The Shoeless Prince: A Puss in Boots Retelling by Jacque Stevens

Author:Jacque Stevens [Stevens, Jacque]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HighTower Fantasy
Published: 2023-11-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Archie’s night outside wasn’t too different from when they were still on the hunt, and he still had a home. When he at least had something to his name that didn’t come from a princess or a cat. Now, all he had was the clothes on his back, his grandfather’s bow, and a few other things small enough to fit into a single wheat sack. He had taken two of his mother’s books with him, but her garden was gone. Another piece of her had been ripped away.

Not that he regretted his decision to leave, but he wasn’t sure what was next for him now.

And really, as awful as his brother’s words were, were they so very different from some of the things Archie had been thinking himself? That much of his recent fortune was based on lies, and his relationship with Ainsley wasn’t all that it should be?

Perhaps he was nothing more than the princess’s amusing and mostly silent “pet.”

But the fur-lined cloak had been enough to lend Archie some warmth through the night, and the next day was the Spring Festival. The castle gates were open, and the whole town seemed to be out celebrating. Archie was sure his brother would use the opportunity to announce his and Ellie’s betrothal to their neighbors, glossing over everything else.

Archie even saw the goose girl flirting with one of the farmhands.

So maybe she wasn’t so concerned about the change of events. Maybe he was the only one who thought anything was wrong, and that their lives should be more like a faerie story.

Either way, he was left with a great desire to hit something. He lined up with the other boys taking bets and running matches in part of the open courtyard—a fenced-off arena that usually housed goats or pigs. He grabbed a staff, stripped off the fancy tunic Ainsley had given him, and faced off against another village boy.

His opponent looked Archie up and down, his expression wary. Archie didn’t blame him. This was far from his first match, and he had gotten larger in the last year.

Someone whispered in the crowd, putting his coin on “the ogre.”

But Archie wasn’t an ogre. Or at least, he was generous enough to let his opponent make the first swing.

Then he grabbed the boy and pinned him to the ground in two quick and satisfying movements.

Time passed. Archie threw a few more village boys in a steady stream. More whispers and jeers came from the crowd. More people dubbed him an “ogre.” Sir Callum came over after a few rounds, shouting over the fence. “Lad, where did you learn that?”

No one had taught him to swing a stick. No one had to. “Not much to know.”

Archie tried to gauge if the knight was actually praising him or not. The first time Archie threw a blacksmith’s son, he thought his father might be proud. He wasn’t. He just shook his head and said, “Well, I guess we haven’t been working you hard enough at home.

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