Chapter 20

"Beheaded," Paige choked out, her nose wrinkling and her lips forming a grimace.

"Yes. Both of you."

"Henry," Paige shouted. "You've got to do something! We can't be beheaded! And we can't get married."

Henry shrugged a shoulder. "There's nothing I can do. My father has decreed it."

"Tell him no!" Paige said. "Surely, there must be someone you like. Another girl you prefer to marry."

"Not really. And as I said, you'd make quite a nice wife, I think."

Paige squeezed her eyes closed, biting her tongue from saying something that might result in her beheading sooner rather than later.

"At any rate, think about it. I shall return later to discuss the matter with you further."

He spun on his heel and stalked away, disappearing up the stairs.

Paige stared after him, her jaw hanging open. "You've got to be kidding me!"

Dewey winced as he hung on the bars separating them. "Looks like Prince Charming won't be of any help."

"This is ridiculous. I cannot believe he wants to marry me."

"Oooh, that's a little self-deprecating, isn't it? I mean, you're a catch, Paige. You're smart and funny. Brave. Also pretty."

Paige glared at him, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"Whoa, that's the first time I've complimented a woman and they've been mad about it."

Paige let her arms fall to her sides as she paced back and forth in the cell. "I'm not mad. I'm just…frustrated. I don't care how much of a catch I am. I can't marry him. We need to get the bark and get home."

"Right. We have to give up on the dream of being fed peeled grapes while a lady-in-waiting fans us and massages our feet."

Paige screwed up her face and stared at him.

"Sorry, I just… For a minute, I thought it would be cool to be the loyal servant of a princess."

Paige shook her head at him before she approached the bars. She searched for a weakness, pulling them, pushing them, trying to break them. She attempted to find a way to release the hinges.

After twenty minutes of struggling, she smacked her hands against the bars and squealed. "Stuck."

Dewey stood on the bars, his arms hanging through into Paige's cell. "Face it, we're done. Finished. Finito."

"There has to be a way out. Stop standing there and try something!"

Dewey flung his paws out. "Like what?"

"Try to find a place where you can fit through the bars."

"No can do, Paige," Dewey said, waving a finger back and forth. "Way too small. See?"

Dewey demonstrated by trying to push his shoulders through the bars.

Paige let out a muffled scream and slapped her hands against the top of her head. Her fingernails dug into her scalp as she stormed back and forth, trying to come up with a plan of escape.

After a few moments, she stopped, letting her hands fall to her hips. "We can't be stuck."

"We aren't," Dewey said.

Paige wrinkled her nose and spun to face him. "You have a way out?"

"I do. And it's super simple."

Paige raised her eyebrows, prompting him to continue.

"Marry the prince," Dewey said with a shrug.

Paige stuck her hands on her hips. "Are you crazy?"

"Yes. Crazy like a fox."

Paige turned away from him, continuing her pacing around her tiny cell.

"Just listen. The only way out of this cell is for you to agree to marry this joker. So you say you will, and the second we can, we make a break for it. After we grab the bark, of course."

Paige spun to face him. "Dewey! You're a genius!"

"I know," Dewey said. "Just remember who saved our lives when we get out of here."

Paige shot him a glance as she stalked to the bars. "Yeah, as long as this plan works. So help me, if I end up married to this guy–"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it."

Paige banged on the bars and shouted up the stairs. "Hello? Anyone? I need to see the prince!"

Footsteps pounded down the stairs, and one of the guards ducked into the room. He narrowed his eyes at Paige as she adjusted her glasses.

"I need to see the prince."

"I'll bet," the man said with a derisive laugh. "Sorry, prisoners don't get requests."

"Hey, bud, listen up," Dewey said, jabbing a finger through the bars. "She's going to be queen one day. So, you may not want to tick her off."

Paige raised her chin and shoved her glasses up higher on her nose.

"Queen? Her?" the man questioned, thumbing toward her.

"Hey!" Paige objected. "Yes, queen. And my first order of business will be to have you beheaded unless you hop to it and find my fiancé. Now run along."

The man pressed his lips together, his eyes sliding from side to side as he considered the matter.

"Didn't you hear me? I think you'll find one quick word with the prince will confirm what we've just told you. So, if you value your life, I'd suggest you scurry up those stairs and find my soon-to-be husband at once!"

The man winced and stumbled back a few steps before he turned and ran from the room.

"Whoa. Go, Paige! Are you sure you don't want to stick around and be queen? I could get used to this." Dewey lifted his chin and narrowed his eyes. "Off with his head."

"Very funny, Dewey, but I'm sure. I just want out of here."

"Right. And with the bark, too."

Paige nodded as she paced the floor again. "Did you see the tree? We really need to find out where it is so we can make a break for it at the first opportunity."

"Negative. I have no twenty on the tree. I may have caught a glimpse of it outside the throne room, but there was so much going on, I couldn't tell."

"Okay, so we'll try there first. I didn't see it anywhere on our way in."

Dewey scratched his head, his face twisting into a mask of confusion. "Right. Hey, how–"

His words were interrupted by footsteps.

Paige hurried to the bars and peered out. The prince, followed by the guard they'd spoken to moments ago, stepped into the dim light.

His now normal-colored lips pulled into a smile as he stared at Paige. "Come to your senses, have you?"

Paige shifted her weight from foot to foot as she fidgeted with her glasses. "Yes. You're right. It would be foolish of me not to marry you. I'd be royalty, right?"

He offered a smarmy laugh and reached through the bars to tap her on her nose. "Correct, kitten."

Paige swallowed the bile creeping up her throat and forced a smile onto her face. "So, when can I get out of here?"

"The wedding."

Paige's smile faded quickly, replaced by a horrified expression. "What? In two days? But there are things I have to do. Like get a dress and…flowers and…whatever else brides get."

"Oh, there is no need to fuss with all of that. Let the servants handle it. Though, you will need to be fitted for your dress. I'm certain Father could be persuaded to let you out for it. I shall speak with him." The prince spun on his heel to depart.

"Oh, wait, just a second," Paige called, grasping the bars again.

He twisted back to face her. "Yes?"

"That tree bark we discussed. Can I still have that, too?"

He stalked back toward her, pulled her hand from the bars, and kissed it. "You may have anything your heart desires. I shall bring it to you at your dress fitting."

"That would be perfect," Paige said, her lips curling into a smile.

He winked at her as he walked backward to the stairs before disappearing up them.

"Nice moves, Paige. I thought you were going to vomit, and then you turn it around and getting him to give us the bark!"

Paige grinned at him as she slouched down the wall to sit. "With any luck, we'll be out of here in a few hours."

They spent over an hour waiting in the dungeon cells before the prince and two guards retrieved them. He led them upstairs, pushing open two golden doors into a large suite.

Red and gold trimmed the ornate room. French doors led to a patio overlooking an inner courtyard.

Dewey fluttered inside and threw himself onto the bed while they were left alone, awaiting the seamstress.

Paige wrinkled her nose as she wandered to the French doors and pushed them open. "Are you seriously going to sleep?"

"Nope," Dewey said, rolling onto his belly before he flew back into the air and crossed the room. "Ohhh, will you look at this spread? Cheese, nuts, berries. It's a dragon's dream."

Dewey tossed a grape into his mouth and crunched it before biting into a strawberry. He palmed a few chunks of cheese and grabbed a handful of nuts. "Are you sure you don't just want to marry this guy and stay here?"

"Will you stop asking me that? We need to be thinking of a way out of here. He left the two guards at the door." Paige stepped onto the stone balcony and peered over, her eyes going wide. "Dewey! The Witchlock tree! It's down here."

"Oh, yeah. Where's the bark he promised you? I thought–"

A knock interrupted his words.

Dewey flitted across the room and tugged open the door.

The prince pushed his way inside, carrying a glass box. "Your bark, kitten."

Paige reached a hand toward the box and tugged at a large lock. She stared down at it with a frown. "How do I open this?"

Henry smacked her hand with a coy grin. "Uh-uh-uh. Not until after the wedding."

He slid the glass box onto the vanity and offered Paige another grin as he slipped from the room.

Paige crossed her arms. "That guy is really getting on my last nerve."

Dewey tossed a cube of cheese into his mouth and chewed it. "Yeah. Total jerk. His food is good though."

"Stop eating that. It could be laced with poison!"

Dewey crinkled his nose and stared down at the cheese cube before sniffing it. "Nah, I think it's okay."

He shoved another into his mouth before flitting over to land on Paige's shoulder.

She picked up the glass box and stared at it, shifting it around in her hands to search for a way to open it. "Well, not much choice here. Grab all the cheese you want because we're about to escape."

Dewey hurried over to the food and grabbed a handful of cheese and nuts before landing on Paige's shoulder again.

Paige twisted her neck to look at him. "Here we go."

She let the glass box fall from her hands to the marble floor below. Instead of shattering into pieces, the box smacked off the floor, bounced twice, and rolled to a stop near the large four-poster bed.

Paige screwed up her face, glancing at Dewey before she returned her confused gaze back to the glass box.

"Is it plexiglass?" Dewey questioned.

"No!" Paige said as she collected it from the floor and knocked on the side. "Glass. Glass-glass. Real glass. This should have broken into a million pieces."

"Try again."

"Seriously? I dropped it. Not gently, either."

"Just try it again. Really smash it into the floor."

Paige raised her eyebrows and shrugged. "Okay."

She lifted her arms overhead and flung the box down. It rattled across the floor, unblemished. Their faces settled into unimpressed stares as they eyed the unbreakable box.

Paige picked up the box again. "We're going to need to brainstorm another way to open that box."

"Or get the bark ourselves. It's outside, right?"

"Yes. At least, I think that's it. Blue bark, purple foliage."

Dewey flew out the French doors and peered over the railing. "That's it. Okay, I'll fly down and–"

The doors flew open before they could finish their plan. A rotund woman bustled into the room followed by three young women with their heads bowed.

The woman curtsied, rolling a hand in the air. "Your Majesty."

"Not quite yet," Paige said with a smile.

"Soon enough," the woman answered before rising and clapping her hands.

Two more women hurried in with an armload of fabric stretched between them.

The woman raised her eyebrows and snapped her fingers. The three young women descended on Paige. One snatched the glass case from her hands and set it aside. The other shooed Dewey away as she began to pull the hoodie from Paige's arms. The third yanked on Paige's leggings to remove them.

"Now wait just a minute!" Paige shouted, but to no avail.

She shot a pleading glance toward Dewey, but he didn't notice, too busy tossing nuts onto his purple tongue.

In seconds, she stood in only her underthings. She winced, wondering if they'd notice the beast mark on her back, though before she could give it a second thought, loads of fabric floated around her.

She swam through the sea of white fabric, seeking a way out. Finally, her head poked up, and the ladies pulled the dress down around her figure and fastened it before stepping aside.

"Ooooh-la-la," Dewey said with a wink. "That's some dress."

The round seamstress tapped her lips with her finger as she studied it. "It needs…something."

She narrowed her eyes as Paige struggled to stand under the weight of the heavily beaded dress.

"More volume. Yes. Bigger. We must make the skirt bigger."

"Bigger?" Paige asked as she stared down at the round ball gown.

"Bigger," the woman said with a nod, clapping her hands. "Fabric! Crinoline! Beads!"

The women scattered, leaving only the seamstress, who circled around Paige, eyeing her up and down. She pinched at the fabric in a few places. The women trickled back into the room, bringing more supplies.

The seamstress eyed the materials before she shook her head. "No! Where are the crystal beads? I must have the crystal beads."

"I am sorry, Madam. I cannot find them," one girl said.

The woman shook her head and fluttered her hands in the air, clapping them again. "Come with me! We shall need much more than this." She twisted to face Paige. "Wait here, Your Majesty. I shall return."

The woman and her entourage flitted from the room. Paige collapsed onto the bed, the fabric ballooning around her.

A knock sounded.

"What?" she spat.

"Kitten? Are you decent?" Henry called.

"No! You can't come in! I'm in my dress. It's bad luck to see it!"

"Oh dear," he said, "we mustn't have that. I just came to tell you the wonderful news."

"Wonderful news?"

"Father has moved the wedding up to tonight. We shall be wed within hours."

Paige shot Dewey a wide-eyed stare. The little dragon winced as he grabbed a handful of grapes and flew over to Paige.

"Oh," Paige called in an unsteady voice, "that's so wonderful. Thanks for telling me."

"See you in a few hours, pet!" he sang back.

Paige flopped onto her back. "You're kidding me. This just goes from bad to worse! We have to get out of here."

"You're right," Dewey agreed, still chewing on grapes. "Get out of that dress, and let's get going."

Paige sat up with a nod and turned her back to Dewey. "Unfasten it."

"Ummm." Dewey tugged at a few strings. "I can't make heads or tails of this. You'll have to make a run for it in the dress."

"What? Dewey! I can't run in this. It weighs a ton. I look like I belong in the 1980s movie with David Bowie."

"Who cares how you look?" Dewey said as he flew around Paige and grabbed her hand, tugging at her. "There's no time for vanity now."

"This isn't vanity. It's practicality!" Paige said as she rose to stand, wobbling under the dress's weight for a moment. "Okay, never mind. Just fly down and get the bark and bring it back."

"No can do, Paige," Dewey said with a shake of his head. "We need to grab the bark at the same time, or else one of us will be stuck here."

"Oh, come on! There's no way I can get over the railing in this!"

Dewey grabbed Paige's hand and dragged her forward. "Gonna have to make do. Come on, Paige! We only have one shot at this!"

Dewey dropped her hand as she reached the railing. He fluttered over it and waved her on. "Come on. You can do it!"

Paige heaved the massive skirt up and stuck her leg in the air. She teetered for a moment before she toppled backward and landed in a heap of fabric. "This dress is ridiculous."

She groaned as she shimmied back and forth to sit up.

Dewey grabbed her hands and beat his wings hard to pull her to stand. "Team effort. I'll lift the dress, and you climb up."

Paige nodded at him as he hefted up the massive amounts of fabric. She reached for the railing, setting her glass-slippered foot on it and struggling to pull herself up.

"Hurry, Paige," Dewey's muffled voice called. "I'm dying here."

"I'm trying my best," she shouted as she scrambled up and swung her leg over the other side.

She balanced on the edge, clinging to the railing. Dewey let her skirts go, and she flexed her muscles to stay upright.

"Jump," he shouted.

"Are you crazy? We're on the second story!"

"The dress will cushion it!"

Paige stared down at the unforgiving grass below.

The doors to the suite burst open, and the seamstress bustled in. "I've got just what we need, Your Majesty!"

She stopped dead when she found the room empty.

"Jump," Dewey hissed.

Paige cringed, wrinkling her nose as she flicked her gaze between the hard ground and the seamstress. Her features pinched, and she let go of the railing, flinging herself forward. She landed in a heap, fabric covering every inch of her. She fought her way out of it and struggled to stand.

"Hurry," Dewey encouraged as the seamstress smashed against the railing, her eyes wide.

Paige smiled up at her, pressing a finger to her lips.

The woman drew her chin back and opened her mouth in a wide scream. "Guards!"