Pennilane tapped her foot with nervous energy in the royal castle of Kingdom, summoned for some mysterious reason yet untold to her, sitting alone in a small annex outside of the throne room. The woman longed for her more natural habitat in the Forest of Death in Ozark’s territory, patrolling its borders, ensuring trespassers wouldn’t invade. She hadn’t spent significant time in the castle even though the queens of Kingdom were all her friends. Pondering her current situation, Pennilane fingered one long white whisker and recalled the scene that had brought her here.

Queen Cinderella had come to her home at midday to visit her and her adopted father Ozark, a druid of immense power. Impartial to most visitors, Pennilane, a selkie, rushed to greet her friend the queen. The selkie had expected Cinderella would hog the conversation, but her friend surprised her when she listened excitedly to the Pennilane’s tales of hunting phantoms within Ozark’s territory. After she had finished, her friend had asked her to return to the castle.

The door opened and Cinderella bustled in—all skirts and petticoats. Her old name, Radiance, suited her expression today as she beamed at the selkie. Cinderella had changed since the time when she and Pennilane had stood together, facing a hostile army in the conflict for Kingdom’s throne.

Pennilane had fought in the battle for the throne but not for herself or her people. She didn’t care about Kingdom’s prophecy—a tale told to generation after generation of how five sisters would become queens after they deposed a corrupt king. Pennilane had charged into the battlefield to keep her best friend Cinderella alive. Friend? Sister described her better. Pennilane knew it but wouldn’t admit it. She had never been closer to anyone else, but now her best friend had four other sisters and lived in this castle.

Lacking the haughtiness of most queens, Cinderella embraced her affectionately. The selkie stiffened, not expecting such a warm greeting. Pennilane asked, “We have been parted for a mere two hours. What warrants this second, loving gesture? Does it involve Ozark’s territory?”

One of the queens’ first edicts was to respect the land within Kingdom belonging to Ozark. This territory became the only “foreign soil” in Kingdom, and the queens and their subjects were forbidden to enter it. Ozark possessed many acres of land within the center of the Forest of Death, and it provided a haven for minimized or abused people.

The queen regarded her with lively eyes. “No, recall my promise at my coronation celebration.” She paused and allowed the selkie to cast her thoughts back.

Pennilane had crowned Cinderella at the coronation ceremony. The selkie had symbolized Ozark’s recognition of the queens as the official rulers of Kingdom. The queens’ first day as rulers was perhaps Pennilane’s happiest day of her unfortunate life. At a tender age, she had witnessed human hunters slay her parents for their pelts. Before he died, her father urged her to leave behind her outer covering and flee from the murderers. She escaped her seal layer and sprinted away from everyone and everything she loved. Because she left her outer skin behind, she no longer could turn into her seal form except to sprout and retract her whiskers at will. Without her whiskers, she could pass as human.

Across the room, a small mirror on the wall reflected her smooth, brown-complected face and curly, dark hair, along with an expression of incomprehension of Cinderella’s coronation reference.

Cinderella pulled back. Her face lit the room as bright as a star on a winter’s night. She spoke with a slight lisp. “The queens will pronounce an edict one hour from now. I will read it from the balcony and Celeste will cast a spell to allow everyone in every town and village to hear it. We have abolished any hunting of your kind.”

Pennilane tilted her head. “What has that to do with me? Selkie hunting is already illegal.”

“You misunderstand me, Wuhguh,” Cinderella used Pennilane’s seal name that nobody else knew. “All seal hunting shall be illegal. Hunters may no longer hide behind the excuse they could not tell the difference between a seal and a selkie. We banned it all.”

Pennilane had urged Cinderella for more protection for selkies and now her friend had accomplished it. “How did you get your sisters to agree to this? Helga, in particular, grew up among seal hunters. Her community wear the skins of my people.”

“‘Twasn’t easy.” Cinderella’s face fell a bit. “We queens have had our disagreements, but this one was the worst. We yelled a lot and hurt each other’s feelings. Helga said we may regret it, but she agreed to the edict in the end.”

Pennilane’s eyes locked on Cinderella’s as she thought about the new law. “Does this mean you will forcibly remove seal skins from humans who wear them? They are an affront to my people. We should return them to the sea to rest with their slain owners.”

Cinderella replied, “I am afraid not, Pennilane. It only abolishes seal hunting.” 

Pennilane frowned. “Certainly, you shall imprison all hunters who have abused my people for decades? Murderers shall finally face justice.”

Cinderella shifted. “It does not include punishment for past misdeeds. I had a hard time convincing the others to make seal slaying illegal from this point onward.”

Pennilane turned away, showing only her profile to her friend. “The edict does not go far enough. My people need reparation for the abuses done to them. Do you think, after years of fear and savagery, we will forget our past? Do you believe we shall live peacefully next to people who hunted and killed our parents and brothers and sisters?”

Cinderella tapped the ends of her fingers together. “Pennilane, the edict is the first step. Enforcing this law will be hard enough. It shall shock the people of Kingdom.”

“But it does not go far enough.”

“Some would say it goes too far,” replied Cinderella. “I am learning how hard it is to rule. You cannot have everything all at once. Even queens must agree to concessions and compromises to achieve our goals. I must balance the needs of all subjects.”

Pennilane leaned away from the queen. “Is this my friend speaking to me?”

Cinderella tapped her foot. “Really, Pennilane. Think of what you ask. We do not have enough prisons to hold all the seal hunters in Kingdom. If I imprisoned half of them, I would have to let free others who have committed far worse crimes. Be reasonable.”

Pennilane stiffened. “Before you were a queen, you did not talk like this. You have changed.”

Cinderella reached for Pennilane’s hand but the selkie retracted it. The queen lowered her eyes. “I am sorry you feel that way. Yes, I have changed, but I am doing what I can. You must have patience and believe in me. I only want the best for you and your people.”

Pennilane fingered her whiskers. “Then pass another edict imprisoning all seal slayers. You have the power to do it. Use it!”

Cinderella folded her hands but didn’t respond. Pennilane stepped around her and marched out of the room.

***

While reflecting on her conversation with Cinderella, Pennilane patrolled the outer border of Ozark’s territory in the Forest of Death. Her best friend had compromised the selkie’s wish she had shared with her when they were younger. They had slept under the stars in these very woods, side-by-side, expressing their deepest desires to one another. Cinderella had told her how the person she loved the most had overlooked her while on the quest for his “mysterious maiden” at the festival. He had only one item of hers, her slipper, and he had never thought of trying it on her, believing her a slave, not a stepdaughter. She had run away to the Forest of Death seeking her own end, but Ozark had given her a home instead, and the friendship between her and Pennilane had blossomed.

The other creatures were similar to Pennilane. They sought a haven, a sanctuary from the abuses of Kingdom’s rulers. When Pennilane told Cinderella her past, how her parents had been slaughtered in front of her as a pup under the guise of seal slaying, the runaway’s eyes filled with tears. The meaningless act of their murder strictly for their skins had made Cinderella weep, unable to catch her breath. Her sorrow had touched Pennilane in a way nothing had before, and they embraced and solidified a friendship. A cruel world had cast the two of them out, and their arms wrapped around each other, supporting the other in her time of need.

As the months passed, Pennilane grew closer to this strange, human girl. One day while on a stroll together, a troll had emerged from the underbrush, and Pennilane threw herself before her friend, risking her life for the waif until a dryad guard had chased it away. The encounter proved to both of them the selkie would die for Cinderella.

Pennilane pushed a branch out of her way with her spear as she journeyed forward. And then, this small, insignificant girl became a queen! She thought Cinderella may turn away from her, but her friend remained loyal. The princess asked her—an orphaned selkie—to crown her queen! Pennilane knew Cinderella’s request of her presence at the coronation symbolized a gesture of friendship to Ozark’s clan as well as water-folk like the selkies, merpeople, and sirens. The queen didn’t hide her intent from her, but Pennilane realized Cinderella may have chosen the selkie herdmistress who held authority over the sea. Instead, she chose her friend, a selkie, stuck in her original form after the seal hunters stole her skin—a broken and abandoned creature with no home or kinfolk.

At the coronation festival, Cinderella promised her she would seek vengeance for her people. She hadn’t thought about it much until Cinderella had broached the subject. She was a queen! She had the power to right this injustice!

Pennilane twirled her spear while she slipped between two trees. She didn’t know if she would ever speak to Cinderella again now. After she had left the castle, she had returned to Ozark and reported to him what had happened but had suppressed her opinions about the new law. Ozark had listened but made no remark. Strange of him to remain silent.

“Look what we have here!”

The voice broke her from her reverie, and she spun around to face three men. The first, a lanky human with a tunic hanging down on him like on a scarecrow, sneered at her. Beside him, a squat dwarf held a parchment and ogled her with wide eyes. The speaker, the third of the three, a bald, broad-shouldered human with a gold pin sticking sideways through the cartilage of his nose, stood behind the other two.

“You are trespassing!” Pennilane stomped her weapon. “Retreat now before I take action.”

The bald man said, “Is she the one, Kryke?”

The dwarf turned the paper around and Pennilane spotted a sketch of her image. “Assuredly.”

Pennilane readied her spear. “I do not know what you want with me, but you must leave. Now.”

The lanky one with a dumb expression made a gesture and the spear leaped from Pennilane’s fingers into the air and turned on her. The point jabbed into her chest and forced her backward. Shocked, she obeyed its command.

The bald man stepped forward. “Nicely done, Master Quirl. Most do not recognize him as a spell-wielder. Yet he has fought side-by-side with Queen Helga. She does not choose her companions rashly.”

“Who are you?”

The bald man retrieved a knife from a sheath on his belt. “You may call me Shane. I have fought for years for Lord Helvys, Queen Helga’s father, before I retired to become a simple hunter.”

Pennilane stepped back and the spear followed her. She needed time to think of a strategy to defeat these men. “And what do you want with me?”

The dwarf spoke—his voice high and squeaky. “The queens’ ascension blessed Kingdom. We all anticipated better times. Queen Cinderella was gracious and spoke of wanting the best for all. And then you turned her against us!”

Shane continued, “That stupid edict. It has cost us our livelihood. The three of us have never broken a law and have been loyal subjects. Quirl fought for the queens when they needed an army to overthrow the king. I congratulated Queen Helga when she and her sisters came to Nor on their first royal visit. You know what Cinderella announced to the people of Nor? ‘I only hope we can live up to your expectations.’”

Quirl pointed at her. “You turned her against us.”

Pennilane’s eyes darted to each of them. “You are trespassing on Ozark’s territory. The queens have forbidden Kingdom’s people from coming here.” 

Quirl gestured and the spear stuck its point into her arm deep enough to draw blood. “Why is it you may move freely between the territory and Kingdom? Hardly seems fair since you are not a Kingdom resident.”

Pennilane stepped back again and her foot brushed a rock the size of an apple. An idea formed as the spear followed her. She dug her toe in the dirt under the dornick. “Queen Cinderella makes her own decisions. She does not consult me.”

“’Tis you who influences her. She would—”

Pennilane moved swiftly. She lifted her knee, balancing the rock on the top of her foot then propelled it upward and grabbed it with her left hand. The men prepared for battle but she moved fast. The spear jabbed at her but she dodged it and threw the rock at Quirl’s forehead. The rock bounced off the skin between his eyes and he fell backward. At the same time, her spear fell to the ground.

Pennilane didn’t have time to grab the spear as the two men advanced on her. Shane’s knife slashed at her as Kryke unsheathed a short sword. He swung the sword outward to cleave her midriff. Pennilane leaped backward, sucking in her gut as the point sliced through the air the distance of a fingernail away from her skin.

She remembered a trick Helga had pulled on her once. With her left hand, she stuck her index and middle fingers into Shane’s eyes, and with her right hand, she grabbed Kryke’s wrist, preventing him from backslashing with his weapon. Both actions happened simultaneously, and they parried her opponents’ attacks.

Shane cried and retreated a step. Pennilane lifted her foot, and when he opened his eyes, her boot heel connected with his face, hurtling him further backward. She twisted the dwarf’s arm until his wrist snapped, and Kryke dropped his sword. She released him and he cowered while cradling his wrist with the other hand.

With the agility of a seal in the water, Pennilane swept up both the spear and the sword. She aimed the point of the spear at Shane and the sword at Kryke. “You are defeated.”

Shane howled his displeasure and started forward. The selkie thrust her spear into his shoulder and his voice rose an octave from anger to agony. Pennilane snorted. “Retreat. I am in the right to kill you, but I will let you retrieve your partner and return to Nor.”

“Give me my sword,” demanded the dwarf.

Pennilane listed her head. “Ozark thanks you for your donation. Now begone before I change my mind.”

Shane shook with anger. “We shall tell the queens about your assault.”

Pennilane made a motion with her spear as if she meant to use it. The men turned and grabbed their companion, lifting his head and feet, and marched away. Pennilane, eyes narrowed, watched them retreat. When they were a good distance away, she dropped the sword to her side but readied the spear in case they returned.

“Regret letting them go?”

Pennilane spun around and fumbled with the spear. Five feet behind her stood Ozark, draped in a treen cloak and cowl. He enchanted his garments to have the durability of wood but the flexibility of clothing. The cloak, one of Ozark’s mystical artifacts, made him the formidable opponent his reputation claimed.

Pennilane lowered her spear. “The trespassers deserve it.”

Ozark’s eyes lowered to the forest’s floor. “You are two measures beyond my territory.”

Pennilane’s mouth dropped and looked at her feet. She scooped up the sword and then scurried back across the boundary, returning to the druid’s side. “I do not know how I lost track of my position.”

The druid, one of the few who used contractions in Kingdom, said, “I didn’t abandon you, but I couldn’t attack them while you were on their ground. As it turns out, I nearly broke my own law and crossed the boundary to assist you.”

“You would not.”

The druid’s eyes shifted to her. His lined face scowled. Instead of responding, he raised his cloak and it grew in size, enveloping both of them. In the next moment, Pennilane found herself in the middle of Ozark’s hut—small, living quarters but filled with powerful artifacts.

Ozark folded his arms. “Why did you advance beyond the boundary?”

Pennilane turned away from the druid. “Why ask me? You know I was distracted.”

“Indeed. You have been distracted ever since returning from the royal castle.”  Ozark touched the cleft in his chin. “Normally, I would not consider it my affair, but when it interferes with one of my rules, I must ask what is on your mind?”

Pennilane’s fingers brushed a wooden chime. Sparks of light emanated from it rather than sound. “I will not let it capture my attention any longer.”

“Is it the Pinnipedian Edict?”

Pennilane turned around quickly. “Do not read my mind!”

Ozark inclined his head toward her. “I would never.”

“Then how did you know? Have you discussed this with Cinderella?”

“I have not. The edict is the talk of Kingdom…even here. And of course, it concerns your kind.”

“Indeed.”

The druid allowed a pause to fill his hut. “It does not surprise me Cinderella would introduce this law given your friendship. I fear her haste to get this edict passed has hurt her reputation early in her reign, but it’s a testimony of her love for you.”

“She loves only her husband.”

“You know what type of love I mean.”

Pennilane stepped toward the druid. “If she loved me so much, why go halfway? She should have thrown all seal hunters in prison and had them return our skins to us! She has only bandaged the wound…not healed it.”

Ozark’s face remained impassive at Pennilane’s objection. “She has done the best she could. I’m proud of her.”

“Of course you are,” spat Pennilane.

“Pennilane, attend to me.”

The selkie took her time to face him.

The druid, arms crossed, stared into her eyes. “My father hunted all types of animals. I am sure he hunted seals. When I told him I wanted to study magic, he was disappointed. He thought hunting a high art form.”

Pennilane gripped the edge of a chair. “Why did you never tell me this?”

“I know you wouldn’t trust me after I confessed it.”

“How can I ever now?”

“Pennilane, I’m not my father. I don’t hate him for who he was, but I’m not proud of what he did. I’m a druid. My life is devoted to preserving the fauna and flora of the forests of Kingdom.”

Pennilane realized the truth of his statement and it abated her anger slightly. “You should have told me.”

“You’re too focused on yourself to realize what Cinderella has done,” said Ozark. “Hunters across Kingdom awoke to find they’re no longer allowed to hunt a lucrative species. This differs from when they abolished pixie scalping. Everyone knew to remove the hair from pixies was an odious act. The people do not view seal hunting in the same way. Some families rely on seal meat to survive. Hunters say they feed the poor with the meat.”

“’Tis murder.”

“I agree. You know me well enough to know my mind, but you must understand Cinderella is in a precarious situation. If she adds onto this edict and returns seal skins to the selkies, the people, those who aren’t hunters but rely on the skins, will turn against her. And then you want to lock up hunters? They hunt other animals than seal, my young selkie. Their children, lacking parents, will become criminals.”

Pennilane pursed her lips but didn’t speak.

“Let the ghosts of the past sort it out. Cinderella has created a future for your kin.”

Pennilane grunted. “I suppose we should thank her? Bow down for doing what is right?”

“You aren’t listening.”

“I hear you clearly. You have taken her side again. You have always been fond of her. More than all of us.”

Ozark flinched and unfolded his arms. His head lowered. “You know I try to love all equally. I admit I’ve failed when it comes to Cinderella. I’m very fond of her. Ever since this edict has passed, I’ve lived in fear that I can’t keep her safe.”

Embarrassed, Pennilane lowered her head. She used the tip of her boot to push away a large tome. “You rarely confess your feelings. You sound like her father.”

“A father’s life is harder than a druid’s. I didn’t seek it out. She wandered into my territory. I couldn’t have predicted how much I favor her.”

Pennilane stood still. “You have never talked like this before.”

“I trust you with it, Pennilane. You may be upset with Cinderella, but I know you love her as much as she loves you. Perhaps more.”

“I am not upset with her,” Pennilane pushed the tome back into place with her boot. “I am disappointed.” She released a long sigh. “I will redouble my efforts to pay attention to my surroundings and patrol our territory effectively.”

“No doubt you would if you were to remain here.”

Pennilane eyed him with distrust. “What do you mean?”

“I would like you to return to the royal castle and take a position as Cinderella’s guardian. Cinderella and I have granted you citizenship. You are the ideal candidate. Go to her. She needs you now.”

“Is that a request? Or a demand?”

“I would never demand it. I promised you a safe home here. But times are dire with the passing of this edict. I ask you to search your conscience. You know I’m right. You must leave.”

“I see. ’Tis about her.” Pennilane pointed at herself. “What I want means nothing to you.”

The selkie marched to the door of the hut and put her hand on the frame to push it open. Ozark interrupted her with a final statement. “You misunderstand me, Pennilane. A good father lets his children grow up and leave him. He cannot protect them forever.”

***

From a distance, Pennilane spotted red glows from the royal city of Town. Nighttime had descended, and the selkie had traveled across Kingdom in a disguise. As she approached the main bridge across River into Town, she realized the glows were multiple bonfires spread throughout the neighborhood surrounding the royal castle. Small fires were common across Town on cold and dark nights, but the weather was warm tonight, and the numerous flames warned Pennilane danger awaited her in the city.

She slipped under the main arch into a square where a large fire burned with a crowd gathered around it. People threw items into the blaze and shouted, shaking their fists and raising their tools like weapons. The subject of the protests reached her ears from yards away and rose in volume as she drew near.

“Down with Queen Cinderella!”

“We wants our hunting back. We ’as a right!”

“Fie on despots!”

A woman ascended a pyramid of crates near the fire. The flames illuminated her face, giving her a ruddy appearance. She raised her hands. “I have hunted seals my entire life. What will I do now? How will I feed my children?”

The crowd roared their approval. She paused until they quieted down and continued. “Queen Cinderella sits in her castle, warm and well-fed. She has her power and her perfect husband. My husband is dead and I had to make my own way in life. And now she asks me to find a new way to make my income? ’Tis not fair to me and mine!”

Again, shouts of indignation and sympathy accompanied the woman as she jumped from the makeshift stage. Pennilane melted into the shadows while she observed the scene with disbelief. She wouldn’t have ever believed the peasants would have revolted. Where were the soldiers to keep the peace? She surveyed the mob and saw two members of Kingdom’s army standing at the other side of the fire, shields ready but otherwise still. Stealthily, she made her way to them through the crowd.

She spoke behind them. “How fare you tonight?”

They glanced over their shoulders at Pennilane, not recognizing her as Cinderella’s friend, and returned their attention to the bonfire. “’Tis too hot a night for a fire,” a blonde woman soldier responded. The other, an elf with dark features, removed his hat and mopped his brow.

“I am a stranger here,” lied Pennilane. “I do not understand what the crowd is doing.”

The elf kept his eyes glued to the fire. “The queens passed an edict abolishing seal hunting. The people are protesting it.”

Pennilane reached for her whisker, forgetting she had retracted it. “The queens will surely suppress this when they learn of it.”

The blonde set her shield down and unhooked a canteen from her belt. “How little you understand our monarchs. They know about it. Queen Penta has proclaimed as long as it remains peaceful, they are allowed to assemble and voice their opinions. We are here to ensure the crowd does not get rowdy.”

“I worry they may revolt. Two soldiers seem hardly enough.”

A corner of the elf’s mouth twitched. “They are drunk. Most of them want to sound off.”

Pennilane bit her lip. “Do you agree with the edict?”

The elf nodded. “Elves and animals have always had a better relationship than humans and animals. The edict is common sense to one as me.”

“And you?” Pennilane asked, indicating the other.

“Despite this disturbance, most agree with the queens. Seal hunting is limited and the people have been worried we may kill them all. Only the rich can afford furs made of seal. We guards would not waste our gold on such an extravagant item as a fur.”

“The hunters arranged this protest,” said the elf. “They bought extra rounds tonight to agitate those who do not have a strong opinion. They are making a show of it to persuade the queens to rescind the edict. Once everyone goes home and sleeps it off, all shall return to normal.”

The mob’s tirade went on without any action. Pennilane decided to leave and make her way through Town. She passed bonfire after bonfire similar to the first one she encountered. After passing through a dozen fiery crossroads, she encountered one intersection where the people had looted a store and threw its items into the blaze. Curious about the guards, the selkie spotted a man in the shadows handing money to Kingdom’s soldiers. The warriors accepted the bribe and abandoned their post, slinking away. Worried what the crowd might do, Pennilane decided to stay.

A dwarf climbed a series of barrels and lifted his bulky arms into the air. “Now let us speak freely. This edict is only the start! It shall not be long before these queens declare deer and unicorn hunting illegal. One of Queen Snow White’s friends is a werebear. Do not be surprised if the next law abolishes bear hunting.” He turned his voice to be high pitched like the fair queen’s. “‘What if we kills him by accident?’ she will say. The seal hunters are the first. It shall not end here.”

Several people screamed protests echoing the dwarf’s sentiments.

The speaker turned to the castle. “Something must be done. We need to march on the palace. They want us to talk about this peacefully, but they will not listen without action. They will not respect us unless we show them we are serious.”

“We shall remove them from the throne,” someone shouted. “Many of the soldiers are hunters.”

A woman held her hands aloft and an arc of electricity passed between her fingertips. She shrilled, “Strike down any who dare to get in our way.”

“They shall see! We are united.”

A few people emerged from a store with a raggedy scarecrow. They climbed on top of the barrels and held the simulacrum aloft. A pixie flew near it to cast a spell, and Pennilane gasped when it took on the form of Cinderella. The scarecrow’s head moved back and forth, and it put its hands to its cheeks in mock terror.

The strepitous crowd shook their fists. “Throw her in!”

The people on the barrels swung the caricature of the queen around as the animus of the mob increased. “Cinderella” cried and Pennilane’s heart froze. The simulacrum mimicked the queen’s voice.

Two people threw the scarecrow into the fire, and the effigy shrieked as the flames consumed it. Though but an animated figure, impervious to pain, it wailed as if it were alive and on fire. Blood rushed to Pennilane’s ears and she shrank from the violence. The full horror of the people’s actions settled on her and she turned to the castle to seek out her friend, but a voice froze her in her tracks.

“Stop this!”

The voice rose above the uproar and silenced the crowd. People parted from a yellow-robed, lithe figure near the bonfire. Pennilane stood on her tiptoes and watched as the speaker removed her cowl. Cinderella stood among them, glaring at her effigy as the fire consumed it, the flames dancing in the queen’s pupils.

The people spread out, pushing to the edges of the intersection as Cinderella marched toward the barrels. The people on the ersatz stage jumped down and hid among the mob. Cinderella ascended the barrels and addressed the crowd.

“Shame! This is too much.”

Cinderella’s lisp was pronounced—an indication of her distress. Disappointment etched on her features as if a close friend had betrayed her. “I am your queen. If you disrespect me, you disrespect all of what I stand for…all the lovely people of Kingdom. You are better than this. I know ’tis the drink speaking and not your true selves. Disperse, and we shall address this in the morning.”

At first, Pennilane thought the crowd would obey her. Pairs and trios of people started to shuffle away. Impressed, the selkie lifted her chin. Pennilane knew the people never regarded Cinderella as an enforcer of the laws. Her sisters, Penta and Helga, were thought of as the strength of the queens. The citizens loved Cinderella for her ability to throw lavish festivals across Kingdom; she inspired others to celebrate their lives. Pennilane hadn’t witnessed Cinderella employ a regal stance and an authoritative declaration before. She had underestimated her friend.

When it seemed like Cinderella had the crowd under control, one of the protesters threw a tomato at her. The fruit sailed from the rear of the crowd and landed on the side of the queen’s head, toppling her off the barrels. Pennilane, along with many other residents, gasped. Someone had dared to strike the queen! A moment of silence followed and then the crowd erupted into a cheer.

Pennilane watched in horror as people rushed the unconscious queen and lifted her onto their shoulders. She didn’t believe her eyes as she watched them carry Cinderella to the bonfire. Stalwart to her purpose, she pushed forward through the crowd. As they neared the fire, Pennilane took aim and threw her spear, striking a man carrying the queen’s feet.

Her action delayed their intentions for the queen. Pennilane used the moment to rush forward through the crowd. She pushed the people holding Cinderella aside and caught the queen before she struck the ground.  She cradled her friend as tears pooled in her eyes.

Someone spoke. “Leave her to us, stranger.”

Pennilane glared at the crowd. She allowed her whiskers to emerge from her face. “Never. She is our queen, you jackasses. If you want to kill someone tonight then take me. I will not resist it. I am the instigator behind the edict. Cast me into the flames and she may repeal the law, but do not harm her!”

Rough hands grabbed her and she had to relinquish her friend. The voices around her all called for her death as they lifted her above their heads and carried her to the roaring fire. The flame tongues licked her clothes, and her heart trembled as they toyed tossing her into the pyre.

“On three!”

Out of the corner of her eye, she spied the unconscious queen. They had forgotten Cinderella. Of that, she was proud.

“One!”

She thought of Ozark. She had let him down. Oddly enough, she pictured him smiling at her.

“Two!”

She closed her eyes and remembered her mother and father. She would be with them tonight.

“Thr—”

“Let her down!”

The voice cut across the hubbub as Cinderella’s had minutes before. Pennilane spotted the source as the crowd parted to reveal Penta and Helga. Penta had the ability to teleport and she and her sister had appeared in their midst.

Penta had spoken. Helga eyed the crowd and swung her flail, a ball and chain. The selkie noticed this ball didn’t have its usual spikes. Helga didn’t intend to kill anyone, but she would make them pay. She spoke next.

“If you do not return to your residences, my sister and I will be forced to take action. The better path is to go home and go to sleep.” She rotated around in a circle, glaring at the crowd. “I expect our cathedrals and temples to be overflowing tomorrow. I will check them personally.”

***

Pennilane found herself in the same annex in the castle where she had waited before when Cinderella announced the passing of the edict. She paced around the high-backed chairs avoiding the standing braziers casting a reddish hue over all items in the room. Each time she passed the window, she stopped and surveyed the town. The bonfires extinguished one after another, and the crowd’s uproar dulled to a general murmur. The scent of smoke and musty tapestries, a scuttling bug behind the walls, and a slight breeze upsetting her whiskers all irritated her. She had been reassured Cinderella was unconscious but otherwise unhurt. Her sisters had asked her to wait here until her friend had recovered.

The door opened, Helga strode into the room, and the selkie halted in her tracks. The queen examined the other’s distressed expression. “She awaits you,” Helga said.

Often stoic, Pennilane wrung her hands. Helga led the way from the room and down a wide corridor, an ornate carpet muffling her boots. “She has asked to see you privately.”

Pennilane halted, staring at the cobbled floor. “I do not deserve her attention. I caused all of this.”

Helga motioned for her to follow. “Cinderella and I debated this edict for a long time. She is easily swayed on many issues, but she stood firm on this one. I knew it would make her unpopular, but I admire her more for standing up for what she believes in.”

Helga pointed at a stone wall. Pennilane turned and faced it. “She nearly died.”

Behind her, Helga said, “We are queens. Our lives are always in danger.”

Pennilane noticed a seam in the wall, easily overlooked if casually traveling down the corridor. A secret room. “Cinderella is a benevolent queen. She is not a fighter. I am horrified the people thought of killing her.”

Helga responded in a steady tone. “I do not envy Cinderella’s beauty or her charm. I also do not envy she alone has a husband. Heaven knows I shall never have one. But I do envy one thing she has that I do not.”

Pennilane regarded the queen over her shoulder. Helga’s eyes softened. “Her close friendship.”

She turned on her heel and walked away. Pennilane closed her eyes and then stepped into the wall which offered no resistance. There, reclining on a bed large enough to hold five people, lay Cinderella, silky red sheets and pillows around her. The queen grinned and threw open her arms. Pennilane rushed to her and embraced her, tears in her eyes. “My fault. All mine.”

Cinderella pulled away. “You jester. Of course not. ’Tis a bunch of drunken reprobates.”

Pennilane peered at her forehead. “Goodness, Radiance.”

“’Tis just a little bump.”

“As large as a hen’s egg!”

Cinderella grabbed a mirror on a desk next to the bed and bent her head to examine the wound. “Certainly not! Veils for me for a day, I think. Now, where did this sacrificial notion come from? Your life for mine? Someone in the crowd told my sisters what happened.” Her lower lip trembled. “You almost died tonight.”

“Cinderella! You were the one who nearly died.”

“Oh, Pennilane, I have faced worse situations than that silly mob. No, they were after your blood, not mine. I will have Penta take you back to Ozark’s territory as soon as possible.”

Pennilane shifted on the bed. “I have a different plan. I stay here and protect you.”

Cinderella’s eyes widened. “Oh no, you will not. I command you as your queen to return.”

Pennilane folded her arms. “Recall the law you passed. If rulers give a person contradicting commands, said person is allowed to follow her conscience.”

“What sister of mine commanded you to stay?”

“Not one of your sisters,” answered Pennilane.

Cinderella tilted her head. “Who then?”

“Dad.”

Cinderella’s face brightened, appreciating the moniker Pennilane applied to Ozark, then she pouted. “He always liked you best.”

“Ha!” She deepened her voice and squared her shoulders. “‘Cinderella is queen of Kingdom now. What a delight to have her on the throne.’” She spoke in a perfect imitation of Ozark then returned to her own voice. “How could I possibly compete?”

Cinderella threw her head back and roared with laughter at Pennilane’s mimicry and the selkie couldn’t resist smirking then joining her. They trailed off then started again without warning. When they both settled themselves, the queen took the selkie’s hands and squeezed them. “Have we laughed such since I left the Forest of Death?”

“I do not believe so.”

“We did once.” Cinderella straightened up and grew serious. “This latest event has proved to me that you are right. I need to add to the edict a codicil jailing all who have hunted seals in the past. And I will make them all return their fur.”

Pennilane examined their interdigitated hands. “Please, do not do this.”

Cinderella said, “I thought you would be pleased.”

“I appreciate the gesture, but the past is over and done, and jailing people will do more harm than good. In time, the clothing will wear away and the wrongs done to my people will right themselves. If we imprison seal hunters, they will never forget what you did, and they will act on their indignation. Let us all move beyond this horrible chapter in my people’s history.”

“But the injustice to your kind, Wuhguh.”

Pennilane eyed the queen. “My kind needs a friend on the throne. You should move on and repeal some idiotic tax to regain the hearts of the people of Kingdom again.”

Cinderella snorted. “The last time Penta droned on about taxes, we were so bored. Helga fell asleep.”

Pennilane grinned. “The life of a queen.”

“…is full of risks. You must not protect me. ’Tis far too dangerous.”

“Dangerous? With you?” Pennilane cocked an eyebrow. “Certainly not. You never cause any trouble. You? The subservient, deferential, perfect little wife and queen? Protecting you should be no trouble at all.”

“What does that mean, Whiskers? Are you being sarcastic? Are you actually teasing your queen?”

“Not I, my friend.”