Princess without a Palace: A King Thrushbeard Fairy Tale (11 page)

But as Liesel watched the
line of coins inside the jar steadily rising, she found herself battling mixed
feelings. She couldn’t deny the pleasure she found in her apparent success, but
she also felt uneasy as the distance from the top of the jar to the top of the
coins narrowed. If she continued performing so well, it would only be a matter
of weeks before the goal would be met … and she was definitely not ready for
that to happen yet.  

If she wanted to decrease
the pace and delay her marriage, she supposed that was well within her control.
But there was just something about irking Maria, Liesel admitted, that made
it too irresistible to want to continue to succeed. At first, Maria had shown
unabashed surprise at her success, but now Liesel could only guess at what
Maria thought of it. It was amusing how Maria never happened to be around
anymore when Liesel arrived at home to deposit her coins …

Liesel was reveling in such
thoughts when Roderick surprised her with a visit in the marketplace.

“What are you doing here?”
she questioned him as he suddenly appeared before her.

“I finished harvesting a
field and was released for the day. I thought I’d come see how you were faring
here.”

She shrugged her shoulders.
“It’s been a typical, uneventful day.”

“But what about those three
jugs you sold,” Albert cut in at her side. The old man had camped out in the
space next to her all week. “If I remember correctly, you made a fair profit
from that sale.”

“That’s right! How could I
forget?”

She then explained to
Roderick, “I was fortunate enough that a lady wanted three
matching
jugs. Mine were the only ones she had been able to find. She was willing to pay
anything for them.”

“Well done,” Roderick
approved. He then turned toward the old man. “And who might this be?”

“This is Albert,” Liesel
said, motioning toward the old man. “He has been my loyal neighbor here in the
marketplace all week.”

“Then you have indeed made a
friend?” Roderick teased.

“She tolerates me because
she likes my jewelry,” Albert explained.

“I’ve never said any such
thing!”

“But I’ve seen you staring
at it …” Albert insisted.

“Well, I … it’s all very
beautiful,” Liesel admitted with a hint of sorrow.

“You know, Liesel,” Roderick
began. “It seems to me that after so much hard work this week, you deserve a
small reward.”

Her eyes strayed to the
jewelry, and her hopes began to soar.

“Although we can’t afford
anything as fine as what Albert sells,” Roderick began, sending Liesel’s hopes
crashing back down in a rush. “I do think we could afford to buy you a new
dress if you would like.”

Her spirits were flying high
once again.

“Do you mean it?” she
questioned, not daring to believe it quite yet.

“Of course I mean it! You
would have to retire from selling for the day though, if we want enough time to
find something before everyone else leaves.”

“I’m ready now!” she eagerly
declared. No enticement of extra earnings could keep her from the prospect of a
new dress.

Roderick helped her gather
all of her pottery onto her cart, which Albert then graciously offered to watch
so they wouldn’t have to be burdened by it during their search.

As they walked away, Liesel
felt lighter and happier than she had in several weeks. A new dress! She could
barely contain her excitement. Who knew this day would hold such a prize for
her!

At the end of the lane, they
found a woman with dozens of dresses for sale. Although Liesel’s eyes naturally
gravitated toward the finer dresses, she pried them away so she could sort
through the dresses that seemed more suitable for her station.

But it turned out that even
those were a little too fine for their budget.

“This way, Liesel,” Roderick
called her to the end of the line of dresses.

“We have twenty bronze bits
to spend,” he informed the seamstress. “Show us which dresses we can afford.”

As the woman turned around
to rifle through a pile of dresses folded on the floor, Liesel shook her head
at Roderick.

“Naming a price without even
bargaining?” Liesel clicked her tongue. “I’m disappointed in you.”

“Just wait,” he assured her
quietly with a grin.

When the woman stood up, she
had three dresses in her arms. One was brown, one was orange, and the last one
was blue with long, white sleeves.

“This is all I have at that
price,” the woman informed them gruffly.

Liesel swallowed her
disappointment at the scanty selection and immediately began inspecting the
dresses. They were not as fine as she had hoped, but they were all certainly
better than the dress she was currently wearing.

“What do you think?” she
questioned Roderick, waving toward the three dresses.

“I think you’re the one who
will be wearing it every day so you should choose.”

“No, that’s not what I meant,”
she said, rolling her eyes. “Which one do you think would look the best on me?”

“The brown one wouldn’t show
dirt as much …”

Even the seamstress shook
her head at him then.

“That’s not what I mean
either,” Liesel clarified. “Which dress do you think is the prettiest?”

“How would I know that?”

“Here. You can see how
they’d look.” Liesel then held up the dresses in front of her so he could
appraise each of them in turn.

“The blue one compliments
your eyes,” he admitted at length. But then he cleared his throat and added,
“But the white sleeves are hardly practical. You’ll have to scrub them every
other day to try to keep them looking clean.”

“I don’t care about
practical,” she answered with a smile. She held the blue one up again. “But you
think this dress makes my eyes look pretty?”

“Very,” he answered
honestly.

Feeling heat spread across
her cheeks, she looked down to hide her blush. But after debating between the
dresses for a few seconds, she finally dared to glance up again and clutched
the blue dress to her chest and declared, “This is the one I want.”

Roderick wasn’t sorry about
her selection. The blue dress really did compliment her eyes and made her look
lovely. Even if the other dresses were more practical and appeared more
durable, he wouldn’t have traded the glow the blue dress brought to Liesel’s
countenance.

After Liesel had insisted on
wearing it home, the merchant woman had offered Liesel her tent so she could
change. When she emerged, Roderick surprised her with a tan shawl he had
convinced the seamstress to add to their purchase for free.

“Bargaining doesn’t always
have to do with just the price,” he informed Liesel with a smile.

“I should have had more faith
in you,” she admitted.

As they walked home,
Roderick was amazed at Liesel’s transformation. It was more than just her
appearance. She seemed to be more talkative and more lively than usual. He also
noticed that her face was never without at least a hint of a smile. She simply
radiated pure joy.

He found it peculiar that a
dress could make such a difference. Personally, he felt like he was always the
same person no matter what clothes he was wearing.

Liesel looked up at him
expectantly, and he realized that he had been so lost in his thoughts he hadn’t
heard what she had been saying.

“I’m sorry,” he admitted,
shaking his head to clear his thoughts. “What did you say?”

She linked a hand around his
arm, and repeated, “I was just saying thank you again for the dress. It really
is lovely.”

She turned her smiling face
up to him, and he noticed that her large blue eyes held more than just
gratitude. He wondered if there was trust there now as well.

Perhaps it wasn’t
necessarily only the dress that had changed her, he realized after some thought
… It was the gesture.
 

M
aria
was behind the hut working on the wash when she heard laughter approaching. She
wrung the last shirt out and hung it on the line with a sigh. She wished she
had time for laughter. Ever since Roderick had dumped his princess on her
doorstep, her list of chores had grown to a seemingly insurmountable list. She
longed for the life she had known before. It was so much easier to care for one
than care for three. Especially when one of those persons was revoltingly
helpless.

Just three more weeks, she reminded
herself. Three more weeks and she would be free. But how could she take comfort
in such a thought when just one week had pushed her patience to her limits?

She dried her hands and then walked
toward the front of the hut to discover the source of the laughter. Her
curiosity was piqued. It was too early in the evening to expect Roderick or
Liesel and hardly anyone else traversed the bumpy path in front of her home.

She rounded the corner, but then came to
a quick halt. Her brother and Liesel had indeed returned early, but it wasn’t the
unexpected arrival that caused such a startled reaction.

Maria’s eyes fell to Liesel’s new dress
before she turned them to her approaching brother with a question.

“Has Liesel gone off and spent all your
money?” she asked without concealing her shock.

“No, no,” Roderick assured as the pair
came to a stop just feet away. “I bought it for her.”

“Is that so?” Maria asked, looking the
dress over from top to bottom once more.

She put her hands on her hips in dismay.
Had her brother lost his mind? A new dress was the last thing the spoiled
princess needed right now. And she would let her brother know it.

“Liesel,” Maria cut in suddenly to claim
the princess’s attention. “Don’t forget it is your night again to milk the
goat. I hear her bleating so you better get to it.”

Liesel turned back to Roderick. She
tucked some stray hairs behind her ear and then said, “I suppose I shouldn’t
keep the poor girl waiting, but thank you again for the dress. I can’t even
tell you how grateful I feel.”

She gave him one last smile before she
walked away, and Roderick watched her until she had disappeared from view.

Maria did not like what she was seeing.

She snapped her fingers to regain her
brother’s attention.

“Look at me, Roderick.”

He reluctantly turned to face her.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“The dress?”

“After all of her efforts, I thought she
deserved a reward,” he explained.

“After all of
her
efforts?” she
asked with disbelief. “I suppose after
one
week of hard work, she has
earned it.”

“Exactly,” he answered, oblivious of her
tone.

“I wasn’t serious.”

“Maria, what’s wrong? I don’t see why
this should bother you so much.”

“Don’t you see it? You are losing your
head to that girl!”

“Nonsense.”

Maria folded her arms. “She’s not a
right match for you. Don’t trade your future for a pretty face.”

“You are overreacting. A dress isn’t a
proposal.”

“What a reassurance when you are already
betrothed!”

“Maria, I only meant to show her some
kindness. Nothing more. Please don’t begrudge me that.”

She shook her head. “I’m worried for
you, brother.”

“I know—I can see that—but you don’t
need to be,” he said, patting her arm. He then grabbed the handcart again and
turned toward the hut. “Let’s go in. Since I’m home earlier than usual tonight,
you can take advantage of the additional time and give me some extra chores to
do.”

But Maria wasn’t softened so easily.
Instead, she remained where she stood while she watched him deposit the cart of
pottery into the barn and then disappear into the hut.

She needed time to process all that she
had just witnessed.

Her brother was getting distracted. That
was beyond obvious.

He probably hadn’t even noticed that she
hadn’t followed him indoors yet. His thoughts were decidedly elsewhere.

What was she going to do about that?

What could she do?

She looked down as she pondered the
problem over in her mind and couldn’t help notice the crooked lines of mending
and wear in her own dress. One week of work and the princess had earned herself
a dress. If only she could be so lucky … she would have had a closet
overflowing with dresses by now.

She shook her head to push such thoughts
from her mind. It wasn’t about the dress. It was about the motives behind the
dress, she reminded herself. And something needed to be done to help Roderick
right his course.

She wasn’t sure what she should do yet.

But she was sure she would think of
something.

The next day, Liesel marched to the
market with her head held a little higher. She was immensely grateful to be
able to put the shame of her old dress behind her. Dressed in her old peasant
clothes, she had been constantly tortured by the relentless remembrance of her
great and foolish error. How that dress had haunted her!

Now, with the infamous dress tucked away
and hidden from view, she was ready for a fresh start. It was time to plod
forth and try to salvage what she could of her future.

She hadn’t realized just how deeply her
banishment had wounded her until Roderick had surprised her with his unexpected
kindness. After all, how can anyone not question their self-worth after being
discarded by their own parents?

But Roderick’s act had given her hope;
hope that she could still be valued and even accepted. For the first time, she
was realizing that she had much to be grateful for in her new circumstances.
How thankful she was that her parents had not cast her out alone and
defenseless! At least she had Roderick. Somehow she knew she could trust that
he would not let any harm come to her.

And even though Maria had the
cheerfulness of a thunderstorm, Liesel realized she was grateful for all she
had done to house and feed her too. Maria wasn’t very likeable, but her help
was invaluable.

Liesel felt strengthened by the
realization that she wasn’t solely on her own. Roderick and Maria would surely
keep her alive until she could finally leave and find a new life of her own.

When she arrived at the corner at the
end of her usual lane, she paused when she noticed the space there was empty.
Until now, she had been more than pleased to hide along her usual, obscure
street. Although she was still a little mortified by the possibility of being
recognized, she wondered if she should risk that faint possibility in exchange
for the opportunity to perhaps make more money at such a prime location.

Not that she wanted to fill the jug any
faster for its current purpose. She actually had a different plan in mind.

She didn’t dare voice such thoughts yet,
but she was hoping that if she made a large enough profit, Roderick wouldn’t
mind splitting some of the earnings with her. Especially if such a bestowal
would free them both from their forced arrangement.

She looked down the lane one more time
and then made up her mind. She would set up her stand on the corner.  

She was arranging her pots and jugs in
her customary way when old Albert stopped beside her.

“A new place, miss?”

She smiled. “This area was open this
morning so I thought, why not take it?”

The old man eyed the area around her.
“Do you think there’s space for me as well?”

Liesel was surprised by the question.
She glanced to her side. “I think so … Are you thinking of moving too?”

“I’ve noticed there’s been an increase in
traffic along the lane since your arrival,” the old man explained with
twinkling eyes. “I’ve sold more jewelry with you at my side than I did the
whole month before! If you don’t mind, I think the best place for my jewelry is
next to you!”

Liesel smiled. “Of course I don’t mind!”

As the old man set up his small table,
Liesel observed to him that there seemed to be fewer people in the marketplace
that day. Clouds were gathering and she surmised their threat had probably kept
some people at home.

The old man looked up at the sky with
scrunched brows. “I wager the sky will clear before noon. These clouds might
look ominous, but they’re not the type to linger. We might get wet, but I don’t
think we’ll see more than a brief downpour.”

Liesel anxiously waited for the rain to
begin to descend all morning, but it never did. She did, however, sell four
jugs, three pots, and eight cups. And no one had recognized her. With such
results, she had nothing to regret about leaving her obscure lane behind. The
new location was indeed turning out to be worth it.

“Maria!” Liesel suddenly exclaimed as
she looked up from counting the mound of coins before her. “What are you doing
here?”

Maria was walking several feet ahead
down the lane, but stopped to turn back after Liesel called out to her.

“Oh, hello, Liesel. I didn’t see you
there,” Maria greeted. “I need to buy a few things. My supplies are dwindling,
and I don’t want to run out.”

“You should have told me,” Liesel
impulsively offered. “I could have saved you a trip. I’m here every day, after
all.”

Liesel forced a smile to let Maria know
she sincerely meant it, but it didn’t seem to matter.

“I wouldn’t think of it. You obviously
have your hands full here,” Maria returned with a nod toward the pile of coins
resting on Liesel’s palm.

“It’s been a very profitable morning …”
Liesel admitted meekly as she tucked the coins away.

“I can see that. I’ll be on my way. I
wouldn’t want to claim any more of your precious time.”

And as quick as she had arrived, Maria
was gone.

Liesel was unsettled by the exchange.
Why wouldn’t Maria let her help? She knew she was a burden, but she didn’t want
to be one forever.

She couldn’t help wonder how a brother
and a sister could be so different. Roderick was so warm and kind. Maria was …
well, to put it nicely, Maria.

She forced Maria from her mind. She
wouldn’t waste energy agonizing over something she couldn’t control. She had a
feeling there was little she could do to change Maria’s opinion of her.

She would save that battle for another
day.

A few raindrops plopped across her
pottery, and Liesel turned her gaze up toward the sky. She hoped the clouds
could contain their moisture for a few hours more. She really didn’t want to be
soaked for the rest of the day.

Still, even though the rain seemed to
obey her silent pleas, the roads cleared as people returned home to avoid being
caught in a possible downpour.

Without any customers to attend to,
Liesel’s attention eventually drifted to the jewelry spread out before her
neighbor. 

“You have such pretty necklaces,” she
confessed when Albert caught her staring.

“Thank you. After all the time I’ve
spent in royal courts, I admit I pride myself on my tastes.”

Liesel was surprised. “Really?” she
asked. She tried to look past his humble apparel to envision him in a court,
but couldn’t. “What did you do there?”

“I was once a soldier in King Carl’s mighty
army.”

“Oh,” Liesel answered. She turned her
attention to straightening the pottery before her as she further questioned,
“Did you know the king?”

“Of course. I served in his castle for
over thirty years.”

Liesel hesitated for a moment before she
dared to ask, “Did you know his son?”

“Which one?” Albert answered with a
laugh. “He has six of them.”

“I’m not sure …” Liesel admitted. “The
oldest, I think?”

“Why do you ask?” the old man asked,
leaning back against the wall.