Princess between Worlds Read Free Page A

me!” shouted one of the men. The beast gave Annie’s cheek one last lick before backing off, her tail wagging. When she shuffled to the side of a big, burly man with bushy hair, he patted her head and she sat down grinning.
    â€œIt’s a good thing that was Edda and not Big Boy, or we’d be scraping the girl off the floor!” said a man with a droopy eye.
    Liam was helping Annie to her feet when the officer asked again, “Who are you?”
    â€œTell me where we are first,” said Liam.
    â€œThis is Delaroo Pass, of course,” said the burly man. “Where did you think you were?”
    â€œIf this is Delaroo Pass, we’re still in Treecrest,” Annie told Liam.
    The officer scowled. “Still? Where are you from?”
    â€œTreecrest! The castle, actually,” said Annie. “I’m Princess Annabelle and this is my husband, Prince Liam of Dorinocco.”
    â€œAnd I’m the king of Floradale,” said the man with a droopy eye.
    â€œWhen were you in Floradale, Delpy?” asked a man with a long, thin face.
    The officer turned to the portly man beside him. “Gimlet, weren’t you stationed at the castle for a while?”
    â€œEighteen years ago. When I was there, the king had just married the princess from Floradale.”
    â€œThat’s the problem,” said Delpy. “Most of us have been here so long we wouldn’t recognize half the people who live in the castle now. What about you, Bascom? You came here just a few years ago.”
    â€œI’ve been here for ten years!” said the burly man. “Yet you all still treat me like I arrived yesterday. And I’ve never been anywhere near the castle.”
    â€œThen you have to prove that you are who you say you are,” the officer told Annie and Liam. “Or we’ll treat you as we would any spy.”
    â€œWe’ve never had a spy here before, have we, Captain Grant?” said Bascom.
    â€œNot yet,” said the captain. “But there’s always a first time.”
    The man with the long face shook his head. “We’ve never had
anyone
here before.”
    â€œWhy would someone want to spy on Delaroo Fortress?” asked Delpy. “Unless you were a troll, of course.”
    Captain Grant gave the men an exasperated look before turning back to Annie and Liam. “Prove who you are or I’ll toss you out into the snow myself.”
    â€œUm,” Annie muttered, thinking hard. “My parents are Queen Karolina and King Halbert. My uncle, Rupert, ismy father’s brother and is in command of this fort, or at least he was last time I heard.”
    Annie glanced at the older man as he sent a black-haired soldier from the room, but she didn’t stop talking. “My sister, Gwendolyn, is the most beautiful princess in all the kingdoms, and she recently married her true love, Prince Beldegard of Montrose. She met him when she woke from the curse.”
    â€œYou mean the curse actually came to pass?” asked Bascom. “How did that happen? I’ve been here ten years, and I still remember how careful everyone was about spinning wheels. My mother was furious when they carted hers away.”
    â€œQueen Lenore snuck one into the castle inside a gift for Gwendolyn on her sixteenth birthday. I was in the room when Gwennie pricked her finger. Magic doesn’t work on me, so I stayed awake when everyone else fell asleep. There was no one awake to defend the castle, but magical roses with nasty thorns grew up and no one could get in. I got out of the castle and went looking for the right prince to kiss Gwendolyn and wake her. When I saw that Queen Lenore’s men were trying to take over the kingdom, I thought about sending for you men, but there wasn’t time.”
    â€œWe would have come!” cried three or four soldiers. The others nodded and looked upset.
    â€œIsn’t Lenore queen of Dorinocco? Didn’t you say