The Beast and the Enchantress by Camille Peters
Chapter 13
Isighed as I lost control over yet another spell; it slipped from my grasp and faded away, just like all the magic I’d attempted in the several days since losing Gladen. Whatever power I’d regained through the light the prince had brought to my life had disappeared now that he was no longer a part of it, which meant I was losing something else important to me.
Enchantress Ivy glanced over from where she worked beside me. “Are you still struggling?” No condemnation lined her tone, only sympathy and understanding.
I leaned my elbows against the wooden table where we worked with a heavy sigh. “My powers are fading more every day. I fear I’ve lost my magic forever.”
Ivy paused in stirring the diplomacy potion His Majesty had requested and laid a gentle hand on my arm. “Magic will forever be a part of you and thus cannot fully disappear; your powers are simply blocked.”
“Do I even deserve my powers after everything?”
“We all make mistakes, Astrid, but they don’t lessen your worth.”
That was difficult to accept when my own mistakes had cost me so much. Not only had I neglected my sister and lost my magic, but I’d hurt the man I loved. I could still feel the shadow of his sweet kiss on my lips, a recollection I cherished yet which brought me fierce pain when I remembered all that had followed. I both yearned to keep the memory in my heart forever and wanted nothing more than to forget it.
As if sensing this secret wish, Ivy’s gaze flickered towards my spellbook, propped open and floating beside me. “Perhaps it’s good that your magic is temporarily hindered.” She motioned to the spell on the page. “This isn’t the solution, Astrid. After what’s happened I’d hoped you’d learned to curb your impulsivity.”
Shame pooled in my stomach as I lowered my eyes to the spell I’d spent days trying to cast: To Forget the One You Love. In truth I knew I didn’t want to forget Gladen, only the pain his absence had caused me to feel, as well as the regret over my choices that had led me to this point in the first place.
But Enchantress Ivy was right: forgetting him would also cause me to forget all I’d learned throughout this journey, something I didn’t want, so with a resolute sigh I snapped the book shut. “Will my magic ever come back?” I asked in a small voice. How I desperately didn’t want it to fade away.
“The source of your powers is light. Once it fills your heart once more, I have no doubt your magic will follow.”
She crossed the room to retrieve a stone basin filled with shimmery water, the same practice basin I’d used when first discovering my powers so long ago. The vessel encouraged exploration and creativity, to discover how to access magic and to learn how it responded. I’d spent hours playing with my magic within this pool, creating new colors and patterns, delighting in entertaining Rosemarie and making Mother proud.
I glanced quizzically at Ivy as she set it before me. She answered my silent question. “Your powers are nearly as dormant as when you first discovered them as a child. To reconnect with them, you must once more explore them.”
She left the room, leaving me staring into the crystal water. My powers stirred from their sleep as I touched the water. For the first time in days I felt my magic tingle beneath my fingertips, itching to reemerge, but I hesitated, almost afraid that dark, lingering shadows still tainted my powers after what I’d done.
But the yearning to reacquaint with this part of myself was stronger than my fear, compelling me to run my fingers across the water. My powers were weak, so at first only a drop of violet light emerged from my hand to ripple across the basin before fading away.
I struggled to capture more of my magic and caressed the water again, bringing more color and light to the surface, and soon more patterns. They swirled in a blur of varying hues before the magic slowly transformed into distinguishable shapes, mostly floral in nature. I stared, mesmerized, as color and light twirled in the basin like a waltz.
I was so engrossed that I scarcely heard the knock on the door or the soft murmurs in the front parlor. I didn’t even look up at the sound of Ivy’s footsteps as she entered the room. “Astrid, there’s a request for you to create a spell.”
I stilled before spinning around to face her. “A spell? You know my powers are still far too weak to perform any useful magic.” And a short practice session with the basin was insufficient to bring me up to the task.
She smiled. “I’m sure your powers will be sufficient for His Highness’s needs.”
I felt as if all the air had left my lungs. “His Highness? What do you—”
My words trapped in my throat as Prince Gladen himself entered the room, his intense blue eyes locked to mine.
I scarcely noticed Enchantress Ivy slip away, my entire attention riveted to the prince. His look was friendly, not angry like I expected after the way we’d parted several days before; he even managed to give one of his sweet, charming smiles that I always felt were just for me.
“Good morning…Astrid.”
It was strange to hear him speak my real name. For a moment I simply stared before stumbling into the edge of the table, causing the enchanted water filling the basin to slosh over the rim and spill onto the counter. “Gladen! I mean, Your Highness, I—” I couldn’t finish.
Some of his nerves seemed to fade at my fluster. He took a deep breath and stepped fully into the room, approaching me slowly until he stood directly in front of me. For a moment he simply stared, his eyes wide as he slowly took in my features.
“Amazing,” he murmured. “You still look exactly like the Dahlia I came to know, yet now I recognize you as the Enchantress Astrid.”
“A simple disguise spell,” I said when I managed to find my voice. “A lot can be accomplished with magic.”
“I’m glad, for I’m hoping it can help with the request I have in mind.” He stepped closer, bridging the distance I feared would always be between us. “I’m in need of an enchantress.”
My heart beat erratically at his nearness, one that felt more torturous knowing I could never have him. I tried to press myself further against the edge of the table. “If you’re in need of an enchantress, my mentor is very talented…”
“It’s your services I require.”
“But…I’m only an apprentice, and with my history, I have little reason to believe you’d ever trust my powers again.”
My breath caught as he took yet another step closer, his eyes riveted to mine. “That was before. Now there is no one’s magic I want but yours. Will you help me, Astrid?”
It took me a moment to find my voice, a task made more difficult with the confusion whirling through my mind. His nearness made me ache for what we’d lost. It was strange to not only find the prince here, surrounded by simmering cauldrons and mystical ingredients, the potent smell of herbs punctuating the air, but for him to be earnest rather than angry.
“Gladen—” I hesitantly began before catching myself. I forced myself to straighten, resolving to be brave, despite feeling anything but. “I will do all in my power to help you, Your Highness, but I must be upfront: I’m not certain whether I’ll be able to succeed.”
“It’s not a complicated spell.” His brows drew together. “At least I don’t think so. I’ve been spending hours this week reading everything I can about the subject, but I still have much to learn, a task made more daunting considering my knowledge will always be solely from books rather than experience.”
I blinked in surprise. “You’re interested in learning about magic?”
He grinned. “I find that I am, considering it’s your own passion.” His smile faltered, replaced by deep concern. “What happened to your magic? From my experience you seem quite powerful.”
I sighed. “My magic isn’t what it once was. Performing that curse caused darkness to taint it. Recently the light filling my life allowed my powers to partially return until…” I couldn’t bear to bring up what had transpired between us. But by the knowing look in his eyes, he guessed the somber direction of my thoughts.
“I imagine you put much of your heart into each spell,” he said. “If it’s your heart that’s weighing you down, perhaps…I can help you with that.”
My breath caught as he stepped even closer, bathing me in his presence until I felt I’d go mad with longing. “Gladen?”
He reached out a hesitant hand and lightly caressed my cheek. “Allow me to help you. Though I confess I know little of magic, I’m rather fascinated by it…and by a specific enchantress specifically.”
Hope warred with the despair weighing my heart as I leaned against his soft touch, one I’d greatly missed. With his words, the way he was looking at me…could he be here for a reason other than a simple spell?
“Which spell do you need?” I stammered, but he didn’t answer immediately, so focused on tracing his thumb up and down my jawline in a thoroughly distracting way.
“You mean other than a well-deserved curse?” His smile was teasing, giving me further cause to hope that perhaps he could forgive me for that.
“I’ve only ever performed one curse. Until that moment, I’d never used my magic for something so dark. Yet it was beyond my capabilities. Perhaps that’s why it went wrong.”
“Hmm, it appears to have gone right to me. I didn’t know curses could turn out so well. Maybe you need to consult your spellbook next time, though I confess I’m pleased in this instance that you didn’t.”
His gaze was smoldering, causing me to lose nearly all sense. He needed to leave and take the broken pieces of my heart with him, and I needed to immerse myself in my studies and forget all about the prince who’d stolen my heart, a task that in this moment seemed utterly impossible.
“You said you’re in need of a spell?” I asked again.
He nodded as he lowered his hand from my cheek. “What I’m most in need of can only come from one specific enchantress: you.”
“And what is that?” I asked breathlessly.
He took my hands and cradled them in his. “Forgiveness. Tell me, Enchantress Astrid, is that something you can create for me?”
For a moment I was speechless as I frantically tried to sort through his words. “You want a spell of forgiveness? That is one thing magic cannot create.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “I know, but I’m certain it is well within the capabilities of Enchantress Astrid…if she’s willing.”
“But…I can’t, not when it’s I who needs your forgiveness. Yet you can’t forgive me, not after what I’ve done.”
“I do need your forgiveness,” he said. “It took a lot of courage for you to confess what you’d done to me and I reacted badly, and for that I’m deeply sorry.”
I continued to stare in disbelief, unable to quite believe the unexpected turn this conversation had taken. “But…I’m the one who needs to make amends. I’m so, so—”
My apology was cut off by his gentle finger against my lips, silencing the remainder of my words. “There’s no need for that, not when you’ve already apologized. And now I’ve accepted it.”
“But you can’t,” I protested. “What I did to you was horrible and unjust. I don’t deserve—”
“Astrid.” His soft tone and the accompanying gentle squeeze of his hands enfolding mine silenced the last of my protests. “You can still be good and yet make mistakes.”
The words were so familiar, the same which he’d spoken the afternoon he’d gifted me a violet rose from his garden.
My eyes widened as he withdrew the very flower I’d given him, still in full bloom. “You still have that?”
He smiled. “I asked Enchantress Ivy to cast a longevity spell so that it’d last forever. Seeing it these past several days reminded me of what it symbolizes: that you have a good heart, regardless of your mistakes.” And he gently pressed the rose into my hand.
Its sweet perfume enveloped me as my fingertips lightly caressed the velvety petals before my gaze went to the vase on the windowsill where the rose he’d given me still resided. His expression softened as his gaze followed mine.
“You kept yours, too.”
“How could I not? It was a gift from you.” I burrowed my nose against the rose’s soft petals before peering shyly back up at him. “Have you really forgiven me? You were so angry.”
“I was,” he said. “Though admittedly I was more hurt. I’d finally found what I’ve spent my life searching for and I feared my happiness was being stolen. I wanted nothing more than to work through these emotions with my dearest friend and most trusted confidante, but I couldn’t, not when I’d pushed her away. Not only did I miss you fiercely, but something more happened.”
He lifted his arm and tugged up the sleeve to reveal a long line of warts, an effect from the curse I knew all too well.
I moaned. “Oh no, it’s getting worse again. I’m not sure what to do, for I still don’t know how to break it. But we must break it, we will. I’ll retrieve Enchantress Ivy—” I started to turn towards the door but froze when his touch grazed my wrist.
I glanced over my shoulder to find him studying me carefully, his gaze thoughtful as it caressed my face. “It’s so strange seeing you this way. So much is the same—your mannerisms, your voice, your personality—yet all with a different face. Yet at the same time, I seem to recognize you, as if part of me always knew who you really were.”
“Because I’m still in training, my skills are only adequate enough to create a charm that deceives a single sense, in this case your eyes.” Reciting magical theory felt safer, as if the facts could protect my pounding heart from the effects of his proximity.
“Ah, so what you’re telling me is that it didn’t deceive my heart? That I already knew.” As he spoke his arms lowered to wrap securely around my waist to nestle me close, as if laying claim on me, despite everything.
My breath hooked and I felt giddy, albeit still confused. “I still don’t understand why you’re here. I cursed you.” Even though the reminder was entirely unnecessary, by the way he was holding me I feared he didn’t fully understand my past confession.
“You did,” he stated matter-of-factly. “Just as I allowed my bitterness to treat you less than you deserved, hurting you in the process.” Fierce regret overshadowed him. “You’re not the only one at fault, Astrid.”
I stared up at him, my heart swelling at his sweet sincerity, before lowering my gaze to his wart-covered hand now grazing my cheek. “Yet my fault continues, considering you still find yourself cursed.”
“I’ve been thinking about that curse,” he said thoughtfully. “You told me it changes one’s appearance to reflect what’s in their heart, which makes me realize that though you cast such a spell, I’m in full control over it, considering it’s my feelings that give the curse its power.” His warts glistened in the flickering lantern light as he lifted his hand. “This reflects the resentment I briefly felt towards you after your confession. Seeing those dark feelings manifest allowed me to recognize them for what they were before they could fully take root and overcome me. Now that I do…”
As he spoke, the warts marring his skin began to fade, one by one, until none remained. I stared in shock. “But how—”
“Any bitterness I might have felt towards you is gone,” he said. “I’m not sure there ever really was any. It was only my own fear and insecurities, my own wounded pride. But I don’t want to retread the path my past bitterness led me down, the one you helped me heal from. Despite everything, I still care for you, miss you, and love you. I need you, Astrid. Thus, I’m here to humbly ask for another chance. I want nothing to keep us apart, and I forgive you for what you did. Now you need to forgive yourself.”
That was something I ached to do. “But the curse—”
“It was actually a blessing in disguise,” he said gently. “How can I begrudge the curse that taught me to be true to myself and, more importantly, brought me to you? Please don’t allow it to keep us apart any longer. Please forgive yourself, and please say you forgive me. My own love and forgiveness for you broke the last of the spell. Is it enough for your own heart?”
And finally, after all this time, I felt the healing I’d desperately sought touch my heart, causing it to swell with compassion towards myself and my own love for him, all of which made it effortless to extend forgiveness in return. “Always, Gladen.”
He grinned and enfolded my hands back within his. “Thank you. I love you, Astrid. I promised you in the rose garden that nothing you did could ever cause you to lose my love. Please forgive me for taking so long to prove my devotion. I vow never to stray again.”
“I know you won’t.” My grin became mischievous as I hooked my arms around his neck. “But it might be amusing to see how far I can push you. Will you love me even if I turn you into a frog?”
He chuckled and nuzzled against my neck. “Even then, though I would rather not be turned into an amphibian. It’d be in my best interest to always keep you happy. I suppose love isn’t without risk, but I can confidently attest that you’re well worth it.”
His tone was teasing, but tenderness lit his eyes, and I knew he meant every word. “You’re very sweet, so it only seems fair to share a little secret.” I stood on tiptoe so I could whisper into his ear. “I don’t actually know how to turn people into frogs.”
He tipped his had back and laughed, such a warm, hearty sound. “Don’t you? So I don’t have to keep on my toes quite as much as I thought.”
“I said I don’t know how to turn people into frogs…yet. But I will learn, and when I do, I’ll need someone to experiment on.” I wriggled my eyebrows.
He chuckled again as his arms came back around me, holding me even closer, if such a thing was even possible. “I will serve in whatever capacity you need me.”
“I’m glad you’re so willing considering we’ll be working alongside one another as king and his enchantress.” My future role I’d always dreamed about felt so different now that I had Gladen’s heart…different and far more special.
“Hmm, as appealing as that sounds, I have a different and much better arrangement in mind. Will the enchantress object to working not with her king, but her…husband?”
My breath caught. “You want to marry me?”
He stilled, and for a moment he looked almost panicked. “That is the natural progression of things. What’s the matter? Do you…not want that?”
“There’s nothing I want more than to be with you forever,” I said. “But what of your father…will he approve?”
After all, he’d been so adamant about the arrangement with Gladen’s first intended, and was even now in the process of arranging another. What if he was still set on a political arrangement? I had to be sure he’d grant his approval before I allowed myself to fully embrace the joy filling me to bursting that Gladen could truly be mine forever.
His lips tickled the nape of my neck where they were currently exploring. “There is no need to worry. Can you imagine how pleased he’ll be to learn that we’ll have an enchantress in the royal family? We’ll be the envy of all the surrounding kingdoms. But I don’t care about any of that, nor do I need his approval, not after I’ve learned to be true to myself. I know exactly who I want, and nothing will stop me from claiming her.”
Happiness washed over me, causing my teasing smile to return. I reached up to graze his jaw. “Nothing? Not even a curse?”
“Not even that.” He twisted around to press his lips to my fingertips. “I admit I’m rather fascinated by the thought that you can do magic. I can’t wait to get to know this part of you better.”
I intertwined my fingers with his. “Then allow me to show you.”
I gently tugged him to the basin where I’d been exploring my powers earlier; it was still aglow with bright colors and dancing patterns. Gladen stared, his eyes lit with fascination. They widened further as I dipped my fingertip into the water. A red ripple extended from my touch, twisting to form a red rose, a fitting image considering a rose had been what had brought us together.
I concentrated on the rose’s outline, allowing its vivid image to fill my mind, before I summoned my magic that had previously felt as if it was slipping away. My happiness allowed my powers to come instantly at my command, weaving through my whispered spell.
I felt life breathe into the enchantment. I reached into the basin and withdrew the now real rose and handed it to Gladen. The rose glistened at his touch before bursting into a soft red glow as rose petals swirled around us like a waltz.
Awe filled his gaze as he watched the petals rain around us before his eyes met mine in wonder. “Wow. What a fantastic trick.”
I shrugged. “Even though I’m still in training, I do have a few more up my sleeve.”
“And I look forward to discovering each and every one of them.” His arms wound back around me. “Beginning now. I find there’s a specific service I require of my enchantress. I hope you’re up to the task?” His gaze flickered down to my lips, causing my stomach to flutter pleasantly.
I raised my brow. “Moments into our relationship and you already need me for something?”
“I promise to make it worth your while.” His eyes glistened with purpose as his fingers stroked my chin, tilting it to the perfect angle to kiss. I stood on tiptoe to meet his lips. The kiss was perfect—so soft and beautiful—and with it I felt any lingering wounds in my heart soften, dispelling the last of the curse forever. For being in his arms only confirmed that love was the greatest magic of all.