Young Writers Society

“What do you think, milady?” Nova asked, spinning the chair around to face the washroom mirror.

Lady Alberta turned a critical eye to her maid’s handiwork. Her hair had been transformed from its usual simple coiffe into an elaborate updo, all glossy locks and face-framing waves. “Not what I was expecting, if I’m honest.”

“I can redo it, if you’d like,” Nova offered. She prodded the mass of strands, fiddling with loose pieces here and there. “What don’t you like about it?”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it.” Alberta’s mouth transformed into a devious grin. “I daresay you’ve surpassed my expectations. I adore it!”

Nova grinned. “I’m glad. If you’d like, I can help you get into your gown for the wedding.”

“Oh, thank you. Remember, I’m supposed to be playing harp during the ceremony, so I’ll need to have it on by—”

Before Alberta could finish her thought, a hurried knock sounded at her bedroom door. She and Nova exchanged puzzled looks.

“Who could that be?” she wondered aloud. “I should think that everyone would be preparing for the wedding, given that Sir Province invited the whole castle.” (She refrained from adding that the court painter had done so much to the chagrin of his husband-to-be, Lord Ottawa, the court mage, who wanted a quieter affair. Every time she saw him in the weeks after the invitations were sent out, his sentences were punctuated by mopey sighs.)

Nova went to check the door. Alberta heard the sound of it opening, followed by the soft murmur of conversation before it shut once more.

“It’s Lord Ottawa’s apprentice,” Nova said, entering the washroom. “Halifax, I believe. They asked to see you. Should I let them in?”

“Halifax?” Alberta said, her eyes widening. “Why are they here?”

Nova shrugged. “They said something about the wedding…”

Alberta’s stomach dropped. “Oh no. I thought we had settled that!”

Nova’s eyebrows puckered. “Settled what?”

“Well.” Alberta began to shift her eyes around the room, never staying focused on one place for too long. “They may have asked me to be their plus one. And I may have not-so-kindly declined.”

Nova crossed her arms reprimandfully. “I hope you apologized.”

“I did!” Alberta insisted, eyes wide. “I swear I did! I…” She trailed off, then hmphed. “Fine. You can let them in.”

With a last reproachful look, Nova went back to the door and opened it, ushering Halifax inside. They entered, their round face looking slightly green.

Alberta crossed her arms, frowning. “Well? My answer hasn’t changed, you know.”

Halifax’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion behind their wire spectacles. “What?”

“About the wedding.”

“Oh! That,” they said. “I’m not here about that. No, the circumstances of my coming are much more worrying.”

“So?” Alberta looked at them expectantly.

“If I tell you, you have to promise to keep it a secret.”

“I promise,” Alberta said quickly.

Halifax glared at her over their glasses. “Really promise.”

Alberta rolled her eyes. “I oh-so-solemnly swear that whatever it is you’re about to tell me, I will keep it secret and safe until I die a horrible death.”

Halifax frowned, looking hurt. “This isn’t a joke, you know.”

Alberta sighed. “I’m sorry. I promise. Honestly.” Halifax glanced at Nova, who gave them a curtsy and her word as well.

“Alright.” Halifax took a deep breath before starting to speak in a hushed tone. “I’m afraid I have… uh….” They mumbled the last part, so quietly Alberta had trouble hearing.

“I didn’t quite catch what you said,” Alberta said, leaning in.

Halifax blushed. “Sorry. I mean to say that I may have lostheringsfortheseremony.”

Alberta sighed. “You’re still mumbling.”

“I lost the rings for the ceremony!” Halifax blurted. “I didn’t mean to, it just happened, and I feel terrible because Lord Ottawa and Sir Province were counting on me to make sure everything went according to plan with the celebration and now it's all crumbling and it will be the worst wedding ever and it’s all my fault!”

Alberta blinked, mouth parted in slight surprise, as she took in Halifax’s outburst and following sobs.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Nova said, coming over to give a comforting pat on Halifax’s shoulder. “Why don’t you start from the beginning. Alberta, have you got a hanky?”

Alberta’s eyes had already begun to narrow as she pondered what Halifax had said, barely registering what Nova had asked of her. “What? Oh. Here.” She halfheartedly tossed her handkerchief at Halifax; it landed on their metallic olive-green apprentice robes before dropping to the ground. “Now tell me everything.”

“Well,” Halifax began. “I’m supposed to be the one to carry and present the rings.”

“Hang on,” Alberta said. “Doesn’t that duty usually fall to the parents of the couple?”

“It does, but Sir Province’s have passed away and Lord Ottawa’s are in such a deep meditative state he didn’t want to wake them.”

“Ah. I see. Carry on.”

Halifax cleared their throat. “Anyways. They asked me to do it a few weeks ago, and I just couldn’t say no. Technically, I never said yes, either— just sort of stood there with my mouth open while they talked and then left. I’d hoped they’d forgotten about asking me, but yesterday, they gave me the rings. I put them in a box and cast a protective spell on it that theoretically, only I could break. I know for certain they were there this morning, since I triple-checked the box after I woke up. Then Lord Ottawa called me for help magically hemming his wedding robes, and when I got back to check on them once more, they were gone!”

“I daresay we’ve got a robbery on our hands!” Alberta exclaimed. “I assume the rings were expensive?”

Halifax gazed at her and nodded, eyes deep with dread. “Very.”

“And there’s no chance you could have misplaced them?” Nova inquired.

“I searched my whole room and even took a stab at some finding spells. If they were in there, I’d know it.”

“This whole situation is certainly fishy,” Alberta mused.

“Oh, I do hope not,” Halifax said, looking even sicker than they had been before. “I’ve got a seafood allergy.”

“Strange. Befuddling. Wonky. Positively flabbergasting,” Alberta elaborated. “Or, in other words, my exact cup of tea.” With a flourish, she jammed the deerstalker she’d stashed in her pocket on top of her wedding-ready coiffe. Nova let out a tiny oh as her hard work was ruined.

“No time to waste!” Alberta said, rushing towards the door, pausing only to snatch her trench coat from the stand by the door. In her wake, Nova and Halifax exchanged dubious glances before bolting after her.

—

“Now, Halifax, not to worry you, but how easy would the rings be to replicate?” Alberta asked, en route to Halifax’s chambers. She’d decided to begin her investigation at the scene of the crime itself. “Is it something we could go to the smithy for? I’ve heard Nuna does wonders with jewelry.”

“Nuna designed the rings,” Halifax moaned. “Sir Province and Lord Ottawa told me about it. Apparently the gold is Seelkee-made and absolutely ancient. She’d know right away if we went and asked her to make new ones.”

“Could you create one with magic?” Nova asked. “The new railing you conjured for the fifth grandest staircase in the castle was some fine metalwork.”

“That took weeks and weeks,” Halifax said. “We’ve got hours. And Nuna would be able to see through any shiny illusion, not to mention Lord Ottawa, only the finest mage in the queendom.”

“That does pose a problem,” Alberta mused. “Not to worry! Nova and I are the finest sleuthing team in the queendom. We’ll sniff out these rings—and most importantly, whoever took them.”

As the trio rushed around the corner, they slammed right into another hurrying party. After garbled apologies and dusting themselves off, they realized who it was.

“Sir Province,” they murmured, giving slight bows.

He flushed, partly due to the formal treatment, partly from the fluster of having fallen. “Oh please, you know I’m not one for traditions. I think it’s silly, wedding couples being treated like royalty.”

“There’s nothing silly about love,” Nova said. “It’s an awfully brave thing to state and swear continued devotion to another.”

“Yes, I suppose it is,” Sir Province replied. His eyes widened as he registered Alberta’s getup. “Don’t tell me the prince is missing again!”

“As far I know, no,” Alberta said, “though one can never be too sure. In fact, we’re searching for something on behalf of Halifax.”

“Really? Perhaps I can help,” Sir Province said. “What is it?”

“Well, it’s—”

“—my lucky pocketwatch!” Halifax interjected, glaring at Alberta with wide eyes. “How else will I know when to walk down the aisle with the rings that I most definitely have in my possession!”

As they finished talking, Sir Province began shifting from foot to foot and checked his own wristwatch. “Now that you mention it, I’ve got to go. I promised Ottawa I’d check on the florist.” With that, he turned on his heel and marched back the way he had come.

Halifax furrowed their brows. “But Lord Ottawa said… Sir Province!” they called down the hallway. “Lord Ottawa has already checked them!” But Sir Province was already out of earshot.

They shrugged. “Ah well. I think he’ll figure it out. Besides, anything to keep him busy and away from our search for the rings.”

“Righty-o,” Alberta said, giving her deerstalker one last prod into place and tightening her trench coat. “Onwards!”