, and Rosa knew that no one doubted it was because the Princess was missing.
They expected her to solve the problem, of course. It was going to be a great surprise for them to discover the problem was solved.
Meanwhile, in the carriage, Rosa listened carefully as her Godmother explained what she should do, and why.
“Once I’ve driven away, go ahead and dawdle, try to give me as much time as you can. It won’t be hard, your loyal supporters will be pressing on you on all sides—answer every question, even if it means repeating yourself twenty times. Wait for Queen Sable to make her appearance and then you take over the situation. The Tradition will expect you to be meek and self-effacing. Don’t be. Act like your mother.”
Rosa nodded, and whatever Lily saw in her face, it made her smile. She thought for a moment. “Mother would have been gentle, but firm. Polite, but quite clear.” She pondered a while longer. “Do you want the Huntsman to flee, or stay? I can lie about him, or tell the truth, but if I tell the truth, he’ll probably do his best to escape.”
“Stay, if possible,” Lily replied instantly. “I would like to see what he does next, and now that we know he is an enemy, and you know what I am, I can make sure you have a protector at all times.”
“Then I’ll say that I was attacked and fled, but never saw the attacker’s face. And that once I was on the horse, it ran away with me.” She nodded decisively. “I hesitate to tell any other story because he will know I am lying and wonder why. This is close enough to the truth that he might be cautious, but assume that I am telling everything I know.”
Lily gave a nod of approval, and Rosa felt warm and proud. “One way I can keep you safer is to keep you with me more. I’ll drop suggestions that I don’t believe you, that I think you ran off on purpose as a kind of temper tantrum, and it will look as if I am keeping you from your loyal folk out of spite. To keep this from getting boring, I am going to start you on Godmother training.”
Rosa gave a gasp of surprise and delight; Lily smiled. “Now mind, I have no idea if you can ever become an actual Godmother, or
And the Brownies all became liveried footmen in uniforms of white and gold. Unlike Lily’s gown, their uniforms were in the very latest style for such things.
Two of them helped Rosa and Lily off the driver’s box and into the carriage, which was lined in gold velvet and had luxurious cushioned seats. Lily took the opportunity to glance back at the two men, and chuckled at their expressions. Their eyes were bulging so much they looked like frogs. Very startled frogs. Like…Frog Princes?
Then, as she sat down, she started laughing. Rosa looked at her askance, but she only shook her head. It would take too much explaining, even to Rosa, for her to understand why Lily was so convulsed because, besides everything else going on, there were two Frog Princes following them.
Word that the strange, opulent carriage was coming sped on ahead of them; those that remembered what the Godmother’s carriage looked like told everyone else. People began to appear at the side of the road, curious, excited, staring until their eyes nearly popped out of their heads. And as they passed, those same people began running along behind, so that the closer they got to the Palace, the more of a procession they were leading. By the time they arrived at the Palace Gates, everyone knew that the Kingdom’s Fairy Godmother was coming, and Rosa knew that no one doubted it was because the Princess was missing.
They expected her to solve the problem, of course. It was going to be a great surprise for them to discover the problem was solved.
Meanwhile, in the carriage, Rosa listened carefully as her Godmother explained what she should do, and why.
“Once I’ve driven away, go ahead and dawdle, try to give me as much time as you can. It won’t be hard, your loyal supporters will be pressing on you on all sides—answer every question, even if it means repeating yourself twenty times. Wait for Queen Sable to make her appearance and then you take over the situation. The Tradition will expect you to be meek and self-effacing. Don’t be. Act like your mother.”
Rosa nodded, and whatever Lily saw in her face, it made her smile. She thought for a moment. “Mother would have been gentle, but firm. Polite, but quite clear.” She pondered a while longer. “Do you want the Huntsman to flee, or stay? I can lie about him, or tell the truth, but if I tell the truth, he’ll probably do his best to escape.”
“Stay, if possible,” Lily replied instantly. “I would like to see what he does next, and now that we know he is an enemy, and you know what I am, I can make sure you have a protector at all times.”
“Then I’ll say that I was attacked and fled, but never saw the attacker’s face. And that once I was on the horse, it ran away with me.” She nodded decisively. “I hesitate to tell any other story because he will know I am lying and wonder why. This is close enough to the truth that he might be cautious, but assume that I am telling everything I know.”
Lily gave a nod of approval, and Rosa felt warm and proud. “One way I can keep you safer is to keep you with me more. I’ll drop suggestions that I don’t believe you, that I think you ran off on purpose as a kind of temper tantrum, and it will look as if I am keeping you from your loyal folk out of spite. To keep this from getting boring, I am going to start you on Godmother training.”
Rosa gave a gasp of surprise and delight; Lily smiled. “Now mind, I have no idea if you can ever become an actual Godmother, or
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