The Dragon's Mark--A Twisted Fairy Tale

Part 9: Who Bears The Ring

As much as Agatha and Jacintha had discussed and speculated over the dramatic events of the previous night, the citizens of Kadros saw fit to gossip and dissect the finest details all the more, no matter where Stella went.

At the butcher's, she overheard two women talking about the second day, and how they planned to catch Don Henrik's eye—maybe even Lord Sigmund himself, though he must be very old indeed, for as long as he had presided over the Drakistos family. At the baker's, all the talk among the pastries was about the "golden princess" and where she might come from, and what she intended by showing up unexpectedly and insinuating herself into the ruling family. Stella spoke as little as possible, and did her best to remain inconspicuous.

As she roved among the stalls of fresh garden produce from the many farms around the area, her ears caught wind of another announcement.

"What do you think of this whole ring business, Dermia?" asked a woman inspecting fruit right next to Stella.

Dermia sniffed in response. "Oh, Nico received that letter this morning. We can't make heads or tails of it. What ring are we supposed to have? Certainly I have never even seen anything remotely resembling the Drakistos Crest on display—and if anyone in my family had somehow managed to purchase it, well! More foolish of them, I suppose!"

Stella fought to keep her focus on picking up the necessary items for Jacintha's party, but the comments sent her mind into a tumult. A ring resembling the Drakistos crest? What ring could that possibly be except the one she now hid? How had Henrik noticed her wearing it? If he had, why hadn't he said anything about it?

A little ways beyond, an herb-seller turned to the flower vendor next to him and remarked, "Have you ever heard of the like? They're saying that if the citizens of Kadros fail to produce this Ring everybody's talking about, the Family will invoke the Drakistos Rule, starting at the ones with the least connection and working their way up!"

"That means nothing to me," said the flower-seller in a thick, foreign accent. "I am only here selling flowers to afford passage to Malta. I know nothing about the Rules Governor Drakistos uses on the residents of Kadros."

"You're lucky," the herb-seller replied. "For those who live here, there is only one Rule: a request from anyone connected to the Drakistos name cannot be refused."

Stella paid for the assortment of vegetables and fruit she collected and moved on. The reference to the Drakistos Rule reminded her of confronting Jacintha about the dream she'd had, of the other Nadia and the circumstances surrounding the birth of her daughter, and Stella's cheeks had begun to smart at the recollection of how Jacintha slapped her for implying that Agatha had been that infant...

But what if it had been her instead?

The thought swept through Stella's mind like a sharp winter gust, bringing her to a dead halt in the middle of the road.

Could it be?

Was that the reason Jacintha had seen fit to dispose of every servant... except Stella? Because, according to the Drakistos Rule... Jacintha couldn't risk turning Stella out of the house?

Her heart began to thump wildly in her chest as certain vital pieces of information fell into place.If she was really Nadia's daughter, why did that make her so important to the Drakistos family? And if she was connected to the Drakistos family, why did Jacintha try so hard to hide it?

Speaking of hiding... Stella's thoughts immediately went to the Ring. If everybody knew about the Ring and its description, everybody would be searching for it—including Jacintha, since she would be one of the first to be cut off, being neither friend nor blood relation to the Drakistos family. And if Jacintha already knew that Stella was secretly connected to the Family anyway, that could mean that she might reasonably suspect—

Stella clutched the shopping basket tight as she ran back to the villa as fast as she could. Silently, she crept into the kitchen, deposited the basket, and climbed the steps to the main floor. At every moment, she expected to see Jacintha and Agatha, poised and waiting to confront her about the Ring, just to see her cringe and squirm and make her feel worthless about attempting to fool everyone into thinking she was anything special. The stillness sent chills down her spine. On the table in the front hall, in the tray reserved for calling cards, she found a note.

Stella—We have gone calling. We will return in the evening. –Jacintha

Stella felt some of the building tension relax, but not completely. While it meant that the women were not at the house, she could not rule out the fact that she had been discovered. Not until she knew. Stella headed straight for the cellar, where she had concealed both the dress and the ring.

The chest once containing the dress stood open and empty, and the contents of the pouch lay strewn among the ashes and coal dust. Stella felt her legs give way, and she collapsed to her knees. The shopping trip had been a ruse. What would happen to her, now that the two cruelest people in Kadros had discovered her secret?

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The guards at the gate surrounding the governor's mansion watched the elegant woman descend from the simple one-horse chaise, followed closely by a younger woman in an ornate (if rather ill-fitting) gold-embroidered dress. The two looked alike enough to be mother and daughter, and indeed, the older woman held up the hand of the younger so that the ring worn by the latter would be clearly visible in the afternoon sun. At a signal from the guard-house, Sir Travis himself met the pair upon entering.

"Who might you be?" he asked the women.

The mother cleared her throat. "I am Jacintha Farfalle, widow of the late Giorgio Farfalle, who fought in battle alongside Arthur Drakistos, our representative before His Lordship."

Sir Travis looked at the girl; he could recognize her round face. She had definitely been in attendance last night, and he definitely remembered young Henrik paying particular attention to a young lady in the very same golden dress—but the longer he looked, the more it became obvious to his practiced eye that the dress didn't quite fit the girl, as if it had been made for someone else.

Lady Jacintha advanced urgently. "It is imperative that we hold an audience with Lord Sigmund Drakistos—for you see, it so happens that my daughter Agatha here is the bride he seeks for his son Henrik. Look!" She held up Agatha's hand. "She even wears the Ring of Drakistos His Lordship has asked for!"

Sir Travis stared at the relic. He had never seen it in person, but Lord Sigmund had certainly described it to him often enough over the years that he could not doubt that it was, indeed, the all-important Ring that would cure the strange malady affecting him and his son. At least he could be sure of that, whether or not this pale-faced, uncomfortable debutante was the true Bride they needed. That would be for Lord Sigmund to decide, concluded Sir Travis.

He gave a courtly bow and gestured to the house. "If you would follow me, Lady Jacintha, I will conduct you into His Lordship's presence personally."

Lady Jacintha smiled and pulled her daughter along, as they entered the house together. Striding into the Great Hall, where Lord Sigmund waited (wearing a powdered wig and heavy robes to hide his renewed appearance), Sir Travis dutifully made his announcement.

"Your Lordship, may I present Lady Jacintha Farfalle and her daughter Agatha, the professed Bride of Drakistos and the bearer of the Ring of Drakistos!"

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