The Princess Contract

Chapter Two

          Hours later, long after the unexpected visitors had been forced out by her mother, Abby found herself still pondering about what they had said. Her grandfather had never made his travels a secret. After the war he had spent a few years exploring. He'd often regaled her with tales of his adventures in China, India and the Middle East. While all of the tales had been exciting, none had ever compared to his stories of the small island nation of Savaria.

          Perhaps it was the way his eyes took on a far off look whenever he'd spoken about the country, but Abby always sensed that he regretted leaving.

          Each time he finished a tale she'd never fail to express her desire to go there. A part of her had always hoped if she did, it would be with her grandpa. Unfortunately, he'd passed away before they ever had the chance. If the stories he told were to be believed, and Abby had always had her doubts, he had made some very influential friends among the nobility.

          Perhaps there was a chance she had some sort of a mysterious benefactor? Was it simply wishful thinking on her part? Had her mother's rude behavior ruined all of it? The very thought made her anger, which simmered just below the threshold of her self-control, begin to boil again. Why did it feel like that woman went out of her way to make Abby's life a living hell? What had Abby ever done to deserve that sort of treatment? Weren't mothers supposed to love their children?

          Where had it all gone wrong?

          Another thought nagged at the back of Abby's mind. It was something her mother had said. Something about a ring? Her mother had been quick to mention it before Vanessa or Jasper could even think to bring it up. Did one really exist? Had her mother really pawned it? She tried to think of any point in time where her mother's behavior might have indicated she'd come into some money. Nothing came immediately to mind.

          If there was a ring, what did it signify?

          A thought struck Abby, and she rolled off her bed kicking side her blanket in the process. She made her way to the desk on the far side of her small room. The desk was old, made of pressed particle board and metal, something she had salvaged from the dumpster years ago. Shoving it easily aside, Abby knelt beside the now exposed wall. Using her finger nails she pried a piece of paneling way to reveal a hole underneath.

          This was her special spot. Instead of trying to fix the panel when it had broken, Abby used it as a hiding place for things she held near and dear to her.

          Slipping her arm into the hole she fished around for a minute before finding what she was looking for – an old cigar box. Her grandpa had smoked them often and always smelled of cigar smoke. Whenever she opened the box and caught the lingering scent she could almost imagine he was there beside her.

          "I miss you," she murmured softly, running her fingers over the fading image on the top of the box. Taking a deep breath, she opened it and began to sift through the contents. They were all things she had salvaged from his home before it had been cleared out. Her mother had insisted on throwing everything away, but she had managed to grab a handful of things without her noticing. There was the Purple Heart he had been awarded for showing exceptional honor in the face of danger, a dried rose she always seen him looking at with a sad regret, and a small, nondescript wooden music box. The box was what she'd been looking for and she lifted it out before replaced the cover.

          Lifting it to her ear, she shook the box lightly. Just as she suspected she heard a soft rattle. She had always assumed it was just some component of the musical part that had fallen loose, but now Abby couldn't help but wonder if it was something more.