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said the queen. “The king had long been under his wife’s spell, and her death left him in no condition to rule. Snow was too young to rebuild her nation. The more power hungry of her kin saw her as an obstacle to the throne, and wanted her hanged for matricide.”
    Snow glanced down. Ebony hair hid her eyes as she fixed her shirt. “Queen Beatrice and King Theodore helped my cousin Laurence take the throne.”
    “He was a less bloodthirsty choice than the others,” the queen said. “We did what we could to help his cause. But by the time he took control, Snow’s guilt was too firmly established in the minds of her people. When we attended his coronation, Laurence disguised Snow as a servant and helped me sneak her out of the country when we departed.”
    “I always liked Laurence,” Snow said.
    “I’m sorry,” Danielle said, not knowing what else to say. Her own stepmother, for all her flaws, had never tried to murder her. “I thought... I thought it was only a story.”
    “It is,” Snow said. “That doesn’t mean it’s not true. Just ask Sleeping Beauty there.”
    Talia sighed. “You know how I hate that name.” “Yes, I do,” Snow said, grinning.
    “Sleeping Beauty?” Danielle turned to Talia. At first, all she could think to say was, “Aren’t you married?”
    “Hardly,” said Talia.
    “But the stories, your prince awakened you with a kiss, breaking the fairy curse and—”
    “Sometimes the stories are wrong,” Talia interrupted. “Snow, have you had any luck finding the prince?”
    The amusement vanished from Snow’s face. “No.”
    Danielle’s stomach tightened. “What’s happened to Armand?”
    “He disappeared sometime last night,” Beatrice said softly. She looked away, and in that moment, Danielle saw a tired aging woman, not a queen with the strength and confidence of royalty. Queen Beatrice was afraid. “By the time I knew he was in danger, it was too late.”
    “Nobody told me,” Danielle whispered.
    Back home, such an unspoken accusation would have landed her in the attic, locked away for the rest of the day. Beatrice looked... not angry, but sad.
    “We needed to know you weren’t involved,” said Talia, her words striking like knives. “There have been other attempts on the royal family over the years. Beatrice trusted you, but—”
    “I do trust you,” the queen interrupted. “But where my son is concerned, it’s hard for me to trust myself. With so much at stake, I took Talia’s fears to the king, who agreed. I’m sorry for that, and you have every right to be angry.”
    “I’m not angry,” Danielle said automatically.
    “You should be.” Beatrice stepped closer, her fingertips closing gently around Danielle’s shoulders. “One day, I hope you’ll feel safe enough here to express that anger.”
    “Just don’t express it as much as Talia,” Snow said. “Or as violently. I’ve already had to replace three shelves down here.”
    Talia stood with her arms folded, watching Danielle like a falcon waiting for its prey to make a move. “The odds were against you being involved, but we had to know. When your stepsister arrived today, I thought she had come either to conspire with you or to issue her demands for Armand’s release.”
    She couldn’t blame them. Danielle was still an outsider here, an upstart girl who had dared to marry a prince. How could they not suspect her? She clutched the wounded pigeon close, automatically stilling her face to keep the hurt from showing. “Snow was the one who helped you get back inside the room?”
    “I can do a lot through my mirrors,” Snow said.
    “For which I’m in your debt.” Beatrice gave a slight bow in Snow’s direction, then turned her attention back to Danielle. “I knew as soon as I awoke that Armand was in trouble. Snow confirmed it with her mirror. Theodore has already dispatched scouts to search the port where he disappeared, but they won’t arrive for another day.”
    “I tracked