The Girl in the Glass Box Page 2

  The crowd repeated his call, "Für das blut Heiglet!"

  The man stepped down and climbed into a carriage, prepared to deliver the same message to each of the villages.

  For the first time ever, Agrippine's heart thrummed in her chest when she heard the announcement. This was the moment for which she'd been waiting. She knew without a doubt, that this was going to be something big for her. She made her way through the crowd, knocking into slow movers, ran to her bedchamber, and shut the door behind her. She scurried over to her nightstand and dug deep beneath a layer of trinkets to find a satchel. She pulled the bag out of the drawer and withdrew the mirror that had become her only friend in the years since her mother's murder.

  "Mother? Are… are you there?"

  The voice in the mirror was faint at first, but grew in volume as the image illuminated. "Always, my love."

  Her mother's faded image etched into the mirror's glass.

  Agrippine continued, "There's to be a race, a game. I… I think I could win." She recited to her mother the game's objective and its rules.

  "You really believe you can win? But why would you want to? Are you interested in the glory? The riches? What is it that makes you want to risk yourself for such a cause?"

  "Perhaps, if I win, Father will see how valuable I am, what a treasure he has right under his nose, and maybe he'll treat me with the respect I deserve."

  Her mother's soft voice turned stern. "I would not count on it, my dear. He is a vain man, a vicious man, who takes from others whatever he wants and then disposes of them when they no longer amuse him. Trust me. He is not a man that will come around so easily."

  "But what if he does? Do you know what that could mean for my future? I do not expect to be Queen, but even if he were to set me up with enough to live an independent life somewhere in the countryside, I'd be happy with that. To be out of the castle, away from a life as a servant. To be free. It sounds like a dream."

  "That's because it is a dream, Agrippine. Make no mistake. He has kept you and raised you for his own benefit, not your own. Don't be foolish. He will not free you to a life of independence and to think he will is childish."

  "I disagree, Mother. With all due respect, I have to try. I have to do something. I cannot wait here for him to dole out my future. Maybe I can change his mind. I'm going to enter."

  "And how can that be, if the rules state women are forbidden? You know that, as a commodity groomed for trade, you are too valuable to your Father for him to permit you to risk your life like this. He would never allow it."

  "That's why I have to enter in secret."

  "Agrippine, this is a terrible idea. But if you think you must, then remember you have an ally the others do not. Do not be afraid to use it."

  "I won't. In fact, it's the reason I know I am going to win."

  As the race grew closer, the kingdom buzzed with excitement. All of the citizens knew, given that this was the way of all the previous games, not only was the winner to be showered with riches and gifts, but his village would be rewarded with a month long feast.

  Agrippine had her bag prepared since the day the race was announced. Armed with a waterskin, her dagger, the mirror, and a few potions of her own devising. She conceived a plan and her confidence mounted each time she replayed it in her head. The summer weather had been steady, warm during the day when the sun was at its peak. Such temperate conditions ensured she wouldn't need to dress in layers or take extra items, which would certainly slow her down.

  Agrippine also realized she possessed an added advantage the others did not. One night, it was exceptionally late and the rest of the castle had been asleep for hours. Agrippine snuck out of her chambers and made her way down the corridor to the Prince's wing of the castle. Thankfully, he kept his collection in a separate room from his bedchamber. Aside from torturing his waitstaff, Alaricus enjoyed only one pleasure: his collection of beautiful trinkets. Since beauty and perfection had been lauded as a synonym for value in their household, Alaricus grew a collection of wonderfully exotic and striking objects from around the world. The king would order his ambassadors to bring back objects from their travels and gift them to his precious son, who was never satisfied. He wanted more. Bigger. Shinier. More extravagant.

  Agrippine slipped into the room to inspect what treasures he had already collected. She had never been in the room before. It was off limits. But she wanted to bring back something different than what he already had, something to stand out amongst the rest. She decided to risk getting caught if it meant she could have a leg up on the competition.

  From the looks of it, he had many porcelain poppets from the Orient, artistic sculptures and paintings from all over the country, and rare flowers tucked into unique vases. Agrippine picked up a particular china poppet admiring its face and the craftsmanship of its construction. It was exquisite. The eyes were a stunning blue, the hair black as ink, and lips the color of roses. And its skin was as white as bone. Agrippine couldn't take her eyes from it until she heard a noise in the hall. Footsteps.

  She lay the poppet back down from where she took it and spun around the room once more before leaving. She stopped in front of a massive painting on the farthest wall. It was bathed in moonlight from the large window beside it. The woman, sitting stately on a throne, was haloed in a yellow glow. She held a chubby baby with fat cheeks and a cooing smile. She was looking down on her son with a gaze of love, a look that Agrippine hadn't seen for quite some time.

  The queen had died before Agrippine could remember, but she was without a doubt, the most beautiful woman Agrippine had ever seen. The queen had a delicate face and pale skin, her long blonde hair spilling over her shoulders like spun gold. She was dressed in white and that, paired with her fair features and the aura of illumination around her, she looked like how Agrippine thought an angel might look. Though she had never met the queen, she was so familiar. Perhaps it was because Alaricus was the very likeness of his mother, right down to the curve of his nose.

  Agrippine's heart was heavy in her chest. She backed out of the room, leaving everything just as it was, and returned to her bedchamber. She was prepared. She had a plan.

  Agrippine didn't need speed. In her bag, she had everything she needed to win. Well, almost everything. Her plan, in theory, was simple, but its execution was perhaps a different story. And luck certainly would play its part, more so than she would have liked. Luck wasn't something on which she liked to rely. However, she didn't have much of a choice.

  She prepared three satchels of food and goods a few nights before, allowing the potion to permeate the contents. The contestants wouldn't need to consume it all, just a few bites of bread or a sip or two of water would do the trick. She wouldn't be around to watch each one transform. She would just have to trust that at some point during their long, hot day, they would need some nourishment. She was counting on them consuming her potion and never returning, leaving her the only victor to return with a prize for the prince. A twinge of guilt niggled at her gut, but only for a moment. It was overshadowed by the prospect of finally being in the king's good graces, at finally being regarded as more than just the bastard result of a king’s drunken romp. These men volunteered to forfeit their lives for the royal family. They knew what they were getting into. She allowed her justification to dissolve the guilt and replaced it with determination.

  Dewdrops dripped down the windows and, instead of reporting for her duties, she snuck out of the castle with all of the bags slung across her body. The dusk smelled like wet grass and must. Agrippine headed to the stables where the champions were preparing for their endeavor. She delivered to each of them one of the satchels, explaining the importance of their contents.

  "The king wants to ensure your safe return. He asked for these bags to be prepared and delivered to you so that you do not starve or go thirsty on your trip. Be sure to consume what you need to guarantee you stay healthy. Best of luck to you."

  She delivered the same speech to each c
ontestant. She smiled the sweetest smile she could muster and did not allow any remorse to invade her charming disposition. She curtseyed and turned to leave.

  Even though it was muggy and too humid for a coat, she pulled on a cloak and yanked its deep hood over her head, ensuring no one could see her face once she moved beyond the castle perimeter where the crowds gathered in the center of the street. Before she knew it, the sun was fully peeking over the horizon and the three village champions were trumpeted out of the crowd and presented in front of the drawbridge. It was a lot of pomp and circumstance and Agrippine was beginning to overheat.

  Let's get on with it already. All of the ceremonial nonsense bored her, especially since she could not be a part of it.

  A prickly heat climbed up her neck under the collar of her shirt and caused her cheeks to flush. Agrippine licked her lips under the veil of the scarf and tried to discreetly fan herself with the flaps of her cloak. When the champions had been presented to the king, and the herald reread the rules of the competition, Agrippine kept her eyes on the matching satchels each had slung across their bodies. She already felt her feet itching to move. Hot blood raced through her veins, incensed by the prospect of her victory. She clutched her own bag and made her way past the edge of the crowd toward the closest village. The trumpets sounded and the crowd's cheers erupted as the contestants sped off in different directions to find their prize.

  Agrippine didn't need to go far, she just needed some place remote, some place quiet, where she could perform a complicated bit of magic without interruption. She made her way toward the woods on foot, knowing she could not take a horse without being noticed. Just beyond the farthest village was a wide entrance to the forest. She avoided the main path so as to remain unseen, but stayed close so as to not lose her way.

  She'd never been this far from the castle before. The farthest she had traveled had been to her mother's cottage on the outskirts of the village. She knew that route well and never strayed from it. Back and forth for years, but she'd never gone anywhere else, especially since her murder. She considered how it might not be the worst thing in the world if she were to get lost or go missing. Would they even notice? Would the king even miss her? Probably not. She sighed and watched her feet step one in front of the other toward the wood.

  Finally past the threshold of the forest, Agrippine scanned the space for a place where she could work unseen. She headed left and moved in about a furlong before she felt confident she was alone and would not be discovered by passersby. She opened her bag and pulled from it a few bottles and a tattered bit of parchment. She had never attempted such a difficult spell before. Her palms bristled with sweat. The hardest part was going to be catching a subject on which to perform the rite. She stood, leaving her materials spread out on the forest floor, and pulled some grains from her bag. She walked around the space and littered them around in a haphazard fashion. Now, she just had to wait.

  Agrippine had dozed off, her face cushioned by the moss beneath her cheek. She opened her eyes at the sounds of light ticking and a quiet crunch. The bait had lured several birds close to where she slept. She sat up as slowly as she could to not frighten them away. She had positioned herself so that the birds were in front of her and had little room to escape. She rose to her feet, her cloak in hand.

  In a flash, she tossed the cloak out and, amidst the sudden outburst of birds flapping followed by a gentle rain of feathers, she managed to trap one underneath its weight. The bird frantically searched for a way to escape as evidenced by the erratic movement of the fabric. Agrippine stepped on the cloak to pin it down and then gently peeled up one side to snatch the bird in her hand.

  The bird's eyes shifted in panic and Agrippine wrapped her fingers more forcefully around its girth.

  "Don't worry little friend, you won't feel a thing." She smiled, tight-lipped, filling with excitement.

  She brought the bird to where she had laid the ingredients for the spell and pulled the paper with the spell's words and instructions from her dress pocket. Though it was difficult, she worked with one hand, her grip on the bird never diminishing. She mixed a series of potions and liquids in a small mortar in a particular order, following the script on the parchment with meticulous attention. When it was finished, indicated by the violet liquid turning murky and then to a mucous-like syrup the color of alabaster, she poured the liquid over the bird and recited the spell.

  Temperat purus album White, so pure

  Superbus atque sublimem stabitis Proud and tall you'll stand

  Sed sine fuga capti in vita But trapped in a flightless life

  Ut nunquam euaderet So as to never escape

  The bird increased in size, growing too large for her to hold. She released it and it flopped to the ground. She watched the bird twitch and spasm, developing an elongated neck and taller legs. Agrippine inhaled sharply. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open in awe. The bird, just as she had hoped, sprouted the most magnificent feathers from its back. They stood tall and fan-like and were as white as pure talcum. The wisps on the ends almost seemed to sparkle with every step the bird took. Once the changing stopped after a minute or two, the bird attempted to fly away, but only leapt a few feet before coming down. Agrippine stared in amazement. She had done it. She had not only performed the spell perfectly, but she had undoubtedly created one of the most beautiful creatures she had ever laid eyes on. And she was certain that her father and the prince would agree.

  She returned to the castle, cloaked under hood, the white peafowl tucked under her arm beneath the thick fabric. It had taken a bit of effort to completely hide the bird and its magnificent plumage under the cape. The competition was to be over at sundown and she made her way back through the villages and up to the castle drawbridge as the sun fell lower in the sky. The landscape was washed in an amber glow and, with the diminishing light, Agrippine grew more confident she could sneak back into the castle without being detected.

  Once back on the palace grounds, she took the underground tunnels and hurried to her bedchamber, checking every few seconds over her shoulder to make sure she was not being followed. Back in her room, she secured the door and put the bird down on the concrete floor. A few days prior, she had snuck into town and used one of her mother's old bracelets to barter a shopkeeper for a birdcage. It would be a bit small, but she did not anticipate the bird would stay caged for long. As soon as the prince caught sight of it, he would release it and allow it to roam to display its magnificence for everyone to admire. It was just for the sake of presenting it to the king.

  She pulled the cage from behind the drapes where she’d hid it and tucked the bird inside. It was almost time for the presentation of gifts, and if everything went according to plan, Agrippine would be the only contender in the ring, making her an automatic victor. She threw the cloak back over her shoulders, slid the hood over her head, and, instead of heading the Great Hall through the corridors of the castle, went back outside and approached through the front gate.

  She would be a mystery.

  A dark visitor.

  A shrouded stranger with the winning gift for the prince.

  "Your Highness, none of the competitors have yet returned and the sun has already given way to the moon," the head guard announced to the king with hesitation in his voice. "Perhaps, they have just been detained."

  "The competition had a time limit on it for a reason. It is a component of the rules. I will accept their gifts if they are to return, but they are no longer entitled to win the victor's bounty," the king's face reddened with each word he spoke. "And what am I to tell my son? That the finest men in our kingdom are too incompetent to fulfill this simple request? Unacceptable. Unacceptable."

  "Well, Your Highness, there is someone who has brought a gift for the prince. But… but from the sound of the stranger's voice, it's… it's a woman."

  "The gift is a woman? The stranger brought a woman for my nine-year-old son?"

  "No, Your Highness. The stranger. The on
e with the gift. She's a woman."

  "It can't be. Women were forbidden to compete. And she not only went out to procure a gift, but you are telling me that she is the only one who returned?" At first, the king's hands twitched, seemingly looking for a target for his aggression, but it subsided as the idea took root in his mind. A look of amusement replaced his previously hardened features.

  The king continued, "I am intrigued. Who is she?"

  "She will not reveal her name or her face. She said that her act was not done for personal glory but instead, was done for the glory of Your Highness and the royal family."

  "Hmm," the king rubbed his chin and repositioned himself in his throne. "Bring her forth."

  Agrippine, weighed down by the awkwardness of the cage hanging from her right hand, ambled down the aisle toward the king. The low-hanging hood draped in front of her gaze compromised her eyesight. She reached his throne and placed the cage at the king's feet.

  "With your permission, Your Highness, he is more impressive when he can display his feathers." She waited for the king to indicate with a wave of his hand and took that as a cue to open the cage. She pulled the bird out, presented it in front of him, and bent low in a curtsey.

  The king's brow was furrowed as he watched the bird strut around the throne. As soon as it was released from the tight space of the cage, its plumage fanned out wide and was even more impressive in the glow of the Great Hall. His feathers stood perfectly straight and it strode across the threshold as if it was showing itself off. She was met with painful silence. Agrippine's mouth went dry. He doesn't like it. All this work. All this time. All this –

  Her thoughts were burst open by a familiar resonance of laughter. His eyes alighted with joy. Joy that she caused. She couldn't help but smile under her cloak, so proud and elated at her accomplishment.

  "Alaricus, come and see your new gift.” The king called for his son and was immediately greeted by the sound of feet slapping the marble floor of the Great Hall. Alaricus' face brightened at the sight of the magnificent creature, and the king turned his attention back to Agrippine. "Where did you find such a rare and unique gift? You do know you were forbidden to compete and that it is pure luck the other competitors are delinquent in their return, do you not?"