Porcelain Princess by Jon Jacks Read Free Book Online Page A

Besides,
if I hadn’t been searching, then a famous king who now rules his kingdom would still be undiscovered, rotting away in a
high tower. He heard my singing and, being a bit of a troubadour
himself, responded with his own singing! And so at last, his
countrymen knew where he was being held!’
    ‘ Oh,
and he let down his hair did he, to let you climb up?’ Grudo
chuckled.
    ‘ You’re mixing up your fairy stories and your histories, my
friend,’ the boy replied jovially.
    ‘ Ah,
so, hearing you singing outside his window, he decided he’d have to escape?’
    ‘ Grudo! Why are you being so rude?’ Carey snapped.
    ‘ I’m
not offended,’ the boy laughed, tugging on his horse’s reins,
turning her to face the track to his right. ‘Whichever way you look
at it, my song was the key that unlocked his prison; and you can’t
expect more of a song than that!’
    And with a
polite doff of his cap, the troubadour rode off, singing once
more.
     
     
    *

Chapter
10
     
    The
Troubadour’s Second Song
     
    I’ve heard thine
hair shines like the finest silk
    Your kindness
flows more pure than milk
    Your face as
smooth and white as por…celain
    Yet I fear thine
heart will ne’er be mine to win
     
    You are the
moon, the sun and stars
    But alongside
your Venus, mine own countenance only jars
    I dream the
dream that to your queen I’ll be king
    Yet I dread you
won’t hear of the love I sing
     
     
    *

Chapter
11
     
    ‘ Grudo! Why were you being so incredibly nasty to that poor
boy?’
    As they climbed
back onto the caravan’s driving seat, Carey glared angrily at
Grudo.
    Grudo replied
with an embarrassed shrug.
    ‘ Well, you know, what with your father no longer being
around…’
    ‘ You
felt it was your role to protect me? From some poor, lovesick
boy?’
    ‘ Ah,
a very handsome and charming boy; but one who lives
in dreams, rather than realities.’
    ‘ And
you don’t think I should live in dreams, right?’
    Grudo shrugged
again.
    ‘ Life
is hard enough without seeing our hopes for a better life
constantly dashed away.’
    ‘ Hmn,
maybe you’re right,’ Carey sternly declared, to Grudo’s pleasant
surprise. ‘He was handsome and charming, wasn’t he?’ she
added with a sigh and a dreamy face.
    Grudo was
horrified.
    ‘ Carey, he would only–’
    He stopped,
having at last noticed Carey’s mischievous smirk.
    ‘ But
nay, he ne’er had eyes for me,’ she said with a theatrical
sadness.
    Grudo
smiled.
    ‘ Get
thee back to work girl,’ he chuckled, starting up the
caravan.
     
     
    *
     
     
    A landscape of
pleasant homesteads and well-tended fields soon gave way to thick
forest. The track remained straight but narrow, yet it stretched
ahead of them as if it were endless, such that the trees appeared
to be closing in on it and cutting it off.
    Even as night
fell, they still hadn’t cleared the forest, and still had a long
way to go. Everyone had taken up watch around the caravan, on the
lookout for any signs of wolves, bears or any other wild creatures
that might inhabit the wood. They hoped the caravan’s cacophony of
noises, its clouds of smoke and steam, and the fiery glow of its
furnace, would be enough to scare off any unwanted
attention.
    Although they
had hoped to leave the forest far behind them before setting up
camp for the night, they began to realise this would be impossible.
Even Grudo and the others required sleep, and everyone was
exhausted after a day of constant and fruitless travel. Everyone
had begun to doubt that they had chosen the right path to travel.
The forest seemed endless, and it felt like it would be days before
they reached a town or even a village where they could put on a
show.
    ‘ We’ll build a large fire; that should keep any animals away,’
Grudo reassured Carey.
    ‘ No,
not too big,’ Carey insisted, realising that Grudo and the others
were putting her safety above theirs. Any fire, even the caravan’s
furnace, had to be treated with absolute care by