A Touch of Poison

Chapter 5

Gwen wished hiding in her room and crying felt more productive. If tears were ideas for getting out of this situation, she'd have about a million by now.

Presently, she had none.

Maybe it had something to do with suddenly being unable to express herself – that her words had been taken away and replaced with those of a polite but slow-witted child. Thanks to the geis she couldn't even raise her voice, or yell, or say anything that didn't make her seem like a flighty, simple-minded little girl. She'd tried hundreds of little ways to try to get around the compulsion, and when it didn't result in her standing there speechless, it resulted in her saying something completely different from what she intended, using phrases of no real consequence.

Even after only a few days of experimenting with the magical effects of the compulsion Anifail had saddled her with, she realized there was no point. The only sentences she could actually say out loud were polite nothings, or snippets of children's stories.

And the weather, of course. Oh, how she hated hearing herself talk about the bloody weather, or its effects on the local crops! How could she ever hope to prevent what her father had planned if she couldn't even find a way to keep from jabbering on and on about flax, or barley, or wheat? Even just remaining silent was better than having to listen to herself drone on about that mind-numbingly mundane stuff.

She snorted softly to herself. Perhaps she could bore the prince so badly he'd leave.

No, that wouldn't work. If her suitor believed she didn't possess a brain in her head, he might be even more likely to go through with marriage, thinking her easily controlled. The only thing guaranteed to work was the truth, which would send him running as fast as he could back to Bespir, or whatever kingdom he was from.

Instead of talking about the weather, maybe her best bet was to remain completely silent. Perhaps it would leave him with the impression that she wished nothing to do with him, that she was aloof and arrogant.

She may as well play up that angle, she thought bitterly. After all, many of the new staff already believed she was like that anyway, thanks to Anifail.

It explained why all the new servants had seemed so afraid of her as she'd walked down to dinner that one night, or any night since. Anifail had been busy planting rumours about her amongst the cooking staff, the valets, and the rest of the help that had been recently hired to attend to palace duties. Gwen had stumbled upon this information thanks to two chambermaids who had been discussing her in the kitchen late last night. She overheard a bit of their conversation as she'd been sneaking downstairs to fill her water pitcher, and what she heard had prompted her to hide around the corner and listen a while.

"—carrying on and breaking things like that. A spoiled brat, that's all she is."

"Yes, but it's that smile of hers that bugs me most, like she's better than the rest of us. She'll pass by me in the hall without a word, crooked little smile in place, not even sparing me a glance. Look at me; I'm a princess and you're not, is what she's thinking, I'd wager. And then she'll edge away from me as I walk by, like she's afraid she might touch me and get dirty! Disgraceful, even for a princess!"

"Oh, you don't want to touch her, Liv. I heard something from Captain Anifail the other day. You remember Heidi?"

"Aye, what of her?"

"We never knew what she was sent away for, right? Well, as I hear it, little miss Gwenwyn was throwing some sort of hissy-fit in the library, and Heidi tried to calm her down, touched her arm. Well, the princess, she calls for some guards, has her locked up! For daring to put a hand to her!"