Page 132 of Of Brides Of Queens

“And I have said that I will release a princess if kings should listen.”

Bring roared and Change laughed. Take and Raise flung ultimatums.

All in all, kings did not listen one bit.

A rage rumbled, shaking my humans to the ground. The fury built in me and then naturally exploded from my lips. “Will kings be fools until the end of the beginning of the world!”

Those beastly humans who had managed to climb over my wall fell down dead.Drat.

At least the humans outside my walls had lived through my fury, and the violent show had silenced kings at last.

I flung out three stitches; two into the midst of my queendom where they threaded into two of the four chambers that had been carved out on the first level. A dried bouquet was to blame for the appearance of the four chambers and the names carved above each one.Change, Raise, Bring, Take.Princesses had a space in my queendom now.

One thread latched around the ankle of Princess Take, who sulked in her chamber. Another thread held the hand of Princess Raise and walked her out. The third stitch shot in the distance.West. It dove into a haunted forest and hooked in the strings of a garden apron.

Kings had not missed the way three of my stitches shot out from my body.

Princess Raise appeared first, and the stitch holding her hand returned to me.

Princess Take appeared second, and I set her upright, keeping a hold on her ankle.

Princess Change appeared last, flying through the air, and held aloft by my stitch. She quit shrieking as I set her next to the others.

Four princesses.

Of course, I had spent last night drawing every speck of King Take’s rhyme and reason out of Princess Take. Only Princess Change was left to interrogate in such a manner.

What purpose did princesses hold for a queen? They were notmyprincesses, just as princes were notmyprinces.

They were not witness to my rhyme nor reason either.

I rather thought they would hold another purpose for me entirely, and that time would reveal it soon enough.

“You have my princess,” said King Change. “So I will listen.”

Surprising. “I applaud you, sir. And what of other kings? Bring, I suppose that a threat to your princess would not bother you.”

He snarled and those of his humans still alive resumed their clawing and climbing. My sixth, however, threw rocks and rotten fruit to defend themselves.

“Here is what I will say,” I said. “King Take, your princess chose to enter my queendom without permission. She has paid the price for this. Leave with your sixth, and I will happily release her to you.” I did not wait for his response.

“Raise,” I said next. “Your princess chooses to remain in my queendom for fear of you locking her away. I am no murdererand no poisoner. And I would like to help in the sorry matter between you. There must be some way forward, and if you leave with your sixth tonight, and honor her choice in affairs, then I will mediate negotiations between you both.”

He scratched his jaw at that.

“King Change,” I said. “No doubt your princess informed you what I took from her. This has given me the power to pluck her from your kingdom whenever I should choose. Because you have sent your sixth against me this dusk, you must pay me for the inconvenience and slight. Your princess will spend one week in my queendom, no more and no less. Please know that you are powerless to prevent this.”

He bared his yellowed teeth. “A princess is married to a king’s purpose, fool queen. You have nopower toenforceany of these things.”

I felt when he tried to summon his princess. There was a tug under my ribs.

I tugged back, and we jerked her in the air for a time.

“What is this?” King Change rasped. “What hold exists?”

“Only the hold of a fool queen,” I replied. “A pathetic and weak queen at that. Dear Change, did you really think that corn husk dolls could unravel me so.”

His yellow eyes glinted and gleamed in the distance. “Oh, but they could have done with just a little more ruin and madness.”

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