Disclaimer: I do not own Barbie: Princess and the Pauper.


Chapter 9:

Preminger scowled at his reflection in the window, running a hand through his messed hair and drawing back to reveal several black hairs. It was strange after years of seeing nothing but white strands, and Preminger was still deciding whether or not his hair colour would go together with his current outfit. There had been a reason he had worn a wig for the first few years of his tenure as Royal Advisor.

He looked at the curtains that were drawn back to reveal a surprisingly low number of guards patrolling the yard. His eyes narrowed upon recognising some of the guards, and other ones who he was sure he had known at one point in his life. Many of them were wearing mismatched armour that either hung off them too loosely or were too tight around other areas.

The cause instantly registered in his head as he glanced down at the black strands of hair he was still clutching tightly in his grip.

This so called...miraculous cure.

To be honest, he hadn't expected for the cure to have spread so quickly. Some of these men looked years younger than Preminger had remembered, and it hadn't been that long since he had been imprisoned. There was a knock on the door, a sharp rap that suddenly faltered, and Preminger turned.

Just as he was about to call out, the door opened and Queen Genevieve stepped into the room, looking significantly younger but no less intimidating. Her hair was in a half-up half-down bun, and she was wearing a deep maroon dress that Preminger would have associated with Anneliese more in the last few months.

"Ah. Queen Genevieve. How kind of you to bless me with your presence."

"Drop the act, Preminger." The Queen snapped at him. "You are the one who thought himself above the monarchy."

"Me?" Preminger cackled. "I never thought myself above the monarchy."

Genevieve gave a long suffering sigh. "Right. You thought you were the monarchy. My mistake."

"That's not the only one you made." Preminger said.

"Is there something you are trying to accomplish?" Genevieve narrowed her eyes. "Because you are failing miserably."

"I believe those are supposed to be my lines, dear Queen." Preminger purred, rolling his eyes and turning his back on her as he once again considered the guards who were still marching around with their weapons held in their tight grip.

Genevieve cleared her throat. "Don't turn your back on me."

"Or what?" Preminger rolled his eyes once more. "There isn't much that you can do to me now, is there?"

"There is execution." Genevieve said, her voice steely.

"You wouldn't dare." Preminger chortled as if she had said a particularly funny joke. "Not unless you want the scandal which had the kingdom in an uproar for over a decade to come to light. Trust me, the rumours are far better than the reality."

Genevieve's eyes narrowed. "You signed a contract, you snake. You have no right to speak of this to anyone."

"Yes yes," Preminger waved dismissively, "that bloody contract. Well, the consequence is death, and if you are going to execute me, I truly have nothing to lose. Now," he said, turning around with a bored look. "What is it that you came here to talk about?"

"I was hoping that you would be able to tell me of this...spell that has overtaken our kingdom."

Preminger raised an eyebrow. Maybe the Princess wasn't as close to a cure or a cause as he had thought. "And you thought me responsible?"

"How could I not? Everything bad seems to stem from you."

"I have spent years advising you." Preminger said, feeling his temper start to rise. It was an odd feeling to have, especially how it had been at least three years since he had snapped at his Queen. "And after all the prosperity I brought you and this wretched kingdom, you think I would be responsible for its downfall?"

"You wanted to make yourself king." Genevieve narrowed her eyes. "And you tried to kill not only my daughter, but the king of a neighbouring kingdom."

"Yes, I wanted to rule it." Preminger shrugged, anger dying down as quickly as it had flared up. "But it is of no use to me if there is nothing to rule."

Genevieve scrutinised him carefully, as if she could read through his facade of calmness. "What happened, Preminger?" She asked, and her voice was quiet. "We used to be close friends."

"That was before what happened to the King." Preminger turned rigid, crossing his arms. "I have nothing more to say of you."

Seeing that she wasn't going to get any more from him, the Queen retreated and closed the door quietly. As she walked away, she didn't notice the slim form clad in pink hiding in a nearby alcove, eyes wide as she wondered what her mother could possibly be so frightened of coming into light.

Preminger scowled at the reflection, taking a deep breath and exhaling. There was no use letting his temper through with no clear target. He would only drive himself crazy, and now, being locked up in here surrounded by enemies, he couldn't afford to lose his mind.


"Dominick?" Erika asked, walking up to where her husband was reading a letter at a table in their bedroom. "What's wrong?" She placed her hands on his shoulders.

Dominick looked up at her, weariness in his eyes. He held up the letter for her to skim through even as he told her. "The kingdom's getting suspicious as to why there has been little contact between us. They want us back soon, maybe by the end of the week."

"That's too little time!" Erika said, dismayed. "What if we don't find the cure for this Fountain of Youth? It'll be disastrous."

Dominick nodded, rubbing a hand over his face. "It could be seen as a sign of aggression."

"Anneliese and Queen Genevieve would never do anything to intentionally harm us."

"I know that, Erika, but you have to understand that this reflects badly on their kingdom. Especially when news of Madame Carp's return and Preminger's escape from prison reaches them."

"When?" Erika blinked. "You're going to tell them?"

"They'll take it better from me, and it will give them time to plan how to release the news to the public." Dominick explained. "The longer we wait, the longer the news has to fester."

"But we caught them again." Erika protested.

"The fact of the matter is that prisoners escaped anyway, on the Queen and Princess' watch."

"Are you going to tell Anneliese or Queen Genevieve?" Erika asked, resigned.

Dominick nodded. "I was planning on finding them before I wrote a reply to send home."

Erika straightened as her husband stood up. "I'll help you find them." She eyed the still unfinished dress and coat hanging from a rack. "And then I'll find Bertie and see if she has anything that I can help with."

"Are you sure?" Dominick asked in concern. "With Madame Carp there?"

Erika nodded determinedly. "Madame Carp doesn't seem to be causing any trouble, and guards are posted outside the whole day."

"Alright then." Dominick nodded, holding his wife's hand. "Let's go and see if we can find Anneliese or Julian first."


Julian found Anneliese sitting in a quiet alcove in the garden, a place she usually went to when she wanted a quiet place to think. He had often found her here whenever some of her lessons troubled her, or when some issue of the kingdom bothered her. One common example was when she had found out that she was to be married to King Dominick a few months back.

"Anneliese?" He asked gently, not wanting to scare her.

Anneliese turned, eyes lighting up slightly at the sight of him. Her hair was down, covering her shoulders. Julian swore that it was longer than it had been a few days ago, even more than it should have grown; the reverse-time must be affecting her strongly. Bertie had managed to rush out two dresses to fit Anneliese and Erika, but the result was that the designs were incredibly simple, not something that a princess or a queen would traditionally be seen wearing.

"Hello, Julian."

Julian walked over to the bench in the alcove. Anneliese scooted over to allow him to sit next to her. "What's wrong, Anneliese?"

Anneliese was quiet for some time, and Julian waited patiently. This happened sometimes, and good would only come out of this if Anneliese told him her problems himself. She sighed, and then reached out to hold his hand. Julian took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"What do you know of my father, Julian?"

Julian blinked, not having expected that. Sure, Dominick had seemed interested, but Julian had not imagined that the princess would be thinking about it.

"What do you mean, Anneliese?"

"I heard Preminger and my mother talking." Anneliese admitted.

"And?" Julian prompted gently.

"They mentioned my father. Preminger said that he was no longer friends with my mother because of what happened to my father." Anneliese murmured.

Julian frowned, thinking it through. "And you're sure that it was not an attempt to intimidate your mother?"

"Yes." Anneliese nodded.

"I'm not too sure, Anneliese." Julian admitted. "From what I've heard, your father was a good man who loved your family dearly. He would often come into our lessons to see how you were progressing."

Anneliese let out a faint smile at the thought. "He was always worried that I was unhappy. He was the only one who supported my love of science over duties of a princess."

"He was your father." Julian said. "He loved you. It's natural that he would be worried about your welfare."

"I could never be unhappy in our lesson, Jules. Not when I'm having them with you."

Julian blinked, noticing the nickname that Anneliese had betstowed upon him when she was younger and had thought Julian too long a name to say. Of course, she had called him 'Julian' in public, but she preferred Jules in a more private setting. That habit had faded out as they became more intimate and started crushing on the other, mostly out of awkward nervousness.

"Well," Julian said, thinking that he should not point this out during this conversation, "you are his only daughter. He worried." He rubbed the back of her hand. "Maybe you should just talk to your mother about this?"

Anneliese shook her head. "She's refused to talk to me about my father for years. Nothing is going to change that now."

"Then talk to Preminger." Julian suggested.

Anneliese recoiled. "No. The man tried to kill me."

"And as of today, he seems to have been loyal to your father. It's part of why his betrayal was such a shock to us. He and your father must've been good friends."

Annelise blinked. "Were they?"

Julian shrugged. "I recall that they always spent time with each other, but Preminger was his royal advisor, so it was natural for him to spend time around the King."

Sighing, the blonde-haired princess nodded reluctantly. "I might." She said quietly. "One day." Then she looked up with an uncharacteristic shyness. "If I do, Julian, will you come with me?"

"You don't even have to ask." Julian promised, and the smile that lit up Anneliese's face reminded him why he fell in love with her again.


Erika and Dominick bumped into Anneliese and Julian in the gardens. Erika had remembered when Julian had told her that Anneliese loved to spend time in the garden amidst the roses, and had promptly led Dominick there when it was clear that Annelise hadn't been in her room or in the library.

"Anneliese! Julian!" Erika called out.

Both turned their heads to the dark-haired couple. "Erika." Anneliese said, surprised. "What's the matter?"

Dominick cleared his throat. "Well, I have something I would like to discuss with you."

"Of course." Anneliese nodded, straightening up. "What is the matter?"

"It has to do with my kingdom." Dominick began.

Anneliese nodded, her eyes sharpening. "Let's go and discuss this with my mother."

Dominick nodded, and offered the princess his arm. Anneliese took it, looping her arm with his as she started leading him into the castle. She glanced at Julian, who shook his head with a small smile; he wasn't fond of getting into political matters and preferred to leave it to her when he could.

Julian looked at Erika when they were left behind. "Are you going anywhere?" He asked Erika.

Erika nodded. "I'm going to Bertie and see if I can help anywhere."

Julian nodded. "I'll bring you there."

Erika smiled at the offer, nodding again and taking Julian's arm.