Entwined

Entwined is a 2011 novel written by Heather Dixon. It is based on the fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses. The Queen, who is heavily pregnant and ill, summons Azalea to her room to give her a silver handkerchief and make her swear on it to take care of her sisters. The next morning Fairweller informs the princesses their mother died in the night, giving birth to their twelfth sister, Lily. The owner of the pavilion introduces himself as the Keeper, and explains he was part of the legendary High King's court, but rebelled and was trapped within the castle as punishment. They're often tired in the morning and late to lessons and breakfast, and constantly stitching up their tattered shoes. One night, the Keeper tells the princesses a story about the High King drinking a goblet of blood and swearing an oath on it to not die until he's killed the Captain General.