Welcome back to Sweet Pea!

Recap: Adelinde struggled to sleep after the frightening encounter with the werewolves. Wilhelm opened up about his own experiences with fear during his early days as a soldier. As Adelinde fell asleep, Wilhelm began to feel a sense of protectiveness towards the pretty maiden, stronger than anything he’d ever felt before….

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Sweet Pea Table of Contents

An Impromptu Wedding

episode eight

Wilhelm

Rosy sunlight shimmers through the emerald green leaves. I stretch and yawn, pulling bits of bark off my uniform. My eyes refocus on the two sleepers lying next to the dying fire. I blink. Adelinde’s chest gently rises and falls, tangled blonde hair streaming over her face. And in Reginald’s place lies an unfamiliar man with reddish hair, who looks to be in his early forties.

Of course. This is Reginald in his human form, now that the full moon’s power is gone. Unbidden, my father’s voice sounds in my head. “Didn’t I tell you to study Werewolves: Ecology, Behavior, and Management? A good soldier should not be caught off guard by the phenomena around him. A good soldier will anticipate events before they happen, as a result of careful and thorough study.”

Reginald wears nothing but animal skins. Various tattoos all over his gaunt, wiry body, mark him as a member of his pack, as well as his position in the pack, and other information. The werewolf sleeps twisted on his side, and I can’t quite make out his markings and what they mean.

Rustling to my left draws my attention away from the beast. Adelinde stirs, blinking sleepy eyes in the early morning light.

“Did you stay up all night?’ Her voice is slightly raspy, thick with sleep.

I shrug. “The night was almost over anyway.”

Adelinde frowns, opening her mouth to say something, but she’s distracted when she notices Reginald’s changed form.

“Oh, this is wonderful! Now we don’t have to find him a potion. We’ll just need clothes, and…” Her forehead wrinkles as she eyes his tattoos. “And perhaps some cosmetics,” she finishes brightly.

She wakes the sleeping werewolf, who seems to forget he’s injured for a few moments as he leaps to his feet.

“Time to get going. I’m starving.” Reginald leads us through the forest at a quick pace for at least ten minutes before he notices the scratches all over his body. He clutches his leg. “Oh, the pain!” he moans.

I raise my eyebrows skeptically.

Reginald huffs. “The walking,” he whines. “It must have exacerbated my wounds.” He slumps dramatically to the mossy forest floor. “I don’t think I can go on!”

“You’re the only one who knows the way through the portal,” I remind him. “We can’t go on without you.”

Adelinde shoots me a warning look before settling down at Reginald’s side. “Don’t worry, we’ll wait here with you while you rest.”

“Miss Adelinde, I fear we do not have the time—”

The sounds of chatter and cheerful laughter break the silence of the forest. I whirl around. A group of woodcutters tromp through the forest, the lunches wrapped in bright kerchiefs and slung over their shoulders on sticks.

“Hey there!” calls out one burly woodcutters with a curly beard. I glance behind me as the woodsmen approach. Adelinde beams as she steps forward to greet the strange men, but Reginald is nowhere to be seen. He must have slunk behind some bush. Woodcutters are no friends of werewolves.

The woodcutter with a curly beard looks back and forth between Adelinde and me. “And where might you…two be headin’?” His warm brown eyes narrow a little.

I glance at Adelinde’s tangled hair. My rumpled uniform. The early morning sunlight. The woodcutter has the wrong impression about the situation. My face heats.

“We’re heading to Waltzberg, kind sir,” Adelinde chirps.

“For our wedding,” I cut in. I can’t disgrace my uniform. Father would have my hide. Besides, hearing the amused chuckles of some of the men as they look at Adelinde, not to mention the way one of them is looking her up and down appraisingly, is making my blood boil. I don’t want them thinking anything untoward about Adelinde. “We’re getting married in Waltzberg. This morning, in fact.”

Adelinde starts to say something, but I grab her by the waist and pull her to my side before she can. “My bride is very eager that we make the ceremony on time, so if you would excuse us, gentleman?”

Adelinde’s cheeks flush pink as she looks up at me, only the barest hint of surprise registering on her face. In fact, her rosy lips are turned up in a smile. She looks…pleased?

“Why, that’s grand!” exclaims the woodcutter with the curly beard. “We’re headed into Waltzberg now. Walk with us?”

I can’t think of any way to refuse, so we join the woodcutters on their journey through the forest. I attempt to explain, rather clumsily, that we got lost and ran afoul of a strange portal, since some of the woodcutters are still casting suspicious glances at our rumpled clothes.

“Oh, that!” chortles a fat woodcutter. “That portal only comes out at the full moon. Shouldn’t bother us now. We’ll be in Waltzberg before the hour.”

The woodcutters continue joking and telling stories as we walk. Adelinde giggles along with them, but there’s a slight wrinkle above her nose that tells me she’s worried. About Reginald, I wonder? Or about our fake wedding?

I can’t have these woodcutters spreading reports of improper behavior from a uniformed soldier. If we can just slip away from them once we reach Waltzberg, I can ensure Adelinde gets settled in safely wherever she’s going, and no one will be the wiser.

Although I am enjoying the way her hand feels in mine. The thought of leaving her makes my heart sink.

But perhaps she will allow me to call on her later?

Before long, we’ve reached the edge of the forest. Pastel wildflowers fill the long grass of the meadows, waving in the breeze. Tiny cottages dot the horizon. The outskirts of Waltzberg.

An idea forms in my head as we near the little town. It’s not much, just a few shops and a tiny church, its white stone steeple rising to the clear blue sky. I give Adelinde’s hand a little squeeze. “Well, here we are.” I smile at the woodcutters. “Thank you for the pleasure of your company, my good men. We won’t delay you on your journey any longer.”

The men exchange glances.

“Well, I don’t have anywhere to be,” says the stout one.

The woodcutter with the curly beard slaps me on the back. “You’re not going to invite us to witness your wedding, soldier?”

The rest of the woodcutters join in the clamor, insisting that they’ve come all this way with us and it would be a shame not to stay long enough to see us wed.

My face burns. How am I going to get out of this one? Chapter 22 of The Soldier’s Handbook states that a soldier never lets falsehoods leave his lips. As well meaning as my lie was, I regret it heartily. Nothing good ever comes of deception.

But I can’t let Adelinde’s honor be besmirched. I paste a smile on my face, raising an appeasing hand. “Let me just…converse with the pastor for a moment.” I slip into the church doors, hoping none of the men follow me. Perhaps I can convince the pastor to stage something quickly, to placate the woodcutters, and then we can be on our way?

Faded depictions of the saints line the walls, their painted eyes boring into me as I tread down the long aisle. A huge wooden cross hangs at the end of the church. My heart sinks. I can’t ask a pastor to engage in a duplicitous act. Neither can I allow myself or Adelinde to go through with a false ceremony.

Maybe I can tell the woodcutters that the wedding is postponed…that my mother is ill, or my sister is having a baby.

The door creaks open. Sunlight pours through the crack, illuminating a small slice of the stone floor. Adelinde slips in, pausing in the threshold. She’s gazing around the humble church as if she’s never seen one like it. Her eyes wander from the rickety old pews, the yellowed hymnals, and the motheaten kneelers, before falling on me. She skips to my side.

“This is your family’s church?” she whispers in my ear. “It’s lovely. I’m so happy we’re getting married here.”

Her smile is full of hopeful joy. My heart sinks even lower. I’d hoped Adelinde would catch on to my ruse. What maiden wouldn’t wish to protect her honor? But it seems she thinks I am serious about marrying her.

“Miss Adelinde, I—”

She squeezes both of my hands. “I knew I loved you, the moment you saved us from the werewolves. Oh, what a wonderful day!”

My breath catches in my chest as the meaning of what she has said washes over me. Adelinde…loves me? Something tingles in my chest.

Someone clears their throat. I tear my eyes away from Adelinde, finding the pastor standing at the back of the church.

“Can I help you, my friends?” The pastor’s voice is pinched and reedy, yet it echoes in the small space.

I hurry forward. “I don’t suppose you could perform a quick marriage ceremony, could you?”

A smile twitches at the corner of his thin lips. “As long as we’re finished before lunch. Mrs. Posch is baking carrot cake.”

I glance back at Adelinde. She’s leafing through a hymnal, her finger tracing the page as she hums a tune. I don’t have the heart to tell her I wasn’t serious when I told the woodcutters we were getting married. But can I really just marry a girl because I’m afraid of disappointing her?

“This is your intended, I take it?” The pastor pushes his spectacles up his narrow nose.

“I…” I can’t find the words as I stare at Adelinde. She drifts down the aisle, observing every little detail of the church.

“I can see you are very much in love. Are you sure you don’t wish to plan your wedding for a more convenient time, so that all of your family may be gathered around you?”

My mouth falls open in surprise. In love? “What? No! We—that is, I…”

In love?

Adelinde said she loved me. How was that possible? The world feels as if it’s tilting at my feet as I consider the prospect. How could a girl as winsome and pretty as Adelinde be in love with me, the automaton?

“I understand you are anxious to be wed,” the pastor continues. “Young love is like that. But you may regret, later on, that you did not—”

Love. Love? I barely hear the pastor’s words. What does love feel like? I am not sure I have ever experienced it before. I’ve grown up around soldiers. I don’t spend much time around young ladies, at least not outside of the extremely awkward events Mother always tries to arrange for me. I’ve never felt anything but a detached respect for the nervous young ladies who titter behind the fans as they attempt to converse with me over tea cakes, or as I step all over their poor slippered feet during a waltz.

But Adelinde….

Warmth blooms in my chest as I watch her tuck a wayward strand of hair behind one tiny, pearly pink ear.

“I knew I loved you the moment you saved us from the werewolves….”

I don’t know when I fell in love with Adelinde. Or if I really am. All I know is I never want to let her go.

I turn back to the pastor. “I’m afraid we must marry immediately. It’s a matter of….” I remember the woodcutters, waiting outside the door. I can’t let them spread rumors. And I can’t break Adelinde’s heart.

“It’s a matter of honor, you see,” I finish.

The pastor nods gravely. “I suspected as much. Very well. Let’s have a wedding, shall we?”

Adelinde squeals and joins me at the front, entwining her hand with mine. The charms on her bracelet jingle, tapping against the stiff cuff of my uniform.

I swallow hard. If I don’t marry Adelinde right now, I’ll do worse than just breaking her heart.

I’ll be breaking my own along with it.

Thanks for reading Sweet Pea! New episodes drop every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. But for now, let me know what you thought of today’s episode!

May your all your curses transform into charms! 💖✨👛💍👑

Welcome back to Sweet Pea!

Recap: Major Stolz drove the werewolf pack away with a torch. Adelinde was impressed with Major Stolz’s heroism, and began to wonder if the brave soldier might be her true love…

Lost? Catch up on any episodes you missed here!

Sweet Pea Table of Contents

Sunbeam

episode seven

Wilhelm

Reginald is badly scratched, with a huge chunk torn out of one ear, but otherwise, the werewolf is mostly unharmed. I don’t have much in the way of medical supplies on me, but I do my best to patch him up with the little I do have. Reginald moans and whines as I pat his wounds. Adelinde sits on the damp ground, knees hugged close to her chest, watching. Her face is deathly pale, her eyes growing wider and wider as I tend to Reginald’s wounds.

“Owwww!” Reginald moans, covering his face with his paw as I clean a long scratch on his back leg. “Just cut off my leg and be done with it, will you?”

“A scratch like this, deep as it is, shouldn’t cause you to lose your leg,” I inform the werewolf stiffly. “Provided that it’s properly cleaned and taken care of.”

“Great,” grumbles the werewolf. “I’m going to die here in the forest. There’s no good medical care out here, you know.”

Adelinde sucks in a sharp breath.

I shoot the werewolf a vicious glare. “You’re not going to die. Once we’re back in Waltzberg—”

“We’ll never make it there! I can’t walk!”

I highly doubt that all the scratches, numerous as they are, will prevent Reginad from walking. But as much as the werewolf’s whining annoys me, a sinking feeling in my stomach tells me he’s right. We’ll never make it there if Reginald insists on playing the victim, and Adelinde’s blank eyes and pale face are all too familiar. We need to rest before we can move on.

I build a fire, and Reginald starts snoring almost immediately.

“Wonderful.” I stare at the wolf’s snoring face. “I’ll take the first watch. Thanks for asking.”

Adelinde curls up by the fire, eyes open. I poke the flames, listening to the crackling sparks and the rustling of small animals in the bushes.

Adelinde sits up, tucking her knees under her. “I can’t sleep.” She shivers a little, wrapping her arms around herself despite the warmth of the fire, and all of sudden, I’m filled with the overwhelming urge to pull her into my arms and stroke her hair until she falls asleep. Deep purple shadows her eyes, and her lips are chapped. She looks nothing like the cheerful girl I met only a few hours ago, and everything in me longs to bring that girl back.

But I hardly know the young lady. Such thoughts, as per Chapter 22 of The Soldier’s Handbook, are highly inappropriate.

I clear my throat. “Sleep is vital. It will help you recover,” I tell her. Chapter 2 of The Soldier’s Handbook discusses proper habits to ensure good health and physical fitness. “If you don’t sleep…” I trail off at the glazed look in her eyes.

Adelinde rocks back and forth, arms still wrapped tight around her small frame. She’s staring off into the darkness, but I know in my heart she’s not seeing the forest. She’s lost in memories. Terrible memories of all she’s seen.

“I…I saw my first skirmish when I was ten,” I say softly. “My father insisted I go out with the patrol on the Periclase border.”

She frowns, tiny creases appearing between her fair brows. “You were ten?”

I nod. “It’s…expected in my family to serve in the military. My father was the same age when he was made an ensign, and my grandfather was even younger.”

“What happened?” Adelinde asks softly.

I shrug, trying to keep the memories from becoming too vivid in my head. “We ran into a group of Periclasian rebels.”

I’ve sat next to many young, green soldiers, who’ve seen their first action. But never once have I told this story. I can’t appear weak before my men.

But Adelinde is so open. So trusting. I detest seeing her like this. Quiet. Withdrawn.

Broken.

I know the feeling all too well. I swallow, continuing my story. “They must have had some kind of muskets smuggled in from Carnelian. We’d never seen anything like it before. Two of the men fell instantly, and the….”

I don’t want to tell her about the way the blood pooled in the fresh spring grass, spatters marring the vibrant petals of crocuses and daffodils. She’d seen enough blood today. I’m thankful that Reginald’s wounds were minor. I’m thankful that we couldn’t see the werewolf fight from where we sat in the tree. No young lady should have to see that.

No person should have to see it. No one should ever witness the bloody destruction of bodies, of souls stolen too soon.

But someone has to. Someone has to keep everyone safe. At least, that’s what Father always told me.

“What did you do?” Adelinde asks.

I chuckle a little. “Me? I ran. I took cover in a bush. My father berated me when he heard.”

But Mother….

I’ll never forget the way Mother held me tight after Father’s lecture, the strain in her voice as she whispered in my ear. “You stay alive, Willie. I don’t care how many times you have to run and hide. You come home to me.”

Adelinde bites her lip, turning her huge blue eyes on me. The reflection of the flames dance within her eyes. “I’m sorry that happened to you. It never should have. Not at ten.”

Something breaks inside my chest, filling my heart with an ache so deep, I wonder if I’ve carried it around ever since that fateful skirmish when I was ten. I shove the hurt down. “It doesn’t matter. In fact, I admit that I am grateful it happened, in some respects. It—prepared me for—for—” I stop again, not wanting to tell her of the things I’ve witnessed since. The things I’ve done. The things I will continue to do, as long as I wear this uniform.

She uncurls her legs, moving her feet closer to the fire. “I suppose I should prepare myself for what’s to come, too.”

“What’s to come?” Nothing else will happen to her. She’ll find her way safely to Waltzberg. Settle in with her family, or whoever it is who waits there in the capitol for her. Marry some nice young man and raise a family.

No, nothing else will happen to Adelinde. A sense of protection ignites in my stomach. I won’t allow it.

She smiles sadly. “I have something I have to do. Something very difficult. And dangerous.”

I shake my head. “Absolutely not. Whatever it is, surely you can request help from your father, or your brothers.”

She releases a sigh. “I can’t. My father—my brothers–they’re…indisposed.”

“Well, why not go to the authorities? I’m sure they can help.”

She nods, offering me a tight smile. “That’s what I plan to do. Once I reach Waltzberg. I have to get there.”

I nod back, gravely. “And I will assist you, in whatever manner I can.”

“Thank you, Major Stolz.” She settles down on the hard ground. “I think I might try to sleep now.” Her silky blonde hair swirls around her head. I wish I had a pillow to offer her. Or, better yet, a proper bed.

“That’s excellent. You will feel much better after sleep, I can assure you.” I settle back against the tree. “I’ll keep watch. No harm will come to you.”

Her breathing slows, the soft sound even and steady among the crackling flames. That ache in my chest starts to loosen a bit as I watch her. Even at the darkest hour of night, Adelinde reminds me of a sunbeam: bright, golden, direct, warming all it shines upon.

“No harm will come to you,” I repeat, even though I know she won’t hear me. “I promise.”

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Author’s Note: I’ll admit I got a little teary writing this one. Poor Wilhelm! Adelinde is so good for him…I love to see him melting under her sunshiney goodness. And I suspect Wilhelm might be just what Adelinde needs, too….

Thanks for reading Sweet Pea! New episodes drop every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. But for now, let me know what you thought of today’s episode!

May your all your curses transform into charms! 💖✨👛💍👑

Welcome back to Sweet Pea!

Recap: Adelinde, Major Stolz, and the friendly werewolf Reginald were making their way to Waltzberg together when they ran into a nasty werewolf pack. Major Stolz and Adelinde escaped up a tree, but poor Reginald was left down below.

Lost? Catch up on any episodes you missed here!

Sweet Pea Table of Contents

Acorns & Anxiety

episode six

Adelinde

I should have stayed in Wulfenite. Even now, my head pounds as I’m becoming increasingly aware of all the splinters I might get if I sit in this tree any longer. Just one would end me. Why didn’t I seek my true love in Rosenstadt? I could have stayed close to home until I broke my curse. Surely there are plenty of eligible men in the capitol, perhaps even living just outside the palace walls. Not only would my curse be broken, I’d also have a supportive husband accompanying me on my quest to find a prince.

But I hadn’t wanted to wait that long. If my sister’s curse isn’t broken by the turning of next year, she’s gone forever, and my entire family—the whole palace, even—gone with her. So I’d made the decision to set out immediately for a prince, hoping I’d find my true love along the way.

Below me, Major Stolz digs around in his pockets. I wipe my tear stained face with my lace trimmed handkerchief, peering down at the soldier. “What’s that?” I ask as he pulls out a small box.

He smiles, holding up the brightly colored container. “This, Miss Adelinde,” he says grandly, “is how we’re going to save your friend Reginald.” He leans forward and breaks off a small bough. “Hold this for me, if you please.”

I take the branch from him, careful not to prick my finger on the rough bark. Major Stolz slides open the tiny box and pulls something out. Through the dim starlight, I can just make out what he’s holding. A match. He strikes the match on the side of the box, and a small flame flickers.

“The branch, if you please.”

My heart thumps wildly as a fresh wave of nausea washes over me. “You’re not going to light that? You’ll set fire to the tree and burn us alive!”

Major Stolz’s cheeks redden. “Ah.” I suppose this didn’t occur to him. He glances down. “I’ll have to light it when I reach the ground.”

I follow his gaze. Snarling wolves still circle the tree. “I’m not sure that’s wise….”

“You’re right.” He grimaces. “I apologize, Miss Adelinde. It seems my initial plan won’t work, and I know of no other ways I can save your friend.”

Reginald! It’s hard to hear amidst all the snarling and growling, but I try to pick out any sound from Reginald at all. A whimper, perhaps. Or a howl. But I can’t make anything out with the racket the other werewolves are making. Is Reginald still alive?

“Unless…” Major Stolz muses. He looks up at me. “Miss Adelinde, are you capable of providing a distraction?”

My stomach drops. “That depends,” I say cautiously. “What would I have to do?”

“Climb down a bit. Not too close, but just close enough that you’re just out of their reach. And shout at them, or pelt them with acorns…whatever you wish. I’ll sneak down the back of the tree, light the torch, and charge at them. The fire should drive them off.”

I didn’t relish the thought of climbing down the tree again. What if I fell? Or scraped myself, or got a splinter? But Reginald was down there. He needed us. I nod resolutely.

“Stop at that branch there, just before the dead limb. They shouldn’t be able to reach you, even if they jump.”

He passes me a handful of acorns. I pocket them before carefully making my way down to the branch that Major Stolz had pointed out for me. The two wolves circling the tree snap excitedly as they see me descend. I wobble on the branch, black spots dancing in my vision as an invisible vice squeezes my head. For a few perilous seconds, I think I’m going to fall—eleven feet to the ground. Would I die instantly, or would I still be alive when the wolves circling the tree ripped me to shreds?

My charm bracelet snags on a twig, steadying me. I grasp onto the trunk with my other arm, holding on for dear life. My charm bracelet gleams in the dim starlight, the crown charm swaying slightly. My father gave me that charm when I was eight. “To remind you that you will always be a princess. No matter how far you go someday.”

Tears prick my eyes. I wish my father was here. I wish I didn’t have to do this alone.

“Um…Miss Adelinde?” The major’s voice whispers behind me.

I sniffle, wiping my eyes before I gently untangle my bracelet from the twig. “Yes. I’m sorry.”

“Are you…all right?” he asks.

My throat tightens. I take a deep breath, trying to force the sob that’s building up in me down. I already cried once tonight. I’m not going to do it again.

“Yes, I’m fine.” I plaster a smile on my face. Not that he can see it. But sometimes you can hear whether someone’s smiling or not in their voice. Besides, I need to smile if I want to feel brave. I scoot down to a comfortable seat on the branch, and dig into my pockets for the acorns. Reginald needs me to do this.

I pinch an acorn between my thumb and index finger. When I was five years old, I wanted to train with my brothers. Mother tried to explain to me that swordplay was not an appropriate skill for a young lady. “I shouldn’t even need to remind you that it’s far too dangerous as well, because of your…affliction,” she’d finished delicately. Mother never liked to refer to my sister and me as “cursed.” I think it made her feel guilty, as if it was her fault we were cursed in the first place.

Which, I suppose, it was.

“I guess an acorn is as good a weapon as any,” I say to no one in particular, before lobbing it down below at the big gray werewolf’s head.

He looks up, yellow eyes flashing viciously as he growls.

“Leave Reginald alone, you big old meanie!” I yell down at him. I let my next acorn fly.

The werewolves snarl and snap, jumping up on the tree. The whole thing shakes, and I cling onto the trunk for dear life. I hope Major Stolz is all right. I dare not look behind me, for fear of giving away the major’s sneaky escape down the other side of the tree.

The gray werewolf’s teeth come perilously close to the heels of my boots as he lunges upwards, trying to knock me from my perch. The nausea in my stomach is mounting, but I continue throwing acorns and yelling at the wolves. Hurry up, Major Stolz….

A sudden burst of light illuminates the dark forest. The major steps forward, a flaming torch in his hand. The big gray wolf yips like a puppy as he jumps back, the smaller brown one cowering behind.

Major Stolz’s back is erect as he walks towards the creatures. I hold my breath. He looks like some hero of old, captured in vivid oil paints onto the pages of one of my storybooks. My stomach swoops in a pleasant way, making me forget my nausea for one glorious moment.

Major Stolz.

Could he be my true love? It’s a funny thought. He’s so quiet and serious, I didn’t really pay him much mind. With his lanky build and narrow chin, not to mention the odd way he has of talking like a textbook, he’s nothing like the kind of man I always imagined I would marry one day. I used to dream that my true love would be someone dashing and burly and heroic.

But while Major Stolz isn’t particularly dashing—and he’s certainly not burly—he is, I decide, very, very…very heroic.

Hope glimmers in my chest, and not just because of the way the werewolves are turning tail and disappearing through the forest at the mere sight of the torch. Maybe I won’t die out here in the forest of a stubbed toe. Maybe I’ll find true love. Maybe I’ll break my curse this very evening.

My heart aches as I imagine what it would be like to simply walk through a garden with no cares about tripping over uneven pavement, or pricking my finger on a thorn. What it would be like to enjoy a walnut cookie without carefully removing all the nuts first so I don’t accidentally chip a tooth. If I could waltz through life so carefree, so utterly unburdened from the anxieties that have plagued me all my life, I could rescue my sister and save the kingdom before the summer was over. I’m sure of it.

But until I break my curse…I’ll never be enough.

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Thanks for reading Sweet Pea! New episodes drop every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. But for now, I have to know…are you squealing just as loudly as me because Adelinde FINALLY noticed the absolute CATCH that our major truly is?????? 😍🥰💖💝💍💒👰

May your all your curses transform into charms! 💖✨👛💍👑

Welcome back to Sweet Pea!

Recap: Adelinde made a deal with the werewolf: she would find him a home on a pig farm if he helped her on her quest instead of eating her. Wilhelm insisted on accompanying Adelinde to Waltzberg as well…but he is not fond of having a werewolf for a traveling companion. Even if the werewolf shares the same name as his idol, Sir Reginald Rieser, author of The Soldier’s Handbook.

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Just As Sweet

episode five

Adelinde

The forest is dark and full of all kinds of creeping animals, strange sounds, and sticky spiderwebs. I can’t say I like it any more now than when I first entered it, but I do feel better escorted by my traveling companions. Reginald’s long yellow teeth and filthy claws are still quite alarming to look at, but he reminds me of Harold Hinterberger from the castle, my father’s head groom. There’s something in his golden eyes that made me wonder if he loved horses too when I first saw him—even as he had a giant paw raised over me, ready to strike.

“I am honored to assist you, Miss Adelinde,” Major Stolz informs me, “but I’m afraid I cannot, in good conscience, allow the use of the word ‘team’ if it pertains to me and the werewolf.” He uses a lot of fancy words. I know what they all mean, of course. My parents made sure my sister and I were well read as part of our education. But I certainly never use all those complicated words in conversation.

I study Major Stolz as he continues explaining proper soldier conduct and the law’s position on werewolves. He can’t be much older than twenty, but he doesn’t sound anything like the young guards I’d overheard around my castle back in Wulfenite. They liked to joke around and discuss sporting matches. Major Stolz, I decide, studying his thin, serious face, doesn’t look like he’s ever attended a sporting match in his life.

“Well, I’m afraid that the werewolf code of conduct doesn’t allow fraternizing with soldiers,” Reginald says, cutting off Major Stolz’s long speech.

The major blinks, his dark blue eyes reflecting the dim starlight that’s managed to shine through the thick canopy of leaves. “Werewolves do not have a code of conduct. At least, there is no standardized code across werewolf packs. Werewolf packs are highly varied, highly tumultuous groups, and the turnover of leadership is so frequent that even within packs, any code of conduct that does happen to get developed, would, by circumstance, be quite simple and not detailed to the level of describing interpersonal interactions between separate groups of humans, such as soldiers.”

My stomach turns. I’m tempted to ask Major Stolz if we can sit down and rest for a while, as I’m feeling very nauseated and hot all of a sudden. But I don’t want to be rude and interrupt him.

“Such a code would most likely include a blanket statement regarding behavior towards all humans, or even, all creatures not werewolf,” Major Stolz continues. “Werewolves also—”

“—don’t like to listen to humans talk.” A deep snarl sounds behind us. Major Stolz whirls around, pulling both me and Reginald with him.

A huge black werewolf stands behind us, even bigger and more terrifying than Reginald. Behind him crouches half a dozen other werewolves, in varying shades of gray, white, black, and brown, but all sporting very toothy grins. My heart pounds as I realize my sudden nausea had nothing to do with the fact that I haven’t eaten all day.

Danger.

I wipe my sweaty palms on my skirts, willing them to stop shaking, but I know they won’t until I’m no longer close to peril.

“Sinewsmith.” Reginald’s hair stands on end as he eyes the larger wolf warily. “What are you doing here?”

The black wolf—Sinewsmith—leers. “You are in my territory. I should ask you the same question.”

Reginald cowers. “I’m not—I was just—”

“Passing through?” mocks Sinewsmith. “With tomorrow’s breakfast in tow, too, I suppose?” A huge black paw gestures in the direction of me and Major Stolz. “I never took you to be a meal prepper, Badbones. You always seemed very unorganized to me.”

“Badbones?” I squeak, glancing from Reginald’s terrified face to the large black wolf. Reginald is clearly too intimidated by this wolf to set him straight. I step forward, drawing in a shaky breath. Hopefully my trembling comes across as merely a shiver in the chilly night. “Excuse me, Mr. Sinewsmith, but I think you’ve mistaken Reginald for someone else.”

“Reginald?” Sinewsmith guffaws. Behind him, the other werewolves howl with laughter.

Reginald sinks lower to the ground, his yellow eyes darting back and forth, as if he’s looking for an escape.

Sinewsmith sneers, showing off his teeth. Bits of rotting flesh are stuck to them. “You told your food your name, Badbones? And not only that…you gave them your human name?” The huge werewolf laughs again. “Why, I don’t think I even remember what mine is.”

“It—it’s a long journey,” Reginald stutters. “Back to my territory, I mean. I thought they should call me something other than ‘hey, you,’ or ‘wolf.’ I mean, that’s kind of insulting, don’t you think? It’s undignified—”

“As if prey could ever insult us,” snorts Sinewsmith. “We are the kings of the forest, Badbones.”

“That sorry sack isn’t even a jester in our court,” scoffs another werewolf, and more howls of laughter erupt among the wolves.

Sinewsmith smiles coldly. “You’re right,” he says, his gleaming amber eyes fixed on Reginald. “I doubt even his pack would miss him. Gutgripe is almost just as pathetic as you, Badbones, but even he has never stooped so low to steal some farmer’s wife’s sewing basket and play with it.”

“I was setting up a trap!” whines Reginald. “I told you—I was planning on enticing some seamstress—” The rest of his statement is drowned out by roars of laughter from the other werewolves. My heart thumps even faster in my chest, and my head spins. I feel like I’m going to pass out.

“You’re right, Sinewsmith,” shouts one werewolf. “Gutgripe will probably thank us if we take this sniveler off his hands!”

“Yeah, rip him to shreds!” cries another wolf.

“Dibs on his eyeballs!”

“I can’t wait to hear him snivel when I crack every last one of his ribs….”

A loud thwack! sounds. Sinewsmith yips and falls to the ground, paws over his eyes. Something else hurtles through the air, striking a white wolf in the shoulder.

I whirl around. Major Stolz, his arm still raised, watches the white werewolf crumple to the ground with the knife in his hide.

“Run!” Major Stolz grabs my arm and pulls me after him. I trip over my skirts, and he hauls me to my feet, dragging me to the nearest tree.

“I’ll give you a boost. Climb as high as you can, quickly!”

“But—but—Reginald—” I try to get a glimpse of the werewolf over my shoulder, but Major Stolz wraps his arms around my thighs and hoists me up.

“No time! Climb!”

I flail, grabbing onto the nearest branch and pulling myself upwards. My stomach gives a painful twist, and I taste acid in my throat as my empty belly threatens to regurgitate bile and water. Major Stolz climbs up after me, pushing me up whenever I need help. The sounds of growling and snapping jaws grows closer, and I can’t help it—I look down. A huge gray wolf snaps at the heels of Major Stolz. I scream.

“Climb!” shouts the major, shoving my foot onto the next branch. “Unless you want to see me become a werewolf’s midnight snack, for heaven’s sake, climb!”

The branches get thinner and thinner the higher I go. I grab onto the next limb, and it snaps in half. I shriek, losing my balance. The major steadies me.

“Grab close to the trunk,” he shouts.

I continue to climb, higher and higher, my ears ringing. It sounds like a distant buzz at first, but I slowly realize there’s clamoring beneath me.

“Stop, Miss! That’s high enough.”

I hug the tree trunk tightly and look down. Major Stolz is seated quite comfortably on a limb. He beckons me down. “Come sit down here. The werewolves can’t reach us.”

I pick my way down to him, settling myself on the branch just above his head. A flush comes to my cheeks as I arrange my skirts tightly around my legs. I do hope the major didn’t catch a glimpse of my undergarments as we climbed.

Down below, werewolves scrabble at the trunk, but huge as they are, we’ve climbed far out of their reach.

“They’ll leave us alone soon,” Major Stolz says. “Don’t worry.”

“But—what about Reginald?” I ask, trying to catch a glimpse of the friendly werewolf on the ground. The foliage is too thick for me to see anything but the wolves directly under our tree.

Major Stolz shrugs. “He’s a werewolf. He can take care of himself.”

“No, he can’t! Did you see the size of those wolves? And all those horrible things they said they were going to do to him?” Tears well up in my eyes as I listen to the dreadful snarls and growls below. A shuddering sob escapes me as I imagine poor Reginald torn to bits on the forest floor. “Oh, Reginald! We have to try to help him!” I bawl.

Major Stolz coughs uncomfortably, and I feel a hesitant tap on my boot. “There, there. Don’t cry. I’ll—”

I bury my face in my arms, my chest heaving. Why did I ever leave my castle? If this is the real world, no wonder my parents tried so hard to keep me safe. If only I’d asked some villager for help, instead of attempting to save the kingdom on my own. Then I wouldn’t be here; up a tree in a deep, dark forest in the middle of the night, listening to my new friend get torn to shreds.

Mother was right. “My little Sweetpea,” she’d always said, every night as she tucked me into bed. “My precious pink flower. You’re just as sweet, my darling, just as pretty. And that’s why Daddy and I have to keep you safe. Sweetpea flowers are delicate, my love. Don’t you forget it.”

Curse or no curse, I’m just too fragile for this world.

read the next episode!!!

Thanks for reading Sweet Pea! New episodes drop every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. But for now…let me know what you think is going to happen next. Will Wilhelm rescue our favorite werewolf, Reginald? And if so…HOW will he even achieve such a thing?!?!

May your all your curses transform into charms! 💖✨👛💍👑

Welcome back to Sweet Pea!

Recap: While out on patrol in the Schatten Forest, Wilhelm fell through a magical portal, separating him from his comrades. After hearing a woman’s scream, he raced to save her, only to find the woman was seemingly in cahoots with a werewolf! Wilhelm tried to run away, but he ended up falling right between the two villains.

Lost? Catch up on any episodes you missed here!

Sweet Pea Table of Contents

Werewolves & Maidens

episode four

Wilhelm

I land heavily on my back, blinking up towards the sky. Two faces appear above my head, blocking the leafy canopy I’m staring up at.

Narrow yellow eyes and sharp teeth leer at me. I gulp, swiveling my head the other way.

Two sparkling blue eyes meet mine. Soft pink lips stretch over tiny, pearly teeth that gleam in the dark night. For a moment, I’m breathless, awestruck by the maiden’s beauty.

“Oh, how wonderful,” the girl chirps. “You can be my bodyguard!”

“Bodyguard?” grumbles the werewolf. “Why does he get to be the bodyguard? He should be the maid! I’ll be the bodyguard.”

“Very well then,” the girl says briskly. “Here, help him up.”

The world tilts as I’m unceremoniously yanked to my feet by the werewolf. I blink, taking in the girl in front of me. Unless she’s a very skilled enchantress in disguise, the maiden looks to be a very ordinary, very human girl. Although she is dressed more for the ballroom than the forest. The Soldier’s Handbook does not discuss explicitly how soldiers are expected to behave when encountering maidens in the forest, but there is a section—Chapter 22, page 315—that discusses the everyday proper conduct of soldiers, which includes treating all women, unmarried or otherwise, with the appropriate courtesy and respect along with absolutely no indecorous familiarity.

I offer her a bow. “My good maiden. What, may I ask, are you doing out in the forest at this hour and in—” I give the werewolf a suspicious glance “—such…colorful company?”

The girl offers me a very pretty curtsy in return. “Thank you for your concern, sir. I’m merely headed to Stolzite Castle. My companion was just about to accompany me.”

I clear my throat, stifling a laugh at the idea of this young girl waltzing into the castle with a werewolf in tow. “I’m afraid they don’t take kindly to werewolves in Waltzberg, my good maiden.”

The werewolf snorts. “Well, I don’t take kindly to them, either.”

I gesture to the werewolf. “You see? I don’t think it’s wise if your…uh, companion accompanies you to the capitol. Now, if I may be so bold, I would like to offer you my escort to—”

“Well, he won’t be a werewolf when we get there. We’re going to find a potion shop and turn him into my maid. I do need a maid.” The girl smooths her rumpled skirts. “I’ve become terribly disheveled during my journey. In fact,” she continues, wrinkling her pert, freckled nose, “I’m quite ashamed for you to witness me in such a state.”

Pink floods her cheeks, and for a moment, I’m at a loss for words as I stare at the charming effect the blush has on her face. Her eyes appear even bluer, if such a thing is possible….

An owl hoots in the distance, and I recover my composure. I’ve never been good at speaking to young ladies, despite the efforts of my mother, who insists at throwing any eligible young woman my way.

“I doubt the werewolf would know how to tend properly to your toilette, my lady.” I offer her my arm. A soldier is a man of action, I remind myself. And maidens liked that sort of thing too, didn’t they? A decisive, confident type of man. “Now, if you would do me the honor–”

“Well, I never!” snarls the werewolf. His beady yellow eyes glare indignantly at me. “I’ll have you know I was a very well respected haberdasher before I became a werewolf. I am quite familiar with all manners of the ladies’ dress.”

“There, you see?” The girl smiles brightly. “Now, I have no objections to your joining us, sir, but I do think we ought to be on our way—”

But I’m staring at the werewolf. “Wait a minute. So you say you were a respected haberdasher, yet you insisted that you should be the bodyguard and I should be the maid? How does that make sense? I’m a highly trained soldier!”

The werewolf sticks his nose out. “Well, I’m bigger than you.”

“They won’t let you into Waltzberg like that!”

“Well, I’ll drink the potion—”

“—which might make you smaller than me—”

“Gentlemen!” The girl claps her hands. “If you both insist on being bodyguards, I suppose there is no reason why I cannot have two. Now, can we be on our way? I’d really like to get to Waltzberg for breakfast.”

I shake my head. Chapter 8, page 102 states that werewolves are dangerous creatures who must either be dispatched or taken into custody immediately on encounter. Any member of His Majesty’s armed forces consorting with such a creature is to be court-martialed and punished accordingly, including but not limited to, public whipping, imprisonment, or hanging.

“My good maiden, I’m afraid I cannot travel with a werewolf. Werewolves are sworn enemies of the crown, and while I wear this uniform, I cannot in good conscience—”

“Sworn enemies of the crown, eh?” The werewolf leers in my face. “Why don’t you just stick a knife in my ribs and have done with it, then?”

The girl gasps. “There will be no sticking knives in anyone’s ribs! Ever!”

I sigh, rubbing the bridge of my nose. This werewolf is ridiculous.

“I would never dream of such a thing,” I say diplomatically, even though I had, in fact, considered such a possibility while lurking in the bushes as I prepared to attack the werewolf. “We must be on our way. Surely you do not want to deprive this…good wolf of his native habitat by dragging him along with you to a crowded city where he will no doubt feel very uncomfortable?”

“She said if I went with her, she would find a home for me on a pig farm. I do love pork.” The werewolf rubs his stomach. “So I’m going. Besides,” he growls at me, “you wouldn’t know how to get out of here even if you had a map, a compass, and a sign from God Himself. You’ll need my help.”

“A soldier of Stolzite will never require assistance from a werewolf,” I inform him icily. “I’ve been patrolling this forest since I was twelve years old. I know how to get to Waltzberg—”

“Not from this far in, you don’t. This part of the forest’s tricky. Full of traps and treachery.”

I recall the misty purple portal I fell through. Chapter 21 of The Soldier’s Handbook specifically states that a good soldier, especially one in a leadership position, must receive and review new information carefully, and adjust plans accordingly. Much as I hate the idea of traveling with a werewolf, the monster is correct. I will never find my way out of the forest from here alone. The wisest course of action for myself and the young maiden is to accept the werewolf’s offer of help. Besides, if the brute tries anything, I have my weapons ready to defend. Once we reach Waltzberg, I’ll have the reinforcements I need to take the creature into custody.

I give the werewolf a stiff bow. “Very well. I welcome your offer of assistance.”

The maiden beams, practically jumping up and down. She links her arm in mine. My body shudders at her touch, and I almost leap away at the hot, strong sensation coursing through me. My face heats, shame curling inside me at the powerful emotions roiling within. A soldier always is the master of his passions, not the other way around. Chapter 22 is very clear that—

The maiden lays her head on my shoulder. “Thank you so much. Both of you gentlemen. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

I can barely breathe as I stare, wide-eyed, at the girl’s freckled cheek resting against my shoulder. It doesn’t stop me from also noticing, however, that she’s linked her other arm with the werewolf. I scowl at the creature as we begin our long walk through the forest.

“If you even dare to try anything—” I mouth at him.

“As if I’d be interested in the likes of her after I’ve been promised a whole pig farm,” he snarls back in a half-whisper.

“How did such a bargain come about, I wonder?” I mutter to the werewolf.

“Simple,” he hisses back. “I was about to eat her, and she insisted—very prettily, I might add, with all the manners of a princess—that she would make me a better deal.”

I raise my eyebrows. Werewolf studies are an integral part of an officer’s education. I’ve never known the creatures to act rationally while in the midst of a hunt. “And you heard her out?”

The werewolf shrugs. “The young lady can be very persuasive. Besides, I have four daughters. Or had.” He frowns. “Sometimes I can’t remember how long it’s been since…”

An expression that almost looks like sorrow crosses his face. The girl raises her head from my shoulder.

“Oh, Reginald,” she murmurs. “I didn’t know you had daughters. I’m sorry. What were their names?”

“Wait a minute,” I interrupt, before the werewolf can answer. “Reginald?” I’m not sure what shocks me more: that the werewolf has a name, that the maiden knows it, or that it’s the same name as my idol, Sir Reginald Rieser, the author of The Soldier’s Handbook.

“My name,” says the werewolf stiffly.

My eyebrows raise higher on my forehead than before. “And so am I to assume, after the bargain was discussed, that introductions were made?” I don’t even try to hide the incredulity in my voice.

“Of course,” says the werewolf, even more stiffly. “I’m not a complete animal, you know. The lady is Adelinde, by the way. Not that you had the decency to ask.”

“Oh, stop,” Miss Adelinde admonishes the werewolf fondly. She giggles as she turns to me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir….”

“Stolz,” I answer automatically. “Major Wilhelm Stolz. At your service, Miss Adelinde.”

Miss Adelinde’s smile radiates even more brightly through the darkened forest. “Oh, how marvelous. Major Stolz. Mr. Reginald.” She nods to each of us in turn. “I think we’re going to make quite the team, the three of us.”

read the next episode!

Author’s Note: Reginald was a complete surprise to me! Originally, I had planned the werewolf character to be a villain. But then he started saying funny things like, “I’ll have you know I was a very well respected haberdasher before I became a werewolf,” and “Well, I’m bigger than you,” and I just couldn’t kill him off!

I asked my readers over on my Instagram broadcast channel what I should do instead, since I had NO IDEA what should happen next if I wasn’t going to bump off my werewolf. They voted to have Reginald join the quest, with a couple votes for getting the werewolf pack involved (shhh…that might be coming in the next episode!) Thank you to everyone who voted: your input is so appreciated! 🥰💖

Anyway, my reader’s opinions are so, SO valuable to me! I was thinking about maybe starting a subscriber chat over here on Substack all about The Glittering Kingdoms series. Readers of Sweet Pea can get little snippets and updates on upcoming episodes, as well as offer ideas and vote in polls about what should happen next in the story! The chat will also be a fun place to connect with other readers and fangirl over your favorite characters! ✨👛👑What do you think?

Thanks for reading Sweet Pea! New episodes drop every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. But for now…let me know what you think about Adelinde + Wilhelm in the comments! Aren’t they the cutest??? 🥹🥰

Or, let’s be honest, I know who we all REALLY want to fangirl about: Reginald!!! Comment below with your favorite Reginald moment & let me know what adventures should happen next for our unlikely trio!

May your all your curses transform into charms! 💖✨👛💍👑

Episode 1: Curses & Cream

Episode 2: The Supercilious Suitor

Episode 3: The Soldier's Handbook

Episode 4: Werewolves & Maidens

Episode 5: Just As Sweet

Episode 6: Acorns & Anxiety

Episode 7: Sunbeam

Episode 8: An Impromptu Wedding

New Episodes every Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday!

How hard can finding your true love be?

Princess Adelinde is cursed to succumb to the smallest of injuries: even a tiny papercut could end her life. After her kingdom falls under a curse, Adelinde sets off on her own to save them. The first step in her plan? Find true love’s kiss and break her own curse so she doesn’t expire from a bruise before she even starts the quest to save the kingdom.

Prince Wilhelm has always striven to be the perfect soldier. But when he stumbles across Princess Adelinde in the woods, wet, alone, and trying to befriend a werewolf, suddenly he’s got a problem sticking to his military discipline. Wilhelm is supposed to wed the princess who wins the famous Stolzite Princess Tournament, but Adelinde captivates him like no other.

After Wilhelm makes the rash choice to marry Adelinde that very day, Adelinde thinks her problems are solved. But she’s quickly thrown into a dangerous game of wartime politics, a dragon riding acrobatics competition, and perhaps the most deadly adversary of all: the disapproval of one very stern, very royal mother-in-law who doesn’t trust her one bit. To make matters worse, Wilhelm’s wedding day kiss hasn’t broken her curse, even though she falls more and more in love with the serious prince each day. But if Wilhelm isn’t her true love, then who is? And will she be able to save her kingdom from a deadly end before a broken nail…ends her?

This Princess & the Pea retelling is a no spice, YA romantasy novella perfect for fans of Gail Carson Levine, Jessica Day George, & Melanie Dickerson.

Welcome back to Sweet Pea!

Recap: Princess Adelinde has ventured into the forest at nightfall, hoping to arrive at the royal palace in Waltzberg by morning. Meanwhile, we catch up with another character you haven’t met yet…

Introducing Wilhelm.

I hope you enjoy reading his chapter as much as I loved writing it!

Lost? Catch up on any episodes you missed here!

Sweet Pea Table of Contents

The Soldier’s Handbook

episode three

Wilhelm

An eerie purple glow mists through skeletal branches. Mentally, I consult The Soldier’s Handbook by Sir Reginald Rieser. Chapter 8, page 94 states that any sign of magical activity should be investigated promptly, with a team of no less than six soldiers.

I turn back to my companions, Hufnagl, Kohler, and Lackner.

“Two of you will report back to base for reinforcements. This unusual magical activity must be investigated promptly.”

Hufnagl and Lackner quickly volunteer, heading off through the forest. Hufnagl must think he’s out of earshot when I hear him snigger, “At least we’ll get a break from the automaton for a couple of hours.”

I try not to flinch at the remark. I know the men like to call me “the automaton.” I’ve heard the epithet countless times.

Kohler turns to me, barely concealed sympathy in his gray eyes. “Hufnagl’s just tired. He was on night watch last week—”

My face remains impassive as I stare out into the forest. “They should be back in exactly forty-eight minutes. Twenty-two minutes to reach base, four minutes to collect reinforcements, and twenty-two minutes back. Any procrastination or failure to carry out orders promptly is punishable by whipping.”

Kohler raises a light eyebrow. “Do ye want me to remind them of that, sir?”

I sigh. “No.” The Soldier’s Handbook states that when venturing into dangerous territory—such as Schatten Forest, where werewolves, witches, and pixies abound—no soldier should travel in numbers less than two. I can still see Hufnagl and Lackner’s bright blue coats from where I stand, but it wouldn’t be protocol for Kohler to leave me to go catch up with them, even if he were to return immediately. Still, I’d hate to see Hufnagl and Lackner whipped. They’re good men, if a trifle insouciant, and I supervised their training myself. They’ll remember the rules. I’m sure of it.

“Did you hear that?”

I snap my attention back to Kohler. The burly man’s face is pale as he watches the eerie purple light.

“No.” Inwardly, I reprimand myself for allowing myself to become lost in my thoughts. Chapter 3, page 14 states that a soldier must always remain aware of his surroundings. “What did you hear?”

Kohler shakes his head, eyes still fixed warily on the purple mist. “It sounded like—well, it sounded like a wolf.”

It was certainly possible that there was a wolf nearby. A werewolf, even, given the presence of magic in the purple vapor. I inspect the purple glow closer, inching less than a foot away from its light. The trees form an archway, lit by that strange mist, and the opening almost seems to beckon me as the black branches wave in the breeze. Magic. Certainly.

“With all due respect, sir, better step back.” Kohler’s deep bass breaks the silence of the night. “Can’t have you caught in—”

A loud clap of thunder sounds, obscuring Kohler’s voice. Something pushes me to the ground. My hands collide with the soft forest floor as I meet the ground.

“Sir? Sir?”

Kohler’s voice sounds funny, as if he’s very far away, or underwater.

I scramble to my feet, brushing twigs, rocks, and dirt from my hands. “Do not concern yourself, Kohler, I’m fine.”

But where is Kohler? He’s not standing to my right anymore. I spin around. Wait a minute. Perhaps I twisted as I fell? The purple haze seems to be behind me now. And Kohler is nowhere to be seen. And despite the crack of thunder I heard, it’s not raining. Nor do I see any lightning or any other signs of a storm.

“Sir! Major Stolz!” Kohler’s voice sounds even fainter, coming from the direction of the purple mist. My stomach drops as I realize what must have happened.

I’ve fallen through the mist.

Or Kohler has. But since I was the one inspecting it up close, it makes sense that it was me. Besides, I actually did fall.

Frantically, I flip through pages of The Soldier’s Handbook in my mind. Is there a section dealing with this exact situation? I don’t think so. However, from what I do know, I need to get back through this…magical mist portal, or whatever it is, and back to Kohler. Being separated like this could jeopardize our mission.

“Kohler!” I shout through the mist. “Stay there. I’m coming out.”

I take a step towards the purple glow, hesitating as the toe of my black boot enters the violet glimmer. But surely, if I came through the portal unharmed, I should be able to get back through once again in one piece?

Without giving myself a chance to doubt my theory, I take a deep breath, squeeze my eyes shut, and plunge through. I take three steps for good measure, then stop.

My feet are planted on solid ground. That’s good. I open my eyes slowly. It’s dark. I’m still in the forest.

I look around. No Kohler.

But the purple fog is behind me now. So I must have come through.

Unless…if it really is a portal, perhaps I’ve traveled even further away from Kohler. I run back toward the purple glow.

“Kohler! Can you hear me?”

Silence.

Then I hear his voice. It still sounds muffled. “Sir, I’m going for help. Stay there!”

“No!” I yell. “No, Kohler, I order you to stay there. Kohler! Kohler!”

Faintly, I hear the sound of footsteps. He’s gone.

I slide down the base of a tree, taking a seat on the damp dirt to think. Even though I can hear Kohler, the man can’t hear me. It must be some trick of the magic that’s at play here. Kohler has ears like a fox.

Even though I have the entire Soldier’s Handbook memorized, I wish I had its comforting weight in my lap right now. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do in this situation. A soldier is a man of action. That’s in the introduction of The Soldier’s Handbook. Page 4, to be exact. But if attempting to go back through the portal transports me farther away—or worse, dismembers me or kills me—perhaps it’s better if I stay put and wait for reinforcements.

I cross my legs and settle back against the tree. Who knows how long I’ll be here? I’d better get comfortable.

The buzz of insects and the rustles of small forest creatures form a soft murmur against the inky dark leaves of the woods. My eyelids grow heavy, and I force myself to stay awake. I must remain ever vigilant. I must register each sight and sound so as to properly analyze my environment and ensure my own safety.

A scream breaks the hypnotizing hush of the forest. I bolt upright.

What was that? It sounded like…a woman. A woman in distress.

A soldier is a man of action. I race in the direction of the scream. Whatever foul magical play is going on in this forest, it’s clearly claimed its next victim.

I run blindly through the trees, hoping I’m going in the right direction. I haven’t heard a second scream. Which is hopefully good news…and not a sign that the screaming woman is already dead.

Motion catches my eye. I slow to a stop. There, just in front of me, is a huge, skulking, dark shape. The low growl it emits confirms my fears.

Werewolf.

I hear a bright giggle. The soft tones of a woman’s voice.

The woman! She’s in the clutches of the werewolf. I slink closer, sticking close to the shrubbery. Alone, armed with only my sword and a couple of knives, I’ll have to use the element of surprise if I want to take down this werewolf, who looks to be easily at least ten feet tall.

A tinkling laugh sounds. I freeze. Wait a minute, is she laughing? Why is she laughing? I hear her musical voice again. She’s giggling, and my brain registers that this isn’t the first time I’ve heard her tittering, either. It’s as if I’ve stumbled upon a moonlit tryst in the palace gardens, not a deadly werewolf attack.

Perhaps this is no woman. Perhaps this is some nefarious enchantress, or a dark fairy, or some other type of otherworldly feminine spirit, consorting with the werewolf.

I inch closer. The werewolf growls, a low rumble that echoes through the forest. I’m close enough now to make out the words.

“And in return,” the creature snarls, “you want me to do what? Drink a potion and don a dress to pose as your maidservant?”

A potion? A disguise? Yes, I must have stumbled upon a bizarre rendezvous for evil scheming. I decide it’s in my best interest to back away slowly. Clearly, no one is in danger, and I certainly don’t have the manpower to dispatch two malevolent magical beings.

Crack! I trip over a branch. The werewolf’s huge head swivels towards me. In a panic, I try to run, but instead, I fall headfirst between the two villains.

read the next episode!

Thanks for reading Sweet Pea! New episodes drop every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. But for now…let me know what you think will happen next to Wilhelm in the comments!

May your all your curses transform into charms! 💖✨👛💍👑

Read the previous episode

Welcome back to Sweet Pea!

Recap: Princess Adelinde has set off on a quest to save her kingdom, but first she has to find her true love and break her curse before she succumbs to a bruise or a broken nail or some other minor injury. A charming ice cream parlor seems like the perfect spot to find her future husband, and one very gallant young man has just offered to pay for her cherry blossom sundae…

The Supercilious Suitor

episode two

Adelinde

“T-thank you, sir,” I stutter, trying to regain my composure as the shop attendant takes the coins my gallant savior offered. Charming, I scold myself. Be charming! This could be your true love.

The uniformed gentleman leans against the counter in a wonderfully romantic way. I feel as if I’m a maiden in a painting. Where, oh where, are the court painters when a princess needs them? This would be such a perfect moment to capture. Princess Adelinde meets her true love for the first time in Engel’s Ice Creme Parlour after he offers to pay for her ice cream….

I giggle and twirl a lock of blonde hair around my finger. “I’m Pr—I mean, Adelinde. Adelinde Wulf.” I give my real last name before I can help it, but it shouldn’t matter. Plenty of Wulfenite citizens also bear the last name Wulf as a marker of where they’re from. I just can’t have anyone knowing I’m a princess. I have enough to worry about trying to stay away from papercuts and bruises. I don’t need to worry about kidnappers, either.

“Lieutenant Friedrich Fink.”

I inspect his uniform once more. An officer in Stolzite’s Royal Navy. Despite how handsome Herr Fink looks in his uniform, my spirits dim a little. Could I really be a Navy wife? How would I ever survive Friedrich’s long tours? And suppose we had children? Wouldn’t they miss their papa terribly?

Friedrich finishes saying something. A silence ensues as he looks at me expectantly.

“Oh!” My face heats. “I’m sorry, I missed what you said.”

He gestures to the dish of ice cream. “Aren’t you going to try it?”

The ice cream! I’d forgotten. I take a dainty bite. Sugary sweetness fills my mouth, along with hints of rose and almond. I swallow. “It’s delicious.”

“It should be,” proclaims the gentleman. “It’s made with the freshest cream from Winkler’s Dairy. I worked there one summer when I was a lad.” He leans over and takes a bite from my dish.

I blink, surprised. He smiles at me, and returns the spoon to my dish, where he proceeds to help himself to another heaping spoonful.

I glance around the room. Maybe this is normal behavior for young gentlemen courting young ladies.

Friedrich continues explaining the intricacies of dairy farming to me through mouthfuls of ice cream. Before I know it, the entire dish is gone. He claps his hands at the staff. “She’ll have another ice cream. Butter pecan this time.”

I despise pecans. All nuts, really. They’re a dangerous food to eat. Easy to choke on, or break a tooth. I tap Friedrich lightly on his epauletted shoulder.

“Excuse me, I don’t care for pecans.”

He stares at me as if I’d told him I hated babies, or preferred to wear unwashed garments. “What? Impossible. You’ll change your mind once you’ve sampled Engel’s butter pecan.”

I stare at him, open-mouthed. No one has ever spoken to me in such a dismissive tone before. Granted, I’d always been known as the princess of Wulfenite before, and as such, I’d been treated with the utmost respect. Before I can think of a response, the tune on the mechanical music box changes, and Friedrich’s face lights up.

“Ah! A great tune. You wouldn’t know the composer, of course, but while on tour in Periclase I met him—”

He goes on to tell a story about how he met the composer Calinette. It’s on the tip of my tongue to inform the arrogant officer that I studied music history for twelve years under Calinette, and knew the man very well, but I’m too distracted by the way he taps his shiny black boot against the floor. He’s a millisecond off each time, and the sound makes my skin crawl. If Friedrich is my true love, how will I endure listening to his off-beat tapping for the rest of my life?

“—and if I hadn’t joined the Navy, Calinette was certain I would have been the greatest violinist since Mihai Munteanu.”

The dish of butter pecan ice cream slides across the counter, and Friedrich takes a gigantic bite, not even offering it to me.

I’m used to courtiers elaborating their stories to try and impress me. But if Friedrich really wants to impress me, I wonder, why is he eating all my ice cream?

Friedrich, I decide, must be a terrible person. I’ve never met a terrible person before, but there were plenty in the novels my sister liked to read. I simply cannot marry a terrible person. I strike Friedrich off my mental list of true love candidates before standing up, thanking him for the ice cream, and turning on my heel. His face turns as red as his hair, and he stammers something as I walk away, but I don’t stop to listen.

Now what? I push past the large, flouncy skirts of the other young ladies among the cluttered tables and chairs. I didn’t expect finding my true love to be quite so difficult.

The golden sunlight is fading, and outside the large windows, purple shadows are falling across the cheery cobblestone street. Perhaps I’d better find a place to stay for the night. I can resume my quest for true love in the morning.

I fiddle with my charm bracelet as I walk down the street. A place to stay, a place to stay…. Where did folk stay when they were traveling? An inn, perhaps? What would such an establishment look like? I pass plenty of shops, each proclaiming their wares on colorful signs, but I don’t see any signs that read “Inn.” There are a few odd, rambling buildings with fanciful names like, “The Unicorn” and “Three Speckled Hens,” but none stating lodging.

I turn down a narrow street between The Unicorn and a haberdashery. Maybe I’m just on the wrong side of town. The narrow alley is dark and smelly, but I press on, hoping I’ll reach whatever part of town offers overnight stays soon. Skirting a puddle, I run into a tall, thin man just as he steps out of the archway to the left of me.

“Oh! My apologies!” I try to brush past him, but he catches my arm, lifting my chin to look up at his face.

His face is unshaven, covered in light brown hair, and his green eyes gleam in the faint light of the alley.

“Well, you’re pretty,” he purrs.

I take in the rest of the man’s attire. Sturdy leather clothes, a belt full of weapons. Perhaps this man is an adventurer of some sort? That could be useful. Once I find my true love, he’ll no doubt accompany me on my quest to save Wulfenite.

I offer the man my brightest smile. “Thank you, kind sir.”

“Hey!” A woman’s voice calls down from an upstairs window. “Get out of here, you good-for-nothing rascal. This is a respectable part of town.”

The man releases my elbow and slinks out of the alley.

“Good riddance.” The woman scowls down at me. “You ought to get home, young lady. You don’t want to get tangled up with that kind of vagabond.”

“Pardon?” I call up to her.

Her scowl deepens. “Just get home, and don’t talk to strangers. Especially not criminals like that rogue.”

A criminal! I remember the wear and tear on the man’s leather clothes. I’d thought he’d been an adventurer, but the woman called him a criminal. For the first time, anger flares up in my chest toward my parents as I hurry down the alley. They always claimed they were keeping us safe by never letting us out of the castle. But instead, they’ve put me at risk. How am I supposed to know who is a criminal and who isn’t? Maybe I’d be better off not talking to anyone. I don’t know about anything other than castle life, so maybe I should assume everyone out here is a criminal, or, at the very least, a terrible person, like Lieutenant Friedrich Fink.

But if I don’t talk to anyone, how will I find my true love?

The alley opens up into a large town square, complete with a fountain boasting a stone statue. King Wilhelm the IV, the plaque in front of the fountain reads. I’ve met King Wilhelm once or twice, and I must say, the statue doesn’t really do him justice. He’s not quite so square or stout, but I suppose a small village like Milchendorf can’t really afford to hire a master sculptor.

That was it. Excitement bubbles in my stomach. If all I know is castle life, perhaps I should just head straight to Stolzite’s capitol. I am just as likely to find my true love in the royal abode as anywhere else. And once I’ve found my true love, all I need to do is find a prince to save my sister and the rest of the kingdom. A Stolzite prince would do as well as any.

Just outside town, a post covered in crooked wooden signs stands at a crossroads. I find the weathered sign pointing to Waltzberg, Stolzite’s capitol. It points towards a narrow dirt road that leads directly through the forest. I glance up at the sky, which has darkened to shade just like Mama’s dusty purple silk as the tangerine sun sinks lower behind the mountains. Should I really enter the forest at this time of night?

But it isn’t as if I have anywhere to stay. Besides, if I walk through the night, I might be in Waltzberg by morning. My stomach rumbles thinking of a true Stolzite breakfast, with fried apple rings topped with fresh cream. Other than some cheese and bread a kind farmer’s wife gave me on my walk into Stolzite—and the tiny bite of ice cream I had before Friedrich ate it all—I haven’t eaten all day. Yes, it’s best to press on towards Waltzberg and find my true love.

I start down the dirt road towards the forest, no longer caring about the stains on my hem as I imagine the handsome swain I might find over a royal breakfast at Stolzite Castle. Stablehand, duke, squire, or treasurer—I didn’t care who he was, as long as he loved me and I loved him. My curse didn’t specify whether my true love should be of noble blood or not, as my sister’s did. I had to find her a prince.

Which meant I could marry anyone to break my curse. Just as long as he wasn’t the prince of Stolzite.

read the next episode!

Thanks for reading Sweet Pea! New episodes drop every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. But for now…let me know what you think of Adelinde’s adventures in the comments!

May your all your curses transform into charms! 💖✨👛💍👑

Sweet Pea

How hard can finding your true love be?

Princess Adelinde is cursed to succumb to the smallest of injuries: even a tiny papercut could end her life. After her kingdom falls under a curse, Adelinde sets off on her own to save them, where she’s quickly thrown into a dangerous game of wartime politics and a dragon riding acrobatics competition…not to mention a hasty marriage to the swoony Prince Wilhelm. To make matters worse, Wilhelm’s wedding day kiss hasn’t broken her curse, even though she falls more for the noble prince each day. But if Wilhelm isn’t her true love, then who is? And will she be able to save her kingdom from a deadly end before a broken nail…ends her?

The first in The Glittering Kingdoms series, this Princess & the Pea retelling is a no spice, YA romantasy novella perfect for fans of Gail Carson Levine, Jessica Day George, & Melanie Dickerson.

Curses & Cream

episode one

Adelinde

I must confess something: I’ve never been out of the castle before. But how hard can finding my true love be? Especially since I have now stepped out into a world that is, presumably, just filled to the brim with eligible young men.

Not that I saw many young men as I made my way through Rosenstadt, our capitol city. Haggard looking women and crying children lined the streets, and most of the tumbledown townhouses looked damaged. I shudder as I remember the sight. Father will have plenty of work to do putting Wulfenite back to its former glory.

I don’t have a second to waste. I have to find my true love, break my curse, and then I can see about saving my kingdom.

After a pleasant walk along a dirt road bordered by flowering meadows, I find myself in Milchendorf, a quaint village in the neighboring kingdom of Stolzite. Shops painted in brilliant pastel hues huddle charmingly crooked along the cobblestone streets.

Shakiness comes over me as I navigate the cobblestones in my high heeled, white leather boots. I take a deep breath, willing the nausea in my stomach to settle. If I’m careful, I won’t trip and fall and bruise myself. I’ve never gotten a bruise before, but these cobblestones certainly look capable of inflicting a nasty one on my behind if I were to fall.

But I won’t fall. I won’t fall, and I won’t get a bruise, and I certainly won’t die of a bruise. Even if that’s what the wicked fairy Chlorissiana intended for me when she cursed me at my christening.

Not today, not now. I have a true love to find, a curse to break, and a kingdom to save.

A periwinkle sign swinging in the breeze catches my eye. “Engel’s Ice Creme Parlour.” I adjust my pink silk bodice and fine muslin undergarments against my sweaty skin. Ice cream does sound refreshing right now. And perhaps I will meet a dashing suitor inside.

I peer through the large paned glass window at the front of the shop. Beribboned young ladies giggle over dishes of ice cream, while handsome young men in dapper suits lean on the counter, licking ice cream cones in all shades of tangerine, lavender, mint, and carnation pink. The ice cream parlor seems like a popular spot among young people my age. I fiddle with my gold charm bracelet. I don’t have much experience with young ladies and gentlemen. Mother and Father worried that their presence at court would be a bad influence for me and my sister, so all of the courtiers kept their children at their country estates. Which we were never allowed to visit, either.

I smooth down my fluffy pink skirts, wishing I could do something about the dirt staining the hem. Maybe Mother was right. I wasn’t missing much by leaving the castle. Leaving the castle, apparently, only led to ruining one’s clothes while far away from palace laundresses.

Tinkling music sounds from within the ice cream parlor. I squint through the window once again. A group of young girls crowd around what looks like an extremely large music box, decorated in silver filigree. A life sized ballerina statue twirls around in front of a wheel that I assume makes the music. The girls, who all look to be around eleven or twelve, giggle and clap their hands.

Well, I simply must go in now, if only to inspect the marvelous music machine. I take a deep breath and pick up my skirts, reaching for the ornate door.

“Allow me,” rumbles a deep voice behind me. I turn to find a young man with sparkling blue eyes pulling open the door. I step inside, pausing just beyond the threshold for my gallant admirer. Could this be my true love? Perhaps one day I’ll tell the tale to my grandchildren. “The first time I laid eyes on your grandfather was at Engel’s Ice Creme Parlour in Milchendorf….”

I shake myself out of my daydream, remembering my manners as he steps inside after me.

“Thank you, kind sir.” I bow my head graciously, but he hardly appears to hear me as he makes his way towards the window. A young lady with shiny jet black ringlets sits there. She jumps up with a squeal when she sees him. He catches her in his arms, planting a kiss on her rosy cheek.

Oh. Heat rises to my face, and shame sinks like a rock in my belly as I recall my silly daydreams about having grandchildren with the kind stranger. The young man is spoken for. He was simply being polite by holding open the door for me.

My spirits lift, however, as I scan the ice cream parlor’s delicate round tables, packed full of charming young men and women. This is clearly the haven of young couples. So it should be the perfect place to meet my true love. All I have to do is find an unattached gentleman this time. Who’s attractive, of course. And chivalrous, and kind, and noble. And who finds me attractive, too.

That shouldn’t be too hard.

I head to the marble counter, where white clad attendants scoop ice cream from a dazzling array of tins holding all different flavors and colors. Taking a seat on a glittery pink stool, I tap my freshly painted manicure on the counter. It probably wasn’t wise to take the time to paint my nails before I set off on my quest, but I thought a manicure might help remind me to avoid tragedies like a broken nail. Which, thanks to the curse the Fairy Chlorissiana placed on me at birth, would kill me.

“Can I help you, miss?” A bright-eyed shop assistant smiles at me, tucking a strand of silky hair, the most beautiful shade of pearly platinum, behind her ear.

I lean forward, studying the curlicue names of the ice cream flavors on the tubs. “Yes, please. I’d like one scoop of cherry blossom, topped with a scoop of marshmallow.”

“Coming right up!” She whizzes off, and I notice that all the shop attendants wear silver skates on their feet. I lean over the counter even more. The floor behind it is a solid sheet of ice, presumably to help keep the ice cream cold. How marvelous.

A sudden wave of nausea hits my stomach as my heart begins to race. Sweat breaks out on my hands and forehead as a premonition seizes me. I envision myself leaning too far forward and banging my face on the pink and gold marble countertop. I settle back into my seat hastily, holding on to the counter for good measure, and hooking the tiny heels of my pink leather boots onto the round metal footrest of the stool for extra stability.

I take a deep, calming breath. Thank goodness for my fairy godmother’s blessing, a sixth sense that warns me of any dangers that could befall me. Although I could do without all the symptoms: nausea, sweat, and shaky hands grow tiresome when one experiences them multiple times a day. I’m very careful, I remind myself. Nothing will happen to me, not even the tiniest little bruise. I’ll just enjoy my ice cream once my stomach settles, and then—

“One cherry blossom and marshmallow!” The platinum blonde assistant slides the crystal dish across the counter as she glides to a stop on her skates. “Would you like to pay now, or open a tab?”

“I—what?” A tab? What was a tab? I fumble in my skirts as I realize, horrified, that I didn’t bring any money with me.

Of course I knew that folk used coins to pay for things outside of the castle. I had snuck into my brother’s economics lessons once or twice. But I couldn’t actually recall ever having seen a coin before. I wouldn’t even know what kind of coin to use even if I had thought to bring coins with me.

“No worries,” comes a cheery voice to my right. “It’s my treat.”

I turn to see a tall, red-haired young gentleman slide two copper coins across the counter. His left hand, I notice, is delightfully devoid of a wedding ring. He flashes impossibly white teeth at me as he sits down on the stool next me. Bright gold braid gleams on his shoulders, and his white uniform is so pristine you could eat off of it.

Handsome. Unattached. And…generous?

I’ve found my true love.

read the next episode!!!

Thanks for reading Sweet Pea! New episodes drop every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. But for now…let me know what you think of Adelinde’s adventures in the comments!

May your all your curses transform into charms! 💖✨👛💍👑

Hey fellow story lover—

I’m so excited you're here! 💖📚

I'm Jennie, and I've always loved stories.

I wrote my first “book” on construction paper at age six and never stopped since. Fairytale retellings have my heart and soul (thank you, Ella Enchanted and Princess Academy...the great titles of my childhood!) but I also love historical and romance, so you may find me writing all three genres or a healthy mashup of them at times!

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I have a secret I’ve been sitting on…

and it’s a serial story that’s going to happen right here on Substack! Introducing Sweet Pea, the first book in my brand new fairy tale retelling series, The Glittering Kingdoms. The first episode drops in five days on August 1st!

Sweet Pea

is a Princess and the Pea retelling that I just can’t wait to share with you! ✨💖

Here’s the blurb!

How hard can finding your true love be?

Princess Adelinde is cursed to succumb to the smallest of injuries: even a tiny papercut could end her life. After her kingdom falls under a curse, Adelinde sets off on her own to save them. The first step in her plan? Find true love’s kiss and break her own curse so she doesn’t expire from a bruise before she even starts the quest to save the kingdom.

Prince Wilhelm has always striven to be the perfect soldier. But when he stumbles across Princess Adelinde in the woods, wet, alone, and trying to befriend a werewolf, suddenly he’s got a problem sticking to his military discipline. Wilhelm is supposed to wed the princess who wins the famous Stolzite Princess Tournament, but Adelinde captivates him like no other.

After Wilhelm makes the rash choice to marry Adelinde that very day, Adelinde thinks her problems are solved. But she’s quickly thrown into a dangerous game of wartime politics, a dragon riding acrobatics competition, and perhaps the most deadly adversary of all: the disapproval of one very stern, very royal mother-in-law who doesn’t trust her one bit. To make matters worse, Wilhelm’s wedding day kiss hasn’t broken her curse, even though she falls more and more in love with the serious prince each day. But if Wilhelm isn’t her true love, then who is? And will she be able to save her kingdom from a deadly end before a broken nail…ends her?

The Stats:

The first episode drops this Saturday, August 1st!

• Episodes will release 3x a week, on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, 6am Eastern

• Episode length: 1,200-1,500 average

• Number of Episodes: estimated at 18

• Final Word Count: estimated at 23k

Since I’ll be writing as we go, the number of episodes and the final word count are both subject to change if I end up writing less or more than I plan to. Especially if you, my dear readers, request extra scenes you’d like to see!

Which brings me to my next point…

Why Should You Read Sweet Pea on Substack?

When you read the episodes as a serial story, you get to:

• read each episode as I write it!

I will be giving myself a buffer of a week’s worth of episodes or so, but for the most part, you’ll be reading as I write! This is fun because you get to:

• comment what YOU want to happen next

• vote in polls for your favorite characters & more!

• read each episode as it releases

And, after the final episode is released, you’ll get to:

• see behind the scenes sneak peeks as I prepare to publish Sweet Pea in ebook, paperback, and hardcover editions

• weigh in on the official cover design!

That’s right, once the serial concludes on Substack, I will begin work to publish Sweet Pea as a book! It will get a professionally designed cover that you’ll get to help me choose. (The current cover is one I designed just for Substack!)

Thank you so much for your interest and support for my story! 💖✨🎀

In the meantime…

…never forget you have wings,