Spellbound

Chapter 11

    It was early enough that it was still dark outside. Senya yawned as she trudged through the hall. Despite the exhaustion that weighed over her, she hadn’t been able to fall back asleep after waking up from a strange dream. So, she had subjected herself to the chill of the morning by deciding to take a walk to the courtyard garden.

    Even in the early hours, guards stood steady at their posts, and servants scurried around with palace chores. Senya couldn’t help but admire their dedication. How underappreciated were the workers of the palace, overshadowed by those who flaunted about their wealth?

    Stretching up her arms, Senya welcomed the cool of the outside air, taking a deep breath and enjoying the breeze against her skin despite the hair that rose from the cold. The sky was beginning to brighten, but the lit poles were enough for Senya to see where she was going. On her way to the fountain, she spotted a figure in one of the sects of the garden. A smaller, darker shadow lingered closer to the ground, and Senya immediately recognized it to be a cat.

    Being quite attached to animals since she was a little girl, Senya couldn’t resist but approach. She hoped whoever the figure was would allow her to play with the feline.

    “Excuse me?” Senya called out when she was close enough to be heard. By the material billowing in the wind, she could make out the figure of a woman in a simple dress.

    “Senya? Is that you?”

    Senya was startled to hear her mother’s voice. She quickened her pace, relieved she didn’t need to be so cautious anymore.

    “Mom? What are you doing out here?” Senya could make out Misa’s features now. Her mother smiled sadly and looked down, where only grass lay beneath her feet. “Where did the cat go?”

    Misa’s smile faltered. She stiffened and shot Senya a look of shock. “C-cat?”

    Senya nodded, turning her head to see if it had been scared off by their voices. “Yes. I thought I saw a cat at your feet. Did it run away?”

    Senya was expecting her mother to point in the direction the cat had run off to or brush it off as a stray that she must have missed. What she did not expect was for Misa to cry. It wasn’t that Senya hadn’t seen her mother cry before, but she didn’t know what had triggered her sorrow.

    “Mom?”

    Misa held the back of her hand against her mouth, filling the air with soft sniffles. “I’m sorry, Senya. I…” She wiped her eyes. Then, with a smile, she gestured to a small mound by her feet. “Come, I want you to meet Min-Min.”

    “Min-Min?” Senya drew closer, her curiosity piqued. Based on the name, she gathered it was an animal. A pet, perhaps.

    “Before you were born,” Misa began. “No, before I even met your father, I had a friend that was always by my side. She was someone I could always turn to, someone who saved my life on countless occasions.”

    Senya listened quietly. It was rare for her parents to talk about their past, and she wanted to absorb as much of it as possible.

    “I loved her. At one point in my life, she was all I ever needed. We planned to travel the world together someday, after we were free.”

    Free. Senya gathered that Misa was talking about Maran and Soiya. She was aware of how her grandparents had kept Misa locked up because she was a witch.

    “When I met your father, I thought we had the opportunity to make our dreams come true. We ended up in the palace for the witch treaty, and she…”

    “Oh.” Senya looked at the mound, where a bundle of flowers grew.

    “Min-Min may have been a cat,” Misa said, “but she was more than that to me. She had magic in her, and she was intelligent enough to understand everything I told her.”

    “A cat,” Senya echoed. A shiver trembled through her. Had she seen a ghost?

    “Perhaps…” Misa thoughtfully watched the flowers sway. “Perhaps, she’s not gone. Perhaps the cat you saw was Min-Min, and she’s still here to greet me. An old friend.” Misa crouched and gently patted the mound. “Min-Min, this is my daughter, Senya. I’m sure you would have loved her.”

    And for a moment, an image flashed in Senya’s mind, similar to what had happened back in the Illios Garden. She saw her mother, younger, grinning with joy as a black cat with large blue eyes bumped its head against her chin. The image faded, and though her mother was still in the same position, the cat was nowhere to be seen.

    Blinking away the memory, Senya joined Misa. “Hello, Min-Min. I wish I got to meet you.”

    A somber silence fell over them, filled only by the gentle whistle of the wind and the distant clamor of servants preparing for the day. There was a slight sliver of magic that Senya could sense from the little grave. Was it this that had given her the flash of her mother’s memory? Was it this that had brought about the ghost of the cat?

    “Well,” Misa said as she dusted off her dress. “I can’t stay here forever. I need to head off now. Stay out of trouble.”

    Senya scowled. “What makes you think I’ll get in trouble?”

    Misa smiled, almost teasing. “When are you ever not in trouble? Be good, Senya. Don’t let your temper get the better of you.”

    “I don’t,” Senya insisted.

    “Sure.” Misa patted Senya’s cheek. “And do try to be nice to Pria, okay? I know she might be a bit much, but it’s because she’s an only child. She doesn’t exactly have friends. Invite her to speak with you and your friends, make her feel welcome. I’m sure you two will get along just fine.”

    “The princess?” Senya could hear the shrill in her voice and hated it. “Why should I? She’s so rude to me, and all she cares about is a man. A man who isn’t even halfway decent!”

    “There’s your temper again.” Misa shook her head. “Tyrion is a good boy, Senya. Don’t let your first impressions get in the way of good judgement. Give them both a chance.”

    “But, Mom!”

    “I’ll be off now. Be good.” Misa waved and walked away, but not before Senya caught a look of wist in her fading smile. As she watched her mother’s lonely back, Senya realized that Misa had been speaking from experience.

    From what little Senya had gleaned from Torren’s teasing and her parents’ reminiscing of their past, she knew they hadn’t started off at the right foot. In fact, Torren had gone so far as to say they hated each other (though Senya could never even imagine that to be true). And as if Misa’s downcast mood was contagious, Senya found herself missing her father. No. It wasn’t just her father that she missed. She missed seeing her father and mother together. There was always an emptiness about them when they weren’t together, and Senya wished Misa would stop looking like she was hiding her sorrow.

    Having nothing else to do, and with the deep blue of the early morning giving way to a streak of sunlight, Senya decided to return to the guest chambers and meet her friends for breakfast. There was no point in dwelling on something that would soon be rectified. She looked forward to spending a new day in the palace, and she resolved to acquaint herself with other guests her age. Regardless of what her father thought—that they should have as little to do with the noble families as possible—Senya was already at the Peace Day Ball, and she’d be a damned fool if she didn’t make the most of it.

 ________________________

    “A love potion?” Liane practically screamed in Senya’s ears. The shrillness in her voice coupled with the look of utter horror molding her face was enough for Senya to burst out laughing despite the annoyance with which she relayed the events of the previous evening.

    Liane shook her head, still in shock. Senya found it mildly surprising that her friend would find a love potion so abhorrent. She would have thought her obsession with romance would have at least given her a more enthusiastic outlook on a substance that could potentially bring people together.

    “I knew the princess was obsessed, but to stoop this low is just…just…desperate.” Liane rolled her leftover crust over the cream that coated her plate. “How indecent! How-how cruel. Even someone like Tyrion deserves to choose who he loves. You can’t force someone to love you. Arthran learned that the hard way and look what happened to him and Elysa.”

    Senya rolled her eyes at the mention of the characters from Liane’s favorite book. She herself had tried to read Arthran’s Plight before, but perhaps her tastes were much too different to Liane’s. She simply couldn’t read past the third chapter. The only reason she had even tried was because she had heard it was also her mother’s favorite book, but she could not find the appeal no matter how hard she tried. It didn’t matter anyway. With Liane chattering about it every so often, Senya was sure she knew everything that happened.

    “Such heartbreak.” Liane dramatically wiped her eyes. “I suffered for nearly a month because of that ending, and it still stings to think about it.”

    “Relax, Liane.” Elaine let out an airy giggle. “It’s not like Senya will actually give the princess a love potion. She doesn’t even know how to make one.”

    “That’s true,” Veira chipped in. “And besides, I doubt Tyrion would ever drink anything that Princess Pria gives him. Don’t you remember how he tossed the chocolates she made for him last year?”

    “Oh, yes.” Elaine’s eyes sparkled at the memory. “So much drama. The princess had a good fit over that in front of everyone. Got a good scolding from King Rikar, too.”

    “Not to mention how Tyrion’s own mother gave him an earful.” Liane laughed. “That was the most fun I’d ever had in the Peace Day Ball. Well, almost.” Liane suddenly lurched sideways and clung onto Senya’s arm. “This year is way more fun because Senya is here!”

    “I certainly can’t argue with that,” Elaine agreed.

    Senya pried her arm from Liane with a playful scowl. “You’re such a child, Liane.”

    “Only because Veira is here,” Liane retorted. An inside joke about how Veira was the mother of the group. That made Liane the ‘baby’ even though Elaine was the youngest.

    Before Senya could retort, Amiara interrupted them with a slight cough. “Girls, shouldn’t you be getting ready for the day?”

    Senya glanced at the clock that stood taller than Amiara by the doorway. Late morning, though this was evident enough from the golden stream of sunlight that leaked onto the floor.

    Veira sighed. “Another day, another ball.”

    “Come, come!” Amiara urged, setting a hand on Veira’s shoulder. “You should be used to this by now. Don’t you think it’s time you found someone, Veira? Let’s get you prettied up. If you’re done eating, come along.”

    Senya felt a pang of sympathy at Veira’s pained expression. Her mother was getting a little pushier for her to get married with each year, and now that Veira was at her prime, it seemed Amiara was even more determined to find a suitable husband. Still, with a deep breath, Veira effortlessly masked her discomfort and gently agreed.

    “Yes, of course.” She rose from her seat even though Senya could see she hadn’t finished her breakfast at all. “Lead the way, Mother.”

    The dining room was silent when Veira and Amiara left the room. There was a tension in the air from Veira’s absence, perhaps from a dreaded realization that it would only be the three of them in the very near future. Veira was like a pillar in their group, and the thought of losing her weighed heavily in Senya’s mind. Judging from the way Ellaine picked at her food and Liane stiffened in silence, Senya knew they felt the same.

    “My, my. It’s like a funeral in here!” Torren’s cheerful voice lifted the cloud that dampened the girls’ mood. “What’s gotten all of you so down?”

    “It’s nothing, Uncle Torren,” Senya offered. She smiled to reinforce her claim.

    “Well, what are you waiting for? Veira’s going to prepare for the day. We can’t have you falling behind. It’s already ten. Come on. You don’t want to spend all day eating cold eggs now, do you?”

    “No, sir,” Liane said. She slipped back to her cheery self. “He’s right, Senya, Ellaine. We were finished eating a while ago. Let’s go. There’s still much to do in the palace!”

    With Liane’s encouragement, the girls made an appointment to meet outside in an hour to ‘socialize’ and split off to their respective rooms. Senya’s mind was filled with the thought of Veira once again. It scared her that Veira might leave them, that next year, Veira wouldn’t be able to laugh with them, joke with them, cry with them, console them. It was inevitable that she would get married, especially when her mother had eyes on countless eligible suitors, and when she did…well, when she did, everything would change. Veira would be too busy with her new family to pay much attention to her friends, and it was possible that she could move to an entirely different country. She would still love them like a mother, a sister and still visit them from time to time, but it simply wouldn’t be the same.

    Senya turned a corner, her thoughts still troubled. In fact, she was so focused on thinking of a horrific future with Veira gone from her life that she didn’t realize someone was right in front of her until she practically flew into a body.

    Something hard hit her head, and for a moment, Senya was dazed. Then, the pain registered, and with a hiss, she rubbed her forehead.

    “Senya, are you okay?” Alton’s large hand engulfed hers as he examined her head. Curse his brass buttons.

    “A-Alton.” Senya became aware of his warm skin wrapped around her wrist. She tried not to think about it even as her face flushed.

    He gave her an easy smile, striking an ember in her heart the same way a blacksmith would strike an anvil. His grandfather was a blacksmith, after all.

    “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t see you there.” He was still holding her hand, though not in the romantic way that Senya subtly wanted. She scowled at herself. Her resolve needed to thicken. She couldn’t be swayed by him like this when he already had another woman in his heart.

    “It’s fine.” She pulled her hand from his grip with great effort. “I should be the one apologizing. I wasn’t paying any attention to where I was going.”

    “Preparing for the day?”

    Senya’s face turned even redder as she wrapped her robe tightly around her. She knew it had been a mistake to go to breakfast with the Knight sisters in her nightclothes.

    “Yes, well. I should get going. I’ll see you later, then.”

    She maneuvered herself around him, silently berating herself and praying that Alton hadn’t seen anything indecent at the same time. She nearly cried out in shock when he grabbed her arm to stop her.

    “Wait, Senya.”

    She glanced back at him, frozen in her tracks.

    “I…” His eyes flickered, and he blinked a few times as though he was waking up from a dream. “Uh…there’s something…well, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

    Senya’s heart sank. She mustered a smile, and in a lowered voice, said, “About the lady you’re interested in?”

    He hesitated before he nodded. “In a way, yes.”

    Senya let out a long, drawn out breath. It was for the best. Perhaps seeing him with the one he loved would make it easier for her to move on and finally let go of her silly feelings for him.

    “Okay. What is it? I’ll help you in any way I can.”

    His expression was unreadable. Senya waited for him to say something. Anything. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. Senya saw something akin to defeat in those pools of blue before he let her go and backed away.

    “I’m sorry.” He rubbed the back of his neck and averted his gaze. “I, uh, I forgot what I was going to say.” He chuckled. “I’ll get back to you on that. I'll see you later.”

    He left before Senya could respond. She stared at his receding back in utter confusion. It wasn’t like Alton to be so unsure of himself. For him to be so…nervous. Senya shrugged. She supposed it made sense. When it came to love, anyone could get nervous. Even her father, as hard as it was to believe, had told her how nervous he had been around her mother when he’d fallen in love with her.

    Still, it unnerved Senya, and she quickly began her walk back to her room. She shivered. Alton would soon get married as well. Time was still moving forward, and things were always changing. After Alton and Veira, it would be Ellaine. Even Liane’s parents were hoping she would get married to a wealthy family, and with how things were looking at her household, it was very possible that Liane would soon be engaged.

    Senya came to a fearful thought that very soon, she would lose everyone. And that scared her more than anything else.