Chapter 14

Beldegard was waiting for them in the woods just beyond the south gate. After he and Gwendolyn had greeted each other, he turned to Liam and said, “So, where do we go next?”

Liam shrugged. “I have no idea. Moonbeam didn’t help one bit.”

“Why are you asking Liam?” demanded Annie. “Don’t you think it’s possible that Gwennie or I might have a suggestion?”

“Fine,” said the bear prince. “What do you suggest?”

“I was dancing with a man at the ball when I mentioned the Dark Forest. He was confused because he thought I was talking about the Black Woods and had the name wrong. What if we did have the name wrong, but in a different way? When Rose Red said the dwarf was from the Black Forest, we thought she meant the Dark Forest, but what if she really meant the Black Woods? Maybe we went to the wrong place.”

Gwendolyn nodded. “I bet you’re right. Where is the Black Woods, anyway?”

“It’s in Montrose,” said Beldegard. “A few hours’ ride from my parents’ castle.”

“Lord Camril said that he had met a family of dwarves there once. Yes, Liam, I know that there are bound to be other families of dwarves around,” Annie said, holding up her hand when Liam opened his mouth to speak. “But at least there are some dwarves there who we can talk to, and that’s more than we’ve found anywhere else.”

“It sounds like as good a place to look as any,” said Beldegard. “We’ll have to cross the River Rampant and head south.”

“Is there a ferry to take us across?” asked Annie.

“There is one farther north,” Beldegard told her, “just not anywhere near where we want to go. There might be a bridge we can use, but if there have been storms in the north like we encountered in Farley’s Crossing, the river can run high enough to wash out the bridge. If that happens, we’ll have to find another way across.”

As they shouldered their knapsacks and started off, Annie fell into step beside Liam. “This just keeps getting better and better,” she said. “Tell me again why we’re doing this.”

“So your sister’s true love can turn back into a man and she can stop getting a chapped face from bear drool,” Liam replied.

“Ah yes,” said Annie. “A truly noble cause.”

It was midafternoon when they reached the river and saw a place where there had been a bridge, which was gone. The water was running so high and fast that even Beldegard doubted he could swim across. “I’ll see if I can find a boat,” the bear prince said, and forced his way into the underbrush at the side of the road.

When Gwendolyn wandered closer to the trees where Beldegard had disappeared, Annie glanced at Liam, who was staring into the turbulent water. “What are you thinking?” she asked, wondering if they might actually be able to talk about why he was being so distant. She’d wanted to talk to him about it before, but Beldegard and Gwendolyn were usually too close and Annie thought it was a conversation that she and Liam should have when they were alone.

“I always keep a hook in my pack in case I have a chance to do a little fishing. I was thinking that I’d like to try my hand now while we wait for Beldegard, but this water is probably too rough.” A gull swooped down to skim the surface and came up with something wriggling in its beak. “You know,” said Liam, “I think I’ll try anyway. I may not catch anything, but it’s better than sitting around here twiddling my thumbs. I’ll be right back. I just have to cut down a sapling to make a fishing pole.”

“He’s going to fish?” Gwendolyn asked, joining her sister at the water’s edge. “I didn’t know that princes knew how.”

“Liam is no ordinary prince,” Annie told her. “Unlike most princes, he didn’t acquire his skills through magic. He taught himself a lot of things because he’s interested in a lot of things.”

Liam had been gone only a few minutes when they heard shouting and the sound of someone running through the forest. He came back soon after carrying a sapling.

“What happened back there?” Annie asked. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” he told her as he started to strip the bark off the sapling. “There was a wolf nosing around, so I chased it off. There’s a lot more wildlife in these woods than you’d think. Can you unravel a thread from my blanket while I look for a worm? Maybe I’ll get lucky and catch a fish for our dinner.”

With Annie’s help, Liam soon had the pole assembled. Once he had dropped the baited hook in the water, he sat down with his back against a tree.

“Is that it?” Gwendolyn asked. “I thought it was going to be more dramatic.”

“It can be when he actually catches something,” said Annie. “I used to go fishing with the stable boys when you were practicing etiquette and courtly manners. We caught some pretty big fish in the Crystal River.”

“I probably won’t catch anything today,” Liam said. “You might as well sit back and—”

Twang! The line suddenly went taut.

“I’ve got one!” Liam shouted, giving the pole a quick jerk. When there was still resistance on the line, he yanked the pole back hard and a fish as long as his arm flew out of the water, landing with a splat on the ground behind him.

The fish was gasping when Liam bent down to retrieve it, but it wasn’t until he picked it up that the fish spoke. “Kind sir, please let me go.”

Startled, Liam nearly dropped the fish. “Am I imagining things, or did this fish just talk to me?”

“Of course I spoke,” said the fish. “I am a magical fish and will grant you three wishes if you release me back into the water.”

“Really?” Liam said. “Any three wishes?”

“Within reason,” said the fish.

“Then help us get across the river.”

“No,” said the fish. “First you have to let me go, then I grant you the three wishes. Haven’t you noticed that I’m a fish, and I’m out of the water? Toss me back in so I can breathe!”

“Oh, right, sorry!” Liam gently removed the hook from the fish’s mouth and set it back in the river.

With a flick of its tail, the fish disappeared into the churning water.

Liam sighed. “So much for my three wishes.”

A branch snapped in the forest and Beldegard came bounding onto the road. “I found a boat!” he shouted. “Follow me. It’s not far.”

“Say,” said Liam, his expression brightening. “Maybe I’ll get my wishes after all.”

“You can ride on my back, my sweet love,” Beldegard told Gwendolyn as he came closer. “I don’t want the thorns to scratch you.”

“Oh, but it’s all right if we get scratched,” Annie grumbled to Liam.

“If the wishes are really true,” Gwendolyn said as she climbed on the bear prince’s back, “you should wish for something better, Liam, like we find the dwarf or Beldegard gets turned back into a man now.”

“What wishes?” asked the bear prince.

“The fish didn’t do anything,” said Annie. “I was listening and all I heard was his own personal magic that allows him to talk. The river is noisy, but if the magic was related to you, I should have been able to hear it.”

“It’s an awfully big coincidence if that’s true,” said Liam. “I ask for help crossing the river and Beldegard finds a boat we can use.”

“That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a coincidence,” said Annie. “Beldegard was looking for a boat anyway.”

They argued about the fish’s magical abilities as they struggled through a thicket of thorns, crossed gullies, and climbed jumbled rocks. “You know,” Annie finally said, “just because something says it has magic, doesn’t mean it really does.”

“You’re too cynical,” said Gwendolyn.

“Maybe,” Annie replied, “but you’re too trusting.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but here’s the boat,” said Beldegard, stopping at the edge of the river.

An old dinghy rested on the shore just past the water line. With one snick of his claws, Beldegard snapped the frayed rope that secured the boat to a tree.

“It isn’t much of a boat,” said Liam as he stepped closer to inspect it.

“Maybe not,” the bear prince replied, “but it should do the job.” Fitting his shoulder against the side of the boat, he pushed it toward the river. It was almost touching the water when he glanced toward Liam and shouted, “Don’t just stand there! Grab the rope!”

Liam lunged and caught the rope just before the boat slid into the river. Water sloshed over the side and Liam shook his head. “I don’t know about this…”

“Get in!” Gwendolyn said as she clambered over the side. “This is the answer to your fish wish, remember?”

“What fish?” asked Beldegard.

“Are you swimming across or what?” Liam asked the bear prince.

Beldegard snorted. “In this river? Not likely. This boat should hold all of us.” He hefted himself into the boat, making it tip until Annie thought it was about to capsize. When it had righted itself, it was sitting so low that the water was only inches below the gunnels.

When Annie had taken her seat, Liam pulled the boat as close to the shore as he could get it and stepped in. The boat sank even farther in the water. Taking up the two oars, he slid them into the oarlocks and turned the boat toward the other shore. The current immediately grabbed them and began carrying them downriver, but Liam dipped the oars in the water and, with a few powerful strokes, got it headed in the right direction.

“Well, well, well,” said a voice from the water. “So you found a boat. Good for you! Too bad it’s going to sink!” They all looked down at the fish swimming beside them. Beldegard growled.

“What do you mean?” asked Liam. “Are you going to make it sink?”

“I don’t have to,” said the fish. “Look!” A wave washed over the side. Water sloshed around their feet as one wave followed another.

Liam began to row harder. “Can’t you help us?” he asked. “I saved your life. I put you back in the water.”

“After you took me out! And now I have a sore in my mouth and my throat is scratchy from breathing all that dry air. The last thing I want to do is help you.”

“But what about my wishes?” asked Liam. “You said I could have three wishes if I let you go!”

“So I lied!” said the fish. “What are you going to do, catch me again? As if I’d be dumb enough to fall for the old worm floating on the water twice in one day! Besides, if I could do real magic, do you think I’d stay in this lousy river? It’s cold enough to freeze off my fins, and half the time it’s flooding. Naw, I just want to watch you flounder around in this boat until it sinks. Ha-ha!”

They were halfway across the river now and Liam was struggling with the oars against the current. Annie could see the tendons in his neck stand out each time he dragged the oars back.

“Why don’t you just give up?” the fish said to Liam. “You’re not going to make it anyway.”

“I should never have thrown you back in the water,” Liam said, perspiration beading his forehead.

Annie took off her shoe and began to bail the water out of the bottom of the boat; she soon saw that her efforts were doing little. They were nearly three-quarters of the way across, but the waves were growing higher and Liam looked exhausted.

“Is that the fish you were talking about?” said Beldegard, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air.

“That’s the one,” said Gwendolyn.

“You humans aren’t very bright,” said the fish. “And bears are even dumber. I bet I know snails that are smarter than you!”

Annie was seated in the front of the boat. The riverbank was so close now that she could almost touch it. “Just a few more feet!” she shouted to Liam.

“I have a question for you,” Beldegard said to the fish in a softer voice as he leaned toward the side of the boat.

The fish swam closer, peering up at the bear prince with its cold, round eyes. “Yes?” it said. “What is it?”

“Were you ever a human?”

“Human?” the fish said, sounding incredulous. “Of course not! Now if that isn’t the stupidest question I’ve ever—”

With a swipe of his paw, Beldegard scooped up the fish and shoved it into his mouth. The boat thudded into the riverbank as he closed his eyes and chomped. “That was one obnoxious fish,” he said as he climbed out of the boat. “But it certainly was delicious!”