The Princess and the Pea Read online

  When finished, Elle sipped her tea and lounged in the bed, her stomach filled for the first time in weeks. Emele settled into her chair at her bedside, reminding Elle that she still hadn’t learned about her injuries.

  “What I’ve been meanin’ to ask is, what did the barber-surgeon say ’bout my leg?” She shifted and jarred her aching appendage, making her face twist in a grimace.

  Emele did not respond and instead held up a slate that had the word cheese written on it. She picked up the plate that held a few leftover slices from breakfast and gestured to it. She then traced her finger below the word.

  “Cheese?” Elle asked.

  Emele nodded and set the cheese down, erased the word, and set about writing something else.

  “Fabulous,” Elle muttered. The lady’s maid was trying to teach her how to read.

  Emele proceeded to gesture her way through words and objects, managing to “teach” Elle how to pronounce letters by crawling through words and making her utter individual syllables.

  The laborious process made Elle want to howl, but she was afraid to break her disguise. Even after they finished, Emele would not answer any questions about Elle’s leg. But the pain was so torturous Elle was thankful when the lady’s maid finally fed her a cup of strong alcohol to kill the pain and lull her off to sleep.

  When Elle woke up next, it was to the careful ministrations of Duval, the barber-surgeon. He inspected the stiff bandages, feeling her leg for additional swelling.

  Unwilling to let the chance escape, Elle shoved the pain from her mind. “How long?” Her voice was crusty with sleep and the last bit of alcohol in her system.

  Duval looked up.

  “How long am I stuck in bed?” She swallowed, and her lungs burned with fear and apprehension.

  The barber-surgeon hesitated, then he held up two fingers. He waited a few moments and then flashed three fingers.

  “Twenty-three?” Elle guessed.

  Duval shook his head.

  “Two to three?”

  Duval nodded.

  “Days?”

  Duval shook his head.

  “Weeks?” Elle yelped, rocketing to an upright position.

  The barber-surgeon took a step backwards and nodded.

  Elle stared stupidly at her leg. Two to three weeks? She was supposed to report back to Farand in a week! If he thought she’d deserted her mission, her entire family would pay.

  She shook her head, too stunned to do anything else. Her heart felt hollow and her ears rang. Duval gave her a comforting smile as she collapsed back into the bed.

  The barber-surgeon left as Emele arrived. The lady’s maid carried a strangely shaped pillow, which she set about embroidering when she took up her customary position at Elle’s bedside.

  Elle lay still for an hour then tried moving. Just because Duval said I needed two to three weeks of rest doesn’t mean I—she bit her tongue to keep from howling. When she moved, the pain ripped brutally through her body. She could not possibly drag herself all the way to Noyers; she had to stay stationary.

  She closed her eyes in an attempt to smother the tears that threatened to fall.

  Emele patted Elle’s hand and skirted the bed like a mother hen stuffed in a puffy pink dress. She roused Elle for tea and a reading lesson, but Elle didn’t have the heart to try.

  Everything I’ve done has been for my family…and now, because of one stupid mistake, it’s going to unravel.

  The story continues in Beauty and the Beast

  Afterword

  Thank you for reading Princess and the Pea, I hope you enjoyed Lis’ story! If you want to read more of my work, sign up for my newsletter to receive my free K. M. Shea Starter Pack ebook.

  It contains:

  A King Arthur and Her Knights prequel short story

  A Red Rope of Fate prequel short story

  An original fairy tale, Princess Snow and Queen Ruby

  My newsletter is released every month, and contains information about contests, new freebies—like short stories and extra scenes—free books, and reader opinion polls.

  Thank you for your support and encouragement. I am proud to say I have the best readers. Therefore, it is my dearest wish that Lis and her friends made you laugh and warmed your heart. Thank you.

  Other books by K. M. Shea

  Life Reader

  Princess Ahira

  A Goose Girl

  * * *

  Timeless Fairy Tales

  The Princess and the Pea: A prequel novella

  Beauty and the Beast

  The Wild Swans

  Cinderella and the Colonel

  Rumpelstiltskin

  The Little Selkie

  Puss in Boots

  Swan Lake

  Sleeping Beauty

  Frog Prince

  12 Dancing Princesses

  Three pack (Beauty and the Beast, The Wild Swans, Cinderella and the Colonel)

  * * *

  The Snow Queen:

  Heart of Ice

  Sacrifice

  Snowflakes: A Snow Queen Short Story Collection

  * * *

  The Elves of Lessa:

  Red Rope of Fate

  Royal Magic: Coming Soon!

  * * *

  King Arthur and Her Knights:

  Enthroned

  Enchanted

  Embittered

  Embark

  Enlighten

  Endeavor

  Endings

  Three pack 1 (Enthroned, Enchanted, Embittered)

  Three pack 2 (Embark, Enlighten, Endeavor)

  * * *

  Robyn Hood:

  A Girl’s Tale

  Fight for Freedom

  * * *

  The Magical Beings’ Rehabilitation Center:

  Vampires Drink Tomato Juice

  Goblins Wear Suits

  The Lost Files of the MBRC

  * * *

  Second Age of Retha: Written under pen name A. M. Sohma

  The Luckless

  The Desperate Quest

  The Revived: Coming Soon!