Author's Note: To Jimli, Arista Everett June, and Akora17. Thank you all for your review of the last chapter.

THE WIZARD'S PRICE

CHAPTER 7

About the same time Danella gave birth to her little girl, Queen Henrietta was expecting the heir to the throne of Eburon. When their daughter was born King Xavier and Queen Henrietta called her Julietta. Unfortunately there was a problem with the new heir; not because she was a girl – after all the previous ruler of the kingdom had been a Queen – but because of Julietta's health. Shortly after she was born, the little Princess became very ill. The doctors feared for her life but against all odds, the little girl recovered, although she remained a frail and sickly child. Her parents doted on her and consulted every doctor in their country and beyond in the hope that one of them might have the medicine that would make her healthy. All to no avail. Everybody felt sorry for Princess Julietta, especially as she was such a friendly girl. Even though she was always given anything she asked for, she never acted like a spoilt little brat.

ooOOoo

One summer's day the Queen took Princess Julietta for a ride in an open topped carriage, hoping that the sunshine and fresh air would do her good. Around midday they came to a nice looking house on the edge of the wood. As it seemed the perfect place for a picnic, Queen Henrietta asked the owners whether they could use the table and chairs that stood in the shade of a tree. The man didn't seem too eager, but the woman said, "You oaf, can't you see? It's Her Majesty, the Queen and Her Highness Princess Julietta."

To Queen Henrietta she was very friendly, "Please, Your Majesty, sit down. I'll get some fresh goat's milk for Her Highness, the Princess. If you need anything else, just ask. We're pleased to give you anything you want. You only have to ask my daughter." Then she shouted, "Linda, darling! Come here! Come quickly!"

A girl – about the same age as the Princess but much taller and generally bigger – came slouching from behind the house. She scowled when her mother told her to look after their important guests. When her mother had gone she dropped down on a chair. The Queen and the Princess had spread out their picnic on the table and started their meal. They asked Linda to help herself if she fancied something. Linda didn't hesitate and stuffed her face with sweets and cakes. Only when her mother returned did she show some manners.

The Queen and Linda's mother started talking about all manner of things but especially about their children, just like mothers all over the world do. Princess Julietta was a bit bored by the grown-up talk.

"Mother, could I go and see the garden behind the house?" she asked.

Quick as a shot Linda's mother said, "Of course you can see our garden, Your Highness." She ordered her daughter, "Linda, go with Her Highness Princess Julietta to our garden. Show her around and look after her."

Linda got up reluctantly and motioned to Julietta to follow her. As soon as they were behind the house and out of sight of their mothers, she said seemingly to a nearby bush, "You look after her. I'm going to bed to have my afternoon nap," and she disappeared in the house.

Julietta stared at the bush and wondered how it could look after her. Then she saw someone hiding behind it.

"Come out. I know you're there. Show yourself."

A girl came from behind the bush, as small as and even thinner than the Princess. She was dressed in ill-fitting clothes, but they were clean as was her face and hair even if the latter looked as if it hadn't seen a comb in a while.

"Can you show me the garden?" Julietta asked.

The girl nodded and motioned to Julietta to follow her. The further away they were from the house, the more relaxed the girl became. They had come to the very back of the garden, and the girl asked, "Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course I can," Julietta answered, indignant at such a question.

"Come," said the girl, and she wriggled through a hole in the hedge that surrounded the garden. The Princess followed her into the forest. After a while they came to a clearing in the wood. The girl ran to a certain spot in the clearing, and picked something from the ground. Then she returned to the Princess and held her hands out. They were filled with little red berries.

"They are wild strawberries. Try some; they are very nice and very sweet."

Princess Julietta tried one.

"Oh! This is the best berry I have ever had! Can I have another one?"

"Of course."

The girls finished the berries between them; then they washed their hands and faces in a nearby brook. The strange little girl showed Princess Julietta all sorts of interesting things in the wood and both forgot the time. Never in her entire life had the Princess been out for such a long time. Never had she enjoyed herself so much without feeling tired.

"You're the best friend I have ever had," she said, "and I don't even know your name."

"My name is Zita and I know you are Princess Julietta. I heard your name when my aunt and uncle talked about you."

"Nice to meet you, Zita," said the Princess and curtsied.

Zita copied the Princess. "Nice to meet you too, Princess Julietta. I think we should go back now, it is late."

When Zita and Julietta arrived at the front of the house everybody had been looking for the Princess. The Queen had been very worried and clasped her daughter in her arms.

"Thank the Powers that you're back, Julietta. I thought something dreadful had happened to you."

"I was fine, mother, I was with Zita. She wouldn't let me get lost."

Zita's aunt was shouting at her daughter, "Why weren't you with the Princess like I told you?"

"Zita threatened to change me into a mouse. You know she is a witch, I'm afraid of her," cried Linda, big crocodile tears running down her cheeks.

The mother's anger instantly shifted to Zita.

"I should have known this was your doing, you dreadful child."

Then she slapped poor Zita, hard.

The Queen intervened. "There is no need to be so harsh on the girl. Nothing has happened to Julietta."

"I have to hit the devil out of this girl, Your Majesty. She's as bad as her mother, who's a slut, and her grandmother, who was a witch to boot." She stopped nevertheless.

Then Princess Julietta said to her mother, "Zita is my friend, and I would like her to come and live with me. She makes me feel better."

"As you don't seem to care for the girl, you won't mind if she comes with us, will you?" asked the Queen.

Zita's aunt was angry at the thought that the dreadful child would be allowed to live in the palace. That was not going to happen so with a sad face and sadder voice she said, "It is not like me to ruin somebody's chances, but I have to warn Your Majesty about this child. She has an unsuitable background especially if she's to be with the Princess all the time. I did not lie when I called her mother and grandmother sluts. Before my father married my mother, he had a woman living with him who wasn't his wife. This was the girl's grandmother. She was very strange – so my mother told me – and had obviously bewitched him because he was totally besotted with her and remained so for the rest of his life. They had a child but still she didn't want to get wed. One day she left, leaving her bastard child with my father. That is when he married my mother, and a proper time afterwards I was born. My father always preferred his bastard daughter to me. I know she only pretended to love him, and I told him so, but he would not listen. Just like her mother she had bewitched him. Then father became ill, and she was so unfeeling that she could nurse him while I couldn't look at him in his illness; it broke my heart. She left as soon as father was dead and buried, and my husband and I started looking after the house and everything. Then one day she drops this child on me and asks me to look after it because she can't. Then off she is again, and I'm left with this girl, no doubt a bastard like her mother, and not a penny did she leave to help me look after her. I did my best with her, Your Majesty, but she runs wild and there is no telling her to behave. Look at her clothes, new on this morning. My poor Linda is frightened to death because the little witch keeps threatening her. I wouldn't be surprised if the devil himself was her father. If the Princess wants a playmate why not take my girl. She's ever such a good girl, well behaved and hardworking. A much better choice, you will agree, your majesty."

The Queen looked at the two girls. Linda, with her mother's arm around her, smiling sweetly, a big healthy girl looking pretty in her frilly dress; she curtsied and said it would be an honour to become a playmate for the Princess. And then there was Zita: she just stood there, looking at the ground, her apparently new clothes already in rags. Linda shook her golden curls as she looked from her mother to Queen Henrietta and back. Zita's mop of hair, although clean, looked wild and unkempt. What had Julietta seen in this ragamuffin to want her for a friend?

"Wouldn't it be better if the other girl came with us, darling? She looks much nicer and friendlier to me."

Poor Zita was fighting back the tears. Her face was still aching where her aunt had hit her, but even deeper went the pain of not being wanted.

Suddenly the Princess began to howl and shout, "Waa…aa…aa…aah! I want Zita! I want Zita!"

For the first (and only) time in her life she had a tantrum. Princess Julietta didn't want Linda; she didn't like Linda. Linda had told a lie, not a little one but a great big whopper of a lie. Zita was her friend, and Zita was to come with her, not that two-faced Linda.

The Queen tried to comfort her daughter, tried to coax her out of her fit but nothing helped. In the end all she could do was give in, "Allright, Zita can come with us. She'll be your friend."

Secretly the Queen decided to keep an eye on this strange girl, and to get rid of her if she turned out to be the wrong sort of friend for her daughter.

Queen Henrietta needn't have worried as she soon found out. With her hair sorted out and dressed in new clothes Zita looked like any other girl. She didn't ruin her clothes like her aunt had said and was obedient and polite. The governess who was teaching the two girls praised her new pupil.

"What a great idea, Your Majesty, to have brought this girl here. Her eagerness to learn has inspired our Princess."

Bit by bit Princess Julietta regained her health, not in the least because she spent much more time outside in the fresh air with Zita. Just as slowly Zita lost her shyness with everybody including the Queen who realised that Zita's aunt must have lied to get her own daughter into the palace, though she never found out how economical the woman had been with the truth.

Julietta and Zita spent all their time together. During the day they were either studying or playing and running outside. On rainy days their laughter could be heard ringing in the corridors of the castle. Often of an evening the princess and Zita's would sit together, their heads bowed over a book; golden wheat on black ebony.

ooOOoo