Charmed

by J. A. Armitage

  “I’m going, Leo. I’m the queen, and that means that sometimes, you all have to do as I say. This is one of those times. I’m ordering you to keep my sister safe. She needs you more than I do.” I walked out of the room without giving anyone the chance to argue with me. Seconds later, Leo followed me out, and instead of shouting as I expected, he wrapped me in a bear hug.

  “Thank you,” he said, the tears freefalling down his face. It was the first time I’d ever seen him cry, but it reinforced the feeling that I was doing the right thing.

  Later, I found Cynder and Daniel outside, getting three horses saddled up.

  “I was half-expecting you to go without telling me,” I said to Cynder.

  “I was half-planning to, but knowing you, you’d just tack up your own horse and follow me anyway.”

  I grinned despite the situation. He wasn’t wrong.

  “Go inside and look for a guy called Matty,” Cynder ordered as he pulled the last strap on the horse.

  “Why?”

  “He’s going to give you a makeover,” he replied, cryptically.

  Just what I needed. Another makeover. I couldn’t escape them no matter what I did.

  A Nightmare Remembered

  I found Matty busy packing clothes at the far end of the main room. When I told him what I needed him for, he suddenly became very excited.

  “I’ve always wanted to give a queen a makeover,” he squealed.

  His high-pitched voice did not suit his huge, cumbersome frame and masculine features at all.

  “As long as you don’t make me beautiful. I need to look the very antithesis of a well-turned-out lady.”

  “Oh, don’t you worry,” he laughed. “I know exactly what I’m going to do with you.”

  He took me into a now deserted bedroom. It looked just like the one they had given me except it was much smaller. All that was left apart from the bed was a mirror.

  “Where is your makeup bag?” I wondered aloud, casting my gaze around the bare floor.

  “This is my makeup bag,” He grinned, pulling out his wand. “There are not many mages that can do what I do. It’s a specialized skill.”

  I sat on the bed and faced him. “You know, before everything went bad, I used to have a Mage make-up artist. He was very good. He had a huge box filled with every color makeup you could imagine. Of course, I don’t want you to use color on me today.”

  “Your Majesty,”—he winked—“let me work it.”

  I nodded, cautiously, not knowing what exactly working it entailed.

  He scrunched his eyes up for a few seconds before pointing his wand directly at my face, making me flinch.

  “It won’t hurt,” he trilled. “Just sit still.”

  I did as he asked, feeling very uncomfortable with the wand just inches from my nose. He said some kind of spell, and my face began to warm up. I could feel my cheeks getting hotter. Not unpleasantly so, but the same feeling as when I was blushing. A few seconds later, the heat seeped from them.

  Matty clasped his hands together and beamed. “Ok, look in the mirror.”

  I turned and gasped. There was a complete stranger looking back at me. My blonde hair was gone, replaced by long, thick, shining auburn hair. My eyes were now a dull green, and my complexion had darkened slightly to an olive hue. My lips were full and slightly less defined, and my cheekbones were more prominent. Makeup couldn’t have done this. I looked like a completely different person entirely. A young girl of my age with a face that was nondescript. I’d fit in anywhere without being detected.

  Matty waved his wand again, and my brown tunic changed into a t-shirt and jeans. Another wave and a navy blue sweater appeared, covering the shirt.

  I thanked him and ran outside to test how good it actually was. Picking up a box, I followed the line of people packing. Even though I walked right past him, Cynder didn’t bat an eyelid.

  “Excuse me,” I said to him, breaking out of the line. “Can you help me with this?” I indicated the box, pretending it was too heavy to carry.

  Cynder screwed up his eyes as he took me in

  “Charm?”

  “How did you know?” I said, dropping the box that, thankfully, only had bedding in it.

  “Matty’s done a great job, but I know you too well. He’s covered your face in a magic mask. Most people won’t see through it, but for those that know you well, and know magic, they’ll see you for who you really are.”

  My heart dropped like a stone. “So it’s pointless then?”

  “I doubt anyone else here will know it’s you,” he replied. He walked over to me and kissed me lightly on the lips. “You still taste like you.”

  I arched an eyebrow.

  “Go and see if your mother recognizes you if you aren’t sure. We are nearly ready to go. Daniel and I are having the Matty treatment too. I’ll meet you out here in ten minutes.”

  He was right about everyone else. My mother actually screamed when I walked through Elise’s door until I told her who I was and then it took a good few minutes to prove it to her by answering questions only I would know the answer to. I gave them all a kiss goodbye with the exception of Alannah who was still sitting by Elise’s side.

  A tear escaped from the corner of Elise’s eye.

  “Be careful,” she whispered.

  “You too,” I replied, sadly. I don’t know who was the most worried, her or me.

  Outside I waited for the two boys. Not knowing what they would look like, had me scrutinizing everyone that came out of the house, but when two men came over to me, I knew immediately who they were. It was strange to look at Daniel with dark red hair and a scruffy beard, but it was stranger still to see a fair Cynder. His beautiful deep brown eyes were now a light blue and his curly hair had been changed into a dark blond crop. He didn’t look like Cynder at all, but when he kissed me, and I closed my eyes, there was no mistaking whose lips were on mine.

  “We don’t have time for that,” shouted Daniel, jumping up onto his horse.”

  “Follow us,” whispered Cynder quickly. “If anything happens, turn and run. Take your horse and get away.”

  “I’m not leaving you!” I protested.

  “And I’m not letting you come unless you promise me,” he replied.

  As I looked into those unfamiliar blue irises, I knew I had to give him this. I nodded slowly and jumped up onto the horse that had been saddled up for me. Cynder handed me a folded up piece of paper.

  “What’s this?”

  “It’s a map of where the others are heading tonight. If we get separated, head straight there. Don’t let the MDS get their hands on it.”

  I tucked the small piece of paper in my pocket, and we rode out of the grounds of the farmhouse to begin our long journey back to the capital.

  The journey was a lot longer than I remembered it. Although without anyone chasing us, there was no need to ride the horses at breakneck speed.

  This was the first time I’d seen my own kingdom beyond the capital, and I took it all in, promising myself that if I ever got myself out of this mess, I’d plan a tour. It was much more beautiful than I imagined, with rolling hills, picturesque villages, and endless fields. Every so often, we’d pass someone, but no one stopped us. It was only as we came closer to the capital that I noticed the heightened security. On the very outskirts, where the fields and moorlands turned into suburbs, was a roadblock. I recognized the uniforms of the people manning it as those of the Silverwood Police.

  I followed Daniel and Cynder cautiously. A policeman held out his hand, commanding us to stop.

  “Where are you headed?” he barked at us.

  “We are headed into the Capital,” replied Daniel. I could hear the slight tremor in his voice as he spoke.

  The policeman looked us all up and down. “What is your business?”

  “I…I…”

  “We came to speak with the chief of police,” I interjected. “We have seen one of the men traveling with the Queen.”

&n
bsp; I saw Cynder giving me a curious look out of the corner of his eye. Either this would work, or it would go horribly wrong.

  The policeman became excited. “You saw him? Who was it? Did you see the queen?”

  “No,” I replied thoughtfully. “Just the man on the TV who drove the carriage that took her.”

  “Where was he?”

  I thought of a town as far away as possible from where we had been staying and from where the others were traveling. “Northich,” I said, remembering its position on a map.

  “That’s north of the Capital,” replied the policeman suspiciously. “This is the south gate to the city. How did you see them?”

  Damn!

  “We saw the guards on the north entrance and decided to head round to the south,” improvised Cynder quickly. “We thought that there wouldn’t be guards here, and we’d be able to get into the city quicker so we could report our findings. Obviously, we were wrong.”

  The policeman studied his face for a second, and then deciding that believing him, and potentially being the one that found the queen was preferable to making us turn around, he let us pass.

  “I’ll need to know exactly where you saw him,” he shouted up to us as he raised the barrier.

  “I’m afraid, we’d rather report it to the chief of police ourselves,” said Daniel.

  “Ok,” replied the policeman, clearly excited now. “I’ll call him to come here. You three wait here.”

  Our only option was to do as he asked. If we raced into the city, he’d be after us in seconds.

  He disappeared into his little makeshift hut, probably to call the police headquarters. Cynder and Daniel moved their horses so we were all standing close together.

  “I’m sorry, that was stupid,” I said.

  “It was fine,” reassured Daniel. It got us through the barrier. We just have to decide what to do now.”

  “I don’t think we have much choice,” replied Cynder. “If he’s getting Copper out to us, then that saves us a journey. I’ll use my wand to make sure that Copper sees the real you.”

  I jumped down from my horse and led him to a nearby water trough. Maybe Cynder was right. My spur-of-the-moment idea was bringing Copper to see us which meant we wouldn’t have to walk through the city alone. It saddened me how terrifying a prospect it was to walk through my own city, the place I’d lived my whole life and had never ventured out of. I watched the people coming and going, many of which got turned away from the barrier by another policeman. A lot of them looked like farmers, trying to come into the capital to sell their wares. As each one was turned away, my heart became heavier. This was affecting so many people, and there was little I could do about it. A huge part of me wanted to announce that I was the queen, but in doing so, I was putting myself, not to mention Daniel and Cynder, at risk.

  A carriage appeared in the distance, and I recognized it as one owned by the police. The black carriage had a blue stripe running lengthways around it, and a man in a police uniform sat in the driver’s seat.

  “That was quick!” remarked Cynder.

  “All the better for us,” Daniel replied. “ I guess they really want to find the queen.”

  The carriage drew to a stop beside us, and the driver jumped down, opening the door of it. The policeman that had stopped us at the barrier came running out quickly when he saw who had arrived.

  I stepped up to the carriage, ready to hold my hand out to Chief Inspector Copper but instead of Jason, out of the carriage came my worst nightmare. For the first time since our wedding, I found myself standing face to face with Luca Tremaine.

  Wedding Night

  Keeping my composure was difficult, but to show any weakness was to show myself, and that would result in death for all of us.

  Oh, how I hated the vile man I’d only just days before told the world I’d love until my dying day. What a joke.

  He walked over to us and ordered Cynder and Daniel down from their horses. A quick glance at Cynder told me that he was going to comply with Luca’s orders.

  I followed suit and jumped down, feeling terrified that I’d be recognized. Cynder had already explained that my magic make-over was fallible. He’d proved it himself by recognizing me straight away. Would Luca recognize me? We’d spent the best part of a year together. I held my breath as he walked over, his jovial veneer much more convincing than my own mask.

  His lips pulled back into a grin I’d only ever seen on him on TV. It made me want to punch him in it.

  “I hear that you have seen the queen,” he said, addressing us all.

  “In the north,” I replied, trying to deepen my voice and change my accent so he wouldn’t recognize it. “It wasn’t the queen herself, but the man who kidnapped her.”

  “I’d like you to come back to my palace, and we can discuss it,” he invited.

  Daniel spoke for all of us. “I thought the palace had burnt down?”

  “No,” laughed Luca. “Not that palace. I have another place in the capital, and I’d like you to be my guests.”

  Cynder jumped in. “Actually, we were just going to tell the police and be on our way. We are busy merchants and cannot stay in town for too long.”

  Luca looked him up and down wearily. His gaze then went to our horses which were not loaded with anything larger than a daypack with some food in them.

  “Merchants?” he enquired, arching a brow.

  “We were on our way to pick up our wares when we saw the kidnapper,” I stammered.

  “Nevertheless, I’d like it if you came with me in my carriage. Your horses will be well looked after here.”

  Luca left us no choice but to squeeze into his carriage between two armed guards, both of whom had golden roses pinned to their lapels.

  “Thank you for your invitation,” I said, smiling through gritted teeth as Luca jumped into the carriage and shut the door behind him “Those rose pins are fascinating. Are they a police emblem?”

  I tried to act as innocently as possible, but at the same time, I wanted to see him lie to me. I needed him to, to see if I would know.

  “They are an emblem to remember our dear queen.”

  My blood boiled. Ok, so I’d wanted him to lie to me, but to use me as an excuse for his emblem of hatred was too much.

  “The queen isn’t dead,” I spat. Cynder who was sitting next to me squeezed my hand.

  Luca’s smile didn’t drop. “No, and thanks to you fine people, I hope we will find her safe and sound.”

  I didn’t say another word to him. I thought if I did, I’d do something stupid like hit him over the head...hard.

  Instead, I elected to look out of the window as we headed into town. The closer we got to the center, the eerier it was. It looked so different from the Capital I knew and the difference from the day of the wedding was staggering. Gone were the cheering people and excited crowds. Now, the streets were empty, devoid of any kind of life.

  “Where is everyone?” asked Daniel, who had obviously noticed the same thing out of the window at the other side.

  “We are having a national week of mourning for the royal family,” replied Luca. I didn’t point out that the queen was still alive again. What was the point?

  Fifteen minutes later we pulled up at a huge house with wrought iron gates. Where were we? I didn’t know this place at all. We were marched inside by the guards which made me feel nervous, but when we were shown to a large dining room and served tea and cakes, my nerves were beginning to dissipate. Maybe Luca thought feeding us was his way of thanking us for the information.

  Still, nothing sat comfortably with me. Dean, Jenny, and Daniel’s father were here in the basement of this very building, and without Copper and some of the task force that we trusted, we were woefully underprepared. Getting into the building was one thing. Getting out alive would be a different matter entirely. I nibbled on a pretty pink cake as I tried to come up with something to say. Luca sat down at the head of the long table with Cynder, Daniel, and I at the other
end.

  “So,” began Luca, pouring himself a pot of tea from a silver teapot. “What exactly did you see?”

  “I saw the man who took the queen,” I improvised, taking a sip of tea and trying not to choke on it. “I recognized him from the TV.”

  “Where was he? Did you see where he was heading? Was he with anyone else?”

  “Er...”

  “Please may I use your bathroom?” interrupted Daniel. I glanced over at him. He didn’t need the bathroom. He wanted to scope the place out.

  “Be my guest. First door on the right at the top of the stairs.” Luca indicated the door we had come through which led to the main entrance. Below the table, I crossed my fingers.

  “Do you think we will be able to see the chief of police?” enquired Cynder. As we had not yet come up with a plan to get out of here, being in this house was only helpful in the sense we could see the layout. There was no way we could save Dean, Jenny, and Daniel’s father by ourselves.

  “I’ll pass on any information you tell me,” smiled Luca. It was funny. In all the time I’d known him, I’d trusted him completely. Now, everything about him was so fake. “So you were just about to tell me what you’d seen.”

  Luca turned to me leaving me with having to come up with something on the spot.

  The door opened just as I opened my mouth to speak. I expected Daniel to come back through the door, but instead, an attractive blonde woman walked in. Ignoring us, she walked straight up to Luca and whispered something in his ear. Something about her familiarity with him told me that she was more than a servant. As she walked back past us, I realized I knew who she was. I’d seen her before, and back then, she’d looked a little too comfortable in Luca’s presence. She was the girl in the black dress from the ball his parents had thrown for me all those months ago.

  So not only had he been planning to kill me, he was also cheating on me this whole time. Ok, I had no proof, but I knew.

  I seethed in my chair, hating him more and more with each second that passed.

  A noise outside the room made me jump. Seconds later Daniel was brought back into the room, his arms held behind his back by a guard.