Unlocking the Spell (26 page)

“This is wonderful!” Annie told her. “We couldn't have asked for more.”

“It's nothing, compared to what you've done for me. I would have died if it hadn't been for you. I can't wait until you come back to visit.”

“You'll have to come to Treecrest first,” said Gwendolyn. “Beldegard and I are going to send you an invitation to our wedding as soon as we set the date.”

The princess looked up when Maitland and his men
rode from the stable into the courtyard. The young prince looked distressed when he glanced at Snow White.

“What's his problem?” Annie wondered aloud.

“Prince Maitland wanted to stay to court me,” Snow White whispered to her, “but I'm sending him home because I overheard him talking to his friends. He cares more about my future crown than he does about me. When I marry, it will be to someone who loves me the way Liam loves you and Beldegard loves Gwendolyn.”

They set out soon after, with Beldegard, Gwendolyn, Liam, Annie, and Maitland riding between the knights who were escorting them. Maitland had sent his friends on ahead and he looked so dejected riding alone that after a few miles Annie took pity on him. “I'll be right back,” she told Liam, and let her horse drop behind until she was riding beside the young prince.

Maitland glanced at her, then turned to look straight ahead.

“Are you upset because you're not going to be king, or because Snow White sent you away?” Annie asked him.

“Would you believe me when I say that I really liked that girl? She was sweet and innocent and didn't act like most princesses. She heard me talking to my friends about being King of Helmswood someday, but that was
just talk. I didn't mean the things I said; it was just what they were expecting to hear. Beldegard is right. They aren't very good friends if I don't act like a good person because they're around. I didn't want to kill my own brother, but they had me convinced that he was never going to turn back and that the kingdom would be better off without everyone waiting for something that wasn't going to happen. I shouldn't have listened to them.”

“You know, if you really like Snow White, you might still have a chance with her,” said Annie. “I don't believe in love at first sight, but do you think you could love her someday? That's all she really wants.”

“I really think I could!” Maitland told her, his eyes lighting up.

“She won't believe you if you just tell her that you love her, so you're going to have to prove that you do.”

Maitland frowned. “And how would I do that?”

“I don't know,” said Annie. “But I'm sure you can think of something.” She raised her head at the sound of voices and smiled when she saw that Liam was riding back to join her.

“I need to talk to you,” he told her as he reached for her reins. He held their horses in place until Maitland had ridden ahead and some of the knights had passed them.

“Is this the conversation you mentioned where you
wanted everything to be perfect?” Annie asked once their horses were moving again.

Liam nodded. “That's what I said, but I realized when you had that necklace around your neck that it would be foolish to wait. The perfect time is anytime that we're together. I realize we've know each other only a few weeks, but it seems like a lifetime to me. You're the only girl I've ever met that I want to live with for the rest of my life. I love you, Annie, and I want to marry you.” The horses had slowed as Liam spoke until they were standing still.

“Hey, are you two going to dawdle back there or what?” shouted Beldegard. “There are people here who want to go home! We have things to do and lives to start living.”

Annie smiled. “So do we,” she said, leaning toward Liam for a kiss. “But I think our lives have already started.”

I'd like to thank the authors of fairy tales long ago who inspired me with their marvelous stories, including James Orchard Halliwell-Phillips, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Charles Perrault, and Robert Southey, as well as the authors whose names have been lost with the passage of time.

THE TALES OF THE FROG PRINCESS:

The Frog Princess

Dragon's Breath

Once Upon a Curse

No Place for Magic

The Salamander Spell

The Dragon Princess

Dragon Kiss

A Prince among Frogs

Fairy Wings

Fairy Lies

The Wide-Awake Princess

Text copyright © 2012 by E. D. Baker
Map copyright © 2012 by Kimberly Bender
All rights reserved. You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce, or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

First published in the United States of America in October 2012
by Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers
Electronic edition published in October 2012
www.bloomsburykids.com

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to
Permissions, Bloomsbury BFYR, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Baker, E. D.
Unlocking the spell : a tale of the wide-awake princess / by E.D. Baker. — 1st U.S. ed.
p. cm.
Sequel to: The wide-awake princess.
Summary: Princess Annabelle, who is immune to magic and can temporarily
reverse spells put on others, encounters various fairy tale characters when she
embarks on an expedition into the woods to find a dwarf responsible for
turning Sleeping Beauty's prince into a bear.
[1. Fairy tales. 2. Princesses—Fiction. 3. Magic—Fiction. 4. Characters in
literature—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ8.B173Un 2012      [Fic]—dc23      2012004223

ISBN 978-1-5999-0933-2 (e-book)