A Kiss in Time (7 page)

I take it and sniffle into it. I try not to snuff too loudly. However, I have been crying
very hard. So finally, I have to give in and snort like one of the horses so that, in
addi- tion to being the stupidest girl in all Euphrasianay, the worldI might also be the
most disgusting.

To his credit, Jack pretends not to notice, and his kindness sends forth the torrent of
tears I have been trying to avoid. When I finish, he says, My dad can be kind of a jerk, too. But I didnt think princesses
had to deal with that.

I am not even certain I am a princess any longer. Can I still be a princess if Euphrasia
is no longer a country? It is all my fault! I am so stupid!

Youre not stupid. You messed up. I mess up all the time.

Messed up? I move away from him, wondering if my face is blotchy, if I am hideous now, in
addition to being stupid and disgusting. But I catch a bit of my reflection in the mirror
attached to the wall. No, Violets gift has held true. I am still beautiful. Perfect, in
every way save one.

He continues. From what Im getting, you had a curse placed upon youthat before your
sixteenth birthday, you would prick your finger on a spindle. Right?

I nod. Right.

My dad, hes a businessman, and hes always looking at the wording of things. So thats how
it was phrased? Before her sixteenth birthday, the princess shall prick her finger on a
spindle . . . not the princess might prick her finger or if she is not careful, she will?

I nod. But I was supposed to take care. Mother and Father always said He holds up his hand. Meaning no disrespect to them, either. I guess they were trying to
protect you, but I dont think you could have kept from getting pricked with the spindle if
it was part of the curse. It had to happen. But . . . I stop. I rather like the way this young man is thinking. In fact, he is quite
handsome for a peasant. Do you really think so?

I do. There is conviction in his eyes. This witch put that curse on you, and that was
thatyou were going to touch it. Maybe she even enchanted you to make you touch the
spindle. It was your destiny.

Destiny. I like the sound of it, particularly because it means that this whole fiasco is
not my fault.

Yeah, destiny, like how it was Anakin Skywalkers des- tiny to be Darth Vader.

I have not the slightest idea what he is talking about. But that does not change the fact
that Father believes me a fool and thinks it is all my fault that our country is ruined. I
remember what Father said earlier, about how he would rather I had run away and eloped. I
gaze at Mr. Jack ONeill. He is tall, and his brown eyes are quite intoxicat- ing, and in
that moment, I see my escape. Do you think perhaps . . . ?

I cannot ask it. But he says, What, Your Highness? His eyes are kind as well. Talia. Call
me Talia, for I am about to ask you to . . .

take me with you. What? He backs away three steps, as if he has been pushed. When he recovers himself, his voice is a whisper, and he glances at the door. I
cant.

Why not? If it is because I am a princess and you are a commoner, this matters not. I am an outcast now. Father despises me. They all . . . I
gesture toward the window, indicating the ground below, the land, the people. They all
shall hate me soon enough. Their crops are dead. Their food has rotted. They should be
long dead and rotted themselves, but because of me, they are alive still, only the whole
world has changed around them.

But Im only seventeen. I cant be responsible for a princess. I can barely get my homework
done.

Whyever not? Seventeen is a grown man. Surely, you must be learning a tradelike
blacksmithing or making shoes.

Sort of. I go to school. Thats what everyone does now.

Now. Everything is different now. But I must change it. I was destined to prick my finger
upon a spindle, and I did. But there was another part of the curse. I was to be wak- ened
by true loves first kiss. That kiss was Jacks. Therefore, he must be my true love, even
though he seems rather lazy and unpleasant, and I wonder how he could have gotten through
the wood to the kingdom. He does not seem to appreciate the great opportunity he has been
given, mar- riage to one gifted by the fairies with beauty and grace and musical talent
and intelligence. I must make him realize it. I must make him my true love, if I am going
to fulfill my destiny.

Well, I say, in any case, you must join us for supper. Okay, he says. Suppers okay. Marriagenot so much.

I pretend to agree, but I know that I must make him fall in love with me, whether he wants
to or not.

I
m wearing something halfway between pants and tights, a red jacket, a ruffly shirt, and
boots, all too small. At least they dont wear kilts in this country.

I crack the door (which is ten feet tall) open and look into the hallway.

A guard rushes toward me. May I help you, sir? Um, is there any food around here? The guy
looks down. I shall check, sir. He doesnt move.

I close the door, my stomach growling like an ATV pulling through mud. Its been four hours
since I kissed the princess. I know that from checking my cell phone, which is now useful
only as a clock. I turn it off again to save the battery. Its not like theres any place to
recharge it.

Of course, Travis took the sandwiches with him when he ditched me to go to the hotel. Bet he doesnt come back. I kept the beer, but its
probably not a good idea to drink it on an empty stomach. I wonder if this is just a
really fancy dungeon.

I go to the window for about the tenth time. Theres no chance of escaping out the door.
The hallway is crowded with people waiting to do my bidding. But no one wants to help me
escape (and, really, where could I go in these pants?). The windows not much better. Its
at least four stories up and made of this thick glass like in churches. No, my best bet is
to have dinner, then sneak out when they all go back to sleep.

Of course, after three hundred years, theyre probably pretty well rested.

I should have stayed with the tour group. Sure, the museums were boring, but at least the
people were from this century.

Someone knocks at the door. Come in! They knock again. The doors so thick they cant even hear through it. I walk across the room and open it. What?

Begging your pardon, sir. Its some servant guy in an outfit that isI need to mentionway
less froufrou than what they gave me to wear. His Majesty apologizes for the delay in
getting supper. There have been . . . difficulties.

My stomach growls loudly. Im scared to find out what these people eat. My moms a real freak about germs and salmonella, and this doesnt seem like the type of place that
has sanitary cooking facili- ties or even a decent oven. Didnt people used to die at,
like, age thirty-five in the 1700s, or even younger? And didnt they have plagues with rats
and stuff?

If I have to die, I hope I dont die in tights.

What were having for dinner is meat. Lots of meat and mushrooms and strawberries.

Talias parents are there. Her fatherthe kingis a skinny guy with red hair, and he actually
looks sort of like the Burger King, only the Burger King looks a lot friendlier and happy
about burgers and stuff.

I apologize for the fare, hes telling the group. Besides Talia and me, theres Pudding
Face, the queen (an older version of Talia), and a bunch of other people introduced as
lords and ladies. There are also two women Talia says are fairies, but I must have heard
her wrong. But, you see, all our crops died when my daughter put us to sleep for three
hundred years, and the food we had has long since spoiled.

Talia looks away, but I can see her hands are trembling.

She looks great, though, especially in that dress shes wearing, a green one you can see
down. Shes stopped cry- ing. She sits beside me and keeps staring at me with those eyes of
hers.

I am sorry, Father, she says. When the king doesnt answer, I see her glance toward the
door. I decide to change the subject. So whered you get the mushrooms . . . um, Your Highness?

Your Majesty, Talia whispers.

One of the fairy women turns to the other, and when she does, I see that there are wings
sprouting from her back. She whispers, Him? Hes her destiny?

Shush, whispers the other.

That is quite all right, Talia, the king says. I am cer- tain this young man is unused to
dining with royalty in . . . Florida, is it?

I nod.

A Spanish colony, if I recall, and rather a wasteland. Has it changed much in three
hundred years?

Um, a little.

The hunters found the mushrooms in the forest, the king continues.

Are they okay to eat? I ask. Its probably a rude ques- tion, and actually a hallucinogenic
mushroom could hit the spot right about now.

The king shrugs. Does it truly matter at this point? Talia flinches when he says that. The
king takes a large forkful of the mushrooms, chews, and swallows them. We all watch. He
doesnt fall over or barf or anything.

They are acceptable, he says finally.

I dont ask what the meat is, but Talia says, Is not the peacock excellent?

A bit tough after it has been drowsing three hundred years. The king glares at Talia. But
it will have to do. Hoo-boy. And I thought my parents were rough. This guys acting kind of like a spoiled
brat. But then, thats how his daughter is, too.

Again, I try to change the subject. This is peacock? Certainly, the queen says. Wow. Ive
tried it now, and its sort of gamy and tough, like duck in a really bad Chinese restaurant. I move it around on my plate.

Do you not have peacocks where you are from? Talia seems even more eager to change the
subject than I am.

We have peacocks. We dont eat them, though. What do you eat, then? Talia asks. I think
about it. Lots of stuff. People in America are from all over the place, so we eat pizza from Italy . . . Talia sighs loudly. I have never
been to Italy. . . . hamburgers . . . I have not been to Germany, either.

. . . French fries . . . I have not been to France. . . . tacos from Mexico . . . I do not
even know where that is. Would it not be grand, Jack, to go off and see the world? She gazes at me, smiling.

Talia . . . The king seems to be having some trouble with the chewy peacock and the
chewier mushrooms. Still, he opens his mouth to speak to her. That will be enough. Enough of what? All my life, you have made me stay in this castle, doing nothing, all for
the fear of spindles.

Obviously, we did not do enough for fear of spindles. Perhaps we should have locked you in
a cage.

Louis . . . The queens voice is whispery. It is the truth. No, it is not! Talia bursts
out. There was nothing you or I could have done to prevent it. The curse said, shall prick her finger. It was
preordainedmy destiny. You would have been better off had you pricked my finger yourself,
making certain a prince was on hand to kiss me. This is all your fault! Your fault!

Wow, its weird hearing her quoting me, like Im a law- yer or something.

Nah. Id never be a lawyer.

If that is the case, the king says, you would have been awakened by your true love. Where
is he, then?

Talia points to me. Here! Jack. He loves me. He has to love me.

There is silence. The lords and ladies stop in midchew. The king is obviously not used to
being yelled at. From the fairies, I hear a small voice say, He could not be her true
love. But how could my spell have gone so wrong? With a small sigh, she turns into a
small, birdlike creature and flies off. The other follows.

Hey, I say to King Louis, you want to listen to my iPod?

The king looks shocked. Whator whois an iPod? Its something from the twenty-first century. You can listen to music on it. Do you like
music?

I adore music, Talia says.

The king sighs. I used tothree hundred years ago. He glares at Talia once again.

Here. I take it out. Im glad this getup they put me in has pockets and that I thought to
put the iPod in one of them. I wish I had something classical, maybe Gregorian chant. The
closest I have is classic rock, some Beatles songs my sister likes. I find Yesterday. You
put in these earbuds.

In my ears?

Sure. That way, you can listen to music without any- one else hearing it.

The king looks like he still doesnt get it, but he sticks the earbuds in. Now what?

You push that. Here. Ill do it for you. I lean over and push it for him. Obviously, these
people are button- challenged.

Can he hear us? Talia whispers. When I say no, she turns to the queen. Mother, please make
him stop being so cruel. This is not my fault.

The queen shakes her head. Oh, Talia.

Then you are against me, too? I hate this! I wish I could simply run away. She turns to
me. How did you get here? To Euphrasia?

I already told you, I came through the hedge.

No. Before that. How did you get to Europe from . . . Florida? King Louis takes out the earbuds. He sighs. How I long for yesterday.

Which is a line from the Beatles song.

You mean to say, young man, he continues, that in your century, they have found a way to
preserve this mans singing and put it into a minuscule box, all so that one can listen to
music without the bother of having it performed, without having to dress and gather and
dance, that in your timewhich, by unfortunate accident, is now my time as welleach man can
live entirely in his own world?

I nod. Cool, isnt it?

The king hands me back the iPod. The lord across from me looks like he might want to have
a listen, but he doesnt dare ask. I should have been dead three hundred years ago, the
king continues. I should have . . . He glares at Talia again. . . . and I would have, had
you merely kept away from spindles as you were told.

By all the saints! Talia cries. Talia, her mother cautions. Do not swear. I will swear,
Mother. I am done being obedient. Obe-

dience has done me no good. Father may be peevish to me, but I will not stand to see him
being so to our guest. We are very much in Jacks debt. Had he not kissed me He what?! the king roars.