Danika

Chapter 31

Adamina:

The time leading up to the yearly Contests did not go quickly. It passed with a lot of worrying, some horrible times when Danika's dad almost found out about Adamina being the princess. But they did pass, and the Contests started tomorrow. Their neighbor had come by with the timetable for the Contests a few hours ago while Danika and Adamina had been out picking the last few potatoes. The three of them looked over it now. While they couldn't give away their plan to Danika's dad, Adamina was planning what to say to Danika afterwards. She was pretty sure Danika was doing the same. After all, there was a lot to plan, seeing as at sometimes there had been planned up to three parallel activities. Some of those contests weren't worth going to. But at other times two of the best contests that day were at the same time. They'd have to spilt up, but maybe not every day. Adamina couldn't see how they'd earn enough money to buy even a few meters of land, let alone enough to build a house.

Even so, they'd need more money than just for the property. They'd also need money for the materials for at least a small hut. If they wanted anything to live off, they'd also need a few animals. Maybe they'd also have a small farm with some wheat and barley. That ought to cost a fortune.

There was another way, however. Adamina had thought of it. What if she sneaked into the castle and 'stole' some of her things? She'd always known that many of the things in her bedroom were worth a fortune. A single hairbrush might be enough. But it was risky. She could be caught. It was like walking straight into her parents' trap. Not that they'd set a trap, they didn't even know she needed the money. But was that risk worth taking? She'd have to discuss it with Danika later.

For now, she had to memorize as many of the contests as possible. Danika's father wanted to keep the paper for himself for him to plan which activities he was participating in. It wasn't like he would show up on the day and pick then. The need for a plan was something Danika had inherited from her father.

There were three different horseshoe-throwing contests throughout the week, on the first, third and last days. Two of them were parallel with other activities. Adamina thought she'd suggest that she do the horseshoe-throwing those days. She'd been good at it when she was younger. Maybe she managed to win them some money in the process.

On the second day they awarded the winner a cow for one of the contests. On multiple days they awarded chickens to the winner.

How were they supposed to win all these contests? They needed to win almost a third of the contests Adamina was sure of. She hadn't checked the land prices yet. They hadn't found a way to check them without Danika's father finding out. Even so, she had some idea, and it was a lot. She hoped there was a secret tactic that could help them win enough contests. She wasn't keen on breaking into the castle. She couldn't bear the thought of having to go back to her old life. She didn't want to leave Danika and she didn't want to marry someone else.

A/N: Finally a new chapter! Thanks for all the votes and comments: I hope you enjoy reading this chapter! Remember to have a good day if you can, and if not, that's okay too.