Violet Eyes (18 page)

“Good morning,” Violet answered with the others.

“One of the most priceless things a princess or a queen has is her beauty,” the queen began. “We are taught from a young age to guard this beauty jealously and to let nothing mar it.”

Around her Violet saw heads nodding, and she
fought back a sigh. Yet another princess rule that meant nothing to her.

“We are told that we don’t expose our skin to the sun, because it will burn and it will age us prematurely. We are told that soft, white skin is beautiful and skin darkened by the sun is not.”

Violet looked down at her own tanned hands and grimaced. She wasn’t sure what the queen was leading up to, but she was certain it was going to be another task that would be impossible for her to accomplish by normal means.

“So here is the fifth test. You will each put your hand out one of these windows and leave it there for a quarter of an hour. We will then check to see which of you have burned skin.”

Ruth and Goldie gasped, and Celeste groaned.

“I can’t,” Evaline said through pursed lips.

“But you must, or forfeit,” the queen said.

Evaline shook her head. “I can’t. I won’t. I’m going home.”

“Then go,” the queen said, standing aside to let Evaline pass.

Violet stared after her. Was it really so much worse than everything that had gone before? She couldn’t believe it.

“You may begin,” Queen Martha said.

Each of them moved to a window and put her hand out into the bright sunlight. Fifteen minutes later the girls were allowed to pull their hands back
inside. Then they followed the queen to another room, one without windows.

“You may wait in here,” the queen said. “In an hour I will return to check your hands.”

The queen left, and Violet took one of the chairs, staring glumly at her hand. Violet couldn’t sit still, though, and began to pace. Even in the dim candlelight Violet could see the sunburns on the other girls’ hands.

How can I make my hand look burned when it’s not?
she wondered. There was nothing in the room to stain it red or pink. Violet continued to pace, turning the notion over in her mind.
Maybe I should stop worrying about the sunburn and focus on figuring out what the real test is.

Violet thought of everything Genevieve had said about the tests behind the challenges. Yesterday had been about perseverance. From what the queen had said, a princess would consider it terrible to get a sunburn.
Why? Because they think it mars their beauty. So, then, why allow it to happen? Because they want to win. And what are they proving?

Violet had to win; she was so close to the end of the contest, and the memory of Richard’s lips on hers and their connection spurred her on. In the light of a new day she didn’t care who Celeste was or wasn’t. All she knew was that she loved Richard and she had to try. He had been so passionate when they kissed. What had Richard said about proving his love? Could
the princesses risking their beauty prove something to the king and queen? Then, suddenly, something Richard had said came to her:
I would sacrifice my life for your happiness.

Violet stopped pacing. That was it! King Charles and Queen Martha wanted to know if the girls would sacrifice their beauty to win Richard. Sacrifice. That was what it all came down to. Rulers had to sacrifice their own desires. Violet glanced over at Goldie. Sometimes they had to sacrifice their own lives.

If that was it, the other girls had already sacrificed; they had burned their hands for the test.
But my hand isn’t burned. It couldn’t have sunburned with such little exposure to the sun. How can I prove that I am willing to make sacrifices to be with Richard?
What else had Richard said? Violet gasped as she remembered:
I would walk through fire to be with you.

Violet knew what she had to do. She glanced around the room to make sure that no one was watching her. The other three were all preoccupied with watching the reddening of their skin and were paying her no mind.

Violet walked over to a writing table where one of the few candles that illuminated the room sat. She put her back to the others so that they couldn’t see what she was doing. Violet gritted her teeth, then thrust her hand into the flame.

The pain seared through her. Violet wanted to jerk her hand away, but she forced herself to hold it for a moment. She finally pulled it out of the flame
and stared down at the angry red of the skin. She collapsed onto a chair and tried not to whimper.

The queen returned with the king, the steward, and Richard. They led the girls out of the dark room and to the great hall. There Celeste, Goldie, and Ruth presented their burned hands in turn. Finally, Violet presented her hand, which had begun to blister.

“What have you done to yourself?” Richard exclaimed when he saw it. Violet gave him a tight smile. “Only what you would do for me.”

“I’ll have someone come to your room to look at that,” the queen said, giving Violet a thoughtful look.

“Thank you, Majesty.”

“The four of you shall continue on to the final challenge,” the king said.

Violet made it to her room before the tears came. Genevieve exclaimed in despair over her injured hand. “This was stupid; there had to have been something else you could have done,” Genevieve said.

Violet shook her head. “I sacrificed. That’s what was required.”

“Richard wouldn’t have wanted you to hurt yourself, though. Why did you leave your hand in the fire for so long?”

“I had to be sure.”

An older gentleman arrived and put a poultice on her hand, which quenched some of the heat. Once he had left, Genevieve glared at her.

“You know the goal is to marry the prince, right?” Genevieve said.

Violet was irritated. “Yes, what’s your point?”

“You can’t marry him if you’re dead. Just promise me you won’t do something stupid tomorrow.”

“I would like to promise that,” Violet said. She yawned. “All I can promise at the moment, though, is that I’m going to bed.”

As she drifted off to sleep, however, she knew that Genevieve was right to be worried. The tests were becoming harder, and there was no telling what she’d have to do next.

C
HAPTER
T
WELVE

Violet woke to feel Duke licking her good hand. The room was pitch-dark, and Violet sat up slowly, lit the candle by her bed, and took the scroll from him.

My Beloved Violet, I was horrified to see what you had done to yourself on my behalf. Dearest, I am not worth injuring yourself. Please do not do something so foolish again. I will find some way for us to be together, no matter the cost. Yours always, Richard.

She reread the letter twice. No mention of the final test. If anything Richard sounded more doubtful of the outcome than he had in previous letters. She scratched Duke’s ears before blowing out the candle and falling back asleep.

The next day Violet was surprised to discover that more people were arriving at the castle. Rows and rows of coaches pulled up outside, and she watched out the window as nobles from several different countries
arrived. She could see some of the girls who had chosen to stay despite no longer being in the competition greeting friends and relatives. Even if they hadn’t won, it seemed everyone was excited. She thought back to her own feelings of excitement when she had first heard there would be a royal wedding. Apparently, that was one feeling peasant and noble shared alike. How long ago that moment seemed, and now here she was in the castle, doing everything she could to make sure the royal wedding would be her wedding.

“Who are all those people?” Genevieve asked, coming to stand next to her.

“I think they are here to see the final challenge and participate in the Feasting. Several people from Goldie’s and Ruth’s kingdoms have arrived,” Violet said, pointing to two tight little clusters. Ruth was embracing people who looked to be family members. Goldie was greeting her guests more formally, and Violet remembered with a pang that she had lost both her parents. She wondered which of the men standing near her was her villainous uncle, or if he had decided to stay home and plot against her. She shivered.

“Who is that group?” Genevieve asked, pointing to a large cluster of people who stood apart from the rest.

“Celeste’s parents—and it looks like every living relative she has is with them,” Violet said, overcome with a wave of sadness. She dearly wished she could be greeting her own parents.

“How’s your hand?”

“It hurts a lot,” she admitted.

The morning passed without a mention of the final test. With the castle bursting with even more people, it seemed that there was nowhere to go to have some solitude. Violet escaped to the garden, where she spent several hours talking with Genevieve and Arianna. They had asked Goldie to join them, but she had looked miserable following the arrival of the nobles from her country and seemed to want to be left alone. When dinnertime came, the great hall was crowded with all the newcomers.

Violet was surprised when the steward bade her sit with Celeste, Goldie, and Ruth at the end of the table closest to Richard and his parents. Violet looked regretfully at her usual seat next to Genevieve. She wasn’t excited to be seated next to Celeste.

Violet became anxious as the meal progressed and still nothing was said about the final test. She found herself moving her food around on her plate instead of eating. Just before the meal drew to a close, the king stood, and silence fell on the room.

“Majesties and Highnesses, Lords and Ladies, you all know why we are here. One of these four fair princesses will marry our son and become the new princess of Cambria. They have each passed five challenges and are worthy of the greatest honors that can be bestowed.”

The waiting throng applauded, and Violet felt herself blush.

The king continued. “This week we have set forth
many challenges, and these princesses have nobly endeavored to pass them. In order to ensure that each girl was thoroughly tested, the true nature of each test was kept a secret. Until now.”

Violet turned and locked eyes with Genevieve, who nodded and smiled.

“In the first test we asked the princesses to choose between silk and cotton threads. All of the threads were silk. However, each girl was then asked to listen to a petition—and to determine which petitioner was lying and which was telling the truth. Those who could tell the difference passed that test. Discernment was the key.”

Violet gasped as she remembered being asked about the two farmers disputing water rights. So
that
had been the real test. Genevieve had been right. Not only were all the threads silk; it was not the real test. That was why each of them had chosen differently among the threads and yet been allowed to continue on.

“The girls believed that suffering the pain of a single lost hair was the second test. In truth the second test was how they handled the loss of a single subject—in this case the servant Mary, with whom each of them had interacted only briefly. Those girls who showed concern were allowed to continue on to the next challenge. Compassion was the key.”

Violet began to shake. She had not observed Celeste upon hearing the news of Mary’s passing, but she was surprised that Celeste had been able to have a
thought for anyone other than herself. She must have, though, or she would not have passed that challenge.

“I am happy to announce that there was a bit of deception on our part in that round. Mary is alive and well.” King Charles stretched out his hand in the direction of the kitchen, and there stood Mary. She smiled and curtsied. Violet felt joy knowing that the woman was alive.

“For the third test the girls were asked to walk barefoot across the grass, with the only possible results being injury or elimination. While some were injured, one extensively, another refused to bend to the task and another risked exposure as a cheater to pursue what she wanted most.”

There were murmurs from the crowd, and Violet felt her cheeks burning. That whole time, and she hadn’t been fooling anyone. All that stress, and Richard’s parents had known exactly what it was that she was doing with the berries.

The king continued. “We were not actually testing the sensitivity of their feet but the stoutness of their heart. For this test courage was the key. The courage to do what you must, the courage to take a stand, or the courage to risk everything you have for what you want most.”