The Princess Switch

Lifes Threatened and Lies Told

Chapter #4: Lifes Threatened and Lies Told

When I woke up, I found that I was back in my own bedroom, which I noticed was much cleaner since I had left earlier today.  Or had it already been a great number of days?  Had I been knocked out for a long amount of time, or were my extensive dreams about my worried parents just zooming on bye while I was only asleep for a short amount of hours.  How did I get here from the orchard?  I have so many questions pent up in me. My parents were in the room too, speaking quietly in armchairs near my bed. They hadn’t seen that I was awake.

“Maybe we should tell her,” my mom told my dad, now unsure of where she stood with this whole thing.

“Too dangerous. She would be in even more trouble if she knew what was happening.” I could not hear the rest of what he said.

“What is happening?” I asked them, not able to stay quiet any longer. They rushed over to me. They looked at me with joy, glad that I was awake. Then they realized I had not just woken.

“How much did you hear?” my dad asked quietly.

“Enough to know that you are keeping something from me.”

“Why would we keep anything from our beloved daughter?”  my father faked, trying to look innocent.  

“Come on, you know that you want to tell me!  Ignorant people may be happier, but that doesn’t mean that they are safer.  My life could be in danger and you won’t even tell me.  You want me to die, don’t you!  How could you do this to me, Dad?”  I implored.  My father and I argued back and forth for several minutes (or where they hours?  They sure felt like hours.  My dad and I had never fought like this before) until my mom finally interceded.

“Okay. We’ll tell you,” my mom sighed defeatedly. “Your life is in danger. Those men yesterday, they were trying to kidnap you.”

“I could tell, but why?”

                “They want you to die, honey.  But don’t worry, we won’t let them.”  My mom explained.

I gasped at this, as might be expected when you hear someone wants you dead.  How could this be happening?  There it is, I have yet another question.  Someone needs to answer all of these things.  Why would anyone want me dead?

My father explained, “They want you dead because they think you are not the rightful heir to the throne. They want our lineage to end.  And there may have been something that caused them to want this to happen....” He said, almost an afterthought.

“This is not their first attempt to remove you—the supposed impostor—from the throne,” said my mother. “Remember when you scraped your leg on the fountain in the garden? You didn’t fall. It wasn’t an accident. You ran into a knife carefully positioned in the stonework. These men made more threats over the years, but nothing of serious consequence happened again until your cup was poisoned at the ball. Now this. Never had we imagined that this would get so out of hand.”

I was shocked. Still, why would they want to kill me if they had no valid reason, and did not even know me? I wanted to know more about them claiming I was an impostor.  

My mother sighed. “We will explain that later. Right now you just need rest. You have a concussion, and the doctor will come to see you soon. That man hit you hard.”  They both kissed me on the head and moved to leave. On the way out, the queen blew out the candle. “Get some sleep. You need it, darling.  I love you very much.”

The next morning when I woke up I felt energized. One of my maids brought me breakfast on a tray. She told me to ring the bell when I was finished so she could help me get dressed. “Also, your parents request your presence to formally welcome Jean Philippe VIII.  Well, after you finish your breakfast of course,” she told me.  And then she stayed there, just staring at me the whole time I ate my breakfast.  Which was a very long time. I used the time to think about why Jean would still be here, and why sausage tastes so good when you wrap a pancake around the little sausage.  They do!  You should try it sometime, and you will see how right I am. 

Jean? He was still here? I was hurt. He should have come to see me yesterday. Then again, my parents wouldn’t have let anyone near me while they thought I needed rest. But rules were never something to stop him.

When I arrived in the throne room I found my parents and Jean standing at the dais as servants scurried about with flags and garlands for the banquet to be held in Jean’s honor later that evening.  My parents saw my entrance and smile. Jean turned around and saw me. His famous smile broke across his face and my heart jolted strangely.  You may be thinking, “Adriana has a beau,” but that’s not true.  He was just an excellent friend.  I had not seen him in forever, and I missed laughing with him.  Don’t blame me, because when he saw me, he broke into an even more strong, lopsided grin.  My heart wrenched as I realized that he must have missed me as well.

“Hello, princess!  I have been so worried about you.  How have you been?  Your parents, Their Majesties the King and Queen would not let me near you for anything.  But that doesn’t mean I didn’t try.  I attempted to bribe the servants standing guard, but they just reported it to Their Majesties,” he said, winking at me.  

The king and queen entered right after he started backing away from me.  As my parents entered, all talking ceased instantly.  They just had that kind of air.  After everyone bowed to them, they took their seats.

My parents placed themselves carefully on their thrones, and I sat down on my smaller throne beside theirs.  Jean stood before us rather awkwardly.  “Why are you here, Prince Jean Philippe VIII?” my father asked, his voice echoing through the rafters of the throne room.  

“Well, Your Highness, I was wondering if you would be willing to spare a few hundred pounds of silver to the province of Pathania.  For a good cause, of course,”  the last part was added on quickly, as if he was afraid my father would reject his request before he even finished requesting our country’s aid, which probably was true.  

“Fool!” my dad bawled.  “Coming before me with a request for more money after what has just happened!”  I could tell that he was outraged, maybe because of the vein protruding from his neck.

“Quiet down now, my dear.  You are not being very kind right now.  For goodness sake, your daughter is here!”  The queen said gently but firmly, soothing him as she always does. Oh, so she had noticed me staring with wide eyes at my father.  I did not see him like this often, only when he was truly angry.  

After he had calmed down, he said, “Prince, come with me, and we shall discuss this in the garden where I can breath.”

author's note:  hey, hope you all are reading this happily, have a great weekend, and hope that I live through the day.  We have 11 first-graders at our house, all of them screaming at each other, and we are giving them blown-up hockey sticks.  Don't ever give a first-grader blown-up hockey sticks.  Ever.  No matter what happens in the world, and if it the last possible way to save the world after everyone else dies.