A Beautiful Curse Read online

  A Beautiful Curse

  A Retelling of The Frog Bride

  Kenley Davidson

  Entwined Tales, Vol. 4

  Copyright © 2018 Kenley Davidson

  All rights reserved.

  Published by: Page Nine Press

  Editing by: Janie Dullard at Lector’s Books

  Cover Design, Layout, & Formatting by: Page Nine Media

  This is an original work of fiction. All characters, names, places, and incidents are products of the creative imagination of the author or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), businesses, institutions, places, or events is entirely coincidental. No part of this book may be used, reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner without the written consent of the author, excepting short quotations used for the purposes of review or commentary about the work.

  http://KenleyDavidson.com

  Contents

  Entwined Tales

  Map

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  The Next Tale

  Entwined Tales

  A Special Offer from Kenley

  Also by Kenley Davidson

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  This book is dedicated to the memory of my grandmother, who was always willing to read to me out of her big book of fairy tales, even long after she knew I could easily have read it for myself.

  Entwined Tales

  A Goose Girl

  by KM Shea

  An Unnatural Beanstalk

  by Brittany Fichter

  A Bear’s Bride

  by Shari Tapscott

  A Beautiful Curse

  by Kenley Davidson

  A Little Mermaid

  by Aya Ling

  An Inconvenient Princess

  by Melanie Cellier

  Map of the Kingdoms

  Chapter 1

  When Elisette decided it was time to make her announcement, everyone else was still munching their breakfast toast. She had intended to wait for another day or two before informing anyone of her plans, but something had to be done—they were all munching so loudly, it was next to impossible for her to read.

  Personally, Elisette despised toast. Also nuts, carrots, and particularly crunchy apples. Anything that made that much noise when you ate it ought to be consumed out of doors, where no one else could be disturbed by the frightful racket.

  As if to punctuate her thoughts, Father took a large bite and began chewing with a forceful, rhythmic crunch, as though he were imagining himself chopping down a tree. Mother was consuming hers in tiny, nervous bites that suggested she wasn’t sure whether it was appropriate to be eating toast, but was enjoying it too much to stop. Anneliese was chattering at no one in particular in between bites, while her twin, Penelope, listened because it was expected. Her focus however, was clearly on her plate, where she spread butter on her own toast in thick, perfectly even swathes.

  If Martin were there, he would be folding his toast into quarters and trying to eat it in one bite just to prove that he didn’t eat like a girl.

  But he wasn’t there—he wasn’t even in Astoria—and all of her remaining family members were crunching away without a care in the world, which convinced Elisette that they deserved what they were about to get.

  Which was a kerfuffle. Or possibly even a clamor. At the very least a perturbation and at worst pandemonium. Unfortunately, she doubted whether any of them knew what those words meant, although Anneliese had certainly caused them on occasion without the need for Ellie’s assistance.

  “Father, Mother, I have something to tell you.”

  Anneliese stopped talking for the barest moment, then continued her description of a dress she was hoping to have made.

  “It may come as something of a surprise, but I’ve been thinking of this matter for some time.”

  Father swallowed and took a sip of his tea. “That’s good, Ellie. I’d hoped you would put some thought into marriage. You’re old enough now, and you know we want you to have a good, full life.”

  “No, Father, not marriage.”

  Mother set down her toast and sat up straighter. “But surely you want to be married, Ellie dear. You can’t want to live here with us forever.”

  “Actually, Mother, I’m not sure that marriage appeals to me,” Ellie said, loudly enough to draw inquisitive looks from both of her sisters.

  Anneliese finally seemed sufficiently interested in the conversation to be distracted from her contemplation of corsets and crinolines, though she did take another large bite of toast.

  “But that doesn’t mean I’ll be staying here forever. In fact,” Elisette went on doggedly, “I’ve accepted a position. As an apprentice, to the owner of a private library in Anura.”

  All crunching finally, blessedly, ceased.

  “I don’t think I understand,” Father said, his brow lowered in confusion.

  “But Ellie!” Mother’s eyes widened and she clutched at her necklace nervously. “Girls don’t get taken as apprentices. And Anura is very far away. We don’t have any idea what the people are like there.”

  “Much like the people here, Mother,” Elisette said, suppressing a sigh. “They speak the same language, and you know their last queen was Astorian—some distant relative of the royal family.”

  Mother looked at Father, whose face was beginning to grow stormy.

  “Ellie”—Father was using his best head-of-the-household voice—“there’s no need for this. If you’re unhappy, you know I mentioned some time ago that the greengrocer’s son is interested in you. He might even be willing to make an offer, if you would only talk to him instead of running away as you always do.”

  Penny took a bite of toast, and it was all Elisette could do not to glare at her. How could anyone focus on the conversation when someone insisted on crunching?

  “Father,” she said firmly, “I am not going to marry Harold. I realize you’re friends with his father, but that’s not enough reason for me to marry someone who believes vegetables are worth talking about for longer than ten minutes at a time. And I’m certainly not suffering for offers. I’ve had eight in the last week.”

  “Were any of them from men of good character?” Father asked seriously, his fingers moving dangerously near his own toast.

  “How should I know?” Elisette burst out, determined that no one else was going to take a single bite more until she’d said what she needed to say. “Men don’t talk to me, they just stare and then blurt out proposals! You know I haven’t been able to leave the house since I was twelve without boys running after me in the street.”

  Anneliese looked a little wistful.

  “And you can stop thinking it’s fun, Liesa, because it isn’t. It’s awful. And demeaning. And I’m never going to get any real offers because that stupid fairy stuck me with this stupid face and I’ll never be able to tell when someone likes me for me.”

  Elisette felt the whole family’s eyes fasten on her face and was overcome by a strong urge to hide under the table.

  She didn’t need their stares to remind her that she was beautiful. And not just beautiful—staggering. Bewitching. Dazzling. Exquisite. She’d heard them all. Her auburn hair had been compared to everything from rubies to the finest wines, her green eyes to the rarest emerald gemstones, and her skin to a ridiculous range of items that were both soft and pale. Satin, clouds, cream, and even goose feathers had featured somewhere in her personal collection of ridiculous compliments.

&
nbsp; All thanks to that pompous, pestilent wretch Mortimer.

  At least she had it better than Martin. When bestowing a gift of exceptional beauty, a responsible fairy godfather ought to at least be certain that the twin babies receiving that gift are both girls, but responsible didn’t describe Mortimer in the least. As difficult as Elisette found it to relate to her twin brother at times, at least he understood her frustration with her looks.

  “You know we all have to make the best of these things,” Father said, with a sideways glance at Mother, who was staring into her lap, looking like she was about to cry.

  Yes, like you’ve made the best of having seven children you didn’t want, was the first thing that flashed into Elisette’s mind, but she didn’t say it. She knew that her parents hadn’t wanted to leave their quiet, simple life in the woods, or wanted an entire houseful of boisterous children, but they truly had made the best of their fairy godfather’s unasked-for gifts to the utmost of their ability.

  Except their idea of making the best of things was to see all their daughters married off, eligibly and respectably. Rynn and Eva had done well enough for themselves, and Eva had even become something of a favorite ever since she and Jack had managed to produce a pair of the most disgustingly adorable grandchildren imaginable.

  But after Sophie and Martin both left home in rather ramshackle fashion, Father had become far more strict with the three who remained under his roof (though Sophie had returned home with a prince, so it wasn’t like Father had much room to complain).

  Ellie knew he was simply determined to set them on the path to a happy, successful life, but how could he accomplish that when he had never understood what made Ellie happy? Her fascination with words and books and learning simply didn’t make sense to her parents, or anyone else she knew. They expected girls to like dresses and balls and talk of marriage, or to chat endlessly with other girls about what sounded to Elisette like a whole lot of nothing.

  No, it was past time for her to find her own path, someplace where she didn’t feel like an exhibit in a traveling circus.

  “I am making the best of things, Father,” she said steadily. “As you said, I’m old enough now. I’ve been accepted as an apprentice, and I’m leaving in three days. And you need not worry about paying for my travel expenses. I’ve been saving up my allowance for the past two years.”

  “So that’s why you dress like a…” Anneliese wisely decided not to finish that sentence when their mother cleared her throat in warning.

  It was true, though. Elisette had never cared much for fashion, and the last thing she wanted to do was attract more attention. Ever since she’d grown old enough to put her hair up, she’d tended to wear shapeless, made-over dresses and fix her hair in tight, unflattering styles.

  It didn’t help much with the attention, but it did save money, which meant she had a tidy amount saved up to pay for her travel and for her living expenses once she reached Anura. She would have to find some way of making enough money to live on once she arrived, as the apprenticeship did not offer food or lodging.

  Perhaps she could be an assistant to visiting scholars. Or tutor the children of local nobility. Anything that would allow her to put her years of study to good use.

  “But…” Mother turned to Father, her eyes beseeching him to intervene. “We can’t just let her leave. Surely there’s something she can do here. Doesn’t Astoria have a library too?”

  “I… Well, that is… I don’t know.”

  Astorians in general valued education, and held books in special reverence, but there was little need for woodcutters to read. Which was, Elisette suspected, part of what upset her parents about her preference for study.

  “Yes,” she told them, pleading with herself for just a few more moments of patience. “There is a library, but it’s quite small. The library in Anura is at Ranidane, the capital city, and it’s the largest one on the continent.” She couldn’t quite keep her reverence from leaking into her voice. “It’s called The Lord Everton Collection of Literary and Scholarly Works of the Known World. All of the books belong to a private collector, Lady Caro, but she allows entry to anyone who wishes to study them.” Anyone. Elisette desperately hoped that “anyone” included women.

  “This doesn’t sound proper, Ellie,” Father said solemnly. “You’ll be traveling alone, and working in a place full of men. And when they find out about your…”—he gestured wildly, searching for a word—“oddities, no one will want to marry you.”

  Oddities. She knew her father loved her, in his way, but it still stung. Elisette swallowed her retorts, reined in her hurt, and firmed her spine. “I’ve already promised, Father. And there’s nothing for me here. As you say, I’m nothing but an oddity. Too beautiful to ignore, but too bookish to be taken seriously. It’ll be better for everyone if I go. Maybe then”—she shot a glance at her younger twin siblings—“Liesa and Penny will be able to find appropriate suitors.”

  They were only sixteen, but they would be thinking of such things soon, and it would be all the better if their distracting older sister was out of the way. Neither twin had said any such thing, of course, but Elisette was well acquainted with men’s fickleness. They tended to orbit the shiniest object in the vicinity, and as long as she was around, that would always be her, whether she liked it or not.

  “That’s quite true,” Mother said tentatively. “Perhaps—”

  “Martha!” Father sounded scandalized. “How can we even think of allowing this? It wouldn’t be proper.”

  “Sounds like a perfectly sensible plan to me,” Penny said, in her quiet, sensible voice, but no one payed her any attention.

  “No, what ought to be done is…” and then Father was off on developing his own plan for Ellie’s happiness, aided by occasional asides from Mother, until Ellie’s patience came very finally and decisively to an end.

  “Perhaps you’re forgetting,” Elisette reminded them, pushing back from the table and standing as tall as her small frame would allow, “that I am eighteen now. I have decided that this is what I want, and I am going. I only thought that you would all want a chance to choose how to say your goodbyes.”

  With that parting shot, she turned on her heel and marched out.

  Most of her things were already packed, but after the onset of the predicted kerfuffle, it was simpler for Ellie to stay in her room and pretend to be busy. She was a bit surprised when someone knocked on her door a few hours later, still more surprised when it turned out to be Anneliese.

  “Are you really leaving, Ellie?” she demanded, flopping on the bed and resting her chin on her arms.

  “Yes, Liesa, I’m really leaving,” Ellie assured her with a sigh. “And you’re wrinkling your dress.”

  “I don’t care,” Liesa insisted. “Ellie, I’m sorry I said that about your clothes. I don’t mean to be rude, you know.”

  “Yes.” Ellie smiled at her younger sister a little more tolerantly than usual. “I do know.”

  Anneleise rolled over, sat straight up, and folded her hands beseechingly. “Then take me with you.”

  Ellie’s eyebrows shot up. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I’ve never been more serious in my life, Ellie. Please, take me with you when you go. I so want to have an adventure and this may be my only chance. Once you’re gone, Father will be even worse and we’ll never be allowed to have any fun.”

  She was probably right about Father, but that didn’t change anything.

  “Liesa, dearest, you know I can’t do that. You’re not old enough, and besides, it isn’t going to be nearly as fun as you imagine.”

  “Anyplace away from here would be more fun than I can imagine,” Anneliese retorted. “I’ve never been anywhere else.”

  “Your turn will come, Liesa, I swear it.” Elisette sat on the edge of her bed and took her sister’s hand. “But where I’m going, it’s not going to be easy. I’m not going to be a fine lady with nothing to do but eat and dress up and pay visits. I’ll be worki
ng. Earning my way. It’s what I want to do and I’m terribly excited, but I don’t know what you would do there.”

  Anneliese pouted adorably and batted her eyes.

  “No, silly.” Ellie smacked her with a handy pillow. “Mother and Father are going to be upset enough. If I led you astray along with me, they might never forgive me.”

  Liesa heaved an enormous sigh and flopped back on the bed again. “No one ever lets me do anything.”

  After another smack with the pillow, Elisette resumed puttering with her packed belongings, reassuring herself for the fourth time that she had everything she might need. “I will at least write to you,” she promised. “Once a week if I can manage it.”

  Which was more than Martin had ever remembered to do. They’d gotten a single letter from him since he left, and it had been brief to the point of absurdity, considering how many months he’d been gone. They only knew that he’d arrived in Caladonia and entered some sort of tournament, which he hoped would result in a job offer.

  Ellie hoped it didn’t result in her twin’s death or dismemberment. Martin had been obsessed with martial pursuits for years, desperate to prove that having six sisters and a staggeringly beautiful face didn’t make him even remotely feminine. He was not, however, very experienced, and she didn’t have high hopes for his chances against professional fighters.

  “Now,” she said, turning to Liesa with a mock scowl, “get out so I can finish packing. Or Mother and Father may begin to suspect we’re concocting some dastardly plot.”