Lacey's Pearls

Princess Lacey discovers some magic pearls and a plot to take over her kingdom.

Lacey’s Pearls

 

      It was a beautiful late summer day and Lacey was out for a stroll around the castle.   She was the Princess of Solamay Castle.  Her graceful rule and breathtaking beauty was talked about for miles around.  Despite her popularity, there were times that she just wanted to be alone and that day was one such day.

      It felt like her subjects were demanding too much of her.   They came to her over every conflict, important or not.   She grew tired of listening to them babble incessantly about such trivial matters.   Sometimes Lacey just need some time with her own thoughts and feelings because it was all too easy to get lost in everyone else’s.  

       The garden was a magnificent place, full of flowers and priceless herbs.   Her gardeners spent hours tending to it to make it as marvelous as possible.   They did such a wonderful job that it was easy to forget the hectic day to day life of the court.  

       Lacey sighed as she glanced down at the beautiful red and orange poppies.  Suddenly something unusual caught her attention.  She bent down, pushing aside her full dark blue dress to pick up the object.  She touched the delicate white string of pearls.  Lacey studied their texture and perfect roundness.  Curiously, she put them around her own neck and felt how cool and comfortable they were.   It was as if they were made just for her and nobody else.   Lacey continued her walk, forgetting about her finding.   She contently watched the peacocks coo and the squirrels scurry.  Then she went back to her duties inside the tall, gray castle.

       It was nightfall by the time that Lacey had finished up her duties.   It was only at bed time that she remembered her find in the garden. When the moon shone brightly upon her kingdom and her subjects were snug in their homes, Lacey made her way up to the Wizard’s Tower.   The tower in the center of the castle and was the tallest tower.   The stairs spiraled higher and higher until they reached the round room that reached into the heavens.

      “Windsor?” she called as she came to the dead end at the top of stairs.  The wall disappeared and Windsor’s round room appeared.   It was an airy room filled with books and various instruments of mystery.   A tall, aged man stepped into her sight.  He was wearing a long blue-gray robe.

       “Come in,” he motioned mysteriously.  Lacey stepped inside and took the pearls from her neck.  She held them out to him and he asked, “Yes?”

        “I found these this morning,” she replied as he took the pearls from her.   His eyebrows clouds over as he took them in his wrinkled hands and held them in the moonlight streaming in the open window.   They glowed like they were tiny moons themselves.  

       “Ah,” he finally said as he turned them in his hands.  He let them collapse into a pale pile in his palm.  “Very interesting.”

       “What?” Lacey asked curiously as she came closer to him.

       “You were right in coming to me.  These pearls are special,” he answered.

        “I had a feeling about them.”

       “Where did you get them?”

       “I found them in the garden.”

       “You must go to the old man who lives in the cave.”

       “Why?”

       “These pearls have a magical power.  I cannot tell you what that power is, but I believe that he could tell you.”

       “They’re magical?” she exclaimed.

       “Yes, you must discover what sort of magic they are and who put the spell on them before they find you,” Windsor told her, his dark brown eyes looked into Lacey’s violet ones.   He handed her a paper from his long sleeve.

        “I will leave first thing in the morning,” Lacey said taking the paper from him.

        “The sooner the better,” he agreed as he returned to his studies. 

        “Thank you, Windsor, “ Lacey said.

        He waved as if it were nothing and began reading from the oversized book on the table.   As she took the first steps down the stairs, he warned, “And be careful.  It could be dark and dangerous magic you discovered.”

        Lacey nodded and continued down the stairs. 

        Windsor took up a quill an dipped it in red ink.   Then he wrote something in the book.   “I hope Malvinya isn’t behind this,” he said, his eyes fixed on the dancing candle flame in front of him.

         The next day Lacey set out on foot into the hills just east of her castle.   It would take a whole day to travel to the cave and back, but she had made arrangements with her Lords to take charge while she was away.  She suspected that the day would not be difficult for them and Lacey was glad to have a break from the usual routines.

         Lacey saw no one as she walked into the rolling hills.  The sun and the wind were her only companions.   By noon she reached the small cave in which the old man resided.   It was hidden in a small wood just beyond the woods she’d passed through.

         “Old man!” she called into the darkness.  She would have called him by named, but no one knew his name any longer.   For as long as anyone could remember, he’d gone by old man.  No one knew how old he was either.  He’d simply been around forever.  “Old man!” she called again.

         “Come in my lady,” he answered gruffly.  Lacey entered the dark cave.  Inside she saw a hunched over, wrinkled man with very long white hair.  He beckoned with a long boney finger.  “Come.”

          Lacey handed him the pearls and said, “Old man, I found these pearls in my courtyard garden.  I sensed they were magical and my wizard Windsor agreed.   He told me only they possessed some sort of power, but that he did not know what.  He said I should come here to see you and that you could tell me the origin of their magic.”

         “Ah,” he said taking them away from her.  “They are beautiful.”  He paused, “Sit down on that rock and I shall tell you their tale.” Lacey obeyed and sat down to hear the old man’s tale.

        “These pearls belong to Malvinya, an enchantress who lives deep within the magical forest.  The pearls came from mermaids in a far away sea.   The pearls, they give their holder the power over water,” he explained.

        “So that is its power?” she echoed.

       “Yes,” said the old man.  “It can purify or poison water.  It can also move large volumes of water over long distances. It may not seem like much, but in the wrong hands it can wipe out thousands of lives or restore life to another.   It is indeed a great magic.”

        “Why was it my garden then?”

        “The pearls have no will of their own, so someone must have dropped them there by accident or left them there for you find.”

         “Malvinya will either be looking for them or hoping that you found them.  In fact, it may have been her plan for you to find them.”

        “What should I do?”

        “Be very careful.”

        “Should I confront her or should I just get rid of the pearls?”
        “Keep them.  She is not worthy of such power.”

        “No she is not worthy.”

        “But you could use them to trap her instead.”

        “How could I ever do that?”

        “I do not know for sure, but when the time comes there will be choice that has to be made.  Choose wisely.”

        “Thank you,” Lacey said.  She gave the man some food for his troubles and then turned around and left.  She walked home, arriving back at the castle just as the sun set.  Lacey tucked the pearls away in the drawer of her nightstand and then went to sleep.

         The next day she climbed back up the spiraling stairs to the tower to visit Windsor.  She told him what she had discovered.   He tugged at his white beard and said, “Very interesting.”

        “What do you think I should do?”

        “I know this Malvinya.  She is very dangerous.”

        “I think we should trap her before she traps you.  I do believe she placed those pearls in the garden so that you’d find them.  I just don’t know why she wanted to find them exactly.”

        “Then let us figure out a plan,” Lacey said bravely.  She was a little afraid of what would happen, but she knew that she had to be strong for her kingdom if nothing else.

         “Let me keep the pearls and so some work with them.  I will come with a plan and then come to you and let you know what it is as soon as I have worked it out.”

         “Thank you Windsor.  I knew I could count on you.  I can never thank you enough for all that you’ve done for me and the kingdom.”

         That afternoon Lacey’s friend Tiffany came to visit.   Tiffany was a peasant girl from a nearby village.  They’d become friends when Lacey saved her.  They had tea and talked for awhile on the balcony.  Lacey told Tiffany about the pearls and she took immediate interest. When the two were finished eating, Tiffany noticed something.

        “What is it that you see?” Lacey asked peering over the balcony.

        “It is a woman dressed in a dark purple gown.  I’ve never seen her around here before.  Have you?”

         “No, “Lacey watching as the woman bent down over a bird bath and then looked up.  When she saw Lacey and Tiffany looking at her, she dashed away. When the woman had left, Lacey noticed something glittering in the birdbath.   It looked like it could be a jewel of some sort.   Lacey and Tiffany hurried down to the courtyard to take a look.   There in the birdbath was a shiny blue stone.  

        “Why would she put it here?” Tiffany wondered aloud.

        Lacey took the blue stone and the two women returned to where they were sitting on the balcony.  

        Later that afternoon a boy named Paul came to her with a sad heart.  He held out his hands for Lacey to see their contents.  It was a sparrow.  “This little birdie won’t sing,” he said sadly.  She bent down to speak with Paul

       “I’m sorry Paul Your birdie is sleeping,” Lacey said unable to tell him the truth.

       “When will she wake up?”

       “She won’t,” Lacey said kindly.  “But she’s flown to a better place.”

       “Why did she go?”
       “I don’t know.  I guess it was her time.”

       “Was the water bad for her?”

       “What water?”

       “In your birdbath,” he replied pointing over to the same birdbath they’d taken the stone from.

       “Maybe it was,” Lacey said.  “Now why don’t you go out and play.  Your birdie doesn’t want you to be sad.”

        Paul let her keep the bird to bury and then left to play.  Lacey and Tiffany went up to Windsor as soon as Paul was gone.

        “Malvinya somehow poisoned the birdbath and killed Paul’s bird.  What is up to?” Lacey said.  

        He titled his head thoughtfully.  “I do believe this is meant to be some sort of sign or warning.”

        “What do you think it means?”

        “Malvinya has placed a curse upon you and this castle.”

        “Was there anything else that happened?  Anything out of the ordinary?”

        “There was a blue stone,” Tiffany said.

        “What blue stone?” Windsor asked.

        “This one,” Lacey said as she took the blue stone from her pocket and handed it to Windsor.

        “This is more serious than I thought,” Windsor said looking at the stone intently.

        Lacey sat down in a nearby chair and sighed, “You are frightening me Windsor.  Tell me there is something that can be done. Please.”

        “The blue stone is talisman that works with the pearls. At least that is my guess.  The blue stone also symbolizes a romantic rival.  Perhaps Malvinya has her eyes set upon your suitor.  What was his name?”
         “Sebastian.”

         “Ah yes, Sebastian.  He is handsome and charming.  He’d make a fine husband for you my dear.  But I suspect that Malvinya wants him too.”

         “Well, she can’t have him.  I won’t let him fall victim to her and her scheming.  I must stop her from poisoning our water and stealing Sebastian away!”

          “Then you must go to the woods and wait for her.  She lives in a cottage by the river. I will show you where she lives and how to stop her once and for all,” Windsor said.

          

           The next day Malvinya appeared in the woods.  She left her cottage and wandered into a field to pick some pretty poppies.   She had on the same dark purple dress and long blonde hair as the woman that appeared in the courtyard the day before.  She plucked several red poppies and muttered a few words.   The flowers turned into Robins and flew away.   

         “Where is he?” Lacey demanded to know as she stepped out of her hiding place.

         “Who?” Malvinya asked innocently.

         “Sebastian.”

         “You mean the handsome man that you have been too busy to pay attention to?  He is in my cottage waiting for me to return.”

         “I order you was your ruler to take the enchantment off of him and let him choose who he wants for himself.”

         “He has already chosen me over you.”

         “I do not believe that you’d leave something like love to chance.  No, you would use your magic to make sure you get what you want.   This time you will not win, magic or no magic.”

         “Believe what you want, but he is mine.  Now, I will be returning to him before he becomes worried about me.”

         “You aren’t going anywhere,” Lacey said.

         “Of course I am,” she said staring to walk away.  But then she discovered that she bound by a spell inside a circle.

         “How did you do this? You have no magic!” she cried angrily.

         “But I do,” Windsor said stepping out of his hiding place behind the trees. 

         “Windsor!” she cried.  “I should have known!”

         “You are hereby banished from the kingdom.  Your magic will only work in these woods, but not beyond.   I can and will take your magic away from you entirely if you ever cause me trouble again,” Princess Lacey replied.

          “You can’t do this,” she cried.

          “I am the ruler here and you are supposed to obey me.  Because you haven’t been behaving, I’ve had to had Windsor here make sure you don’t step out of line again.”
          “You’ll pay for this.  I’ll drown the whole kingdom and you along with it!” she cried.

          “Not if the pearls are no longer under your command.  They are mine now and I have the power to command them.  Not you.”

          Lacey excused herself and went into the cottage while Windsor stood guard.  When she arrived in the cottage, Sebastian was there waiting for her.   He smiled at her took her hand. 

         “It was a good thing that you had Windsor give me a potion to keep her from controlling me,” Sebastian said.

         “It was the only way to trap her.  She had to believe that you were in her power, but not really be affected by the spell.  Are you ready to return to the castle?”

         “More than you know,” he said as they walked out of the door together.   

         Windsor joined them as they headed out of the wood.  

         “You know, I think that those pearls were better luck than we thought,” Lacey said.  “If she hadn’t have left them with the plans to poison everybody, then we would have never suspected anything. 

Author's Note

Written in 1991

Reviews

[Gretchen Clarke]

Nice! I like how Malvinya thought that the Princess' suitor was under her control, when it was actually the other way around. Maybe you could make a sequel to this?...